Okay… so here I have Chapter 4! I know, I know, I need to give out the Original Character Details for each character. And I'm only gonna do so for the characters who currently have updated their magic. And in this case… Eli's the first! More will come! MUHAHAHA :D :D
Anyway… something to clear up: The Multi-Verse they belong to is named "Ambrogio." The original members of μ's all lived in a single planet called Earth, in the Milky Way Galaxy, of Universe 6. There are 20 universes in one Multi-Verse, and 100 galaxies in one universe, according to my standards this time.
You'll be seeing quite more wonders on this chapter and onwards. Also… if you guys are interested, and more for other authors who are interested in my story, check out the poll on my profile page. It's only valid until mid-February 2016. So if you can, answer the poll. I kinda look forward for stories to updated, even slow, with a very big anticipation to it!
Oh yeah… check my profile each time too. I'm gonna be posting enjoyable AudioSurf sessions on YouTube soon! The account name I'll be using for my channel is EliteLenny, since I like using my AudioSurf's account name here. ;)
Check out my crossover "Wing-Mates." It's a crossover story for one other story in my profile called "Sky-Dreadnought," a story based from the original manga/anime series 'Strike Witches.' That's right… I like to continue my LoveLive-Strike Witches crossover as a part of my multi-verse adventure thing! And oh… A character debut from one of my other collaborating authors would also put up a few or several cameo appearances in this story, since Multi-Verses theory would be next to Inter-Dimensional travel, which is much more complicated. For now, I'll use the Multi-Verses theory for my stories.
Anyway, enjoy the story already! Leave a review or PM me for ideas.
Cosmos Sailors' HQ... Time-suspended because of Time-Distortion Alert...
"Okay." Melusine muttered while standing up from her seat in front of the terminal. "Designation Sailor has been transported. All of you be ready! The HQ will begin inter-universe and time travel in one minute!" And immediately, she got to typing furiously again.
Honoka was looking intently at the working cosmic fairy while Kotori seemed to be nervous of it.
"Honoka-chan... I'm feeling a bit off."
"Eh?"
"What if Eli doesn't return?"
"She'll come back. She knows she will, and she'll be making sure of it."
"We have to trust her." Umi spoke out to the two. "She's not only physically ready but you can be sure she's got a background check of various cultures around the world thanks to her status. I heard she had been making a tour around, and England is just one of the countries she went to."
"I see," Honoka replied softly.
"Nonetheless, she still has to be careful. At whatever time, there's always danger. I hope she's ready for that."
"She is." Nozomi replied it to Umi. "Ericchi has it in her to be cautious at whatever situation. If not cautious, she's just being careful before she does anything."
"That's good enough."
"Eli should make it." Honoka answered for what they believe in. "She has to."
Melusine stopped typing and nodded. "Alright, everything's set. Ladies, it looks like we're gonna be getting there sooner! T-Minus 15 seconds!"
Nico clenched her fist. "Good luck... Ayase."
"Rin-chan...?" Hanayo called out to Rin beside her. "Eli will be okay, right?"
"Sure thing, Kayo-chin! I believe that too!"
"She better be alright." Maki muttered to herself. "Otherwise, we'll just be crying our hearts out again."
Melusine was gonna say it. "Time and inter-universe travel in 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... Engaging travel... NOW!" Soon, the terminal's screens went white before black before it shows travelling lights toward them. The whole HQ shook at this. "Alright, we're on our way there. During the travel, we'll be in contact with Eli now. Sailor, this is HQ, do you read?!"
Inter-universe and Time-Jump Warp-space...
Eli has no fear as she was flying forward through Warp-space. Her helmet was on since no air could be present in space or even in Warp-space for that matter.
"Sailor, this is HQ! Do you read?" Melusine's voice was heard through Eli's internal comms system.
"Sailor here. We're really on our way there?"
"Affirmative. We're right behind you." Melusine's words convinced Eli, just before the cosmos sailor turns around and sees some sort of a shooting star from behind her.
"A shooting star is behind me."
"That's us. We're actually inside a ship, so you're taking the lead."
"A space ship?"
"There's more to the ship, but you can call that too. Anyway... We're almost to Universe 12. Do you remember what we talked about?"
"Hm..."
FLASHBACK...
