-Start-
Amidst a nearly unlit night, the full moon completely concealed by clouds. A forest filled with various trees, a typically desolate place, almost no sound, a tranquil atmosphere disrupted by a small explosion and two screams.
"Kyahh!!"
Two children, girls of seven or eight years old, were huddled together, both looking very frightened as they gazed in a particular direction. The first girl had long crimson red hair, while the second had short black hair and glasses, both wearing simple dresses in pink and blue, respectively.
Several meters in front of them was a figure shrouded in shadows. A few meters from this figure, a humanoid body resembling a giant purple roach burned in green flames, disappearing rapidly. A strong gust of wind struck the body, dispersing the flames and carrying the body away as if made of sand, dissolving to cease existence.
The armored figure standing then turned his gaze to the two children for a moment, which startled them again.
"Are you okay?"
The armored figure spoke, his voice friendly but somewhat tired and old. The two children were still scared but now somewhat confused by the question. The figure continued:
"Any injuries?"
The more confident-looking redhead girl lightly shook her head, answering no. The other girl did the same after her friend.
"Great."
Replied the armored individual, who started a gentle walk toward the two girls who had recently been attacked by that creature and were now looking at the person who had saved their lives.
Stopping in front of them, he extended his hands in their direction. The girls' reaction was to become scared and hug each other, closing their eyes, expecting the worst, which never came.
The two girls felt a slight movement on their heads and instinctively opened their eyes slowly, only to see that the knight was petting the tops of their heads before withdrawing his hands.
"That must have frightened you, but don't worry, Uncle Kabuto here has already taken the naughty monster far away!"
Said the knight, trying to calm the two children. The clouds finally moved away from the moon, bringing more light to the area, revealing the appearance of the knight on his knees in front of the two girls, wearing a full-body red and silver armor, with a helmet featuring a massive beetle horn on the forehead and two blue visors. He extended his hands again but stopped, holding them suspended as if he wanted the two girls to approach before trying to ease their fear.
"Are you feeling better now?"
The knight asked the young girls who looked at him with some fear, with the red-haired girl being the first to cautiously reach out her hand to his, and he helped her to her feet. She then assisted her friend, who was hiding behind the protective-looking redhead.
The young redhead looked at the knight before deciding to respond.
"Y-yes..."
She seemed to still be somewhat scared from the previous attack, something the knight noticed.
"So, what's your name?" asked the red knight, attempting to make the girl forget about what had just happened.
The girl, in turn, looked at him with a hint of doubt but ultimately replied:
"I'm called... Rias... Rias Gremory!"
The girl said, her voice tinged with a touch of pride, and her face showed a bit more confidence. Kabuto then turned his gaze to the other girl, not knowing if she would respond:
"S...Son... Sona S.. Sitri."
The second girl, who seemed more frightened, revealed. The knight remained silent for a moment before speaking:
"Those are very beautiful names."
Responded the armored figure, making the black-haired girl blush a little in embarrassment. They continued to look at their savior before deciding to ask something that had been on their minds.
"Who are you, sir?"
The young redhead asked, while mentally wondering if it was a good idea to speak like this. To her surprise, the knight raised his hand and pointed it towards the sky.
"I am the light!"
He responded without hesitation, a response that left the two children quite confused.
"You can call me Kabuto!"
Upon hearing these words, the girls were surprised as they looked at the knight.
"Kabuto..."
Sona, the black-haired girl, repeated for a moment. The silence in that place was only broken by the wind rustling the leaves of the trees.
"Rias-chan, Sona-chan!"
Shouts could be heard in the distance, causing the two girls to quickly turn their heads in the direction they came from.
Their faces seemed to brighten slightly, but their eyes welled up with tears when they heard people looking for them.
The two girls couldn't stop crying as they saw their family members approaching, Sona started running towards them, while Rias seemed to start the same movement before stopping for a moment.
The young redhead then looked again in the direction of the red knight, but was surprised to find no one there.
"Kabuto..."
