"Bring her to me," the voice whispered again, soft and pleading. "Please."
Mikoto turned reluctantly back towards the crumpled form of the first winged horror. Its flesh was bubbling, rapidly rotting and decaying before her eyes. But she now saw something forming in the roiling mess., And to her surprise, she found a woman's face taking shape among the gnashing rows of fangs, mouthing soundless words. Her eyes were blank and white, filled with anguish. She couldn't help but think. She looked familiar.
She quickly reached into the decaying flesh and dug deep. Her fingers found and closed around a delicate arm. Bracing herself, she pulled. With a nauseating sucking noise, the woman's body came free. And laid the body gently upon one of the few bare patches of ground. She brushed the damp hair from the woman's face, examining her more closely, a glint of familiarity. She knew this woman, though from where or when she escaped her.
"Where?" she asked.
"to the garden, please." Was her answer.
She gathered the limp, dripping form in her arm, walked to the edge of the garden, and dropped. Electromagnetic waves pulsed as she slowly sank to the ground. The barren garden floor was twisted and choked with the muck that sucked at her boots as she walked. "this is fun?... not," little misaka grumbled.
The pleading voice spoke again. "quickly, please."
She stopped and looked around in confusion at the voice's request. "Where?" she asked, seeing nothing but the muck-choked garden and the ruins of the small temple. That had been revealed as the giant beast rose from underneath.
A bubble burst noisily on the surface of the nearby remains of the stone temple. Mikoto felt her disgust rising as realization dawned. "You're kidding... right?" she asked in disbelief, not wanting to believe the implication.
The voice spoke once more, weaker this time. "Please... she needs me..." A silent sigh followed. Mikoto slowly dropped her head. "fine..." barely whispered. Surrendering to her fate, she did what was necessary.
She carried the unconscious woman into the collapsed ruins of the old temple, the columns and walls nothing more than rubble. The stone steps are slick with filth and gore. An unsettling silence stifled the air. The only sound was the annoying buzzing of fat flies swarming in dark clouds, rising from the gore as she walked up the steps. Evading the potential of being smushed under her boots, they swarmed around her and the young woman, hoping to land and enjoy a fresh meal, only to meet their end in a blinding flash and pop. "way to go BIRI BIRI!" little misaka chuckled.
She smirked at her little inner avatar. "jerk," she whispered. Pushing the memories of her youthful past away. "stupid Toumo!"
Inside the remains of the stone temple, beyond the cracked stone floor, was a large shimmering pool of thick, polluted blood that gave off a putrid, metallic odor. The pleading voice spoke again. "Bring her to me, please."
"Where?" she asked, looking around the ruins.
Another giant bubble burst on the surface of the pool of foul black fluid. "You're really not kidding.?" Mikoto said. A sense of what the hell.
"you have got to be kidding me?!" little misaka growled. "we don't even like to step on bugs, let alone dive into a pool of... whatever that is!" scrunching her face in disgust, arms across her chest. She sneered. "You come here." She nodded, stomping her boots like a spoiled child. "That's what I say..? right?"
The voice spoke once more, weaker this time. "Please... she needs me..."
her shoulders dropped, looked down at the woman's unconscious face, recognition nagging at the back of her mind.
"Oh, you have got to be..." shutting her eyes tight, pinching her nose, "Have you forgotten how long it took to get the dog poopie off our boots?" little misaka shuttered. "stupid dog!"
Stepping to the edge, she wrinkled her nose at the foul smell before taking a breath and plunging into the viscous pool of bad blood. "maximum force field, Number One." Little misaka spoke with an oddly English accent.
The thick fluid swallowed her, and she plunged into the darkness. Just the thought of it, she fought back nausea at its putrid stench- like rotted meat and excrement. It clings to her barrier like grease. She sank deeper into the suffocating darkness, fighting the urge to throw up. "Told ya," Little misaka said under her breath. "This is so gross." After what seemed an eternity, Mikoto materialized in a bright, cavernous room where gravity itself was defied. She dropped her barrier.