"Alright... this Time-Distortion Alert is based on the year 1892 in Ambrogio Universe 12, in the Hyura galactic system. Earth is the name of the planet, like what you guys call yours. Anyway... The situation is this: The specific date is the 17th of July, in a simple town called Islesworth near Cambridge. What I saw there from the actual detection of the Shadow's energy source, is a murder of a sweets shop owner.
"The name of the shop owner is Dean Grace... an old guy, but a good guy nonetheless. However, his past was actually related to smuggling forbidden firearms into cities even before he just gave himself cover as a sweets shop owner. We can't really tell who the murderer is, except that he left the shop after visiting Grace for something."
Eli took notice of the motive. "It must have been for picking something up."
"It actually is." Melusine replied. "Eli... since you're the one who's going to do this: Your first objective is to investigate the sweets shop itself. They'll be updated depending on what you find there. Actually... it won't be a short walk at all. I doubt it."
End of Flashback...
"I remember. Once I get to Islesworth, I'll get to sweets shop, promptly enter it, and investigate."
"That's right. At least you know. Alright, we're entering Universe 12... Right now! Time-jump is successful, so we'll just have to get you there!" After Melusine said it, Eli saw the universe the different galaxies were in. She entered one of those galaxies.
"It looks like I'm entering the galaxy." Eli said this while her helmet had activated its heads-up display. It showed the information of the galaxy. "Hyura Galactic System."
"That's right."
Eventually, Eli got in Hyura Galactic System and finally saw the main solar system there. "I'm approaching the solar system and I'm slowing down just for the right travel speed. Earth will be visible in about a few minutes."
Back in the Cosmos Sailors' HQ...
Melusine was observing the situation. "We're in the right time right now, and it's already 1892 in this universe's Earth. And, it's nighttime in Islesworth and now raining, Sailor."
"Understood. Is there any way to land? So much speed is generated from me."
"There's something you should take as a tip: You can do inter-stellar space travel with ease since speed is not an issue, but remember that it's always different when you get in a planet. Remember: Gravitational forces and atmospheric differences always apply, so be careful."
"I understand. Gravity needs to be adapted to, and I should be careful about considering a planet with or without air."
"Of course. Plus... there's a convenient way to travel while you're in a planet anyway. You'll know what I mean a little later on." At this, she smiled, excited for what Eli's gonna be doing next...
In space... Approaching Earth...
"Earth is visible right now and I'm nearing it!"
"Roger. The ship will be on standby just out of the planet. Begin your descent and roll with your feet facing the planet. Your battle dress will be sure to withstand the entry heat made due to atmospheric resistance, so you'll be fine."
"Acknowledged. I'm beginning my descent and angling myself now." Eli then got to stop on her speeds and let herself glide towards Earth just before she angled her lower part to face the Earth itself. And just like instinct, the dress folded itself and started to be part of her legs, not making them a problem any longer. 'I see what she meant.' She thought before feeling some heat. Soon, a little orange came just outside her battle dress thanks to her speeds. "Once I reach the atmosphere, the resistance should stop. What should I do then?"
"You'll know soon enough. You can trust me well enough, Sailor."
"Okay." Eli then saw the Earth finally getting bigger in her vision just before the orange light slowly disappeared as she was now passing clouds. "I'm in the atmosphere!"
"Feel your back, Eli. By instinct, you should let your Cosmic Wings out. They'll be able to slow your descent and make you stop at just at the altitude you might expect not to be seen, so it's your choice on that."
"Okay... I..." Eli stopped speaking and felt her back indeed change for some reason and was surprised of it. 'She's right! Something... Something's coming out of my back!' "Okay... I'll... Uhhn..." And suddenly, light briefly shone from her back before something protruded from it. "HYAAAAA!" For the first time, Eli lets her Cosmic Wings out. The Cosmic Wings are actually like a butterfly's wing, but only transparent and has white outlines at the tips to signify it belongs to a Cosmos Sailor.
Cosmos Sailors' HQ...
The girl's gasped at the view they received from the magnified camera view, and Honoka was the first to react: "Sugoi! She's got wings!"
Melusine chuckled at it. "You girls also have this, but it's best you girls experience high speeds first before your first wing protrusion. Otherwise, it'll hurt and the pain won't be suppressed. There are no shortcuts here, so you'll have to get used to it."
Atmosphere... Altitude: 8742 metres and dropping... Night side of the Earth...
