AN: I highly recommend reading the doujin 'Wish On a Star' by Ogitouma. Parts of this chapter were inspired by it.

-!-

S.O.N.G. Archives.

A large collection of all the information the division has gathered over the years. Ranging from historical manuscripts to classified government documents, it is one of the most top-secret libraries currently existing in the world.

And it was exactly where three certain Symphogear wielders found themselves in, digging through both written documents and digital records in order to find anything they could about the mystery they were given.

Chris typed the question into the terminal, and was aggravated by the results it returned. Their task was to try and find any sort of methods to forcibly remove either divine power or a Symphogear from someone, and right now their search was completely fruitless. They had nothing, absolutely nothing. Not even Kirika and Shirabe, who were going over the printed records could find anything that could help them.

"Aaghhhhhhh!" Kirika exclaimed in frustration from within a pile of documents. "This is leading us nowhere!"

"We just have to keep looking, Kiri-chan." Shirabe informed her, also going over the various piles she had made during their search. They really haven't been able to find anything worthwhile, although Shirabe did manage to find some interesting reading material for herself about their relics.

She never read the Enuma Elish before, despite all of her knowledge about the goddess Zababa. It could be worth going over it later, so she placed the book aside and kept on looking through the relevant documents.

It wasn't as if they didn't know of a method to forcibly remove Symphogears. In fact, each and every one of them still remembered it vividly. The day they unearthed Frontier from the ocean floor by manipulating Miku to wield the Shenshoujing as a Symphogear, with its power turning out to be be the ability to erase relics. And it did so magnificently. Not only did it summon Frontier, it had also vaporized both itself and the Gungnir fragments within Hibiki that were threatening her life.

It was one of the more peculiar Symphogears to have ever existed. However, it was also gone, and with it the only surefire way to rescue Hibiki.

Although, even if they did have it, nothing promised that Miku would willingly wield it again, considering past circumstances.

It was a train of thought they had already considered, but there was no point dwelling on the past. They had to go over anything they possibly could, perhaps twice over, until they found the solution. They just had to believe it existed.

They continued their search in silence, with only the sound of Chris' tapping and the swooshing of pages to accompany them.

Kirika eventually came upon a document about Norse Mythology, detailing the life of the god Odin. She flipped through the pages sadly, an antique image of his spear greeting her eyes. "I still...can't believe this is happening." She said sadly.

Shirabe looked to her in sympathy, and held her hand. "I just...how could this have happened? Why to her? Why to us?" Tears started to form at the edge of her eyes, vividly recalling Hibiki's cold stare. "This wasn't supposed to happen. We were supposed to celebrate her birthday together. We should have been at school right now, eating chocolate cake and playing games and telling jokes and giving her presents and having fun...But instead...we have this!" She yelled, pointing at the mountain of documents piled in front of them. "Tsubasa-senpai was seriously injured, and so was the commander. We were forced to team up with our enemies just so we could survive, and nobody in the world knows where she is right now or what she's thinking! None of this is fair!"

Chris clenched her teeth as hard as she could, her furious typing stopping. "We know what she's thinking," She said, getting Kirika's attention. "You heard the bastard didn't you? She's remembering every single bad thing anyone has ever done to her. She is probably thinking about the days we tried to kill her and now she's going to come back and get her revenge on us. That's what she is thinking. Even with godlike power she stays an idiot."

Kirika could only grit her teeth in response, holding the tears back. "But...but why? Why would she feel that way? I just don't understand."

"Who knows? You heard what the old man said. It's probably something she kept hidden for a while. The only one who seems to know exactly is Miku, and you saw how well she was handling it." Chris reminded her.

Kirika looked even more downcast than before, still absentmindedly flipping through the pages. "And all that talk she had about ridding the world of the sinful. It was so scary. It was like looking at Dr. Ver and Carol all over again. And worse, she even started using an Armed Gear!"

"Just goes to show how much those curses have affected her." Shirabe told her. "And that's why we are here. We are here to find any way to get her back and take back our happy days. And we won't stop until we succeed, right?"

Kirika nodded quickly, rubbing the tears from her eyes. "Yeah, that's right. We won't stop until we succeed!" And raised her fist high up in the air.

Shirabe smiled, content she managed to cheer Kirika up, and followed suit. Their willpower reinvigorated, their continued their search.

Chris smiled briefly to herself, then went back to the console. They were right, no use being depressed about it. Just do whatever they can to find a solution.

-!-

S.O.N.G's bridge was likewise busy as the wielders as they researched everything they could about the situation. Aoi's and Fujikata's assignment proved to be no less difficult. There was a lot of information to go through, and even though they knew what to look for, they didn't know where to find it. They didn't even know what the Original Sin was. Was it the Curse of Balal, or Adam's sin of eating the Forbidden Fruit from the Tree of Knowledge? And if it was one of those things, what does it mean to be rid of it? How does one even rid oneself of it? And why is it a bad thing that it exists?

There were too many questions that needed to be answered, and not enough time to find answers. No, it was more like the allotted time they had was unknown, which made them all the more nervous. Nobody knew when Hibiki would suddenly appear again. Just the first battle proved to be too much, with her defeating ALL of their fighting force, allies and enemies both.

Fortunately, there was someone who was more knowledgeable about the subject than them, and she just walked through the door.

