Okay, so quick thing:
Social Links are now going to be written out... or at least small, edited or custom made ones at least, as well as when they're upgraded (more on that later),the hard part would be when I have to working on Custom ones for both some... future characters, as well as the more...OOC characters... (lookin at you two Yuuki and Shiho) in this fic.
Originally, this was going to be posted in late December, buuuut... there was some IRL problems that delayed this from going up...
Other than that, have fun.
The light of red and black dispersed, revealing Joker in a completely different visage wreathed in azure and crimson flame. What was once his former black tailcoat was now a deep scarlet with black flames designed on the garb, a pitch black top hat and cane manifested along with him, completing the overall changes with two cuff like bangles with jet black chains linked to his wrists, the same shade as the two feathery Bat wings sprouting from his back.
Everyone, to say the least, was astounded by the sudden transition.
"...W-What the hell!?" Skull yelled, rising up from his spot first.
"J-Joker?" Mona stammered out, nearly flinching as the gaze of the new form turned his way.
"~Yes?~" said thief answered back, a Chorus of three echoing out his mouth in complete sync.
"Hot damn!" Skull shouts shaking off what little shock he had left, "That looks awesome!"
"It DoEsN't MaTtEr WhAt FoRm YoU TaKe KiD!" the demonic Enemy exclaimed. "YoU'rE NeVeR LeAvInG hErE AlIvE!"
"~We'll See about that.~" the upgraded Joker retorted, looking at the cat creature beside him. "~Mona, I'll distract him, you steal the crown from his head.~" whispering out to the cat and deciding to ignore how his own voice reverberates off akin to ghoulish whispers, he looks back to the rest of the group rising from their startled states. "~Everyone else, cover me!~"
"Right!"
The group scattered, dodging the various attacks from the Altered Enemy Entity in front of them. Each Swing of its knife was countered or parried, the barrage of volleyballs evaded and retaliated by a hail of their own ammunition. Whenever the Corrupted Kamoshida did try to lunge forward with a bite or a kick, it was met with either a face full of boot or a strike of one of their weapons. One or twice a few hits did land on the party members, but each time they managed to heal the damage away... which gave it the idea to heal itself as well, much to their annoyed yelling.
"hmm... " Joker hummed in thought "How can we get to the crown of… whatever the hell this thing is?"
~Answer: Suguru "Asmodeus" Kamoshida. Weakness Earth and Water, Hp: 3500.~ Arata's voice echoed through Joker's mind, unnervingly in an uncharacteristically robotic tone. ~Recommendation: damage health supply and Offensive sources.~ the chalice and several chained underlings now glowed a white light, signifying the transformed thief of where to attack.
"~Alright, Let's try this…~" gripping his chained knife, Joker rushed towards the golden chalice in front of Kamoshida and swung a wide arc towards the Cup, leaving a large gash on the container and directing the demon's attention to him.
"HeY! QuIt ThAt! ThIs ThInG iS wOrTh MoRe MoNeY tHaN tEn Of YoUr LiVeS!"
"~Stab the cup!~" Joker shouts, Shooting several bullets at the chained underlings beside the Shadow king. "~Make sure it doesn't heal anymore!~"
"Oh Shit, Right!" Skull shouts, rising up and casting lightning attacks to the underlings as well, dispersing a few of them.
"I'm on it!" Akuma shouts, running towards the Chalice and strikes it with a powerful Roundhouse, leaving a large visible dent on the side as he sidesteps away from the narrowly avoided knife stab.
"I sAiD qUiT iT!"
"AGI!"
"Snap!"
"Magna!"
A triad of earth, fire and sharp piercing light blasted forth from the three females and struck the chalice, blowing the damaged trinket to pieces.
"No!" the Shadow king roared, desperately trying to scoop up what little remained it could. "ThIs WaS fRoM wHeN I WoN tHe NaTiOnAl! HoW DARE YoU lItTlE FuCkErS bReAk WhAt'S mInE!"
"Nobody cares!" Akuma shouts, punching off a separate underling. Soon, all the underlings were freed and killed, leaving Kamoshida to the group's mercy as they flanked him from all sides.