The young girl repeated, now with a hint of sadness in her voice, wondering if she would ever see that knight again. She closed her eyes, likely tired from all the stress, and when she opened them again, Rias was back in that warehouse, with the red knight from years ago staring at her.
Rias blinked a few times, returning to reality, all those memories from the past just flashed before her eyes.
A silence pervaded the entire scene after the creature's explosion that had attacked Rias and her servants. The sound of the explosion was what brought her back from her memories, from that scene years ago.
There stood the redhead, looking at her savior, someone she had never thought she would see again, someone she had thought was nothing more than a dream of a scared and lost child in the middle of a forest.
"Ka... Kabuto..."
Rias said in surprise and disbelief, her voice filled with uncertainty. The name seemed to catch the knight's attention, causing him to stop as he was already leaving. He turned to the redhead, although his helmet made it clear that he seemed surprised to hear that name.
Silence reigned once again throughout the area, before being cut by the sounds of the other teenagers in the place starting to wake up. At that moment, the knight took advantage of the opportunity to leave, turning and taking a few steps, until:
"Wait!"
Rias cried out, and the knight did stop, but at the same time, he tapped the side of his metal belt.
CLOCK UP
A robotic voice followed, announcing something, before the red knight disappeared in a blur of speed away from the scene, and Rias could do nothing to stop it.
The young girl felt extremely confused by the whole situation, but at the moment, that didn't matter much. She quickly ran to check on her servants and was relieved to find that they weren't very injured. Slowly, one by one, they got up and asked what had happened to the creature that attacked them.
Issei quickly got up and checked on the blonde girl he had knocked down.
"Asia-chan, are you okay?"
The young woman was already awake, just like him, and was helped to her feet. She, in turn, smiled weakly.
"I'm fine, thank you, Issei-san."
Asia said, her cheeks reddening slightly. Issei sighed in relief before clenching his fists.
"If I see that monster again, I'm going to give it a beating!"
Declared the brown-haired youth.
"Are you all right!?"
A male voice came, making Issei and Asia look to see the blond guy from earlier. He had torn clothes and a little blood running down his left arm. Issei was surprised.
"Yuuto!"
At this, Asia ran to the blond guy and reached out to his wounded arm. Surprisingly, her hands began to glow, and she slowly started to heal his wounds.
"Thank you!"
The young blond man said to the other, who simply nodded in response, trying to smile.
Meanwhile, Akeno, the girl of the same age as Rias with black hair, was helping the shorter girl with white hair to stand up and checking her injuries.
"Koneko-chan, are you okay?"
The question was answered with a slight nod from the albino girl, but Akeno still helped her to her feet and led her towards Asia, with the intention that the blonde girl would heal the burns on Koneko caused by the shock.
When the group gathered in front of the warehouse, Asia was now healing Koneko. Akeno approached Rias and asked:
"Buchou, did that creature, did it escape?"
The question caught the attention of the others, as practically all of them had been knocked out or thrown away and hadn't seen what happened.
Shaking her head, Rias immediately denied:
"No, that monster, whatever it was, was destroyed."
Rias and the rest of her servants saw the surprise in the eyes of their comrades, probably thinking that she had been the one to finish off the monster since no one else was there.
"There was someone else here..."
Rias and her group turned to the shorter girl in the group. What she said didn't come out as a question but as an assertion. She slightly moved her nose, as if she were smelling the air, but no one in the group seemed to notice. Rias smiled faintly.
"Yes, we had help."
The redhead elaborated, smiling toward the white-haired girl. Rias then created a red magic circle under the group.
"We'll discuss this later; let's all go home and get some rest to recover our energy."
Rias said, getting nods from all her servants before the magic circle shone brightly and disappeared with everyone inside.
The place was finally empty, or almost, because unbeknownst to Rias and her group, on a nearby hill, the same red knight was watching them from a distance.
"On my first day here, and I've already encountered one of them, tsk!"
The red knight murmured somewhat irritated. He wondered why the Worms were after that group, or if it was a chance encounter. However, he didn't seem surprised by the sight of students with supernatural powers.
He then tapped the side of his belt.
