Section 15

I wake up from my sleep in the morning and am greeted by a familiar face near the dresser.

"Good morning, Alice."

Alice blushes. "Good morning, Serena. Did you sleep well?" She's wearing a tank top and sweatpants, so she was probably just working out.

"Yeah." I sit up and blush, remembering what happened the day previously. "This is gonna be strange for a while, isn't it?"

Alice looks to the side and awkwardly smiles. "Yeah… I guess so. But this is fine, isn't it?"

"Yep."

I get out of bed and walk over to the dresser next to Alice, finding clothes to wear for the day. I grab my normal outfit of a light blue shirt and jeans, then walk into the bathroom to change. After coming out, I grab my brush and sit on the bed to do my hair, but Alice sits behind me and motions for the brush.

"Oh, why thank you, Alice!" I hand her the brush, and she begins to lightly move it through my hair. "You're awfully nice today."

"How couldn't I be after yesterday? I'm a bit more excited than usual I guess. Do you not like me like this?"

"No no no. I love it, my hair's always tough to brush with its length, so having a helpful hand is great." I continue to let her brush my hair as I lean a bit back. "So, what are your plans for today?"

"Hmm. I was going to service my weapons and use today to make sure they were in perfect form. You?"

"I was going to get breakfast, then I don't know afterwards. I'll come back after I eat and I guess train a bit."

"Sounds good, then how about we hang out later once you're done?"

Alice smiles and nods, putting down the brush on the bed and moving away. "Sure thing. Just wait for me."

I sit at a table at a cafe I saw yesterday with my order and began to eat. Just some pastries that are famous in the city.

"Ahh, I wish I could stay in Paris forever, or at least if I wasn't so stressed most of the time. Mom would've loved this place…"

Memories of my mother come back to me. She's always wanted to come to Paris and travel the world, it sucks that I'm here and not here, especially under these circumstances. I miss her, I miss Dad, but they're not here anymore. They were incinerated, but I will get them back. These Singularities will be cleared and I can get my family back, along with my old…boring…sad life…

What WILL happen after the Grand Order? If we go back to how our lives were before, I'll just be cooped up in that apartment again and live in fear of everyone else. Maybe if Alice were to…no, she'd go back to the Clock Tower place I'm sure. I kind of like my life as it is now deep down. I don't like the circumstances or the danger, but I like having Alice with me. Ritsuka is a good friend too and so is Mash, though I could talk to her more I'm sure. Nick…well, he wasn't close with anyone. But if he's coming back, I'll change that. Maybe after all this is over, maybe I won't have to return to that old life. Maybe I can start again fresh and actually enjoy life.

I slouch down at the table and sigh. There's no use thinking about it right now. Just live life one step at a time. I'll think of what to do when I get to it. Ideally, maybe I'll be able to live with Alice if things go well, though same-sex marriage is banned in Japan, so we'd have to pass as roommates. Wait, what am I thinking? I don't even know if she likes me that way. She said she'll figure it out eventually…but still living together as genuine roommates is an option too. I wouldn't mind if it's with her after all. But once again, if she goes back to her normal life at the Clock Tower, there's nothing I can do, and I doubt Mom and Dad would let me move so far away at this age. But maybe I can—

"Excuse me, is someone sitting here?"

A female voice says. I look up and gaze into her eyes and looking back at me is…Altrouge Brunestud. You've gotta be shitting me!

She wears casual clothes. Ripped black jeans, and an oversized white shirt that tied at the side exposing her smooth stomach. Over her shirt is a black open, button-up shirt, and her shoes just look nice and basic. Her hair is still the same as usual, long and black.

It's unmistakably her, and judging from her smug look, she knows who I am too.

"Sure, no one is sitting here, go ahead."

She smiles and sits across from me with a coffee in hand and a bagel. "It's so strange to run into a familiar face around here. I knew you were here due to, well, where else would you have to go in France? Paris is the only way, especially with that Mage Association branch here. Your name is Serena, right?"

I nod my head and continue eating a bit slower now. "Serena Mirai is my name."

"Serena then? Hey, how about we hang out today? I'm quite bored and would like someone to chat with other than my guards. It'll be nice to have girls' talk, right?", she smiles and looks at me with a strange plea in her eyes.

"Sure, okay. I'll hang out with you."

I reply and take a sip of my drink as she does the same with hers.