"We got you now, Dickbag!" Skull yelled, aiming his shotgun at the tyrant.
"YoU tHiNk YoU cAn GeT aWaY wItH dOiNg ShIt LiKe ThIs!? Do YoU rEaLiZe WhO I Am!? ...I aM KAMOSHIDA! DoN't YoU gEt It!?"
"Yes, we know." Shinobi answered, shooting her crossbow at the glass he was holding, breaking it. "We just don't care."
"WhA!? HOW DARE YOU! FuCk It! I'M gOnNa KiLl AlL oF yOu! BaCkUp, GeT oUt HeRe NOW!"
The demonic shadow roared as it stood up on its short legs and flailed around wildly, causing the thieves to retreat slightly to avoid damage.
"~Mona.~" Joker whispered, gaining the cat's attention. "~Where are you? We need this done fast…~"
"Almost there, just keep at him.." Mona nodded, hiding on the chandelier above the Shadow.
"Oh WHAT THE FUCK!?" a vulgar scream drags Joker's attention back to the rest of the group... only to nearly double take at the sight of Panther, Shinobi and Akuma fighting their cognitive clones... which were all wearing skimpy animal-esque bikinis and ears.
"Language!" Skull yelled back, smacking away more and more knife swings with his nailed bat as Noir kept shooting and tossing spell cards at the raging tyrant.
"Okay so what'd be a good distraction for this…" Joker thought. not jumping at the sudden robotic voice answering his query once more.
~recommendation: blind, cripple or divert the shadow's attention from allies.~
"...ookay, anything else?"
~suggestion addition: Kill the shad-~
"~Yeah, not happening. Everyone. Keep his attention scattered!~"
Nodding at the new plan, the entire group focused on just that. Joker dives in, joining Skull with attacks and parrying the demon's flailing, Panther, Akuma and Shinobi rained down ammunition, first on their doppelgangers, then to Kamoshida as they sufficiently mowed down their fakes, and Noir holding her own as her eyes began glowing, slowly gripping the air in her hands as her whole body began glowing-
"Ow... OW WhAt ThE FuCk Is THIS!?" Shadow Kamoshida yelled out, struggling wildly as a thin pink aura coats his form. "I CaN't MoVe!"
Running up to the distracted shadow, Joker reared his knife and swung….
*Ssshiiink*
...right into and through the tyrant's left eye.
"AaAaAaAaHhHhHhHhHh!"
"Ooh damn!" Skull wheezed, cringing as the blade slid through the demon's retina like butter.
"SHIT, is that gonna leave a mark!?" Joker panicked internally.
~Answer: negative. this Aggressive form will dissipate upon defeat, leaving the shadow relatively unharmed when subdued.~ The voice replied. ~Warning: 30 seconds until separation.~
"~WHAT!?~" Joker yelled that last part aloud, yanking back his chained blade as he did so.
"YoU DaMn No GoOd, ShItTy- HeY wAiT a MiNuTe…" the shadow king hissed, looking around the room. "Is ThErE oNe LeSs Of YoU?"
"Uuuuh…" the remaining thieves looked around in mock confusion at the shadow's words.
"I kNeW iT! ThE dAmN cAt'S MiSsInG! WhErE'd It Go!?"
"Right Here!" Mona Shouts, diving from his perch and rams into the crown on its head, knocking said headpiece off and rolling to the other side of the room.
"NOOOOO! MY... MY PRECIOUS...!" The king bellows.
"~This ends here Kamo-~" The words stopped abruptly as the three way entity Erupted in a black and red light. Everyone looked onward as the Phantom Thief split into three, revealing Arsene, a winded Draco and a slightly dazed normal Joker from the light.
"W-what happened!?" Joker spoke up, shaking off his initial daze.
"That would be the cost of the inhibitor ring, Trickster." Philemon's voice hummed through his mind. "It shall grant you new strength, but only for a total of five minutes, when the time is up, then the transformation ends."
"... crap."
~Whine about it later, man, finish the speedodemon!~ Draco shouts out as he launched towards the downed shadow. Everyone soon followed suit, clashing every which way in a tidal wave of magic, weapons and gunshots. with one last shot from Skull, the risque demonic teacher crumples into itself, reaching out for the group one last time in vain.
