1. Tartaros Fairy: spell casting-Takeshiro

2. Desirée Cavalry: physical endurance-Shugo

3. Pheasant Peak: hand-to-hand combat-Ryouichi

4. Titania Devil: potion creation-Ryouichi

5. Snowblood: song-Ushizumo


Day 13

13 October X820

Reiji's mind seemed to fly through the next several days following her mental and physical crash in the desert. She still carried Shugo and Ushizumo to and from Walkers Pass to strengthen her upper arms. Miratona and Reiji clashed in their "ball games" for hours on end. Several miles of unexplored landscape were now littered with craters and other signs of battle. In addition to training her body and stamina, the female demon also meditated.

Splitting a vortex to talk to Riki was delightful, in a way. The entity was essentially mute most of the time. Sometimes she stared through Reiji like a soulless husk, and absolutely refused to share anymore of its power. In the few times Riki was able to speak, the entity could hardly manage to complete an entire sentence. Reiji could feel Riki's struggle to gather organized thoughts.

Takeshiro's efforts to communicate with Riki also amounted to nothing. Before meeting wuth Miratona, Reiji watched her encounters with the chief many times. Even with all the knowkedge of Riki's potential, the entity gave Reiji nothing so far. A some point, Reiji questioned if the entity actually had free will with how inconsistent its behavior was.

One day eleven, Shugo carried Reiji home and left her to sleep on the couch. She slept for ten hours, but she did not remember falling asleep. Throughout that day, and the sleep cycles in the days following, Reiji shifted in and out of consciousness. Every time she woke up, an invisible mass if fatigue seemed to squish her back into bed. But the approaching assessment date at the end of the month dragged her to her feet each time.

Shugo was always present to make sure she ate every morning. This was good for her energy, yes, but the green haired demon was beginning to run out of groceries.

Tomorrow, I will ask for a break, Reiji decided as she stood in front of her open fridge and freezer. The freezer was completely empty save for an ice tray. The fridge contained a few condiment jars, bread, a few slices of deli meats, and plumberry juice. She already gave up on the little pantry, as it was completely empty by then.

The sun had fully set on the night of day thirteen. After three sandwiches and juice, Reiji set off for Ryouichi and Takeshiro's house. Ryouichi was away on a mission, so his bed was free to sleep in. She knew Takeshiro would let her in; he always knew when someone was approaching their cabin home.

The green haired demon approached the house from the usual one way into the Loner Lumber Circle community. She smells the usual odors of animals, moss, soil and the cinnamon traces that always wafted from house 112. She covered her long ears when a buzz erupted nearby. Reiji narrowed her eyes as they adjusted to the darkness. The closest neighbor was just under 900 feet away. The buzzing came from some old outdoor lights suddenly flicking on. Buzzing insects flew around her, but even they were much more quiet.

Reiji tried the back door. It was unlocked, thankfully. Takeshiro was not present, most likely sleeping or just in bed. Regardless, she made herself comfortable. The few items the female demon carried were clothing and a first aid kit. Everyone had their own toiletries at each other's houses, so that was unnecessary to bring along.

Reiji took her shoes off at the back door before walking in. She inhaled slowly, breathing a tired sigh. It smelled like natural musk and cinnamon, like always. The same musk scrubbed clean from her apartment after a certain escapade.

I'm trying to sleep, Rei.

Reiji jolted in surprise at the sound of Takeshiro's voice. She covered her mouth from an alarmed scream that nearly escaped. It was too peaceful to scream like a moron.

Sorry! I thought you were sleeping.

Take a nap, we will begin at midnight.

Why do late

It's the best time for a certain spell to work, Takeshiro replied. But mostly because it's peaceful, less distractions and all.

Reiji took her sweatshirt and skirt off, folding each article before placing them on Ryouichi's dresser. The random items on the desk were placed organized stacks and rows now. Cologne bottles in a line, a stack of books and papers, pens and pencils in a case, and some open space for more trinkets he might collect.

A pleased smile spread across her face. Ryouichi was not great at keeping up with his own tidiness, so this was pleasant surprise.

What is the spell going to do? Reiji asked.

It's basically astral projecting, Takeshiro replied. I found it in a book written by Adrien Dragneel. Do you know her?

She's from Phantom 13. How did you find one of her books? Reiji questioned. Adrien Dragneel had very few copies of her textbooks and novels. Although many creatures would like to know her content, the Reaper kept her creations rare intentionally. The fact that Takeshiro of all oeople had a book was incredible.

