1. Tartaros Fairy: spell casting

2. Desirée Cavalry: physical endurance

3. Pheasant Peak: hand-to-hand combat

4. Titania Devil: potion creation

5. Snowblood: song

- ML

UPDATE 24 August 2024: typo

Day 7

07 October 2024

112 Loner Lumber Circle

The fog hovered close to the ground like a river at a standstill. Reiji found herself in that familiar void again, wearing that same nightgown with the ruffled sleeves. She wiped her eyes. No glasses, but she could see it clearly. A figure stood somewhere ahead of her.

Chosen...

Not that again, she frowned, approaching the figure. It was herself. Well, her other self, but it was taller, jaw a little more round than square, and her eyes were as black as her hair. Voluptuous build of a small giantess. Those crimson red irises and thin pupils stared Reiji down. It began to walk toward her. Reiji couldn't move her legs to run. The looming presence made her a cowering mouse.

Chosen... for me.

W-what does that mean? Does it want to eat me?!

Its nails spiked black claws out, grabbing her face. Even its palms were bigger than Reiji's.

Remelir eipa.

The words passed through her ears like a whisper of wind. Her green hair blew back as the fog flew upwards in a frenzy. Then, the stench of blood hit her like a ton of bricks. At her feet were the bodies of three humanoid demons. One of their heads suffered immense blunt force trauma rendering them unrecognizable. One was missing a right arm and its eyes. The third one also had no eyes, bruised and broken from a beating.

Mars, Otto... probably Kiki?

Reiji took a step back, trembling. She looked at her hands, also soaked in blood. Her torso and legs were splattered in dry or flesh scarlet as well. Something rose from her throat, filling her mouth with that disgusting iron taste. Blood and chunks spewed from her mouth and nostrils. It was an endless mess of bile.

My... gift.

Reiji collapsed to her knees, her throat burning. The red bile swallowed up the bodies, rising to her waist in an instant. Her eyes stung with tears, eyes bloodshot. Soon her chest was submerged, then her chin, then her face. And finally, everything went black.

MINE-

Reiji's mouth was gaping in a silent scream as she woke up. She choked on nothing, fearing the vomit may choke her again at any moment. She sat upright, gasping for air. Cold sweat rendered her days clothes damp, especially her sweatshirt. The female yanked her sweatshirt off in a thrash of frustrated movements, relieved when the heat was reduced a little bit. She hastily got out of bed, then tripped hard over a sturdy obstacle.

"Oouh!" Ryouichi groaned in pain, holding his stomach in a fetal position. Reiji's eyes were wide with terror. She was still in Ryouichi and Takeshiro's cabin. It was dark outside now. The green haired female realized that this was Ryouichi's room, judging by the decorative claw marks scattered on the walls and ceiling, the pile of clean laundry in a corner, and random items covering the surface of his two dressers.

Takeshiro rose from his slumber in the other side of the bed, his spiky Aegean hair flat on one side.

"Reiji, what's wrong?" the telepathic demon asked groggily.

"I-I j-just... a d-dream..." She couldn't put the thought into words. Ryo sat up, still reeling from the swift kick to his stomach.

"Yeah? Well, your dream almost broke my rib!" he grunted.

"I, I'm sorry," she murmured. Takeshiro stood up, stretching.

"I can show it to you, if that helps."

"N-no, it was... bad." Reiji stood as well, her palm pressed on her forehead. The imagery of the dream played over and over again. The odor still stung her nose. She swallowed hard. It faintly tasted disgustingly metallic.

"Reiji?"

The green haired female looked down at her two friends with a blank stare.

"You look sick, Rei," Ryo said. "Was it a nightmare?"

Remelir eipa... Remelir eipa!

"Remelir. Eipa," she mumbled, ignoring her friends' worried faces. She turned and calmly out of the bedroom.

"Remelir eipa," she said again in a monotone. The two males exchanged puzzled looks.

"Remember what?" Takeshiro asked, following her. "Be careful, you were asleep for almost 14 hours!"

