What time is it now? December. Well, look how time has flown by since the last time. At least, this time, I was able to keep the schedule in mind. The big reason why that is the case is largely due to the fact that I have some days off. I had planned to go on the Sabaton Cruise but I missed my chance to get any tickets.

Ah, well. I have finished Ghost of Tsushima in the last few days as S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2 is pretty much unplayable. Shame though. From the hours that I have poured into it, it is a great game.

I fear that I'll have to wait until Patches fixes that. It'll give me a reason to get on writing my chapters.

So this is going to be one wild ride. One with heavy, character-filled drama.

This was largely written on the train rides from my home to Aarau in Switzerland. Call me crazy but there is stuff you do when you're free.

Started on 11/12/2024

Ended on 14/12/2024

Openings song. Five Finger Death Punch. When the seasons change


"Talking"

'Thinking'

[Telepathic conversation]

[Phone call]


Laura Bodewig woke up, well-rested from her slumber. The day before had been one of many different things. The horrors and beauty of the technology that the soldier had witnessed.

But during that dream, there was one clear thing that was shining through.

The knowledge, the assurance, and most of all the comfort of knowing that she had one woman who was in love with her.

When did it happen? How did it happen? Why did it happen?

Those were all questions that were spooking through her head.

The loud sigh indicated how confusing it was to think about it all. Flopping back on the soft pillows, there was the pragmatic side that played in, which asked her to consider her options. There was no option in waiting for either twin to come around.

That would never happen as they had made their own choices.

Inside the shower, Charlotte let the hot water stream over her body. Like her roommate, she was also thinking about what had transpired in the World Purge.

It made her think about what she had seen there. Her deepest desires were laid bare for anyone to see.

She had seen Laura in her dreams and there was no doubt that Laura had seen her in fantasies.

That didn't change what she had to figure out.

'What am I going to do?'

Doing nothing with the knowledge and pretending that it didn't exist, wouldn't do her any good.

She had to face the truth. She had developed a massive, massive crush on Laura.

Girl-on-girl relationships had slowly become the norm for many and even in the most conservative places, like Japan, it rarely proved to be an issue. The better news was that she was from France and Laura hailed from Germany.

Shutting down the shower, Charlotte placed her hands on the shower wall. Water dripped down from her body before she looked back up.

They were living dangerous lives. There was no telling how things would go down.

She heard it a few times.

'It's better to regret the things we have done than to regret the things we didn't do'.

Charlotte's expression hardened as her mind was made up.

Drying herself and getting dressed, didn't take too much time, and before long, she walked out of the shower.

Her roommate was sitting on the bed, flipping through a magazine that she had borrowed from Shizune.

Beyond happy that she was still in the pajamas that Laura had bought, she had fallen in love with how cute the silverette looked in those things.

"Charlotte." Acknowledging her roommate, the German turned the recipient of her affection.

"Laura, I eh, I, well, I have." Fidgeting and blushing wasn't Charlotte's usual style but it did make the blonde so damn cute.

Getting up from the bed, Laura walked over and stopped right in front of Charlotte.

"You want to tell me that you love me?"

There was that simple remark, causing Charlotte's lower jaw to drop to the floor. The blush around her face had even grown in spades as that was something she hadn't expected to hear from Laura.

Fittingly enough, Laura had also turned a nice shade of red.

"I, eh, anoh, I, well, I… how do you even know about that?" Laura's coy smile indicated that she had figured out what Charlotte was feeling for her. Crossing her arms, she leaned against the wall.

"You have been skittish around me ever since the World Purge." Turning a bit more serious, Laura walked up to her.

"Charlotte, if you had a dream about me, then I'll let you know that I had a dream about you." For a moment, it became quiet as the silverette looked her friend over.

Cupping the delicate chin, the purple eyes shined as amethysts.

"I don't know much about romance and all that. I just don't. I don't even know what these feelings are."

The advice that she got from Clarrisa, was worthless so she decided to speak from her heart and see how it would work out.

"But what do I know, is how you make me feel. Good things."

Charlotte felt the floor beneath her give way, yet she remained on her feet.

"I make you feel safe, don't I?" The blonde asked, causing Laura to nod. The chin was unclasped and there was a warm and fuzzy feeling that had nothing to do with the room.

"You do. Do I do the same with you?"

Charlotte nodded back at her as she thought about it.

"So you are in love with me. Like I am in love with you." Despite claiming that Laura didn't know much about it, she was nailing facts as there was another nod.

For a moment, it was quiet again as Charlotte inched in closer. Laura wouldn't back away and just looked up to her crush.

They were used to hugging each other but this time, it seemed to be more terse. Still, Laura didn't resist as she hugged the woman closer.

There was so much that needed to be said, they would need to talk about but at that point, words became inadequate.

It didn't take long before Laura jumped up and claimed Charlotte's lips. The blonde was taken aback by the sudden action but it took only a second before she was kissing Laura back. Their bodies seemed to melt into each other as they were sealing this deal.