Saint-Germain entered the bridge and looked around at the consoles, Adam's head still clutched in one of her hands. Aoi, who noticed her entry, rose up from her seat and approached her. "St. Germain-san, welcome. Is there any way I can help you?" She asked.

"Yes, there is," The alchemist answered. "I could not simply sit and do nothing while my allies are doing whatever they can to solve this problem. As a result, I have decided to assist you in your search for answers. It was originally my question that caused you to go to such lengths after all."

Aoi's eyes widened in surprise, taken aback. Saint-Germain simply looked at her with her usual frown. "Is there something wrong?"

Aoi was broken from her trance and shook her head. "No, it's nothing. We'll be glad to have your assistance." She said, guiding Saint-Germain to one of the free consoles. "I'll log you in using my user, so you have access to the database. Feel free to do with it as you wish."

"Very well," Saint-Germain answered. "I thank you."

Aoi nodded with a smile, and together they approached one of the free consoles. She quickly logged into the database using her code and gestured Saint-Germain to it. "If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask." Aoi told her, and the alchemist nodded in acknowledgment.

She sat down and placed Adam's head on the table, making sure to keep a good eye on him so he would not disappear while she was busy. It took her a few moments to get used to the awkward keyboard, but soon enough she was surfing through the database, looking for any answer she could find.

"You seem to be getting along quite well with them, Saint-Germain." Adam suddenly said, breaking her concentration. "Who knows, you might actually become friends."

Saint-Germain grumbled. "I don't want to hear that from you. And besides, I'm not becoming friends with them. We are merely allies until this incident is resolved, nothing more, nothing less." She simply answered.

He huffed in response. "If that is what you keep telling yourself, then sure."

She met his mocking gaze with a serious one of her own. "Perhaps I'll adopt the words the girl used before and apply them to you as well. If you have nothing good to say, then don't say anything at all."

"Quite contradictory aren't you?" He asked, and she held herself back from punching him in the face. He noticed her restraint and merely smirked. "Do you even know what it is you are looking for?"

"Somewhat," She answered. "The first step is to always look at the cause and then see where it leads from there. After we research it enough, there must be something that can explain what removed it in the first place. And we can only achieve that by going through all of Tachibana Hibiki's records. Something there will be the key to all of this."

"You say such obvious things, Saint-Germain." He said to her mockingly.

"Hmph, as if you are any help here at all. You've obviously outlived your usefulness, Lodgemaster." She said.

He instantly glared at her, and she smirked. After a moment, he regained his bearings and smiled again. "Perhaps right now I am indeed not so useful, having imparted all of the knowledge I had related to this subject." He said.

She didn't bother to give him a response. Anything he would say would only be a distraction from her main goal. She kept on looking through the database, researching the Original Sin as much as she could. Even over four hundred years of knowledge could end up not being enough when faced with a situation you had no experience in. She knew the details of the story behind the Original Sin in and out and how it became a sort of inheritance to humanity.

But nothing, absolutely NOTHING said anything about being able to remove it. It was supposed to be unremovable after all. In fact, sources have always been conflicted if it had existed at all. Through the years, Saint-Germain eventually discovered that it did, growing frustrated by the fact that in her pursuit of the perfect world, she'll never be able to shape it herself.

But that was fine with her. She saw what happened to those who wielded divine power, and quickly realized it was not what she wanted. Absolute power corrupts absolutely after all. She did wonder if Adam would have be able to wield it, being a puppet and all, but figured that she'd rather pass on that. It already became much more of a problem than it should have been.

And it was at that moment she came across the one folder that she was quite frankly, not looking towards researching: Tachibana Hibiki's personal records.

It was not that she had an aversion to them. In fact, it was the exact opposite. She knew that the answer lay somewhere within these files. However, it did not feel right to just look through them. Saint-Germain had never liked it when others questioned her about her past. As a result, she felt it would be a crime to do so to the person who held out her hand to her, despite the circumstances they found themselves in.

For a brief moment, Saint-Germain wondered. She wondered if in some other world, some other reality, if the two of them had met under much more positive terms…

Would they have been able to become friends?

The alchemist shook her head. There was no use thinking about what ifs. The now is the now. She had put aside her morals, and even her soul in order to create a better world. A few pixels on a screen would be the last thing that would stop her from doing so.

She adjusted herself in her seat, opened the folder, and began reading the chaotic story of the girl who wished for a world of understanding.

-!-

The ride to the academy was spent in silence. As soon as Maria dragged Miku outside, they discovered that to their surprise, a ride was already waiting for them. When Miku entered the car, she realized that the driver was the same one that took her to the battlefield just last night.

One night. That's all that passed. For the girl, it felt as if months had gone by since then and she still could not believe it. Her mind was in constant turmoil, and she could only think of how Hibiki had changed so radically because of the influence of the Symphogear.

The Symphogear. Everything always led back to the Symphogear. It became something akin to an excuse at this point. If anything happened that could not be explained with the knowledge they had, then it always had something to do with the relics they wielded. Some 'mystical' or 'hidden' part of the system that even they did not know about.

Only Sakurai Ryouko knew more than they did about the Symphogear, and look how it turned out for her.

Miku grit her teeth in frustration, an act that Maria noticed. However, the foreign idol chose to remain silent, thinking about recent events, particularly her own role in them.

'Remembering every little thing done to slight her, no matter how insignificant, huh?' She thought to herself. Hibiki had plenty of reasons to hate her, that's for sure. Everything that happened during her time posing as a fake Fine, to her ambitions, everything she had done went against her, sometimes almost personally.

