"My spirit will sleep in peace; or if it thinks, it will not surely think thus. Farewell."

Chapter 10 – What Makes the Sky Blue?

This counts as finishing up with their business here, partially. With the exception of an activated cauldron, things were fine for the most part. Ragna had survived a harrowing encounter with the deranged girl with Nier's help, though neither of them were currently at their best.

"Can you stand?" asked Nier as she rolled off of him.

He paused a bit, putting a bit of effort into doing just that. He was still exhausted, but he can manage even with those injuries. "I should ask you the same thing. Doesn't look like you're fully healed up either," he replied, helping her up as the two limped away from the edge of the Cauldron.

They've only taken a few steps though before they immediately felt someone else's presence close by. That someone stood ahead of them, and he didn't look very friendly either.

"Well, well, well… you're both alive, my little chikadees." the man chuckled, his narrowed eyes barely hidden underneath his dark hat. "Look at me! Observe me!"

Nier found herself compelled to stare, and then placed a hand on her forehead as for a moment, her left eye glowed a shade of blue.

The familiar scent of roses filled the air as Rachel teleported in front of them. "Don't do it, girl! Don't acknowledge him!" the vampire called out.

"Tch." The man frowned. "Barely even inherited the Azure. A trickle at best, and useless."

They were in a bad spot and neither of the pair were in a position to continue fighting if it came to it. Confusion reigned too, as the vampire appeared talking about something neither she nor Ragna could even understand.

These people, continued to act as if they were under their control. Treating them like rats constantly doing someone else's will with no way to figure out what type of end goal they had. It annoyed and sickened her. She clung possessively to Ragna, not daring to give him to either one of them. Words of the Imperator still rang in her ear, about how he was fated to die after that last battle.

"Heh, I can barely even stand…" Ragna chuckled, reaching for the handle of his sword.

"Still have a little bark to you, eh? Doesn't matter, really." The green-haired man said, moving his head as if to get a good angle on them. Whatever he had planned, it can't be anything good.

Nier glared, holding Ragna even closer as if to prevent him from attacking. "Please… no more." She urged him, as Death rematerialized behind them. She too wasn't at her best, not without drawing the life of the vampire in front of them. A tempting prospect, but one she didn't even care to be part of.

"I don't like this place, this world. Why is everything always against you?" Nier mumbled as she pulled Ragna back with her. "I just wanted to be loved and accepted by you. Is that too much to ask? And yet these people keep getting in the way."

"H-hey, Nier? Getting a little spooky there," Ragna said, placing a comforting arm over her.

"She said she was interested in seeing the kind of world I'll make. Well, I don't care. They don't belong in it." Nier continued, dark energies emanating from Death as they continued to walk backwards.

Rachel felt a chill and then turned around. "Wait, don't-!"

"He's the only one I need. You can all just go…" Nier declared as the two fell back over the edge. Even Ragna was shocked at how sudden it was. To fall into the Cauldron like this? He wasn't even sure what to say. Everything seemed to fall so slowly as he looked above, Rachel calling out to him.

He looked down. Nier clutched him closely, smiling as the chill of Death's embrace surrounded them both. The Primal's dark power activating just before they could touch the Cauldron's depths. And then, they were gone.

Rachel's shocked expression stayed for a few moments before she calmed herself down. She closed her small fists as Hazama walked past her, peering over the edge. There was a swirling darkness that appeared just where the Cauldron was. Thick and impenetrable.

The vampire turned away, not even saying another world before she teleported and vanished.

"Huh, guess that didn't fit into her plan either. Ah well, not my problem." Hazama shrugged, stepping back as the world shook around them. "Well, better late than never I guess."

"You're leaving it?" Relius emerged from the shadows, Ignis floating beside him.

"Whoever that was, she's not a worthy successor of the Azure. Besides, the twelfth is still somewhere in the facility, right?" asked Hazama.

"She is. But like you said, it won't matter. Take-Mikazuchi is readying its firing sequence."

"Ugh… again and again. I'll hope the next repetition is better than this one. And- whoa wait… what do you think you're doing?" he called out as Relius continued on towards the edge of the cauldron.

"Isn't it obvious? This is a new phenomenon to be studied and observed. Aren't you interested in seeing what's on the other side?" Relius asked him.

"Not until all the pieces fall into place. And it's not like it's going to be of much use to me personally." Hazama replied.

"Your loss." Relius said. "Give my regards to the Imperator. This 'me' right now, will be unlikely to meet you again."

"What else is new?" Hazama shrugged, watching as Ignis took hold of Relius as the two leaped into the dark void above the Cauldron.

Something's wrong.