CLOCK UP
In a blur of speed, the knight finally disappeared in the direction of the city below. This night had been quite interesting, not only for Rias but for the red knight who had gained valuable information to analyze.
-After-
Meanwhile, Kagami found himself finishing an assignment to submit to his teacher the next day. He had a towel draped over his shoulders, and his hair was slightly damp, indicating that he had recently taken a shower. He was wearing a white long-sleeved shirt and loose black pants.
Sighing with relief at having completed the task, the young man closed his notebook and books before putting them into his backpack. He stood up, having been on his knees while working at a coffee table in the living room of his house. As he rose, he grabbed his backpack, which was resting on a nearby blue couch, and began walking towards a staircase leading to the upper floor. He paused when he heard the door open and close in the hallway near the house's entrance, revealing Tendou, who had just arrived. Kagami stopped and looked at his friend with a puzzled expression from the upper floor, calling out to him:
"You took your time."
Tendou gazed at Kagami, the image of Issei with a red-armored arm and Asia healing Yuuto and Koneko briefly flashing in his mind, followed by a memory of Kagami talking to the other two earlier.
Kagami looked at his friend with a puzzled expression while he was perplexed by the silence that was forming. However, Tendou soon broke the silence with a light laugh.
"Just found something interesting to observe, nothing major!"
The young man responded, leaving Kagami somewhat puzzled but ultimately deciding to ignore it as he resumed heading upstairs, not before muttering a nonchalant "Okay, then."
Observing the other teenager already on the second floor, entering his own room, Tendou could only maintain a serious expression. He initially thought this city would be interesting, but the sight of what he had just witnessed and the recollection of Kagami conversing with the other two had him in deep thought.
Kagami glanced at his friend, puzzled by the response and the silence that seemed out of place. He decided to continue on his way up the stairs, but not before uttering a casual "Alright then."
Back in the kitchen, Tendou kept a serious expression. As he initially believed this city would be interesting, the unusual encounter had him pondering.
"By the way, you better not have messed with my kitchen!" he shouted lightly, and soon he heard Kagami saying something from above. A sudden thud indicated that Kagami had fallen, which made Tendou chuckle.
Heading towards the kitchen, the teenager heard a robotic sound. Upon entering the room, he noticed two small metallic beetles on the wooden coffee table. One was red with a large horn on its head, and the other was blue with two scissor-like horns. The two beetles were moving around while emitting metallic noises, which made Tendou chuckle lightly.
"Even you guys are making fun of him, poor guy!" Tendou teased Kagami before refocusing on his original task and proceeding to the kitchen.
Cooking something would help him relieve stress and clear his mind further.
-After-
The next day, Tendou and Kagami found themselves ready to head towards Kuoh Academy. They stood outside Kagami's house, which was a beautiful two-story residence painted in light blue. A front garden adorned with flowers was visible, and Kagami was currently watering it with a long hose before turning off the water. Simultaneously, Tendou was locking and closing the front door.
The two young men were about to leave when something caught their attention. In the neighboring house, two other teenagers could be seen exiting, bidding farewell to two adults. These two turned out to be Asia and Issei, who noticed Kagami was watching and smiled upon recognizing him.
Issei and Asia quickly approached Kagami and Tendou. The expressions on the faces of the first three teenagers showed a mix of confusion upon discovering that they were neighbors and joy at having friends nearby. Issei was the first to speak up:
"Kagami, I didn't know you were my new neighbor!"
The teenager greeted Kagami with a fist bump, and Asia, wanting to be polite, offered a slight bow. Kagami chuckled and replied:
"Yeah, I didn't expect this either."
He continued after noticing something:
"Oh, right, this is Tendou. You might not know him yet, though Issei might."
It was at this moment that the other two noticed Tendou standing with them. Asia blushed slightly, realizing she had acted rudely by ignoring Kagami's friend.
"Sorry, I'm Asia... Asia Argento."
The girl stammered with her eyes closed, feeling embarrassed about her rudeness.
