There would be no text for a while - the pictures said more than enough. The first was one of the planet Earth, but not the one that they were familiar with - it was older, and the continents had yet to shift into their current positions. Thousands of years? Hundreds of thousands? Neither of them were familiar enough with geography to tell.
"You humans weren't always clueless when it came to magic. Back in the beginning, you didn't just know about it, you embraced it. Magic made up your societies, your daily lives, everything."
The slide changed again, displaying a labyrinthine metropolis. Man-made, no doubt, from the sight of humans walking around, but the entire architecture was impossible. There were tunnels and walkways blatantly floating in midair, and as the camera zoomed out it became clear that the entire city was built on a floating hunk of rock. Mokou let off a low whistle at that one.
"We revealed ourselves to you, thinking that our kind could share with yours. The races of the youkai were talented, but mankind was unique in the diversity of its powers. A pyromancer could be the next door neighbour of a telekinetic, and both of them could live across from a sage of history. You were unusual, and powerful.
"But you were also devious and ambitious. It started with one or two human magicians testing their strength against the local youkai, but those skirmishes grew in size and magnitude. You were eager to prove yourselves superior, and we were too proud to take the insult lying down. Within a few months of our first appearance, the dilemma had evolved into outright war. We had never seen a conflict this devastating, even in wars among the youkai races, and thus began what later became known as the War of Cataclysm."
Another slide. This one showed the same city again, but now it lay devastated. It had fallen into the ocean and any sign of the technology that had dwelt there had been thoroughly destroyed. There were tiny figures lying in the streets, and for the sake of keeping her stomach's contents where they were Koishi refused to give them more than a vague glare. She saw Mokou taking a closer look, and the taller girl gulped audibly.
"We were strong and experienced, but you were diverse and numerous. The battles wore on for months, and it became clear the youkai would be driven to extinction in a fair fight. So our finest mages and summoners came together, working to create a creature that would singlehandedly wipe out the human opposition. It was black magic, against every creed that all of our races followed, but it was considered necessary to ensure our survival. It would be the strongest, most intelligent creature in existence, and it would be built only to destroy."
Nitori sounded downhearted now rather than angry. This was a piece of history she was not proud of.
"...Maybe it's hard for you to tell, but I'm a lot older than I look. I was young then; freshly graduated and a prodigy among my people, the kappa. I was chosen to be part of this special team, and saw it as simply as a chance to earn myself some fame. I would become the hero who worked to save all of the races from the threat of mankind. I'd earn countless medals, be praised everywhere I went, and-"
She caught herself rambling, and stopped herself with a sudden cough. "...Sorry. Anyway, we worked for months in the scientific and magical circles to create what would be the ultimate combatant. We gave the creature no name; we knew it simply as Project 046.
When we released it on mankind, they quickly nicknamed it the Ravager."
This slide was perhaps even more frightening than the last. What looked back at them was a creature unlike any they'd ever seen or heard of. It stood on two legs, perhaps as an act of irony for its target. It stood a good eight or nine feet tall, and every inch of its body was covered in a jet black carapace designed to withstand all attack. Its arms looked brutally efficient, able to kill with a swipe, and its face - its face was frankly terrifying. Four eyes looked out, each glowing faintly red, and a set of three dozen jagged teeth was arranged beneath them in a sadistic grin.
"The Ravager did its job, better than even our most optimistic expectations. It sliced through the human forces with ease, killing anything and everything that dared to cross it. Within days, the war had been won, and the creature was ordered to return to base."
This was where Nitori fumbled. Koishi and Mokou knew what she was going to say before she even said it.
"...It refused, and killed the messengers we sent to reclaim it. It turned back, but now it was fighting our own forces. We had made it too intelligent, and after it achieved sentience it wanted to rule over everything itself. The researchers hadn't considered a killcode, and we weren't strong enough to stop it. Worse still..."
Another slide. The Ravager stood proud and ready, but this time it wasn't alone. A dozen youkai of various races - lions, eagles, sharks and the like - stood behind it in battle poses. They were not as threatening as their leader, perhaps, but they all shared the same cruel glint in their eyes.
"It was intelligent enough to find followers. It valued the strong, and agreed to spare their lives in return for their servitude. That was the birth of the Children of the Black Claw, and with allies on its side the Ravager grew stronger still.