"D-DAMN IIIIT!" The shadow cried out as it bows down defeated, exploding in a big black explosion, revealing the humanoid shadow variant within, slumped to the ground.
"Perfect! Now to claim our prize!" Mona cheered, the group nearing the crown… before the shadow suddenly lunges, grabbing the crown and scampering off to a nearby balcony.
"C-crap!" the shadow whimpered, looking back at the group.
"You're at the end of your rope kamoshida." Akuma announced, walking forward. "Hand over the crown."
"N-No way, I've earned this crown!" the shadow desperately screams at them. "Those damn hyenas in the Press wanted EVERYTHING from me. I'm a victim too, Y'know! What's wrong with wanting a little compensation for that!?"
~Compensation? COMPENSATION!? Bitch, you almost raped a girl for no reason, and you call that COMPENSATION!?~ Draco yelled back, helping a slightly staggering Joker over to the group.
"If you're that desperate for that stupid crown, then why don't you jump?" Shinobi said, taking slow but purposeful steps forward as the shadow steps back closer to the edge "right now you're seeing the same view I did. But this time, there won't be anyone to save you."
"What will you do?" Panther continued. "Will you jump, or would you rather die here? The choice is yours." Carmen and Joan nodded to each other, with the fire persona charging fireballs and the light persona rearing her spear-bow at the scared king.
~remember girls. No killing. Otherwise he's fair game.~ Draco shouts, grinning ferally.
"Wait, wait, wait! I beg of you! Please Forgive m-" Kamoshida was promptly silenced when an arrow whizzed passed his face, barely missing by a margin.
"Silence!" Shinobi hissed. "This little game of yours has gone on long enough!"
"I bet everyone told you the same thing." Panther added. "But you took EVERYTHING FROM THEM!" Carmen threw her fireballs near the horrified shadow, making it flinch in fear.
"I-I a-accept defeat… here, Take it…" the king kneeled down and tossed the crown to Joker, who caught it and passed it to Reaper. "Just... Make it quick... Go ahead and finish me off… my real self will go down too…"
~now where's the fun in t- huh?~ Draco stopped mid sentence when Shinobi and panther walked forward, a thin but noticeable trail of Malice steamed off of them. ~hey girls… remember… don't kill him.~
"..."
~girls?~
"..."
~girls!? Don't do it.~
Steeling themselves, Panther and Shinobi snapped their fingers, causing Carmen and Joan to fire their attacks at the downed king.
"ANN!" "SHIHO!" Skull and Akuma shout out, forgetting the codenames entirely at the shocking turn of events.
The king closed his eyes and awaited for his death… only to linger for a hit that never came. Looking back up, he found a giant scorch mark and an arrow of light pierces inches away from him, with both girls looking down on him.
"If his mind shuts down.. Then he can't admit his crimes." Panther said, her eyes laced with fury.
"We're not going to be like this scumbag." Shinobi added, looking away from him.
~oh thank god.~
"That almost scared me a little…" Skull sighed.
"You're too kind, Lady Ann, Lady Shiho…" Mona nodded.
"Go back to your real self… and repent." Joker said, getting a slow nod from the dethroned demon as it slowly faded away.
All of a sudden, the palace started shaking violently as the group looked on in panic.
"Hey guys. The palace won't hold up much longer." Mona said, causing everyone to look at him.
~we should probably RUN!~ Draco screamed, making everyone beeline for the exit as the world crumbled apart, nobody noticing the trail of black flame licking the tailcoat of a panicking Joker and Draco as they left.
"You almost Died Monkey boy!" Morgana Yelled out, lunging over a ducking Ryuji.
"Stop it with the damn Monkey, ya Freakin' Cat!" Ryuji yelled back, batting away the clawed missile's next lunge.
"Stop giving us headaches and heart attacks!" Ann yelled back.
"Well stop wit- huh? Hey! Look at the nav!" Ryuji stopped mid sentence, pulling out his phone, the others followed suit.
"When did this get on my phone?" Haru asked, pressing onto the app, only to hear a negative beep.