Ryo found it for me, actually, Takeshiro smiled outwardly. Reiji could hear it in his telepathic voice. It was quite expensive, 40,000 Luba.

Reiji was just laying down in bed before she shot back up. "Forty-thousand?! That's ridiculous!" she shouted in disbelief. How could Ryo be so careless with his money?

Worry not, he purchased it three years ago, Takeshiro reassured her. He is not in a crisis, just impulsive.

Oh. Oh, alright, Reiji sighed in relief. Tell me more about it later, when training starts.

Alright, but don't forget, midnight.

I know, Blue.

Reiji lied on her back. Ryouichi's bed had no blankets, just clean sheets and one fluffy pillow. It was firm but squishy, the perfect pillow. She reached up to remove her glasses, chuckling to herself when she remembered her heightened eyesight.

I will only wear them when I need to, she reminded herself. Reiji closed her eyes, trying not to think of anything in particular.


Sometime Later

Reiji could not see. She assumed the darkness was her sleeping body watching the back of her eyelids. Sleep paralysis was rare, but at least her eyes remained shut. Some folks had to describe shadow people and other paralysis "demons," the kind that were truly works of fiction. Her limbs felt like bricks layered on top of her body.

Suddenly, her surroundings came back to life. Like a gentle light brightening, Ryouichi's bedroom appeared from the darkness. However, Reiji looked at the window across from his door. Her eyes slowly moved to the bed, where a body still sleept. My body...

My body!

Reiji grabbed her face and felt her chest in panic. She looked down, stretched her legs out. Her body was completely transparent and hovering in place. Full panic set in; the air was so thin to breathe.

"HELP! TAKESHIRO!" she wailed, clawing at the wall. To her horror, her hands went straight through the wall, as did the rest of her body. Reiji continued to cry and choke on nothing. Tears filled her wide, terrified eyes.

I'm dead! I died!

A pair of red eyes fazed into her vision. The rush of crimson caused a sinking feeling on Reiji's stomach. The curse, was it going to consume her soul? Eat her flesh?!

Shhhh...

A whisper like a warm breeze soothed her sinking stomach in seconds. Her struggle for air slowly became more even. Riki's large palms grasped her face gently. Reiji exhaled, sobs tremoring from her chest and shoulders. The green haired demon covered her breasts from touching Riki's, turning away from the entity.

"No," she murmured. Takeshiro, where are you?

It's midnight, Reiji.

What?!

Reiji's head whipped left and right in frantic search for a clock. She soon realized the wall she fazed through led straight into the kitchen, where no clocks were present. Reiji heaved a defeated sigh.

You could've warned me before casting the spell in my sleep!

I'm sorry, I thought you would react more calmly.

Urgh... it's okay.

She locked eyes with Riki with a serious expression. Normally, it looked lifeless, but this was different. Her red orbs seemed to acknowledge the female demon for a change.

"This is different, I know," Riki said. Reiji's eyebrows raised.

"Y-you spoke without stopping... you talked to me!" Reiji exclaimed. "Blue, did you do this?"

Assuming you're seeing your little friend, I had nothing to do with it.

"I figured that much, but, but this is incredible," Reiji almost said in a whisper. "Riki, say something else. Erm, anything, about yourself?"

"I need to show you something," the entity replied, turning away. Reiji frowned.

Completely deflected...

"Whoa!" Reiji felt an strong pull guiding her to follow Riki through the kitchen wall where the oven stood.

Takeshiro, help me!

That will not be necessary. I believe you are safe, Takeshiro replied, followed by a yawn. You break the spell by laying down wherever your body is. But in the case that you can't find your body for wjatever reason, you'll get pulled back in after an hour.

"I'm stuck like this for an hour?!" Reiji blurted out.

You'll be fine, I promise, the midnight blue haired demon reassured her.

She and Riki hovered above the trees now. Lights from a few houses and stores were still shining from below, as well as faint, scattered voices of Loner Lumber Circle residents. Nearly a twenty-mile radius of Loner Village landstretched below. Reiji marveled at the unique, dark landscape, but was soon disrupted by a bump on her head. She hissed in pain, looking up. She became awestruck by the great forcefield above, which protected the entire village from the Scarlet Desert ferals. But now, it looked like a massive, faintly red dome.

Riki looked at her, waiting patiently for the female demon to take in her surroundings. Reiji smiled a little, attempting to appear less awkward with the entity.

