Painted Prison Chronicles

by Sparity Ikari

When Kamijou Touma and Gokusai sisters reunite after a long while, things certainly go crazy for all of them when they found themselves living together through random twists of fate. In their daily life, Touma, Amazora, Kaibi, and Rikuri will learn about each other, with their light, darkness, and pasts revealed. Among the misfortune, comedy, and romance, their bonds blossom anew!

53. Chapter 53

PAINTED PRISON CHRONICLES

CHAPTER 53

RECOVERY ARC: MIND

Hello everyone. It truly has been a while. It's most unfortunate, the amount of responsibilities I had to undertake significantly delayed the writing process, and I struggled to find time. I was determined to deliver this chapter to you. It was challenge, but it is here. Second part of the Recovery Arc trilogy, focusing on therapeutic mission in regards to Kamijou Touma, undertaken by several girls most apt in psychological skills. It is a very important chapter to me, on a personal level, and in a way, it is my homage to Touma as a character, so I am very glad to be able to give this for your reading experience now.

However, I have an important announcement, and not an easy one for me. I need a bit of a small hiatus. Or maybe hiatus is a strong word, more like a controlled and unwanted break. In the span of next two months, I need to create an investigative project, finish and defend my thesis (which I paused in 1/4 of its length to work on this chapter. I regret nothing) in addition to several other academic essays and exams. I would not feel right if I wrote the next chapter in the atmosphere of stress and fatigue, it would most likely herald a burn out, and my academic responsibilities would suffer. No side would be victorious There is only so much I can plan for with limited time.

So, with a heavy heart, I approximate that I will not be able to give you a new chapter in May and most of June. I think it is safe to assume that it will come in July/end of June though (basically, we shall see how it goes with June). No, I wouldn't be satisfied if it didn't manage to make a new chapter in July. I love working on this story, and I hope you still enjoy reading it. But unfortunately, I have to think realistically, and if I were to plan my work as I normally do, I wouldn't be able to finish long list of works I need to complete, not to mention actually studying for courses and practices connected with them. In short: May and June will be focused mostly on other stuff I need to write outside of fanfiction. One of the most important things about the communication between creator and the readers is transparency in work pace and reliability of uploads, so I didn't want to make you think that something is wrong when there is no new chapter in May, for example

I am pretty frustrated at that, mostly because the current arc is a trilogy, and I am forced to take a bit of a break in its 2/3 of length. But well, it cannot be helped, life aligned in such way. I hope you will be patient enough to give me time to work this trough. It is a work condensation that only happens once every few years or so. And if you do give me a bit of time, Recovery: Soul, with the Chimera and Saten showdown, among other chapters will be just around the corner. As always, I write for you when I can, so if any way the earlier release will be possible, I will do all I can to deliver good work to you. Either way, I will keep you informed and not in the dark.

Putting that aside, once again, I welcome you to once again venture into Painted Prison Chronicles. Despite the break I will be taking to write my academic work, there are still (in my opinion) exciting things ahead in story's planned timeline. This time, we jump into various forms of deep mind of Kamijou Touma. Since this is the therapy concerning various buried or denied traumas, you can bet that in one way or the other, it will be an intense ride for our psychological heroines. Eager to learn in what ways? Read on! And don't miss the bottom text where, as always, I speak of the details of the current chapter, and delineate the future.

Q&A corner:

FingFangFoom: Body was meant to be much more lighthearted in comparison to Mind, and I think that Soul may be something in between. And it was kind of love letter to Itsuwa and Saten. I especially wanted to make Itsuwa scene rather voluminous because she still needs more place in this story. And your assessment is not far off, since the K.I.S.S is basically a team of ideal housewife candidates (even Rin). The guys are the way to show that while I usually enjoy to write girls' interaction with Touma, I won't shy away from Touma spending time with guys. In fact, I have reserved time for Etzali's side story in the future. Sorry for making you wait for the next chapter, for so long, but there you have it. We will begin the Birdway Family Arc in 3 chapters, which may be still a bit in time, but I can't wait for it too, so let's hope it will pass seamlessly.

Mr. X: Those are not the same type of headaches. Can't explain any more before spoiling the future bit of the story.

KHVSFF: There were probably be some more of the reactions in moments to come. There are moments to come for Mugino too, although the nature of them is still in the spoiler territory. And supplementing the story with ITEM lore is good idea. Although revealing of Mugino's family in the novels kind of destroys my theory, I think of retroactively changing the name of Mugino's mother to her canon name, Eika, sister of Sakuya, since this change will not alter the story itself.

Xellos540: I salute you for catching up, happy to have you on board with current chapter and the ones to come in the future. As your review is very voluminous (which I deeply appreciate) I will take the liberty of replying via PM.

ASM764976: Thank for your compliments, your support is greatly appreciated

AverageStuffy: I am glad you liked Itsuwa's moment with Touma. It was a very nice and serene piece of writing from my own perspective.

Without further delay, let's begin!

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"In the cycle of destruction, Wood depletes Earth, Earth obstructs Water, Water extinguishes Fire, Fire melts Metal, Metal cuts through Wood. In the cycle of creation, Wood feeds Fire, Fire produces Earth, Earth bears metal, Metal Collects Water, and Water nourishes Wood. Within body and mind, the five need be in great harmony" - On the relationships of Wuxing

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As the group of girls was making its ways down the path of green forest in the middle of Academy City, nicknamed Sanctuary, Kankyougami Hasako noticed that one of her companions was falling behind.

"Go ahead. Just kept walking forward on this path, I will be with you in just a moment"

She then fell back, and joined the wavy haired girl standing in place, looking back in the direction where Kamijou Touma remained.

"Wannai-san? Whatever is the matter?"

The brown haired ojou-sama jumped slightly, snapping out of her worry.

"O-Oh, Kankyougami-senpai..." she shook her head" i-it's nothing, pardon me for delaying our departure..."

Hasako gently put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's alright. We are in no hurry, and I would never leave someone bothered without listening to them. It is my duty as the senpai to all of you, and my privilege as your friend" she smiled gently as she guided Hydro Hand user downhill, while making sure not to rush her steps" Please, tell me what is troubling you. I was told listening is one of my great strengths, and hopefully it is as such"

"Well... I don't want to be a bother, but..." Wannai lowered her head" I just can't stop thinking about how terrible Touma-san's past experiences were. To think that he went through such awful tribulations in what was ought to be a blissful childhood... it makes my heart ache..."

It could be seen as a surprise that a girl from rich family could understand the fact that Touma was tormented by misfortune since his earliest years.

But a girl known as Wannai Kinuho became subject of nigh-traumatic encounter with some unsavoury individuals shortly after coming to Academy City. Back then, she was saved by Misaka Mikoto but that time made her much more aware about feeling of helplessness in a situation when one was picked on

And also, there was something else, something that many Tokiwadai ladies wrestled with internally in recent times

"We thought that we had problems and issues... we even faced certain adversities in the past..." Wannai clutched the emblem on her uniform, as if suddenly she wanted to tear it away" But when looking at what Kamijou-san went through... we truly appear like a spoiled, entitled children."

Wannai's lip quivered as she shook her head, her wavy locks bouncing slightly as she did so.

"We were living our lives in our pristine halls, with our tea parties, ceremonies, and pompous extravagance... with so many being annoyed at little inconveniences of life, not realizing... or in some cases not wanting to realize... what real life problems looked like. But Kamijou-san made me realize it... during the heat wave, what was a terrifying experience and life changer for many around my school... was just another day for him... how cruel and sad is that?"

"Indeed" Hasako nodded solemnly" It is reality. And yet, I am sure that, while Touma-san would never want anyone to outright pity him, he surely appreciates your concern"

"But that's it..." Wannai pouted lightly, trying her hardest not to cry out of frustration" I do not wish to solely pity him. I do wish to engage in something that would make sure that such things to not happen to him"

"I don't know if that's possible. But... I think we can try to lessen the impact when misfortunes already occur. It's because of this sentiment we are trying our hardest to aid him. Each of us has our reasons. I am certain you do too"

Wannai sighed at that.

"I thought that protecting Kongou-san during Daihaseisai was a step in the right direction... that I could protect others instead of being protected myself"

"Does it bother you that much?" Hasako asked quietly.

"Yes!" Wannai burst out, before realizing how loud she went" My apologies. I meant... indeed, it bothers me. Because both Misaka-san and Kamijou-san saved me in the past... I tried to make an effort to be brave just like them. But when I finally get to meet Kamijou-san face to face, I got flustered and run. Even after I apologized, I hardly did anything to rival his help... he aided me much in the development of my ability, knowing that this was something that was important to me. While I thought I was on the right way, knowing just how much he did without us realizing the pain he surely suffered because of it... it makes me so sad... I just wish to go and be there for him"

"You know..." Hasako said with a small smile" I think Awatsuki-san has similar concerns."

"She does?"

"I believe so, yes. I think she tries to be strong for both you and Kongou-san. But I wouldn't be surprised if she also thought about the things you said... though I suppose her dilemmas would be a bit different. You should talk about this together. Even Misaka-san had some revelation regarding her relationship with Touma-san. Change is sometimes needed, even if we are scared to accept it"

"I... I guess I wasn't as perceptive as I thought. It's true that Awatsuki-san always tried to be a shoulder I could rely on... maybe if she is restless now, we can aid each other better together. I didn't want to be intrusive... but I guess with how much attention Kamijou-san gathered from everyone, it may be a good idea to not isolate oneself with those feelings"

"Yes, I agree with you. And I can only tell you that your time will come" Hasako motioned towards the nearby patch of soil" If you plant too many flowers around one spot, they will wither because of competition for the nutrients. But sometimes, letting them grown in smaller groups can enrich both the soil and the individual plant"

Wannai tilted her head in confusion.

Hasako blinked, staring for a moment, and then blushed.

At times, she added ecological and gardening metaphors almost subconsciously.

"Ekhm... w-what I meant was... that while I am sure that every single one of the people who care about Touma-san want to aid him here and now, instantly... for his sake is better to let each person play their own part, something that will truly make him feel better, instead of trying to tear each other down"

Wannai nodded, acknowledging the words of Beginning Child.

"Kankyougami-senpai, you are so wise. I wish that you would visit Tokiwadai more often. I am sure that many of my friends could benefit from your wisdom"

"I would be delighted" Hasako smiled in modesty" Though I don't think it's anything special. I suppose patience comes to people with age... and the fact that my best friend is a hot-headed wild spirit who can lift a navy aircraft carrier with one motion of her hand could contribute. Now, let's go and leave Touma in the hands of Mitsuari-sama and the rest of our friends. With them taking care of Touma's mental scars, I am sure he will emerge with more peace at heart that ever before. I bet that they already cooperating flawlessly"

(MEANWHILE)

"I am sure they will come around... Kumokawa-san probably can't stand Shokuhou being an active mental diver here" Ayu muttered, as Touma watched Misaki and Seria speaking in raised voices on the side.

"Good grief. I thought we were past this already" Kaibi shook her head" Just be a little more patient, okay?"

"Look, I have little to no idea what is going to happen" Touma shrugged" And it's almost refreshing to see them bickering like that. It's cute in some way"

"Yeah, in a cold war-style way" Ayu deadpanned.

Meanwhile, Nephthys sighed and cleared her throat.

"Now, with me having all the time in the world, this might sound odd coming, but I think we all should get into the matter of substance... our proper endeavour. Don't you think?"

Misaki and Seria looked at Touma.

"Oh, we got carried away again. We just wanted to clarify few things before we start" Misaki explained

"Yes, I think we came to arrangement that satisfies every party and will allow us to do our utmost" Seria added.

Looking at how she lightly inclined her head in nodding, Touma said quietly

"Is it just me or is senpai afraid of Nephthys?"

Ayu and Kaibi exchanged looks.

"I don't think being afraid is right description" Ayu mused" It's more of a..."

"Fascination, sprinkled with extra caution" Kaibi finished" Panoramic Forehead has a love-hate relationship with the things she doesn't understand. She doesn't charge at them, and tries to ignore them, but she is naturally controlling and curious, so it irks her. Well... let's just say that she had some doubts about Nephthys-san and was given the opportunity of a lifetime."

(DAY BEFORE...)

"So, everything is settled. Does everyone has the clearness ability of what will happen tomorrow?" asked Misaki, looking around.

She sighed, noticing hand of Nephthys. The brown skinned woman held it high, as if she was in school... which admittedly, due to the amount of times she spent with Touma in her transfer student disguise, made it at least slightly more natural.

"Yes?"

"Well, I for one think there is still some doubts to dispel" Nephthys turned to Seria" You don't believe that I should be here, don't you?"

"How did you come to that conclusion? Did you read my mind?" the raven haired girl said sarcastically.

Well, it would be only sarcasm, if not spoken in the presence of the quartet of strongest mental espers in the city. Kaibi hid a smile behind the hand, as Nephthys shook her head.

"I didn't have to, you have it written all over your face. You are probably thinking..."

This time, Kaibi could not fully stop small chuckle at Seria's face when Nephthys suddenly spoke with her voice.

"What is that bewitching crybaby going to do? She spewed some mysteriously sounding nonsense, but can she really bring anything of worth."

"Okay... first of all, don't do that please" Seria shook her head and cleared her throat" Secondly... I admit, I might have heard that you want to help us navigate through a pretty specific memories, but aside what you want... there is a question of skill. All of us have complex knowledge and ability when it comes to calculating and controlling various phenomena related to human psyche. Can you say with certainty that your mind is able to be on par with our own?"

Kaibi could not discern whether Kumokawa Seria was protective of Touma, or if she had any specific reason to be mistrustful (or maybe jealous) of Nephthys. For all she knew, the genius girl did not trust thing she did not understand. And Measure Heart had to admit, if Nephthys was anything, she was very hard to comprehend in a logical fashion that was Seria's specialty... if she could be comprehended at all.

"Oh, a challenge." the goddess clapped her hands" I think I am going to cry from excitement... so what to do? What to do... I doubt that your bodily integrity would appreciate me actually crying... and there is no need to do anything needless... but since you had specifically wondered about my mental capacity, I think I can show you just a little glimpse. Hold tight."

She reached forward towards Seria's ample forehead.

"Hey, what are you..."

Sparks flew between the fingertips and exposed skin and then Kumokawa was suddenly somewhere else...

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Or maybe it was more appropriate to say that she was nowhere, since there was black void around her. With nothing, absolutely nothing... except Nephthys, floating within this abyss.

"Hmm... oh, fine. I will just make one more. Of course, they will notice and change it right away. But I have a nice vision. Let me think..."

She took a deep breath and then put her hands together, before opening her arms and making few gestures with them.

And then...

One single thought sparked the existence. Nothing became something with a mere idea.

That something started to grow and differentiate exponentially, branching and unravelling, as the goddess spread her arms, and dust floated around...

Except it was not dust. Those were the stars.

The sense of scale became screwed as direction suddenly came to be and thousands of galaxies started to burn, coming to being in the bursts of light, as starts gathered and filled the void.

In one instant, everything started to become real.

There was one thought that commanded things to simply be.

But this thought went over the story of each and every atom, past, present, future of every object and being within creation, it devised laws and lit up stars, stretched out space and filled it with everything there was. It expanded like an endless cloth of countless possibilities, as the goddess simply thought... and dreamed while awake. And the very idea transformed reality, the limits of mental and material transcending common sense.

The universe was filling up with life, as myriads of worlds came to be from a simple thought, which spanned over eons of history, wars, conflicts, loves, betrayals, annihilation, creation, love, and destruction. It accounted for every grain of sand, every blade of grass, every interaction of everything within everything. The connections reached beyond comprehension, forming harmony beyond anything human mind could marvel at.

The world was nothing... and it was everything.

It was All... and it was One.

Nephthys was here... and from the depths of her creation, she was everywhere.

The reality was countless stories, infinity locked within eternity... yet all was one in the mind of the goddess.

Each story was endless... each story was ephemeral and short... but needed.

All life, and death, and truth, and being came from one single command, unravelling endlessly, branching out, splitting into infinity, with every story ever told being told before it was ever written, being formed with already measured beginning and end... endless... reaching beyond existence, transcending the concept of cognition and sanity, becoming-"

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GAH!

Pale and panting Seria staggered back. Taking deep breaths, she put a hand to her head, covered in cold sweat.

"Hah... hah... w-what..."

"What did you show her?" Ayu asked in shock.

It was unheard... and unseen of stoic, collected, and composed Kumokawa Seria to be rendered, even temporarily, into such a ragged mess by simple memory showcase.

And not only her as Misaki, driven by curiosity, pointed her remote at her nemesis and pressed the button. The older Kumokawa would normally used her finesse in psychological knowledge to deny such attempt, but it seemed she was too shocked to do it.

And a moment later, Misaki paled and almost fell to the ground.

"My... my head..." she winced, clutching it with her hands" It feels like it will burn... my whole mind is burning"

"Well, that wouldn't be far off from the truth" Nephthys remarked" Your abilities, as you called them, work on humans. I am not human, wasn't born one for that matter. I tailored this sample to be just enough for your brains to retain. Any more and your cells would self-combust. It would be a rather instantenous death, but I doubt anyone would appreciate that here"

"What was that..." Seria, getting shakily on her feet" What did you actually show us?"

"Myself. Or rather, my phase manipulation and creation that comes with it" Nephthys said, her filling with tears once again" Quite an emotional moment, to share it with someone. I did so that you could have confidence in my ability. My mental capacity is not bad after all, isn't it?"

"This... doesn't even begin to describe it" Misaki whispered incredulously" This is... absurd ability on highest level"

"What exactly did you see?" Kaibi inquired.

"A... thought. A finite thought commanding existence of the entire universe. Singular thought which was endlessly expanding, going forever with limited time of a couple seconds. A thought that encompassed laws, matter, logic, life, death, space, time, and every single being in the world, its present, past, and future" Seria answered.

Her eyes still shone with inner strength, though face was noticeably paler.

"Is that true?" Ayu looked at Nephthys with wide eyes" Can you really..."

"Thoughts of Magic Gods encompass endless possibilities and within them time is relative." the goddess nodded" What appears as second to you, contains myriads of modifications to nature of the world. I mean no shame to you, but if we were to compare, you are weaker. But that's why you are so incredible in my eyes"

"Huh?"

"For me, such things come with ease. But you, in your futility of mortal life, are extraordinary. Your limitations give you meaning. I laid foundations of planets, light up the stars and put them in motion, heard them singing in joy. I crafted dimensions of space, spread my arms over abyss beyond reality, reached into depths of ocean and stretched the sky above the world, weaved darkness and light in my hands, brought dawns and dusks, commanded life and death. You are all so exponentially weaker than me. And yet... and yet..."

Tears rolled down her face, as Nephthys smiled.

"Despite all you can't do, despite the fact that death awaits you, you push forward with this beautiful feeling you call love... all for one person... or ideal... or purpose... it's most beautiful and tear-inducing thing I ever saw"

"Your mind... how are you able to think? I never heard thoughts like that... it's like a choir. Almost simultaneous, but still distinct. It would drive most people mad"

"Oh, you are not mistaken. I think like that, for I am formed from many. At the beginning, shortly after I came to being, it was challenging. But one learns to love it"

"You are saying all that when..." Kumokawa spoke in wonder"...from what I saw... you can do anything you can think of. How can anyone hold that much power?""

"Almost anything I can think of" Nephthys clarified and wiped tears from her cheeks. She seemed to enjoy the attention" Even I have some limits. For example, to build something, I ought to have some understanding of how it works. And to destroy something specific, not the entire cosmos, it is preferred to know this thing's location. But my learning capacity is limitless, so this is not that much of an issue. Yet, as you see, it is not perfect"

Shokuhou and Kumokawa made doubtful faces.