Its white walls glowed, pristine and pure. A large shimmering orb of blood, of crimson perfection floated in the center of the room. A sweet, metallic aroma washed over her, warm and soft like a blanket. It teases her nose with notes of iron and salt with traces of fruits and spices of fine wine. A gentle thrum pumps through her vein, an intoxicating rhythm that entices her inner predator. It was pure, untainted by disease or decay. Instantly removing all memories of the stench of the polluted blood. Amazingly, She observed blood droplets rise gradually from the sphere, float towards the unclean pool above, and vanish. Forget one moment to breathe. Her lungs burned, and she remembered. She gasped for breath and relaxed momentarily. "the good stuff!?" little misaka gawked as she drooled and wiped her mouth.
Struggling to come to terms with and pushing down the desire to taste just one little taste, ignoring little misaka's pleas to jump and bathe in the orb. Mikoto closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "shut up," was her only reply.
She glanced at the young woman, limp in her arms. Hearing barely a breath and a weak, fading heartbeat. She wondered, looking around the room as if she had made a mistake. She slowly turned around, senses alert for danger, but she found the silence soothing and restful. A calm strength filled her. Peaceful.
It was shattered, more like interrupted.
"Please, gently lay my daughter upon the floor," a voice spread across the chamber, kind yet heavy with a mother's worry. "She has suffered such pain already."
As the voice spoke, pieces of shimmering armor appeared, suspended in the air. Each piece danced around and assembled into an ethereal figure dressed in elegant dark robes with long midnight hair flowing in a gentle breeze. On its face was an ornate white harlequin mask, its cheeks marked with teardrops - blood red on the right. The eyes filled with points of light glittered like stars in a night sky. The phantom hovered silently, giving off a powerful energy yet filled with compassion.
She gazed in awe as it hovered close, alive but not alive. And then she knew. - this was merely an illusion, a facade.
"Reveal yourself to me," Mikoto said fearlessly, a smile playing on her lips.
A tender laugh filled the white space. "Very nice," a voice replied approvingly. "It is good to show no fear."
As if slipping out from behind a curtain of white, a young woman appeared. She was tall, with straight black hair framing a porcelain face of flawless beauty. Her eyes were a mesmerizing dark void, at once cold yet warm and inviting. She wore a flowing black gown that showed her slender but athletic frame, moving with predatory grace.
Mikoto tensed with the figure's first step toward her, stepping protectively in front of the unconscious girl. As the stranger drew closer, Mikoto challenged her: "First, tell me, you will not hurt her?" she crouched.
The woman's lips spread into a smile, revealing sharp fangs. "I have no intention of harming my own daughter," she replied, voice like velvet. "I am her mother and will always be..." She paused, tilting her head cat-like in curiosity. "As I am your mother, Mikoto Misaka. The Queen of the four kingdoms. Bonded mate of Anastasia Von Alucard. Who is also my daughter..."
"huh?! What the hell!" little misaka quickly responded, "I'm pretty sure I'd. I mean, we would know our own mother. Tch!" clicking her tongue. Mikoto eyed the woman warily.
The woman gave a kindly smile. "I am the Queen of Blood. Matron of Death, Goddess of Twilight, Mistress of Fate, and other titles too numerous and difficult to explain..." She sighed, waving her hand dismissively and slouching her shoulders. "Why can I just have a normal name..." she murmured, rolling her eyes in exasperation.
"how about Barbie?" little misaka said with a smirk.
The Queen of Blood paused, lips pursed in thought as she listened to the little voice. The edge of her mouth curled in humor. Then, she raised her slender hand and gestured gracefully. Droplets of blood rose from the orb's surface, rising like crimson fireflies. They drifted down to blanket the unconscious woman in a delicate veil. The Queen's voice was soothing, her eyes brimming with maternal concern. She kept her gaze on the ashen face of the young woman as she spoke, watching the flutter of lashes, listening for the faintest change in breathing. Where the blood made contact and spread, color slowly returned to her grey-colored skin as she spoke.