There were so many emotions behind the kiss, love, warmth, acceptance, relief, and inclusion. So many things that Charlotte and Laura were saying to each other.

They didn't find much of a good reason to let each other go until oxygen became necessary.

When they did let go, Charlotte spoke first.

"You are my wife. It's a decided matter. I will not accept objections."

It took only a few seconds before Laura's brain caught up with the ridiculous words and then, the two women let out the loudest bursts of laughter.

Charlotte joined in with her as they descended on the floor. For the first thirty minutes, they wouldn't leave the room.

There wouldn't be a significant reason to do so.

Scene skip

If there had been one thing that Houki Shinonono had learned throughout the last year, it was the fact that the Infinite Stratos Academy and her life as a sidenote had turned into a twenty-four-hour, three-ring circus.

Just when she thought, she had seen everything, Laura and Charlotte's interactions proved there was another layer of insanity that they had just reached.

Sitting next to her future sister-in-law, there was the softest whisper.

"Do you know?"

"I do and I am not going to tell you," Madoka whispered back harshly as she tried to focus on her own plate. Despite the actual feeling of being hungry, there was a sick feeling in her stomach that destroyed her appetite. Ironically enough, Dan was trying to finish his food, despite the fact that he was feeling just as disgusted as the others on the table.

He couldn't even look in the general way of the two lovebirds before his teenage mind began to take funny detours, which he wished that he could delete from his mind.

A human would hate his brain because of the sick shit that it could come up with.

Similar things could be said about Cecilia who was accosted to the scene and had pushed her bacon and eggs away from her as she was trying her hardest not to look at Charlotte and Laura who were feeding each other, with the sappy stuff you expected from a newlywed couple.

Chelsea was standing behind her, a dutiful maid but trying her hardest to ignore the two. There were happier memories that she could think about. Like the kiss that she shared with Mattheus as they recovered from the fight.

Rin wasn't much better as she was glad that she was still sleepy. That way, she could hopefully forget about the horrors that were going on.

Kanzashi was furiously blushing as she watched the scene in front of her. This was just so damn hot to watch and she couldn't wait until there was some time alone, making the most of her time.

Tatenashi was about to speak up on the fact of morals but realized there was quite a majority of the table that would be shutting her down, faster than a snake. There was also the mental thanking her mother for the torture that she endured. Hence it was the reason why she could eat her breakfast like a normal person.

Laurent had the same mind as Kanzashi but had her inner jokes as she watched the disgust from the other girls. There was enough explaining to do. There had been the fact that she was outside the school when it shut down as there was a package that she had to pick up.

The Dutch candidate could thank her lucky stars that Chifuyu had enough on her mind, hoping that she forgot about her hellish punishment for disobeying school rules.

Djbril had done the dutiful thing and dragged Airis away from the scene. The young princess was far too young to be exposed to this sort of degeneracy. Not to mention the fact that the Knight herself barely could keep her breakfast down.

The most normal reactions came from Mattheus who was eating in a normal fashion while Joel was seated on his lap due to the shortage of available chairs. The two were seated next to Cecilia and the Hunter was somewhat glad that the maid was around him.

There were discussions they needed to have in private.

A good thing that Natasha wasn't around as the teachers were dealing with troubles in the school.

It was Joel who broke the uncomfortable silence on the table in the bluntest way that he could muster.

"So eh, you two fucked or something?"

The reactions were simultaneously shown but they were incredibly varied.

Houki, Cecilia, Ichika, and Tatenashi openly balked at his choice of words with open mouths and shocked expressions as they dropped their cutlery.

Kanzashi and Rorentsuine looked away with blushing faces from the table, trying to hide in their collars due to the implications of those questions. And the way their mind was implicating.

Madoka reeled back, her disgust growing with every second, her boyfriend pulling her closer to his shoulder. There was a red hue on his face as well, because his healthy mind began to give him even more images.

Mattheus dragged his right hand across his face, a weary sigh, causing him to rethink his methods of parenting.

Acting for Natasha, Chelsea gave Joel a whack on the head for his question. The punk was about to retaliate but Mattheus grabbed his arm and pulled the boy back.

"How. How can you ask that?" Cecilia was affronted by the others who couldn't talk from the sheer incredulity of the matter.

Joel rubbed the back of his head and simply shrugged.

"What? The way they are acting makes me curious."

Mattheus sighed as he threw his fork on the plate. Like the majority of the table, he was thoroughly disgusted.

"I need to limit your time with my mates."

The punk shrugged as he watched Charlotte and Laura who were still feeding each other while smooching each other between bites. It was sickeningly sweet, making them wonder about the proper morals in the school.

The two lovebirds were ignoring everyone else, even Joel's comments as they ate together.

[I don't think I acted like this, with Houki, did I?] Ichika asked as he didn't want to glance in Madoka's direction. That made him so thankful for the fact that they had their links.