"Maybe she going to piss?" Ryo questioned. But Reiji went past the bathroom. She was aware of her physical movements, but it felt so robotic and unreal. Takeshiro hushed Ryo.

"Give her time," he murmured to his roommate. Reiji scratched an itch on her lower back as she stood in the kitchen. Takeshiro held his middle and index finger to his forehead as he whispered, "Telepathic Order: Aurora's Dream."

"But she's wide awake," Ryo whispered.

"Yes, but it's obvious she's somewhere else. I can tell even without eyes," Takeshiro replied. Ryouichi glared at his passive take, but said nothing.

The holographic screen popped up from Reiji's head, as expected. But the image looked worse than her already poor vision. Everything seemed farther away, as if Reiji's eyes weren't in her skull. Sometimes hints of red bleed onto the screen, consumed by the darkness in the edges of her vision. Takeshiro closed the screen.

"That is... kind of cool, but kinda bad. This could take hours," Ryo frowned.

"Not much we can do," he shrugged in response. Reiji looked at them. Ryo jumped at the sudden red eyes staring them down.

"Jesus, Rei! It's too damn dark for that!"

The green haired demon turned and walked back toward the master bedroom. Instead, she opened the door to Takeshiro's room, climbing into his bed.

"So much for smooth sheets." The telepathic demon lazily followed, yawning. Reiji, or whoever was in there right now, began to undress. Takeshiro immediately shut the door before Ryo came up behind him.

"Let's just leave her alone," he said. "I'm sure Rei needs privacy to collect herself."

"She doesn't even smell like Rei, though. Are we sure that's her?"

"It's still her, even with that thing in the way. Now go to bed!"

"Alright! Jeez, boss man."

Reiji woke up from a dreamless sleep, arms and legs sprawled off the edges of a soft, but firm bed. She furrowed her brows in confusion. Blurry vision again, how nice. She sat up, subconsciously reaching for her nightstand where her glasses would've been. Her palm pressed a soft, squishy ball of some kind instead. What?

She felt around the other side of the bed, successfully grabbing glasses. She put them on, noticing they were smaller and weaker than her actual glasses. The corner to her left was full of stuffed toys stacked on a round, fluffy bean bag.

Takeshiro's room?

Crimson sunlight filtered through his thin curtains. It had to be evening time. She figured the smoke potion and transforming back must've exhausted her quickly. She noticed she was stripped down to her underwear. For once, it was cool. She got out of bed, grumbling to herself.

"I swear, if either of them touched me..."

Reiji found only her socks, bra, and pants. She put them back on, growing more suspicious by the minute. She had no idea how much time passed, or why she was naked. It felt like a whole gap of her day was missing. When she opened the door, cinnamon and peach filled the air.

"The beast has risen!" Ryo announced from the kitchen, having sensed her presence over the cinnamon peach.

"Ryo, Takeshiro, what happened?" she asked as she entered the kitchen. Takeshiro was wearing her glasses, adjusting them from slipping. A vein popped on Reiji's head, noticing her now torn sweatshirt on Ryouichi. He was stirring fixed peaches and syrup in a pot. A pie crust sat next to the stove as well. Reiji walked up to him, grabbing the back of the shirt collar. He yipped in surprised.

"That was a good shirt, Ryo! What the hell did you do?!" she shouted at him. Reiji neither shouted nor grabbed people. What's wrong with me? It's just a shirt. He takes them all the time!

"I didn't do anything, I swear! You slept like 14 hours, started acting fucking weird after kicking me out of my sleep, then passed out in Blue's room!" he defended himself vehemently. Reiji released him.

"W-what... 14 hours?"

"You slept 14 hours after you used up your energy," Takeshiro said. "You woke up in a panic and tripped over Ryo. But you were completely dissociated from reality. Then you slept about," he paused to think. "Five more hours in my bed."

Reiji opened her mouth, then closed it. She didn't remember any of that.

"D-did I have a nightmare?"

"I had a nightmare, shaped like your foot in my stomach." That earned a back head chop from Takeshiro.

"I can show you, if you want."

"The dream, or my evening?"

"The dream," he answered.

