The image of the being in the crystal brought tears to Mawata's eyes. She shuddered in Go's arms as she realized the futility of their mission. There was no way to save Himeno…
"Himeno…" Go breathed to the figure in encapsulated in the tree. Greater than the horror of the being in the tree was the realization that he had contributed to the creation of this monstrosity.
He clenched his fist as he struggled with the decision that he ultimately needed to make. Mawata felt his trembling and looked up, her eyes blazing with tears.
"You better not be thinking about doing something stupid," she murmured, her voice hoarse from the lump in her throat.
"Don't you know me better than that?" he replied—and released a stream of fire towards the seal on the crystal.
…
"Kei, are you going to tell us what's going on?" Hayate hissed in anger to Kei. Hikari followed beside him wordlessly, either ignoring or unaware of the looks Mrs. Awayuki threw in her direction.
She looked around at the city around her—the part of Serenity known as Upper City—with blank eyes. The pieces of Himeno's memories she had obtained had elements of the city she had grown up in, but it had felt different. More alive, more happy and free. A flourishing city of life and wealth. An image Upper City tried to maintain.
But the degeneration that had affected the rest of Serenity—informally known as Lower City—had come to Upper City as well. There was tension in the air. The tension built from deliberate ignorance of the deterioration of the city. A futile attempt for happiness.
Hikari turned and saw the ruins of what was once a mansion with fancy gates barring in an expansive garden. Unbidden to her, tears welled in her eyes.
"Where?" she asked softly to Hayate, but it was Mrs. Awayuki who answered her.
"That was once our home," she said softly. Hikari turned to her and fixed her with a gaze filled with intensity. Yes, she remembered, Himeno had called this woman her mother—her step-mother. The memories she had of this woman were pleasant. She did not seem to be a threat.
Hikari nodded in reply.
Mrs. Awayuki watched her in silence and looked as if she was going to say more, but turned away when she realized that they had reached their destination.
"Kei, thank you for your service. You will be rewarded accordingly," she stated, nodding to one of her men. But before he could pull out his gun, Kei had released a blade made of light. After a few seconds of hesitation from the suits, guns were loaded and ready to fire.
"Come now, there's no reason for this, Kei," she warned, her eyes narrowing. But the distraction from Kei was enough for Hayate to grab Hikari's hand.
Tired as she was, she pret-ed with her usual grace, pulling Hayate's spirit inside of her.
Run! Hayate's voice rang in her head. With a quick look at Kei, who nodded in affirmation, Hikari took to the sky. Kei unleashed a wave of light, blinding his foes long enough for him to also take to the sky—but too late. A bullet tore through his shoulder and he began to fall to the ground with a muffled cry.
In mid-flight, Hikari turned and shot downwards. As she approached closer to Kei's falling frame, she felt the pressure of a series of bullets coming her way.
Change the wind pressure, Hayate cried out. She summoned a current of wind and turned with an alarming speed, creating a vacuum of air around her.
"I want her alive!" Mrs. Awayuki's voice rang over the sound of a new volley of bullets.
Leave Kei here and go—or I'll undo the pret! Hayate warned. With tears in her eyes, she turned away from the falling knight.
…
Sasame knew they were following him. He was no fool. He didn't know what kind of a deal Kei had made with the head of Upper City—with Mrs. Awayuki—but he knew it had to do with Hikari.
Mrs. Awayuki had not stayed in the shadows these long years without harming them out of sympathy. She had more anger towards the Leafe knights for taking away her daughter than Mawata had for Himeno's sake, for Mrs. Awayuki had understood little about Himeno's role as the Pretear. What sacrifices she had chosen to make. What the Leafe Knights had meant to her. What she had meant to each of the Leafe Knights…
Taking a deep breath, Sasame willed away the painful memories of the past and worked on moving the children to safety. If the Leafe Knights were to fall now, he wished at least the young ones could survive. His younger brother, Shin. Go's younger brother Mannen. Kei's younger brother Hajime. If those three at least could survive…
They were gaining on him fast, the men in suits. At the beginning, he had pelted them with blasts of sound, hoping to stop them in their tracks. But his attempts had only stalled them and left him feeling exhausted.
A miracle…that's all he asked for now…a miracle to save the little ones…
…
"What have you done!" Mawata cried as Leafenia trembled from Go's actions. The crystal shattered, but not without resistance from within. The dual forces fighting one another—one for freedom, one to act as a shield.
As Leafenia crumbled beneath their feet, Mawata and Go felt themselves falling into the vast emptiness that was the realm between realms. The struggling force that Go had released was nowhere to be found.
"You have returned. I presume it was because you found what you had been looking for?" Yin asked.
"You knew what you were sending us to. You knew!" Mawata hissed, barely containing her tears behind her anger.
"Our job is merely to act as conduits. We neither give advice nor aid. We are simply channels for the use of others," Yang explained.
"Enough," Go interjected, unable to watch Mawata in any more pain.
"We can send you back to the realm you originally came from," Yin offered. Go nodded.
"We have an old score to settle once we return," Go said, clenching his fists.