[Doubtful. But then again, we didn't have our heads up our rears, did we? Do remind me that we beat each other in the ground, Ichi-nii? I want to wipe this sight from my memory.] Madoka lamented as she was hoping for a miracle that would get them out of this.

"Would all the Pilots with the Personal Units be so kind as to follow me? I'll need to see you." Chifuyu Orimura's voice was the salvation that many had been praying for, causing them to get fast out of their seats.

Sharing a look with Chelsea, Mattheus knew what this was about the incident yesterday and the implications.

Before they could even leave the room, there was one noticeable thing, namely the fact that Charlotte and Laura were still seated at the table.

Cecilia, Tatenashi, Rin, and Kanzashi gaped at the way Charlotte and Laura didn't listen while Ichika felt his eyebrows twitching. Madoka felt another headache building while Chelsea kept her mouth shut as a lady would do.

Dan wasn't moving from his spot, there would be no way he get even involved in that mess.

Houki sighed as she nodded to her boyfriend. Someone needed to collect the two girls before Chifuyu would go ballistic on them. The Knight understood the assignment and motioned to Mattheus who followed him.

"You take Charlotte, I'll take care of Laura. That way, Natasha won't murder me the moment I walk in."

It felt Mattheus to ponder how he'd tell Natasha what happened with Chelsea. Fortunately, the maid would be discrete and he could count that she'd keep quiet.

"Deal." Grabbing the two girls, it felt like they were pulling babies apart from the formula, as they moaned and cried, causing the whole scene to be ten times more ludicrous.

None of the other girls had one clue to keep those two in line, making Ichika shift his eyes to his little sister. The youngest Orimura stepped up and crossed her arms. Lowering her voice just a bit, her eyes narrowed, and she made her best impression of her big sister.

"I advise you two brats to behave. For Pete's sake, you are Representative Candidates." Every head turned towards Madoka, completely stupefied by her impersonation but it did the trick.

"Yes, instructor/Orimura-sensei." Cleaning up their act, Charlotte and Laura were let go by the two males, when they realized it wasn't Chifuyu but found they had to move.

"My sister won't wait on you two. Move it." Madoka spoke with so much authority that even the others moved on the double.

Mattheus was the only one who stayed back, in stitches at the manner the youngest Orimura imitated her sister, causing the Sniper to roll her eyes as Ichika passed her by and grinned back at her.

"You should ask Chifuyu-nee if she can let you borrow an outfit. It'd be a hoot when you start teaching."

Madoka's glare was even more convincing as she knew what Ichika was implying. Her brother just glared back at her, clearly not even bothered by it.

"That won't work on me, little sister."

Looking down, Madoka made the mental note that she had to go shopping again. She was all too happy with how her growth was coming along.

Now, if she grew in length, she'd fit right in with her sister.

Letting up, Madoka shrugged and followed the rest. It was fine to have some humor in it, especially given the previous night. They had to comfort their big sister and it had to be bad if their big sister was this badly shaken up.

The three siblings had a bond that couldn't be broken. For the rest of their lives, they'd be as close as ever.

"Let's go, Ichi-nii. I doubt that it'll be very pleasant on what Chifuyu-nee is going to tell us." Madoka was joined by her brother as the last one walking.

Joining his sister, Ichika found himself agreeing with her. This was going to be difficult to sit through.

Scene skip

The room in which the Personal Unit users had gathered, was not in a classroom but underneath the school again.

The bunker was from a comfortable place and the majority of them had hoped they wouldn't be back too soon.

Unfortunately, it appeared there wasn't much luck on that matter. They were gathered there again, with more in the place than the previous time.

Chifuyu had led them there but she wasn't the only one in the room. Itsuka, Natasha, and Maya were also present.

"Why did you bring us here, sensei?" Cecilia was the first to inquire as the students waited. Leaning against one of the pods, the Brunhilde took one deep breath.

"Given recent circumstances, I have unfortunately come to a painful conclusion. Given your involvement in this matter, some more than others, I feel that it's time to tell you the truth."

There was a slight waver in her voice, which made her look vulnerable, an uncommon sight for most in the room and the hesitation made some wonder about this matter.

The students looked confused among each other but Mattheus, Tatenashi, and Chelsea were relieved that they didn't have to tell their classmates about this.

For once, Ichika nor Madoka didn't need to share their link. Walking up to their sister, Ichika placed a comforting hand on her shoulder while Madoka laid her head on the shoulder.

"It's fine, Chifuyu-nee. You can tell them." Her little brother was keeping her on her feet.

"We're here, Chifuyu-nee. Not anywhere else in the world." Her little sister wouldn't let her down.

For the majority of the people, this sight was even more uncommon.

Laura whispered closely to her newfound girlfriend as she watched her undefeatable instructor crumble.

"I have never seen her like this. What's going on?"

