1:35 pm, Theresa's office
Theresa looked out from her office window to the courtyard below in absolute horror. She could put up with the hectic morning and stressful noon. Nothing, however, could prepare her for the insanity that came about just after that.
Barely ten minutes after that shockwave ripped through the school, things began exploding. Buildings were decimated to bricks, decorative arcs and pillars were reduced to rubble, and hedges and trees were torn from their roots and tossed about. If she didn't know any better, she'd believe the idea of a hurricane coming through the place.
Unfortunately, Theresa did know better. In fact, she knew exactly what caused all of this.
Theresa tried to vainly calm her horror and rage with a few shaky breaths before storming over to the dresser on the opposite wall. She opened the door with a strong pull and reached into it.
"Sorry for bringing you out for something like this, old friend. I'm going to need your help for a second."
1:40 pm, near the center of St. Freya High.
Himeko ducked behind another pillar, hoping to get a breather in before needing to make another break for it. The beast had erupted from nowhere, but not without reason. Reasoning with it, however, had proven fruitless as every attempt had led to relentless attacks in response. At this point, the only way of preventing more damage would be to restrain it.
Himeko snorted at the thought. For the people here, that would basically be suicide.
Knowing her action had compromised her position, Himeko rolled off to the right of the pillar. As soon as she did, a shoed foot shattered through the pillar and produced a shockwave strong enough to compromise the building behind it. The entity brought his foot down and turned its head to her now retreating form. It made a noise between a growl and a snarl before following her with a slow walk, seemingly wanting to draw out the chase.
Himeko turned the corner quickly and made a beeline towards the school's armory, going through the centerpiece of the school. It would take a bit, considering it was on the opposite side of the campus, but she wasn't willing to see how she'd fair against him on a physical basis. Getting her great sword would be her best chance, no matter how slim it still was.
Before she made it to the middle of the courtyard, however, something dropped from the sky and landed with a crash. Dust billowed out from the landing zone, causing Himeko to raise her arms to her face to prevent debris from striking her face. Once the smoke subsided, Himeko dropped her arms and looked at her opponent.
With wild, unkempt hair and rage-filled eyes, Phillip looked the definition of a monster.
"... You know, by technicality, she asked for it."
A punch soared over her shoulder at impossible speeds, carrying the force of a train behind it if the wind produced by the attack was anything to go by. Himeko didn't let that stop her, using the sudden attack to try to move around the boy.
In return, Phillip simply stuck his leg out to trip Himeko. This caused her to tumble over onto her face as Phillip took slow but intimidating steps toward her.
A white feather with a red end floated by at the corner of Phillip's left eye, but he barely glanced at the thing. He reared his fist back for a short wind-up and released it forward for a devastating blow. The center of the school was destroyed by the resulting shockwave, destroying the arcs and uprooting the small gardens. However, when the dust settled, nobody was found in the epicenter of the crater.
Phillip shifted his gaze to his left, at the top of the hole he made in the ground. There, he saw red hair wave as it retreated away. With a light jump, Phillip reached the edge just in time to see Himeko run off again. He made to follow after her, only to find another person blocking his way.
The purple-haired girl, with a face and wore clothes he planned to forget, raised her right hand to him with the palm facing her. "Sorry, but I can't allow you to roam freely and continue your rampage here."
Phillip gave her no pleasantries, immediately rushing over to the girl with both hands above his head. He felt a tingle at his chest but paid it no mind as his strike landed true, causing the girl's head to slam against the cement. When her head bounced back up at the recoil, Phillip kneed her in the chin to send her higher before landing a spinning hook kick to her cheek that sent her flying away.
As the girl flew through several buildings from the blow, Phillip looked down at his chest to determine the damages. An indent of a punch was seen on his shirt, which confused him as he knew the girl made no movements and his senses didn't alert him of the attack. Regardless, the wound healed up almost immediately, and Phillip resumed his following the red-headed woman.
Turning the corner of the building to his right, Phillip leaned back almost immediately to avoid an overhead swing of the claymore. With a single kick, the blade flew out of the wielder's hands, and Himeko stumbled out from behind the slight cover. Phillip reached out and grabbed her by the neck, hoisting her high enough for her to not touch the ground.