"Can it wait until after pie?" Ryouichi interjected. Takeshiro chuckled.

"Or course, we'll gladly eat your concoction first."

"How about I concoct your face?" Ryo growled. Reiji raised a bigger fist from her Hair Shower. The beast soul turned back to the stove. "I'm cooking, chill out!"

.

The trio sat at the table on the back patio. Ryouichi covered the freshly cooled pie in a layer of whip cream.

"Oh, we're sharing?" Reiji asked. She wore one of Ryouichi's few nice jackets, but couldn't zip it because of her bust.

"Obviously! I'm not wasting more dishes," Ryo said. He was already taking his first bite. Takeshiro ate small scoops of whip cream first. He placed his fingers to his forehead.

"Telepathic Order: Aurora's Dream."

The holograph popped out. Takeshiro furrowed his brows. The screen was completely black.

"Is that supposed to happen?" Reiji asked, covering her chewing.

"No, your dream is supposed to begin right away." His eyebrow twitched. "I can't do anything, not even rewind..."

"I was thinking, and I kind of remember the dream," Reiji trailed off. The memory of choking on scarlet red bile was difficult to recall. "Just watch my thoughts like usual."

"Alright." Grimhilde's Mirror switched on the holograph. Ryouichi nearly choked on his pie at the sight of the gore.

"Is that Kiki and the others? They look brutalized!"

"I-the thing, I mean, kept repeating "remelir eipa," and it also said "chosen for me." It was confusing," Reiji said.

"To be fair, some creature did choose you for something," Ryo replied, putting his fork down.

"But if I was chosen for it, then someone else chose me for this thing..."

"That blacksmith Michele might know something," Takeshiro reminded her. The holograph vanished. "But first, there is a spell I'd like you to try."

Takeshiro went inside. Moments later, he came back with a book in Braille and English, titled To Summon a Lost Soul. He flipped to a bookmarked page.

"I believe you can summon this mystery creature and talk to it, but it will use a lot of magical energy."

Reiji read over the page, eyebrows raised.

"Good job, Blue!" Ryo grinned.

"Stop calling me that, we're both blue," Takeshiro grumbled. "This spell, Vortex or Lirtef will enclose you and your little mate in a domain just big enough to separate the host and creature. I'm confident this will work if it can only talk in dreams."

"W-what if I fail?" Reiji asked.

"Well, you can't fail," he shrugged. "Dangerous consequences if you let it know your weakness."

D-dangerous? Reiji shifted uncomfortably in her chair. If I can get it to talk, will it? She remembered the appearance of the creature, how beautiful and alive it looked in darkness. That creature could've been a person. Maybe she could reason with it... Takeshiro shook his head.

"I can see that Rei. Crushing on it is an even bigger weakness." Reiji huffed, turning her nose up from him.

"I'm bisexual, not stupid!"

"Well I'm pansexual and absolutely stupid," Ryo smirked. Takeshiro punched him in the arm. "Relax, I'm kidding! She's basically family by omission!"

Reiji stood abruptly, knocking her chair over. "L-let's go, right now!" she declared, marching off toward the woods. Takeshiro sighed, following with the book in hand. Ryo grabbed the pie dish and joined them. "Wait up, the pie's still good, right?!"

.

Takeshiro went on to guide Reiji through the motions of casting the spell. To start, she drew a pentagon circle in the dirt several sticks. She used strands of her hair as appendages. She even copied the unique markings on the rosary jewel to complete the circle. After that, she sat just outside the circle. Takeshiro and Ryouichi watched from the other side of yesterday's boulder. The Beast Soul continued eating the pie.

Reiji rested her hands on her knees, back straight. Not once did she feel that burning anxiety down her back or cold fear in her veins. The quietness in her mind was simply abnormal. She furrowed her brows in concentration.

"Sklit lirtef."

Crimson red light shot out of the ground and into the sky, blending with the crimson sunlight. Dozens of creatures fled the area on foot or flight. Takeshiro and Ryouichi hid from the currents of wind spewing from the red beam. The light gradually brightened, then dimmed, shrinking the beam. Ryouichi perked up, chewing quietly. The light was reduced to only a few feet tall, producing a steady flow of energy around it. Reiji's body was still present, her mind was gone in slumber.