Eli spreads her Cosmic Wings. "I'm slowing down. Actually, better... I'll hover." Eli did as what her mind was focused on and she let her wings flap once before she slowed down and finally halted. "I stopped at 7300 meters above ground..." She let her helmet fold and it included the glass, which folded with the helmet to her back before it dissipated. She looked around and saw the land below. "I'm right on top of Islesworth. It seems I made it in time."
"You sure have your head wrapped around quite well in this. Well, it's natural. A Cosmos Sailor knows, flight is almost everything to them. But different modes of transport should be used too, for their safety."
"Okay. But I can't just land in Islesworth. People will see me coming."
"It's simple. The Battle Dress has also an equipped Camouflage Mode, and your whole body can be virtually invisible. Tiny reflections of the environment used by microdot cameras simulate the place and..."
'I don't like long explanations. By your meaning of reflections, I can't make too much movement, even if I'm invisible. That said, I'm just one percent away from being completely invisible but they could still see time-difference figures whenever I travel, if I'm too close to them."
"But that's different if you're in a distance from the person who's in concern with you. So flying in while in Camouflage Mode is no problem. Just find a suitable place to land, and one without people, of course. And... Camouflage Mode uses your stamina, so try find something to eat after... Oh, wait a minute... You got a snack with you. Just browse through your pocket dimensions for it. It's easy."
"I understand. I can manage for the meantime."
"That's good. Now activate Camouflage Mode. You need to get to Islesworth anyway. First, fly down, then your inner functions, activated by your Mind Control can get your Battle Dress to do as you request it. Good luck on your arrival there!" Melusine cuts the transmission and Eli might be on her own for a while.
Eli took a deep breath before angling herself down, letting gravity get her upper body angle down, and spreading her wings to level with the altitude. "Okay... This is where it's gonna happen. Activate Camouflage Mode." And with her words, her body slowly faded from existence, until only a very very thin outline of her shape was seen, since she's able to see it as a user of the Battle Dress. 'Wow... so I can see through my hands? Nice. Okay, now to find a good place to land. Ah...' She sees a spot where carriages are being parked in squared spots. Horses have feeders below them so they'll be eating or drinking while the carriage is behind them. 'That's a good spot. I'll try there. Plus, the darkness would help out as well.' And with that, she banked towards the direction of the square carriage parking spot before she was over it and hovered, then descended down just beside the carriages and out of sight from other people. And finally, she reaches the ground feet first. With her instinct, her wings returned inside her. 'Wow... So I can manage it well with my wings.' "Okay." She muttered before deactivating Camouflage Mode, then stuck to the corner of a carriage before peeking her head out. She saw civilians travelling in the night. Some of them were in rags while others were in standard dresses. "HQ... Am I going to stand out?"
"HQ Responding. Sailor, you will definitely stand out for a bit. The Battle Dress is actually themed for a ball but you'll easily move around it thanks to my design and structuring. But still, it's better you have a disguise."
And Eli saw what a possible disguise she could take: The feeding man for the horses was wearing overalls while wearing a round hat on his head. He was seen observing the horses and even helping them eat and drink from the feeders.
"And that's it." Eli observed the feeding man quite well before her eyes glowed white. She was seeing figures related to the size of the clothing, and she was seeing even the materials like a computerized way. 'Wow. Alright. I should be able to apply it in me.' Her eyes stopped glowing before she hid behind her carriage before she concentrated. Soon, she felt a continuous to brief glow of her glow until from top to bottom, her clothes transformed, and it was quite identical to what the man was wearing. She noticed her hair was tied up beneath her hat. "Oh. So it's to really match how I look."
"Nice. By that, you can now roam around. But it's better if you change your outfit with another while you walk towards the sweets shop, so you wouldn't look too conspicuous. Try a neighbourhood police officer when you see one. If you see an opportunity and when no one's looking, copy his outfit so you'll be able to roam around more freely and even gain access to restricted areas too. It's a good cover, you know."
"It'll just make me feel like espionage is a must."
"Not necessarily. It's only if you're really looking around, Sailor. Now... Get through town, and while on your way, find a cop's outfit to copy and apply it to yourself."
"Okay then, I'll get going!" And with no hesitation, Eli started to walk...
Back in the Cosmos Sailors' HQ...
The girls were all seated in front of the monitor and Melusine was standing in front of them. "Ladies, there's no need for all of you to be here at the same time. There are a lot of activities you can do here anyway."