Mikoto listened intently as she spoke of her three daughters and the garden's collapse. Two had gone on long journeys to explore the outside world. The third stayed to protect the gardens. During the great uprising of the demon, Behamuth sought dominance over the region. He and his allies waged war, overwhelming the Queen's daughter and corrupting her into the beast. Her tone of sympathy changed, her face tense. "That vile creature polluted my sacred blood, twisting my gardens into its own dominion and spawning crude vampires that defied all I had created." The Queen's face twisted in anger. Clenching her fists, she seethed.," They pissed and shat in my pools, clouding my connection with them." her expression quickly softened. She placed a gentle hand on the head of the unconscious woman. "This daughter of mine fought bravely. However, her opponent was too strong and almost defeated her. Your victory freed her and gave me hope again. The damage done is great, but we will heal it."
The Queen met Mikoto's eyes. Her gaze filled with renewed optimism. "I am thankful you came here, Railgun," she smirked.
"she talks funny?" little misaka scratched her chin. "yep…not funny, haha, but funny odd… don't ya think?"
"not answering you right now."
Mikoto looked down at the young woman soaked in the thin veil of blood, then up at the stagnant pool above. The pure drops rising were insignificant flecks against the overwhelming mass of foul corruption. It could take ages to purify it thoroughly.
The Queen of Blood watched curiously, intrigued by what she might do next. Mikoto raised her hand at the swirling mass of polluted blood. The Queen raised her hand and gently lowered it, and the swirling pool of impure blood drew down.
"Let me see... if this will work," Mikoto whispered.
She touched the surface of the polluted blood, scowling at its unnatural, disgusting texture. Then electricity sparked and flowed, burrowing into the blood.
It began slowly at first, then faster and faster, with lightning strikes coursing through it. Soon, it was a roiling, sparking tempest, whipping into a crimson cyclone with Mikoto Misaka standing in the center of its eye. The toxic bits disintegrated under the electrical onslaught and burned away until only purified blood remained.
"Incredible..." the Queen whispered in awe. Her eyes shone with gratitude. "To think you could manifest such power... and use it not for destruction, but rebirth." She smiled radiantly. "Daughter, you have proven yourself a guardian worthy of these realms. The gardens could not ask for a truer protector."
The Queen of Blood closed her eyes, outstretching her arms. A look of profound relief washed over her face. "My children... I can feel you again," she whispered. Tears slipped down her smiling cheeks as she regained connection to her realm. "Oh, how I've missed your voices, your essence intertwined with mine." She gave a tearful laugh. "Yes, yes, I know it has been an age. But we are together again."
She opened her eyes, radiating joy. "I feel your strength flowing through me once more. Our gardens will bloom again with perseverance and trust in one another."
The Queen turned, reaching out and taking Mikoto's hand, squeezing her hand gratefully. "You have given me back my connection to the lands and people I love. I cannot thank you enough. You shall always have an ally in the Queen of Blood." Tears of joy shimmering in her eyes. "At last, the long silence is broken. We are a family reunited."
"yep…odd?" little misaka injected.
Without a word, the Queen of Blood motioned her hand, and an orb of blood rose from the purified pool and drifted over to a pristine white wall that had suddenly appeared. "Everything is in the blood, Mikoto Misaka," the Queen whispered. "Power, weakness, hate, and love. Even our ability to communicate across distance. little misaka." ( little misaka gulped.) "But the distance you are currently in is too far for the one you desire most."
The Queen knelt and gently put her hand on the forehead of the young woman. She winced and moaned. The Queen smiled. "But for a moment, let me shorten it for you."
She raised her eyes, looking intently at Mikoto. Her power easily swallowed Mikoto's own. Like a mother hugging her child, the embrace was total and warm. "Do not break the portal I am about to make. Or else all will be lost." She said. "If the surface is breached, both realms will be sucked into the void." She said," and all will be lost."
Mikoto furrowed her brow. Confused, she nodded as her eyes followed the floating red ball. The orb slowly spread across an oval surface. It shimmered, and slowly, an image appeared. Her heart leaped to her throat, seeing her.
"Anna!" she screamed, her emotions a tempest, surging forward before stopping, a faint warning echoing in her mind. She locked her gaze into the image before her, heart swelling within her chest.
