Im back!

Apologies for the long wait. School, unexpected setbacks and games took slowed down progress. Still, I have managed to poop out another long one. Hope it will be satisfactory.

Progress outlook for the year ahead looks the same as school slows down some more. Still, i will try to release chapters and fast as possible.

Thanks goes to Ban3 for the excellent work as usual and apologies for breaking the chain of cliffhangers. spoiler!

37

Despite Project Youkai panoply of combat personnel, we were the last resort. The leaders, whoever they were, knew that even with a highly successful first batch, they could never bring out the numbers that could warrant any sort of military victory. Instead, their priority was civilian control, where careful and effective positioning of personnel could ensure the control of governments. While the alpha batch had at the very least two thousand personnel in the different combat programs, the civilian program had easily twice that number, going from the very top to the very bottom. A massive shadow government were being trained from childhood to ensure control of the world, in every sector of public life. From the intricacies of the medical field to the working cogs of government, everything was included. Simple peace was preferable to savage fighting. Thus, when everything fell apart, the people being trained simply took the reins and put their training to work. Soon after this, the highly successful Traxus corporation appeared in the fortune 500 list, it's notability being the rather high number of youthful people in its management ranks.-Records on Post-Project fall(compiled by Dutch Kotozaki, Office of Physics operative(ret))

37

The day before

Morning

"Why are we even up so early?" Renko grumbled as she rubbed her eyes, sleepily looking at the dark sky overhead. Her eyes told her the exact time she had been roused from her much needed rest and this only helped to add irritation to her already tense emotions.

Sanae giggled, the shrine maiden was wide awake from countless days of early morning training. Compared to her drowsy compatriot, she was the essence of health, her image seemingly ready to radiate with contained power.

"Come on now. Morning is the best time to start training. It gets the heart pumping." She proclaimed cheerfully to Renko, who started to sway dreamily, too sleepy to even stay up for long.

"Stars..." The brunette slurred, falling back into the comforting cloak of sleep. Even with her rapidly dissipating awareness she marveled at how sleep felt so much like falling, deeper and deeper.

"Whoa. Don't want to wake you up by hurting yourself." Her green haired trainer remarked as she caught Renko before she could hit the ground.

"Just let me sleep." Renko moaned as she started to rise from the ground, helped up by Sanae. She unthinkingly looked at the mountain ground, her sleepy mind just simply accepting the sight of her eyes as natural. Even as Sanae's flight path crossed into water, she looked at the mirroring liquid without thought nor reason.

Sanae simply sighed before dropping the brunette into the water, to the surprise of the woman.

Renko burst out of the water, spluttering out said liquid. "Are you mad!" She yelled at the flying shrine maiden. "I could have drowned!"

"Good, now you are awake." Sanae sang, a note of friendly derision clearly rang within this statement as she hovered over her. "We can actually start."

Renko growled before rising out of the water, flying off at the younger lady like a hornet homing in on a bee. Except said bee had far more firepower than she had.

Bright lights lit up the night sky.

Maribel dodged danmaku with tired ease, as a storm of fire spun around her in a spiral of pure agonizing energy. Her movements limited by the reduced area that she could move, she was reduced to dodging by a hair's breadth, the shots grazing her skin or more routinely bursting against it.

Her mind questioned the length of time she had been awake. All sense of time had disappeared the moment she was sucked in Yukari's training, with no clue nor hint as to how long her training had been going on. It could have been hours or days since her torture started.

This line of thought however, was quickly vanquished as a danmaku shot punished her for her moment of distraction. She returned to avoiding the bullets, the energy projectiles flying from every direction.

Up, down, left, left, right. Her mind commanded, her movements no more varied than those of a video game. All advanced levels of thought were avoided, as her entire mind dedicated itself to the more primal need of quick reactions, mental pathways that once contemplated the psychological aspect of human life now flowing with the basic need to avoid the pain.

As she tilted out of another shot, another projectile flew in from the wall of danmaku that surrounded her. Unseen, it continued along its journey, striking her at the back of her head.

Knocked forward by the hit, Maribel watched the wall of danmaku get closer and close until it swallowed her. Pained hoarse cries rang from the wall, as it spat out the human on the other end, depositing her on relatively soft ground.

Yukari watched the trembling human leisurely, sprawled on one of her gaps again, her hands holding her head up as if bored by the spectacle.

"Hmm, I think you should work on your sense of detection. Should help you avoid any more hits." She drawled.

Maribel growled, her vocal chords weakened from the hard training she had. In fact, her entire body was at an impossible state. The long training she had left, made worse by her wholly untrained state, made her feel like she had gone through the entire Olympics singlehandedly. It felt like she was a doll with her strings cut, dead and empty inside. Maribel guessed that her trainer/audience had something to do with that. It would most certainly fit into the impression that she was getting of the gap youkai.

She forced her empty arms to push herself up, using her last hurrahs to push herself off of the floor. She swayed restlessly, the almost constant movements of training past denying her the power to stay still.

"Hmm, perhaps a biological supplement would be helpful." Yukari said to herself, snapping her fingers. Maribel gasped as a rush flooded her body, adrenaline filling her with false energy.

"Well, then, back to work."

And she was surrounded by spiraling walls of danmaku again.

Perhaps it was her tired mind finally giving up any remaining sense of rationality or a simple side effect of the natural drugs that now filled her blood, but all Maribel could do, as she faced the swirling energy, was release a scream of raw rage as her ordeal began anew.

Moriya shrine

Afternoon

"Yes please, just let me rest." Renko moaned as she lay on the floor, arms sprawled wide in rest.

"Come on now. It's only afternoon." Sanae scolded as she sat next to the outsider.

"But we just ate! Can't we rest for a while?"

The shrine maiden sighed. "Fine. We'll rest for a while."

"Yaaaaaay..." Renko slurred.

"But only a while!"

"Yes mother..."

The two lapsed into silence as the glare of the sun, deflected off the wooden roof of the shrine, left them in cooling shade.

"How do I succeed..." Renko whispered to herself, looking out at the land beneath her.

"Well, you could start by trying." Sanae answered, knowing that the question was directed at the asker herself.

Renko glanced at the shrine maiden. "But Dutch's that good, that proficient. He stood in front ever since we came here. What can I do against him?"

"Well, you could also start by not demoralizing yourself."

Renko's silently looked away, her action making Sanae sigh.

"What is it about him that makes him that good? That ensnares your ideas of success?"