Tatenashi wanted to speak up in her stead but found Mattheus's hand on her shoulder. The older man shook his head, indicating that it was better that they let the teacher talk this over.

Eventually, Chifuyu composed herself but it couldn't stop her hands from trembling.

"What I will tell you, won't be easy to hear. It might even sound completely outlandish. It goes without saying this next information is highly classified. If this leaks from any of you, the repercussions will be incredibly severe. Forget about being expelled or losing your status as Representative Cadettes. We can talk about jailing or even disappearing without a trace."

A collective gulp was heard across the entire room, even Joel who usually had some snarky answer, kept his mouth shut.

Knowing how far one could push it, was essential in this life.

"It might change the way you see me but it's important that you know the truth. Our attack yesterday, I won't have to tell you who carried out that attack."

"Phantom Task," Kanzashi suggested carefully as the rest would have guessed the same thing.

"Correct, Sarashiki. While the majority of you faced them in the Virtual World, some of you have combatted against actual foes. And the identity of those foes has been revealed to us."

Pressing on a button, images were shown from the morgue of their foes. They were lying masked but it took only one second before a second picture was shown, where the masks were revealed. And everyone could see the unblemished truth.

The similarities to Chifuyu and Madoka were undeniable, causing the horrified reactions to spread over the room.

Even Mattheus, Chelsea, and Tatenashi recoiled from the images. They had seen them before, in fact, they were responsible for the state of their foes. That didn't change the fact the truth was any less uncomfortable.

Laura was the first to recover from it.

"What is the meaning of this, instructor?"

Charlotte clutched her hands to her chest, her voice trembling.

"Sensei, why do they look like you and Madoka?"

Chifuyu kept her stoic mask up, with a hardening voice.

"I am not going into details but once, I was captured by Phantom Task. They experimented on me, trying to make the perfect warrior. It has laid fruit on the foes here. And it's how they created Ichika and Madoka."

This time, the room erupted in chaos. Voiced overlapped, with shock and disbelief.

"What?! That's impossible!" Houki exclaimed, her face beyond pale.

"This is insane! You're saying that you were cloned!" Rin blurted out.

Cecilia's voice was sharper than usual. "This barbaric!"

The Chinese cadette was the first to recover as her eyes landed on Mattheus, Tatenashi, and Chelsea.

"You three knew, didn't you?"

That accusation was the recovery that Cecilia required to turn on the four.

"If you knew, you should have told us. We were in the right to know."

Joel walked away from the Hunter, joining Natasha as the two sent death glares to the Hunter.

"The only thing we knew was the fact that they looked like Orimura-sensei and Madoka. But the fact they are clones of our teacher is news for us as well. Either way, it wasn't our place to tell. I made it very clear to Orimura-sensei that she had to tell all of you."

The one who was quiet was Itsuka whose eyes were downcast. Of course, he couldn't expect that his girlfriend would share everything about her personal life but it would have been nice to know about this.

"You want the truth? Here it is." Taking a deep breath, Chifuyu continued her story.

"When I left Phantom Task, with those two." Her head nodded from Ichika to Madoka, "I believed that I destroyed every bit of research. But the thing is that they have dug deep enough to find back. And restarted this entire damned program, creating those monsters you see here."

The silence was suffocating as they realized what they were fighting.

None of the students knew they could even come near Chifuyu's abilities in combat. The majority would even suggest that Madoka was far beyond their reach.

And to fight others like them, that was even more terrifying.

Airis had covered her mouth, her usually haughty voice was barely a whisper.

"This is horrifying."

Djbril's expression hardened on this.

"And the fact they threw this in battle, means they were expendable. They have more of them."

Houki clenched her fist, her voice was filled with emotions.

"Why have you never told us?" Dan felt his brain catching up.

"Yeah, I think that some of us would have been happy if we knew beforehand."

Their lovers were angry and rightfully so but that didn't make the blow any less painful. Luckily, it was Chifuyu who revealed it.

"As I said, I believed that I had destroyed it. Of course, there was the nagging fear but I left Phantom Task, more than eight years ago. Only when Adjzof, Blackett, and Sarashiki told me about this, I knew it wasn't over."

Natasha recovered first, taking Joel along as she made her way to the Hunter.

"This is heavy, Orimura-sensei. This will take time to process." Cecilia nodded, agreeing.

"We know the truth now. But like Fairs-sensei, we need to let this sink in."

Chifuyu nodded as her composure returned.

"Even I don't know how far they have gone with this. We'll need to know. Phantom Task isn't going to stop with just this."

Yamada had been uncharacteristically quiet for the duration but she had regained herself.

"Thank you for being so honest, Orimura-sensei. This… this couldn't have been easy."

Maya had worked alongside Chifuyu for long enough. She knew that her senior had hidden the truth, not of dishonesty but to protect them all. That was just how she knew her senior.

Smiling at her colleague, Chifuyu was glad that someone was understanding.