Umi sighed. "We know... but we're just nervous of what's happening that we just can't stop trying to peel our eyes off what's important."
"Umi-chan..." Honoka called out. "There's no need to worry about this unless she needs help. Maybe we won't be able to hear from her for a little while, but at least she's in good hands as far as we know."
"Are you sure, Honoka?"
"I'm sure. We all believe in Eli, so we should take it easy for the meantime."
"Well, if that's what you prefer, but someone needs to be here by shift."
"Then why don't you go first? Then Kotori would be next. We'll take turns."
"Really? I'd be willing to go first. Nobody else should be too concerned, I guess."
"Arigatou, Umi-chan. Mina! (Everyone!) We'll be taking shifts here! So for anyone who wants to be around the place to look around, you can look around. Umi-chan will be watching on the monitor for the news!"
The rest of the girls spread out except for Umi, who was watching intently at the monitor. But instead of staying seated, she approached Melusine. "Any changes for now?"
Melusine looked from the monitor to the concerned Cosmos Sailor. "For now, Eli was able to get around Islesworth and finally found a police uniform. She just applied it to herself."
"I have to ask: How do you 'apply' on anything you could possibly wear?"
"Huh? Didn't you learn a little when you watched her change her clothes from Magnified View?"
"I did, but I just need to know the process."
"Well, it's pretty simple. Come with me." Melusine then walked and Umi followed before she snapped a finger. Eventually, a pink dress appeared from glitters of magic energy in front of them. "This is a sample attire you can use. Now... I want you to focus your sight on this. Don't be afraid, but your eyes will glow white thanks to this. Once that happens, you'll get good information on the shape of the attire, its most probable materials, and of course the sizes. You can configure them as you wear them."
"Okay, I'll try." Umi then looked intently at the pink dress before her eyes glowed white as Melusine said. "Well... I'm getting the shape, material, and even its size too." And she was seeing all of that through a computerized display from her eyes. "Amazing..."
"Now... the attire you captured should be added do your database for your own use. Try to apply it. Focus your mind on it, and it'll happen." Melusine instructed this to Umi before the cosmos sailor concentrated. Eventually, she was seen with her attire glowing and her outfit changing. From top to bottom, magic energy changed Umi's attire to that of the pink dress that's in front of her. The magic energy finally reached to the shoes that compliments the dress until it was finally done. "Now you're wearing the exact same one. This can also be applied with any kind of clothing you'd be able to see out there and actually imitate them. But we also have our own preset of clothes to tell you the truth. Excluding the capturing process, imitating those presets of clothes is done by looking for one first, then applying them to you."
"This will be quite useful."
"It is VERY useful, Ms. Sonoda. Remember that your identity is also being kept safe. At any universe, there MIGHT always be another person like you, so don't push the high-profile status, okay?"
"Did you tell Honoka that yourself?"
"Not yet. But I'm sure she'll understand if you tell her yourself after your shift. However, knowing she doesn't know, we can't send her through time or any universes just yet."
"I understand. Thanks for telling me this. They need to know about it for themselves too."
"Then I'm glad we're helping out each other then!"
It started raining and the thunder was heard from afar…
It was getting late and almost no one was left on the streets except some policemen patrolling the area. The quiet and dim sight of the sweets shop at one corner of town had dim lights. One policeman came by and saw this. With that, the policeman's curiosity was accompanied by willingness to enter the shop.
The door gently opened to a dimly lit interior with a wooden and clean floor, a short desk nearby and shelves of chocolates and candies on the wall. The policeman takes off the hat, only to reveal blonde hair finally loosen up from what she was disguised in.
Eli had a look around the shop, knowing it was clean almost anywhere she inspects, but not until she started walking and noticed a drop of red liquid on the floor. She stopped walking just in front of the liquid drop as she knelt to take a close look. Reaching out to it, she lets her finger wipe on the floor with the red drop now on her. She brings the sample close to her to examine it herself and found out something thanks to her life experiences: It was blood. 'So this is blood, but whose blood?'
A short tone played before someone contacted Eli, described as a female teen's voice with a German accent. "Sailor, what do you have?"
Eli looked at the drip of blood on her finger. "There's no doubt of it. Someone was hurt or killed in the shop."