"W-we can proceed," she said. Riki nodded once, then flew toward the townhall. Reiji followed, not that she really had a choice in the matter. She inspected her body once more. She was definitely naked in this projected form, but her breasts we're completely smoothed over in her skin tone. Her entire body was a brown humanoid shape of a doll: no nipples, pubic hair, cellulite, stretch marks, or even light colored palms or soles. Reiji touched her neck in search of a rosary that was still on her physical body. Of course her neck was bare in this projected form. Did this form erase the scar on her face as well?

Is this what ghosts look like? she wondered, looking up. In contrast, Riki bore all her stripes and other natural features down to her small belly button that poked out. Her black hair floated like long streams from her head, which reached down to her upper thighs when it wasn't floating.

Huh, an outie, like Zumi.

The townhall was in full view below her. They descended through the roof. They landed on the second floor by the railing, which overlooked the first floor. Reiji spotted Riki at a pair of double doors. Reiji's long ears twitched at the sound of not one, not even two, but at least five voices from the other side. She covered her ears, puzzled by the twitching. The green haired demon followed Riki into the room.

Reiji found herself in a lounge room equipped with a bar. Miratona stood behind the counter, shaking a mixed drink in a covered cup with one hand. Her usual demonic form was fully humanoid for a change. The bar was long enough for about six stools, three of which were occupied, each with glasses still mostly full.

The first was occupied by a female demon with lighter green hair, humanoid-aviery features, and mechanical arms up to almost her collarbones. Her feet reminded Reiji of an eagle or a hawk, with talona filed down smooth. She wore all black—high neck sleeveless top and capri—with a purple and green bandana on her head. Her short, green feathered tail swished two and fro every so often. She wore mild makeup of mascera, dark purple lipstick, and both eyebrows were pierced.

The creature she sat with was a beautiful blonde female, big brown eyes and very pale compared to the other folks in the room. She wore a dark brown uniform best suited for a soldier. Her wavy hair was tied into a bun made almost too perfect.

The third bar occupant wore her light purple hair in a high ponytail with a green bow, a long blue dress and green poncho lined in white fur. Her eyeshadow was also green to match the bow, light red lips, blush, and other beauty products Reiji did not recognize.

The ladies here are so pretty, Reiji blushed lightly.

"Kyôka of Tartaros Fairy, Isabella Goldberg of Desirée Cavalry, and Angelica of Snowblood," Riki whispered.

"How do you know?" Reiji asked in an equally hushed tone. A part of her was excited to see another Tartaros Fairy mage outside of their identity-concealing attire.

"I observe."

The green haired demon maneuvered to the right as a short, stocky gentlemen walked past. His light brown hair was styled to compliment the rectangular shape of his face. His suit was grey, revealing bare chest underneath. A floral perfume followed him as well an oddly sparkly aura.

Reiji noticed the cold aura of a taller male standing by himself to the far right of the lounge room. He watched the itjer folks, his black eyes following the sparkling male a moment, darting to Miratona as she poured a drink for Ichiya, then toward the door. If the pattern of names was correct, the watcher was Grey Forrester of Titania Devil. And the shorter one with shiny hair was Ichiya Deus of Pheasant Peak.

"They're all representives of the level two dark guilds!" Reiji exclaimed. Through brain fog and days of work, she had completely forgotten their names.

As Reiji turned to the entity to talk to her, she nearly jumped out of her ghost skin. Two creatures similar to Riki in appearance fazed through the walls, looking right at her. One was almost as short as Ichiya, but with longer ears like a goblin and a cyclops eye. It was just as crimson, but bore only two black marks around a thin pupil. The other was Michele's entity Trevon from her two bracelets, eigth marks around the pupils.

The trio of dark skinned, striped entities came together, whispering quietly. Reiji's mouth gaped in shock when Michele's entity smiled at Riki. He almost looked like an old acquaintance. Even his tail was animated.

Wait, there are three of them now? Michelle didn't tell me there were more!

"She could've told me," Reiji glared. Riki blinked at her.

"Observe," she ordered, then returned to her conversation. No matter how much Reiji strained her ears to listen, their words were entirely lost on her. Whatever language they spoke in was unheard of to Reiji. And so, she paid attention back to the other folks in the bar instead. Kyôka was telling Angelica about a trip to a country she had never heard of, back in May.

"And get this," she began, nudging the female. "He drank so much he forgot he was married. Do you know how much one has to drink to almost have amnesia? I had to reintroduce him to his own wife and husband! He cried like a baby," the buxom demon laughed. Angelica giggled with her.