She glanced briefly at the girl beside her, recalling the time she held her hostage, and how she did nothing as she watched Dr. Ver charm her with his sweet words, telling her she could save Hibiki from certain death by becoming 'like her'.

What a farce it was. In the end, it may have saved Hibiki the fate of being swallowed up by the Gungnir's fragment, but it in turn created a slew of other problems that they managed to resolve by the skin of their teeth. Yeah, Hibiki had plenty of reason to loathe her. Yet she accepted her, held out her hand to her, and became her friend. Maria, for a long time, did not believe she deserved such compassion. When she lost Mom after Ver betrayed her, she felt lost and helpless. And Hibiki just upped the ante by supporting the idea of going to the moon and reclaiming the matriarch's body, claiming that she had done everything with good intentions, and those with good intentions deserve to come back home. Even though the phrase went 'the road to hell is pathed with good intentions', Hibiki was the only one who could turn it on itself.

Now that their situations were reversed, and Hibiki was now the one claiming she will rebuild the world anew, Maria could definitely not stand aside. She knew better than anyone among them how fruitless such an effort was, and how the end result never matches the expectation.

Maria was in Hibiki's debt twenty times over, and she knew it. And it made this situation all the more painful for her as well. Which was why she resolved to do what she could to get her back. She will repay Hibiki's kindness tenfold.

And if supporting her grieving best friend was one of them, then she'll gladly do so a hundred times over.

About twenty minutes later, they arrived at Lydian. Despite the chaotic events of the previous night, watching the lively students going about their day was almost surreal. It would be the first time Maria ever set foot in this academy, and quite frankly she was excited, in her own way. To see a whole school dedicated to songs, and the place Hibiki called home.

They thanked the driver and left the car. Almost instantly, dozens of eyes turned to look at the elder girl, surprised at the appearance of the idol in the premises. Immediately the whispers began as Miku, still dressed as she was since last night, led Maria through the entryway.

Maria studied her surroundings, completely ignoring the people around her. She was used to this kind of treatment, so it was nothing special in her mind. The last thing they needed however was for paparazzi to arrive, which was something they wanted to desperately avoid.

"Hina?" A voice called out from the crowd. Miku stopped in her tracks, raising her head to the source of the voice. She caught sight of the familiar trio running up to them, looking quite confused.

"Girls…" She whispered hesitantly, not quite willing to face them yet.

"We've been looking all over for you," Kuriyo said in her usual happy-go-lucky manner. "I never would have imagined that you'd come to school with a celebrity! Ever since Kazanari-senpai graduated, we've been missing having someone famous to hang around with! Although I gotta wonder why you're not in your uniform." She turned to Maria, who smiled towards them. "I don't think we've ever really introduced ourselves or thanked you for saving us back then. I'm Kuriyo Ando. Nice to meet you, Maria-san!"

"And I'm Terashima Shiroi."

"And I'm Itaba Yumi!"

"It's nice to meet you," Maria responded. "My name is Maria Cadenzavna Eve. I am pleased to see you are doing well." She knew they didn't really have time for this, but she had to stay cordial with the masses after all, especially if they were Miku's friends. However, if friends from school were involved, it would naturally lead to...

Kuriyo flashed a toothy grin, and turned to Miku. "By the way Hina, do you know where Bikki is?"

To that.

Maria could see the exact moment that Miku stiffened, unable to respond to the question. There was absolutely no way she could answer to it honestly. Why would they believe her if she could barely believe it herself? No, she had to keep it hidden no matter what.

Kuriyo looked at her curiously, surprised by her silence. Miku tried to speak, but her voice could only come out as a garbled stutter, so Maria swooped in for the rescue. "Hibiki-san is currently unavailable. She won't be becoming to school for the foreseeable future." She lied, shocking the trio.

"Eh?! But why?! Is it one of those super secret missions you can't tell us about? Like in anime?" Yumi exclaimed.

Maria raised an eyebrow at the girl's strange assumption, but decided to go along with it. "That's right. She is on an important mission that we can't talk about and won't be back for quite a while. I'll tell her you're worried about her though. She seemed kind of lonely last time I spoke with her." She continued.

"Oh, that's too bad. So what brings you here, Maria-san?" Kuriyo asked her.

"That," Maria answered. "Is also a secret."

"Oh come on! Share with us at least a little bit! Please Hina?" Kuriyo begged, looking to Miku for sympathy.

The black haired girl decided to go along with Maria's fabrication. "Sorry girls...Lips are sealed."

The trio looked downcast for a moment, but brushed it aside quickly. "Oh well, so long as Bikki is safe then everything will be fine." She said, not noticing the frown that appeared on Maria and Miku's faces. "Want us to show you around, Maria-san?"

The elder smiled. "Thank you Kuriyo-san, but I have Miku-san to do that for me, although I appreciate it. You three should go to class by now, no?"

Kuriyo looked at her watch, and began to panic. "Crap! You're right! Come on girls, we gotta go!" She yelled, turning around. "Hina, you're not coming?"

Miku lifted her head and smiled forcefully. "Not today, sorry."

"Alright. I'll tell the teacher something I guess. See you later! And nice to finally meet you Maria-san!" Kuriyo yelled as she began running, the other two following after her. Shiori's gaze remained on the two momentarily as they waved to them, then turned back and joined the others.