"Damn it… So it really happened. Keep taking a look around. If Dean Grace's body is around, you're gonna have to photograph the body for us to analyze things. Your eyes, synced with your Battle Dress will do just that if you will the ability to. First… look for Dean Grace's body. Think you can handle it?"
"I can handle more what I have bargained for in my life, and that includes seeing a dead body, even a very bloody one too, Melusine. I'll keep an open channel." Eli then cuts transmission before she stood up and proceeded to look around further. She saw more shelves of sweets at the walls. 'I wonder if they have factories in this Earth now that they're making sweets? Dean Grace is quite the man to have a cover like this. But considering he was a firearms smuggler in his day, I guess I'm going to say this world is on its way to a higher technological advance by the looks of things. And crime types advances, with no exception at the same time.' Her thoughts ran short when she stopped by the counter and her eyes widened at the sight of the side. 'Oh crap!' Her thought was synced with the images of her sight picturing blood on the side of the counter before she walked further and finally saw what she was looking for: A body was lying on the floor and unmoving. The body belonged to a male. His forehead was visible to have been bloodied. And as Eli walked closer, she observed the age of the man, and he has quite the age to be in his forties or more.
As she knelt to examine him, she noticed the man's eyes were still open.
'Poor man…' Eli frowned while thinking of it before the same short tone played on her ear for Melusine again. "HQ… I found his body. His forehead… clean from there, I think the weapon might have been a blade. Blood's coming out from the rear of his head."
"That's because it IS a blade that killed. You're able to see the blood from behind his head, right? The blade pierced right through his brain."
"Capturing this already? I got my eyes to sync with the Battle Dress now."
"I'm seeing a live broadcast, which is quite better. We'll be able to examine the body that way. Keep looking at spots on the body. Move him around too to see a little more, but wear gloves for it, then report back to HQ. Oh, and while you're at it, browse from your pocket dimension and find a sample test tube. Get the blood that you got earlier, and the blood of the victim. That'll be two sample tubes now."
"Roger. I have enough for both samples." Eli replied before she let her eyes glow, letting her vision be brightened a little since it's a bit dark on that part. 'The murderer did his job right by letting the victim be at the darker side of the shop. Well done… I can't believe you just did it to him here. Smart… and I might need to be careful since he is. It makes him more dangerous.' She observed different parts of his body. Then she stopped to look at his hand. For this, she browsed her pockets and found two synthetic gloves before she wore them. She lifted his hand and examined it herself. 'The hand seems to have gone for effort in its years. In smuggling, firearms are most of the time assembled, and I bet HE does the assembly of either simple or complex ones.'
Fast Forward…
Back in Cosmos Sailors' HQ…
With Eli, in her Battle Dress original appearance, now back in HQ for the meantime, she was standing near Umi while they both looked at the terminal's monitor, with Melusine already looking at different parts of the corpse found in the sweets shop.
"Okay… This works." Melusine muttered it to herself.
Eli then whispered to Umi. "What do you think she's thinking about?"
"Beats me." Umi replied with a whisper to Eli. "After all, she knows more of this than we do."
"It's not necessarily like that, since I have a little background on this."
Eventually, a short-haired redhead approached the two and looked at the terminal herself. "Sugoi…"
Eli looked at the curious RIn with eyes wide. "What are you amazed of? That's the a dead body you're seeing there."
"Oh, think I don't know that? Did I mention I was a squad leader in the police back in the day? I've seen dead bodies, made dead bodies…"
"…and became one yourself," Umi replied briefly.
"YOU JUST KILLED THE MOOD HERE!" Rin pouted like a flash before glancing back at Eli. "So don't worry about me throwing up."
"I didn't mention you'd throw up." Eli then glanced at Umi after replying. "I think she would say it."
"Eh?" Rin then glared at Umi. "Don't mention it yourself, Umi, or we'll have quite a problem." Rin ended with an innocent grin. Umi glanced away, ignoring Rin's remark instead of making trouble. 'Something tells me she'll do it again.'
Eli decided to approach Melusine and ask about the case. She sees Melusine looking at the photos in a slow-interval slideshow. The video repeated itself as it played at one side of the monitor.
"Melusine?" Eli called out to the cosmic fairy, who then turned her head to concerned Russian.
"Something's definitely not right with this. I know it's a murder, but the blood sample you gave me somehow didn't make sense." Melusine then shows her hand before a sample test tube appeared hovering through magic energy before she held it. It contained red-colored liquid. "The blood that you extracted from the body for me, is the same with the one on the floor, but the one on the floor had more shadow energy for some reason, since the murderer omitted it himself."