"That Jackal fellow cries about everything!" Her voice was very feminine, kind of like Lunalu.

The buxom bird demon leaned toward Isabella when she whispered something. Reiji strained her ears once more. The female was so soft spoken, but understandable.

"Next time, could you invite him along? I would like to meet the creature behind your tales," Isabella murmured.

"If I remember, I'll ask," Kyôka replied.

"Oh, speak up, Isabella! I promise I won't bite you," Angelica said, sipping her drink. Isabella glared at the vampire. At least Reiji assumed, considering most of Snowblood were vampires. Kyôka snickered at her remark, earning a goofy grin from Angelica.

She is not very subtle at flirting, Reiji thought. She turned her attention to the males who now stood together, leaning against the wall. Ichiya rubbed his thumb and index finger on his chin, inspecting the glittery cocktail in his other hand.

"Is this meeting or blind dating in a hookah lounge?" Grey grumbled.

"Hmm... you need actual hookahs for that, man," Ichiya replied with a smirk. He sipped from a straw. "Delicious!"

Grey obviously did not enjoy Ichiya's literal sense of humor, as he simply grunted in response. Miratona giggled at something Isabella said. Reiji honestly had a hard time following two conversations. She looked to Riki for some kind of support. All she received was a shrug.

Is this what she wanted to show me, a small get-together?

The room went quiet when the doors opened. Reiji gasped upon seeing Chief Pruzo. Well, she supposed it made sense that her own chief would present himself in the town hall... but in banana pajamas? Reiji's gaze landed on the full wine glass in one hand, then the monkey slippers on his feet. And paired with no makeup and his long white hair in a messy bun, he might as well have dressed for a slumber party. Or did he climb out of bed to drink?

Kyôka, Angelica, and Isabella Goldberg shifted their stools as Ichiya Deus and Grey Forrester joined them at the bar. Pruzo gracefully walked toward the bar, then abruptly rammed his hip into a corner, earning a wince from Miratona. The chief collected himself, gently placing the glass on the bar counter. His jaws tightened from the pain, but his droopy red eyes carried a level headed expression.

I know that hurt, Reiji thought, stifling a chuckle.

"It is a pleasure to meet with you all this evening," Pruzo began, silently eying each representative. "I'm sure you already know why I have gathered you all tonight."

Ichiya had a rather harder time with the stool nearly as tall as him. After several seconds of struggle and awkward silence, Grey lifted the male demon by the scruff of his blazer and set him on the stool.

"You are a gentleman, man," Ichiya said, sparkling with gratitude for the Titania Devil mage with a raised glass. Grey simply grunted, as usual.

Reiji hovered closer to the bar. She shuddered when Kyôka's arm happened to pass through her like nothing, giving an empty glass to Miratona.

"Reiji Sagara, I remember the girl," Kyôka said with a light smile.

Over sixteen years (or almost, she did not actually remember the date that day) had passed since the first time she saw the rest of them. She did not expect any of the Tartaros mages to remember a face or name like her, as it was just another prison break mission. It brought a soft smile to Reiji's face.

"Yes, and I am certain that now is the perfect time to plan for the first of November," Pruzo replied. "Angelica, tell me a little bit about your assessment."

"Oh, I love it when we get straight to the point!" the Snowblood mage chirped. She pressed her fingertips together as she rested her elbows on the counter.

"As you know, my master only accepts witches, wizards, and vampires in the craft, especially if they are connected to the beauty of the music world. With the consent of Minerva Orland, I plan to utilize her magic music box for my assessment. I'm grading Miss Sagara's vocal range or instrument skill, choice of music, and ability to evoke an emotional connection. And since she uses lost magic, I'm curious about her compatability with witchcraft."

Reiji wilted, doubting her mediocre voice could possibly impress a creature like Angelica. The idea of witchcraft seemed appealing, but Reiji was far from a committed studier. Furthermore, the idea of being surrounded by creatures who might thirst for her blood was unpleasant, to say the least. Her skin crawled just thinking about the staring, prying eyes.

The chief and his mission secretary listened quietly. Miratona polished a glass before placing it in a shelf with similar shaped glasses.

"Thank you for sharing," Midnight said, sipping his wine. He motioned to Kyôka with his glass, indicating that she was next. Ichiya sat up straight with his attention on the bird demon.

"I need to see how well she can control her power in combat," Kyôka said. "I'm sure you already know the dangers of certain level-two missions, Master Pruzo. If Reiji cannot keep up with a mock battle, I cannot risk leading her into an early death."