But as Asia halted, she noticed something else. Opening her eyes, she observed that Tendou was rubbing her head with a calm smile. Typically, such an action would make her quite embarrassed and blush, but for some reason, she didn't react that way. It felt like a strange sense of having an older brother. Tendou eventually stopped and looked at Issei, who was gazing at him, somewhat irritated. Issei didn't seem to appreciate Tendou touching Asia's head, partly out of jealousy and partly due to some other unresolved issue, which he couldn't recall. Maybe they had met Tendou before, but the memory was foggy.
Tendou looked at Issei as if he had been disrespected when he heard that Issei didn't know who he was. He raised his arm and pointed towards the sun.
"Grandma always said, 'There's one name in this world you should never forget, the one who walks the path of the heavens, the sovereign of all... Souji Tendou!'"
Tendou proclaimed, prompting Kagami to facepalm lightly.
"He did it again..."
Kagami remarked, somewhat embarrassed, while Asia appeared confused. Issei paused for a moment, then his face lit up with surprise, pointing at Tendou and exclaiming:
"It's you! Because of you, I almost got beaten up yesterday!"
Tendou smiled slightly at being recognized.
"Grandma always said, he who spies on girls can't consider himself a real man!"
Tendou replied, which only agitated Issei further.
The two seemed ready to quarrel, causing Asia to grow concerned. Kagami decided to intervene, separating them:
"Let's calm down, guys, we need to go before we're late, especially Tendou and me. We still have to deliver the final transfer documents to the student council."
Tendou looked at Kagami, then to Issei and Asia, and, without further ado, he walked ahead. Kagami breathed a sigh of relief, and he and the other two proceeded to walk together to Kuoh Academy.
Issei gazed at Tendou up ahead and then back to Kagami, questioning:
"I don't know how you can be friends with that guy!"
Asia appeared to listen attentively to their conversation. Kagami smiled lightly and responded:
"He's a good guy once you get to know him."
Issei wore a skeptical expression.
"I seriously doubt it."
He commented, still somewhat irritated by Tendou's behavior. Asia, on the other hand, seemed to be more open to Tendou and said:
"He doesn't seem like a bad person, Issei-san. Maybe he's just a bit shy."
The blonde girl reflected softly. The rest of the journey was uneventful as the three friends conversed. However, unbeknownst to them, Tendou was specifically observing Asia and Issei the entire way.
A short time passed, and the quartet soon arrived at the gates of Kuoh Academy. Issei and Asia bid farewell to Kagami, mentioning that they needed to go to their club headquarters before class. This left Tendou and Kagami on their way to the student council.
-After-
Already standing at the student council office's door, Kagami knocked, and after a moment, the door swung open. Two people entered, revealing a neatly arranged room and a group of individuals inside.
The person who had opened the door was a tall girl with shoulder-length blue hair and matching eyes.
"Hello?"
The blue-haired girl inquired, wanting to know why Kagami and Tendou were there. Kagami smiled politely and replied:
"We've come to deliver some transfer documents."
The girl seemed to understand and stepped aside, allowing the two to enter.
Once inside, Kagami looked around in amazement, while Tendou observed the others in the room. First, there was a beautiful girl with chestnut-red shoulder-length hair and brown eyes, talking animatedly with a young man who had short blonde hair and grey eyes. He wore the Kuoh Academy boys' uniform, though without the blazer, and had his sleeves rolled up.
Near them, standing with a book in hand, was a lovely girl with white hair and blue-green eyes.
In another part of the room, a slender girl with long chestnut hair that ended in two short braids was writing something in a notebook. She also had a blue headband.
Finally, there were two young girls, both wearing glasses. One was slightly shorter with short black hair, while the other was taller with long hair and a larger bust. They sat in chairs at the largest table in the room, engrossed in a chess game. Tendou, in particular, was drawn to the chessboard.
The girl with short hair looked at the two newcomers and spoke calmly and directly:
"I am Sona Shitori, the student council president. What can we help you with?"
At that moment, everyone in the room turned their attention to Kagami and Tendou.
"I'm Arara Kagami, and this is Souji Tendou. We've come to deliver some final transfer documents."