"Okay. Will that mean anything?"
"No. Actually, it's the blood that's in this sample test tube that intrigued me. When I analyzed it, I found sources of the shadow energy already embedded in the blood."
"What? That's Dean's blood, right?"
"Exactly. It bothered me for a while. A dead old man in the shop has blood of a Shadow and it was naturalized in him too. There are possibilities: The old man already has the blood of the Shadow from the start, or the blade itself could make a person manifest a Shadow spirit, the basic form of the Shadow, which is the reason why the old man now has naturalized blood coming from one. We won't know for sure until we find the weapon used. So… I want you to get back over there and work this all out."
"Time is stopped again, right?"
"It is. For a weapon to be used, it's obviously a sharp metallic one. The murderer could have one easily made."
"Do you mean a dagger?"
"Yeah. The size of the hole itself on his forehead suggest he was holding a dagger. We won't know what kind of dagger it is, but I doubt it's something of value that I know of now. You could look over the database of daggers with Shadow energy that we know of if you like."
"Please." Eli then saw Melusine's free hand offered to her, before she took it. Their eyes briefly glowed white before it faded. "Okay, I got it. Three kinds are in there. One of them matches that it not only uses Shadow energy to inflict damage to the target, but as well as poison the target for the spirit to be replaced with a Shadow spirit."
"Exactly… a direct Shadow manifestation, if the Shadow energy isn't removed. It also applies even if the target is dead, only… life would be impossible. The blood of the Shadow still stays though." Melusine's explanation was accompanied with another pair of eyes, and she noticed Rin's pair was the closest. "Interested in the blood sample?"
"Hm…" Rin saw this for herself. "I would always search the crime scene for more materials, just in case."
"You've done your work from the police work quite well, Rin." Melusine's remark on Rin, made the girl leave a thumbs-up and a proud grin at her. "Don't get too carried away now."
"Hehehe!" Rin chuckled at it.
Umi groaned while approaching them. "Looks like there's still more to do."
"Indeed," Eli replied while she walked away from them. "I'll be talking to Nozomi for a while."
Rin looked at Melusine. "Did you notice Eli's kinda serious on this? Wow. I can't believe a dead body could make her a sleuth and a serious one at it!"
"Tch." Umi snickers. "I bet you did a lot of snooping around back in your day. That could have been a reason for a death, you know."
"What…? I wasn't snooping around! Well, I was, for a little. It's actually related to a high-ranking syndicate we've been looking for in Tokyo. I bet they caught wind of our op and could have been the reason for that freak ambush. Got me killed, but I did my part anyway. At least my snooping was healthy! I don't regret it!"
"Great. Now I'm seeing a suicidal chick."
"What's that supposed to mean?!" And it started as Rin growled when she approached, before Melusine stopped her.
"Hoshizora, not a good place!" Melusine says with an uneasy smile. "You'd be obliged to take it to the ring if you have problems."
"I wanna kill her! I wanna, I wanna, I wanna!"
"Now, now… You'll get your chance, but calm down, silly!" Melusine advised it to Rin, not knowing Umi was already irritated and just walked away from it.
'Didn't she mature on her way to her death anyway?' Umi thought while walking to Honoka and Kotori, now reading a magazine. But she's surprised of what it was: A magazine about school idols. "Eh… Guys, do you both have to get a copy of that?"
Honoka smirked at Umi who just arrived. "Umi-san, you think it's not a good idea? I remembered I was the one who suggested in making the group in the first place, and it got me interested in other idol groups too. I may be past my prime, but I'm still looking forward to future idol groups bringing colors to schools and different parts of Japan. If not… it could be around the world. I mean… there are a lot of them in universes we haven't even seen yet, or even galaxies!"
"Don't get too ahead of yourself, Honoka-chan." Kotori advised it before looking at Umi. "Umi-chan, I noticed the HQ is letting time pass." And with this, Umi nodded. "Why?"
"Melusine believes she can monitor other detections of Shadow energy from around the world, and so far, Islesworth Town was the last source. She still needs to get another detection so we'd investigate it. We found a weapon theory for ourselves too. Seems Grace was stabbed through the forehead but the effect left his blood to be naturalized with Shadow energy."