Anastasia sat at her vanity table in the dimly lit chamber of her bedroom, a portrait of desolation. She appeared lost and forlorn, her slender fingers barely clutching her brush. Where once her eyes shimmered with azure brilliance, they were now clouded with grief. Her alabaster skin, once flawless, had turned pallid and gray, and her golden hair hung limp and lackluster. She seemed to have lost her vitality, no longer the resplendent Queen of the vampire but a weary, disheartened version of herself.
"Anastasia," Mikoto whispered, her heart pounding in her chest. Tears welled in her eyes as Anastasia slowly raised her gaze, peering through the clouded veil of sorrow. Emotions surged between them like a dam breaking, and as if ignited by an unseen force, the color quickly returned to Anastasia's cheeks. The once dull blue of her eyes flared with ferocity and intensity. Anastasia's heart pounded as she leaped, her chair careening across the room before shattering against the wall, golden hair fluttering in a wild breeze. The potent bond burst through the portal, rekindling a connection that had long been believed lost. She felt them all.
"stop!" Mikoto's voice sliced through the air, her hand slammed against the unyielding portal. With their bond rekindled. She could feel everything and everyone. Anastasia summoned enough strength to stop herself from shattering the mirror. Gathering herself, she pressed her trembling hand onto the mirror surface, and warmth radiated between them as tears trickled down their cheeks.
"I'm alright," Mikoto reached out to Anastasia, though subdued by the separation. A genuine smile broke on Mikoto's face. Anastasia's eyes narrowed. "I am not.." she said. "You know what I mean, jerk!" she shot back, biting her lip and placing her other hand on the barrier. Anastasia mirrored her actions, her hand meeting the mirror's surface. The connection was immediate and real. Laughter bubbled up from them as their hands glided across the surface of the barrier, feeling the warmth of their palms. Mikoto could feel the desire to cup her cheek. She leaned against the barrier and felt the warmth of Anastasia's palm. She tasted the tears on her lips. "I missed you..." she whispered, filled with yearning. She pressed her lips against the barrier. Anastasia quickly followed suit, feeling the warm softness of her mouth as they pressed against the mirror, both aching for the physical touch. She grabbed the dresser's edge, the wood groaning and cracking under the weight of their emotions.
"A little more, a little more..."
"Enough," a soft voice whispered in their minds. "We don't want to lose what we have found again."
Mikoto hesitated. Anastasia could sense the regret of their impending separation. She connected the voice to the woman standing behind Mikoto. A woman exuding power like a surging tsunami. It was a presence both familiar and formidable. Narrowing her eyes and tilting her head, "Who is...?" a hint of jealousy peered through her words.
"I am a tale of old that your mother, Titania, once shared with you. Fear not, o daughter of mine." She chuckled softly as though recounting an old cherished joke. "time is fading," she warned, "tell her before..."
Anastasia screamed at the mirror, her breath fogging the glass. "I love you," her heart swelling, "I promised I would tell you I loved you every time we sleep and when we wake." Tears rose in her eyes, "And you would just say, I know! Jerk"
Mikoto burst into laughter, wiping away her tears as the image slowly faded. "I know... jerk," she replied, placing her hand over her heart, touching the warmth of Anastasia's hand, feeling the growing distance between them and a sense of fullness in her chest.
As the portal faded, Mikoto steadied herself against the emotional aftershocks. She took a deep breath to process the sudden reunion and parting.
But before she could collect her thoughts, pain lanced through Mikoto's chest. "Vita!"
"something's wrong," little misaka spoke.
Mikoto's breath caught as she sensed Vita's anguish cascading through their new, powerful bond. She turned to the Queen. "she needs me!"
The Queen nodded toward the blood ceiling. "It will take you to her." Mikoto steeled herself and leaped, fingers piercing the slick surface. The blood coiled around her arm and pulled her inside.
The pure blood guided her, following veins of light. As Mikoto neared the surface, she heard a piercing scream - raw, feral, filled with rage. "Vita!"
Mikoto popped out of the pure blood and landed on the stone floor, immediately charging forward.