As Himeko swung her feet in a vain attempt to release herself from the hold, Phillip withstood the blows and voiced his command. "Get it out of her."
When the final word exited his mouth, a golden chain suddenly latched on the arm holding the redhead. All at once, searing pain shot up his body, almost making his hand clench at the sensation while his strength quickly abandoned him. This allowed Himeko's kicks to finally land a blow to his abdomen, knocking the wind out of him and his hold to falter and release her.
More chains leaped out from nowhere, several wrapping around his appendages and upper body, before pinning him to the building next to him. He struggled just as vainly as Himeko did, trying to pull himself out or loosen the chain even lightly, as another person stomped into the scene carrying a massive cross the chains sprouted from in the middle between the front and back.
"Do you two morons realize what you've just done?!" Theresa basically screeched this at two fighters. "Do you know just how much these buildings cost a piece?! Not to mention the students might be too terrified to think of returning due to this display!"
Himeko waved her hands in defense. "Hey, this wasn't my fault! If the kid didn't lash out as he did, none of this would have happened!"
Theresa gave a deep, irritated sigh before snapping her fingers. This was meant to signal the Oath of Judah to disperse its chains and release the now faint boy. She was going to need an extended talk with the boy and, maybe, some rehabilitating training.
However, the chains never dispersed. Instead, the golden trim and ornaments of the giant cross seemed to glow more gold while the black interior grew darker still. The only parts that appeared to remain normal happened to be the red outline that traced the gold trim.
"Judah?"
Theresa reached out to her weapon, obviously concerned by the sudden changes. She was interrupted, however, when Phillip erupted into a pillar of ethereal white energy.
Phillip stood up, now rejuvenated from the sudden explosion of energy, and quickly snapped out of the chains. Judah immediately released a wave of chains to replace the shattered ones, but they stalled just before the boy as he said one word.
"Cease."
The Oath of Judah closed with a loud thud, the sound reverberating across the school. Theresa and Himeko stared wide-eyed at the occurrence, trying to define the impossibility displayed before them. Phillip, however, simply turned to Himeko with a stoic face and crossed arms.
"I'll apologize for my host promptly, as I doubt he'll show sympathy at this point in time." "Phillip" then snapped his fingers, and reality reset itself; the buildings suddenly returned to perfect condition.
"Phillip" turned to Theresa with a critical gaze. "Keep your pet on a leash. It's too greedy for its own good."
"Uh..."
"Phillip" dipped his head and closed his eyes. The white energy surrounding him receded, and he slumped over, falling down to the ground below him. Himeko and Theresa simply stared at the fallen boy briefly before Theresa shrugged and grabbed Phillip by the collar. With barely a huff, Theresa tossed him onto her shoulder, grabbed Judah, and walked off towards the dorms.
"Why does my job seem to always get harder?"
4:30 pm, Himeko's apartment.
Phillip woke up groggily, rapidly blinking to adjust his eyes to the brightness of the room he was in. Soon, he could make out more of his surroundings and found himself on the sofa of Himeko's apartment.
The name appearing in his mind was enough for Phillip to snarl and swing his legs over the couch's edge. So eager to fulfill his continued threat, he didn't notice someone standing over him until he saw the floor and the bare feet. Phillip looked up to find the indigo eyes of one Raiden Mei... just as well as his left cheek found the sting of her slap.
"Did you really think I wanted an attack on my name?" Mei questioned, raising her hand to prepare for another strike if needed. "I told you: I agreed with the surgery and the bomb implantation. Is that so wrong?"
"Of course it is!" Phillip jumped to his feet, glowering at the girl. "We don't know what they want, and you just agree to give them the trigger to your life!" He didn't waste a moment in creating a clone and moving past Mei. Before he got far, however, Mei latched onto one of his wrists.
"I'm not going to be carried off while you wreak havoc here!" Mei's yell paused him slightly and made Phillip turn to her with a scowl. "Please, I don't want any more damage done because of me. Will you please stop and listen?" Phillip wanted nothing more than to just yank away and continue his rampage but the pleading gaze Mei gave him dispelled the anger somewhat.