After all, this was still someone who could destroy, create, or modify fundamental laws of reality, who controlled properties of spacetime and all beings within it, who could manipulate matter and energy, who held control over life and death, who was able to redirect, undo, or separate cause and effect, deny or overturn probability and logic, create almost anything, while also, as a side effect, erasing almost anything she chose.

A simple snap of the fingers could ignite a star separated by vast reaches of both space and time.

A cause of existence could be turned into cause of nonexistence in an instant, erasing anything just as easily as breathing.

Mental prowess behind any of those tasks, even if they were beyond any logic they knew, had to be monstrous, properly inhuman.

In no world could they compare to that.

And yet... it appeared that even that even someone like this peculiar woman was fascinated in things that she could not attain.

"Isn't it obvious?" Nephthys put her hand forward" For the life of me, I couldn't understand true love... true passion... true struggle to gain meaning of life. You girls, despite so many obstacles and isolation caused by the fact that you had the access to hearts and minds of others... despite all that loneliness... you came into that understanding. I envy that and I am eager to you. And all of that aside, I have a personal issue with some parts of the memories will be working on, I wanted to be the specific one involved."

She looked at Kumokawa Seria, who stood her ground, despite paling significantly.

"You know what, I think I like you. Even after taking all of that into your head, you still look me straight into the eye. Like I said, you have a pride and resolve befitting a true goddess. Maybe I should make you immortal? Some of us could enjoy company..."

"Ekhm, maybe..." Ayu stepped from one foot to the other" Let's try to go back to our main topic?"

Nephthys sighed. With a shimmer of light, she stood

"Oh, alright. So, can we truly work as a team now? I hope that in this form I will be a little less overwhelming to all of you"

The rest of the girls looked at her extended hand, then at each other.

As always when magic side came into play, they did have questions. Lots and lots of questions.

But for this endeavour specifically, for helping Kamijou Touma in his mental recovery... the four mental specialists acknowledged that Nephthys was skilled and, as far as Kumokawa and Shokuhou could tell from the sense of emotions put into the background of memories, genuinely interested in Touma.

That was good in their book.

Four hands found themselves on top of extended hand of Nephthys

"Alright, let's do this"

(BACK IN THE PRESENT)

Misaki nodded to Nephthys

"Alright, shall we proceed?"

Touma was suddenly swept from his feet by a couch, falling on his back as it skidded through the meadow and stopped in the middle of it.

The girls walked to the sides and took the seats, two on each side.

"Touma" Ayu said as the boy looked around in confusion" Listen to me. We will explain what we intend to do now."

"We will try to retain briefness ability because it is better to act on it and then details will become much clearer"

"Well, in short, we will attempt to access your psyche, your inner mental self. We... that is, me and Shokuhou, will bypass your right hand's protection... is it secured, Gokusai-san?"

"I am on it" Kaibi replied, gently binding Touma's right hand to the structure of the coach.

She looked at Touma

"Is it alright? Not too tight?"

"No, it's fine..."

"Sorry, it's just a precaution for all of the operation to go smoothly. Well..." Measure Heart leaned to Touma's ear" if it becomes sore, I can give it a feel better kiss... in the exact location of the pain or maybe elsewhere..."

"AS I WAS SAYING" Ayu glared at Kaibi, stopping further teasing in its tracks" Me and Shokuhou-san are going head-first into your mind. Let's call it mental-diving. Meanwhile, Gokusai-san and Kumokawa-san will keep your agitation in check, keep you open to mental exploration through the usage of Measure Heart, and guide us when we are there"

Nephthys appeared to smirk at that plan. It was pretty obvious she had something else in mind.

"Alright, but... I don't know how can I relax with senpai in that outfit?"

Seria innocently inspected her exposing clothes, working glasses and tied hair.

"Whatever is wrong with them?"

"You don't even need glasses. You were them to look more clever" Misaki pointed out.

"I do not!" Seria protested" This outfit is simply for my comfort, as I want to not be disturbed by anything that can lessen the effectiveness of my service. Besides that rather rude accusation, it is not like you will be in a state to truly admire it... unless you want to, at which case you are very welcome"

Touma looked around

"Should I really relax here?" he asked in hesitation, trying very hard to not look at Seria's clothes.

"Well, you have to forgive us" Kaibi chuckled lightly" I suppose we are very excited to have a moment with you... but I assure you, we will not let our personal desires prevent us from helping you"

"If anything" Ayu nodded in agreement" I would say that all of the rivalries we have make for pretty good system of checks and balances"

"You bet they do" Shokuhou and Kumokawa said at the same time, before looking at each other and crossing their arms.

"Alright... so I will be conscious?"

"Mostly. Your consciousness will be less active than normal, but you will still be awake, in a sense"

"And Nephthys?"

"Oh, don't worry about me. You will understand as we go" the egyptian beauty waved her hand reassuringly.

"Okay... if you say so"

"Now, let's begin"

Kaibi gently moved Touma's face to face her own.

"I am going to make your emotional decrease in regards to both myself and Kumokawa-san." her eyes flashed in that characteristic magenta pink hue that Touma saw countless times before" This is very taxing but I am sure I have enough determination to pull it off"

"So you can be better at... guiding?" Touma said, feeling Measure Heart already taking effect.

"Exactly. Now, focus on my voice and hands..." Seria gently started to make swaying motions in front of Touma's face using palms of her hands. Her eyes seemed like a mesmerizing, focused spheres of amber" You are to listen to me carefully... I am all that you see, all that you realize... my voice is all that matters..."

Just in case of unaccounted interference, the team relied on Kumokawa Seria's expert manipulation and hypnotic techniques which did not rely on the supernatural, only pure skill.

The effect was aided by Kaibi's influence. Touma did not even realize when his alertness drifted away. The last thing he heard before he was put into blissful state of something between waking and sleeping was double 'BEEP' coming from a remote and phone.

I. WOOD

Shokuhou Misaki and Mitsuari Ayu jumped forth into the unknown, into the representation of the psyche of the boy they held dear, leaving behind their bodies and venturing forth as projections of their own mental selves.

The plan was both simple on one side and complex on the other. Two of them were to encounter and help Touma with troubles they would encounter in his mind, while their comrades outside would allow them to do that in a controlled manner.

Kaibi and Seria helped Touma stay relaxed and influenced direction in which the mental journey by asking questions or providing commentary that would steer his psyche into things that were most crucial for the recovery team to encounter.

Additionally, through the sophisticated usage of their mental abilities, the girls were linked together, so even when Kaibi and Seria physically spoke to Touma in the outside world, Misaki and Ayu could still feel their instructions in their thoughts and answer them

"What exactly are we supposed to be looking for?" Ayu asked, looking around" I know all the theory, but there is nothing here."

Misaki was none the wiser. She also never engage in this sort of mental ability, usually being content with simply reading thoughts, issuing commands, or rewriting details of the psyche without ever needing to directly interact with it in the inward manner.

'Give it a moment' they heard Kumokawa's voice' The inner representation of the space in which thoughts and memories take shape in your minds' eye, that is, where they are presented in phenomenological display as representations, it's not an exact place. You usually don't need to imagine space in which you display your imagination or memory as a particular space. But it will manifest and we will go forth from there'

'I would assume' Kaibi added' that it should take form of a familiar or even dear place to Touma.'

At that note, the girls' imaginations ran wild, trying to figure out what form would the space around them take.

'Oh, I bet you would have a fabulous surprise' came a short comment from Nephthys

"Should we have some worry ability about that tone?" Misaki wondered.

But they were about to find out.

A point of light ignited in the dark space. It expanded before consuming both of them.

Once the light receded, Misaki and Ayu waited for their vision to return.

As stated before, they were pretty excited. What form would their surrounding take?

Finally, they saw it... and...

The echoing electronic chime sounded as they found themselves in the entrance to the mini-market

"What?" Ayu asked quietly.

Misaki was equally flabbergasted.

"Huh... how filled with... mundane ability..." she then smiled and giggled" But then I suppose that it is not surprising all that much when it comes to my prince"

After all, Kamijou Touma highly valued his peaceful, normal life, and never asked for any of the crazy adventures his misfortune brought him onto. Was it really so strange that his mind would form a space that was as bland and day-to-day as it could be?

"So... it is kind of embarrassing, given that we are the pinnacle of the City's psychological abilities, but what now?" Ayu wondered.

They stepped through aisles of the market. Misaki curiously inspected the labels and products.

It was so different than what she usually saw in the ships around School Garden. As much as she adored her prince, Shokuhou Misaki deeply cared for composition of her food and her foot would not stand in such market, unless Touma really wanted it.

With Mitsuari Ayu, the situation was remarkably similar. Two ladies in a mini market were like pink flamingos in the coal mine. Ayu remembered how ignorant she was when it came to basic culinary frivolities such as hamburgers back when she first met Touma. Even now, her behaviour and ignorance was making her cheeks burn.

Yet, either way...

"Kumokawa-senpai, do you have any suggestions?"

'I would say that there should be some pattern here. Some kind of cipher, something that would unlock the pathway to the memory'

"Alright, but even if we were to access any of the memories, how would we know which memory would we need?"

"I think it is safe to say that my dear human knows his mind best. We are to guide him in this mental recovery" Nephthys voice resounded within their heads.

"Please stop hijacking this mental transmission..." Kumokawa muttered in exasperated tone.

Nephthys, of course, ignored the jab.

"All I am saying is that it might be better to think in a more intuitive manner"

"Intuitive?"

"I agree" Kaibi added" This is Touma we are talking about. He is earnest and often to the point. I would suggest... looking around and following your heart"

"Really? That's our solution?" Seria sighed" Well, I suppose it does make sense, but still... I suppose the word Heart is not in the name of your ability for nothing"

"Very funny. I mean it. Try to concentrate and maybe you will be able to find something that would be the solution"

Thus, Misaki and Ayu split up.

Mental Out walked across the aisles few times, looking around. But after a moment, she began to realize that she felt pretty helpless without clear objective.

The idea that she was on the same page as Kumokawa Seria regarding the course of action made her almost gag. But there were more important matters than to lament and otherwise waste time. Her prince came first and foremost before anything else.

Something moved on the edge of her vision, just around the corner of the aisle. Misaki whipped around, but all she saw the flash of fiery redness. And then it was gone...

But before she could go to investigate, Ayu shouted to her, breaking her focus.

"Hey. I think I got it!"

She turned out to Ayu, who gestured at the shelves.

"What if it has something to do with Touma's eggs"

Misaki opened her mouth, staring blankly at the burgundy haired girl.

"Are you wishing really hard right now?" Kumokawa Seria broke the silence.

"Ah... no, I meant... look at those shelves. There are eggs everywhere. I think they are a clue..."

"Well, now that you mention it" Misaki brushed her golden locks, looking around" There is a surprise ability in the number of eggs around"

"That's Touma's mind alright. He loves his eggs" Kaibi mused with a mirth in her voice" He always says that eggs are crucial source of protein and should always be supplied to the growing organisms. Plus they tend to be relatively affordable. Amazora simply adores all the egg dishes he can make..."

"Hold on" Misaki cut the sentence off, and crushed down enormous surge of jealousy from hearing such confessions about Kaibi's domestic bliss.

Maybe she should really put something in motion once they were back to also get Touma to live with her for some time? It wasn't off her ability...

"Hold on" she said nevertheless" Are you saying that those eggs are some sort of... key?"

"This is actually not so superficial" Nephthys spoke more to herself than the other girls" Eggs can be a symbol of origin... the chicken or the egg is not without deeper significance"

"Deeper meaning, she says... I think I am going to have headache... why it make this conversation is decreasing my intelligence" Seria grumbled" Alright, the eggs are the sign... if it's a sign, how do we follow?"

"Maybe Touma already knows, without realizing it. If that is the case, then..."

Ayu took one egg out of the box and stared at it intently.

"Perhaps... to begin, one needs opening..."

She gently put pressure on the shell... and then it broke.

The sound reverberated alongside the space, which folded in on itself. As Ayu separated to halves, the market tore in the middle of the split egg.

It was one of the most bizarre sensations. It was momentary, but it felt as if the world imploded into the space between the parts of the split egg and then exploded around them, forming completely new scenery.

Two telepaths wobbled on their feet, as the found themselves on a street. It wasn't street in Academy City, it looked too different from its normal aesthetic

"Alright, that was something" Ayu shook her head" Wow..."

"Alright, my dear kouhai, now think about your innermost troubles and worries. We are here for a reason. Show us, so we can understand"

"Senpai... everyone..."

Touma' calm, almost ethereal voice came from... not really from their heads. It was both in their heads but also in every part of environment around them. It was similarly to the auditory hallucinations experienced by the people suffering through schizophrenia, where the voice could come from body part.

This was Touma's psyche. He was all around them. And now, they could feel the world itself freezing slightly, the boy's uncertainty reflecting in it.

"Please... " Kaibi whispered the plea, her voice kind yet firm in the minds of Misaki and Ayu" I know you are not eager to drag us into problems. You stood alone for so very long. But we choose to do our best and help you. You won't move forward, won't save those you want to save, if you are still in need of salvation."

"Even if you won't admit it, we are still going to stand here for you. Allow us for a little selfishness in pursing our desire to aid you with our abilities. Show us... please"

"I think... it's here already..." Ayu pointed to street above" Look!"

There was a boy, maybe the age of 5, walking down the street, wearing a small backpack. He held his head high but there was certain cautiousness, very well hidden, but still apparent, in his steps.

His hair wasn't as spiked up as in time they knew him, but similarity was still unmistakable.

"Is that... who am I kidding, of course it is..." Kumokawa said with a bated breath.

"Such adorableness ability" Misaki put hands over her mouth, fidgeting slightly" My prince was so precious"

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"Dear gods, stop crying, I think I lost hearing for a moment"

"I know" Nephthys sniffed and tried to compose herself" but you are right, he was a truly precious child"

"I agree, but I don't think everyone shares this sentiment" Kaibi pointed out" Look around us. Do any of you... feel this?"

Initially, the others did not register what she had in mind, due to the distraction that was a small and cute Kamijou Touma. If Musujime Awaki was here, she would probably die from lethal nosebleed episode.

Well, not that Kaibi blamed them. She was naturally attuned to sensing emotions and atmosphere between people, it was her talent. But she too was gushing over her love's younger self, even if years of tsundere behaviour made it more internalized.

But with time, everyone realized that little Touma was being watched. The people from the windows by the street, parents with children, who were also going to school, men and women, young and old alike.

Everyone was busy but stopped in their tracks and watched the small boy walk past them.

They watched him in a way that would make absolutely anyone uneasy and covered in cold sweat.

Those weren't eyes of people looking at a child.

Those were the eyes of people looking at some sort of abomination. As if there was a glitch in the structure of reality in form of a child and the mere sight of that small boy came with venomous revulsion

"Hmm... you can cut the tension with a knife" Seria remarked quietly, as she and Kaibi viewed the world through Misaki and Ayu's senses.

Misaki shivered.

Those eyes... this was hitting her a bit close to home for her.

Some time ago, before Hasekura Reiri gave her inspiration to start her own clique, and before summer spent with Kamijou Touma opened and changed her heart in the ways she would never believe, she was incredibly lonely.

Besides Junko, who stuck by her side ever since they bonded during their time in the IDEAL facility, people mistrusted her deeply and while people in her vicinity, were a lot more subtle, but this cold mistrust due to her mental control was not unlike one she was seeing right now, directed towards Touma.

But staring was not the worst thing that they were about to see.

SPLAT!

Misaki looked incredulously, as the tomato dripped from the side of the boy's face.

"Who... Who threw that?"

Bone-chilling tone of Kumokawa Seria's voice suggested that she was absolutely livid.

Misaki looked around, but she could not identify the source of the throw.

But the next ones were not so subtle.

It was mainly trash, but someone was 'creative enough' to throw eggs and spoiled fruit too.

Many missed but few hit the boy. He did nothing, save from wiping the yolk and juice from his face

"Oh my..." Ayu tried to speak, but failed.

The clouds sped up, the night came, and then the next morning.

And the march amongst hatred repeated itself.

This time, they could hear the whispered words as well

"What is he doing here?"

"I saw him by the playground yesterday... the fact that he dares to show up there after the accident few days ago... my son was concussed..."

"Little demon... he dares to show his face..."

"Go make someone else's life miserable..."

Kamijou Touma did not say a word, he simply walked faster and his small hands tightened their grip on the straps of the backpack.

The scene shifted into the inside of the classroom.

The girls on the side watched as Touma took out his supplies from under the desk.

They were destroyed and torn, not to mentioned vandalized with a permanent marker.

Touma only sighed and opened the book.

As he sat down with the circle alongside other kids, Touma winced and rose up, looking down

The metal pin was laying there, and it pricked him as he was taking his place.

A group of girls snickered behind him, and the boys right next to Touma exchanged a knowing look.

Touma smiled. In fact, he was smiling lightly all the time.

However, the smile definitely was not reaching his eyes. Those dark eyes were sad, befitting someone who already lived for decades instead for only five short years.

The countless scrutinizing gazes didn't leave him, as the teacher entered the room.

"Hello students-"

She slipped and fell, tumbling to the floor.

Touma got onto his feet and ran forward to the groaning woman.

"Are you ok-"

His hand was slapped away.

"Stay back!"

Touma stopped, uncertainty in his eyes.

The teacher than realized how she reacted and put on a forced smile, shaking her head.

"E-Everything is excellent. Kamijou-kun, you can go back to your spot. It... surely was just a wet floor. Everyone, today we will practice reading and writing..."

As Touma sat down, one of the boys sitting next to him whispered

"Good job on infecting sensei, freak"

"I am not sick" Touma replied quietly.

"Right. You even went there to see if your accident worked" the vicious remark came back.

"It wasn't my fault... and I only wanted to help..."

"Haven't you got enough of making bad things happen to us?

Misaki and Ayu, with Seria, Kaibi, and Nephthys in tow, watched couple of short scenes with feeling of uneasy queasiness.

The misfortunes kept happening to those around the boy. A blackboard fell on the group of the students. One of the microwaves in the cafeteria exploded. On P.E class, the ball smashed into the face of one of the obviously popular girls, causing her to cry in anguish.

Spilled coffee. Tumble to the floor. Being crushed by falling posters, blackboards, or even tiles from the roof.

Said or not, it was bluntly obvious that it was all pinned on one small boy.

The mental rescuers were profoundly disturbed.

"Why are everyone blaming all those things on him?" Misaki choked out.

"Such is the burden of those carrying the power of Imagine Breaker" Nephthys stated wistfully.

She then went on, explaining

"They are born into misfortune, and all of the blessings of the world are turning away from them simply because they exist. Because they need to be stripped bare from all beyond what originates from physical world in order to become the foundation of the structure of the universe and guiding light for the magicians who would stray further from this world and knew not the way to return to how things were before..."

"I heard that he suffered while he was this age, but I never actually realized... never realized how awful..."

They watched as Touma made his way back home. At least he was attempting to go home before being cornered by three boys, all much larger than him.

"What's going on?" they heard little Touma ask.

"Remember that accident on the swings few days ago? My sister had to go to hospital because you cursed her, you freak" one of the boys shouted.

"No, I wasn't-"

"Shut up!" the boy struck him down.

All the watching girls screamed in anguish, fury, and helpless defiance.

It would be fruitless to get angry. It would be no more effective than fighting a cloud of smoke.

And yet heart knew what it knew.

Especially when Kamijou Touma got up, only to be knocked down again. And again. And again.

It wasn't the boy they knew. He wasn't yet well versed in subconsciously fighting and evading opponents. He had no knowledge that he could negate any and all supernatural powers. Right now, he was just a boy plagued with bad luck. A boy who wanted good but kept being branded as the ultimate evil.

And yet... this boy kept getting up, again, and again, and again.

"I need to go home..." they heard him say" My mom and dad will worry if I won't-"

"Look..." they heard Seria's voice" That had to be their mothers"

And indeed, not so far away, they noticed the group of woman observing the events unfolding.