Finally, we came to our last resort. We were fortunate enough that our leader, a high-ranking youkai by the name of Yukari Yakumo, had survived this far. She was a special case - no-one knew exactly what sort of youkai she was, but we knew that her power was unrivalled among any of the races. She personally visited the remnants of the human forces and agreed a truce so that both sides could eliminate the true threat - the Ravager and its minions."
There were no slides for this one. Presumably, there had been no chance to record the final battle - there was no room for journalism when the fate of two races was at stake.
"We would not have won the front-on conflict that occured. We subdued the Claw, but the Ravager itself was too powerful for us. No-one could hope to harm it, let alone defeat it. Every remaining man, woman and child fought with the youkai that day, but it was a battle we seemed destined to lose.
That is, until Yukari revealed the ace up her sleeve."
What was presumably the last slide came up. A transcript had been typed out, again presumably a translation from the original. The receiver was a name neither Siren recognised - probably the leader of one of the youkai races.
"Each of the racial heads was given one of these letters and given orders not to open them until the battle had ended. The contents more or less speak for themselves."
They certainly did. As Koishi and Mokou read along with the scrolling text, they could almost hear a voice in their head reciting the words - a light, soft voice, trembling but managing to stay confident.
"Dear XXX,
It is with great sadness that I abdicate my position as leader of the youkai. It is not out of cowardice I do this; in fact, it is anything but. If you have survived to read this message, then you will already know that I am dead.
This creature - our own creation, built out of a desperate struggle - has turned against us. It is only right that we must pay the price to seal it. I have been doing my own research into sealing rituals for some time - after all, we have no way of destroying the monster, so we must instead contain it. At last I found a spell that would allow us to be free of its menace, but the price is painfully high.
Firstly, our human allies. You will have noticed that after I completed my incantation, each of them collapsed to the floor unconscious. Do not be alarmed; they are not yet dead, but something has been taken from them. The knowledge of magic, the secrets the world of youkai holds - they have now been lost to mankind.
Take your armies and leave this place. Leave no trace of your existence. It is better that our peoples live apart rather than quarrel and fall into conflict once again. Live among them, but keep yourselves hidden. Let no sign of our existence emerge, but wish them no harm - violence has solved nothing in this war, and there is no reason to believe that will change.
Secondly, the spell required a life to be sacrificed. This was a point I thought over for a long time - perhaps the researchers responsible would have been willing to offer themselves for atonement, or a warrior looking to ensure his name was remembered for all time. In the end, though, I decided that neither option would suffice. I ordered the research to be performed; the fault lied with me, and thus it is only fair that I should pay the price to repair the damage that I have caused.
One final warning: For all that has been spent to bring this victory about, it is not final. Long into the future, in the place where ideas come to life, there will be seven Sirens. Each of them shall carry within them a solemn wish, and when this wish is uttered they will regain the powers that mankind has lost tenfold. They shall all be worthy combatants, but their items of power, the Tidal Teardrops, have uses beyond simple magic.
If the Ravager's former minions were to collect these Teardrops, they would find ways to manipulate their immense power to their own needs. If all seven were to fall to them, perhaps they could even go so far as to reveal the world of magic to humanity once again, and that will simply repeat the cycle of bloodshed that has brought us here in the first place.
I implore you. Watch for the Sirens. Ensure that they are kept safe. And most of all, make sure that the Teardrops do not fall into the wrong hands. I ask you this, as a former ruler of your people; for I would rather you had a kingdom still standing to rule.
Yours,
Yukari Yakumo"
As the last few words scrolled onto the screen, the slide flickered and eventually died. Nitori's voice once again grew irritated as she picked up where the slideshow left off.
"Technically, no-one won the War of Cataclysm, but both sides walked away heavily wounded. We had all suffered heavy losses, and mankind was forced to rebuild civilisation from scratch without their magic to guide them. We obeyed Yukari's orders and kept ourselves hidden: firstly out of grace and respect for our comrades, then out of spite as they poisoned the earth for their own gains, and finally out of fear as they began to produce weaponry that could even make a youkai bleed.
It has been thousands of years since that battle ended, and many have forgotten their vow. The Black Claw does not refer to itself by that name in public, but it has gained great influence in every race of the youkai. Those who were willing to stand vigil for the seven Sirens Yukari spoke of diminshed, until finally there was little beyond a few ragtag folks who had taken part in the war and young ambitious initiates looking to do the right thing.