Kagami introduced them, slightly uncomfortable with all the attention. Tendou, however, appeared to ignore the room and continued to focus on the chessboard.
Sona seemed to consider the matter for a moment and said, "Of course, I was expecting you."
Taking the initiative, Kagami approached the table and handed over their transfer documents.
"Thank you. Now, it's best that you both leave to avoid being late for your classes."
Sona replied as she accepted the documents and checked them briefly. Kagami nodded and turned to leave, but Tendou stopped him and said:
"Wait a moment, if you'll excuse me."
The black-haired youth walked over to the chessboard, grabbing one of the remaining bishops, moving it once, and then turned to go back.
"Checkmate."
Tendou announced before he and Kagami left, with Kagami closing the door behind them.
"Tendou, that was rather impolite. They were in the middle of a game."
Kagami's voice could be heard through the closed door as he reprimanded his friend as if they were siblings.
Everyone in the room was simply astounded.
"He defeated Kaichou at chess?"
The only male in the room murmured in disbelief, a sentiment shared by all, including Sona, as they stared at the chessboard.
-After-
Tendou and Kagami were walking towards their classroom, quietly making their way through the school's hallways. They had almost reached a corner when Tendou suddenly grabbed Kagami by the shirt, pulling him back just in time to avoid colliding with a young man who had been running and had fallen right in front of them.
Seeing the young man on the ground, Kagami quickly offered assistance.
"Hey, are you okay?"
The dark-haired youth reached out to help the other student stand up.
"Of course, a fall like that would never have any effect on me!"
The mysterious student replied as he got back on his feet, trying to appear serious.
Kagami observed him for a moment before pointing to the young man's face.
"Your nose is bleeding!"
The young man reached into his pocket, pulled out a white handkerchief, and wiped the blood from his nose before returning the cloth to his pocket, then he looked back at Kagami.
"You're mistaken."
The young man tried to pretend he wasn't injured, but Kagami couldn't believe it.
"You just wiped it away!"
Kagami pointed out, which seemed to irritate the black-haired young man even more.
Meanwhile, Tendou took a moment to assess the young man's appearance. He was slightly shorter than Kagami, had a slightly tanned complexion, spiky red hair, and very light red eyes. His hair was swept to the sides, somewhat resembling Issei's hairstyle. The young man was wearing the Kuoh Academy boys' uniform and appeared to be a year younger than the two standing before him.
"Who are you, anyway?"
Kagami asked, perplexed, while gazing at the red-haired young man.
This question seemed to make the young man smile, and he pointed to himself.
"I am the man who will replace the gods with a single swing of my sword, Tsurugi Kamishiro."
After this introduction, an awkward silence hung in the air, and Kagami glanced at Tendou. He then looked back at both of them, smacked his own forehead, and mumbled:
"Not another crazy one!"
The young man seemed to cringe at the crude comment and the comparison to Kagami's friend, only to receive a light tap on the head from Tendou, who had approached him. Standing in front of Tsurugi, Tendou smiled and said:
"Going to surpass the gods, huh? Know this, I am the one who is treading the path of the heavens. I am the one who will conquer everything!"
Kagami swore he saw sparks in the eyes of the two young men as they confronted each other. Tsurugi smiled.
"The path of heaven? My sword can easily cut through your path!"
He challenged, looking directly at Tendou, who also maintained his smile.
"Your sword will rust if you attempt to follow this path. After all, it's something infinite and of infinite grandeur, something that is above you!"
Tendou responded. This time, Kagami noticed Tsurugi's face slightly scrunching up. But he was more concerned about how ridiculous the situation might appear to the people around them and was thinking of strategies to distance themselves from the two before their reputation got tarnished. At that moment, the first bell rang, signaling that it was time to head to class.
Kagami seized this opportunity to avoid a fight and spoke:
"Alright, it was nice meeting you, but we have to hurry to class."
Kagami then rushed forward, pushing Tendou ahead without even waiting to hear what the young man had to say. Tsurugi stood there for a moment before turning as well.
"Traverse the path of the heavens, huh? Hump, what a joke."