"I'll listen for a second," Phillip stated before pulling his arm slowly from Mei's grasp. "I expect a good reason for it, though."
Mei beamed at this and quickly ran for the door, yanking it open once she got there. Behind it stood the three other people of the attack, with Himeko leading the pack.
"How ya doing-"
Phillip cleared the distance instantly, grabbing the red-headed woman by the mouth. Everyone moved back and into battle positions, all of them ignoring the outburst Mei produced. Phillip gave each and every single one of them a short gaze, ensuring none of them made a move against him. However, when he turned his head to his left, Phillip raised a brow.
"You can take a hit, it seems."
The purple-haired girl didn't shift at the question, keeping her raised arm in anticipation of any attacks. "Physical hits aren't terribly effective against armed Valkyries. However, I would suggest releasing Miss Himeko, regardless."
Phillip returned his gaze to the redhead in his grasp, who gave a half-cheeky, half-apologetic smile. He loosened his hold, causing the woman to drop feet first onto the floor. Himeko stood tall and tried to thank Phillip for the release, only to double over when he slammed his fist into her stomach.
"There's a lot more I should do to you for giving Mei that suggestion," Phillip stated, his heated gaze burning a hole through the woman's head. "However, I agreed to hear you out per her request. Make sure you use it well."
Phillip turned around and returned to the apartment, getting another scolding from Mei for the sudden actions. Theresa and the purple-haired girl collected Himeko, propped her up on their shoulders, and followed after the boy.
4:45 pm, the living area of the apartment.
"How do you want to present your case to me?"
Phillip leaned back into the sofa as he said this, glaring impatiently at the three before him. Three wooden chairs were pulled from the kitchen table to provide seating for those that weren't Mei, as Phillip refused any of them to sit next to him, and the single cushioned chair was given to the heiress. Himeko tried to stop this, saying the apartment was hers, but Theresa calmed her before another battle broke out.
Even if it was given, Phillip held power over the situation.
"Well, here's the easy one," Theresa started with crossed arms. "You can't always be there to prevent her from awakening."
"Yes, I can."
The firmness and the brutally blunt way these words flowed from Phillip's mouth killed Theresa's confidence. "Huh?"
Phillip crossed his arms at this, obviously not impressed with the first attempt. "Whether it be with clones or another special ability of mine, I can be where Mei is at all times. All that matters would be her consent on the matter."
"What's the other special ability?"
Phillip reached his left hand over to a seal on the underside of his right wrist at Theresa's question. With a puff of smoke, he pulled out a three-pronged throwing knife, the outer prongs bent slightly inwards. He tossed it at the coffee table between them, revealing the white-clothed grip and a seal underneath his hand,
"The seal on that kunai would allow me to teleport from one place to the next almost instantly," Phillip explained. "Also, if the kunai is thrown, I'll be alerted and will move it."
"That requires it to be thrown, though," Theresa pointed out, seeing the point as a victory to her side. "A Herrscher won't throw it, and Mei probably won't have time to both grab and throw before it's too late."
Phillip simply shrugged at this. "I can make an edited version of it, allowing it to alert me by levels of Honkai energy. Not that hard for me."
Theresa deflated at this, so Himeko decided to take a swing at it.
"Didn't you explain how your power empowers Honkai energy?" Himeko asked. "Putting this 'seal' on Mei might actually put her at more risk than the bomb instead of helping her."
Phillip gave a shrug at this. "Give me a week, and I'll have a more powerful seal for that purpose."
Himeko raised a brow at the casual tone Phillip took. "You're rather confident about working with something you haven't dealt with completely." The glare he sent her made the woman raise her hands as a defense. "I'm just saying that it might be better to at least study something before you dive head first. Because, right now, putting the bomb in her might have stopped you from getting both of yourselves killed."
A snarl ripped itself from Phillip's throat as he stood up, eyes burning in rage and hands sparking with electricity. Mei immediately got between the two, hands out wide and eyes locked with Phillip's. A moment passed with no movement, save for a few flinches of Theresa and the purple-haired girl, but it was silenced quickly by another voice barking out from nowhere.
"Calm down, Phillip."