It wasn't just hard to breathe. There were so many different forces pulling at him. Despite what happened, he could still feel Nier wrapped around him, trying desperately to hold on. And then, her grip loosened.

Instinctively, he tried to grab hold of her. But the distance suddenly widened. Meters away now and she reached towards him, trying to reach for his hand.

He tried to do the same, reaching for Nier within this void as the distance widened considerably. Again, and again. Worse still… he couldn't even remember what was going on. Her face.

The girl he was reaching for. Who was she? Why was she important?

And then, a long period of nothingness. How long had he remained like that?

He had to hold on to something, anything to remember. Ragna. His name. That much he can focus on as everything else fell away. Everything disappeared.

When next he awoke, he lay face up on a field of grass. The wind was picking up and the sky… morning already? A bright shade of blue that stretched on as far as his vision allowed him. He was tempted to go back to sleep, dream of something… someone.

He frowned. Every instinct in his body told him not to succumb to indolence and he eventually forced himself up with some difficulty. It should have been easy enough, were it not for the fact that his right hand felt slow and full of lead. Not just slow, but unresponsive.

"That's not good…" he mumbled to himself, though he found it odd how calm he was about that knowledge. He dragged himself forward and then nearly tripped over a hunk of metal laying on the ground! It was a sword… black, red and white… and it called to him. Not so much called to him but more along the lines of it felt right that it belonged to him. And when he reached down to pick it up, it was surprisingly easy to lift.

No sooner had he done that when he felt a sharp pain on his right arm and something fell out of his sleeve. A curious thing, like a sheet of paper. No, a card. A tarot card?

He didn't even get to ponder the meaning before panicked sounds caught his ear.

"Help! Help! They're going to eat me!" the voice grew louder and louder. He turned his head, and his eyes widened. A small flying bird was making a beeline straight for him and as it got closer, he realized it was no bird at all but a small flying lizard. Following after it were many more flying lizards, much larger than any normal person.

He should have dodged out of the way, but too late, the smaller lizard crashed into him and he found himself falling backwards.

"Ack!"

Not good. He picked himself back up and instinctively raised his sword up, the action causing the flying lizards to slow down, keeping their distance as they circled him.

"You're going to fight those Wyverns yourself?!" the voice called out to him though he didn't even deign to look back.

"You got a better idea?" he responded, before said Wyverns began their assault. Each one began their sweeping advances, claws attempting to rake across with tremendous speed. Strafing runs intended to wear down their prey. But he was quicker, and his actions instinctive. The first two that passed him were cut down with two swings of his blade. The sheer mass and speed from the heavy metal cutting them apart. Seven more to go.

This felt almost natural, as if he was used to defending himself against hostile creatures. Honestly, he had expected something like wolves but these things? Similar deal if not for their power of flight.

Another made a direct assault and he swung the flat edge of his blade, catching it and sending it flying into another. Five left.

"Momo!"

The howling sound caused them all to pause for a moment, a distraction that made the wyverns suddenly scatter when a massive dog-like creature leaped down from above, attacking the remainder. With no chance to retrieve their prey, the wyverns all flew off, abandoning the hunt and leaving him to stare ahead at the spectral canine.

"Don't worry, he won't bite." Said a blue-haired girl, walking past him. She raised a hand to the dog, who whined before disappearing into a single mote of light. Most notably her ears were like that of a beastkin…

"Thanks, Ferry." The small flying Lizard flew up to her.

"You know better than to look at their nest without any backup, Vyrn. What would the Captain think?" the girl scolded the small lizard.

"But you guys were taking so long! Besides, I had help." Said Vyrn, looking back at…

"Whoah, hold on! I wasn't involved in anything. You crashed into me!" he raised a finger as he continued to grip the handle of his sword.

The girl, Ferry, narrowed her eyes and as she looked at him, a cold chill ran down his spine. Perhaps it was some kind of sixth sense. Or something he had encountered already in the past. But something about her felt off, almost as if she had the aura of someone who… wasn't really there.

"Something about you feels… off." Ferry said and walked up to him. "It doesn't feel like you're a ghost like me. But…"

"Hold on, did you say ghost?..."

"I think he's new around these parts." Said Vyrn. "Heheh… looks like someone has a little phobia…."

"Zip it, bird!" Ragna snapped.

"I'm not a bird! I'm a dragon!"

"There's more too… the aura of someone familiar…" Ferry said as she circled him.

He began stepping away, though paused and looked down at the ground. The card again. He sighed and reached down to pick it up, drawn to the imagery upon it.

"You're not familiar with this are you?" he showed her the card.

"That's…." Ferry started, and paused. So there was recognition, but also a bit of fear in her eyes. So ghosts can get scared too, huh?