We are those final few. Those last youkai who remain loyal to Yukari Yakumo, and will follow her orders to protect both mankind and the world. We are the Order of the White Pearl, and as long as we draw breath we will aid you in any way we can."
Nitori motioned out to the compartments filled to the brim with devices and gadgets, still unseen.
"I'm not really a fighter, to be honest. All I'm good at is building things. But damn if I'm not pretty good at that. You want it, I can make it. Hell, if you can dream about it, chances are I can put something together. All I ask of you is one thing."
She looked out at Koishi and Mokou, a tiny glint in her eyes. This clearly meant more to Nitori than to anyone - it was her own failing, and it was one she would do all she had to in order to repair.
"Fight with us. Stop the Claw from regaining their lost power. And above all, make sure this meaningless war doesn't claim even more lives."
Sango wasn't in the room to hear this briefing - no need, since she'd learned all of this back when she became an Initiate. This was why she'd been assigned to simple guard duty, watching over a subject who wasn't even conscious.
Not exactly the most taxing work, but if it had to be done she'd do it.
"Phwee...Fujiwara-san sure packs a punch."
Cirno seemed nowhere nearer waking up. Sango had tested the theory by poking her occasionally in the side, but there had been no response. Occasionally she'd started to wonder if the girl was even breathing, leading to a panicked examination and a relieved sigh.
This cycle repeated every five minutes or so.
There was only so long she could spend concerned about the well-being of their guest without getting bored, though. She wished she could be joining in with the briefing, if only because she figured her side performance would help to liven the mood. She did a really great Ravager impression, but no-one had given her a chance to show it off.
Her attention turned to the chair behind Nitori's desk. She'd never sat in one before - she was used to the solid backs of the school chairs, practically stabbing into your spine to keep you sitting straight. This, though - it was flexible, and she felt more comfortable just looking at it.
Initially, she gave the piece of furniture a light prod, seemingly afraid that it would collapse at her touch. When this calamity proceeded to not happen, she found the nerve to pat it with a hand. The blue fabric gave way slightly, like a pillow had been built into the actual chair.
Sango's eyes glimmered. She lowered herself down into the chair with the utmost care, hearing it squeak as she came to rest. It felt almost like she was melting into it, but in the best way she could imagine.
"Why don't we students get awesome chairs like this?"
She pushed off the floor with one foot, sending the chair twirling with an unexpected burst of speed. She'd turned a mundane piece of furniture into a fairground attraction, and she was loving it. She was going to buy a chair like this and insist Koishi let her sit on it at home. She'd write her own name on it if she had to, but she couldn't get enough of this comfort.
Unfortunately, though Sango had invented the sport of swivel-chair pirouettes, she hadn't quite got the hang of balance. She wasn't aware that the chair was tipping until it was already too late for her to stop.
"Phwee?!"
It fell backward, rattling against the floor with a rough sounding clang. Sango smacked her head on the back of the chair - enough to make her wince, but with no lasting damage. Her first reaction was to pick up the chair and return it to its original spot so that there was no sign of her little playaround.
Her second reaction was to panic at the sight of Cirno shuffling around.
Crap, the sound must've woken her up!
She dashed over to the Fairy as she began to rise up into consciousness. Sango had to stop it, right now - if the girl woke up and saw the base in Room 495, she'd be in all sorts of trouble.
Now, how was it that human lullaby went again...?
"So, you two. Are you willing to help us?"
Nitori's question carried a slight hint of inevitability. It wasn't really a question, per se - she certainly didn't expect either of her guests to turn around and say no after everything they'd seen.
Mokou was first to answer. She put her hands down firmly on Nitori's desk, a grin rising to her face.
"Taking out a bunch of self-righteous youkai who want us all to blow ourselves up? Yeah, you can count me in for this one."
Nitori smirked, giving the phoenix a nod of acceptance. And what about you, Koishi-san? If you want to turn back, it's still not too late."
Koishi didn't share her companion's hot-blooded eagerness, but the look on her face was one of quiet determination.
"...So, this power of mine. It saved Cirno-san?"
She didn't seem to believe what she was saying, and looked to Nitori for confirmation. The professor's face was solemn as she spoke.