Reiji stood in the sea of darkness and fog, clenching her fists. She inhaled slowly. "HEEEEEEYYYY!" she screamed, rippling through fog. Her echo faded.

"COME BACK! YOU CHOSE ME SO COME AND FACE ME!" she shouted. She looked around. Where is it? She turned around, searching through the abyss. She felt a shiver of something up her spine. She whipped around again, this time met by that same pair of glowing red eyes. Reiji smirked with pride. Yes! It worked!

Suddenly, black vines pulled her to the floor, wrapping tightly around her thighs and arms. Shouted in frustration, struggling to free herself. The striped figure knelt before her, curving its ring and middle fingers inward. Reiji was forced to stand up on her knees, stiff under the entity's control.

"No, p-please release me!" Her confidence completely dropped away as she began to cry. Dangerous consequences if you let it feel your weakness, Takeshiro had warned her.

I'm going to die. It's going to kill me...

She trembled in fear, sobbing uncontrollably. All she wanted was to live in peace, but everything fell apart when it showed up.

"M-Michele, why?" she whimpered. Hands cupped her face, raising her head. Even on its knees, the creature was a head taller. It looked into her teary golden eyes. Reiji inhaled sobs, fearing its next move. But then it leaned its forehead against hers.

Chosen... for me.

Reiji's eyes widened. Her body suddenly... normal. It wasn't freezing or sweltering. Little black vines snaked up her arms and face soaking up her tears.

"I, I was... chosen, for you?" the green haired demon asked in a whisper. The entity said nothing.

"By whom?" Reiji asked after a silent pause.

"... Riki."

Ryouichi rocked himself in a hammock by the water. It was his favorite river, the deepest one that connected some of the streams he owned. Below him, Reiji still sat in a slumber. The dim red light settled around the green haired female for nearly an hour. Ryouichi left the last slice pie next to her, covered in a plate.

Takeshiro practiced something on Reiji as she slept. The holographic mirror was a mess of static. Sometimes it produced a very quiet noise of static television.

Jeez, even Blue has more skill than me, he thought, crossing his arms under his head. Rei is pretty strong, probably. Shugo too...

"Different magic requires didn't growth," Takeshiro called from below.

"Stay outta my head!" the Beast Soul shot back.

The light finally dimmed to nothing. Ryo sat up from his hammock. "She's waking up, finally!"

Reiji's eyes fluttered open, then she squinted from the static noise. "What is that, Blue?"

"Don't call me... forget it," he sighed. "I was attempting to enter the Split Vortex, unsuccessfully."

"Oh, wow, that is quite the challenge," she mumbled, staring off. "Well, it worked for me."

Ryouichi jumped down from the hammock, landing on four bear paws.

"That's the bear from the potion," Reiji said. She stood up, wiping grass and dirt off her bottom.

"I call it Smokey Bear. Pretty cool, right?" he grinned.

"Yeah, it suits you," she smiled back. "So, I talked to it—er, her, I mean. She calls herself Riki."

"It's a person, what a surprise," Takeshiro commented, fixing his glasses. "Did it try to harm you?"

"Um, not exactly," she trailed off. Sure, it restrained her in vines of black hair and scared her half to death. But she didn't die! "I... I panicked a little, a lot," she mumbled at last. "She kept repeating the same thing, that I was chosen for her, by Riki herself. She showed me my fight against those two nightmares, other dreams I had after I got the rosary, and..."

Reiji's vocal energy seemed to die in an instant. "S-she... is a very vengeful creature."

Ryouichi looked at Takeshiro. "Blue, what do you see?"

The telepathic demon took his glasses off, frowning. "That... that wasn't a dream, after all?"

Reiji nodded once, fixing her glasses. She looked down somberly. I... how will I tell the others?

"The dream? Oh, that... Where are the bodies?" Ryo asked. Takeshiro jabbed his elbow into his rib. The Beast Soul didn't even flinch. "I think it's important. You know, in case you get falsely accused if someone else finds them."