"Yes, thank you, Yamada-sensei."

"When were you going to tell us?" A clinically, cold voice, hiding the fury underneath, asked the room in general.

No one had ever heard Itsuka Yukimura talk like that.

If Houki and Dan were angry, Itsuka was furious.

The anger that he possessed, was quite similar to Chifuyu when she got really furious. The same, bone-chilling cold.

"I had hoped I never had to. Some things are better left unspoken."

"Cut the poetic crap, Orimura-sensei. You believed you couldn't have trusted me with this." Usually, Chifuyu knew how to handle angry people well. A trait she had honed in the last decade but it was quite startling to defuse someone whose anger was so similar to her own.

"Calm down, Yukimura-sensei."

If there was one person who could make someone see the light, it would be Mattheus.

"You heard her yourself. She didn't even know of these creatures before yesterday. It's not a matter of trust, it's a matter of personal boundaries." Mattheus calmly informed the doctor who kept the same steady look up.

"That is very diplomatic, Adjzof. If you'd excuse me, I'm going to need some time for this." He was the first to leave the room, leaving Chifuyu without even a backward glance.

Mattheus was about to chase after him but Chifuyu called after him.

"Let him, Adjzof. This is something that I'll have to deal with myself." Chifuyu looked the students over.

"The words still remain the same. I fear we have only gotten to the tip of the iceberg on this matter. You can all have the day off, to digest this news. The most important part is that you keep this secret hidden. Dismissed."

One by one, the students began to pour out of the room. Djbril felt Airis sobbing against her while Natasha had taken Joel and Mattheus along as they needed to vent.

Chelsea dutifully followed behind her master, with one last glance in the direction of the makeshift family.

Charlotte and Laura left together but every feeling of the lovey-dovey attitude they had in the morning, was nowhere to be found.

The way that Dan and Houki looked at their partners, proved they would have their own conversations again.

Rin joined up with them, leaving just the Orimura siblings in the room.

When they were sure they were alone in the room, Madoka locked the door, while Ichika guided his sister to lean against the pod.

If there was one thing that Chifuyu absolutely hated, it was the fact that she showed any sort of weakness.

Even in front of her twins.

"It's fine, Chifuyu-nee," Madoka spoke, comforting words in her ears while Ichika slid alongside her.

"Thank you, sis. Of not telling them about Hansel and Gretel."

Their names left a foul taste in Ichika's mouth as he knew it would be up to him and Madoka to deal with those brats. But that was their secret to tell, not their sister.

"Don't remind me. But one thing is clear as day. Phantom Task has declared war on us." Madoka had never been up for this but she knew better than to ignore the obvious.

Chifuyu slid her hands across her face, wiping away the tears that were the last out of her eyes.

"You two are going to be fighting on this. It's not your choice."

"It's our choice" The two refuted that claim.

"If you two insist on fighting, then you'll need every edge you can get. And I'm not just talking about your Infinite Stratos. That won't cut it." Taking a deep breath, Chifuyu knew that she couldn't stop this. If they went down this path, it would be best if she guided them.

"You are talking about our War-God Modes?" Madoka asked as Chifuyu nodded.

"Signs have shown during the previous times but it's time that I teach you to fully use it. I had hoped it would have never come to that."

Standing up at the same time, the twins offered Chifuyu a hand.

"You're right about one thing, sis," Ichika started.

"It's not our choice. Not yours, not mine, not Ichi-nii's." Madoka continued.

"But if they want to fight us," Ichika followed up.

"We'll hit them with everything we got." Madoka ended the lines.

Wiping the last tears away, there was unmistakable pride in her eyes as she looked at her siblings.

"If you two insist, I can teach you. But let me warn you. It's going to be the hardest training you've ever been through. Forget the year in Tabane's lab and all you have been through."

Ichika met her gaze without a single bit of fear.

"Chifuyu-nee, we have used it before."

"Using and mastering are two very different things, Ichika. But there is one advantage that I didn't have." Madoka's eyes shifted from her sister to her brother.

"We have each other."

There was the terse nod, knowing they could do it. After all, they were hers, weren't they?

Scene skip

Back in his room, Mattheus was sitting behind his laptop but it was next to impossible to concentrate on anything. Joel was in the shower, hoping the hot water would make it possible to forget all that he had heard.

"Did you know?" His attention shifted to the woman on his bed. Natasha Fairs had tried the same with her phone but found herself unable to even say something.

Shoving his headphones to his neck, the Hunter shifted while shaking his head.

"I was just as shocked on seeing the corpses. It was my pressure that told Orimura-sensei to reveal the truth."

The American Pilot got up from her seat, removing the headset from her boyfriend's neck and grabbing his cheeks, making him look at her.

"You didn't know. I imagined that Madoka could have told you. After all, you're her Nii-chan." The Hunter met her gaze, unflinching without any fear.

"She has never told me anything of the sort. And if she did, I would have told you and Joel. Like Madoka has her confidants, I have mine."