*the destination has been deleted.*
"So… does that mean we can't go there anymore?" Mishima asked, causing the other's to shrug.
"Forget that! What about the treasure!?" Morgana shouted, causing a whole new wave of panic… right before Ann silently pulled out a medal from her pocket.
"What the…" Ryuji deadpanned.
"We almost died for an Olympic medal? Where's the crown!?" Ann shouts again.
"That medal IS the crown." Morgana clarified. "To Kamoshida, that medal is worth the same as that crown we saw in the palace."
"Well, it's nice to know that I've almost died for a block of metal." Mishima sighed.
"I bet that perv kept clingin' to his past glory and couldn't let it go…" Ryuji said.
"Then… this means that his heart has changed, right?" Ann asked nervously
"...probably." Morgana shrugged back.
"Our expulsion is on the line here!" Shiho shouts out.
"Um... Everyone?" Haru stammered out, looking around, but was promptly ignored
"Hey, this is the first successful example for me too! I only have the knowledge, not the experience!" Morgana rebutted.
"Everyone!?" Haru said again, this time with a raised voice, but once again was ignored.
"However, there's no doubt that this affected Kamoshida's personality quite a bit."
"Ugh… let's just turn in for tonight." Shiho said, getting affirmative replies to her suggestion.
"I feel antsy though… ain't there a way to check now?"
"EVERYONE!" Haru full on shouts this time, gaining their attention as she looks back with a slightly aghast expression.
"W-Where are Akira and Arata!?" and with those five words, the group of 6 descended into chaos once more.
"What the Hell Is Happening!?" Akira shouts out, Rolling out of the way of a shredding burst of wind. Looking at his surroundings during his sprint, a wave of panic courses through his veins at the sight. Seconds prior Both he and Arata were right behind his fellow friends as the crumbling castle collapsed around them. Only for the next second, as if everything changed in the blink of an eye, shifted entirely, now a barren wasteland with an everlasting Sunset in the sky filled every inch of the surroundings, his friends no where in sight. "Where ARE we!?"
~How should I know!?~ Arata yelled back. ~We were with the others SECONDS ago!~
...Five from the realms between and beyond...
Rolling and flipping away from another burst of wind, both turn behind them to find... two bodies... two Enormous bodies with what the duo assumed to be plucked feathers from their winged bodies, both forms lifeless to the two who were too shocked to move... until they narrowly dodged from another wayward swipe.
...Awakened in the cusp of disaster... Mastering death, Unraveling the veil of lies and Wielding the world... even the gods will fall to their unity...
"What?" Akira spoke, only to duck down at the last second, his instincts screaming at him to do so. a solid blur swipes overhead, clipping a few hairs off his head as he strafes away from the previous spot, now fully gazing upon the figure holding said blur. "Who's There!?"
...The Duality of Light and Dark... The Empress of the hidden truth... The Son of the True Fiend...
...The triad's Bond, unshackled from its cage... and the Child of the Repented Sin...
"Hola,... you need not be afraid..." the lone figure spoke out, a hollow ringing voice echoing out from its skeletal maw, turning towards the two with a flourish of his cape. "Tonight, the trials have once more been awakened."
...These five shall end the wretched game from all sides, and bring forth a new era from this dark chapter...
"Trial? What trial!?" Akira shouts back, drawing his blade as he reaches for his face, the domino mask thankfully still present. "We never agreed to any trial!"
~Yeah, And you don't greet people by stabbing them!~
"You shall understand in time, young challengers... but I shall grant you this, before our dance." the figure continued with a boney grin, pointing its sabre at the two of them. "This World is doomed to fall, and you stand at the precipice between its Salvation... and its Damnation! We have awakened to test your resolve in such! and I Shall be your first partner in this Waltz of Death!" With a twirl of its skeletal form, the green clad challenger struck a stance as red energy spirals out from their form, readying its sabre and cloak for what is to come.
"I, Matador! shall be the first to Judge your worth to save this ruined World, Child of Dark and Light!"
"Arata" Akira asked, getting a head shake from the godling partner behind him.