Reiji felt a lump in her chest. Dread hovered like a cloud as her body temperature spiraled freezing. She gasped her breath, grabbing her chest. Takeshiro glared daggers at Ryo, then went over to Reiji's side. She instinctively pushed him away, walking back toward Ryouichi's cabin. The blue haired duo followed her.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't think you'd freak out!" Ryo attempted to defend himself. The green haired female wheezed, slumped against a tree. Her hands were shaking. Her cold body became overwhelmingly hot. Reiji eventually kept walking, wings spreading from her Hair Shower. Ryouichi reached out to grab her hand.

"D-don't-" inhale "T-touch me," she croaked. The Beast Soul frowned, glancing at Takeshiro. The green haired demon began to walk faster. Her Hair Shower wings spread wide, flapping until she flew off the ground. Ryouichi lifted Takeshiro over his shoulder, taking off into a sprint.

"Hey, don't carry me like a sack!" Takeshiro protested.

"Call the others, this is more important!"

"Alright, I'm on it!" he replied. He held is middle and index finger to his forehead.

"Telepathic Order: Rapunzel's Incantation!"

Shugo and Ushizumo spent the afternoon at home. Zumi busied herself reorganizing her bedroom army of plush toys. It was a slow process that required hours of focus. Her room was decorated in a pastel theme: plushies galore, princess curtains over the full-size bed, and hand painted flowers all over the walls. Even her blankets were different patterns of quilts sown together and stuffed for extra warmth.

On the other hand, Shugo's room was full of an assortment of band posters collected from far and wide, ranging from MOTHICANA on Earthland to SNOWBLOOD in the Solar System dimension. Cannabis smoke filled his lungs to relieve his mind of stress. He kept his awning window wide open, of course. Zumi had smoked on her own this morning and was locked in plushie mode ever since.

"Come quick, Reiji needs up!"

Shugo jolted up from his star fishing on his bed. What?!

Ushizumo copied Takeshiro's fingers on the forehead with a serious expression. Rei-tara is in trouble?!

I'm not sure, but she isn't okay either. He lied, not wanting to cause a panic in Shugo in particular. But please, follow her if you see her flying near you.

Shugo climbed out of bed, grumbling about the rude disruption to his afternoon high. Zumi met him by the front door, pulling her other boot on. She wore a soft black onesie and a white disposable eyepatch. The boots were also black.

"You look like a sleepover threw up on you," her older brother snickered. Zumi stuck her tongue at him.

"Yeah, well, you smell like skunk beetles!"

"I smell like happiness, Zumi!"

Shugo whooped and hollered as he raced through the door. "Let's kick ass!"

Ryouichi ran after Reiji on his humanoid feet. As they entered the main town area, he hopped over a table where a few demon folk sat. Takeshiro recognized Bisca and little Bianca at the table.

"Send a hello to Zackary!" Takeshiro yelled. The little girl laughed as the Beast Soul hopped over a parked carriage. They passed SHAKE IT UP, Mina's Cafe, and eventually the town hall as well. Ryouichi sniffed the air, then wrinkled his nose in disgust. Cannabis freak...

"Shugo, you made it quick!"

The ginger male nearly shoved him as they ran. "Obviously! Anything for the team," the Jade Dragon slayer grinned. Ushizumo sat on his shoulders, as she was much too slow to keep up on foot.

"Rei-tara! Where're we going?!" she shouted at the green haired female. Reiji gave no answer, beating her wings hard to propel herself forward.

"A possibly burial site," Takeshiro replied to Zumi. He was still slumped over the Beast Soul demon's shoulder. "But whatever you do, don't overreact. Rei might panic."

"Rei-tara panicking? That's almost everyday!" Ushizumo giggled. Shugo scoffed.

"Way less ever since that thing possessed her, Zumi! Give the gal some credit!" he scolded the ginger female. Ryouichi and Shugo slowed down as they entered the woods. Reiji was also slowing down. In fact, she angled her wings to lower herself toward the ground.