"They led them to him. Those XXXXXX are encouraging this!"

Ayu flinched. It was so strange to hear Kumokawa Seria becoming so angry that she lost control of her usually sophisticated language. Well, she was only one of the four very anguished young women and one goddess. Their hearts sank extra low when they saw that all three boys started punching and kicking Touma, who, even though valiantly shielding himself, became overpowered.

"Someone..." Misaki said through uncharacteristically clenched teeth" Someone... help him"

"What is going on?!"

The voice was dignified yet sharp, and it carried through the street with a whiplash effect.

Girls recognized the woman who came into the view. She wore elegant clothing and hat, shading her long brown hair. Her eyes were dark, yet fire seemed to be blazing in them.

"Get away from my son at once!" she commanded, approaching the boys and Touma

"Kamijou-san" the women watching came to her" Wonderful. Can you please tell your son to go home?"

Kamijou Shiina raised an eyebrow.

"Pardon? My son is ought to be blamed here? Can I take your boys wanted to encouraged the public safety by beating my son, who did absolutely nothing in way of actual action, black and blue? Oh, how noble of them. If only there was any logic in that, please enlighten me what is it!"

"W-Well, if he walks by the main street, he will likely cause another traffic accident. The last one was problematic enough"

Shiina tilted her head and put a hand to her chest in delicate motion.

"I am going to pretend I didn't hear that. I am a lady, so I am going to give you a moment to reflect on what you just said and grind your mind on what you should do now. I suggest to think as much as you can, very careffully"

"As I..."

The icy glare intensified.

"...said..."

As Shiina stood, unmoving and focused, the other woman and her friends backed away.

"I-It's getting late... e-everyone, let's go home..."

"I thought so" Shiina huffed, before turning around" I would wish you all a pleasant evening, but we both know that neither side truly desires that for the other. Touma-san, come with me"

Only when they were far away, Shiina's face became worried.

It was the same face they saw on Touma when he was worried about people he saved.

"Touma-san, I will bandage you as soon as we get home"

"Mhm"

"Why..." Shiina asked slowly, before sighing, and speaking in a louder manner" Why didn't you fight back? It's not like I applaud any violence, but in this case, self-defense would be completely justified"

Touma walked in silence for a while, before saying

"They wanted me to do that. To hit them. But I am not a monster. I am not a monster, so I don't want them to think I am one"

"Oh, Touma-san..."

As the scene shifted and changed, Kaibi asked.

"There is something that is bothering me for a while... if this is Touma's mind and he got nearly 16 years of his life erased from his memory... how come can we see such things?"

"I think I know the answer to that." Misaki answered" I suppose that this is not the proper memory. Some things, some events... have the trauma ability to remain in various forms, not only in the format of episodic memory... body remembers things, for one thing, on much deeper level than the conscious memory. So my guess ability is that my prince, using his awareness that something like this befallen him before and hearing about the details from others, conjured up a scenario of what is weighing on his mind as best as he can..."

"So... this didn't actually happen?"

"Maybe not with those exact details. But general nature of those events and the feelings behind them are 100 percent real."

The scenes before them gained clarity again, and they looked the man standing behind the luxurious looking desk, in the decorative office sporting various diplomas and portraits.

"Kamijou-san, please calm down" said the elderly woman, a principal according to the plate on the desk.

'Kamijou?'

The girls didn't really meet Touma's father before, and watched him with great curiosity.

Well, most of them did. Misaki's eyes widened and her heartbeat sped up. Suddenly, Mental Out felt like dying on the inside due to the abrupt realization.

'He looks just like the man I controlled to give myself and Misaka-san a ride to Exterior during Daihaseisai... oh my stars, if it was him...

"How can I be calm?" Kamijou Touya shouted, raising his hand into the air" Innocent child is being tormented and you are doing absolutely nothing about it. More so-"

"Kamijou-san, are you familiar with Mill's Canon?"

"What?"

"It's the logical principle which says that if there is a series of incidents in all of which but one something occurs, then it must mean that something was either added or taken from the overall picture to make it so. I am not saying that actions of your son's... colleagues, are justified. But it is somewhat strange that in every single instance in which there is a dangerous, even life-threatening incident around my students, your son is nearby. And when he is in some way indisposed, we have peaceful, quiet environment"

"Are you saying my son is to blame?" Touya clenched his fist" I can't believe this! Touma is a good, honest kid. He is kind and would never hurt anyone deliberately. Sure, he can be a bit reckless and he tends to get in trouble... but he never wants to start it!"

"So you admit there is some trouble going on around? While I believe that Touma is a good kid, deep down, I need to think about the good of other students. How many hospitalizations, explosions, and malfunctions we have to go through?"

"There is no way that you are actually thinking that a 6 year old child would be responsible for all of this! This is pure superstition! There is no basis for subjecting Touma to all of this!"

When the principal didn't reply, Touya closed his eyes and spoke once more

"I see that there is no convincing anyone around here. Especially since you allowed my son to be taken by that... excuses of people who wanted to make him into a freak show celebrity star. A show that is deliberately making people to be cruel to a boy who did nothing wrong, who has more heart than many adults I know! I am not saying this as his father, I am saying this as a human being who wants to be at least a bit decent. They just took him... as I said, right from under your nose!"

"He was outside of school grounds, there was no reason for-"

"Outside the gate, in plain view! You know someone here could have done something. I know it, you know it, so please... let's stop pretending, shall we?"

The scene shifted into the Touma standing on the bus stop, with only one another person standing under the roof, as rain hit the metal.

"Just my luck to miss the bus" the boy said, trying to dry himself off" Well, not like they would wait for me... they are probably happy that they went back home without me"

As they watched, the girls knew something was off, even if they couldn't pinpoint what it was.

"I... really don't like this" Ayu said, clutching her hands to her chest.

Meanwhile, Touma shifted his weight from one foot to another, while the man on the other edge of the bus stop observed the rain. He appeared like a office worker, thin, and with slight bags under his eyes.

"Excuse me" the man spoke, appearing bored and disinterested, as he watched the rain" I didn't take my glasses, I swear I will lose my head one day. Can you please check the time when the next bus will arrive?"

Touma looked up, shrugged and turned to the timetable.

"Sure. The next bus should be here in-"

The girls could not piece together what happened next. It happened normally, but it still appeared eerily slow.

Touma probably thought that there was no harm in looking away just for a moment. There were still people around, albeit rather far. He did have his fair share of bad luck experience. But he could not predict or see the glint of light in the man's hand. Nor anticipate the raising of the arm behind his back.

It was only when his body jolted slightly that the horror settled in.

The combination of truly broken screams exploded from the girl's throats, when the man slashed, the crescent of red marking the air, as the boy stumbled forward, and fell on one knee.

'His scar... that must be the time he got it' Kaibi thought in fright.

"That's right... you little demon! As if I wanted any help from you!" the man shouted, his disinterested mask falling off and showcasing a frantic, crazy expression. Knife glistened in his hand as he leaned over the fallen boy" You took her away from me... if you just stayed away, we would be happy... so now, you will-"

Touma didn't let him finish as he strained his body and shot upward, top of his head smashing resoundingly into man's chin.

It worked as well as fine uppercut, temporarily concussing the assailant.

But Touma, losing blood and shocked himself, was in no good shape at all.

Despite that, he decided to run, run as far as he could, and as far as his legs could take him...

The scene shifted to Touma's parents standing in front of the hospital room, speaking in whisper.

"I can't believe this... this man was following him in secrecy, stalking our Touma-san all this time..."

"This is beyond reason now. Not that it ever was reasonable to begin with... but still. This man's wife was the one that helped Touma-san during storm that one time. He stayed with her and soon after, their home burned and independently from that, the man lost his job. Since he heard of how Touma was badmouthed around the city, he arrived on those sick conclusions..."

"What are we going to do, Touya-san? Touma-san is resilient and strong, he is brave too, but after something like that..."

"This place is not safe for him... he heals fast, doctors say that he was lucky that it will only end up with a scar...but I agree, we need to make some hard choices... for his own good. There is something I think might work... a place as far from superstition as one can get..."

Time sped up slightly, until they saw that it got late at night. Touma's parents were staying in the hospital, which was more than understandable given what recently befallen their son, but were asked to leave Touma's room, so he could rest.

And so, the boy was alone. Or would be alone, if not for the girls peering through the shadows of the space.

It was dark aside from the moonlight pouring through the window.

It was only through this light that they managed to see the boy's face.

Kamijou Touma was, despite the pain and tiredness, wide awake.

And for the first time since they saw him like this, they noticed tears in his eyes.

Silent, bitter tears that threatened to overflow the eyes that didn't seem to belong to someone so very young.

"Gods..." he said quietly, looking outside" Will my luck ever get better? I don't want to be a burden... I don't want to make mom and dad worry... I don't want anyone to suffer... if I could, I would be the one to be hurt, so they wouldn't have to... but..."

The tears finally ran down the boy's cheeks, as he choked out.

"But I am still scared. I just want to know... am I really a monster? Was I harming everyone all this time? Was everyone who wanted to hurt me right? Can I really be happy?"

Misaki and Ayu were crying as well, by this point, and from the sounds of it, they weren't the only ones.

Something about innocent hopelessness in Touma's voice, the voice of someone with almost no one in his corner, who was put against things he neither understood nor want... and who despite all of this, was thinking about others.

He was scared. It was evident, and there were times in the life of Kamijou Touma when he was, without mincing words, a coward. After all, the change occurred mainly after he went back to save Kumokawa Seria and Mitsuari Ayu back on that faithful day when so many people crossed paths with him.

Here, years before that moment, the boy was burdened within overwhelming solitude, tangled in things not even his parents could relate to.

Perhaps no one who was alive at the time truly could.

But... even if it was so...

"There must be something we can do" Ayu found her voice again after some serious effort" That's why we are doing this to begin with, right?"

"I agree, but... what can we do realistically? Even if this is not a proper memory, it still treats about past events... it's not like we can change the events that already occurred years ago"

"No, we can't alter the past... yet we can try to encourage Touma to change his own perception on the past. This is, among other things, role of this kind of therapy" Kaibi exclaimed, making all of them think about it for a moment.

"This makes sense... but is it even possible? We couldn't be heard or seen before..."

"Because we never wanted to be. But this is just the representation of our human's weariness." Nephthys replied lightly. Misaki flinched, when the goddess suddenly appeared in the flesh next to her.

Ayu focused on silently sobbing Touma.

Before she knew it, she realized what had to be done.

Her life before wasn't fair. She suffered terrible misfortunes, both intentional on part of others, as well as purely accidental tragedies.

It was because she went through all of it, she understood. And because through all of that, one particular sentiment remained and endured.

She said it when her caretaker in IDEAL, Toomine Kanari, died in front of her eyes.

'Why is it always the kindest people that suffer the most?'

That boy, Kamijou Touma, was incarnation of that bitter statement. He cared so much for others, but did not received thanks he deserved. Even though he didn't demand it, Ayu knew this was not right.

She was done running or wanting to be saved. Now was the time to be the saviour, at least to ease the hidden pain of the boy she loved.

She stepped forward and Nephthys smiled, before waving her hand.

"Hey what are you-" Misaki wanted to say but found her voice dying down. Nephthys placed a finger on her lips.

"Your time will come. Let her handle this"

Ayu slowly approached the bed and sat on the edge.

When Touma saw her, he opened his mouth, more surprised than frightened. Perhaps it was due to the fact that this was representation of Touma who actually knew Ayu and was aware that she wasn't going to harm him.

But still, this was Kamijou Touma's child-like self. And as such, the boy was unsure as the teenage girl suddenly appeared in his hospital room.

"Who are you?"

Ayu hesitated, before smiling softly.

"I am... I am just a dream. Something you will forget as you get older... but the feelings are real. The feelings you have in your heart are true memories worth remembering"

"So... you are a dream?" Touma slumped down on the pillows" Well, that makes sense. A pretty girl would never visit a kid like me for real... since I am so awful"

Ayu quenched the warmth in her heart and focused on the last part.

"No, you are not awful. You are just... you. You are fine just by being you"

"But I keep hurting others"

"It's not your fault"

"They see it differently though. I am very alone... Maybe it's stupid to ask since you are my dream, onee-chan, but... do you know what it's like to be alone?"

Ayu paused and put a hand on Touma's shoulder

"Yes. Yes, I do. Very much so"

"Oh..." Touma lowered his head and shook it, tears wetting the sheets" Then, if you know, tell me. How... how can I be brave? I just don't them to suffer..."

"Why? They were... so mean to you"

"I know that" Touma sniffed, rubbing his eyes" But still... I don't want mom and dad to worry... and there is something I always wanted..."

Ayu's eyes widened

"Something you wanted? And what is that?"

Touma looked at the moon and sighed.

"I always wanted... to be out there, with others. To do normal things, stupid things, just live... I want to have friends. Do you thing it's stupid that I want to have someone out there who can... not hate me? For others to smile together with me?"

Ayu looked at the moon too, and spoke, trying to stop the tremble in her voice, but failing.

Misaki and the others watching noticed that her lip was trembling slightly, as she spoke

"No... I don't think it's stupid at all. In fact, I think... that it's the most beautiful dream in the world"

Mental Stinger then looked Touma in the eyes.

She knew she wasn't truly changing history. Tragedies that already happened could not be avoided. But she needed to say it anyway. For his, but also for her sake.

"Listen to me. There will be times in which you will be alone. There will be times in which you will be scared. But everything you've done... every time you wanted to help... your effort was not meaningless. Because you were scared about them, not of them. It will be alright, because no matter the misfortune, this kind heart will be right there"

She tapped the boy's chest and gently hugged him.

"You are brave, because you want to see other's smile despite being unsure. You stand up despite the world wanting to bring you down. You are stronger than the strongest, and you don't need any power to do that. You are just you. It will take years, but you may learn one day that you are truly enough. I know you are. Because... one day, you will meet a girl, trying to help her. A very lost and confused girl, and you might have to be patient with her because she might be a little unbearable. But with time, she will learn to appreciate what you do, you will talk, and try to confront something together, and then... you will have to let her go, before you can find each other again. But she will only be the beginning of so many people that will come to your life. Your beginning could be lonely, but your story is far from over. The path you take is not an easy one... but you will change so many lives just because you were there to listen and reach out... and one day, the happiness will be worth the pain..."

Ayu could not stop her own tears, as flashes of her memories with Touma and Kumokawa Seria appeared before her eyes, shifting into times of grief and darkness, before finally transforming into light and love.

She had to come such a long way to realize what she really wanted to say, go so far and through so many overwhelming, changing, consuming emotions and conflicts. But now, in mental representation of the boy she held dear, it was clearer than ever.

"I got it all backwards" she choked out, stroking Touma's hair" All that time I was crying out, saying how my life was unjust and unfair, how it all was stolen from me. You know what, maybe it was, and maybe it was just bad luck. What I know is that ever since I was saved again, I wanted to say something... all that time, I was saying that I wanted to be saved, I wanted to be loved... while in truth, I just wanted to say..."

She smiled, despite tears on her cheeks.

"... that you are loved... you are so loved... more than you know. You are and always will be loved. So please... trust me that it will be okay."

Silence. And then... the sound of calm breathing.

The boy fell asleep.

Ayu gently laid him down, and backed away.

Drying her face, she looked at Misaki

"Are you crying... because of what I said?"

"Of course not" Misaki protested weakly, turning away" There is no way. Something got into my eye"

"Sure it did"

The scene dissolved into nothingness as they once again returned to the market, accompanied by sound of electronic chime.

II. FIRE

"Did we succeed?" Misaki asked, looking around the market

"I don't know. Perhaps only time will tell" Ayu replied.

"Oh, I would have hope for it" Nephthys nodded to herself, before exclaiming" Oh, and one other thing."

She snapped her fingers and in a flash, Kumokawa Seria and Gokusai Kaibi appeared before them.

"Wha..." Kaibi touched herself as if she couldn't recognize her own body" What just-"

"How did you do that?" Seria asked Nephthys." With all the well-deserved credit I can take for my intellect, we don't have the ability to actually enter minds like those two do. So... how?"

The goddess shrugged and pointed at herself.

"Right, right, the almost all-powerful bit... maybe the better question is why? We were supposed to be guiding this mental landscape from the outside"

"Because I thought about it and decided that he needs all of you here"

"Don't change the plan we discussed so hard to get... honestly, when it comes to him, all plans go to disarray anyway, but it was nice to at least pretend that we had a structured way of acting about this..."

"Either way, I think it's more beneficial to risk a little chaos if that means Kamijou Touma can speak with each of you face to face. But don't listen to me, I am just the ancient goddess"

"More importantly, will Touma be alright without us on the outside?" Kaibi expressed her worry, looking around.

"It will be fine, he is safe and will remain stable. Now... let's move on, shall we?"

As if on cue, there was a noise. All girls jumped and turned around to see a human silhouette knocking down some snacks from the shelves and disappearing into the end of the aisle.

"Hey, you! Wait up! Stop!" Kaibi shouted, running after the unknown person. But as she took a turn... she found absolutely nothing. Or maybe not necessarily nothing, as there were doors that looked as if they led to the back of the market.

"Okay..." Misaki pointed out, wheezing after the short dash to catch up to Measure Heart" I knew... this wasn't hallucination... ability..."

"Well, given that this fat of yours may press on the arteries supplying oxygen to your brain, one could have doubts"

"I would strangle you for that insolence... but I need to catch my breath to have the effectiveness ability to do it..."

"Well, in any case, we know that there is someone here" Ayu pondered, looking at small door" I think it was pretty obvious that it wasn't Touma... why wouldn't he be hiding from us"

"But who would be in his head besides us?" Misaki mused skeptically" It's not like this telepathic contact can be maintained forever"

"You would be surprised how many things aren't in his head... or maybe his soul is better term here?" Nephthys, as was tradition by this point, gave her own bit of rather obscure commentary.

"Okay..." Kaibi put her hand on the doorknob" Since we are being watched, might as well see who it is and what are they doing here. Since we are four greatest mental specialists..."

"Ekhm..."

"And a... goddess..."

"Dear child, put a more 'omph' into it..."

"A great and powerful goddess!"

"M-hmm!"

"... we can take whoever is in there"

"In a physical fight?"

"We are in the mental representation, so does this really classify as physical?"

"For that matter, how is it possible that you are this unfit even in mental representation?"

"ALRIGHT, LET'S GO IN ALREADY!"

The quintet opened the door and found...

"This is... Touma's dorm... his old dorm... isn't it?" Ayu looked around.

She only saw this space briefly before, quite recently... for that matter, so did others, except Nephthys who was there for a while during Kamisato's vendetta against Magic Gods, so they looked in curiosity.

"Huh? How are we-"

Ayu looked back...

And of course, didn't found the corridor leading to the market.

"That's so incoherent... and fascinating" Kumokawa remarked with a small blush on her face.

"Focus, hag. We know that getting shocked and intrigued by how you can't analyze my prince in a straightforward way is your little private pleasure, but do be so kind to turn off the lewdness ability before it makes you useless"

"A...pfft... bhh..." Kumokawa got so appalled, that she seemed to beatbox for a moment, finding a coherent response" Private pleasure? Beg your pardon?"

"Leave senpai's intellectual fetish alone"

"FETISH?!"

"Also, Shokuhou, I don't think you have any high ground to call someone out on lewdness..."

"I-I don't know what you are talking about"

"Really?..."

"E-Either way, I can't help it... it's genetics, yeah, genetics!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hachoo!"

Bologna Succubus paused her gaming session, made a comical face, before succumbing to the sneeze, her wings fluttering during the reflexive reaction. The sneeze was every bit overdramatic and unnecessarily saucy sounding. Roleplaying a succubus was serious business, even during most mundane things.