~Afraid I can't, Something's blocking our ways out... most likely Angel slayer over here...~ Arata addressed. ~Looks like we got no choice but to do what we do best...~
"We'll figure that out later..." Akira sighed, shaking his head from what he was told. With a snap of his fingers, black shadows licked his blade as his form grew with mystic symbols and runes, his eyes glowing an eerie Crimson. "Well, Fine! If there's no other way, then Let's Dance!"
A sot ringing of the door's bell was the only real indicator that someone entered his coffee shop before a loud crash nearly made Sojiro drop the plate he was cleaning. Instincts nearly forcing the old man to throw the held object at the source of the noise. making his way over to the noise's origin with kitchen knife in hand, The old barista rounded the corner...
And nearly had a heart attack at the sight of his newest ward, lightly bleeding with cuts and stab wounds, wheezing slightly at his now prone form.
"KID!" Nearly dropping the knife on his own feet, the elder practically sprinted over to the downed teenager and hurriedly, albeit carefully, lifting him up. "Jesus Christ, kid, what happened to you THIS time!?"
"Got jumped... Lost them at crossing... patched up before here..." a weak mumbled response was his only reply as the elder of the two moved the younger to the room in the attic. Ignoring the detail of the now neatly tidied room, as well as the more eccentric looking crap hanging on what he thought was the old shelf. Sojiro softly place the lightly bleeding teen on the bed, pointing to the open end.
"You sit right there and DON'T move!" he grounds out, turning to stomp down the stairs. the soft, almost silent whisper stopped him as he made it to the end of the room, stilling his anger to a stop at the two words.
"I'm Sorry..."
taking a look behind his shoulder before making his way downstairs, Sojiro's heart cracked at the look of surprise from the teenage boy in front of him when he came back minutes later, a first aid kit and bowl of soup in hand. The look of shock staying on the lad's face as he was being patched up did little to mend that crack
"Look kid... You're not in trouble for something like that."
"I'm not?" spilled out from the boy's mouth before Sojiro could get another word out.
"No... no you're not, just-... Stay in bed alright? it should heal up with some sleep. then we're Getting Tae to look at you immediately, got it?" a sow nod was his only response, as the teen ate the soup provided. once finished, Sojiro took the bowl and made his way down, once more. one more look at the teen's now befuddled look pushed back a repeating question back to the forefront of his mind.
"What the hell, happened to you, Kid?" he whispered out, not noticing the small, crumpled ebony scales and feathers trailing from the ravenette.
Bond Up!
Hierophant 2
Monday, 25th
Partially cloudy
Shibuya district
Mid-day
~kira.~
"Yes?"
~what the hell am I seeing here?~
"...I don't know myself."
Five days after the palace disappeared, and nearly getting dogpiled by the rest of the party from their impromptu kidnapping, the group awaited for any update on their expulsion. Opting to Lie low for the time being until news came to them, the group went their separate ways for now. Then there's Mishima, who More or less adopted his timid form once more, but with a calmed demeanor, and mainly focused on his idea for a little "project" as he puts it. This left the rest of the group with practically nothing to do, and with seven days left before the day of the expulsion, the group were in a state of disarray. So, as a way to cope with the suspense, Akira and Arata went out shopping, and they made it to a mall before they stopped in their tracks at the sight they're seeing.
There, right in front of them were a set of massage chairs, sofas and other furniture next to a sign saying "try before you buy." but that was not what they were shocked about.
Not about the somewhat cheap pricings either…
"Uuuhh…"
The two little girls practically vibrating on their own activated massage chairs on the other hand…..
~Carol… Justy… what uh..… whatcha doing here?~
"Living Inmate. Living." the bun haired tiny warden said, sinking into the cushion of the vibrating chair.
"No… like what are you two doing HERE?" Akira clarified. "In the real world?"
"We're on our break." the second braided warden answered.
~How did you… nevermind, WHY are you here?~
"Like we said, inmates! It's our day off!" Caroline shouts back. "We both know you aren't deaf, so stop acting like it!"
"You two are the only ones we know of in this place." Justine added. "So naturally, we arrived nearby to seek you out."
"Kira?" a familiar set of voices shouts out.
~oh dear lord no.~
Walking up to the group of four were Ryuji, Mishima and Haru, each one having done their own shopping by the looks of their occupied hands.