Himeko, Theresa, and the younger woman jumped to their feet and got into their combative stances as they scanned everywhere for the male voice. Finding nothing, they turned back to Phillip and Mei, both now seated back in their respective positions.
Himeko was the one to ask the given question. "Did either of you two hear that?"
"I doubt they could have ignored it," The voice sounded again, sending the three back into their combative stances. "Enough of that. I've already met two of you, so don't start bringing hostilities out now."
Himeko stared directly at Phillip at this. "I'm gonna guess that was the 'guardian' you told us about." Seeing the boy nod sent her back into her seat with a slump. "I'm too sober to be dealing with this shit."
"You're not the only one, girly," Gabriel chuckled before getting down to business. "Phillip, I've already apologized for you and cleaned up the mess you've made. Please don't make me bring you in for my version of 'training.'"
Phillip grumbled in response to this suggestion before returning to his original position. Soon, the rest of the group settled back to their respective seats, ready to continue with the conversation.
"If you want me to study Honkai energy, I will," Phillip stated, referring to the previous topic. "However, you'll be taking Mei to the medical division and getting the bomb removed sooner rather than later."
"I feel we're leaving the most important person out of the discussion," the purple-haired girl said, glancing at Mei. "It was her decision to place the bomb. It will be her decision to remove it,"
Mei, staring down at her feet since the beginning of the conversation, shifted her gaze to Phillip with a plea in her eyes. "Will you accept my answer if it doesn't agree with your stance?"
Phillip sighed in barely constrained anger and pressed his forehead against his right index finger, his thumb caressing the side of his head. Despite how much he despised the idea, he didn't need much more to determine Mei's choice on the matter. Only one real question remained then.
"Why?" Mei looked away from Phillip when he asked this, only for him to push some more. "Why do you want to still have it? I just want to help-"
"You did," Mei replied softly, bringing her knees to her chest as a sullen expression crossed her face. "You helped me ever since we met, even if it didn't seem like it at first. So many things happened, some where I truly believed everyone would have left me, and yet you stayed with me."
"Then you got hurt, and I couldn't do anything." Tears began to fall from her eyes at this, landing on her knees. "You and Kiana protected me and got hurt because of it."
It took Phillip a moment to understand what Mei said, surprised by the sudden shift in the atmosphere. When first tears fell, he cleared the little distance between them, covering her hands with his own as he knelt down before the chair and stared up at her.
"Mei, you didn't do anything wr-"
Mei shook her head violently at this, interrupting him. "It's because I did nothing that I wanted this." She looked at him with a level of determination that didn't suit her teary eyes. "The bomb will keep her at bay, so you and Kiana won't have to protect me anymore. You won't get hurt anymore."
Phillip breathed another sigh and reached his left hand up to pull Mei's head closer to him, touching the top of her forehead to his own. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the connection, kind of hoping he could convince her through this simple action. It was doubtful, but he could still hope.
A comfortable silence befell the room, nary a breath disturbed it. After a minute passed, Phillip turned his head to Himeko, both caution and exhaustion in his eyes.
"The bomb can stay, but if the Herrscher comes out, you better tell me first. Let me try to handle it first before you detonate it."
Himeko rubbed the back of her neck at this. "The bomb is rigged to blow 5 minutes after Herrscher activity is detected, so no manual input is required." She then stood from her chair and crossed her left arm over her chest, fist clenched tightly at her shoulder. "However, I swear under my honor as a Valkyrie and under the name Murata that I will prevent any harm to befall Raiden Mei."
Phillip nodded slightly at this and pulled his forehead away from Mei's. When their eyes locked, he gave her an uncertain but comforting smile before standing up. Mei was quick in following his example and threw her hands around him,
As they hugged, the others of the group removed themselves from their chairs. Theresa started chatting up Himeko to alert her of future problems while the purple-haired girl moved towards the entrance hallway and, thusly, the door.
"Fu Hua, could you stay close by," Himeko called, pausing the girl before she could get far. "There's something I need from you, as only the class monitor can." The newly identified Fu Hua nodded in confirmation and retreated from the apartment.
Himeko stared at the passage Fu Hua left through for roughly a minute before she realized something. "Where's Kiana and Bronya? They weren't far behind me when the boy started his attack."