She looked around while rubbing her nose. She had great suspicion that someone was talking about her lovely self behind her back,

"Hmm?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"All of you, settle down" Kaibi shushed them and pointed at the center of the living room.

Out there, they noticed a TV screen and the single black remote laying on the table.

"What is this?" Misaki approached first, looking at the table.

"It appears to be a remote" Ayu said sarcastically.

"Strange that you are not recognizing it while having dozen of them in the bag" Seria added.

Was there a reality in which the four mental specialist didn't trade sassy remarks despite becoming friends?

If it existed, it was pretty remotely distanced from the one our heroines were right now.

"I know what this object is, thank you very much. What I meant was what are we ought to do with it?" Misaki seethed out.

"Let's play the TV of course. You think too much" Nephthys pointed out" This human cherishes all of you. Things in his mind would never want to hurt you... well, most of them... I think..."

But the other four, who blushed in unison and felt fluttering in their stomachs on the 'cherishing' bit, completely missed the last part of the sentence.

Kaibi lifted the remote and played the TV.

After the buzzing of static, the screen cleared...

It showed the image of burning street. And amongst the flames, there were burnt corpses...

They were horribly damaged, roasted even, but one could still figure out the molten red headband on one of them, and strands of burgundy locks on the other.

"Is that... us?" Ayu asked in a quiet voice, looking at Kumokawa.

The older girl didn't reply, but her lips formed a tighter line.

Over the flames, there was a roar and a looming mountain of a body smashed through a building

"Yes... this is the day we three met each other"

"Four" Kaibi added breathlessly, also entranced by the sight.

After all, she and her sisters were also heavily involved the Biohacker-made dragon.

Misaki had no tangible knowledge of that event, but read the mood and was already expecting what was going to happen next.

KSSH!

The image switched into the body floating over the surface of the water.

It didn't take much to deduce that it was the victim of drowning. A very familiar victim

Ayu watched wide eyed as she looked at her own self.

"What... this would be if I..."

KSSH!

Misaki flinched as she noticed herself, badly bruised and beaten, as people of DEADLOCK cheered and hollered, raising their weapons and taunting her.

KSSH!

The nun known as Index, subjected to cruel torture after her memory was wiped, to ensure she would never escape again.

KSSH!

Stiyl Magnus becoming a living anatomy exposition at the hands of Aureolus Izzard

KSSH!

Himegami Aisa's life slipping away through the cruel might of Ars Magna.

KSSH!

Misaka Mikoto meeting gruesome end from the hands of Accelerator after trying to put up a fight and

KSSH!

Accelerator himself becoming mad with power and ending his existence after his life became absolutely devoid of any meaning

KSSH!

Fukiyose Seiri getting hurt severely through Oriana's curse, and never waking up again.

KSSH!

Kanzaki Kaori trying to tackle every threat to Amakusa on her own, eventually being overpowered through sheer quantity and fatigue taking toll even on her superhuman stamina

KSSH!

Orsola Aquinas laying at the feet of the group nuns, barely moving and conscious, with cuts and bruised over her body.

KSSH!

Agnese Sanctis in horrible state, about to be sacrificed for the destruction of Church's enemies.

KSSH!

Hamazura, lonely and on the run, hiding in the back alley, without love or people he would call family

KSSH!

Hasako spending the rest of her days isolated and alone, becoming more and more insane as the time went by.

KSSH!

Othinus unravelling the world, endlessly searching for an understander, before dying in seclusion infinite phases away, in the home she didn't even want to call home anymore.

KSSSH!

Alesiter Crowely losing the will to live after discovering the fate of his daughter.

KSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSH!

Those scenes, blitzing into the vision of the girls one after the other, seemed to form a stream of depressing imagery and disapair.

Ayu was a little green from the display, as the images still danced on the screen, not sparing any details.

"Oh my... now this is truly saddening..." Nephthys said in a tone that was truly fitting for the goddess of funerals

"That's to be expected... we wouldn't be here if everything was alright... yet it still hurts that he harbours this much strife in his subconscious" Kaibi added.

"All of those scenes have one thing in common... he isn't there. Or rather... people die or get hurt because he isn't there"

The door to the apartment opened, and Touma stepped through them.

Contrary to the boy they saw in the earlier showcase of trauma, this Kamijou was the one they knew. A teenage boy with spiky hair, wearing a hoodie and carrying some items of daily convenience in the bag.

And yet, his face was sad, concerned beyond belief.

"Hey" he simply said, sitting on the edge of the bed" You are here. How are you holding on?"

"How are we... how are we holding on?" Ayu asked incredulously" How are you holding on with all of that coped up, bottled inside your mind"

"This is nothing" Touma sighed, crossing his legs" If anything, it is kind of motivating"

"Okay, that's it. My turn" Seria tossed her hair to the side, and rose up, dusting herself off" Nephthys-san, can you make a room for us to talk privately, like you did for Mitsuari-san?"

Nephthys shrugged.

"I don't see why not, I don't mind. I leave this to you"

"Oh no, no way, I am not leaving her with-"

Misaki never finished her sentence before she, Ayu, Kaibi, and Nephthys herself vanished.

Seria approached Touma and sat by his side.

"What are you going to do, senpai?" Touma finally asked" I am sure you know what is the fear this trial hides. For one thing, I had no idea of how clear those things feel... but now they seem so obvious."

"Yes, I do know actually" Beauty Senpai nodded, pointing at the TV" You are scared of not being there. Of failing to reach people and to let them die. In some cases, I see, you even blame yourself retroactively. Of deaths of people you had no idea existed or whom you had zero chance of saving, may I add"

"I had the choice to save them. You may not understand, but I had a viable choice to bring them back. And even though my selfishness was alright, I agreed to it... it still haunts me..."

After all, Kamijou Touma went through death and crawled his way out of artificial hell before.

In a matter of speaking, he understood the dead while also sharing the sentiment of the living, in a peculiar, almost one of a kind situation.

"It's not just those who are not with us anymore..." Touma carried on" I am not fighting because I enjoy doing so. I wish to live in the peaceful world and have a normal life. That's all I ever wished for, to have the world where people have the chance to smile together. So if there is anyone that can slip away from this world, I will dash after that person and try to reach them... but I am terrified. Almost every time, I feel my blood run cold."

"Why?"

"Because I may not be fast enough. Or strong enough. Or smart enough. I am just a single person... I can't be there for everyone"

"Is it really that important? To truly save everyone? Even if it's that much of a burden on your soul?"

She knew the answer but still wanted to hear it.

"Yes. I think it's still worth fighting for... senpai, before you and Ayu-san, I mainly fended off for myself... and thanks to you, I discovered the power of this connection. I discovered what I really wanted. This is why despite all I saw, all I felt, all I've been through... I still want to save everyone. It is without a doubt a right thing to do. No amount of comforting will convince me that regret in failing to do so is misplaced"

"Well, good thing that I am not going to comfort you. I am going to give you a reality check"

"Huh?"

"My cute kouhai... there will always be times when you fail. Failure is a hallmark of humanity, alongside the potential to learn from it and adapt to face the challenges that brought it about in the first place"

"But... this isn't just something you can just shrug off! There are so many ways in which so many people can be hurt-"

"I am not saying to, as you said, shrug it off. But you must face reality. You can't save others if this holds you back. And you can never be free from this particular illusion if you won't embrace the truth yourself"

"So... I should just accept it?"

"Yes. You are not going to save everyone. Even in the cases in which you could prevent it, something can make your efforts doomed."

"This isn't right"

"But it is the truth"

"I cannot accept this!"

"Fine. If it's your choice, don't settle on saving only some. It's alright. You can try to save everyone. But..." Seria slammed her hand down" You have to also accept that some people will be beyond your reach! Because if you go out there with such a high obligation, without giving yourself any chance for mistake, you will tear yourself apart. And I am not talking about broken bones or internal injuries. Your mind will collapse, first and foremost"

"What you are suggesting sounds dangerously close to saying that I should weigh which people should or should not be saved" Touma said with a grimace.

This hit too close to what Kamijou No Touma would have said.

However, this was not Kumokawa Seria's intention.

"No! Apply the same treatment to everyone. But know that it happens that sometimes, it won't work. You will destroy yourself through this blame. Like a rug. If there is wrinkle on it, you can step on it, and make the rug flat, but then it will appear elsewhere. You can stomp your foot all you want, but the problem will simply move to a different location... to a different issue, on a different day. You and your attempts of saving others are just like that."

She put a hand on Touma's shoulder.

"No matter what you do, there will always be evil and suffering. Even in the future you dream of, there will be someone who messes things up, because good cannot be experienced without evil. Fact that we are flawed notwithstanding, good would ceased to be good if there was no evil, at least in my opinion, because only the lack of goodness makes goodness worthwhile."

"You sound like Orsola... which is always nice addition" Touma smiled lightly" So, bad things happen, but you don't stop trying, while also giving yourself space to fail... also, is the rug from that example supposed to be me?"

"Yes, but more specifically, it is your psyche. If you try to never fail, you will ultimately stretch the fabric in all directions, pulling so strongly that eventually..."

The raven haired girl spread her arms slowly, with her fingers curled like claws.

"... You tear apart."

They sat in silence of the imagined apartment, side by side, looking at the particles of dust caught in the beam of sunlight.

"I wish to save them so much" Touma whispered, his tone somber and much more mellow than before.

"I know" Seria also spoke in gentler manner, putting her hand on his own

"I failed to save so many. Frenda-san, Kihara Kagun, Komaba Ritoku, Agnese's parents, all the clones before Misaka Imouto, Elis, the crew of Orion..."

"But you saved just as much, no, many, many more. You cannot let things you are not able to control overshadow the successes. Ultimately, trying to be everywhere, for everyone, while admirable, is like... trying to control every single thing around you."

Seria put a hand on her chest.

"I would know what that's like. I pride myself on my intellect, but after meeting you, I began to change. You started just as mild scientific curiosity, but you are my most worthwhile mystery. I thought that using my intellect to predict and shield you from every possible danger was the right thing, and in a way, it was, but it was not going to work in a long run. It wasn't what either of us needed. Control is not support. You taught me to let go and trust in things I couldn't explain. I wish to get you to let go too, and trust that we have enough strength and skill to aid you. And if you still need more to believe..."

She gently placed another hand on Touma's shoulder, before pushing him and making the boy incline backwards a little bit. She gestured towards now dark TV with movement of her head.

"Thanks to your decision, the future in which I perished did not come to be. And thank gods for that! We danced around each other for a long while. It is quite apparent that you want me just as much as I want you. So, I think that one fine remedy for not focusing on the negatives, accepting your limitations, and enjoying the positives is acting on what you have... cherishing all you can and making sure to learn... so please, claim your prize..."

"S-S-Senpai..." Touma's weariness was suddenly replaced by absolute embarrassment" I think that this not the-"

She placed her hands on his cheeks.

"That may sound strange coming for me, but I think I will pass on thinking for a moment..."

The kiss was, for the lack of better description, stimulating. And very distracting.

It was ironic that it was happening inside the mind, but sensations and feelings connected with it were certainly not inferior.

The kiss lasted until they ran out of oxygen.

Touma would normally be firm about keeping firm stance on resisting temptation fairly well...

...except the fact that Kumokawa Seria was in category of women that were very, very hard to refuse.

And as he thought that, Nephthys and the rest chose that very same moment to come back.

"... leaving that hag alone with my pri-"

Misaki paused, went pale from horror, and then, slowly and in crescendo of crimson, red from fury.

It was not hard to see why even without the rivalry she and Seria shared.

After all, the image of flushed Touma and Seria with her hair drapped over him, with slightly parted, moist lips was telling all it needed for Mental Out to absolutely see red in that moment.

With suprising amount of agility, she twirled one of her remotes and pointed it at Seria.

"You are dead!"

"No, wait! I am mad too, but you can't do anything stupid"

She actually grabbed the blond before she could approach the duo on the bed. Touma stood up, as Ayu and Misaki struggled, with the level 5 displaying very uncharacteristic ferocity.

"Forget inanimate object attraction, that has far too much mercy ability. Mental blocks be damned, I will make her forget how to breathe and order her heart to stop!"

"Trust me, I want to tear off her head as well, but this is not the way to do it. Besides, we are only representations here, you won't be able to reach her physical body!"

"I will only know for certain if I try"

"Not if you harm Touma's mind in the process"

That sobered Misaki up, although the fire in her eyes still remained.

"Oh, settle down. We had it long coming" Seria waved her hand" Besides, it helped. Didn't it? We talked to actually set in a good course of action and good bunch of endorphins from kissing is an excellent way to dispel depression"

"You sneaky old-"

Meanwhile, Kaibi eyed Nephthys with crossed arms.

"You conveniently timed our come back to mess with them, huh?"

"Whatever do you mean?" Nephthys smiled innocently" But I agree, you humans are incredibly amusing in your mood swings and bursts of love"

Those days, the feeling of deja vu due to pointing out the irony almost never left Gokusai Kaibi's head.

"You are saying that? You? Really?"

The room dissolved into nothingness, alongside Touma, who disappeared with a smile on his face.

Once again, they didn't know for certain whether or not the therapeutic talk... and the rest that followed... yielded tangible effect. But they had to remain hopeful, as they went on their way to further trial.

III. EARTH

This time, the electronic chime sounded almost natural, as they knew more or less were they were going to find themselves.

"So... where next?" Kaibi said, trying not to look at pleased Seria.

The therapeutic 'finish' of the older girl made her own emotions flare up to. Kaibi and Seria had relationship that was nowhere as antagonized as Misaki had with the older Kumokawa, which was Academy City's equivalent of intellectual cold war, but Kaibi did not like to owe anything to Seria or be outdone by her.

Misaki, who looked like she was one mental step from committing genocide using her purse, remotes, and bare hands, clearly wanted a disctraction (or maybe a chance of her own), so she spoke out

"Before we do anything else, since we are back here, I think one thing is due..."

She shouted across the market

"Come out, whoever you are! We are that you are watching us, so show yourselves"

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then, someone appeared at the end of the aisle the group found themselves in.

"Alright, you have them here, now what?"

"Now we-"

"Girls..." Ayu pointed behind them.

Another figure appeared on the other side of the market, behind them. They were surrounded.

"Inside the mind, we are invincible. You do not scare us" Misaki proudly stepped forward, pointing at one of the silhouettes.

A feminine laughter echoed from the figure in front of them.

"Those are bold words for someone who is essentially alien in this space. Don't worry, if we wanted to hurt you, we would already tried... not that we are the worst thing in here"

The voice spoke japanese well, but retained noticeable accent... french perhaps?

At the same time, a male voice spoke from behind. This time, the accent was definitely German.

"We didn't mean to scare you. We were just surprised and alarmed to find someone this deep into that boy's mind. But after a moment of watching you, we assessed that you didn't mean any harm at all."

The silhouettes gained forms.

In front of them was young woman with beautiful, fiery red hair and strikingly blue eyes, dressed in a brown robe with astrological symbols stitched with silver thread.

Behind them, was tall, muscular man with scarred face, brown-silver hair, and weapon of chains on his back.

"Who are you?" Kaibi asked, as the girls looked at the newly appeared in shock.

The redhead made a courtly courtsey that seemed straight out of a historical movie.

"My name is Veronique Bonne, but please call me Ataxia. That was the name I was initially given. And this man is Ekhard Sündelige. Excuse him, he can be... excitable. Vous n'avez aucune idée à quel point"

Before they could do anything, the man let out a boisterous laughter and scooped the girls in his arms.

"It's great to meet all of you girls. I am a big fan of Touma's friends, and your stories are quite touching for me"

The girls didn't know what to do, squashed together in a bear hug.

Ayu tried to wiggle herself free and stop herself from being pushed into Misaki's chest. Kaibi was slowly turning blue, and Seria heard a very concerning crack from the region down her back.

Only Misaki, dismissing the pressure, was bothered by something.

'Ekhard Sündelige... I am sure I heard that name somewhere, recently... and why does he remind me of someone' she thought

"You...seem... to know... who we are..."

"Yes, we do." Ataxia answered, pointing at her eyes" We kind of see fragmented visions of the world through Kamijou Touma's eyes. Ever since he made contact with us, we remained here, in the deeper realms of his mind. We see enough to get a gist of what is going on, but it's vague enough for us not to be outright disrespectful of his privacy. Nous ne sommes pas des pervers après tout"

"I see... but why are you in Touma's mind to begin with?"

"Oh, that part... well, we are past holders of Imagine Breaker. Had our fair share of troubles back in the day" Eike said, finally letting the girls go.

He looked at Nephthys, who chose to remain afloat, hovering slightly above the ground.

The 2nd Imagine Breaker host lightly kissed the brown-skinned hand of the goddess.

"Lady Nephthys, it's an honour. Wie immer ist deine Schönheit weit jenseits dieser Welt."

"Thank you, your reverence and manners are welcomed" Nephthys smiled gracefully" Although my heart is already taken and beating for another human."

"Well..." Eike laughed sheepishly" I understand. Even though my time is passed, I am still married and faithful to Lisa. That doesn't mean I can't recognize and compliment beauty, though"

"Wait... of course!" Misaki facepalmed, as realization dawned on her" You are the man from the story. You are Vasilisa's husband!"

The other's froze. The detail apparently eluded them in all of the excitement.

"Right... that I am, and I am proud of it... though I am really sorry for my wife. She got a little carried away, misinterpreting my dying words. We had a talk about that"

"Little carried away? She put Touma in a coma!" Kaibi said bitterly.

"And almost killed a lot of people, including our friends" Ayu added with equal spite.

Silence reigned for a few moments.

It was not surprising at all. The conflict with Vasilisa, even if resolved on part of Kamijou Touma, was still deeply controversial and hurtful topic.

Perhaps to difuse the tension, or perhaps not really paying it any mind and acting only out of genuine curiosity, Kumokawa Seria raised a question.

"Past... holders, you said?" she spoke, eyes litting with interest" Really? As if, this power moves from person to person?"

"Or to an object. Or to an animal. Or to a plant. One of the previous incarnations before me was an oak, apparently" Ataxia confirmed.

"That's increcible! If I could study that..."

When Seria got lost in her thoughts and plans, Eike grinned to the girls

"Either way, I for one thing am quite happy that you are actually trying to do something for the latest addition to our trio. Our own support can only go as far. We are able to provide some spiritual guidance in regards to our shared destiny, but we are also relics of the past"

Ataxia frowned and kicked Eike on the shins.

"Ow! Why are you mad, you are literally few centuries older than me!"

"Did you just call me, a blooming flower, a relic of the past?"

"A-Anyway, I am sure that in many ways, you can relate to him more. That's why what you are doing is admirable"

"And that's why I you should be off to your next task. Come. We know few shortcuts"

They followed Ataxia to the market's door... or where the doors ought to be.

"What? I would definitely remember a door like that"

Door's frame resembled a starry sky, like strip of heavens put between two lines of gold. Split into three parts.

First part depicted the distorted, chaotic world, with elements of landscape all over the place, in the middle, and eight green branches made out of tangled thorns, that centered into red rose, with petals that looked a lot like flames.

Second part resembled sun and moon over the road leading through a desert, splitting the imaginary into simultaneous day and night, with pale green chains circling around the image and the chalice of water in the middle of it, circled by glowing locks of blond hair.

Third part portrayed two human silhouettes, in a patch of light surrounded by swirling darkness. One was laying on the ground, other was shielding it, why raising its fist, as if in defiance or as if it was ready to strike down anything coming from the edges of the shadows. It was surrounded by the snake-like coils of multiple colours of scaly hide, and completed with head of dragon on top.

Finally, there was a door handle, a golden hand. Right hand, to speak with precision.

As a careful reader could probably realize, those were the same doors that Touma once crossed in Labyrinth of All Fates.

"This entrance is special" Ataxia said, grabbing the handle and pulling the wings apart" In theory, only three people can open it"

Besides the door was a corridor, flanked by tall walls, with stained glass windows embedded in them.