Maria lowered her hand as other students began to scurry inside the building. "You have nice friends, Miku-san."

Miku looked back to the ground. "Yeah...I do." And began to walk forward as well, leading Maria to their destination.

The idol said nothing, and followed after her in silence. She looked around as Miku led her through the academy interior, inwardly commending them on the well done architecture. It seemed like a very luxurious school meant for the high class, yet even someone like Hibiki, who had a difficult family situation could attend it. She remembered Shirabe say something about 'cheap tuition that our salaries can pay for' or something like that.

But that was just an afterthought in order to alleviate her boredom somewhat. Even if they came here for an important reason, Miku was a quiet companion, even more than usual. She didn't have a whole lot of interactions with her even after the Frontier incident. Maria kind of regretted that. If Miku was able to reign in the carefree Hibiki, then perhaps they would get along well.

It took them a few minutes to navigate the academy's halls, but eventually reached their destination. They stood before the sleek mahogany door, and Miku fumbled with her keys, opening the door to the interior. Maria walked in first, and took a good look at the room Miku and Hibiki shared.

It was definitely spacious, she had to give them that. Two levels, one elevated a bit more than the other, and a large window to the outside, giving them a nice view of the city at large. A T.V, a private kitchen, and a bunk bed all pointed towards a nice use of space and resources.

Yet despite its accommodating space, it felt a little bit on the cold side. Perhaps it was the weather, or perhaps because a certain someone was not here to warm it up.

Miku entered after her, closing the door and heading straight towards the bunk bed. "It's here." She said, kneeling down.

Maria studied the bed, noticing the fact that the bottom part was used as storage for quite a number of cardboard boxes. She raised an eyebrow at that. "Do you two share the above bed?"

"Yes," Miku answered. "It was originally Hibiki's idea. She said we could use the bottom bunk as storage for all the boxes we didn't open. At first, I was kind of weirded out by the idea, but now I don't think I could ever change it. Only once did we ever sleep separately, when we had a fight back when I first discovered she was fighting. I was mad at her for that. " She said as she curiously look under the beds, searching somewhere on the floor. "It was because we promised not to keep secrets, even though I knew she couldn't tell me. I was so worried about her coming back so late at night, but I didn't want to question it. I was just happy that she came back."

Maria heard one of the floorboards give way, and Miku withdrew a small, blue box. It wasn't impressive in any shape or form, but Maria understood it held a great importance. Miku stood up again and led her to the table on the lower part of the room. "But this time she didn't. I stayed up all night waiting for her. But she didn't come back. I held on and on, hoping just to see her and make sure she was alright. But she didn't come back. Two days later I got the call from Genjuro-san, asking me to come and help."

She sat on one end of the table, and Maria took her seat on the opposite side. Nobody other than Hibiki and herself ever sat in those two chairs. In her heart, Miku almost felt like she was cheating, allowing someone who was not Hibiki into this room. She placed the box in the middle of the table. "I never would have believed that this is how things would turn out. That Hibiki...would suddenly go crazy. I never thought I'd see the day...that I would be afraid of her coming back."

Maria looked at her sadly, understanding her pain. She pointed to the box before them. "So this is…"

"The proof...that Kirika-chan desperately wanted," Miku answered, dragging the box closer to her. "I never knew this box existed until a year ago, around the time Hibiki first started fighting. It was so secret nobody had ever known about it other than her. Even her mother and grandmother don't know about this box. The first time I ever came across it was an accident too," She recounted. "It was around the time Hibiki first started fighting. One night as we were sleeping, I woke up suddenly after hearing a weird noise, and I saw that Hibiki was not in her bed. When I looked down, I saw her looking at this box. I never saw it before then, so I was wondering where she got it from. I stayed silent, not wanting to disturb her, and that's when I saw her put it somewhere under the bed and not together with the other boxes."

She stroked the top cover of it like it was a precious jewel. "My curiosity got the better of me, so one day while she was out I went looking for this box. After a short search I found it, and looked through the contents…" Her tone suddenly fell, becoming glum. "This is what Hibiki has been hiding. This is something she hasn't shared even with me. If she found out I knew about this...then she'd surely hate me too."

She began to take the cover off, when Maria suddenly reached over the table and put her hand over hers. "Are you sure you want to show this to me?" She asked. "This is something personal for her. Are you sure you are okay with this?"

"No," Miku answered quickly. "But I have to. If we can't help her face those grudges...then she'll never be free of them. If this is what it takes to get her back then...I don't mind if she hates me. As long as she goes back to being herself."

Miku's resolve surprised Maria, who believed she wouldn't even think about it. 'She's stronger than she believes herself to be.' She thought to herself. It was truly admirable, the lengths she would go for her dear friend.

"Very well then." Maria said, removing her hand and sitting back down.

Miku removed the cover from the box and placed it in the middle of the table, and Maria took a look inside.

It was a collection of a bunch of loose papers, that's the first thing she noticed. Newspaper clippings, folded up pages, and even pictures of people were all contained within the box. She reached over and grabbed the first clipping she saw, and read the headline.

'Horrible Noise attack during a concert claims the lives of hundreds.'

Maria's eyes widened in shock. This was…

She placed it aside and took another from the box.

'Idol dies during Noise attack.'

She took another.

'Father of Noise victim talks.'

And another.

'Survivor of Noise attack theorized to be responsible.'