"That might be all nice and good, Mattheus. But I think you need to vent in some way. You might see her walking around but your head might still tell you that you still fired at her." Joel had gone out of the shower, in a fresh batch of clothes.

Natasha got up from her spot and wrapped her arms around his neck while Joel climbed on his lap.

"You were uneasy last night as well. You're sure you don't need this?"

Grabbing his little boy, Mattheus hugged Joel just a bit tighter as he felt Natasha kisses on his cheek.

"If I ever find myself on that field, I'll have you with me. That I swear."

Scene skip

Houki had rarely been on her own, ever since she and Ichika got into their relationship. She wanted that closeness. Ichika's strong arms around her.

His comforting presence. His warm nature. His uncaring smile

She wasn't alone though. Sitting in front of her, Dan had gotten himself two coffees, handing one to her.

"Thank you."

Quietly acknowledging the small gift, Dan sat down in front of her. The technician looked ten years older after he saw that.

"You're okay?" It was a stupid question but it was the only thing that she could come up with.

"Trying to get through this all. Frankly, I'm not even sure where I fall on this."

Six months ago, he was just a normal guy who went to a normal school and did normal stuff.

Now, he had gotten himself in crazy experiments, long-forgotten feuds, and unspeakable horrors, the likes of which he had never seen.

Was this what it meant to date a woman like Madoka Orimura?

"I don't think it was easy." Those words were hidden implications to what Dan had witnessed on that point.

"If I didn't see her in front of me, I would have lost it. I mean, there was always something off on them. But I had never imagined this." It felt nice to be able to talk to Houki.

Sure, they weren't that close but both of them were dating one of the Orimura twins. It had to count for something.

"I still can't wrap my head around it. What we saw back there."

Meeting Houki's eyes, there was a fire behind them. A certain power that he liked to see.

"That is true. But it doesn't change the fact of who they are. And if they need our help."

Her energy was infectious and like herself, Dan had vowed something for the girl.

"They have us to count on. We'll help them however we can."

Scene skip

Cecilia was lying on her bed, Chelsea keeping watch over her as the dutiful servant. There was hardly one shred of pride left as she tried to comprehend the horrors.

Seeing those corpses. It was like she looked like a dead Madoka or dead Chifuyu. The idea alone to process that was beyond excruciating. And to think there were more monsters like that. That would hurt to think about that.

In times like these, Chelsea wasn't the dutiful maid. But an older sister taking care of a younger one. Kneeling down to her mistress, the older woman laid the weary head on her lap as she sang lullabies. She had her portion of comfort yesterday.

She would be beyond grateful that she had Mattheus at that time.

'In another life, maybe.'

She had her place, he had his own, and never would the two be able to meet.

Scene skip

Charlotte and Laura were back in their room, in the same position as when they had confessed to each other. Yet, this time, the mood was vastly different.

There was no telling who comforted who. Laura's head lay on Charlotte's chest as she was crying her eyes out. Even in the harshness of her previous training, Laura was like many others. Unable to process the idea of seeing a dead Chifuyu or dead Madoka.

Charlotte, on the other hand, was more reeling from the information they had received.

'Artificial humans. They wouldn't be created for the pure sake of it.'

She had joined in the tears, crying as they had been through so much already. Where would the end be?

Scene skip

Unlike others, Rin had been a social butterfly and made friends with many different girls in the school. While she would usually hang out with the other Representative Candidates, it was more than obvious they had their plans that didn't include her for once.

Not that she blamed them. The whole debacle was beyond hard to understand. For now, she had chosen to run away.

Hiding her tears and shock behind a smiling mask, Rin just simply talked to other girls, about everything and nothing that had been going on.

She couldn't tell her about the crazy stories that she had witnessed firsthand.

"Oh, come on, Rin. You were allowed out, yesterday? You must know something."

A few of the classmates asked, making her shake her head.

"All classified. It wasn't that big a deal. We were just keeping watch to make sure that everything went well."

A white lie but the best thing that she could tell them. It didn't matter. The chatter would make her able to digest the news of the horrors.

Scene skip

If there was one thing that Kanzashi could thank Madoka for, it was the fact that she and her sister had mended the bridge between them.

At that moment, she was grateful that she had Tatenashi rocking her body as the younger Sarashiki held on to her sister while the tears were spilling out.

From all the things she had thought of, during that day, finding out that horrible truth wasn't exactly on her list.

It had rocked her entire belief to the core.

Her family had been at war with Phantom Task for generations. It was something that she and her sister had grown used to but this was far from the usual.

Hence why she had decided to lie on her sister's chest, hoping that the truth would be easier to digest the next day.

Scene skip

Djbril let Airis have free reign on television. No matter how mind-numbingly stupid it was, it was better for Airis to watch the dribble on the screen instead of thinking of what they had been told.