One of the windows, with a symbol of flaming rose, depicted Ataxia, touching heads of the needed with her right hand. Other, with sun and moon over the stand of gold, Eike, wielding his weapons in the midst of the fight. And the third...

"Touma..."

The right first encircled by ornamental dragons was placed as the spiky haired teen was depicted protecting a crowd behind him from the formless darkness approaching from the edge of the window.

"Imagine Breaker can be wielded in many different ways" Ataxia answered the silent question that Seria seemed to have about the depicitions" During my time, I mainly used it to dispel curses and break ill forces. My successor here was more combat oriented, using his own body power in conjunction with this right hand to brave through the battles against magical enemies."

"But Herr Touma was the only one who managed to tap deeper into what Imagine Breaker could truly achieve and represent... perhaps even a bit too much." Eike spoke with a pride of a father praising his son" The very fact that he managed to reach us is the proof of that"

Ayu looked at him.

"Since you had... his power... does it mean you were..."

"Misfortunate? Unlucky? Cursed with tragedy? Yes, indeed we were" the tall Saint nodded" Although I still managed to live long due to my Saint characteristics..."

"But you died before your time, right? You were... emm..."

"Burnt and embedded with dozens of fragments of rubble" Eike winced" Ouch!"

Ataxia shrugged.

"I was burnt at stake. So what you wanted to ask?"

"It's just... since you probably know more... intimately what Touma experiences in regards to his misfortune... I just wish to know... what we are doing, this endeavour... does it even have sense? Will it be able to accomplish anything at all?"

"Do you think it has meaning?"

"Yes, I hope so..."

"Then it's all that matters!" Eike laughed boisterously and patted Ayu on the pack, the girl wheezing from the force of the 'blow'" You ladies have quite the power I give you that!"

'Oh' Misaki realized with a deadpanned face, when visions of a certain chunni energetic level 5 appeared in her mind's eye' That's who he reminded me of''

Her back pulsed with sympathetic pain in the spot that Gunha 'patted her' before.

"Now, we cannot say for certain if it has meaning or not. But what I can say is that Kamijou Touma is lucky to have someone looking out for him the way you and the others are doing. I mean it, I was orphaned and I kind of moved from place to place, from one incident to the other... accidentally killed a man, served on the gallows, that sort of thing... besides my teacher, Giro, and Lisa, I had no one to rely on throughout my life. So I don't want our youngest vessel to be alone."

He pointed at Ataxia.

"After we meet him, you should see how worried she was. She really doesn't like to show it, but she really cares for him."

"Shut up" Ataxia mumbled, looking away" I didn't have anyone I could truly depend on... or had anyone depend on me. Even if someone was using my services, they were apprehensive. He was not. So... I kind of... don't want him to be sad. I want him to have more chances than me. T-Thanks... for taking care of my... kou-hai? Right, that. My younger colleague"

As if it was a trigger world, Seria snapped back from her thoughts and scoffed at Ataxia. She didn't like the word 'kouhai' being used by other woman, especially one who literally lived rent free in Kamijou Touma's head.

"Why were people apprehensive of you?" Kaibi asked curiously.

Sure, Ataxia could be a bit brash and had a strange presence, but there was nothing outright hostile about her.

The woman gave her a flat look.

"I am redheaded, left-handed sorceress coming from what you now call middle ages, with noble blood but raised as a peasant, cursed with misfortune and essence of chaos, who committed sororicide and to top it all of thinking in a way that is... how do you call it in your times... ah, neurodivergent? My mind works a bit differently due to nature of my innate magic, which was sealed by Imagine Breaker during my lifetime"

She winked at Misaki, who tried to remained calm, despite internally becoming paralyzed.

'When did she notice I tried to read her mind?'

"In our times? What was it called in your times?" she said, to mask any emotions she had.

Ataxia's lips twitched, despite deadpanned look not leaving her face.

"Heresy. It was called heresy. Or work of the devil. Or worse..."

"A-Alright, we got the picture"

Eike pushed them towards the exit of the corridor.

"Go. We will remain here, and next time you come back to this mindspace, we will have something interesting to show you."

"What are you-"

But the doors opened, and the mental rescue squad was consumed by the whirlwind of colour and sound.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It took them a moment to regain their bearings, just like before when they switched to new locations.

Nephthys looked at the place they were in with interest.

"Oh, so that's how it is..." she mused to herself with a small smile.

None of the others heard her, they were too busy discussing the meeting they just had.

"That was quite something" Seria tapped her cheek with her finger thoughtfully" What are you taking from this?"

"The idea that ability can reincarnate is something out of this world..." Ayu sighed and shook her head" Then again, after Touma defied even death, I don't think this has any value as an argument"

"I think they are alright. Obviously they are allies. Bonding over shared traumatic fate is, regrettably, one of the strongest emotional adhesives" Kaibi joined with her own thoughts.

"I guess so... but I am still weary. Both of them are very powerful. Especially the woman."

Misaki was

"But... she acted so passive"

"We do too! We operate mentally, so we are not running out and about flailing our arms. I tried to read her mind... just the simplest, quickest, most unnoticeable scan. And..."

Mental Out gulped and shook her head, her hair glimmering in the light alongside the movement.

"The flow of her thoughts was so fast and erratic, changing in so many patterns... it was as if she had ADHD, but I've been in the hyperactive minds before, that was way worse... I couldn't get a hold on any concrete thought. And she knew I attempted it! I don't know if she purposely did this, or is this how she usually is... I don't know if I should be impressed or terrified."

She turned to Nephthys, who observed them with her usual relaxed look of someone who beheld a very interesting trick or observed a particularly unique insect with a magnifying glass.

"Why are so many people on... magic side... have such a bizarre minds?"

"Why thank you so much" the goddess clapped her head

"That was not a compliment!"

The level 5 still couldn't forget how the thoughts of Nephthys sounded like eerie choir of multiple voices of different age and gender. Normally, if one had few voices in their heads, it sounded as if one mind splintered into few. But in case of the goddess, it was the inverse, as if multiple people somehow formed one coherent mental identity.

Misaki encountered people who had mental narration that did not fit their outside appearance, or even those whose mind was split, which left them with couple of voices.

But entire legion of them, so different, yet so in synch was, admittedly, creeping her out.

"I feel like my usefulness ability is rendered null by the minute"

"Do not feel like this" Nephthys replied" Besides, that woman has the way of thinking very akin to Magic God. As if... a natural predisposition for phase manipulation. If only Imagine Breaker wouldn't interfere by its own incarnation cycle, she could be one of the greatest... one of the most terrifying, but greatest nonetheless..."

"But... she said something about chaos"

"Yes, she is a vessel of fundamental, universal instability given human form."

"How?"

"This is a story for another time, and I am not sure if I am the one to tell it"

"But how can she be like you? You said it yourself... you and others like you create. You change the world, right?"

"Indeed" the golden bracelets on the arms of Nephthys clang as she touched the ground" Just as Imagine Breaker destroys the additions to Pure World like no other, we Magic Gods hold the pinnacle of creation. We dream, we think, and it is so. Transcending humanity and mastering magic gives you the power over all reality. The universe is our canvas, which is both the greatest blessing... and greatest curse, depending on the perspective"

"Alright, but... you create order. Those 'layers of reality'... phases, you called them... bring something to being. So this isn't chaos"

"Oh, just from human perspective, I am afraid. From where I stand, creation is just formless chaos given structure. But the structure itself is vague and changing, prone to chaos. Each form of order is just accepted and understood chaos. So do not cross it off to eagerly"

They started walking.

Contrary to previous trials, this time, they were currently located in the vast, open plain.

On that plain, man and woman looked as the small girl played on the field.

"Mom, dad... look, I found a ladybug!" the girl cheered. She had brown, slightly wavy hair, and dark eyes, that nonetheless glistened with excitement.

The girl tried to take a photo of the insect, but it flew away.

The woman, who appeared to be an elegant lady with a gentle face and branched hair, looked at her now distraught daughter.

"Don't worry, Shizuka-chan. I will make something that will do well in the album."

She closed her eyes, and in an instant, something changed in the air. The meadow, even though it was mostly brown with spots of green, bloomed with dozens of flowers.

There was only one ability able to instantly revitalize nature on such scale.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Hasako" Kaibi said, admiring the woman" But she is..."

"Older"

"Daughter? That means this is..."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Dear..." Hasako said, waving at the man, who still sported his characteristic spiky hair" Can you take a picture?"

"Of course"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The face, the voice, the way he moved...

"Touma. Is this... the future?"

"One of them, for sure" Nephthys remarked" Before they became unified"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The vision shifted, now showing Touma getting up from the bed.

The girls blushed as they watched Touma only partially covered the sheets.

The embarrassment and attraction quickly turned into outrage, as the saw a woman in bed. She had short dark hair with lighter ends, perfectly toned, abbed belly, long legs and was currently clinging to the spiky-haired man.

"Hoshimi..."

"Mmmm..."

"I have to go to work"

"Noooo..."

Touma got up, but the doors to the room closed on their own.

"I really have to go... I won't be gone for long..."

"No... don't go..."

The sheets moved and bound Touma, dragging him back to bed...

"Just one more hour... I need kissies... I know you love to give my belly kissies... and I will kiss you where-"

"Emm, mom..."

Maidono blinked, her eyes focusing on the door, and boy, maybe 8 or 9 years old, standing there.

"Tsu-chan... what are you doing in our bedroom?"

"You know you are late too..."

"Oh, that's nice..."

"To work..."

"Oh... I am... I AM LATE!"

Maidono literally shot into the air, then stopped in mid air, gave Touma a deep kiss on the cheek, descended to the floor, and bolted to the bathroom, almost tripping over her own legs.

Touma and his son exchanged looks and sighed with smiles on their faces.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The vision shifted again, showcasing familiar blond in shimmering purple dress.

"Nee-san?" Kaibi raised an eyebrow in astonishment.

"Look at her" Rikuri held little Chinatsu over to Touma" Is this the face of someone who did something bad?"

Touma looked at mother and daughter making identical puppy dog eyes.

He crossed his arms.

"China-san..."

The little blond looked away ever so slightly.

"This emetic agent, which made me puke for over an hour, didn't find itself in the soup on its own"

"Umm... I only wanted to help mommy cook..."

"I know, but you can't put everything you want into the pot. I am sorry."

"Mommy puts all kinds of poisons into her food"

"That's because mommy is resistant." Rikuri said, before guilting pursing her lips" Emm... I probably should have secured it better though. I am sorry"

Touma put hands on top of their heads.

"Alright, I am not mad. In fact, I will cook for my beautiful girls and blow your mind with my new recipe."

As the scene faded away, it was getting replaced by the other.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Lessar was happily skipping steps in elegant and rather revealing clothes. She looked especially beautiful, as if she was an actress. Touma walked close to her, shaking his head with amused smile. By their side, was a a blue haired girl with a hair in the colour of ash.

"Hmm, Hmm, so, Lover Boy, are you ready to receive your gift for our anniversary? That is, beside my lovely self"

"You know, I would guess I have to wait for it to the night. But Tannia probably won't appreciate it"

"Yeah, mom, if it can wait for a night or two, I have a test tomorrow and I need to sleep. Which is impossible with how loud you get during... well, that"

"I am not... am I?"

"Are you kidding? It's like listening to a lewd audiobook with special effects!"

"She has a point" Touma nodded" I promise we will try on a later date"

"Oh well... say, sweetie, do you still have this field trip over the sea?"

"Before you say it, no, I am not taking that swimsuit. It is almost see through!"

"It just shows how lovely you are. And as one of UK's chief designer of sexy garments, my daughter will look lovely or my name is not Lessar of the New Light"

"Dad, please say something"

"This Kamijou is once again overjoyed that you inherited your mother's looks but my sensibility..."

"I heard that!" Lessar elbowed Touma playfully, while ruffling the head of her pouting daughter "Well, maybe I should consider a sibling for Tannia, for her to have a company... you better be ready, Lover Boy"

"Mom, I don't think I am ready... innocent child is about to be scarred for life... again. Dear gods... if that means you won't be doing it for nine months, you will make something extra special... no, I am packing my things and staying with Aoife and aunt Bayloupe. Or with grandparents. I am your daughter, but it's no reason to feel like a clueless protagonist of a romantic novella!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

After girls, in silent stupor, watched the scenes unfold, Kaibi finally asked.

"Can you please explain what are we seeing?"

"We can explain" familiar voice said.

Touma stepped out of the memory, which rippled like water.

Even though his voice sounded the same, the rest of his body was clearly very much different.

He was in his 30s, with visible, yet not overly excessive musculature, slightly torn jeans, a long coat and shirt with 'UNLUCKY BOY' written on it.

His hair appeared more windswept than spiky, but still retained its pointy edges. Although appearing slightly tired, his eyes shone with strength.

"Are you... Touma from the future?"

"Not exactly" Nephthys clarified, and the man nodded" He is an imagination. Aside from the span of time after loss of his memories, Kamijou Touma is truly a man of the present. No recollection of the past, and of course no fixed knowledge of the future... this is your Touma, with a body crafted from his memories of times yet to come"

"You had... memories of the future?"

"Yes, senpai. It's hard to outright explain... Nephthys and Niang-Niang split my timeline into multiple streams, multiple versions of me living in the multiple of phases..."

Lots of windows appeared in thin air, looking like a tears in the fabric of spacetime itself.

Each showcased a different Kamijou Touma, with different partner... and different child.

They saw Kanzaki Kaori trying to teach her daughter, Kenjou, how to properly hold sword. Even though she kept falling, the Saint was patient and after the training, put the tired girl piggybacking on Touma's arms, as they went on to walk in a park. As they walked Kanzaki kissed Touma on the lips, to which their daughter gagged in a rather overexaggerated manner, and forcibly put her father's hand on her own head, pouting slightly.

Agnese Sanctis leading a revolution, small red haired boy by her side as the crowd nuns followed to the new form of religious rule. Angelo Kamijou, the symbol of that revolution, had no true knowledge of how much the union of her mother with Kamijou Touma truly shook the catholic world, but nevertheless understood that he was in the center of something very important.

Itsuwa, cheering after her daughter Shishi managed to gain the equilibrium on the bike after learning to do tirelessly for many days. The joy of young mother was quickly replaced by worry as her daughter zoomed past her though, and smashed straight into Touma. After a moment though, it was cleared out that no one was seriously hurt, and the family celebrated lovingly with the bento that each of them made for one another, amongst laugh and joking about this and many other misadventures the family were getting itself into

Kongou, a woman in full bloom of her beauty wearing a stylish nightgown, coming to the richly ornamented bedroom where two babies, fraternal twins from the looks of it, cried on the floor. Apparently, the boy tried to crawl over to his sister's crib, but hurt himself in the process. Now, he cried, with his sister doing the same, while attempting to reach him. Kongou gently hushed and cradled them until everyone fell asleep on the sofa. After a while, Touma appeared, smiling knowingly, before gently lifting both Kongou and the babies to bed, spending the night together.

The scenes flashed one after the other in girls field of vision.

Awatsuki Maaya and Kamijou Touma comforting a small boy holed up in his room, lashing out at the slightest touch.

Orsola Aquinas patiently and serenely caring for sick Touma, pulling out a 'Get better poster' that she made together with their daughter. Each thing the Orsola and Clara made or did, with their mannerisms often overlapping, caused Touma to smile brightly despite his flushed cheeks and depleted strength.

Touma bringing the hesitant Mugino Shizuri to their daughter's graduation, watching the no-nonsense woman getting quietly emotional and feeling her joy after Shimitsu appeared elated to see both of them. Though she refused to show emotions in public, Shizuri's hand squeezing Touma's and look of pride in her eyes as she looked at their daughter showed more than mere words.

There were many, many stories there. If they looked and followed all of the rifts, they would probably be looking at it for years. Some of those were very sweet. Some were calm. Some were messy. Some were troubled. But nonetheless, they all seemed to go into the unified, fulfilled conclusion.

Though, admittedly, they were more focused on a set of few particulars.

Misaki saw the Future Phase before, so it was lesser surprise for her.

She still felt tears in her eyes as she watched her and Touma walked with Kiseki in the park, her daughter and husband laughing as she was, once again, attacked by pigeons, despite making absolutely no attempt to aggravate them in any way.

Still, she wanted nothing more than to burn absolutely shocked face of Kumokawa Seria, a rare occurrence indeed, as the bare-navel upperclassman stared incredulously and wondrously at her son, Kaizumi, who shared such a remarkable resemblance to her despite the opposite gender that it was trivial to see his heritage.

"Is he... did we..." she whispered in her lowest voice" Am I... a mother? How? With... him? That is... so... incredible..."

Misaki almost didn't want to tease her (yet another rare happening) given how much this touched usually stoic and calculative girl.

Ayu and Nephthys had no qualms in crying their eyes out, looking at their respective timelines. Nephthys was, well, Nephthys, so this was not out of the ordinary for her. She also saw this before, but the confrontation with many events of her life with Touma, a human who took it upon himself to cry for her and make her cry her own tears of joy, inspired elation, both sensual and emotional, within her body and soul.

Ayu cried for many reasons, the feelings overwhelming her completely. For someone as trashed and broken by life as she was, seeing her future, her career, and a lovely daughter was too much, in a good way. She didn't want to believe it, because it seemed to good to be true. She was almost certain that it was. But for what it was, she would take it for all the treasures in the world. There was absolutely no doubt in her that even if it was only hope, she would cling to it with every fibber of her being.

Meanwhile Kaibi watched her own son with a knowing smile. Well, not truly knowing since she had no way of actually knowing Haruto, or what the entire future entailed. But when she looked at the future, for some reason, unknown to even her, she felt at peace. Maybe because in that future she, Touma, and her sisters were still together? Maybe because it was apparent that she was trying to give her child a better experience as a mother than what she had many years prior? Or maybe, and most definitely, because regardless of how those futures came to pass, Touma, for the most part, appeared very happy and content?

The girls looked at each other and then at Touma.

"I know" he said, noticing the looks on their faces" I still don't know how or why, but... there is a future in which all of us... with all of those versions of me becoming one... live in harmony... most of the time... and where all of those children create new future for the world..."

"I... don't know how to feel about that..." Seria rubbed her head" I mean, I love it... but it's such a strange concept..."

"So each one of us gets her own personal life with you in different reality before, at some point, we go to live together?" Kaibi asked

"I think so? Yeah, pretty much"

"In that case, even though it is kind of unorthodox, I say this whole thing is definitely a win"

"Yes... it is strange that so many would go through with this though..."

"Nephthys has answers how it all truly comes down" Touma looked at the Magic Goddess" but she won't tell me... unless she changed her mind?"

Nephthys shook her head

"I think it would be the best if you see for yourselves. There are some things that are better to live through to truly grasp"

"Buuuut... she did tell me that the alternative was all out war." Misaki pointed out.

Ayu, Seria, and Kaibi pondered on that.

Surely, many girls vying for Kamijou Touma's attention tended to get competitive but they wouldn't start a war against one another?

Right?

Right?

Not without a good reason...

Maybe it was not such an outlandish fear... because even though Kamijou Faction could hold on without Touma, he already left this world once before... and the damage to the psyches of some of the members were severe.

What if that state actually became a permanent truth? How would it impact them?

"Is this the fear you wish to show us?" Ayu asked

Touma thought about it.

"In part yes, but there is more to it."

The tears in reality smoothened and the entire space around them bent and unfolded into a new scene.

'HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOUMA!' read the banner above the table.

The girls weren't ready for what they saw.

It was a birthday party. Kamijou Touma's birthday party.

The number of people gathered was astonishing.

Even if it was just an imagination or if Nephthys influenced it a little with her own magic, the visible diversity was overwhelming.