"What do you have planned, Altrouge?"

She thinks, placing her hand on her chin and looking up. "Hmmm. What do girls normally do together?"

"Shopping mostly. Sightseeing too, that could be fun."

Altrouge smiles a cute smile that shows her teeth, including two fangs. "That sounds great! Let's do that!"

We finish up our food and leave the cafe, going shopping together first at the clothing store Alice and I went to the previous day.

"Hey, Serena. Buy whatever you want, I have no shortage of money, so it's all on me."

"Eh!? Are you sure?"

Altrouge nods and creates a cube in her hands. "Yep. Infinite money. Buy whatever you like."

I, of course, don't go overboard, but I buy some more fancy clothes that I normally couldn't afford. Dresses, shirts, pants, underwear, and a few different types of clothing. Altrouge does the same as me and at the end of our trip, we're left with four giant bags of clothes and a ridiculously large bill. She pays and we leave, then walk into a back alley at her request.

"Strout, Svelten, I need help."

The knights walk through the darkness and appear, then wearing casual clothes rather than the outfits I saw them in before.

Svelten is wearing a gray jacket, a white t-shirt, and jeans, while Strout wears a black suit you would see at a fancy party or a wedding. His long hair is also tied near the bottom to prevent it from being blown around by the wind too much, a problem Svelten doesn't have.

The two seem surprised at my being there, but notice the bags and Altrouge hands her two over. Svelten walks over to me and offers his hand. "May I take your bags?"

"Are you sure? I can carry them myself.", I try to be polite, but he's not having it and takes them from me anyway, I don't resist.

"Well? Where to now?", Altrouge asks as we leave the alleyway with now the bodyguards in tow.

"Hm…how about a boat ride? I saw some of them going on yesterday but didn't try them myself.", I recommend it to the vampire and she happily agrees.

We walk for a while, all talking to each other except for Strout who is quiet. "So, where are your friends? Busy?", the vampire girl asks as she looks at the architecture.

"Yeah, they're back at the Hôtel de Ville doing whatever. I wanted to eat at the cafe so I went.", I honestly answer as I have no reason to hide anything from Altrouge, or her guards. She could find us at any time, but I'm sure an all out war would break out if that happened.

"So that's where you are…", she mutters under her breath so I can't hear what she says. "I see. You have good taste, that cafe was really good, even with my taste dulled I could tell it was excellent."

"Thanks! I have a soft spot for food, especially sweets, so I'm good at this sort of thing. Usually, I find that family-owned businesses are better than chains most of the time."

Altrouge thinks about her past and agrees with me on my statement. "Yeah, I find that to be the case too."

We make it to the boat area and the four of us get onto the next available tour. The boat takes off and we are gently taken down a river along with many other people on the boat. Despite being a pirate, even Svelten looks interested in Paris. Altrouge looks at the scenery all over, the buildings, the people, and the water. Strout looks mostly uninterested but still looks on as everyone else does. Paris is even more beautiful with me right now on the river as the boat gently sways as the motor pushes it forward.

"I haven't been on a boat in a long time. I think the last time was when I was 12."

I remember the one time I was with my family and we went fishing on a rental boat on a nearby lake. We caught a few fish, well, my dad did while I cheered him on.

"Oh? Svelten takes me on his Parade all the time. It's quite fun, especially when the sea is rough!"

Svelten smiles and nods as if remembering all the times. "My good ol' Parade is lovely, ain't she?"

"Yep!"

"How did you two meet anyway?" I ask as the happy mood draws me to wonder.

Altrouge goes to talk but Svelten interjects. "At the end of the pirate era, my ship, Parade, was destroyed and everyone on board either died immediately or drowned, including myself. I drifted to shore and Altrouge turned me into a Dead Apostle and that was that. I owed her my life, so I became her guard. Simple, isn't it? But I'm glad I took her offer since I've had so much fun since."

"So she saved you and you repaid her? Is it the same for you, Strout?"

Strout shakes his head no and breaking his silence, he explains: "She found a wandering knight with no home and gave me a bodyguard job, I accepted her offer and we've been together since then.", he returns to being quiet after such a reply.

"I see… You three are quite the group, huh?"

"We're a family, not just a mere group. We are always together and support each other all that we can. We started as just an alliance, but over time grew as close as blood. My real family abandoned me, so I'm happy to have been able to join them.", Altrouge smiles and looks at the two guards who nod in return, Svelten smiling with his eyes closed and Strout simply looking at her with an ever so slight smile.

