Picking up the hem of her black dress, a young woman walked out under an evening sky. With the sun warming her back, she climbed up a soft slope. She knew this area like the back of her hand, making her way to the best sitting spot—an old tree at the furthest point of the grassy hill.
Beneath the swaying leaves, she found who she had been looking for. "Juusan, how are you feeling?"
The girl sitting at the base of the tree smiled thinly, dressed in a similar fashion with her knees tucked close to her chest. "I'm fine." After making a complete recovery from a deep slumber, she had discarded her old name.
"Just here to tell you that dinner is ready. Lambda made a special meal and a few extra treats for your trip." Noel didn't want to disturb her too much. With a delicate hand, she tucked loose strands of hair back behind her ear. The wind blew strong at the top of this hill.
Her sister averted her eye. "…I'll join you both later. Give me a few more moments."
From tomorrow onwards, it was going to be just her and Lambda. Even though it lasted shorter than she had wanted, being home together made for an experience she would not soon forget. The three of them united at the church brought back distant, happy memories of a kind-hearted nun who once lived there.
It felt strange to be free.
Juusan let her mind wander as her feet moved her to her next destination.
The few belongings she carried consisted of a repurposed sword, Lambda's cookies, and a tattered coat from the old church's buried cellar whose color brought a comforting warmth to her heart. Red suited her. The coat also served to cover a fresh scar on her chest, created when she attempted to purge all traces of her past self. Apart from those physical items, one more quasi-intangible thing remained in her possession.
Fused inside her body was the core of the first Nox Nyctores ever made—Gigant: Takemikazuchi, an ars magus weapon of mass destruction. Wielding it with the help of Noel, she had severely injured the Black Beast and tipped the battle in humanity's favor. After firing the weapon, she then succumbed to the overexertion on her soul.
Or at least that was what she had been told upon waking up.
No matter how long she reflected on her earliest memories, Juusan had no recollection about the battle nor absorbing the Nox Nyctores' power; only a barren outlook of the world remained in her memories after leaving her containment coffin. While she received credit for contributing towards the destruction of the Black Beast, to walk away from her home was sure to attract bad attention. But not even the look of uncertainty on Noel's face could overturn her decision to leave.
And thus, the tale she wanted to spin was that she had fled without warning, her sisters being completely unaware. It was better that way. None of the blame, should there be any, would fall on them.
"Damn..." Out of nowhere, her right eye throbbed and a shiver coursed through her body. "W-what's happening?" Her senses alerted her to potential danger, homing in on someone ahead of her.
At a junction of dirt paths, a silhouette jumped down from his perching spot on the boulder marking the area. "This is…? No, not quite the same."
Something about him smelled of trouble. Juusan couldn't quite make out his appearance, only a faint outline distorting the space. In order to keep a low profile, she only moved during the night and traveled on less popular roads. For this man to intercept her here could potentially mean he knew her identity and her leaving the church. "Who is this?!"
"Who I am is irrelevant to you, Murakumo. Now tell me, where do you intend on sneaking off to?" Beneath his calm air, a clear disdain mixed itself into his voice.
"I'm free to go wherever I damn please! Don't get in my way or you'll pay." Only her sisters knew why she had left. She loathed to tell a stranger her reason.
"…" A short pause settled in as a hard breeze passed by, kicking up some dust. "So be it. As it stands, I have no right in denying you. However, should we cross paths again, I won't let you go so easily… Get out of my sight before I change my mind."
Taking the chance, she hurried off after taking a slight turn down a sidepath. Somewhere deep inside the self she had tried to cast away, her instincts told her to give him a wide berth. Once certain she had put enough distance, Juusan let the tension ease from her body before resuming her normal pace.
The Boundary called for her, for her to seek a new future, where the 'truth' she had been searching for slept.