It was a big room, most likely a castle ballroom. A big, long table stood in the center, with many people gathered around Touma.

Many were young, of varying ages. And there were many women, many of them quite familiar. Misaki spotted Mikoto speaking with Kuroko, while her son Takami chatted with Saten. Saten's own daughter, Setsu, ran along with Serina, Rhain, and other younger members of their generation.

Kazakiri Hyouka was doing her best with Diana and Shen-Lung, daughter of Bologna Succubus and son of Niang-Niang, while Clara, daughter of Orsola Aquinas, blissfully ignored all the ruckus around her, making a flower crown to put on her father's head. Her mother conversed with Agnese, whose son, Angelo, was engaged with a discussion with Kaizumi, son of Seria, and Kiseki, daughter of Misaki.

Seria and Misaki exchanged glances, unsure how to react.

"That's... something I hadn't considered" Misaki admitted after a moment.

"Right... our children becoming friends?" Seria laughed quietly" That's... a really weird reality. And... happy one, even that kind of miracle was allowed to occur"

Ayu watched her older version talk with her daughter with a serene smile on her face.

"How many children are here?" she asked, half-dazed.

"Above 50"

"Oh, that's nice, above-... ABOVE 50?!"

"Huh, everyone really is here" Kaibi said, as she noticed New Light and Leivinia Birdway, as well as Kongou Mitsuko, Awatsuki Maaya, and Wannai Kinuho. Two twin children of Kongou, an elegantly dressed boy and beautiful girl, named Tomoya and Miya, conversed with Lessar's daughter, Tannia. Nearby, two girls, Parvati and Etain, played catch, while Shimitsu, daughter of Mugino Shizuri, was arguing about something with Kenjou, daughter of Kanzaki Kaori.

The girls were almost sure that Nephthys smiled and waved to the brown skinned girl named Sena, who bore such resemblance to her, that she had to be related to their divine companion. And somehow, the girl waved back... no, they had to see that wrong.

There were many, many guests. Hamazura Shiage was sat prominently with the rest of the family, as was Tsuchimikado Motoharu, Sogiita Gunha, Etzali, and many of Touma's male allies and friends, alongside their own families.

Touma himself was speaking with a silver haired woman with blindfolded eyes and cradling the sleeping blond haired baby, a mere infant. She wore a blue pyjamas with something written on it. It looked something like this...

ᚨᛊᛏᛁᚱ ᛟᚦᛁᚾᚢᛊᛞᛟᛏᛏᛖᚱ

"Wait... I do not remember this baby... but there is something familiar about her..." Touma by the girls' side squinted his eyes" Who is that?"

Nephthys smiled and put a finger on her lips.

"Spoilers. I added few things you couldn't have known. Well... this is rather unfortunate though, if what's troubling you is what I assume it is"

"What are you-"

Suddenly, there was a rumbling that shook the entire room.

It came without warning and delay.

In one swift moment, the ceilling caved onto the entire group, squashing them to a pulp.

Touma covered his face.

"What just... happened?" Misaki whispered, looking at the small hand sticking out the rubble.

FWOOSH!

The Kamijou family was on the beach.

And just as suddenly as before, the earth split open, swallowing them whole.

FWOOSH!

Enormous fire swallowed the family, leaving only burnt corpses.

Then they saw the

"..."

Crushed

"!"

Torn apart.

"N-No..."

Shot

"No..."

Hang

"Nooo..."

Eaten

"Noooo..."

Infected and decayed

"NOOOOOOO!

Cursing every breath they had before breathing their last-

Touma screamed wildly and fell on his knees as the vision exploded in intensity and left everyone in the dark.

The only sources of light were faint glows around the humans within it.

After the initial terror and shock of very violent visions died down, the girls realized that they witnessed the reason of them being here.

They were so focused on the revelation that was seeing the possible future that they forgot that ultimately, this was the realm of some trauma.

This time, it was Kaibi who stepped forward. She approached Touma sitting in the void with hands over her. The others, sensing that too many voices in one problem would only make it worse, chose to listen, for now.

"Hey" Kaibi touched Touma's shoulder, as the blackness slowly faded into the imagiery from Hasako's Sanctuary. Even though they looked like they were back outside, this was still just a mental representation" We are here. I am here. I know that you are strong for everyone, and that you always rise up. That's your thing, and sometimes, it goes far beyond your own good. But... it's obvious that something is burning you through in regards to what we just saw. I won't force you, but... would you talk to me about it? Please?"

Touma took a small, shuddering breath, and spoke.

"You are probably going to think this is foolish"

Kaibi shook her head, before gently embracing him. It was strange, given that he was manifested in a larger body, but she didn't mind. She only hoped that she conveyed at least a bit of more substantial support through this contact.

"We both know that while you act like a moron at times, in my heart you will always be someone who will get my attention and I would never mock you for feeling a certain way"

Touma dropped his hands down from his face. They dangled like loose limbs of a puppet.

"What you saw is something I didn't plan for. I know that it sounds crazy, I am still coming to terms about it, and I know that we will have to talk about it later on-"

"Oh, we surely will" Seria remarked, with a small smile on her face.

"But you have to understand... I had couple of visions, and even interactions with this future... with my own children. But this future is not fixed. It changes and shifts alongside the things I do in the present"

"So... are you afraid that the future will come undone?"

"No... that's not it. I am scared of what will happen when this future will come true"

"What?" Misaki and Ayu said simultaneously." Wasn't it something really good?"

Even Nephthys tilted her head in surprise.

Touma scratched his head and nodded, but the weariness didn't leave his features.

"It is, but at the same time... as you all know full well, I am misfortunate. This is not going to change, no matter what I try to do about it. I can deal with it when it only concerns me..."

"You better not try to take it all on yourself. We've been through this and I am not letting you" Kaibi scoffed at him.

Touma smiled weakly, and carried on.

"... but ever since I learned about the existence of Future Phase... the possibility of having a family... something that rested within me, perhaps for a long time, made itself known. I couldn't stand the possibility of my own bad luck hurting anyone I care about..."

"But... they are just-"

"Possible? Yeah, they are. But after some time, I would love them to be real. And that's beside the point! Regardless of it, I don't want anyone to suffer. But is that even possible when someone is with me?"

"If I may, I thought the targeting ability of your misfortune shifted from others to yourself" Misaki remarked from behind.

Touma glanced at her, and sighed.

"Yeah, I guess, but it's not like it's incredibly precise. Bad things can happen to me, but can affect others around me... hurt them, or even kill them. Just like when explosion kills someone who caused it, but the shockwave still hurts others around"

He rubbed his face and directed his eyes to the sky.

"I don't want to sound like I am complaining, but... I would not be able to bear if something happened to my kids and family because I wanted to be happy. This is just selfish, right? I learned to be selfish before, but this is not about me coming back to life or reclaiming my old world... here, I am just trying to gain more than I already have."

"Is this a bad thing?" Kaibi asked with concern.

"Yes, when the lives of others are in danger!" Touma shouted in despair.

This was not the same as before, when he was feeling guilty about those he didn't manage to save.

On many such occasions, he had no control. Either because he had no knowledge that he needed to save someone in that moment or simply because he was not even alive to begin with.

But now...

"It is my decision if I make that future happen. Literally, I am needed for it. But being around me can pose such dangers to my family members, I can see millions of ways through which I can introduce a threat to them. I don't want to bring them to the world only for them to endure the dangers of being related to me"

Kaibi listened to Touma, thinking about what he said.

After a moment of reflection, she said, her eyes flashing pink, as she looked at the boy.

"I used my ability on you before. But even without Measure Heart, I know the distance your heart assumes to that of others. You almost become someone else when you feel their pain, when you seek to save them, when you try to reach for the way to make sure they smile. I felt that too. You managed to take my own heart with just your own kindness and understanding, no tricks, no strings attached. But emotional distance, one that was so diligently decreased between the two of us, is a two-way street. You managed to get my heart to be yours, and I think I have a pretty good grasp on your own now"

"Hmm, someone feels confident" Seria muttered, just enough for them to hear her.

However Kaibi ignored the remark and instead finished her monologue

"And since I think I got a good understanding of this matter... I think the real question that should be asked is not whether or not you can or cannot allow others, even those who are not yet existing, to get hurt. Because we know the answer already, don't we? If someone is in trouble, you will step up. No, the real question is..."

Kaibi shifted herself, her face filling up Touma's field of vision.

And as the blond in the hot pink dress placed a hand on his cheek, and asked the question that was the core of the issue

"... are you allowing yourself to be happy?"

Touma's eyes widened.

"What?"

"I think that... and I am sorry if I misspeak but..." Kaibi's eyes once again flashed with warm concern." that you are used to the misfortune and pain. So used to that in fact you feel worried and cautious when you are not suffering. And what we are talking about is something that will give you ultimate happiness."

"Kaibi... sorry, but this makes no sense! I am no masochist, of course I don't want to suffer!"

"I never said that you wanted to suffer. I only think you might associate your own satisfaction with suffering of others. Or perhaps you spent so much of your time suffering in silence, internalizing every wound and scar, be it mental or physical, that you are not sure if happiness in the long run is possible. This future may just be the happiness you sought. It gives you hope. And we all know..."

Kaibi glanced sideways to the rest of the mental espers.

"... that hope is a scary thing when there is a risk of it being quenched. You cannot risk it, can you? Destruction of this hope. You feel that if you allowed yourself the search of that happiness, and you hurt someone... or if that happiness in itself turns out to be impossible to attain in the end... that your heart will collapse for the final time, and it would obviously herald no possibility of ever saving anyone who needs it again"

Touma clenched his fist and his body shuddered. Around them, the breeze made the trees in the park rustle slightly.

"I... never put it in words before. But after hearing you say it, I can't really argue with it. You got me. You are really good at this, you know"

Kaibi blushed lightly and replied modestly

"It's nothing. I am no saint, but I will always try my best for the people I love"

She then cleared her throat and continued.

"If you ask me, there is nothing wrong with hoping for something better. As someone who dabbled with dark side for quite some time, I can assure you, we never know when we die. It applies to everyone. But it doesn't mean we quit trying. You know that well too. There will never be times when this danger is truly gone. But it is clearly worth it to take the risk for the good times we can have together"

"How can you be so sure?"

"I am not sure. But I hope to be, for you" Kaibi inhaled deeply and placed a kiss on Touma's lips.

It was a shorter than Seria's but it still caused three other girls to almost lunge forward, if not for Nephthys stopping them.

"We have only one life, at least the one we can remember. And in your life there is something that will help in ensuring that happiness will be worth the pain"

Kaibi tapped Touma's chest a few times with her finger, giving him her most alluring smile, the glint of mirth flashing in her gem-like eyes.

"You are worried about being selfish, but in truth, you've been selfish for a long time, haven't you?"

"Huh? How was I selfish?"

"You are very, very sweet for worrying about the fact that some calamity may hurt people around you. But... they have a saying and will to be with you too. It's not like they are denying or ignorant on the risk. They most likely know the risk by now, but they are wanting to be part of your life and take it anyway. There are so many people who were changed by you, so many who want to stay by your side..."

[Author's note: Just to clarify, in the following paragraphs, descriptions in Kaibi's narration applies to the person below it. For example, "There are people who are blessed" - Kanzaki]

"There are people who are blessed, but who had their hearts opened to the new possibilities of salvation. Those who were inspired by you and who love you for how much you complete them"

Nephthys gently moved her hand and the scenes in front of them turned into smoke, before clearing away and showing Kanzaki Kaori, writing something on the piece of paper, turning red, and crumbling the letter, before repeating the process again and again. Finally, the Saint fell onto her bed and rolled on her back, sighing and hugging her nodachi to her chest, looking at the photograph on her nightstand, depicting her with a highschool boy with a spiky hair.

"There are ones that were thought by themselves to be long gone lost causes, unworthy of either forgiveness of affection, who love you because you gave them just that"

The scene shifted and refocused on Mugino Shizuri, trying to pick a dress from her closet and smiling to herself as she hummed softly, much relaxed than she was usually. After a satisfied nod, she moved to the kitchen. After very cautious double checking if any other ITEM member was nearby, she pulled out the book titled 'Being a good girlfriend for dummies' and clicked her tongue as she began reading.

"There are those who themselves thought close bond with you would be ridiculous, but nevertheless found themselves captivated and chose to go on through their own free will"

Then, the scene went to showcase Shirai Kuroko, who, with wide gesticulation and blush on her face, sketched something vigorously on pile of paper in, while speaking with Mikoto. Though not many details could be discerned from angle that was given, it was clear that one depicted on the drawing had spiky hair.

"There are those who just met you and only began to understand who you are, but who are already captivated by your actions and words"

Next, Hasekura Reiri appeared, looking at her phone while brushing a lock her brown hair behind her ear. She pursed her lips and shifted her body from tips of her toes to the heels and back, as her gaze lingered on her phone, where the number gained from Touma phoning her back was displayed. She traced a circle with her finger, appearing restless and excited as her thoughts kept returning to the extraordinary boy she just met and who kept popping up in her head.

"There are those who encountered you through pure chance but over time, found themselves loyal and devoted to you. It's not out of anything other than the fact that they feel happier because of you"

Following, there was Kongou Mitsuko in her dorm room, looking at the small plushie of a snake. It was the very same that Touma got her when she was sick together with Wannai and Awatsuki. She struck the toy boa with a radiant, warm smile. Kicking her bare legs like a happy child, while writing in the elegant handwriting new positions on the list titled 'Marvellous ideas to make darling happy', giggling to herself from time to time.

"There those who would never interacted with each other, who long gave up on happiness, until they met and came to love you. Ones that are capable of creation of the world you dreamt of and destruction of things that can endanger it."

Kankyougami Hasako, envelloping the field within the lush greenery, surrounded by rich soils of volcanic inferno, crying tears of joy due to possibility of designing and cultivating her beloved nature. And Maidono Hoshimi, training her ability relentlessly on both land and sea, lifting objects from boulders to small mountains, building and fusing together vadious forms, even generating shockwaves to master shifting the masses of the earth and gigantic waves she could conjour up.

"There are those who were once your enemies and who opposed you in battle, and yet left as changed men after you destroyed their illusions. They owe you more than you ever realize or take credit for."

Then, Accelerator, sitting alone in his chair, in the prison cell he had constructed for himself. Although he seemed passive, it was clear that he was deep in thought. He looked contemplatively on the coffee can. It was the brand both he and Touma deeply enjoyed, and even drank together on his one day parole that #1 esper took to spend time with Last Order and the rest of his family.

"There are those who secretly want to earn your love like a trophy, to stand side by side you in companionship..."

The scene changed to show princess Carissa, training fiercely on the courtyard under the cloudy sky. Despite sweat glistening over her body and red suit, and blond hair sticking to her skin both due to the perspiration and rain starting to fall from the heavens, she had a determination of one woman army. In front of her lied a familiar photo: A selfie of the princesses taken together with Kamijou Touma. As she glanced at it, she nodded to herself and resumed her regimen.

"... While at the same time, your actions and words also transcended barriers of wealth and age, opening hearts, reigniting trust..."

In the room of various shades of blue, covered in books of all shapes and sizes, Princess Rimea combed her hair. She pensively tapped the quill on the parchment and, looking at the very same selfie framed and situated on her work desk alongside few others, she wrote 'I miss our talks. Please, write to me when you gain the availability'. The first princess let out a deep sigh, bending back on her chair.

"... inspiring love and creating beauty..."

Helcalia Grocery, practicing her esper ability and growing strong to be able to repay Touma for protecting her and develop her skills to be someone that could save him instead. Getting excited to think of a prospect that one day, even if it was distant, she could be someone that could be looked at with trust, respect, and love. Someone who was worth to be taken for a wife among the stars of space.

"There are those who treat you like family, even if they hide it... "

One more shift, to Leivinia Birdway, who cleaned her room and the space of her enormous mansion of a house for the n-th time, clearly failing to hide the excitement concerning the fact that Kamijou Touma, who was now awake from his long lasting coma, was to visit the Birdway family on royal business. The day was clearly marked on the calendar for some time now. Observing from the sidelines, Patricia sighed as her twin zoomed in and out already, even though the visitation was still quite ahead.

"... there are people who are waiting to have more adventures with you, and perhaps, you will get much closer then..."

Sozty Exica swirled through the screen, looked at the spectators, cutely stuck out her tongue, and ran off again. Was this the premonition of some sort?

"Finally, there are people who are already loved deeply within your heart..."

A mirage of Orsola Aquinas eating a cupcake appeared. The nun turned around and waved happily with a gentle smile, the crumbs still around her mouth, creating an adorable display.

"... and the ones you understood deeply... or will do so for you and them"

Othinus, standing alone in the dark, then illuminated by a single ray of light. All of the sudden, she was lifted upward, the darkness crumbling, as she was joined by Niang-Niang on her left and Nephthys on her right.

"In short... there will always be someone to come home to"

Vision of Index, in her Walking Church, looked straight at Touma, and smiled. On her head, Sphynx meowed and lifted his paw in the air. The nun said something, before disappearing into a plume of smoke.

Kaibi stood up and joined other girls, as the space around them started to disort and fade.

She looked at Touma, who glanced forward with a mixture of emotions clearly visible on his face.

"I will always be there for you, as will the others. For now, all I ask you is this: Hope not only for the salvation of everyone. Have hope that we will be able to save you too. I leave you with those words. Be strong, and see you soon"

And then... the world faded away.

IV. METAL

"Well, this is... different" Ayu said, as she looked around.

Or at least, she would be looking around, if she could actually see anything.

Contrary to previous times, they didn't wound up in the mini market.

"Where are we?" Kaibi mumbled somewhere nearby" I can't see a thing. It's all pitch black"

Ayu tried to move. At the same time, she felt someone grab her leg, and her own head wounding up on something soft.

"Shokuhou!"

"Mitsuari-san!"

Silence.

"Did you figure out where we are?" came slightly muffled voice of Kumokawa Seria.

"No, not really. What I am more interested in is how Mitsuari-san had a guessing ability to know it is me by touching my chest!"

"S-Same here! How in the world did you know it was me by grabbing my leg"

"You keep talking about your legs, you can't blame me for looking once or twice. It was a strategic assessment from the time we were enemies. What's your excuse?"

"That does not classify as anything!"

"Girls, girls, you are all pretty. Can we please focus here? Damn it, if I truly established a connection in recent time, I could track your presence by using my ability, but this is not going to do me any good here" Kaibi exclaimed in exasperation" Kumokawa-san, you were asking us about our possible whereabouts, but if I know you, you have some theory"

"Sort of. If this space is infinite, we are screwed either way, but maybe if we walk around, we will find walls and get a hold of this room's structure"

"Let's find each other first. By, the way, Nephthys-san, are you here?"

"Where else would I be? It is a delightful little escapade and I don't want to miss a thing"

It took some time, but Kaibi managed to find Misaki and Ayu (already together) and then Seria. Aside from the fact that Kaibi almost fell over Misaki's legs, and Ayu accidently jabbed fingers dangerously close to Seria's eyes and nose, it went pretty well.

"Nephthys-san, are you close?"

"Mhm"

"Can you make us some light?"

"Of course"

"WHY DIDN'T YOU DO THAT BEFORE?"

"Well, you were so bravely independent, and I thought that you could use it, but then you said you wouldn't like anyone reading your minds, and I didn't want to impose-"

Yes, the egyptian goddess was clearly having way too much fun.

A small orb of white light appeared over Nephthys's palm illuminating small circle around the girls.

"Yes. This gives much more easiness ability" Misaki relaxed a little, as the quintet began walking forth.

After a minute or two of wandering through the blackness, Ayu walked into something solid.

"Ow!"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah... but I think I found the wall. Or rather, the wall found me."

The wall was initially not visible to them because it blended perfectly with the darkness.

But as they look up, they saw the shades of green, blue, white, and gold.