Her eyes widened further. These were all newspaper headlines from over three years ago, detailing the massacre that occurred at the Zwei Wing concert. Maria obviously heard of it as soon as it happened, and at the time grieved for the deceased.

She reached into the box again, taking something else. This time it was a loose piece of paper, folded in two. She opened it up and her eyes widened even further.

'DIE'

She took another.

'MURDERER'

And another.

'KILL YOURSELF' 'BRING ME BACK MY CHILD' 'KILLER' 'DIE' 'DISAPPEAR' 'GO AWAY' 'DIE' 'DIE' 'DIE' 'DIE' 'DIE' 'DIE' 'DIE' 'DIE' 'DIE' 'DIE' 'DIE' 'DIE' 'DIE' 'DIE' 'DIE'

'MONSTER'

Maria was unsettled by the myriad collection of curses written. She now understood completely why Miku had exploded at hearing the Kazanari patriarch insult Hibiki. But these were…

"Are these all...from back then?" She asked.

Miku nodded. "Yes. After the rumors started, people from all over the neighborhood, even from other provinces, would come and put these on the walls outside the house. They would sometimes even throw rocks and other things and regularly break the windows. Every time I came to visit her I would find these taped to the house and I would remove them one by one and throw them in the trash. Sometimes I even caught some of those people, most of them kids and teenagers, redhanded. They had the nerve to put these when no one could see them, but once someone caught them they would run with their tails between their legs. A bunch of lowlifes, the lot of them."

The poison in her words shocked Maria, but she ignored it. She took more papers from the box, looking all of them over and studying them. Miku continued. "It was so bad the government had to declare her legally dead so the bullying would stop. But even with that, it didn't stop. At school, at the store, on the streets. Nowhere was safe for her to be. She was bullied so much at school that the principal even asked her mother to stop coming to school, saying that as long as she comes to her exams she won't be marked absent. More than once she was pushed down the stairs and sent home with a bloody head and with bruises. She couldn't go anywhere, so she locked herself in her room, going by with nothing more than Tsubasa-san's music to keep her company."

Maria had heard this story before in an abridged form, but never thought it was so bad. "All of her other friends abandoned her by the first week. When I didn't stop visiting her, I also became the target of their jeers and insults, asking how I dared to 'associate with a murderer' and 'you probably helped her do it.' This was the excuse our peers at school made up to explain the massacre. It didn't help if I tried to correct them, because they already made up their own version and would accept nothing but that."

The elder's heart just continued to break as she listened to the story and kept on looking through the papers. There were even yearbooks pictures in it, none of them containing the girl herself. However, what Maria found disturbing was the fact that some of them were scribbled over or marked in other manners. She studied them closely. "I tried to support her as much as I could. I visited every day, bringing her food and homework and music to listen to, anything just so she would cheer up. It was then the first time I noticed how she hid her feelings away, and she always forcefully laughed just so I wouldn't worry about her." She continued, looking at the papers settling on the table. "At times her mother told me that it would be dangerous to continue coming, but I persisted. I resolved to never abandon Hibiki when she needed me."

Maria, who was going over the photographs, narrowed her eyes at the collection.

'DEAD' 'DEAD' 'DEAD'.

There were countless photos with the scribbles, indicating the deceased, and others marked with some very disturbing words.

'HATE THIS PERSON' 'HATE' 'HATE' 'PUSHED ME DOWN THE STAIRS' 'HATE' 'HATE' 'PUNCHED MIKU'

Maria looked up at the girl before her, and her eyes widened once again. Miku instantly realized what she came upon. "Eventually, I suggested the idea of going to study in Lydian. I told her that it was far enough away and that we were the only two from our area that would apply, so we won't have to worry about the rumours following her here. It took a while to convince her and her mother, but eventually they relented. She studied hard, harder than ever in her life, and managed to pass the entrance exams. Once we finished middle school, we packed up our things and left for Lydian, where we could begin anew and leave everything behind."

Yet Maria continued to look through the papers, and understood what truly happened. "But it ended up not being the case."

"Yeah, it ended up not being the case." Miku repeated. "I never would have believed that she would go through the trash and take out these horrible papers out of it. I never would have thought she would steal newspapers and take clippings of the massacre from them. I never would have believed that she would take people's yearbook photos and write on them who was dead and who she hated. When I discovered this box, I thought that she brought as a way to deal with the incident."

Maria tilted her head in question, and Miku pointed back to the box. She searched through it, and found something even more unsettling at the very bottom.

It was a collection of pictures, recent pictures from what she could tell, and of very specific people.

It was pictures of them.

"But when I looked at it again around a few months ago, I noticed that she still kept putting things inside. She kept on piling up the clippings and papers and the pictures of things she hated, using the box as a way to vent her frustrations. I imagine the reason she can be so carefree is because she treats this box as the place to shut away all her dark emotions, leaving her as she is. But of course, it's not perfect." She said as Maria took out pictures of all five Symphogear wielders, Genjuro, Ver, Carol, Fine, and even her own father. "I never found anything related to me other than what you saw, but I figure once she realizes I've looked through this box, it will contain nothing but me."

Maria could only stare in shock at the picture of herself. It was surreal, looking at it now. It seemed to be one of her more common photo from the idol shoots, one that any regular person could find in a magazine. The one of Tsubasa was likewise the same, although she couldn't quite pinpoint exactly where she got the photos of Chris, Kirika, and Shirabe. No, it went ever further than that. When the hell did she manage to get these photographs? Especially of the commander and their enemies? Her father was a no-brainer...but the rest...