She turned her head as two figures ran down the grassy hill to join them.

"Oh, you found Vyrn! That's good." Another blue-haired girl called out, catchng her breath as her companion did the same. Though when the two of them looked at the card he was holding up to Ferry, both became silent.

"Gran, is that...?"

"Yeah, I know Lyria. But why would it be here…?" the fair-haired boy wondered.

"Seems to me like all of you have seen this before. And while I can't say for sure I understand what's going on, I'd really appreciate it if someone starts giving explanations." He frowned.

"Ferry who is this?" asked Lyria.

"Good question. He was helping Vyrn out but I didn't quite catch a name…" they all turned towards him.

"Errr… Ragna. That's honestly all I know, I swear." He replied as the four looked on curiously at him.

Vyrn was quick to move in front of his face with a mischievous expression. "Seems awfully suspicious. Maybe he's a criminal of some kind?"

"You're pushing your luck, bird…." Ragna glared.

Lyria shook her head. "No, I don't think he's a bad person. But… I sense something. A Primal Beast…? Close by…? We came here because I detected the presence of one but right now, he's the only one around. And if not him then…"

"Yeah, the card. But that's impossible." Said Gran.

"Can I at least know what's impossible?" asked Ragna.

Gran paused and then reached into a travelling pouch.

"The owner of that card… we knew her. But she died some time ago, killed by the very being that card represented. The Arcarum Primal, Death." Said Gran.

"Doesn't make sense to me, but alright. Killed by Death. What makes that so impossible now?" Ragna asked, his heart feeling heavy at the revelation. The owner of it was dead? Something within screamed at him to deny that. But he let them continue on.

"Impossible because…" he took out the exact same Tarot card. The same design, the same number. Number XIII, Death, along with the image of the elegant-woman with scythed weapons.

"Nier…" Ragna said, recalling that specific name.

"So you do know her…" Gran said. "But that doesn't change the fact that we still hold the card that contains the essence of her Primal. Unless yours is a fake…"

"Not a fake…"

A chilling voice. The card in Ragna's hand floated up and then attached itself to Ragna's right arm. Darkness coalesced and power surged through him. Dark, intoxicating, and as it filled him… he found himself able to do much more than he can right now. Feeling returned to his right arm and his right eye saw things a lot more clearly.

Along with it, the rapidly coalescing form of a tall woman in an elegant dress beside him. Gone was the card. In its place was… Death.

"No way…" said Lyria as she looked from Gran's card and then to the Primal standing beside Ragna. Vyrn made a shriek of alarm and floated back to hide behind her.

Ferry was immediately on guard, drawing her whip and Gran gulped in nervously as he found himself in the presence of the Primal.

He hadn't recovered all of his memories but something about right now felt… natural. Ragna shook his head, looking at the group with no hostility before turning towards Death. "You know where she is, don't you?" he asked.

"Our beloved's presence is faint but… I believe…. It is her…." Death replied to him.

"She's still alive…?" Gran wondered, putting the card away. Tense as it was, Death didn't seem to hold any ill intent. Not now at least. It could easily change.

"That answers one question, I guess." Ragna said as Death knelt down to face him.

"Find her… find our beloved…" she told him.

"Our beloved…" Ragna repeated, and then Death vanished again. The card returned and as he grabbed it, he sighed. "Don't suppose you guys can help out with this?" he asked.

Gran pondered the thought for a moment and then looked around. Lyria nodded at him as did Ferry.

"Things with Nier didn't have the closure we wanted. If we could see her again, then it might be good for everyone here." He replied. "Ragna, you don't seem like a bad guy. But given your relationship with Death… it's a little questionable. But I think things might be better if you're around and we find Nier. So I guess… I'll have you travel with us for a bit. We'll help you, and you'll help us. Sound good?"

"Seems fair enough." Ragna nodded his head, stretching the fingers of his right hand. That part at least seems working properly again.

"Welcome to the crew, I guess?" Ferry said and he shrugged in response.

The wind picked up and cresting just over the hill, a large airship loomed overhead and made its way forward in the direction of the town in the distance.

"Well, the Grancypher will be docking there. Come on, there's a lot to discuss with everyone." Gran said.

"Probably have to smooth things out with the captain, right?" Ragna replied.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that. I'm the Captain." Gran nodded and lead the way forward. "Might have an issue with some of the others, but as long as you're pulling your weight."

"I mean I'll try…" Ragna shrugged. "Can't say I honestly have much of a goal right now so I may as well try my hand at this."

'Do not forget our beloved.' Death's voice called to him from within. Something that he simply nodded his head at in response. Find a way to survive and find Nier. Then hopefully things will start making more sense.