"Is this some sort of the mineral? It looks like geological sendiments? This is strange..."

"Strange? We saw death scenarios, egg portals, people from hundreds of years prior, I think we know strange by now"

"Everyone..."

"Yes?"

"This wall is warm"

They looked at each other, just as the wall moved.

Or rather, began to uncoil, in a few different places, before rising up, far above all of them.

The faces of the girls paled, while Nephthys watched in interest, as the wall-like structures came undone, revealing themselves to be the long, sinusoidal bodies.

The goddess extended her fingers and the range of light spread, allowing them to see that they were watched from every direction.

"... b-but of course, I can be proven wrong... it just got stranger..."

Misaki saw them from the distance once before, but still, she pressed her back to the ones of Seria, Ayu, and Kaibi as they realized what they were looking at.

Glimmering and crackling of golden lightning. Flickering of dark red flames on glistening bones. The green mist swirling around the emerald hued form, four eyes watching closely. Icicle-like scales of unheard hardness. Scales as black as darkest night and cold breath, that seemed to be coming from the depths of the underworld. Sizzling poison, dripping from the fangs in cobra-like head. Regal head of the indigo colour and big, reptilian pupils.

Dragons. They were surrounded by dragons.

The blind one, in the colour of the night, lowered his head. As he opened his maw of sharp teeth, mist came outside in a chilling breath. As soon as he directed his attention at them, they felt themselves freeze in terror. Suddenly, maintaining the status of the living seemed like a gruelling task. Even Kumokawa Seria, who trained herself rigorously to be mostly impervious to fear, fared rather badly against the incarnation of terror and darkness. Then, the dragon spoke, and the vibrations changed into language within their minds.

"What are you seeking here, mind walkers? This is not the place for you to be"

The girls were still too shocked and, quite frankly, rather terrified, as the dragons lowered their heads, sniffing them.

"Indeed" rumbled the golden dragon, lightning splitting the void" Even if you are the possible mates of our vessel, coming here without agreement or reason is an affront"

"No, wait a moment" the female voice came from emerald dragon, who eyed the girls closely" I think they are fascinating. Their minds are... broad and capable of connecting, shifting, changing the structure of the very fabric of thought."

"I am ssssure there is a good reasssson for thissss" the cobra dragon's single eye blinked as it assessed the girls.

"Indeed there is" Nephthys rose into the air, between the dragons, who directed their attention at her, making the girls let out the breaths they did not know they were holding in.

The goddess assumed a certain pose, with both hands outstretched in front of herself, arms slightly bent, palms forward, with right hand higher and further in front than the left.

The girls could not know this, but this was the egyptian pose of hail and prayer.

"Praised be the ancient ones! As one immortal being to the other, I apologize for disturbing your slumber. We stumbled into your domain through chance and accident, and I guarantee that we are merely passing in order to aid your very host"

The dragons rumbled and spoke among themselves, before the crystal covered dragon spoke, in distinctly female timbre.

"If you are speaking for their intents, we will deliver no retribution, Lady of the Weeping. Give our regards to the human that binds us"

The emerald, four-eyed dragon, turned into mist, and before the girls knew it, rematerialized just in front of them.

"Can't I keep those little mind-ruling mortals?" to Ayu's astonishment, the dragon nuzzled her (which was more akin to pushing her with the snout), and gave Kumokawa Seria a strong lick with forked tongue, which left her with interesting hairstyle and expression of disgust.

"They would fit nicely in my domain. We would play for aeons... of my time, of course"

"Dragon of Illusion seems to like you" Nephthys said with a smile" Well, no wonder, given who she is"

There was something hypnotic in her eyes. Kaibi felt as if she could look into them for eternity and discover new things that they showed...

Then, she winced. Kumokawa Seria pinched her on the elbow.

"Don't look at her straight up. This..." she tried to find another, more reason-based word, but quickly gave up"...dragon... is just like us."

At the same time, the indigo dragon berated his emerald companion.

"We are transcendental beings of higher energy. You should restrain yourself."

The dragon growled and disappeared into green mist once again.

"Do not take it wrongly" the obsidian dragon said in a rumble" We bear no ill will when it comes to you. As potential mates of our host, you and your offspring can receive our protection."

"However, this is not a safe place. You are lucky you disturbed only us. There are beings out there that you really do not want to confront on your lonesome" spoke the skeletal dragon.

And in that moment, both Misaki and Ayu felt something with their minds.

Normally, they needed remote or a phone respectively to direct their abilities for finer use.

But here it was so much more intuitive since they were already in the mind.

This time however, it came as their undoing.

Somewhere beyond them, their minds accidentally touched something that should not be touched.

It was cold, old, and furious in a very bitter way.

A simultaneous gasp escaped two telepaths, as a bloody red reptilian eye opened within their mind's view.

It was such eerie, creepy feeling.

As if their minds themselves became stuck to this dreadful presence, which was like a carnivorous flower luring the prey with nectar. It seemingly started to erode their personalities from just this little contact.

They severed the self-imposed link with his difficulty, just as a terrifying, bloodcurdling roar shook the void.

In retrospect, it was more like a screech or cry than a proper roar.

Have you ever heard the death whistle of the Aztecs? Etzali could tell you all about it. If you did, or have the opportunity to learning about its sound, you will get a pretty good idea of what everyone heard at that moment.

Everyone looked around, and even dragons moved, alarmed.

"You have to go, little ones. Now! Go, and complete your mission! I will aid you in giving the shortcut"

"What kind of shortcu-"

In the next moment, the dragon's jaw extended like the snake's.

And he swallowed all of them whole.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was like a waterslide. A dark, chilly, terrifying waterslide.

Then, the darkness suddenly parted and they tumbled onto the solid ground.

The four girls huddled together did not move for a moment.

"We've just been eaten" Ayu remarked meekly

"A-Astute observation" Seria found stretching her face muscles to form any other expressions a real challenge

"And we live"

"Appears so"

"Good"

"Good"

"Gokusai-san, you are grabbing me with a great tightness ability. Can you please let go?" Misaki slowly, as if she was a mannequin, rotated her head to look at Kaibi.

"I would love to, but my muscles can't seem to relax"

"What about you? Your legs are shaking so much that I feel as if someone put put a jackhammer on my thighs!"

"W-W-What about me?! W-W-What about you, cow? I heard that stutter! And this enormous forehead of yours does not do you favours in showing that you are pale as snow"

"I think..." Ayu said with a tired smile" That we all need a moment"

They stayed as they were for a couple of minutes, before their bodies relaxed enough to let go.

"Nephthys-san..." Ayu wobbled, standing up" Did you know about this"

Nephthys, who appeared few meters away, thoughtfully looked at the sky with her arms crossed

"As a matter of fact, I did not. This was quite an unplanned detour"

"Well, since we are obviously going to have a talk about... us being a family in the future with dozens of kids... all of us, together... to avoid a global war..." Seria massaged her temples with exasperated look" We surely can add the topic of those dragons and whatever the hell that was"

"Anyway... where are we?"

They were on the hill. It was cloudy and cold. And as they stepped on top of the meadow...

"Oh..." Ayu covered her mouth

"Oh my..." Misaki was not far behind.

"Heavens..." Kaibi rubbed her eyes" Do you all see that?"

"Yes, which is most concerning" Seria nodded, as she shielded her own eyes from the wind.

They were standing just over the field of graves.

Although calling it a 'field' was a terribly weak euphemism.

That was because the grave stretched in every direction. North, South, East, West. As far as the eyes could see, there were graves.

They were not ornamental and rich, just a simple tombstones. Some... many of them actually... had a name engraved on them, accompanied by the image that moved, as in optic illusion, depending on the perspective assumed. Meanwhile the others had just mere numbers.

They walked in silence among the still air. There was no sound, no talking, nothing. As if the entire world paused in morbid reverie. This stillness was almost as ominous as the graveyard itself.

They walked for a while, before Misaki, Seria, and Kaibi realized that Ayu stayed behind.

"What happened? Don't fall behind-" Misaki grabbed Ayu by the arm after walking back to her.

But the burgundy haired girl slowly extended her arm, pointing forward.

"That grave... it has my name on it"

"What? Impossible, there must be some mistake" Kaibi disagreed, as she and Seria joined them.

However, the carved 'MITSUARI AYU' was clear as day. And if that was not enough, if there was a chance that someone could share family and given name, above was a slightly moving image in the likeness that was most definitely the girl standing among them.

"And that is truly..." Seria uttered quietly after inspecting the moving image" how the drowned appears"

The face features and body of the girl on the image were swollen and grotesquely misshapen, almost unrecognizable if not for the burgundy, fluffy hair, which appeared to be floating in the liquid like a veil.

Ayu looked away, accidentally burying her face into Kaibi's shoulder. But Measure Heart did not push her away.

Misaki stared as if in trance, realizing that, as if in some cruel irony, the face that was staring at her from the tombstone was only slightly more messed up that the accursed inflated version of herself that Ayu once taunted her with.

Finally, Seria led the girls away from the grave.

"Come on. I am sure we can get an answer as to what is all of this"

They resumed the march through the rows of graves, Ayu slightly leaning on Kaibi, until they heard the sound of metal falling onto the ground.

And then... on the horizon they saw a place in which the earth was disturbed... and single person crouched by the grave.

They quickened their pace... and after what seemed like an eternity, arrived by the fresh grave.

Kamijou Touma was on his knees, staring blankly into the hole on the ground.

As the girls arrived, they barely contained their shock upon seeing a face of a very familiar nun laying motionlessly in the hole.

"Index-san?"

"Touma?"

The boy did not speak to them. His expression appeared so void of any emotion, that it appeared very unsettling. Pale features, with wide, bloodshot eyes, dried blood on his clothes, ragged, and unhealthy aura. More of a man's husk than actual human being, someone crushed by heartbreaking loneliness, someone who saw so much pain that he barely knew he was alive anymore.

He was not dead though, and he slowly rose to his knees, grabbing the discarded shovel.

"What are you doing?" Kaibi asked him.

"Burying her... burying all of them... Burying myself to be able to go on..."

His voice seemed distant, as if it was merely an echo on the wind... as if he didn't speak to anyone else in a very, very, very long time.

"You are not making sense... Why are you doing this then?"

"I need to... so I can return..."

"Return to where?"

"To my world... our world..."

As he looked at them, he sighed, as if only now recognizing people who stood before him

"It's all of you... you made it"

"What is this place?"

Touma rose up, and look on the graveyard stretching beyond the horizon

"Trail of my tears... this is the place I return to after I fail... the place she made to break me... to remind me of my own weakness. Each time I die, I come through all the previous deaths... through void, and rope, and sword, and fire, and wounds, and hunger, and pain... you are standing on my attempts to go on..."

A trail of red trickled down his cheek. His tear glands were used and there was nothing more to give aside blood .

"I... don't feel much now. I only know I must carry on. I must return... to... others. Sometimes I don't remember what I left behind... or even who I am. I died so, so many times before. I don't know how long... I lost count ages ago..."

"You mentioned this before... how exactly did this happen?"

"I fought..." Touma spoke with great strain, as if each word was cutting him apart" I fought Othinus to ensure that she didn't hurt anyone... and I lost. She erased the universe, added a phase of nothingness on top of our world. She desired my ability, so she tested limitless possibilities of ways in which she could break me into yielding..."

"... By killing you" Seria finished, apalled." Did you really... die in each every possible form?"

"All that time, you've been doing this alone... just to save us?" Kaibi whispered, tears flowing into her eyes

"That witch..."

"Do not take it on her. We... understood. Made peace. And even... something more than that. But even so... even if I resolved and understood, this..." Touma let out a shaky exhale, and made a wide gesture with his arm" This still haunts me. I want to forget, I can't allow to remember... but I can't help it... in my nightmares, I fall, I die in so many ways, and I rise again to die again, and again, and again. I felt it, each and every time, in each and every way... what death feels like in all of its forms. By this time, I think I know death more than life... I lived in death longer than the world itself... and it terrifies me..."

They did not know what to say to that at first.

Instead, Ayu issued a question of her own.

"Why... was there a gravestone for me?"

Touma's body twitched. Although with a strength of the convulsion, it was more of a spasm if anything else.

"Are there any more? Theirs too?" Ayu pointed to the other girls.

Touma grabbed his head and said something quietly.

"What was that?"

"Killed you..."

"I am sorry, I could not hear-"

"I KILLED YOU!" Touma roared in anguish, his lips spouting another trickle of blood from his teeth being clenched way too tightly" I allowed you to die!"

The girls recoiled from this outburst

"My prince... this cannot be! You would never hurt anyone-"

"Not saving you is pretty much the same for me" Touma clenched his fist with the most pained voice they ever heard from him" In some phases, she tries to break me... by making it so I have to repeatedly watch people around me die. Sometimes, even though I don't want to, I cause those deaths. And no matter what I do... I still can't reach them. I still have to watch them die, because unless I do, the world won't change. I will not move forward. I will not get anywhere else"

Touma then pointed at the shovel.

"I burry each and every person I allowed to die. I guess it's to remind me how many I killed... to stop me from advancing forward. But I can't stop... I can't... even if another billion years passes and my heart will fall into so many pieces that I won't even know how many pieces to gather to put it back together. Even so... I can't help but wonder... will this ever cease... the pain I feel..."

After nothing changed for a couple of moments, the broken boy raised his head and was surprised to see that the world around him froze.

Everything came to stop, including Seria, Ayu, and Kaibi. Only Misaki remained able to move, looking around for the source of the phenomenon.

They quickly found it in the form of Nephthys standing nearby.

"What happened? What did you do?" Touma asked in confusion.

"It's time for you, Shokuhou Misaki. But do not worry. You will not do it alone"

"Where did you go again?"

"I just had to wander out to bring a special guest"

Othinus appeared in a flash of light.

"What... where am I? You said you were taking me somewhere important but where-"

The norse goddess looked around, onto the graveyard. The pupil in her green eye shrunk and she almost immediately began to sweat. She backed away, almost toppling backwards and tripping on the tombstone.

"No, no, why... why did you bring me here? I don't want to see it..."

"I brought you here because this is for him" Nephthys stated calmly.

"I cannot change it, I cannot undo it! Do not remind me of this, I already live through guilt every waking moment" Othinus shouted frantically.

Misaki and Touma watched this unexpected exchange, bating their breaths.

"You are needed here, Othinus. Maybe I said it in an incomplete way. This is not only for him, but for you as well"

"How? How can I do anything against it? Did you take me here to gloat? I know that you want to grant him Infinite Heavens in place of the atrocities I once created to break our human..."

Nephthys slowly traversed the space between her and Othinus, and put a hand on the arm of her rival.

"Othinus, this is not an act of vengeance. It is your redemption. You have a twofold chance to repent for the disgrace of your sins in light of Magic Godhood... firstly, you can go forth with the plan myself and little starlight here came up with..."

"What plan?"

Touma's question was muffled by gasp of Othinus, who understood what was going on.

"And secondly..." Nephthys sighed, and then smiled" While I believe we will remain to have our differences, my feelings for this human helped me see you in a new light. I am not your enemy Othinus. In fact, I wish for you to contribute in creating the Infinite Heavens, sharing it with me and Niang-Niang"

Othinus froze in disbelief.

"Are you... really?"

"Unless you don't want to-"

"Yes!" Othinus shouted, perhaps a bit too enthusiastically for her normal behaviour.

She cleared her throat and said simply

"I would be honoured"

"Right. But... first things first." Nephthys looked at Misaki" Can you send Othinus the details of the plan?"

"With one click ability"

BEEP!

Othinus blinked and touched the side of her head.

"That's... a tall order. But one I am more than willing to take upon myself."

"Are you sure?"

"More than sure. Ever since I lost my divinity, I waited for a moment like this... no, I didn't believe it would ever come..."

Othinus looked at Misaki.

"We are one thing... but for a human to try this..."

"I am doing this. I would do it over and over, for all eternity, if this would make the one person I love the most happy" Misaki proclaimed with conviction" I am Shokuhou Misaki. When it comes to all mental phenomena, there is no equal to me. Memory, cognition, perception, concepts, movement, and phenomenal world, I posses the ruling ability over it all. And I will use every single piece of my being to help my prince let go. I waited for him so long, I can endure everything to be able to be happy alongside him"

Othinus smiled and grabbed Misaki's hand, giving him an approving squeeze.

"A fine companion in the eve of need. I am counting on you"

Touma watched in confusion as Nephthys grabbed him by the arm, positioning him in place.

"What... what are you doing? Speak to me!"

"We will explain later... but for now... just let us do one thing you always needed in this endless nightmare..."

Othinus, Misaki, and Nephthys put their hands on Touma's hand.

"When there are stars, there is hope" Nephthys said mysteriously, before focusing inwardly.

Touma looked into Misaki's starry eyes.

In that one moment, those stars shone only for one person.

There was nothing but love in them.

"I am going to save you"

Just as Misaki's finger pressed the button on the remote, Touma realized what was going on

"STO-"

And then...

The stream of memories started flooding him.

"Aaaaaah..."

Everything, all over, at once...

Endless, seamless, looping, everlasting, filled to the brink with suffering.

But there was a difference. There was a change.

This was the plan that Nephthys and Misaki put together after Mental Out began sketching her plans for mental recovery.

She had all the mental abilities to keep her mind and sanity intact, while also compressing the experience to a minimal amount of time. Meanwhile, Nephthys, in addition to acting as an overseer, had one key role to play, at the very end.

Othinus sought a chance to repay in any shape or form for what she did earlier. And so she and Misaki were to share the toll of Touma's deaths.

It was a psychological toll, but the sensations of death were very much real.

And yet... two blonds were determined to carry on without fail.

How would that help Kamijou Touma?

The event of sharing the pain with someone, the mere representation of being saved by someone in the absolute hell he endured, would help him let go. Just like in the case of phantom limb, where the mirror therapy allowed to release pain in limb that was not actually there anymore, Misaki Shokuhou and Othinus slowly but steadily lessened Touma's burden by shifting the mental representations of his biggest trauma.

It was, of course, not something he would allow if he knew beforehand. But nevertheless, something he needed.

Misaki pushed him out rocket that was to take him into the vastness of space, found herself saving him from the noose, and led him away from various dangers. Othinus took his injuries and decayed in bed for decades. With a grace of a dying martyr, the goddess took upon herself a crash of a giant asteroid, burned at stake, or drowned in the depths of the ocean.

In each time Touma was about to die, one of them saved him and took his place.

All the while Nephthys guided them, not allowing them to truly die, navigating in the complex, looping cycle of death and revival, as they endured the deaths one after the other. For ages and ages...

The stream of deaths didn't seem to end... until finally...

SNAP!

It ended. Infinity was compressed and locked within minutes.

Othinus wobbled back and fell onto the arms of Nephthys.

"Alright, I got you, I got you..."

Meanwhile Touma managed to catch Misaki and put her on the ground.

As Nephthys carried Othinus, and placed her close, Touma shook his head.

"Why?!"

"Why what?" Othinus said in a dazed voice.

She and Misaki appeared weakened and feverish, but otherwise, as Nephthys quickly assessed, were in no danger.

"Why did you do this? You saved me in my memories? Why? It was all done and lived through, I took all the pain I needed, both in case of Infinite Hells and reclaiming Imagine Breaker... why did you take that pain on yourself?"

"Human, sometimes you say the silliest things..." Othinus winced as she tried to get a better look at him" Remember what I told you in Denmark before my change? I was saved long ago, the moment you decided to not give up on me, to fight for me. I understood you even more through the pain you suffered through my hand... this is right. Odin is the warrior, the wanderer, the wise. It was my time to save you from my own mistakes, being brave enough to do it, patient enough to wander for the right answer, and wise enough to know it was a true justice"

"My prince... so many of the same things can be said for me" Misaki said, her eyes slightly glossing over. It was almost certain that her body temperature was too high for comfort" You saved me back then, during that summer. I waited for so long, watching you risk your life, without possibility to aid you in any substantial form save from working behind the scenes. I waited for something like this. I waited for the chance to actively make you happy... to be the one to truly make your pain go away... in the main role, not from the shadows... if my ability, which brought my nothing but loneliness and mistrust from others in my younger years, was meant to be of any good use, it was made for this. To free you from the shackling ability of your own mind. And that's just what we did. In time, you will be lighter. You will remember, but pain will lessen"

"But what about the two of you?"