Renko glanced at the Shrine Maiden. "You know that gun he always uses? That rifle? He picked up that weapon while trying to save us. And he has been using it like a professional ever since then. With no preparation whatsoever. Me? I'm just randomly shooting bullets everywhere."

"Technically, all guns are easy to use." Sanae noted."So him using it naturally isn't that much of an issue."

"He faced off a vampire and lived. Only a couple of days before. How can I compare to that kind of skill?"

"You could really start by not digging your own grave!" The green haired Shrine maiden snapped.

Her brunette counterpart stared at her in shock.

"Aren't you training for that purpose?! Haven't you been working hard so that you wouldn't be helpless any more? If you are, then what are you doing right now?!" She continued.

"Yes, he's skillful and strong, but that means that you have a goal to reach. Don't you want to beat him? Doing this right now isn't helping you whatsoever. In fact, you are adding problems that didn't exist in the first place. You need to work towards fighting him, and the first stage is your mind!" Sanae shouted.

"Still..."

"Yes, he's still powerful and you may not win your first battle, but having negative thoughts will only serve to help him. Do you want to tell me that you have been wasting all of your time with me?" She continued.

Renko blinked, letting the emotion of the words enter her. "No, I haven't." She said, getting up from her spot." I won't let it."

Sanae smiled. "Well then, I assume our break is over?"

Her answer was Renko taking off towards the lake. The Shrine maiden smiled proudly before following her.

Night

Renko breathed out loud, watching her breath push away the tendrils of steam that rose from her hot cup of tea. She sat on the shrine floor, her legs dangling over the edge as her eyes found the moon in the night sky. The first borders of black were already eating at its side, the barest of concave darkness on its bright appearance.

Looking at it, her mind perceived the line like the edge of a blade, sharpened darkness cutting through the mass of white in the surface of the moon. In her eyes, the white soon faded to red, as a black blade sliced through the red orb effortlessly, it's familiar design reaching into her mind. The red moon fell apart in front of her, twin scarlet circles mocking her.

She called forth her sword, looking at it's unique second-hand design. Was it by design or instinct that she had been given such a weapon? The natural feel of it was so...alien. She had never wielded a weapon before and for one to seem so easy was foreign to her.

Ever since her innate ability was opened to her, her very body seemed entirely strange to her. Ironic, she guessed, in a world that was different, her own earthly vessel was the strangest thing of all.

"Contemplating your weapon?" Sanae asked, sitting down next to the brunette.

"Pondering. I feel so different, knowing that I had all of this all along."

"It happens. What about your other power?"

Renko glanced at her hands. "It's...strange, I guess. It's like a simple next step yet feels so powerful. I can't say what it's like."

Sanae chuckled."To each her own. What about your fellows? Have you been missing them?

Her partner grinned weakly. "Not really. Then again, I haven't had time to miss them. It has been all training and more training these last few days."

"Tomorrow is the end though. Yukari's coming to pick you up."

"I know. I wonder how Mary's doing."

Sanae grinned. "I'm sure you'll find out tomorrow. Get some early sleep. I want to have one final early morning match as a final test. For the future." She finished before leaving the brunette.

Renko nodded as she looked back at the moon, it's white visage laughing at her.

"Very very good. You have improved quite a lot in these last few days." Yukari observed, leisurely sprawled on a gap, a cheshire grin adorned over her features. Her eyes gazed down on the panting human before her like a hawk eyeing its prey, and yet despite this, she was offering praise, revealing the effects of her training to the mortal.

Maribel simply panted, her energy eaten away from two days of non-stop training, her only sustenance had been the bending of boundaries. Her purple shirt and skirt had become casualties of her fight for survival, rips and tears now made up the larger percentage of its form. Her body seemed unharmed, the damage received hidden by skin and magic.

"Actually, I would say that you have gone pretty much further than most people. Then again, while your power was revealed to you by Reimu, I honed it and brought it to a level that will prove far more helpful to you. I deserve most of the credit, don't you think?"

The watcher of boundaries growled at the manipulator shot mental state foregoing words for unspoken raw emotions, making her target chuckle.

"My my, how rude. I even took time off to do this. Do you know how much sake I could have enjoyed in this time frame?"

A furious glare.

"You love your mother with that brain? Pardon me, I just wanted to use that phrase. Still, you should rejoice. You are at the final doorstep." Yukari announced.

"However, there is still one more piece of the puzzle that you must accomplish. An awakening of power, of which only two people in the world have privy to. Your danmaku is but a simple parlor trick, peanuts compared to the main attraction. Your power goes far deeper than that. Much wider." The gap youkai whispered, the world slowly changing around her, inky inarticulate shapes slowly reaching for the human, wispy voices calling for her.

Maribel watched the approaching voices with tired indifference.

Nothing she had gone through rivaled the mysterious circle now closing in on her yet her mind could barely care. She fired off a volley of danmaku bolts but the energy projectile simply warped when they touched the contracting perimeter, their shapes spiraling out of reason.

She backed away from the shapes but the circles ensured there was no escape. Spinning round for a way, any way to escape, her only sight was seeming doom only reaching for her.

Like a tidal wave, the shapes rushed forth, engulfing her into a sea of black. Yet instead of oblivion, she felt something...different.

It was familiar to her, an almost comforting whisper of parts. Her eyes perceived the black in all it's glory, glancing at the colors that made up its murky darkness.

But she could see more, see deeper as well. Her eyes looked at the colors and saw shades of those colors and shades of those shades. Everything she saw was split into its components and those components split too.

She looked at her hands, the appendage a canvas of colors that pulsed with her heartbeat. The more she looked, the deeper she saw, until her hand glimmered with the sound of cosmic music, a presentation of her connection with the deepest part of the universe.

And then it was gone, her hand back to normal again. She growled before focusing on it again, trying to return to the sight she saw.

Yukari chuckled as she watched the human before her find herself once again. She too was like that, in her early years, absorbed by the tremendous sight that her power granted, leaving the experiences of the present to dwell in the realm of the immaterial. To simply observe such power seemed a delight.

At times, she cursed her body, seemingly frustrated at her fate to be limited by even her youkai body. Her very mind rebelled against the physical, refusing to take command of it's abode, preferring to float in dimensions elsewhere.

Yet the more she floated, the more her body pulled her back. Foolishly, she tried to fight, trying to enforce her will on herself. Its was a colossal fight, her power against her nature, a titanic clash that carried on furiously over blood and bone. Her body started to warp to the effects, seemingly fading out of reality at times. But in the end, just as she was set to take control of herself, to destroy her nature which held her back, it stopped her.