As a Knight for the family, Djbril had long learned to take her own personal feelings and shove them down until they could be displayed. That would take a long time before she allowed herself to destress.

With her master on the bed, crying her eyes out, and feeling beyond horrible, Djbril believed that she could wait. But before her head, would find a pillow. She would take care of her own stress first.

She wouldn't be able to sleep anyway when those images plagued her head.

Scene skip

"You two are able to activate the War-God Mode but that doesn't mean you can control it. When you are in that state, it's hard to tell foe from friend."

The hangar underneath the school still bore the marks from the previous day but if Chifuyu Orimura wanted to have a place where they could train in all privacy, where they had room to maneuver, there were few places suited for that.

Hence why the twins were sitting in front of her, cross-legged as they watched how their sister shifted her hair and eye color.

Switching back to her normal hair color, Chifuyu had expected them to pay attention.

"You know what triggers it. Even if you can't put your finger on it."

Ichika began to think about the times when he had done it before.

"Anger." Madoka carefully suggested, making Chifuyu chuckle at the term that her sister used.

"Close. Overwhelming rage is what I usually go for. But that is the trigger you need. When you use that as the sole reason, you become nothing more than a monster, driving on destruction and death. Speaking from personal experience."

Ichika and Madoka flinched when they heard that choice of words. They couldn't blame her of course for it but that didn't make it any less horrible.

"Chifuyu-nee, how did you manage to control it?" Chifuyu only got up, just to get close enough to kneel in front of her siblings.

"This power can be used for many terrible things. But I have found ways to make it for a worthy cause. I found my way to control it the night when I saved you. The edge that I had, isn't what you carry. Hence why your bond is so important. It has to be the offset to prevent either of you from going off the deep end."

They remembered the last time in Kyoto. How they actually got, to nearly killing everything in sight.

"Controlling your powers is only able to focus. That focus is on the ones you care most about. Both of you have no shortage of people who can fit that criteria."

The twins found a grin, creeping on their faces.

"You can think about anyone that you care about. Me, your lovers, it doesn't matter. As long you hold on to that, it'll keep you two from losing control."

"Noted, Chifuyu-nee." Usually, she would comment but this time, she kept her reaction hidden. It was fine if they would react like this. Ruffling their hair, it was good to go back to normal.

"Maintaining this form is one thing. It has a physical and mental strain on your body. Luckily for me, you two have both. When you reach your mode in that form, you can summon it. I would advise you two to keep it hidden away."

They nodded, understanding just how dangerous this could be.

"Before we actually practice this in a fight, I want you two to achieve the mode without getting up from your seats. Mediate if you call it."

The twins took a deep breath and closed their eyes. Inside of themselves, they began to travel. It wasn't a pretty sight. They knew how they could turn into monsters.

What separated them from the creatures that lay in the morgue?

Madoka found herself staring back at the monstrosities that were evident around her. But then she found the warm presence.

[I'm with you, little sis. Always.] She heard Ichika's voice and while she couldn't see him, there was the feeling of him around her.

Letting herself be taken in by the unknown, Madoka sank in. There was no fear, just the knowledge that she would use whatever she had for good.

Ichika, on the other hand, wasn't in the darkness but it was the same place in which he saw a forest. He knew what this was. He had been there before.

Taking a deep breath, there was no fear in his body as he felt the ground gave way.

[We're never alone. We always have each other.]

The voice was right. He knew she was right.

He'd be never away from Madoka.

Chifuyu smiled as she witnessed the hairs of Ichika and Madoka change. It was one thing they often laid claim to as their evidence as siblings.

Ichika's black mop changed into whitish-blonde. Not like Mattheus who was easily five shades darker but bright like the sun.

Madoka's raven hair was switched for a purple touch, making the Brunhilde think on her own. It had been ages since she touched it.

But if they had to learn to use this, Chifuyu had to face her own demons.

The Brunhilde closed her eyes as she felt the change. There were many things she despised about the transformation, and the fact that she didn't do well with hot pink could have been a minor one.

All together, they opened their eyes. The usual brown was gone as their curtains matched the windows.

"Dang, Ichi-nii. You look like a delinquent." Madoka giggled as she looked her brother over.

"You're one to talk, Madoka. Witchy nature?" Ichika jested back as his eyes had been changed.

"If you two have comments about mine, keep them to yourself." Unlike the humor in the other, both cringed as they looked at their sister.

Chifuyu had a natural beauty but in the way she looked now, the change undid that, making both of them unhappy with it.

Raising an eyebrow, Chifuyu found herself surprised by their appearance. And even more surprised by the fact they were still sitting on the ground.

But there were the small details that made her worry. The twitching of Madoka's fingers, the way how Ichika gritted his teeth.

Frankly, it was better than her first five times when she lost herself in the slaughter.

"Keep it hidden, Ichika, Madoka. You can't let it slip. Even I can't handle you two when both of you come at me."

Ichika felt that every breath he took, was like fire was engulfing his lungs.