"Your real family? Crimson Moon and Arcueid, was it?", I recall what Arcueid said previously.

She nods with a hint of anger on her face. "Yes. I was deemed defective and was thrown out of the castle like trash, left to wander alone. Father died and Arcuied came about. I thought she'd help me, but she also did nothing. In fact, she and I fought and she won easily. She didn't act sorry or anything, it was like my existence was a burden to her."

She catches her breath and her anger fades, sending her back to a calm state of mind. "When I get enough mana, I'll take over the Millenium Castle and kill Arcueid, then after that, I'll be able to prove that I was not garbage this whole time. Even if the two of them are gone, they'll know. It's very hard for a True Ancestor to die completely after all. All I want right now is to tell them that they were wrong about me, that's all."

Arcueid didn't seem like she wanted to kill Altrouge, and as for Nick…well, I'm kinda mixed on how he felt. I'm sure he could potentially go both ways. But after she assaulted the Director, maybe he's leaning more toward killing?

"W-would it be possible for you two or three to just talk things out? You tell them how you feel and maybe they'll respond in turn?"

This makes Altrouge laugh out loud.

"You don't think I've tried? They don't even pay me the time of day! They only now care about me because I'm a threat, that's all. If they cared, they would have talked to me much sooner than now, a few hundred years ago. It's too late to stop me, I will do this, no matter what. I've been left with no choice by those two, and this world that despises me."

She goes quiet but then asks another thing a moment later. "By the way, do you know Arcueid by any chance?"

"Yeah, we've met. In fact, she's here right now. Not with us, but back at the place we're staying at."

"I see. What is she like?", she asks while smiling sorta oddly.

"She's…nice enough I guess. There's not much to her honestly. She's not mean, not cheerful, not sad, just…there. She shows tiny emotions sometimes but not a whole lot. She is pretty though."

"Pretty, huh?" Altrouge plays with her long, black hair. "Am I as pretty as her? Or even more?"

I study her and nod. "I think you're even more beautiful, Altrouge."

She smiles and pats my head. "You answered correctly. Even though you're no more than ants to me, some humans can be kind.~"

The boat ride ends without issue and we all get off. The four of us stand by the dock and chat. "Well, Serena. Any other ideas of stuff to do? I'd even be fine with just chatting. You're fun to talk with. Oh, I know where we can go!", Altrouge enthusiastically says and begins to lead me through the city by the hand.

We pass by many buildings and rivers. I don't know where we are, but I trust Altrouge. We reach an alleyway tucked away from the city, and a shadow portal opens up on the ground. "Come on. It won't hurt, we just can't enter this place normally."

I follow her into the shadows, along with her two guards, and we "fall" underground into a dark place.

"Where are we?" I ask, my eyes slowly adjusting to the blackness.

"The catacombs under Paris. Did you know they stretch almost 300 kilometers and hold more than six million bodies?" After hearing that, I shriek and back into a wall, but the wall feels strange to me, too jagged and rough. I look at it and notice white, too much of it, and realize that the walls here are bones.

"W-what are we doing in such a scary place?", I stutter and feel my heart racing.

"Hm? It's a cool place. Who wouldn't want to visit? Come on, let's go!"

Despite my worries, I follow her through the catacombs. My eyes have adjusted mostly so I can see my surroundings and it's just a dark and dirty hallway with various bones lining the walls. Altrouge touches the bones as she walks and looks back at me.

"I had a lot of fun today, Serena. Thank you for hanging out with me."

"Ah, it's not a problem at all. I had fun too."

"Oh, and thank you for telling me where you all are, I needed that information."

"No pro—" The spell I didn't even know I was under shatters. "Wait, what's happening? Why did I—"

Altrouge smiles a devilish smirk. "I really did have fun with you today, that was genuine. And I really do hope you can survive, but…"

A shadow portal opens up beside hers and her two guards and they step into it.

"Seeing as how weak you are, I doubt you'll live for very long." And the three vanish into the wall, leaving me all alone in the dead silent catacombs.

"H-hey, wait!" I look around, but because she brought us to the middle of the catacombs, I can't see an exit anywhere. I try to use the wristband but there's no signal, so I start to run. My heart races and my breathing is so fast I feel like I'm going to pass out. No one will find me down here to save me, so if I don't find an exit, I'm as good as dead.