She never realised but her nature, her very essence, was as intricate as the immaterial realm she sought to pursue. She marveled at the different boundaries that shaped her existence, from her vessel to Her.

Taught an ironic lesson, Yukari had returned to the physical world at large, a revelation soon forthcoming when she discovered the effects of her power on her body. Brute force with her ability was foolish, wasteful and weak. Instead, subtlety was needed with her power, to use the hand of change to tweak the boundaries just an infinitesimal bit, just enough to ensure her victory and nothing more.

She could see the starting phases of the long journey to understand the same power already in the human before her. The glazed stare of wonder, the almost unwilling return to reality.

"That is a glimpse of what you can see. An opening of the doorway to jump start your power. Once you have experienced it, it will be much easier for you to return to it again." She whispered, a mentoring edge to her voice.

"But don't be taken in by the sight you have. Just like you, I felt the same and experienced it all. Centuries passed before I could return. You don't have the time." She continued.

"And thus I must warn you. While we share the same power, our use of it will be very much different. You don't have the experience I have, nor the strength to accept its toll. Don't be reckless."

"Ah..." Maribel breathed, feeling the physical touches on her body again.

Yukari grinned, the gap she sat on seemingly curving around her in accordance."This course has ended. Congratulations, you have a slightly higher chance of surviving in my world."

The human before her simply remained silent, still trying to get her bearings straight. The youkai sage sniggered at her immobilized state, disappearing in her gap and leaving elsewhere, back to Mayohiga, where her dwelling stood, its boundaries shrouding great secrets.

Inside, Ran awaited her, her tails shifting restlessly.

"You have a question."

The Kitsune bowed lightly. "Yukari-sama, is it wise to mentor a human whose power is like yours? It would seem rather...foolhardy."

"One should take care of the contingencies that she has prepared, in case she would ever need them. My plans have manifested in such a way, thus I shall simply have to take advantage of it. Besides, I have such great pieces positioned at such great points. All I must do is nurture them correctly..

Ran blinked her face a picture of confusion.

"I do not understand, Yukari-sama."

"The vault owner, my lovely shikigami. The human whom you seem much less suspicious of. I have set him on a journey, a kingmaker now under my guidance. However, should I ever need it, a transfer of title would be necessary and what better choice than the pieces already in my hand." The Sage answered.

"Besides, with all that is going on, I think he would need someone who he can rely on and someone to be betrayed by, should it be beneficial. Who knows, things change." She continued, opening a gap, cup in hand from the otherworldly action.

Her Kitsune bowed in answer, silently accepting the roles that her master had set for the humans.

"In the end, it's all a game of shadows. The true influences hide far beyond the touch of each other and the battlegrounds shift to their bidding. And sometimes, something.. shocking is required to shift everything back to our favor." The Sage ended, the gap releasing a drop of white which soured red soon after in the cup.

Esoterica"Gray Thaumaturgy"

Renko grinned as she flew towards the mass of projectiles, eyes focusing on the great mass approaching her. The wall of danmaku shot seemed impenetrable to the untrained eye, a solid wave of pain spreading out.

In her mind, her ability was moving into overdrive, selecting the closing projectiles and categorizing each one, moving their location and their projected path. Those too far were ignored, their distance ensuring their harmlessness.

Her mind picked a safe path through the danmaku, her body following unthinkingly. Powered by once impossible flight, the outsider weaved through the storm, constantly noting down new projectiles and ignoring those that posed no threat.

A single energy bullet headed straight for her, it's presence already noted down. Promising pain, it flew along its path, it's target stubbornly unwilling to avoid it.

Just as it closed in on her, it shifted, seized by some unseen power to change it course. Suddenly encased by grey energy, the projectile flew around its former target, forming a semicircle around the human before flying back towards where it came from, the energy that held it now gone.

More soon followed it's fate, as Renko redirected what she couldn't dodge away from her. Danmaku flew wild, thrown off course by the power of the human they sought to attack.

She felt almost invincible, since nothing could hit her. Flying through the barrage, a victorious grin graced her features. Now, she had power. She was truly stronger.

Then a single projectile, it's existence and and path noted down, flew straight for her. But she couldn't grab it fast enough, her mind taking too long to process the necessary decisions to change it's course.

It's struck her with a sharp burst, energy soaking into her body and setting her nerves aflame. Suddenly she was floundering, her trance broken by the hit. Her planned path forgotten, she could only weather the storm of pain, arms held up to defend herself.

Thud!

Went the sound of her body, crashing back down to earth like a fruit from a tree. She groaned, curling up in pain as the sensation of countless similar crash landings before filled her body.

"Well, you made some pretty good progress." Sanae said as she floated back to ground level, the shrine maiden smiling at her fellow's situation.

"Why does it always hurt the same?" Renko moaned as she sat up, disheveled by the long training she had.

Sanae giggled. "That's pain. You can't lessen it, only cope with it."

"Gah." Came the woman's answer, flopping back down onto earth, spreading her arms wide to rest.

"Still, I have to say that your power seems very unique. It's like you have some sort of GPS-like power, allowing for you to 'see' things at their current location in 3D. It's like you are a walking radar." The shrine maiden noted.

"But I still got hit. Some power I have."

Sanae smiled reassuring. "Don't say it like that. All you need to do is train more."

"That's easy for you to say. I had someone protect me and it's so frustrating to feel so powerless." Renko grumbled.

Sanae sighed. "Let me tell you a story." She started, settling down beside the outsider.

"Once, there was a human who lived with two gods. Belief for them was fading away and too were the beings who lived off them. The human was powerless to do anything but watch, her heart preparing for the day they would disappear. Her own powers were nothing, useless against nature." She continued, eyes clouded by memory.

"Then suddenly a door opened. A new world, where the gods could survive and the girl would never lose them. The girl pushed herself to help the gods reach this world, forgoing everything else. The world ceased to exist for her."

"They made it. Now they were she learned that the world already had a shrine with a god. Without thought or reason, she rushed off, demanding the expulsion of this new enemy, confident that she could singlehandedly protect her gods from competition. She was turned away and brought only pain to her gods."

Renko frowned. "I'm not so sure that I understand the moral of this story."

"The moral, Renko-san, is that power must be used responsibly. One shouldn't be too rash with what she has."