"Chifuyu-nee." He breathed in.

"This really isn't easy," Madoka added as she felt her body hypersensitive to nearly everything.

"I will not allow you to fight until you manage to keep it under control. I told you. This would be difficult."

It felt like their bodies had shifted. Their War God Mode was powerful, both had experienced that but it also felt incredibly wrong to use it like this.

Ichika felt the sweat out of his pores evaporate. It was like his eyes were not able to keep open but closing them hurt even more.

Madoka felt her entire body like ice, yet the shivering didn't come from the outside. Inside of her, the chill of the winter was setting out.

Every minute felt like an eternity.

As for Chifuyu, her inner instincts were doing the same. Before her, stood two veritable threats. Creatures that she could destroy. That she had to destroy.

But as the twins had each other to keep them grounded, there was something stronger. The instinct of the big sister.

Her love was stronger than her fear.

Eventually, she stood up, her eyes shining at the two.

"You two. Rise." Slowly, both of them got up from their positions as energy crackled.

"I'll make one thing crystal clear. The moment you lose yourself, I'll be reacting harshly." That would be the only warning they got.

"And this will be simply hand-to-hand combat. Giving ourselves weapons is just inviting disasters."

Madoka glanced over to Ichika, her eyes betraying a flicker of doubt. Still, having her brother around, steadied her resolve. This bond would be their anchor. As it had been countless times.

"Ready?" Chifuyu's voice echoed over the place, making the two shift in their bodies. It was like Chifuyu was seizing them up as if they were her prey.

Both of them readied themselves, although Madoka was just a bit more hesitant.

The first clash was hard and swift. Unlike their usual matches, Chifuyu moved in first, a fist raised to his face. He managed to block it but the force sent him back, causing his feet to be dug in the ground. Madoka reacted on pure instinct, pivoting on her heel to strike the flank of Chifuyu.

Her older sister anticipated that move and dodged it with a grace they knew her for.

"Too predictable." Chifuyu chided as she spun and landed a sweeping kick that sent Madoka flying;

Growling under her breath, there was the frustration simmering in her body but that quickly subsided as she took a deep breath. While his twin recovered, Ichika darted forward, with a sharper move than before, a jab aimed at Chifuyu's center. Catching his first mid-strike, the sheer force caused the air shift.

"You're relying too much on brute force, Ichika. It won't work everything." Chifuyu said as her grip tightened before she twisted his arm to throw him off balance.

Madoka found herself an opening, with speed blurring as she closed in. Her feint drew a slight reaction from Chifuyu, enough for Madoka to land a solid kick to the side. Had she done this to anyone else, it would have been deadly.

Chifuyu merely grunted as there was a certain pride in her features.

They were just starting but it showed they were her siblings.

"Better. But don't lose focus."

From then on, the fight continued. The twins had to keep their focus on their sister and prevent themselves from losing to this power.

Both vowed they would only use this when they had no other choice.

Chifuyu had to learn fast and hard, and for a messed up reason, both of them had picked that up. Raising her hand, she indicated that it had been enough.

"That'll do for now." Her voice had the soft side, as she let go of her War God Mode, her hair changing back to the black color.

"This is not a progress you can rush. Slow and steady, we go. You need to control this. By finding the right balance."

Both nodded, their postures relaxed as the energy faded away. Their hair began to match their sister again and the eyes shifted back to brown.

Long used to physical exhaustion, but this was something entirely different. Ichika dropped to one knee while Madoka leaned against him, searching for support.

Chifuyu knelt before them, each of her hands resting on the two. There was the sisterly pride in her eyes as she spoke to them.

"You two are stronger together. It is what keeps you going. It's your greatest weapon and your greatest shield."

Madoka fell beside her brother as she nodded back. There was one arm that wrapped around her neck as Ichika fell in Chifuyu's other arm.

"We won't let you down, Chifuyu-nee," Madoka said softly.

"Never," Ichika added in a soft whisper.

"Good. Because this is just the start."

Helping each other to their feet, Chifuyu straightened her posture as she ruffled their heads.

"Get some sleep. We'll take this up tomorrow."

It had been one of the most harrowing days, with the truth coming out. When everyone had their night of rest, things would be a bit more normal.


Written in record time, with another chapter coming right up. I knew that the train rides that I'd take would be productive.

I can't complain about what I have done here and how much I enjoyed myself.

It's funny as the chapters that I posted at the beginning of this year, were also written on the train when I went to see the Burning Witches in the Netherlands.

Now, I finished this chapter when I rode back when I saw them in Switzerland. It's fun to be called crazy, especially when they heard how long I was on the train.

Not a big deal as I really enjoyed my time on it. A desk, a good seat and I can pour hours into my craft. It makes the time fly by.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and the next one will be on the 26th of next month. The anniversary chapters roll back around. That is going to be a bit more lighthearted compared to the previous ones.

Saluut.