"What's going on here? you're still on danger watch from that stunt you were dragged into." Mishima asked, looking at the two wardens. "And who are these two?"
"Oh, looks like the inmate's friends have arrived." Caroline Snarked.
"Inmates?"
"Don't worry about it. Guys these two are Caroline and Justine." Akira introduced.
~Carol, Justy, these are-~
"We know who they are, inmates." Caroline yelled back. "And don't think we forgot about that nonsense from a few days ago either!"
"Okay, seriously dude, what's with the inmate nickname." Ryuji groaned out. "I get it if they're playing pretend and shit, but if you were babysittin' then we would've understood."
'BABYSIT-MMPH" Caroline yelled back, only to get pushed back into the chair by Justine's Backhand.
~we'll tell you later. The big question is WHY they're here!~
"And we'll repeat: we're on break. And we want you to be our guides here." Justine said. Both wardens leaving the chairs and stood next to Akira.
"... I don't have a choice in the matter, do I?" Akira sighed.
"Aw, see, you're learning." Caroline snarked.
~and that's it.~
"Damn… so these two were once a girl that this Demiurge split apart?" Ryuji whispered, looking on as Akira was practically their shopping mule… at his expense.
~yep, though I'm more confused on how they're here… their powers are halved. And I doubt they can leave on their own for too long.~
"Well, what's with this "inmates" thing they keep calling you two?" Mishima asked.
~...well, you know kira's false criminal record?~
"Yeah?"
~that. That's all you need to know.~
"But that leaves another question." Haru stated. "Just what is the velvet room? Aside from the one Philemon and Igor are in, you said that the Demiurge kicked them out. What does that room look like?"
Three gazes fell upon the godling as they awaited an answer.
~um…Well it's blue, first off.. Um… it's circular… cobbled floor, blue furniture…~
"We're back." Akira's voice mumbled, his entire face muffled by a stack boxes of pastries and goods.
~oh thank god.~
"What the hell's all that!?" Ryuji yelped at the sheer amount of boxes the male carried. "Not even Ann could eat all this sugary crap!"
"Cookies, cakes, brownies… they really like sweets for some reason." Akira answered.
"No, the sweets are for me, inmate!" Caroline shouts, taking out a cookie from one of the boxes. "The spicy stuff's for Justine."
~wait… justy's into spicy food?~ Arata asked, looking at the braided girl finishing a box of hot wings, somehow without causing a mess on her face and hands.
~HOW!?~
"Anyways, have you guys heard back from Ann and Shiho yet?"
"Nah man, I've been focusing on some extra credit." Ryuji shrugged negatively. "Plus whatever shit Morgana's been up to with them."
"I'm afraid I haven't either, sorry." Haru added. "I've had to deal with a new union meeting with a partner company..."
"What?"
"Nothing important." she instantly replied with a smile. "I'm more interested in what to do now that I HAVE free time."
~what about you Mishima?~
"Actually, I think Kawakami sensei wanted to talk to you. We met together while I finished my special project and told me."
~really!? Cool, maybe there's good news after all.~
"What's this so called project anyway?" Akira asked, his answer being the blunette showing him his phone, with an intricate website with a crimson logo flashing on it.
"I call it the Phansite. It's still a work in progress though." Mishima explained. "We should be able to hear responses and stuff on what we did with it. I was hoping we could use this as further evidence just in case."
"Why would we need that? I thought their red herring was enough evidence already" Haru asked.
"It's fo-"
*bzzzzzt!*
"Huh?" taking out his phone, Akira looked down to see that it was Kawakami on the other end.
"Huh, guess she didn't like waiting." Mishima shrugged.
"Hey guys, give me a bit, I have to take this."
~go on, I gotta talk to these two anyway~ Arata said, gesturing to Ryuji and Haru.
"Alright… wait, what about these two?" Akira gestured to the twin wardens
"I'll take care of them for the time being." Mishima answered, getting looks from everyone. "What? I know how to take care of children, and they look the part, so no one will notice who or what they truly are."