Yukari smiled. "Or as a popular saying more accurately goes, with great power comes great responsibility."

As the pair jumped back from the Sage who appeared in their midst, she continued. "Good morning Sanae, I come to collect my human." She cheerily said, a parasol shading the sun from her.

"Where's Mary?" Renko demanded.

"Dear me, both of you are less than polite. Your friend is resting from a long time of hard training. She actually endured quite a lot more compared to you." The Sage divulged airily, twirling her parasol around.

"Bah."

The speaker jumped as she felt the ground beneath her suddenly gave way, turning into a hole in reality before swallowing her whole.

Yukari giggled. "Down the rabbit hole she goes, where she comes out, nobody knows."

"Wouldn't it be your home?" Sanae deadpanned.

"Aw, come on. Why must you ruin it?" The youkai sage whined childishly, pouting cutely.

The shrine maiden sighed. "I know my words don't hold anything with you, but please , don't let them come to any more harm than is necessary."

Yukari smiled. "Oh I will. However, necessity does show her head every so often." She finished before disappearing, her parasol tip seemingly waving goodbye.

Sanae turned to return to her shrine, a silent wish from her heart for her fellow humans.

Mayohiga

Renko yelped as she landed on the soft ground, the plants once weighed down by crystalline drops of morning dew now folding peacefully before the seemingly colossal weight of the human.

Her hand held her aching back, which she had so unfortunately landed upon. The brunette curled up in pain, repeating the actions that she did seconds before.

Her tormentor landed next to her lightly, the gentle rustle of another area of grass being subjected to weight filling the air.

"Hmm, I thought I angled correctly. Ah well, it's your fault for entry with such a bad position." She cheerfully said.

"Why don't you...!" Renko hissed before getting swallowed by yet another gap, her words cut off.

"Ah ah ah. No swearing please. You wouldn't want to defile a teenager's ears." The self-proclaimed 17 year old sage lightly scolded, wagging her finger. Smiling to herself, she entered her dwelling, her expectant eyes seeing no-one.

Good. Ran had already departed.

Closing the parasol with a snap, her legs guided their owner to the living room, her footwear changed to accommodate the variation in environmental etiquette.

Good, her two guests were already occupying their planned positions, more by her design than their own. Leaving her delicate umbrella along the side of her favorite chair, she sat down on it gracefully, her posture far more refined then the two humans opposite her.

"Could you please stop with the gaps?" Renko moaned tiredly, her head leaned back on the couch, eyes closed in a furtile attempt to draw some rest.

"My apologies. Force of habit. If you don't mind, could you wake your friend?" The master of the house asked.

Renko straighted her head as she turned to the just recently noticed blonde human who slept next to her. Exhausted by the past events, she resorted to poking her friend in the shoulder, stabbing her finger until she got a response.

"Hullo Mary." She said before rolling her head back.

"Hueee?" The blonde mumbled as she rubbed her eyes awake, her movements slowed by her dozy state of mind.

Yukari sighed. "Come on now, we have important things to discuss. Wake up." She commanded, snapping her fingers to give both of the human before her a jolt.

"Ow! We're up. Stop it." Renko moaned, energy filling her exhausted body.

"Finally. I have many topics to discuss and sleepy heads will miss information. So if you miss anything, it's not my fault." She stated.

The house dissolved around them, leaving the furniture that they sat on the only thing visible. In between them, an image of a girl, her sky blue eyes and sterling blue hair complimenting her young image. A pair of wings, the feathers of fine crystalline filament, adorned her back. A white blue dress and white teal blouse clothed her,completing her image.

The two humans scanned the image of the girl, confusion in their faces. "Who is she?" Renko questioned.

"Her name is Vale. A very special girl, I must admit. Quite the unique one in origins and status." The youkai Sage started.

"She is connected to your friend, whose current activities are far more adventurous than yours. She brought quite a many things to him and more."

"How is Dutch?" Maribel asked worriedly.

Yukari grinned. "He's fine. His situation may be a tad problematic but nothing life threatening. Yet."

"So what did she do to him?" Renko continued her questioning.

"Changes, would be the summarized version. They had both provided great things for each other and he has grown to accept her."

Maribel frowned. "She's part of the crystal, isn't she?"

Yukari nodded in answer. "Yes she is. She is the physical embodiment of his burdens, the power that he wields made manifest. While her personality may be suiting of her age, her power is far more developed. Should you ever meet her, I recommend that you handle her with caution."

"Why are you showing us this?" Renko put forth, suspicion clear in her eyes."This is his burden."

"Because the Vault, upon death of its Owner, will take a new one. I need someone who can take up that burden if it is so required. What Dutch has set in motion cannot be halted."

"You want us to handle the vault if he dies? What is he, some tool?" The brunette hissed, anger burning in her eyes.

"A pawn, to be more fitting. His appearance has created a stir among the more reclusive members of the magical realms and their interest is both him, and the crystal that he wields. The former is inclusive of the latter while the other has a more variable requirement. His death will ultimately matter little, if the opposition gets control of the Vault.I will not let that happen. If the mantle of power must be transferred, it will be done." The Sage answered.

"For the safety of this land, it must be done."

Maribel's face darkened. "You expect us to treat his passing with such callousness? Simply pick up the thing that he risks his life for and put it on like some simple tool?"

"In essence, yes. Your closeness to him, relationship wise, means that you will have a higher chance of obtaining it from him upon his death. He will let you in close. I will not let the Vault fall into the hands of those who seek to bring malice."

"And Dutch? Has he no say?" Renko growled.

"He's a pawn. His say will not matter. Yours, on the other hand, offers opportunities for me to further my agenda. What that is is mine to reveal. But your stake in him is more personal. Stay close to him, and ensure that the control of the Vault remains in my hands, one way or another or face untold horrors. The choice is yours."

Maribel frowned. "...Fine. We will stay close to him. But don't think we will let him fall."

Yukari smiled. "I have no such dreams."

She snapped her fingers, returning them to the reality that they knew, the darkness changing back into the homely background that they started from.

"With the end of your training, it is time to hone your skills in real combat. The two of you are going back to an old familiar place. New threats abound there and your friend is on a course there as well, so you will intercept him. Do what you think is right."

And then they were falling.

"Apologizing doesn't help if you keep doing it!" Renko yelled irritably back into the void.

She was answered by a blinding flash of sunlight, as the sun glared down on her even as she fell. Her eyes closing instinctively from the ball of fire overhead, she was too distracted to note the rapidly approaching ground rushing up to her.