Death? Reiji gulped nervously. I thought Zumi exaggerated about that Titania Devil mage.

"I commend you for your honesty, Kyôka," Miratona praised.

"Humph."

All eyes drifted to Grey Forrester. He rotated two boading balls in one palm consisting of steaming cold ice.

"You may proceed, Mister Forrester," Chief Pruzo said in an aloof tone. He rotated his half empty wine glass before taking another slow sip. Reiji's gaze darted to a hissing small entity, caught off guard by its sudden display of aggression.

"It's kinda obvious you're going to fail this one too, Kyôka," Grey murmured, staring ahead blankly. "Your guild is pretty exclusionary as it is, I'm surprised you still choose to participate."

Kyôka chuckled a little, resting her cheek on her palm, propped by her elbow on the counter.

"Of course I still participate, the rest of us are getting a bit too old to do all the work," she smiled politely. Reiji could feel an unspoken tension in the air. A rivalry among equal level guilds?

Riki growled at the male Titania Devil demon. Trevon shushed her, just as Riki had shushed her anxiety away earlier. The female entity simply glared blankly. The smaller entity began to hiss agin, soon shushed by the larger male entity as well. Reiji hovered in between the groups, completely clueless.

"Anyway!" Grey sliced the heavy silence with a firm crunch of ice in his palm. The ice balls turned to vapor. "Titania Devil values physical prowess, swordsmanship, and modernizing potions. We're obviously assessing her ability to create a specific type of potion, and her basic combat skills. She uses a battle axe instead, so obviously I can't grade her use of a sword."

"And what mind of potion will that be?" the village chief asked. Reiji perked up at the question. This was definitely valuable information.

"A certain poison," Grey Foreester answered. "We will provide the recipe and a booster incantation." Isabella raised a curious brow. "My master trains her immune system constantly, so she will be able to test its level of fatality, or lack thereof. If Master Jerza is swayed, she will pass. If not, the kid fails," he shrugged. "Well, obviously the other assessments matter too. Common knowledge by now."

"Good to know," Chief Pruzo nodded. "Mister Deus?"

"Combat without magic, curse, or other forms is a must, man! My guildmates pride themselves in man-made power!" the male demon boasted. Reiji flexed her arm muscles, wondering if they were bulky enough for this "man made" power.

"Physical strength is good, but one's ability to endure the many pressures of the battlefield are just as important," Isabella chimed in. Her voice was still so soft and airy, but audible enough for all to hear. Kyôka nodded in silent agreement.

"Master Pruzo, would you mind explaining exactly what type of lost magic Reiji Sagara controls?" the Desirée Calvery mage asked.

"My secretary and I do not have a concrete answer, but we suspect a contract demon may be at play," the chief replied. Angelica frowned deeply.

"A contract? That is a dangerous and lazy route to power of any kind!" the vampire mage exclaimed. "Are you sure of this?"

"Sure, if contract demons also kill their host's enemies using your body," Reiji muttered sarcastically. Riki responded with a slow moving, grim side eye, sending shivers through Reiji's body. "S-sorry."

"Not a contract."

Reiji nodded shyly, lowering her gaze. If only it were that simple...

"Well, we can only speculate, unfortunately," the chief added. He finished his wine, then Miratona took his glass to the sink behind her. Midnight waved his hand toward Isabella Goldberg, offering the floor once more.

"Uh, yes, physical endurance," the light blonde female concurred. "I expect her to have trained her body for long distance running and weight lifting. I also intend to study her stamina through her other assessments where stamina is most relevant."

"Sounds good!" the chief clasped his hands together. "Wow, that was quicker than I thought! Does anyone have additional comments, questions, or concerns?"

"Yes, I have a question," Kyôka answered, raising her hand. "What are her body measurements?"

Reiji covered her transparent chest, her cheeks burning red with embarrassment. M-m-measure... what?!

Isabella cupped her hands on her small chest with a look of concern in her eyes. "Her... measurements?"

"No idea," Midnight answered. Ichiya snorted, covering his mouth to suppress his laughter. Grey rubbed the bridge of his nose, flaring his nostrils. He was also trying not to react to her question.

"Obviously if any of us passes and recruits this kid, we need to know her measurements to tailor a proper uniform!" the bird demon elaborated, shooting a glare at her peers. "You perverts!"

"Oohh, uniforms!" Angelica chimed in. "One of us will figure that out if she joins a guild, Koko."