"Eh? Wait… How can blood be naturalized with energy like that?"
"She said it's possible because of the weapon, but then again, we didn't ignore the fact the man may have that blood from the start. We won't be able to determine it any further unless we get a detailed examination of the body, but we can't. Paradoxes might happen."
"Eh…?" Honoka replied, half-lidded. "Umi-chan, you watch too many movies."
"Wait, what?! Isn't that true?!"
"Ever since television and computers were introduced to you, you felt you wanted to explore a lot with the Internet. Now, you're a crazy talker."
"I'm just thinking of things that come to my head could help, okay?! Oh, come on! Can't crazy ideas be of some help? You don't believe in paradoxes and it could come true!"
"Heehee…" Kotori giggled a little. "You're funny, Umi-chan."
"Oh, come on… Am I the only one who's thinking this way?!"
"I am too." And the three stopped their smiles when they saw the same angry Rin now grinning at Umi. "So where were we on our match?"
Umi glanced at Rin, then away again. "Fine. But you'll be sorry if I break your arm."
"Don't you mean you'll be, since I'll do it first? Come on." Rin then walked towards the fighting ring, now with Umi coming along.
Kotori looked at the two now getting to the ring, and then glanced at Honoka still watching the distant figures. "Honoka-chan."
"Hm?" Honoka's attention was on Kotori.
"I noticed everyone's bravery really upped a notch or two ever since we were working together."
"Well, everyone lived their lives, so I don't think it'll be a problem if every one of us gets a little serious. I mean… I was serious each time I had to deal with a roadblock."
"And I remember you were pushing yourself back then."
"Oh… That time before I collapsed, you mean? I'm only doing my best for the group and for myself, perhaps. Then there's another time I had to run in the rain when I was in my thirties."
"I tried stopping you from getting there just because I was thinking you were crazy. It was only a report."
"But that report was the only thing needed to prevent the abrupt closure of one dream I know from then." Honoka smiled at Kotori. "Thanks for your concern back then. I wasn't angry at you."
"Oh. I know. We talked about it after you collapsed… again. But…" Kotori smiled like Honoka and hugged her. "I'm glad you were safe."
"Oh, Kotori." Honoka whispered while hearing Hanayo's cheers, and Rin and Umi's moans in pain as they took each other on the ring.
Rin yelped in pain as she was forced to kneel while her arm was in a hold from Umi in the fighting ring.
"Grrr… Umi!"
"What's wrong? Can't do it better like I could? Who's the civilian now? Not all cops are better in fighting."
"And it's still the case!" Rin pushed her forward and pulled it back, letting the rear of her head hit Umi's face, letting the other girl finally let go of her before she started running, reached the corner in no time at all and ran at Umi who seems slow to react and let a fist out before Umi was hit.
Hanayo was shocked at that. "W-What the…?! That was fast!"
Umi was on the defensive as she saw Rin now at a distance. 'Wait a minute… That speed…!'
Rin then made no delay as she ran for Umi, feeling like she's lighter than a feather. 'I don't know, but I'm feeling light here. It's amazing! What is this feeling?!' "GRRRRAAA!" She jumped and made a spun-kick move and it hits Umi's middle before the two clashed at normal speed. Umi was cornered, and Rin smirked before letting the world slow down before she put both fists out and started giving hooks to Umi at her torso. Umi was so slow that time, and Rin felt like she's definitely faster. 'Okay, this is a little too fast for her, but I don't care! I love it!'
Hanayo couldn't believe what she saw, next to her hearing a chain-gun of punches from Rin to Umi's torso before giving one last hook to Umi's chin, sending the girl in the air. "UMI-CHAN!" She knows Umi was unconscious in mid-air. As soon as Umi's gravity took over, in Hanayo's relief, she was caught from there before Rin touched the ground feet first with Umi carried in her arms. Hanayo noticed the other girls at different sides of the ring, now shocked thanks to Rin and Umi's match. 'Rin is clearly damn fast. Wow… what is that?'
Rin gently puts down Umi, who's clearly out cold. And she knelt, feeling regret. 'Oh no… I think I might have done a bit too much.'
"Gangway!" Nozomi went in the fighting ring first with Eli, Honoka, Kotori and Melusine behind her. Nozomi immediately went beside the unconscious Umi and knelt before feeling Umi's face. "Wow… She took a beating right."