"Hmm… true, we do look rather too youthful." Caroline sighed. "Alright, fine. We'll go with the blue one, but only until the inmate is done with his call."
~cool.~ Arata nodded. Nodding to him, Akira, Mishima and the twins all left off to another area of the shopping district.
~so, have you two been practicing like I asked on Saturday?~ Arata asked out of the blue, the two humans nodded, thinking back to the event several days prior.
(Flashback time)
Saturday, 23rd
Sunny
Shujin Rooftops
Mid-day
~thanks for coming up here you three.~ Arata said, looking out over the rooftop. Behind him were Haru and Ryuji, Morgana hanging beside them in Ryuji's bag. Floating towards them, Arata chuckled and pulled out some books from his jacket.
"So… what's this all about?" Ryuji said out of the blue, confused at why he had to be there.
~Remember when I awakened your potenti- wait.~ Arata stopped, looking at Ryuji's new "Aesthetic". ~what the hell happened to you?~
True to his claim, Ryuji had a major change as opposed to his normal appearance, the most prominent one being his hair, which were now sporting pitch black streaks instead of the pale blonde they were accustomed to.
"Eh… you guys wouldn't believe me…" Ryuji chuckled nervously, looking off to the side.
~try me.~
"... I sneezed. Like, really hard and… long story short, there was a reason why there was a power outage near my neighborhood."
~you… sneezed a blackout?~
"...yes?" Ryuji asked.
~huh, to think you'd make one that strong already…~
"HUH!? You believe me?" Ryuji shouts out, startled.
~yeah, it's kind of the reason why I called you here.~
"That didn't answer his question either." Morgana added. "Why?"
"Well, apparently the sneeze fried off most of the hair dye I used… and I was out of stock at home."
~well I like it. It gives off a nice danger vibe.~
"You said, this is the reason why you called us here, correct?" Haru intervened, getting the group back on track.
~yep, you three are going to train yourselves how to utilize your new powers.~ Arata exclaimed. ~Ryuji with his lightning power, you with your psychokinesis, and Morgana with his wind magic. Thankfully these books gave me some good starting ideas for training you. Now, each of you separate.~ doing what the godling instructed, the three went off to a different area of the roof. Arata chose to go you Ryuji first due to him being the closest.
~okay, Ryuji, I want you to do some simple motions. Once you're comfortable with doing them, then close your eyes.~ Arata began to swing his arms fluidly and slowly in long swoops, Ryuji following close behind. After a few minutes, the back and blonde male closed his eyes, not stopping his repetitions.
~good. Now electricity flows, just like water, it's a lot easier to flow with it and guide it than against it. Don't force the electricity, let it carry you. Just focus on guiding it, like a chariot.~ Arata said, floating beside the boy. ~now, take a deep breath and tell me what you see.~
Breathing in, then out, Ryuji relaxed slightly, tiny sparks danced across his body as he did so.
"I-I see… a yellow ball."
~yes, good. Anything else? What is it doing?~
"It's swinging… like my arms are doing…"
~that's perfect, keep it up.~
"Should I go faster?"
~no, not yet, take another deep breath and think about all things lightning and electric.~
Heeding the godling's advice, Ryuji did as instructed, the yellow orb growing bigger and more radiant with each motion.
~yes, YES! Now, on the count of three, you swing to the sky, with all your force if you need to.~
"Okay…" Ryuji nodded.
~one…~ Ryuji swung. ~two…~ another swing… ~THREE!~ with one final swing, Ryuji opened his eyes and swung overhead, a giant arc of electricity surged out his hand and into the air, curving and twirling like a corkscrew before dissipating altogether. Heaving slightly, Ryuji crashed onto the rooftop.
~not bad for your first time, kid. Think you can do that again?~
"... just… give me a minute." Ryuji gasped.
~Alright, you rest up and try again. Morgana you're next!~
Floating on over to the cat, Arata pulled out a book from behind him. ~okay so for you, it's a bit simple; just think of the sky, the breeze you feel when the wind flows around you, as if you were weightless.~
"Um…"
~Hmm… just close your eyes, calm your mind and… well when you and Zorro casts wind magic, try to imitate that feeling.~
"Ah, that i can do." closing his eyes, Morgana focused deep within himself as he stilled his breath. Seconds later, he began to float in place soft winds picking up and swirling around the cat.