At this point, Phillip slipped out of the hug to answer the question. "I had a couple of clones leave the premise with them in tow. They should be either in the city near us or coming back at this point." A knock sounded from the hallway before a loud bang filled the air. "Or they're back right now."
Himeko rushed over to the hallway with anger in her eyes. A few loud words and the sound of a smack later, the redhead came back as she dragged Kiana forth, who carried both a lump on her head and several bags in her arms.
"Does anyone want to explain to this little idiot why you don't slam the door? Especially at another person's house."
"I'm... the same height as you."
Kiana's weak wheeze in response to Himeko's request made Phillip shake his head, and Mei sighed in exasperation. Theresa was the one to act, however, reaching over and grabbing Kiana by the ear.
"I'll give her talking to later on. Right now..." Theresa pulled Kiana from Himeko's grasp and tossed the girl onto the couch, clearing the table with little effort. "... She's gonna tell me what happened after Phillip removed her from the premise."
"We went to the shopping centers," another voice called out from behind Himeko. They all turned to the source to find Bronya standing at the living room entrance, holding a brand new HOMU doll. "Bronya received additional HOMU merchandise, and Kiana idiotka assaulted many gaming and clothing stores."
Soon, one of Phillip's clones came around the corner, struggling visibly under the weight of the bags on his back. Himeko gave the clone a worrying smirk at the suffering while Phillip pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation.
"Why didn't you seal them?" Phillip decided to ask this obvious question.
"I... forgot..."
This was all the clone could squeak out before collapsing face first onto the floor and dispelling. Luckily, the bags had a soft landing, so nothing inside them broke, if anything could. Phillip simply walked over and began sorting the bags by content, with Mei and Himeko deciding to help out after a few minutes. Once everything was settled, allowing Kiana to recover from the blow Himeko dealt, everyone took up the seats once more (Kiana, Bronya, and Phillip sat on the couch while the others retook their chairs) to focus on other important topics.
"Where will we be lodging?" This was easily one of the more significant questions that needed answering, so Phillip started with it. "I assume most students that attend here live offsite, considering the only person that reacted to my destruction was that Fu girl,"
"Hua, actually," Himeko corrected. "And most of the students do reside here. You guys just happen to arrive during the winter break, so all of them went off to handle other things."
Theresa chimed in at this point. "The four of you will be staying with Major Himeko Murata for the time being." Himeko's eyes widened in alarm, and she spun her head to Theresa at speeds that should have snapped her neck.
"Oi! When was this agreed upon?!"
Theresa shrugged at this, obviously not as put off by this as Himeko was. "I'll pay you more for doing this."
"I'm still missing my last three paychecks!"
"As much fun it is to watch Himeko squirm," Phillip spoke up, cutting the growing argument before it got out of hand. "I think it's better if I find a different lodging instead."
Theresa and Himeko shared a look, one that was more disgruntled on Himeko's end, before Theresa responded to this. "I don't think that's a good idea. Mei and Kiana weren't in the greatest of moods when you were recovering, so I doubt they would feel any better if you left for extended periods."
Phillip shook his head at this and opened his mouth to counter this, but Kiana reached over and put him into a neck hold.
"Ah, don't worry about what he's saying," Kiana said brightly, which conflicted with her action. "Mei-senpai, Phillip, and I will share a room while Bratnya can get some cupboard or something." All eyes looked at her, flat stares piercing through her request like a blade to paper. "What?"
"Disregarding the obvious undertones something like that entails," Himeko said, pushing Kiana's bizarre statement to the side as she locked eyes. "If I'm keeping you kids here, you're getting separate rooms. Once the next semester starts up, we'll see about putting you all into actual dorms." Theresa snorted at this and managed a cheeky smile when glared at by the red-headed major.
Phillip sighed at this, unsure if it was out of relief or annoyance. On the one hand, the girls would have an easily accessible place to stay for now. On the other...
"Look, I'm grateful for the offer, but-"
"No buts," Theresa demanded. "With Mei being a Herrscher, this is the best place on Earth for her, both for her protection and others'."