"Mary!" She called for her friend's help, while her eyes caught sight of the blonde woman. She floated in the air, held aloft by her magic, yet her eyes were distracted elsewhere, seemingly staring into nothing.

Renko cursed as she realized her plight. In her current situation, her concentration was as solid as twigs, her natural reaction to freefalling constantly disrupting her train of thought, while her friend was distracted by something.

The earth got closer and closer as Renko braced herself for a very painful landing, already waiting for the painful thud.

Lucky, sometimes, the seeming annoying being that dropped you out of air actually aimed you at something. Like a gate guard for one.

"Oof!" Meiling breathed, catching the falling human with a quick hand. Renko opened her eyes gingerly, looking at the gate guard who substituted herself for the hard packed earth.

"Yukari?" She asked, letting the human back on her two feet. Renko answered her with an irritable nod, directed at her evil tormenter.

"Thank you." She thanked, bowing quickly.

Meiling's answer was interrupted by Maribel's landing."I'm so sorry! I thought you were going to get hurt!" She gushed, rushing up to her friend.

She stopped as her eyes caught sight of Meiling, her recently awoken power showing the different boundaries that formed the youkai before her. The visions that grabbed her attention once did so again, making her freeze in place.

"Mary?" Renko questioned, walking up to her friend who stared at Meiling with a glazed, almost curious expression.

Maribel shook herself out of her trance, breaking her eyesight away from the Meiling shaped boundaries that held her eyes. She gave Renko a reassuring smile, her friend's image a comforting normalcy from the boundary ridden world that her eyes now saw.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded, unwilling to worry anyone. "Never better."

Their attention was taken by the sensation of their old headwear landing on their head. Renko reached up and grabbed it, checking her trusty hat for any difference. Nodding to herself at the existence of none, her eyes were drawn to a rather curious combination, the numbers running in light purple in the interior of her hat.

A single glance told her that none of her compatriots had seen the strange display. Staring at the combination, she frowned as her magic aided eyes actually managed to decipher it into something understandable.

Somehow, the Sage had left her a message in a way that only her power could read. Why she did it while making the actual message unreadable was a mystery to her but then, a lot of things were.

"Surprised? I left this as a test of your abilities. Your talent is quite the unique one and I haven't seen it in quite a long time while. Pinpoint location. Quite a mundane skill indeed and yet it's application has quite the numbers in terms of use. Your eyes read your place in position in numbers and change that into feeling. An ability no doubt influenced by your mathematical background. "

"Interestingly enough, your ability isn't that different from your friend, in terms of field. Both of you can perceive in different dimensions. The Vault would have had a much more inclined owner in you instead."

"But to more pressing matters. By now, you would have seen your friend's strange mannerisms by now. Thus, I will divulge to you that you should treat her too with some degree of caution. Her power isn't one that infant beings can manage, unlike yours. I will entrust her to you."

"In summary, you are an important piece of the puzzle. Your position makes you one of upmost importance Choose wisely."

Renko growled softly as she finished the message. Yukari's words, as patronizing as they were, had some very unwelcome issues for her. The Sage's touch appeared to bring problems wherever applied.

She threw an inquisitive glance at Mirabel, her friend talking to Meiling animatedly. Still, she could see the change in her, the almost tensed up posture of her body and the concentrated focusing of her eyes. Maribel was seeing boundaries again, although her guess was this time, it was of a very much different intensity. So Yukari's words were not without merit.

But the mention of Dutch rankled her. The Gap Youkai's hints that she would be a much better owner of the Vault combined with the news that the magical device would accept a new owner upon death of the old told her all she needed to know.

Frankly, it made her worried. Everything Yukari said pointed to Dutch's possible demise in the future and she couldn't accept that.

'I won't let anyone die. Not for that stupid thing.' She vowed.

Her thoughts settled, she returned to the talking pair across from her, placing her hat on her head. Things were very much different now, but she swore that the Ghostly Field Club would decipher this challenge.

"So what were you two chatting about?" She inquired casually, all of her thoughts hidden behind a mask of civility. No need to cause any further alarm, not when things were already speeding up.

Meiling grinned. "I'm heading to the Human Village to help Sakuya-san buy supplies for the mansion. Your friend here tells me that you're going there too."

"Yes we are. I don't supposed we could tag along?"

The gate guard grinned. "I would be delighted to. Company is very welcome."

With that said, they set off. Renko and Maribel noted the scenery, the familiar setting reminded of their rather eventful run to the scarlet mansion. The same path as before reached out past them, green trees fencing in the pathway.

"Aren't you the gate guard?" Maribel questioned.

Meiling nodded. "I am but I'm also the strongest around in the mansion, barring the mistresses, so Sakuya-San usually sends me out to buy supplies. But I have to admit, the amount that she makes me buy is still heavy, even for me." She chuckled in embarrassment.

"You could always bring your fairies for help." Renko interjected.

The red-haired guard grinned weakly. "Only if you want a quarter of the things you bought to go missing. Fairies aren't exactly the most intelligent of beings."

As if to reinforce her statement, a fairy flew out of the trees and collided with a branch. The trio watched the magical being rub her head before flying off again back into the trees, the sound of another collision reaching their ears soon after.

"Oh." Maribel answered for the both of them.

Meiling smiled as she continued along, her trailing humans following her.

"Where is your partner? I thought he was part of your group?" The gate guard queried.

Maribel sighed. "We don't know. We were separated a couple days back and we know nothing about him. I really worried about him. He isn't one that is safety orientated."

"You should have some faith in him. After all, he survived Flandre." Meiling noted.

Maribel smiled. "Still..." She put out, a single word encompassing all the feelings she had.

Renko listened to their conversation silently. She had the same feeling as her friend regarding Dutch yet she had something much more too.

She longed to actually face him in combat. She wanted...no..she needed to prove to him that she could take care of herself, that she didn't need his assistance to survive whatever threats that arrived. She had to prove to herself that she could stand on her own two feet.

Her hands clenched as she affirmed her mission. She would get an answer soon enough.

Thus, each of them continued, each dwelling in their own thoughts, the crunch of dirt their only disturbance. Time seemed to follow them, the world seemingly cruising along at their speed. The calm repetitiveness of the fencing trees added to the strange feeling, seemingly like they were on nature's white corridor.