There was a hidden depth to the girl that was as understood as the the far reaches of space. An unknown that was beyond comprehension, and that conflicted with everything they knew and believed. It was amazing that she had managed to hide it for so long.

"You can't think like that, Miku-san," Maria told her, coming back from her thoughts. "You are the last person she'd ever hate. You are the one person she did not attack last night, and she treated you with the utmost care she could. You stood by her side when absolutely nobody else did, and I truly believe that she is remembering that every day and every second she lives, even now."

Despite the compliment, Miku remained downcast. "Hibiki is not normal, Maria-san. She hasn't been normal for a very long time. She hides her hatreds behind a forced smile, going on about how she wants to create a world of understanding," She said, looking through the window to the city outside. "But that's not possible. She says she wants people to understand each other, knowing she is doing it because nobody tried to do that for her. But she hates, Maria-san. She hates and fears all the time. How can you create a world like that when that is your default state? When every person you look at you believe will judge you on the spot, and that you are constantly afraid they will betray you, even if they have absolutely no reason to? She is a gentle person, one who is willing to envelop the entire world in her warmth. But at what point...will she instead crush it in her grip? Ever since she began fighting there was something unsettling about her. Hibiki fights to save a world she is terrified of. Kanade-san's will became her motivation, yet..."

Maria took a deep breath, the flowery picture of Hibiki slowly cracking in her mind, and hesitantly finished Miku's line of thought. "She is following an ideal she barely even believes in."

It was like a blow to the stomach, leaving her breathless. To think the real Hibiki would be so messed up did not even go through her mind. "How...do you know all of this?"

"Because I know her. Or at least, I thought I did, until I found this box. After I looked through it the first time, I finally understood her for who she really was," Miku said. "That is part of the reason why I hate she is fighting, and part of the reason why I accepted that man's proposal of wielding a Symphogear. I knew the risks, and I knew he would manipulate me for his own ends. But I had to do it. If I didn't, she would have killed herself in the process. I cannot allow that to happen, ever."

"Miku-san…" Maria let out, her respect for the girl before he only growing with each passing second. She looked at the box, then at the papers scattered around on the table. "We really...have been taking her for granted, haven't we? Her compatibility with her Symphogear is sky high, and her Armed Gear is her ability to connect with others. She could take on all the pain and strains we suffer and put it on herself. Even when deep down she resents us, she does everything she can to understand us. She accepted us when no one else did, purely because she knew exactly how hellish it is when no one does."

Maria held her head with her hand, the guilt bubbling up from within her. "We've been such fools this whole time. Such fools. She has every reason to hate us. It's not even surprising anymore. Of course the moment she is influenced by the grudges within Gungnir all of these feelings come out to the open. Of course she would paint us as her enemies, what reason does she have not to?" She said, mostly to herself. "I can't believe this. How have I been so blind this entire time?"

Miku listened to Maria's self-deprecation silently, offering nothing in response. This incident was shaping up to be far more than they thought. This was no longer just about the fate of the world. "Looks like I'm going to have to apologize to her the next time we meet."

Miku continued to say nothing. As much as she wanted to refute what Maria was saying about herself, she knew deep down that she was right. So she kept her silence, letting the elder come to these realizations on her own.

"Thank you, Miku-san," Maria suddenly said, looking straight into her eyes. "Thank you for showing me this."

Miku smiled warmly at her. "At least I hope that this...will help us bring her back."

Maria started putting the papers back in the box, careful to replace them the same way she took them out. Once she was done, she closed the cover and handed it back to Miku, who held it tightly in her hands. "Shall we go back?" Maria asked the girl.

Miku nodded. "Yes, let's."

The two headed back to the bed, and Miku placed back the box in its place. Maria took one last look at the room. "This box is the one piece of darkness that exists in this room. When you don't know it exists, this place is a warm home, welcoming anyone who wishes to stay in it. Yet beneath the surface hides a dark secret, one that may change the way you look at the room at large." She suddenly said, getting Miku's attention. It was a soliloquy, one that Maria used to summarize her recent discoveries. Miku found that it spoke the truth. "Yet," Maria continued. "Even though it does exist, this place can still be warm, and can still be home. You can live with the fact that this darkness exists and work to acknowledge it. If you cannot do so by yourself, then it is not a sin to ask for a helping hand."

Miku stared at the elder girl in awe. She spoke true words, heavy words that brought a new perspective to her mind. And how she wished Hibiki was here to hear them.

*KNOCK KNOCK*

Both girls turned to stare at the door, surprised by the fact that someone came all the way here to look for them. They looked to each other for a moment, and Miku went ahead to check out who it was. She turned the handle and opened it, surprised to see Kuriyo on the other side.

"Kuriyo, what's wrong?" She asked the girl who looked quite confused.

"Uh, Hina? You said Bikki was on a secret mission, right?" Kuriyo asked. Maria walked forward and joined Miku by the entrance. "Well, I think she just got back."

Miku and Maria's eyes widened as Kuriyo continued speaking. "I mean, she's right at the courtyard now and-"

And the two shot past her before she could even finish. "Oi!" She called out, racing after them.

Miku lead the way, her experience in the track team causing her legs to move faster than ever. Maria ran right behind her, keeping up with her pace as they weaved around people and obstacles on their way to their destination.