"Yeah… It's my fault. That's a little too fast."
"It's not, and it's your first time too. Well, for Umi… Out cold, but I have something that could help her out. Everybody get back. You too, Rin." Nozomi's advice was taken seriously as the other girls around stepped back from her. She closed her eyes and whispered an incantation before she puts both hands over Umi's body. She opens her eyes, now emitting a purple magical glow. "I command… Heal the victim with hurt…" She muttered before her hands made a purple magical glow. The binds on her hair were removed, making her hair go loose on her. "I'm going all out now, Umi. So do me a favour and wake up already." She muttered with a smirk on her face.
"Whoa…" Rin was amazed at seeing this.
"Nozomi…" Eli's eyes were wide at what her close friend was doing.
Umi was stirring as the pain on her body was noticeable, but she felt a soft feeling over the spots where she's hurt before they slowly faded away. 'Wow… It feels so good. What is this?' She slowly opened her eyes, seeing a purple glow just dimming from around her and from Nozomi, now pulling her hands to her. She then saw the other girls, concerned of Umi. "Hm…" She moaned before sitting up and shaking her head. "Wow… That was one heck of a beating. I never knew Rin would do that."
Rin then walked over to Umi. As soon as the other girl saw her, Rin already offered a hand to her. "Care to listen?"
Umi took Rin's hand before being helped up to finally stand. "I am."
"Speed. I believe that's what I got before beating you up. Hehe…" Rin chuckled and left a grin for Umi. "Sorry! I already got this before the match!"
"Why in the hell DID YOU NOT TELL ME?!" Umi pouted shortly before Nozomi intervened.
"Now, now. Rin's not the only one who showed powers, but I did too. Actually, I had a little of it when I was still alive. To tell you, it was hard to do it. Now, I feel light on it and it's like a breeze." Nozomi's revelation got some others to gasp. "Don't get the explanation in full yet, but I was able to get magic years after we separated. Just like Eli, Rin and I now have powers. I'm sure the others will get theirs as well, especially you, Umi."
Nico walked just beside Eli, now nudging her hip. "Eli… No fair. I don't have any powers yet. The two of you senior girls got it, but I'm the only senior girl who didn't get any yet."
"Hehe…" Eli chuckled. "You'll have to be patient on that, Nico. I'm sure yours will come soon."
"You're just assuring me, but I sure I won't get it too soon." Nico sighed, not really thinking of something positive for the meantime.
"Everyone." Melusine got the attention of the girls. "Magic manifestation will take time for all of you. So, if you have any magic in you that you know you can do, try finding it in yourselves first before you all take on bigger things than yourselves. If you believe you can handle yourselves, knowing you mostly won't for the first time, let us know and we'll have something arranged for that. Understood?"
"Hai." Everyone replied at the same time.
And half-lidded, Melusine glanced towards Honoka. "As the leader, you should be the one doing recommendations." And she got an embarrassed look from Honoka in reply. "It's fine, but you need to drive the team forward with some leadership in you, Honoka. It's good everyone participates."
"I'll bring myself forward more often then!" Honoka said it with conviction.
Kotori took the conviction as something of a change might have seen from back then. 'I'm glad she's showing that conviction from then. There's no doubt she won't turn back from that and I know her that I'd take her word for it.'
"Good to know, Honoka." Melusine replied from Honoka's answer. "Alright, everyone. This is to update you all, now that we're back to business and all. The situation has changed since some of you are showing powers. Not only Eli will be participating in the mission we have here, but those who have confirmed magic manifestations here can finally get out there. That's good news for Rin and Nozomi. At anytime, they can leave HQ. And it'll be the same for the rest of you… soon."
Meanwhile… In the darkest of the Shadows' Void…
A pair of yellow and red eyes shone from darkness. "So…" A dark deep voice muttered. "Someone wishes to stop us. They should never succeed. I forbid it. They should kneel to my power… Soon… I shall have this multi-verse, all to myself…" And he chuckles, making the Shadows' Void vibrate… "I am the Shadow Lord… One day… They shall bow to me…" And a mean smile forms beneath the pair of eyes. His destiny lies in his actions along with his subordinates…
And his only mission is to consume the multi-verse using its darkness and the darkness of countless others. The Cosmos Sailors had only touched the tip of the iceberg. They have only begun…
- Case One: Tracking the Culprit (part 1) –
TO BE CONTINUED…