Almost mystically, the trees opened up into flat open farmland, the change so natural that neither of the humans in the group actually took note of the change until they were well away from the trees. Both of them startled as they realized the variation in setting, each glancing at the other with bemused eyes.

Meiling giggled at the reactions of the two humans. "It's strange, isn't it? Almost like magic." She quipped as she waved at a farmer, the grizzled man returning the gesture.

Her two companions nodded silently as they walked up to a tower next to the road, shaded movement inside betraying the occupancy of the structure.

From behind the building, one of the men inside stepped out. He carried his rifle casually, the long weapon reminiscent of the ones that fought the world wars all those years back. His conical straw hat shielded his face from the sun, his clothing built to suit the weather. He looked just like the farmers tending their fields, if it were not for the weapon clips that peeked out from a sack on him.

"You're late by a day." The man remarked casually.

Meiling smiled. "The mansion had some guests to attend to. My usual trips had to delayed for a while as a result."

Her conversational partner nodded. "Very well then. And about your fellows. Can you vouch for them?"

"With all the trust I have."

The guard nodded. "Move on through then." He waved, stepping aside to let them pass on to the village behind him.

Meiling nodded her thanks as the group set off again, walking towards the outskirts of the village, where their path met up with several others, the largest bringing a torrent of traffic in from another smaller group of buildings, the smoke of industry rising from their midst.

"I thought people didn't like youkai here." Renko noted, glancing back at the tower, where guarded eyes tracked their movement.

Meiling nodded. "And you are not wrong. But there are those who tolerate our presence and those who welcome it. Even here, there are friends."

"But those who are hostile towards us outnumber our friends. Be careful here. Even you are regarded as a stranger in these parts." She finished.

"We'll watch our backs." Maribel murmured, as they entered into the traffic flow, smoothly falling in behind a group of carts, the transportation tools pushed by stoic men. The grunting workers gave their followers no heed.

"How often do you come here?" Maribel asked, the group taking a slow pace to keep behind the workers.

"About once every week. I bring a lot back but fairies actually take up quite the amount of food. Most of our supplies go towards feeding them, while the mistresses just drink blood and their nightly meal. Everyone else just makes up the rest." Meiling answered, laughingly smiling at her words.

"The mansion is a big place. It needs a big staff." Renko returned.

"Ah, well Sakuya-san does at least half the cleaning work but she definitely doesn't eat half the food. I don't think she could take that level of sustenance." The gate guard sheepishly laughed, treating herself to an image of her superior with a less than perfect figure.

Back in the mansion, Sakuya paused in her dusting. Her hand suddenly twitched compulsively to her knife holster. Dismissing the strange movement, she returned to her cleaning, noting to herself that she should wake Meiling the next time the red-head fell asleep with twice the normal dosage of knifes.

Back at the village, the trio walked slowly as they stayed behind the carts and it's grunting men. The wheeled contraption proved the useful leader, easily pushing a path through the traffic that the three simply took at a leisurely pace.

"Message for Lady Usami! Message for Lady Usami!"

Renko turned to the voice, seeing a young boy look up to her. The adolescent held up a piece of folded paper as he kept pace with her.

She took the paper gingerly, to which the boy bowed quickly before disappearing into the traffic as quickly as he had appeared. Renko gave her fellows a bemused look as she unfolded the paper, reading the contents inside.

"Green fields tavern."

Meiling nodded. "Ah, that place. It's a respectable tavern serving mainly travelers and traders. Quite good service, for one with its likely reputation. I stayed there a few times myself."

"Don't you have the mansion?" Maribel probed.

Meiling shifted her body. "Yes but sometimes, the mistress wants something so bad that she orders me to not return until I get it. It's quite troublesome sometimes."

"I can see why." Renko noted.

"I'll guide you there. It's not too far from here." The gate guard continued.

"Ah, we'll be fine. You could just give us directions." Maribel returned.

"Absolutely not! What would Sakuya-san say if I let you go on your own? I'll take you there!"

The two sighed and gave up.

Thus they continued, following the carts, the slow pace helping to keep the moving crowd at a close distance from them. Most of the people gave Meiling a greeting nod, her familiarity guaranteeing neutrality. Her compatriots were given the same.

The two outsiders followed Meiling's lead, as she turned away from the traffic and into an off shoot. The number people of people thinned out considerably here, the road behind them a seeming wall of bodies they had departed from. They took up a faster pace, their way now unhindered.

Their path soon stopped at a building in between warehouses. The chatter of clinking cups and casual laughter drifted out, a different atmosphere hanging around the building compared to its stoic partners.

Meiling smiled. "Alright, this is where we depart ways. Maybe if I can't finish my shopping I'll come here. But I really don't want to get knifed tomorrow so that would be unlikely. Still, good luck on your future." She wished.

Maribel nodded. "Thanks. Good luck to you too then."

The two young ladies entered the building, the air within cooler and more comfortable than outside. As they stepped inside, a man came out to receive them.

While the scar on his face may have seemed intimidating, his humble smile relaxed them. The man bowed and the duo answered in return, courtesy exchanged.

"Good morning, my ladies. Do you have a reservation?" He asked.

Renko nodded, the card she received in her hand. "I believe so."

The man glanced at her card before nodding. "Right this way."

He led them into the building, past rooms full of smiling guests and laughing revelers. Deeper into the building, where the rooms were closed to them and silence permeated the air. Silent attendants scurried between them, giving each other a quick bow as they did their jobs.

Eventually, they reached an empty room, the inside occupied by a low table laden with an array of snacks. Facing them stood another set of doors, with simple but homely murals gracing them.

"This room and its side rooms have all been silenced by magic. Your words shall not leave it." The man announced. Both outsiders admired the decoration as they stepped inside, examining the murals that stood on the doors opposites them. Light came from a bulb on the ceiling, the glass object a comforting sight in the magical world around them.

"Is there anything you need?" The man inquired.

"No, there isn't. You may leave." Maribel returned. The man bowed again before leaving, closing the door behind him.

"It's been awhile, hasn't it Mary?" Renko asked as she looked around the room. Another pair of doors graced the other walls, each with the same decoration.

Maribel giggled, sitting down, sighing at the relaxing of her body. "It's only been three days."

"Oh goodness. A killer three days it was!" Renko complained as she checked behind each door. All appeared to be the same, a drawer recessed into the wall and empty floors.

"I can't say I disagree. It's been hard."

"So what are you going to do?".

Maribel yawned. "I'm tired. I'll think I want to get some sleep."