Miku abruptly stopped by one of the large windows and looked through it, gasping as she noticed who was in the courtyard. Maria stopped by her, and instantly realized what Kuriyo had meant.

Right there, in the very middle of the courtyard, and surrounded by very curious onlookers, was Hibiki. She was dressed in the same way she had been last night, still clad in the corrupted Gungnir. From what she could see, it had remained unchanged during the few hours they had not seen her. However, with an element as volatile as the god-slaying power, who knew what could could happen.

And what was she doing in Lydian, she did not know. But now that she is here...Perhaps they could try and talk to her. Perhaps, if they just say the right words...It will be enough.

Kuriyo caught up with them a moment later, and also looked out the window. "So uh...what's up with Bikki? Why does she look like that?" She asked.

Maria turned to Kuriyo quickly. "Kuriyo-san, what do you do in case of an emergency and you have to evacuate the entire school? Such as during a Noise attack?" She asked out of nowhere.

Kuriyo looked at her curiously, but answered regardless. "Oh," She exclaimed, pointing to a small emergency lever behind her on the wall. "What we do is pull that and-"

Almost immediately Maria activated the alarm, and the entire school blared and glowed with the blinking red light. Panic fell upon the premises as teachers and students alike filed out of classrooms en masse as they ran for their lives, not sure what the danger was. But someone pulled the lever, and even if it was a prank they had to resort to their instructions. Quickly volunteered students and teachers led the masses out of the building, intend on keeping them away from danger. As the entire school evacuated around them, Maria and Miku looked down through the glass to towards Hibiki.

And almost jumped in fright when they noticed she was looking right up at them.

Miku jumped when Kuriyo suddenly put a hand on her shoulder. "Hina, what's going on?" She asked over the sound of the alarm. "What's happening? Why did she pull the alarm?"

Miku wished she could answer her friend's questions, but any explanation she would give right now would pass over her head. There was no time to waste here. "I'm sorry, Kuriyo. I can't tell you. All I can tell you is that you should evacuate with the rest."

"But why Hina? There is no Noise. Does it have something to do with Bikki?"

Miku bit her lip. "Yes, it does." And said nothing more.

Kuriyo looked to her friends, desperate for answers, but knew she would get none. She removed her hand from her shoulder. "Alright, but you better tell me what's going on afterwards alright?"

The black haired girl gave no response, and kept her gaze locked onto Hibiki. Kuriyo hurriedly joined the crowd behind her, giving them much more freedom to work with. "We should get down there, Miku-san. HQ probably already found out she is here. We should do what we can before everyone else gets here."

Miku nodded in acknowledgement. "Right."

Maria turned back to the pane of glass before her. This was the fastest way. It's a shame she had to ruin a part of this beautiful school. She took out Airgetlam's pendant and chanted.

'Seilien coffin Airgetlám tron'

And in a flash of silver light, Maria was clad in her Symphogear. Signaling for Miku to take a step back, she kicked the glass, causing the entire pane to shatter into pieces, allowing them to get through. She grabbed Miku and jumped down to the ground, landing before Hibiki. She put Miku down on her feet, and the two approached the rogue wielder.

Miku went first. "Hibiki." She let out, and was only met by a cold stare.

"Miku," Hibiki responded, narrowing her eyes at the Symphogear user beside her. "What is she doing here?"

Maria walked up to her. "Hibiki-san," She said. "There is something important I need to tell you."

Hibiki furrowed her eyes, still glaring at Maria. But the elder wielder shrugged it off and…

Bowed.

"I'm sorry, Hibiki-san." She said. Maria knew she couldn't reveal the fact she saw the contents of the box, so she could only keep it vague, hoping that it would be enough.

Unfortunately, it wasn't.

"Why are you apologizing?" Hibiki asked simply. "What is it that you're hiding?"

Maria straightened herself, her eyes wide. "I'm not trying to-"

Hibiki looked between her and Miku. No, she could understand what was going on here. It was so, so obvious. She tried to do it before after all. She had no reason to not try again, especially with herself out of the picture.

"No, I can put two and two together," She said, baring her teeth at the older user. "You are trying to take Miku from me."

The outlandish assumption caught Maria and Miku completely off guard. Miku was the first to respond. "No, Hibiki, you've got it all wrong-"

"No, I can see what's going on here. Just once wasn't enough for you Maria-san, was it? You've tried it before, but I stopped you. But I leave for a bit, and you're all over her again. I knew it. I knew you had intentions toward Miku." Hibiki continued, interrupting her friend and laying the blame on Maria even further.

Maria could only take a step back in shock, reeling from Hibiki's completely wrong conclusions. "Hibiki-san, that's not true! That's not what I came here to talk about!"

"Then why are you wearing Airgetlam?" Hibiki asked in response. "Why are you in Lydian?" She advanced on the wielder, and Maria took another step back. "You forced Miku to bring you here didn't you?"

"Hibiki! Please!" Miku shouted. "You have it all wrong! That's not what's happening here at all! Please! You have to stop!"

Hibiki just stared at Miku, and the girl could see, behind those shining emerald eyes, that something completely wrong was going through her mind. This was worse than just taking any slight to the radical extreme. This is straight up Hibiki hearing what she wants to hear. It doesn't matter what the truth is. She is now, just like those peers from middle school, making up her own version of events in her mind and sticking to that version with an iron grip, and everyone else can go to hell.

They came down here to try and talk to her, trying to dissuade her from doing something she will regret.