~huh, that was faster than Ryuji..~
"Not bad, Cat!" said Ryuji commented from the background.
In a sudden spin, Morgana twisted upwards, a short spiral of wind swirled outwards, rocketing him into the air before he floated down to his original spot. "How's that?"
~not bad, I feel like i won't need to teach you lot much if this keeps up.~ Arata nodded. ~now for Haru.~ floating to his final companion, Arata tossed the earlier book aside and pulled out a different one entirely.
~okay, so for you Haru, this might sound a bit confusing…~
"Not to worry." Haru reassured. "I'm sure that we can find a way."
~so… close your eyes, clear your mind, and take a deep breath.~
Following the instructions, Haru closed her eyes and cleared her mind, a thin veil of pink appeared around her.
~okay.. Now-~ before Arata managed to finish, Haru did what not even he managed to prepare for at that moment… and sneezed.
"Aa… ACHOO!"
*BOOOOM!*
...and nearly everything around them either exploded or was flung out of sight.
As the four regained their bearings, Arata looked around at what was now a clean, empty rooftop… and several roofless buildings around the school.
~eeeh, let's call it a break for now, just repeat what we just did. From now on when you have the time… excluding the ..sneezing part.~
(Flashback end)
"I think the authorities are still trying to figure that out." Haru said.
~of course they are, you sneezed roofs off of buildings.~
"It was only one sneeze." She mumbled to herself, blushing at the memory.
~anyways, we'll work on your powers more next weekend, I'll talk you guys through cantrips and low tier magic.~
"I'm back." Akira said, walking back to the group. "Good news; Kamoshida called Kawakami and personally apologized to her, and look what she had with her." pulling out his phone, Akira showed the group a picture on it of Kawakami holding a stack of papers.
"Are those-!?" Ryuji yelled, excitement and relief leaking out of his tone.
"Yep. we don't have to worry about expulsion."
"Good." Haru said. "Now that that's over, we just have to wait until his confession. That way we'll know for sure we had a successful job."
"Are the inmates done yet!?" Caroline shouts, the three remaining people joining in on the group.
"Yeah, I'm done Carol." Akira smirked, causing said warden to blush and stammer.
"Not you too!"
"Well what would you want us to call you?"
~Well, there's Aquamarine, Lapis Lazuli, violet, blue jay…~ Arata started
"S-stop that!" she stutters, going through various shades of red with each nickname.
"What about beautiful carnation?... carnations are blue right?" Ryuji pitched in, making the petite warden stammer even harder.
"Yes, there are blue carnations." Haru answered, "there are also Irises, periwinkle…"
"Sapphires?" Mishima added.
~yes yes! There we go!~
"STOP IT THIS INSTANT!" Caroline shouts her face going a new shade of red "WE'RE GOING BACK INMATES!"
"Aw come on, Carol, Justy." Akira said.
"NO! We-re leaving Right now!"
"Till we meet again inmates." Justine shouts, her twin practically dragging her away.
"...well that was something." Ryuji deadpanned.
~you do know that I'm gonna start teasing them on this from now on, right?~
"I'd be shocked if you didn't." Akira chuckled.
Bond Up!
Chariot 2, Moon 2, Empress 2
THIS TOOK LONGER THAN IT SHOULD! It was supposed to be posted on Christmas, but it's near the END OF FEBRUARY! I need to step up my game in the writing department!
Anyways a promised, After this chapter goes up, I'll be working on the next Black beasts chapter, so it'll be a while before part two of the Fall of Lust is up.
The Bond up events is mainly to encourage exploring with different groups, and fulfilling some nice filler between the characters to encourage different dynamics
For those who feel cheated from the Matador reveal, That scene alone was what made me brick for the longest time, so I decided to bite the bullet and make it short. Don't worry, the next instance o this WILL have a Battle scene in it. (Also, it ended up fucking up the first rendition of this chapter, and I had to REWRITE most of the edits and new scenes afterwards which nearly made me ragequit) So expect some extra stuff in the Madarame Arc!
TBC