"Go ahead. In fact, I think I'll join you." Renko followed as she entered one of the rooms and opened the drawer. Her guess was correct as she pulled out a pair of futons, the mattress soft and relaxing.

"Oh sleep, how I missed you so badly." She moaned as she slipped inside. Maribel laughed softly at her best friend's antics.

"Good night Renko."

"Night Mary."

Renko blinked.

The ceiling stared back at her, the plain wooden surface against her eyes. Time seemed to stop for her, the wooden cube she dwelled in a refuge against the relentless march of time.

She glanced to her side, seeing only an empty futon. Sighing with waking fatigue, the brunette got up from her own and slowly walked to the door, her legs slowly getting steadier.

She slid open it to spot Maribel staring at the table, her eyes boring into the table. The blonde made no recognition of her entrance, clouded eyes affixed to the wooden construct in front of her.

"Mary?"

Still nothing.

Almost fearfully, she reached out. The moment her fingers brushed Maribel shoulder, her friend snapped to, eyes returning to lucidity.

"Mary, are you okay?" Renko prodded, knowing the answer.

Her friend smiled. "I'm fine."

"Mary, please. You didn't look fine."She pleaded.

Maribel shivered. "It's my power. Yukari unlocked it while we were training now and now...now, I'm seeing deeper than I ever seen before. And I can't turn it off. Everywhere I look, the boundaries are there."

"How bad is it?"

"Everything. This table, the walls, even the fruits reveal themselves to me. I could even tell you the difference of borders between the taste of an apple and orange." The blonde described, smiling shakily. "Humans too. The colors change with age. I could probably tell you anyone's age by looking at them."

"Even youkai. But they're so strange. Their colors represent their age, their nature and even the blood on their hands. They are so different from us." She whispered.

"Mary, please."

Maribel grabbed her worried friend's hand. "I will be fine. It just means that I have to concentrate. Stop worrying."

"I think I'm justified, after everything." Renko grumbled.

The sliding door made them turn, from which Dutch and a silver haired woman stepped through. The man smiled as he spotted his past companions.

"Maribel, Renko!" He exclaimed.

The latter rose to meet him, her face echoing his smile. The former's on the other hand froze.

The man she saw barely looked like the one she remembered.

"Renko, stop!" She yelled, calling forth her power. The danmaku hung ready to fire.

Dutch's female partner echoed Maribel's intentions, her own means of attack already unsheathed. Both sides faced off against the other.

"Alright...let's not get hasty and outright murder each other by accident." Dutch whispered warily. "Teri, put the sword away."

The aforementioned woman glanced at him. He answered her with a reassuring nod, hand motioning her to follow him.

Almost reluctantly, the woman sheathed her sword. Her eyes still glared at Maribel, as the blonde kept her danmaku up.

"Thank you. Now Maribel. If you please, put that bolt away." Dutch continued.

"No."

"Mary please, what's wrong?" Renko pleaded.

Maribel blinked rapidly as her eyes still remained affixed on Dutch. "You can't see it but he isn't the Dutch we know. His borders are barely human."

"I can explain that. Now, if you may, ask me something, anything that only the three of us know."Dutch put forth.

"What was the last thing you said to us before you were taken to the forest?"

The man relaxed. "Good luck."

"Ah..It's you. It's really you..." Maribel whispered, walking up to him. She felt his arm, checking to answer her eyes.

"I think I would know for sure." Her target returned.

"So what happened to you? And who is she?" Renko questioned, eyes examining Tenma.

Dutch grinned. "I think that will be quite a story to tell."

The same man breathed as he leaned back against the wall, looking at the night sky overhead.

So this was where it had all started. This village became the point from which his journey started. The mansion, Tenma, everything started from the events here.

And here he was, back again. He guessed that another journey was going to open. The events here aren't going to be an isolated accident.

'...Dutch?'

At least no matter what happened, he knew of someone who alway will be with him.

'Hmmm?'

'When this is over, what are you going to do?' Vale asked.

'I don't know. Things are proceeding to early to even see an end yet. How about you?' Her soulmate returned.

'...I just want to be with you.'

Dutch chuckled. 'You could have all the things in the world and you choose me. I feel flattered.'

Vale simply flooded their bond with emotion. 'And I feel loved.'

"Dutch?"

Renko spoke as she appeared from the tavern entrance.

"Did all of that really happen?" The brunette prodded.

"Down to the orphanage. You should go visit there one day."

"Wow. And I thought I had it hard. Three days of nonstop training." She moaned.

"It's perspective." Dutch answered.

They returned to silence as the sound of general tavern activities drifted from the walls.

"Dutch, do you have any thoughts about afterward?"

The man smiled inwardly. Again? What are the chances.

"I can't say really. I usually focus more on the task at hand."

Renko frowned. "But you have to have something right? Something to look forward to."

"Most of the time, I look forward to the resting. One could never get enough sleep. Still, now that you think about it, maybe when this is all over I might settle down. Go set up a network of people to gather information." Her conversational partner returned.

"And what will you do with this information?"

Dutch grinned. "Nothing. You see, I'm not very good at managing a network of people. Should be quite the time eater."

"Wow, so you got all of this planned out already."

"Not really. I just think fast under pressure. Come to think about it, it really is a good idea. I should follow through with it. But enough about me, what about your end?"

Renko sighed, leaning against the wall. "I don't know. Me and Mary, we both have people on the other side of the barrier. Homes and families waiting for us."

"But after magic and our powers, I really don't see how we can just go back home. Things have changed too much." She finished.

"So it has."

Tenma was pretty sure that she was safe where she was.

The room was widely spaced enough for her to wield her weapon if things went bottom up. And that was not counting the skills she had at her fingertips. Or her natural youkai given resilience .

Still, she felt the slightest sense of uneasiness as she relaxed at the table...or at least tried to. Dutch had gone outside and his brunette friend had followed him, leaving her and the blonde woman to stay behind.

Said blonde woman was staring at her very noticeably. It was the kind of stare that was loaded with intentions. A predator's stare, where your every movement was an interesting exercise.

No matter how well skilled you were, the feeling when you are being watched very intensely tended to raise a sense of alert.

Hence her uneasiness.

As she fidgeted again, Maribel spoke, thankfully breaking the tension in the air.

"So how did you meet him, Teri-san?"

Tenma composed herself. No sense showing any signs of weakness to the human. "We met each other along the same path and decided that working together was beneficial." She spelled out, following the highly edited story that Dutch gave to his companions.