With that, the red-haired young man continued on his way. Unnoticed by anyone in the corridor, a small, purple-armored scorpion-like creature was crawling on the ceiling, following the same path Tsurugi had taken.
-After-
It was nighttime, and a gentle breeze carried the night air, causing leaves on the trees to sway gracefully on the beautiful nocturnal stage. It could have been a truly lovely night if not for a single reason.
Frantically, a young woman ran as fast as she could, her breathing heavy. It seemed like someone was following her from the shadows, but their form wasn't visible at that moment. The young woman had chestnut-brown hair billowing in the wind, and her yellow dress swirled along with her desperate sprint. Her thoughts were racing as she bore an expression of pure terror on her face.
Her face revealed that she was in a state of panic while running for her life. However, as if it were a cruel twist of fate, she stumbled over a rock and fell, injuring her knees. Looking back quickly, she was horrified to see that she was completely surrounded by insect-like green creatures, all of them having large shells on their backs, long claws, and deformed faces.
The young woman looked around as tears welled up in her eyes. She could already envision her own demise, but she didn't want that. She didn't want to die in this place. The young woman began to crawl towards a nearby tree, using it as support to get back on her feet. Strangely, the green creatures simply stared at her without moving.
At that moment, footsteps were heard, and a sinister laugh followed, causing the young woman to freeze in her tracks. Slowly turning her head to the direction she had come from, a person could be seen approaching in the midst of the shadows. The silhouette of the person, a curvaceous and feminine figure, became visible.
"It can't be real," the young woman in the yellow dress muttered out loud, her voice filled with despair.
The figure in the shadows drew closer, and their footsteps became more distinct. Now their brown boots were visible, followed by a knee-length yellow dress.
"It can't be real," the young woman repeated, this time with a desperate tone and a quiver in her voice.
The person approached even closer, revealing a well-endowed figure, with long chestnut-brown hair cascading loosely over their shoulders. They were a near-perfect reflection of the terrified girl who was now looking at them.
The girl's copy looked at her with an emotionless expression before smiling in an almost inhuman manner. It was as though a silent command, as the green insect-like creatures began to slowly approach the terrified girl, making her even more anxious.
While the monsters closed in, the young woman entered a state of panic, repeatedly saying, "No, I... I don't want..." The green creatures were almost upon her, some of them raising their claws.
"I don't want to die..." The young woman finally uttered, and as her mind reached its limit, she fell unconscious.
Suddenly, a blur of red appeared at high speed, knocking the green creatures aside and coming to a stop in front of the fallen young woman. As she began to lose consciousness, she saw a knight in red armor standing protectively over her.
CLOCK OVER
Kabuto halted and looked at the Worms who were recovering and rushing toward him. The young knight swiftly drew a silver dagger and stood still. As the Worms approached to attack, he skillfully parried their attacks and easily dispatched them.
After finishing his attack, Kabuto sheathed his blade and observed the remnants of green flames.
"Pathetic. Even if it took a thousand years, you would never stand a chance against me."
He then looked around, searching for the girl's copy but couldn't find her anywhere.
"Coward," the knight commented before glancing at the unconscious girl and approaching her.
The poor girl could only see darkness as her consciousness faded away. When she awoke, she quickly sat up, panting, and found herself in her room, lying on her bed. Gazing at her knee, she noticed it was wrapped in white bandages.
She was thoroughly confused about what had just happened. She had been pursued, and then, somehow, she had woken up in her room. She reached down to touch her bandaged knee, contemplating whether it was all just a nightmare.
The young woman slowly made her way to the open window and gazed up at the full moon. It was at that moment she remembered the figure dressed in red who had stood protectively beside her.
"Who are you?" she whispered aloud, more as a declaration than a question. She couldn't make sense of what had occurred, but perhaps a hot bath and a good night's sleep would bring some clarity.
The young woman closed her window and returned to her room. Unbeknownst to her, Kabuto was standing on her rooftop, looking at the same moon, before tapping the side of his belt.
CLOCK UP
He then vanished into a blur of speed, heading in a specific direction in the city, his home being his final destination.