"...Yes, it did. If you hadn't shown us that new power from your third eye, we would have had no choice but to kill her. She's alive now thanks to you."
She'd saved a life. Her, all on her own. They couldn't have done it without her. The words floated around in her head for a while, struggling to be accepted. She felt important, useful, in a way she hadn't before.
Even though she was smiling, she could feel her eyes watering as she offered her response - not out of sadness, but out of pride.
"If that's the case, then I'll do it. There are going to be people depending on me, relying on me...I can't let them down."
It was still strange for her to think about. People relying on her, of all people! It flew in the face of everything she'd believed in a week ago, but it felt so good to hear it and believe it.
"Excellent, you two! I'm glad to have you both as our allies. Now, that leaves us with one problem - what to do with our Fairy friend. We don't know what effect Koishi-san's powers have had on her mind - whether she can still see magic, or if she can even remember the events of this evening. We need to test her, and the best way to do that is for you both to speak with her and see what she still knows."
Outside, there was the sound of a chair clattering against the floor. All three of them looked in its direction, but of the three Nitori was the least unfazed.
"Given Sango's antics, I'll suggest you get to it post haste. Wipe the blackboard on the way out, please."
They didn't want to know how Nitori was so sure of what was going on, and frankly they didn't care. Koishi and Mokou dashed out of the hidden chamber back into Nitori's official classroom, where Sango was circling Cirno's murmuring body in a panic.
"Rock-a-bye fairy on the tree top, when the wind blows the tree branch will rock..."
She was trying to sing the girl back to sleep, but given that Cirno's mumblings were getting louder she wasn't doing a very good job of it. It didn't help that her knowledge of human lullabies was pretty horrendous.
"When the branch breaks, the fairy will fall, and...wait, fairies can fly, can't they? This song makes no sense, dammit!"
"Outta the way, babysitter!"
Mokou took point before things could get any worse, grabbing Sango by the shoulder and guiding her towards the hidden room. She took the chalkboard eraser and wiped at the Pearl's mark; no longer seeing the sign of entry, the wall closed back in on itself and left Sango and Nitori on the other side. They weren't trapped by any means; Nitori could open the passage from her end, but she obviously wouldn't do so until the coast was clear.
"Mmh...uuugh..."
Cirno groaned as she finally returned to the world of the living. Her first conscious motion was to clutch her left cheek, muttering profanities her mother would have been ashamed of. Koishi and Mokou were standing over her as she awoke, looking down with concern.
"Kid, you alright?"
Cirno needed a moment to get to terms with where she was. Her eyes glanced around the room, confirming that she was in the math classroom. She blinked, then blinked, then blinked again.
"Uh...I think so...but what happened?"
Koishi and Mokou turned to one another. Had she forgotten? And if so, how much? For now they'd have to test it, and Koishi quickly came up with a story to pass on.
"You tripped on the way home, remember? We tried to take you to the nurse's office, but she'd left for the day, so we stayed here to make sure you woke up."
Was it an iffy statement? Undoubtedly. But Cirno let it pass, apparently unable to think up an alternative. She pulled herself upright, still rubbing at her cheek.
"Y-Yeah, sure. I remember. Heh, I must've looked pretty dumb back then, huh?"
Koishi caught it, even if Mokou didn't - that tiny hint of sadness in her eyes, the flickering of a tear in the light. It wasn't the sort of weakness she imagined Cirno letting anyone see. She'd changed, slightly but visibly.
A breath caught in her throat. She'd done more in Cirno's head than remove the mindcoil - she'd seen Cirno's two halves, her pride and her determination, and she'd brought them together. This was no longer the self-absorbed leader of the Fairies, even if in terms of appearance she remained exactly the same.
Cirno looked over to Koishi, her lip quivering slightly. Words were trying to come out, but she was struggling to say what was on her mind. Mokou looked on from the side, raising an eyebrow, unsure exactly what was unfolding in front of her.
"I...I'm..."
Cirno rose to her feet, looking Koishi straight onward in the eye. It was easy for even Mokou to see now - the Fairy's eyes were streaming with tears, as the words finally started to take form.
She bowed down towards Koishi, as low as her back would let her.
"I'm really, really sorry...!"
"So, she's forgotten about the magic as well...that's a shame."
Nitori was still firmly placed in her chair, watching the conversation unfold from the relative anonymity of the back room. Sango stood besides her, watching the computer with as much attention as her superior.