"I see. What do you think of him?" Maribel continued.

"He is a good fighter and a good person." Her tengu counterpart returned.

"And how did you know of his existence?"

"After the...Lord Tenma hired him to conduct an attack on the Hakurou Tengu, most tengu know of his existence." She continued, feeling surreal at referring to herself in the third person.

"I see. And the two of you just met along the way?"

"Yes we did."

Maribel folded her arms. "I'm sorry but I cannot keep my mind at rest with your story. It's far too coincidental."

"So what do you think I am?" Tenma questioned.

The blonde human frowned. "I think, Teri-san, that you are working for someone from the tengu village to find Dutch for revenge. Maybe even the Lord Tenma to shut him up."

Surprised by the human's theory, Tenma felt scandalized by that accusation. Her, sending out one of her people to assassinate Dutch? Why, that was unacceptable!

...And exactly what she had prepared in case Dutch started to brag. Her feeling on that matter toggled between embarrassment and shame, in no particular order at the moment.

" Ah, I see." She answered.

"So this is what I will do. I will watch you. If he gets hurt, I will find you and whoever sent you. I swear it." Maribel growled.

Tenma was speechless. The threat was pretty ironic, given her identity. And the human's threat was pretty laughable too. She wondered how many moves it would take to floor the determined human in front her. Probably countable using just her hands.

"I understand." She finally returned.

"Well, then. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day." Dutch said, unfolding his futon in the darkness. The lack of light didn't bother him or his partner, each able to see fine.

"What are your objectives for tomorrow?" Tenma inquired as she sat on her side. The two shared one of the rooms, while Renko and Maribel kept their own.

"First things first. I have to pass the bag to the family of the man. Right after, I'll be heading back into the forest. There's a magician I'm looking for inside who can provide some help with an endeavor I'm working on."

"Will you require help?"

Dutch shrugged."Unlikely. I'll know where to acquire information on where to go and the feral population shouldn't be that much of a problem in the afternoon. I'll be fine."

His tengu counterpart gave him a look. "I can help you return the bag."

"They may think that you had something to do about it."

"So be it. The earlier you leave the less active the feral youkai will be. You will be safer."

Dutch stared at her for a few seconds, weighing the pros and cons before sighing. "Fine. Hand this over to his family. It should give them some closure." He said, bringing up the bag

Tenma took the offered bag, her finger brushing against his own. She blushed as she remembered her impulsive action from before, her lips parting slightly at the thought of it.

"About just now..." She started.

Dutch smiled. "I have no regrets. But you did give me a lot to think about. A very loaded choice."

"But..."

"But nothing. When I choose, it will be a choice I will follow through with. When will be the more pertinent question. There is a lot of thinking to do.

She smiled. "Think hard then."

"You know it. And honestly..." Dutch grinned as he watched her. "You blushing is quite the sight."

Tenma smiled. "Perhaps. I wonder how you would be."

They laughed, the moment past. Each returned to their own futon and slipped into their dreams.

"Good night Tenma."

"You too."

Dutch blinked.

What was that? It was like he was a completely different person for the later part of today. His bond with Vale raised not a hair with all his action with Tenma. That spelled a gathering storm for him.

Expecting an immensely angry Vault entity, he gingerly stepped off the platform.

All he saw was a curious sight.

Vale floated...no, hung in the centre of the glass ring that made up the floor of the control, her arms and wings sprayed out. Energy danced around her, eyes closed to the spectacle.

"Vale?"

The girl opened her eyes, smiling at the call.

'You came back.'

"Course I did. I wouldn't leave my other half." He returned, a spike of guilt at his words.

'What's wrong?' Vale questioned, worry creeping across their bond.

"You didn't feel anything just now? Not a peep?"

'Why? What happened?' She probed, reaching across their bond to delve into his memories.

Instead, a strange almost devouring sensation tore in, forcefully pushing him and occupying his mind. Vale's pained cry echoed his as they both clutched their heads, each feeling the effect of the intrusion.

He groaned as he fell on the floor, curling into a ball surrounded by energy. His wings enveloped him, an instinctive move to protect himself.

Wings?

Forcing his eyes open, Dutch looked at himself curled up in the spiral of energy while Vale looked at herself lying on the platform. Each struggled with the other's sensations, fighting to sift between each other.

He battled to move, crawling to the railing on the platform. With a snarl, he grabbed the bar, her hand closing on empty as she watched himself lying against the railing, she grabbed the cause of the attack and tore it out of their bond. They both echoed each other actions, equally fighting.

And he was back, in his own body, lying on the platform on the control room. Sucking in air in gasps, he leaned against the railing, feeling Vale touch down next to him unsteadily.

The Vault entity collapsed onto him, shaking. Her arms grabbed tight, holding on to her love.

'What was that?' Her soulmate shuddered as he returned her hold, too shaken for words.

'It...it was the idea that you came up with in the morning. I was working on it, developing it.' Vale explained, her mind and voice returning to normalcy.

'And when you reached across the bond, you lost control?' Dutch added.

She nodded.

'Well then, at least we know it works now.' He smiled.'Let's keep working on it.'

'It could be dangerous...'

'Then don't lose control. I have faith in you.' He finished.

Vale giggled before going in for her usual kiss, one they held until air was needed. Breaking away, she took off back into the spiral, letting the energy hold her in place.

'Dako, what was the thing you wanted to tell me?'

Dutch kept his smile, even as he shrouded his thoughts. Decisions raced, to tell or to hide.

'Its nothing. Just an encounter that almost went south. I stopped myself.' He finally answered.

Vale giggled. 'I have faith in you.'

'Thanks.'

"You're hiding."

Nora chuckled. " Shrouding is a better word. Hiding implies a more permanent solution."

"But you broke her control of the Idea." Vault accused.

The memory fragment waved it aside. "It was bound to happen. The way Vale worked on that meant that she would lose control sooner or later. I simply made it sooner."

"And your motive for doing so?"

"Well, I did make a bargain. One has to keep her side of the deal for it to be proper. And shrouding her from their interactions is crucial to my plans. It's best for her to remain unaware until I can release the information to my advantage."

"And for such a result. You gain nothing."

Nora smiled motherly. "Perhaps, but I think that he deserves it. What he has done could never be repaid for materially."

"Even so, it's a thin red line you tread. The consequences aren't something to blink at."

The woman kept her smile. "No thinner than any other line I have ever walked."