"HELP, SOMEBODY HELP!", I yell but of course, there's no response. I run and run, then pause to catch my breath, then run again. I can't see too well with so little light, but I maneuver the halls well enough. I keep running and running until I trip on something and hit the stone ground hard.

My vision goes white, but I don't pass out. I put my arms forward to stand but then I hear something. I focus on myself and hear footsteps coming closer.

"Hello? Is someone there? Please help!", I call out, but there's no response, the thing only continues to walk closer. The thing turns the corner and it's indeed a person, but not a human. It instead is a zombie, a Dead Apostle. Doesn't look to be all that strong, just a basic one of the lowest level.

I shoot up to my feet and equip my Mystic Code, ready to fight with a katana in hand, but there's no use. I can kill this Dead Apostle, but my Mystic Eyes warn me that it's not just the one, but instead too many to count which eventually overwhelms and kills me. Very soon, more Dead Apostles will appear here and overwhelm me. So now I have no choice but to run for my life the way I came.

I run, and the zombie gives chase, albeit slowly. But they have the advantage of never getting tired. Eventually, I'll have to take a break and they'll catch up, and if that happens I'm dead. So I need to find an exit now.

"Hah, hah, hah!"

I run and run, my heart feels like it'll give out any minute. I can hear them following me through the tunnels. They look like dead people. Their skin was gray, their clothes ripped, bone and rotting skin all over, with some just being straight-up skeletons. They must be reanimated corpses, the ones that are all bones that is.

I turn another corner, and my legs sting. Another corner, my throat is dry. A straight hallway, I'm completely lost. Not even my Mystic Eyes help as they show me at worst dying and at best still being trapped 30 minutes later. The entrance is probably nowhere nearby.

I run for another hour, hiding up high to take breaks when needed, using my Mystic Eyes to my advantage. I'm lucky these are all low ranks, if a Superior Dead Apostle was down here, I'd be dead for sure.

If Altrouge was going to do this, why not just kill me? Does she want me to suffer? Or is this her way of giving me a fighting chance? Am I really that much of nothing in her eyes to not view as a threat to be killed? She's probably right, compared to the others, I'm nothing.

I have to keep going. If I stay here for too long, I'm dead. I come down from my hiding spot and continue running all while trying to get my wristband to connect. Naturally, it just won't for some reason. I can't contact Chaldea back at the facility, or my friends in the Singularity.

I turn another corner and stand face to face with a Dead Apostle. This place is a maze so I've probably circled back at some point and this zombie is reaching out to me to bite me.

With one slash, I split it in two, and continue forward. This is no time to have reservations about how human they look. If I hesitate, I die. I have no one to fall back on right now so I just have to cut them down!

I kill the few in my path, they fall easily, especially with my Mystic Eye's help, but this won't be able to be kept up forever. More and more pour in and I'm losing ground. They go down easily but there's so many that I can't keep up. I'm backed into a corner, with nowhere to go, and vampires from all angles.

But…my hope isn't gone yet. As I'm about to be torn to shreds, a burst of blue flame fills the hallway and burns all zombies to ash. The familiar Count of Monte Cristo stands before me, facing away from me. He confirms all enemies are dead and turns his head around to face me.

"Found you. I don't know what happened or how you got down here, but things have gone very wrong. I traced your magical signal thanks to you using your Mystic Eyes and found you.", he says with his normal straight face.

"Huh? Things have gone wrong? What do you mean?"

"You'll see.", he says and then walks over, picking me up over his shoulder and looking up. "Keep your head down, I'm going to blast the ceiling open."

The roof falls and he protects my body from the debris.

"Hang on tight.", he says and I do just that as he begins to fly straight up. It's dark for a while, but after a bit, I can feel the cool air of the world above, except, when I open my eyes, it's now nighttime instead of daytime.

He hovers in the air as I look around. "Edmond, what time is it?"

"Definitely not the time of the day to get dark. This is what I was referring to when I said something went wrong. It's supposed to be daylight still, but it's as black as night. On top of that…"

But he doesn't have to say a word as I see that Paris has already been overrun by vampires. Dead Apostles are attacking the people of Paris, flames are throughout the city and screams can be heard everywhere. I think…

The final war has begun.