"But isn't that a good thing? It means we don't need to worry about her passing on any info."
"True, but it also means she can't tell us who gave her the mindcoil. We've never had a chance to properly interrogate a victim of the Claw's brainwashing, and it seems like we never will."
Nitori muttered to herself as she continued to observe the girls' discussion. Cirno appeared much more docile than had been purported - perhaps there had been more to Koishi's intrusion than simply giving her back her free will? She would look into it.
"You sound disappointed, ma'am."
"Do I? Sorry. I guess that with all the other miracles Koishi-san's worked for us today, I shouldn't have been expecting this one on top of everything else. I should be happy enough that she's saved us from getting our hands dirty."
A painful silence hung in the room; both because they needed to avoid being overheard next door, and neither of them had anything cheerful to say. After what felt like an age, Nitori broke the deadlock.
"You shouldn't have been playing around on the chair."
Sango's head drooped.
"Sorry...it just looked so comfortable, and..."
"Sometimes I worry about your professionalism, Sango. Do you know how much trouble we could have had to clean up if she'd seen this passageway? Perhaps you are still too inexperienced for this post."
The stern tone in Nitori's voice was enough to bring her subordinate to attention.
"Y-Yes, ma'am! It won't happen again, I promise!"
Her words were genuine...perhaps too much so. Nitori looked up, seeing Sango tremble at the thought of being relieved of her duty. There were others Nitori could replace her with - one or two other youkai who could take her place.
But none would have reacted to the fear of demotion with the same concern Sango had.
"...Still haven't forgiven yourself, have you?"
Sango flinched, and slumped back downwards again. She shook her head.
"You couldn't have done anything," Nitori said. "The Claw took us all by surprise with that attack."
"I know, I know. But still...I need to make up for it. For her sake, and for everyone else's."
Sango needed a moment to pull herself together. Eventually, with a deep breath, she rose back upwards and stood straight.
"But...can I make one request, then?"
Nitori raised an eyebrow. She wasn't sure what to expect from this; Sango had never requested anything beyond her rank before.
She certainly hadn't been expecting a smile, that was for sure.
"Can you tell me where you buy these swivel chair thingies? I'm gonna get one at home so I don't have to borrow yours."
Nitori had to stop herself from laughing at that one. Maybe the dolphin wasn't the brightest tool in the shed sometimes, but she couldn't deny Sango could put a smile to her face when she tried.
Yup, Nitori thought to herself. These kids might just do alright as a team.
Koishi and Mokou tended to Cirno as she sobbed herself dry, apologising profusely for everything she'd done. It had taken a lot of careful wording to stop Cirno from descending too far down into depression, and the occasional compliment along the lines of 'it's brave of you to admit this' kept her from clamming up halfway. The two Sirens listened patiently to every word.
After what felt like an age, Cirno's apologies and confessions drew to a close. She sniffed weakly, rubbing at her nose and wiping the last few tears from her face. She'd had her rant, she'd made her apologies, and now she needed out of this state before it devolved into sheer self-pity.
"...I'm gonna have to hit the books pretty hard, aren't I? I've got a lot to catch up on."
"Hey, same here," Mokou said, placing a hand on Cirno's shoulder. "I've not really been the best pupil myself."
Cirno was about a head shorter than the Siren. Koishi saw the temptation to ruffle at Cirno's hair glimmer in her eyes.
"Koishi-san!" Mokou resisted the urge, turning to Koishi instead. "You're a brainiac, right? Feel like helping us two morons get back up to speed?"
Koishi nodded. She could use something to do with her time, and they always said the best way to learn was through teaching. Maybe she'd be able to pick her own grades back up as well with this.
"Sure thing, but I think we should make that four. I think Sango-san could use some help as well. Do you mind, Mokou-san?"
"You bet. That fine with you, kid?"
Cirno seemed to have gotten lost in the conversation. Her eyes drifted from Mokou, to Koishi, then back to Mokou again. She was searching for some trace of sarcasm, some hint that they were simply kidding with her and this was just another shot at her intelligence. All that she saw was a pair of cheerful, smiling girls, offering her help without asking anything in return.
From Cirno's point of view, they must have looked like-
"S-Sure! If all of us work together we're gonna ace those exams, no problem!"
-friends.