Ushizumo grabbed her brother's shirt, tugging. "Shugo, hold on," she said. The Jade Dragon slayer knelt to let her down from his shoulders. Ushizumo furrowed her brows anxiously.

"What's up, Zumi?" he asked.

"Cover my eyes if it's something bad, okay?"

"Of course. You remember that spell Takeshiro learned to mess with your senses? He can still do that," he reassured the ginger female.

"Yes, Hodr-Harpocrates," Takeshiro chimed in. He was still on Ryouichi's shoulder. "I can't use it for the next two weeks, in case you forgot."

"I know, it takes up a lot of magic power," she mumbled, head down. "I-I don't wanna follow Rei-tara. I'm sorry."

Shugo sat on a large tree root. Ushizumo sat next to him. Ryouichi sighed.

"I'll let you know what we find," the Beast Soul said.

Before he made a move to run, a blood curdling scream rippled through the air. Ushizumo immediately covered her ears, whimpering in fear. Shugo also covered her ears on instinct.

"Shit, gotta go!" the Beast Soul demon took off into the woods again. Takeshiro plugged his ear holes, frowning. "Right, still stuck up here," he mumbled.

He soon found Reiji in between a few smooth, dark green trees, sitting on her knees. Her clothes and hair were filthy from the soil. Fists made from Hair Shower still held clumps of mud dug from a hole in front of her. Reiji pulled at fistfuls of her hair as she sobbed.

Ryouichi dropped Takeshiro, the color draining from his face. Takeshiro stumbled to his feet, nearly falling. He fixed his crooked glasses. He didn't have to ask what they saw.

Reiji sat in front a grave several feet deep, dark due to the shade of the trees. Ryouichi looked at Takeshiro apologetically. The Beast Soul approached the hole, peering inside. Three mangled, decomposing bodies peeked just above the dirt. One had no head, reduced to many bits of skull bone. The other two had no eyes, and the bigger of the two was missing its right arm. The demon remains were swarmed by insects and other underground creatures feeding on the putrid flesh.

Ryouichi got down on his knees beside Reiji. She leaned on his shoulder, sitting with her legs tucked to the side. Takeshiro watched her vision pulling away from reality. It was like Aurora's Dream again, tunnel vision a thousand yards away. Nothing else existed except the bodies in the ground. Ryouichi could do nothing but sit with her.

Ushizumo cried in her brother's arms. Just the sound of her best friend's crying filled her with fear. Shugo's ears picked up on rustling nearby. He looked around cautiously.

"Someone's coming," he hissed, standing up. "Who's there?!"

"Split Vortex."

A magic pentagon suddenly activated above Ryouichi and Reiji. The green haired female went limp into Ryouichi's lap. He shook her, unable to wake the sleeping female.

"Reiji? REIJI!" the Beast Soul exclaimed.

Shugo punched a large fist of flames through the trees, burning a couple in the process. Whatever had crept near was gone now. Takeshiro attempted to locate that unseen presence, to no avail.

"Someone casted a vortex," the telepathic demon said. "We need to get out of here, now!" he ordered. Takeshiro began to push soil back into the hole.

"Wait, don't leave me!" Zumi grabbed her brother's shirt.

"We need to get away from her," Shugo repeated. He picked her up on his back this time. "I'm taking Zumi!" he called through the trees.

"That's fine!" Ryouichi replied. He grew his hands larger to those of a lizard feral, covering the hole in a few big scoops of dirt. He picked Reiji up. Oddly enough, the vortex spell circle had vanished, but the green haired female never stirred. Takeshiro climbs on the Beast Soul's back just before he took off again.

.

A certain Mission Secretary watched the group leave the woods in a different direction. Ryouichi carried an unconscious Reiji in his arms, and Takeshiro on his back. Shugo sprinted ahead of Ryouichi. Miratona hovered in place using one of her winged Devil forms. She took her glasses, folding them into her chest pocket.

Master Pruzo, I need to make a report on Reiji Sagara. I suggest you take a seat for this one...

Thanks for reading!

- ML