"I'm not disagreeing with that-"
Theresa pushed on and pointed a finger at Kiana. "Kiana will probably want to stick to Mei, and Bronya is basically an orphan. It's not likely there's any place that will take her outside of an orphanage."
Phillip gave a flat stare at the short woman. "That's not what I'm-"
"As for you," Theresa said as she locked her steely gaze onto his eyes. "Not only are you an unknown, but you're also a massive threat of today didn't display." Get expression softened before she continued. "Beyond all that, however, is that you're a cornerstone to Mei. Keeping you close is our best bet on keeping the Herrscher sedated."
Phillip brought his right hand to his forehead in exasperation. "I just want to know if I can be placed in a different dorm before stupid people start making rumors."
Theresa blinked in surprise before turning her attention to Himeko, who matched her stare. After a few moments, they both looked back at the group while Theresa delivered her answer.
"No."
"Why not?" Phillip tried his hardest to restrain his irritation from leaking, but a small part still spilled out.
"As I said, you're a cornerstone to Mei," Theresa explained. "It will be easier to keep her grounded if you're close by."
"I just told you people that I can teleport!"
Himeko held her hands up defensively at the shout but still decided to be the one to react. "That's great and all, but there are some things only a constant physical presence can provide. Besides, I don't think you want to leave her in our case unattended."
Phillip felt the girls' eyes on him, all of them hoping he'd lower his argument. With the silent pressure added to his growing stress levels, Phillip did the only thing that came naturally: he sighed.
"Fine, I stay with the girls." Kiana let out a cheer at this but was silenced when Phillip gestured for her to stop. "For now. At least until I've found a solution to both our problems."
Kiana placed her hands on her hips and pouted at him. "What, are you afraid of pretty girls or something?" Her eyes shifted to Mei for a moment before a smirk appeared on her face. "At least I can have Mei-senpai all to myself."
"Bronya will perform containment of Idiotka Kiana if she harasses Mei-neesama," Bronya responded monotonously as she hugged her new doll.
"It's not harassment, ya brat! She loves my attention!"
Phillip disregarded the argument between the two in favor of keeping his eyes on Himeko and Theresa. "Is that a sufficient answer?"
Theresa nodded slowly, accepting his decision and irritated at the argument playing in the background. "I'll take it. Now, if you'll excuse me..." Theresa pressed her right fist into her left palm as she stood up and faced Kiana. "I need to discipline my rowdy niece."
Himeko watched silently as the principal began manhandling Kiana, knocking the girl unconscious after a few hits. When Theresa dragged Kiana out of the dorm with one hand, the redhead stood up and walked over to the kitchen, a grumpy look etched onto her face.
"I need a damn beer."
9:30 pm, in Phillip's room.
Phillip stared up at the unfamiliar brown paint of the ceiling of his new room as he laid on the bed. The girls had also retired to their rooms as well, with Kiana needing some aid after the brutal beatdown that Theresa imposed on her. He didn't plan on getting used to the place, but at least the beds were comfortable. Despite this, he couldn't help but feel a bit restless.
Their current situation was suboptimal, more so after his little subdued rampage from before. They were in unknown territory, with a benefactor with unknown intentions, and both he and Mei had targets plastered on their backs for those who wanted them eliminated or controlled. It doesn't help that Mei agreed to the suggestion to place a bomb in her, which still ticked him off. He'll have to find a discrete means of removing it.
"It doesn't matter now," Gabriel insisted, the expectant tone of voice telling that the angel knew these thoughts were coming. "Right now, you and your friends are safe and out of harm, even if for only the moment."
Things are getting complicated, Phillip stated, trying to keep his mind focused on solutions as the angel's influence lulled him to sleep. There has to be something I can do to fix things.
"Just keep pushing forward, and we'll get through. We always have."
Phillip finally relented, allowing the angel's last words to comfort him. He closed his eyes and drifted off into dreamless sleep.
Honestly, this chapter would have been much longer, but I've overstayed the wait time on this thing.
Hopefully, this chapter will suffice, though I'm not sure if I kept the characters in character or handled the situation correctly.
Either way, thank you all for being patient, I'll try to get the next chapter more timely, and I'll see everyone in the next chapter.