"Is this contract demon a threat to the safety of neutral parties?" Angelica asked. "Contract demons typically protect the host and their inner circle, but I personally have had to purge entities that corrupt and destroy."

"All we know if that it only targets individuals who intend to harm the host or already caused the host significant damage," Miratona replied. "Your guildmate and my personal investigation painted a thorough enough picture for us."

"Only enemies, huh," Grey mused, narrowing his eyes. Kyôka's rested her chin against folded hands propped by her elbows. Reiji could not read her expression. The female Beast Soul continued.

"Three disappearances took place in the span of a few months. The most recent disappearance took place about three weeks ago. You may not remember them, Kyôka, but they knew Reiji Sagara in childhood."

Kyôka hid a poker face behind her folded hands, but said nothing.

Reiji looked at Riki apprehensively. The entity met her gaze at the same time with a sharp stare. Months? That can't be right...

"These three people also grew up in the same system," Miratona continued. "I think you know what I'm talking about, Kyôka. One of the last standing death camps where your—"

Kyôka slammed her fist on the counter, startling the other level two dark guild representatives. Angelica caught her glass from tipping over. Ichiya lost his sparkle like a snooze bubble popping. Isabella was mortified to silence, as if she knew the rest of Miratona's sentence already. Grey's lips pursed his lips together disapprovingly.

Reiji jolted at the loud noise, worsened by metal clashing with hardwood. Just mentioning that awful place made her skin feel foreign. She tried to steady her breathing, feeling the nerves slowly bundle in her throat. Large, striped hands grasped hers. Her triggered state seemed to balance itself at Riki's touch. Reiji squeezed her hands, leaning toward the calming presence. For the first time, Riki's body felt warm, even if it was just a ghostly figure. She took deep breaths through her mouth, closing her eyes.

As the silence dragged for several seconds, the village chief poured himself a glass of a light pink beverage from a tall, slim bottle. Kyôka's gaze fixated on the unlabeled beverage.

"Is that peach flower sake? I love that flavor!" Kyôka beamed, showing four slightly curved, sharp canines.

"Uh, m-me too!" Angelic chimed in, pushing her empty glass forward. "I would love to have some, Master Midnight."

"One for me, as well," Isabella whispered, raising her hand.

"I'll get some clean glasses," Miratona suggested.

"Excellent idea, Miratona," Ichiya affirmed. He leaned back to chug his cocktail, then gave up the glass to be washed. Grey simply grumbled to himself as glasses of sake were served. Pruzo set a glass in front of Grey, smiling brightly.

"Cheer up, Mister Forrester! It doesn't hurt to smile once in a while."

"Thank you, chief," Grey gave a kurt nod and a rather awkward smile. Kyôka chuckled at something Isabella said, then the Titania Devil mage shot a glare.

"I heard that, you giggling kids!"

Kyôka burst with laughter, slapping the table. "Good one, Bell! I'm adding that to the dictionary!"

When Pruzo and Miratona turned their backs to the guild representatives, the chief leaned close to her.

"Don't bring it up again," Chief Pruzo muttered to the mission secretary. Reiji could hear the venom in his voice. She dreaded to think of his anger in full volume.

"Please forgive my insolence," she whispered back, pouring a drink for herself.

Reiji let out a sigh of relief. Even Trevon and the unnamed creature were less hostile and edgy. The green haired demon realized she had rested her head on Riki's bosom. The entity had wrapped an around around her shoulders in a light embrace. Reiji immediately moved away, blushing with embarrassment.

"S-sorry!"

"This is my duty," Riki murmured.

"Your duty?" Reiji repeated in question.

"We leave."

Defkecting again... "Whoa!"

Reiji's body tugged along with Riki as she flew through the wall, leaving her two comrades (acquaintances?) behind. Reiji looked back, trying to grab a pillar by the stairs. Unfortunately, she whined in defeat upon remembering astral projections cannot grab anything.

"Wait! It hasn't been an hour yet!"

"The smith," Riki replied. Reiji looked back at her, puzzled.

"The smith? The blacksmith Michele?" When Riki nodded, the green haired demon groaned, burying her face in her hands. She was still recovering from their last conversation, and now Riki herself was pushing contact again.

"When do I get a freaking break?!" she cried in protest.

"Never," Riki shot back.


I wonder why Kyôka acted triggered. It's just a flashback, it's not that deep! /s

— ML

P.S. My brain could really use a break from like everything right now lmaooooo