And it seemed like the worst decision they could have made.

"Stop?" Hibiki asked almost curiously. "Miku, are you taking her side?"

'This is way worse than last night!' Maria thought to herself. 'She completely lost her mind! Her sanity is only further degenerating!'

She prayed that the others were on their way, because with the way things were escalating...words are not going to be the only thing exchanged here today. And the school will most definitely be in danger.

"No!" Miku screamed. "I am not taking sides! Please Hibiki, listen to me!"

But Hibiki ignored her, and turned to Maria in a split second. Her voice rose, almost sounding like a roar. "You want to turn her against me!"

The waves of bloodlust rose from her in droves, and Maria could only freeze in horror at the amount of sheer, physical death being directed at her. But she couldn't run away. If she did, who knows what Hibiki would do.

So Maria stood her ground, and faced the devil head on. "You're already doing that yourself! Look at you! Are you even listening to what you're saying?! Do you have even any idea what you're doing?! You're the one refusing to listen and pushing her away! I have done nothing of the sort!"

But her words never reached her. Hibiki, lost in her hatreds, fears and insecurities, continued to lash out at her. "YOU WILL NOT TAKE HER FROM ME!"

'She's lost herself completely. We will never be able to reach her at this rate.' Maria realized, and sweat began to pour down her brows, and her mind wracked for a solution. 'Delay her. Give time for the rest to arrive. If everything went well, they already found a solution.'

Miku ran to her, standing in front of her and taking her hands in her own. "Please Hibiki, please stop! Listen to me! You have to listen to me! You can't let these feelings control you! Please! This is not who you are!"

Hibiki stood in place, and Miku could see the storm of emotion raging in her mind once again. The rogue Symphogear clenched her teeth, torn between Miku's words and holding her bloodthirsty gaze at the wielder behind her.

She didn't think she'd have to reveal what happened today so early. But she'll have to tell her. She had to tell her about the fact that she found her box, that she knew what she was hiding. And that despite all of that, she was not going to leave her side. She stayed by her this whole time and supported her through her darkest of times. She was not going to stop now.

Maria could see what Miku was contemplating. She didn't know if it was a good idea or not, but it was worth a try. Because maybe...just maybe.

Miku took a deep breath. "Hibiki, please look at me." She begged.

Somehow, her words got through to her this time. Hibiki met Miku's gaze, and the girl almost instinctively reeled back from the glowing eyes. But she did not show it. She had to prove to Hibiki that she was not scared.

Her heart hammered wildly in her chest. "Hibiki," She began. "I...I know about it."

Hibiki's eyes widened.

And Miku delivered the blow. "I...know about...the box."

Almost immediately Hibiki stiffened in her hold, her eyes glued to Miku's own. Her mouth hung open slightly, and she went completely still, and Miku swallowed and kept on talking. "I...know what's inside. I...know what's been going through your mind this whole time."

Hibiki began shaking, an action Miku found to be extremely strange. But she couldn't stop. She started it, and now she'll finish it. "And I wanted to tell you that no matter what it is you're feeling…I'm going to be with you. I'm not going anywhere. No one is trying to take me from you. I'm here with you, right here, right now. I always helped you, didn't I? Please, let me help you. You don't have to do this, please…"

But only silence came from the corrupted user. Her hands went limp in Miku's own and…

Began to take steps back.

"No…" She muttered, and Miku looked at her in horror. "Nononono!"

"Hibiki, what's wrong! Please tell me-" Miku began to say, but she did not hear her. Hibiki kept on walking backwards, and eventually bumped into the decorative fountain at the very middle of the courtyard. Her lips quivered, and she began hyperventilating, her heart beating faster than should ever be allowed. "No...Why...nononononononononononononononononononononono!"

Miku realised something was most definitely wrong here. That reaction was completely unnatural, no matter the circumstance. She ran to her and yelled her name. "Hibiki!"

Something snapped.

And then came the bloodcurdling scream.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

It was a scream the likes of which Maria had never heard before in her life. Disturbing and primal, the mere sound of it tore the trees in the courtyard from the ground by their roots, as if a tornado had spontaneously spawned in it.

Miku shouted over the sound. "Hibiki! Please tell me what's wrong! PLEASE!"

But the raging wind only continued, and Miku could barely hold her ground any longer. Hurriedly, Maria ran to her and held her, withdrawing her sword and stabbing it into the ground like an anchor.

Hibiki fell to her knees inside of the storm. "YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO KNOW ABOUT IT! I DIDN'T WANT YOU TO KNOW ABOUT IT!"

Her heart burned in her chest as her mind exploded in sorrowful pain. She thought...she thought that if Miku ever found it then...then she'll abandon her.

Had Hibiki been in her right mind, Miku's reassuring words would have been enough to calm her down.

But right now, she was not. The insecurities from back then raced to the forefront of her mind, and visions of an impossible future flashed before her eyes.

Visions of Miku, the only friend she had left in the world, casting her aside just like everyone else.

And her corrupted mind, trying to find some sort of escape from this torment, decided to pin the blame on the closest target.

Her eyes locked onto Maria, who was still holding onto Miku.

"MARIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The storm grew tenfold. And as soon as Maria heard her name being screamed over it…She knew that the situation had reached rock bottom.

Only one phrase could summarize her thoughts in that moment.

'Oh shit.'

And Lydian Private Music Academy vanished in a flash of blinding light.