"Don't worry... in contrast to you, we weren't on our own, and had a lot of Mental Out safety net on our brains. We will be fine, trust me"

"But... Misaki-san... why this? You weren't involved in this directly, what in the world gave you the ability to not go insane going through that?"

Misaki smiled warmly.

"It might have the incredibly blandness ability... and it may not be as grand of a reason as you enduring to get back the world that you lost... but I love you. I love you more than anything or anyone. I did since that time you saved me at a terrible cost ability... I love you so very much that it is all of a reason that matter to me. That was my choice, and only mine. I don't care if anyone calls it an obsession or foolishness... I love you, Kamijou Touma, my prince..."

As Othinus and Misaki drifted into a delirious state, Nephthys snapped her fingers and time resumed its flow.

"Othinus?" Kaibi raised an eyebrow, noticing the blond goddess on the ground" What is she doing here?"

"Huh? What happened?" Ayu looked with surprise at the scene in front of her.

"Why do I have a feeling that we were left out of something very crucial?"

"I will explain later" Nephthys pointed at Misaki and Othinus" Can you take care of them? I already healed them out of anything that would be dangerous for them, but make sure they will rest. I will move you outside"

"But-"

"I am close behind. Now, go!"

"Fine, but we will have a talk-"

Everyone, except for Nephthys and Touma, disappeared, as the graveyard faded away.

V. WATER

Nephthys approached Touma and put hands on him.

"Well done holding through all of those hard moments of trauma. My heart weeps for you, yet is also overjoyed that we could aid you in any way"

"You seem to have put a lot of thought into this. And a lot of effort too" Touma remarked

Nephthys laughed, a clear, soothing sound echoing through the world of whiteness they found themselves in.

"I suppose this is what the thing you call love does to a person, even a goddess. Which reminds me, my role is not over yet..."

She turned him slightly, so she would face her directly.

"You had a lot of pain bottled up inside. No one is blaming you for it, but you must also understand the concern of those who care for you. You are healed yet, but all we did was put you on the path of recovery. Yet, even though you could get over your pain in your head and even felt it receding, as a goddess of mourning, I think that it is my duty to aid you in something just as essential as acknowledging pain and working through it... look at me..."

As Touma focused on her face, a single tear flew down Nephthys' cheek.

And as if something broke inside of him, the overwhelming sadness and suffering caused tears to well in Touma's eyes, and he broke down, crying his heart out and pouring his feelings in the cascade of emotions.

The trigger was Nephthys' personal brand of magic, which allowed her to amplify or diminish magic or emotional states.

As mental representation within the mind, they didn't have to worry about Imagine Breaker's interference. And the effect was just as liberating.

"Yes... you promised me that you would cry for me. Only with time did I realize how much joy this brought me. So now, I can do the same for you. You couldn't allow yourself to grieve your own pain all this time, could you? Let it out, let it rain, give those tears meaning. And I will be here to take your heart and listen to it"

Touma cried, and cried, and cried. After all, there were quite many eons of pain weighing on his being.

Finally, the tears started to subside, before stopping altogether. Touma cleaned his face, and looked at Nephthys.

"What now?"

"Only you can answer that. But I know one thing..." the spheres of blue and gold glimmered with light, as the beautiful woman shed few more tears of her own. "You won't be alone in that"

She then spoke his name. His true name, one that only few knew.

It send shivers through his entire being, body, mind, and soul.

Almost on instinct, he spoke hers too.

As she shivered, he choked out

"Thank you. For setting my emotions free"

Nephthys kissed him with slow, sensual connection, building through moment to moment, and increasing in intensity. And in the feeling on reciprocity and understanding, he kissed her back.

She smelled of myrrh, cinnamon, and desert sand. Her touch was comforting and soothing. They didn't say much, except Nephthys gasping out a phrase

"Meri... meri sanah..."

which was one way of saying 'my beloved' in ancient egyptian.

The kiss seemed to last more than it actually did, and while both of them got slightly flustered once they came to their senses, they still smiled to each other. They needed it, very much.

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Few moments later, Nephthys flashed into existence outside of Touma's body, in Hasako's Sanctuary.

Kumokawa Seria and Gokusai Kaibi rose up from the ground.

"Ayu-san took it upon herself to see Misaki-san and Othinus-san to the hospital, just in case" Kaibi looked around, and then at Touma's still motionless body" Excuse me, but where is Touma?"

"Oh, he should be back in a moment. I left him behind because there is one more thing he should ponder upon before he wakes up. And to do this, he must go alone. I assure you though, he will be alright"

"Well, does is what a good therapy is. We don't really solve problems, we give tools and advice for Touma to do it himself. It makes sense for him to get some touches on his own"

"We are staying to watch over him" Kaibi stated the fact more than asked the question, but Seria nevertheless answered.

"Absolutely"

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Kamijou Touma was walking through the hospital corridor.

Earlier, Nephthys said to him

"There is something else. You are scared of leaving everyone. You are scared of actually dying for good"

"Yeah, guess I am. On one hand, it's good that all that dying over and over again didn't make me lose the appreciation of the value of life, but on the other... the fact that I was proclaimed dead before put things into perspective"

"Human, all mortal things will one day decay and die. Ladylee Tangleroad would gladly told you that this is what actually give life meaning, what makes it precious. But this fear is shared by so many that it is completely normal to want to face it. It is also so complex that it won't be resolved just like this. But if this issue is something that is bothering you now, please, attempt to begin to settle this within yourself"

Right now, he found himself standing before the door's of the hospital room.

He pushed them open.

A man was sitting up, legs covered by blankets, looking out the window.

He had wrinkles around his eyes, and while his hairline slightly receded, the white spikes of hair were still identifiable.

The old man raised his arm, slowly yet steadily, to beacon him to approach.

"Come, come here"

Present Touma walked closer and beheld his old self.

"This is how it ends?"

The elder Touma shrugged.

"You tell me. It is your imagination."

"Why are you here?"

"Tried to save young girl from getting mugged, and got a little bit roughed up in the process. Heh, but at least it worked. Sent them flying! I am a little bit more sluggish, worse on hearing and seeing, but my right fist..." the knuckles cracked slightly, the elderly Touma smiling as he clenched it" Still does good job in destroying illusions of people who are stupid enough to harass someone on my watch. Who cares a few bones snapped in me as a result?"

"Oh... no, I meant, what are you doing here, as in... in my mind? Why am I imagining this?"

"Maybe because you need to" The elder Touma smiled in a way grandpa smiles at the sight of grandkid doing something impressive" You are scared of leaving them behind."

Touma nodded and sighed.

"Again, this is just stupid. I am worrying about something that may not come for some time..."

"Or it may come tomorrow. You already left them once. You cannot afford to do this to them again"

"I am scared of making connection... because if I leave them without saying goodbye..."

"Or if they leave you without saying theirs. Yes, yes... this seems like something our fate would do for us. Living on as a punishment." The elder Touma stretched, and let out a laugh" And what about all our long lived partners? Ladylee, Nephthys, Niang-Niang... You don't want to leave them to their loneliness."

Two of them watched the cityscape beyond the window. Present Touma looked at the elder one, with unsure eyes.

"Are you satisfied then?"

"Satisfied? Wouldn't said that... I probably don't have much time left. But it's still too soon... I still didn't save all of them yet..."

"It's impossible, isn't it?" Present Touma let out a sigh, looking at his own right fist.

"It always was" the elder Touma nodded slowly" But... it always was right, too. And always... kind."

He shifted slightly on the bed and let out a sigh of his own.

"My children grew up, I have plenty of grandkids, some great-grandkids even... there are quite a few surprises in that regard, I can tell you that. I fought so much, I tried to change the world, I lived through countless adventures that would make volumes of storytelling... I ran, and ran, and ran... through most extraordinary things man could wish for... and to think all of this started through one hungry nun on my balcony..."

They shared a laugh together. When they quieted down, the elder asked

"Aren't you curious?"

"I don't think I should ask anything. It would be inconsequential since you know only as much as I do"

"No... aren't you curious of what lies ahead? Be honest... with yourself"

Touma hesitated, and then nodded.

"Yes... I am. I don't know if I live through the other day, but as long as I live, I want to see this story go on. And I want to see how it ends."

"Then this... is enough. The only way for you to see the continuation of your story... is to live it through. As long as you keep moving forward, things will be alright"

"Even though there will be pain?"

"Especially because there will be pain. As long as you feel pain, you live, and have a chance to fight through it, even if it seems hopeless. And when it does seem so, others will be there to love you. Death always lingers near. But if you live on, you discover that the fact that we die makes all we did meaningful. There will be ways to make things work before that. There will still be time to make times of joy precious if you let them."

He coughed a few times and then resumed.

"The thing about life that is both the hardest and most beautiful that it has to be lived. Existence is the greatest blessing and most challenging curse for every living being. Seems contradictory, but in exchange for being free, we have to take responsibility for our choices. We are always alone in this. We know best that being is often suffering. Yet not-being means missing out on love and freedom of choice altogether. And you are loved. I hope that by this time you realized it"

"Yes" this time, Touma smiled with more confidence" I really did"

"We did it so much for others, and it was one of the best parts of all of this. But this... do it for yourself. Live. Love. Laugh. And rise again, against the pain and brokenness of this life, because this will make all of it enough. Love yourself, Kamijou Touma."

"I... will try."

Touma got up from the bed.

"I should go. Everyone in waiting for me."

"Of course. See you through me one day, hopefully"

Before exiting the room, Touma looked at his older self one last time.

"All of this... is just something I imagined... right?"

"Right. I guess one could say that this is something you hope for"

"So... is this real?"

"Well, it is just your hopeful vision. But why then you assume it is not real? Even if the future you are imagining is at flux and depends on what you'll do next, it is still as real as any other"

The wrinkly old man closed his eyes and smiled, facing the sun. His voice began to drift away.

"For someone who wanted nothing more than to be normal, who didn't desire money, fame, influence, or unrivalled might, those sure were extraordinary times. Both in misfortune and love. I am sure some would say that none suffered as much as me. And yet..."

The last thing Present Touma heard before the doors closed was a sentence spoken with small, peaceful exhale of the old man, as faint and fleeting as it was warm and serene.

"... what a lucky life that was"

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Kamijou Touma was floating in something that appeared to ripple before his eyes. As if he was surrounded by reflection of water in front of him.

He appeared as his regular, teenage self, a normal high school boy one could find anywhere.

Like prism splitting the light, the reflection in front of him split into five.

First, a kid with spiky haired and band-aids over his small body.

Second, a high schooler not unlike the one standing in front of him.

Third, the adult man with a slightly tired yet understanding face.

Fourth, the battered and bruised husk of a human, crying blood.

Fifth, the old man with a kind face and eyes that spoke of years of history.

"Are you ready?" They all asked him at the same time." To live again, to endure it, to love and cry, to be yourself?"

Touma raised his fist into the air.

"As I will ever be"

The kid Touma stepped forward, and looked up.

"Will my loneliness ever end?"

Touma crouched down and hugged his younger self

"I won't lie to you. I don't know if things will get better. Perhaps, they might even get worse. There are a lot of dark times ahead and tears will be shed. But I promise you I will never stop trying to fight for the future we dreamed of. It will never lose meaning. And I will do this together with others, others that I love"

As the kid stepped back, the high schooler took his place.

"Can you bear it? The guilt of not being able to save everyone?" he asked

"I will do my best to make it so there will be no such guilt. And I will learn to accept my limits. I am only human. And I would rather remain one then throw it away and lose the purpose of saving them in the first place"

The adult Touma stepped forward and asked

"Can you bear the uncertainty of the future?"

"I will not do it alone. Even if I want to shield every single one of them, they are their own. They chose to be with me, they chose to stand by me, I will learn to open my heart to help. I will learn to trust that someday, things will be good. I will never stop fighting for the world where everyone can be safe. I will try to accept that perfection doesn't exist"

The bloodied teen spoke, voice harsh and empty

"Do you wish to live with pain and strife? Can you bear the weight of death?"

"I accept death as a possibility, but I do not embrace it. I will do my best so it will never claim me before my time. I know my own... with time, I will grieve over it. It wasn't fair. It wasn't just. But I won't let it stop me. I will honour those that perished, both in myself and in others"

Finally, the elder Touma stepped forward, and simply asked.

"What do you wish for? What do you strive for?"

Touma threw a punch in front of himself, the air wooshing around it as he did so.

"I wish for the future where everyone can live on with a smile. I wish for a life I can be proud of. I wish for my existence to have meaning. I wish to find this meaning with others alongside me. I wish to love and be loved in return. I wish to share the life I dreamed of with others, so the world can be a better place. I wish to make as few mistakes as I can along the way, and have humility to correct them when they occur. I wish... to be myself, whatever this means and wherever it leads"

The five versions of him bowed their heads, and fused into one reflection, Touma raised his head up.

"Thanks to you, no, thanks to myself and others who helped me, I know who I am now."

The reflection flashed into a kid.

"I am the lonely..."

Then changed into a high-school teen.

"The striving..."

Another glimmer into an adult man.

"The hopeful..."

The bloodied teenager took the spotlight

"The broken..."

Proceeding, the old man appeared...

"The human..."

Before finally, the reflection flashed into just himself.

"I am Kamijou Touma!"

The reflection smiled and zoomed forward, and joining with the boy in final flash of light.

Touma turned around and smiled.

"This is all I ever need to move forward. And as long as I live, I will never, ever stop"

He then took the step towards the light.

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Back in the physical world, Touma opened his eyes.

He noticed sky, the lush trees of green, and distant buildings above the Sanctuary.

He felt... alive.

As he slowly raised up, Kaibi noticed that he was awake, and quickly came to his side to assist him.

"Are you alright? Do you feel well?"

He nodded

"Yes. I am fine. Thank you, Kaibi"

She nodded back, smile of overwhelming relief on her face.

Kaibi was soon joined by Seria, who also helped him get up.

The experience left him somewhat shaken, but Touma was already feeling life and strength returning.

He noticed Nephthys looking at him from the side.

"I assume you settled things with yourself then" she asked.

"Yeah... I think I did"

Touma inhaled deeply, feeling something wonderful rise within his chest.

Hope that regardless of inevitable pain, things will somehow be alright.

Faith that even though it will all end one day, it will be worth it more than he ever dreamed.

And even... love for ones who decided to accompany him on this hazardous journey of life.

"Is it over?" Seria asked.

Touma shook his head.

"No..."

It was a step in the right direction. It was only a first step, but a one that gave a possibility of salvation to someone who needed saving for a long time.

Touma himself.

It would take time for everything to be alright.

But he had all the possibilities at his disposal to make it happen.

He felt strong. He felt like he could believe that it was possible to be happy.

And that... was the most crucial step.

There was a lot to do. A lot to see. A lot to experience.

A lot to live through.

And that was why, as he stretched to his full height, he exclaimed, to no one in particular but also to each and every single thing in this world that wanted to listen.

"... it is only just beginning"

(TO BE CONTINUED)

And here we are! What an emotional chapter, at least in my eyes. Let's talk about what we read through.

This chapter was meant to be an extended therapy session through series-specific means. Because of this, you probably notice a side of Touma that he usually hides or represses. I didn't want him to be very lamentable, but at the same time, the very core of this concept was to let him be himself... to show what hurts outside, break it down, and rebuild himself anew. If it struck you as too sentimental, sorry but this was kind of the point. This chapter is, like I said in the foreword, a tribute to the psychological marvel that is Kamijou Touma, who is a much deeper character that some give him credit for, and who could be a subject to an entire thesis of psychological discourse, especially in certain moments of his character, such as, but not limited to, NT9, NT22R, recent Genesis testament events, and others.

Of course, Touma is far too complex to analyze in all possible aspects in all of his traumas, dreams, and behaviours, within the span of a single chapter. Thus, I constructed this chapter in the five-part format, which is also mirrored by the fact that we have five main female characters alongside Touma and five distinct version of Touma that he is manifested in his dillemas.

Of course, the explanation of the titles of the parts is due. It is directly taken from Wuxing, or the Chinese Theory of Five Elements. Those five elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water, are interrelated and intercorelated in various ways, and in different aspects, they represent various phenomena, things, and phases of being. Why Wuxing specifically? Because this system is all about various interactions of checks and balances that together form a cosmic harmony. As such, there is both constructive and destructiv processes, such as those Kamijou Touma undergoes in this chapter in relation to his mental side.

Here, I used the elements to correspond with phases of human life.

Wood - Infancy, time of growth

Fire - Youth, time of action

Earth - Adulthood, time of gathering

Metal- Old Age, time of reflection

Water - Pre-Death/Death, time of ascension

And identified problems corresponding to those stages, alongside the girl most suited for the job. I thought that while it was beneficial for all the girls to work through general therapy together, it is also crucial for them to have individual moments with Touma

PHASE OF WUXING: Wood

TOUMA VARIANT: Kid Touma

TRAUMA: Being taunted, hurt, and lonely in his earliest years

TERAPHIST: Mitsuari Ayu. She and Touma shared a lot of the same baggage when it came to misfortunate experiences, and I felt that through all this time, she was the best suited to remind young Touma (who was representation of present Touma given younger, imaginary form) that he is loved. She came a long way to realize it, and got a release of her own sentiment through it.

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PHASE OF WUXING: Fire

TOUMA VARIANT: Teenage Touma

TRAUMA: Not being able to save everyone who is present in his life, or failing to save people in the past

THERAPIST: Kumokawa Seria. Seria is someone who knows a lot about trying to control reality. I thought it would be really interesting if she was the one with whom Touma had the talk about limitations and ambitions. She was changed through trust in Touma, and wanted to give him the very same faith in the fact that she and others could help him.

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PHASE OF WUXING: Earth

TOUMA VARIANT: Adult Touma

TRAUMA: Not being able to bear the thought of losing someone to calamity caused by his misfortune, not allowing himself to be happy.

THERAPIST: Gokusai Kaibi. Kaibi is the one that is one of the closest people to Touma in this story's day to day life. I thought it was fitting that she confronted Touma in reminding him that his desires are important and that he should not feel like his happiness is worth less that the happiness of another.

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PHASE OF WUXING: METAL

TOUMA VARIANT: Broken Touma

TRAUMA: Amassed guilt and mental trauma over both being forced to let others died in Infinite Hells, and toll from Touma's own deaths on him.

THERAPIST: Shokuhou Misaki. I feel like Misaki, given the chance to use her ability to lessen Touma's pain by sharing it, would gladly do so. It symbolizes Misaki's resolve to endure through great lengths of mental strain, such as the fact that she was (and remains in main story) forgotten by Touma. And that all this time, she wanted to make a difference for him. While, as she points out herself, it is a bit cheesy, I think that just as Touma's resolve in battle with Othinus caused him to retain his strength, same could be applied to Misaki's love for Touma.

It is worth noting that Misaki was accompanied by Othinus and Nephthys. The main toll of deaths mainly went onto Othinus, as this was her justice. And while Touma would not approve outright, this is her choice to completing her own understanding and saying that she regrets deeply what she caused her beloved human.

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PHASE OF WUXING: WATER

TOUMA VARIANT: Old Touma

TRAUMA: Repressed grief over death, fear of death and leaving other's behind/others leaving Touma behind.

THERAPIST: Nephthys. I saw no one better in helping Touma release and synchronize with his emotions of grief and pain, put into form by the way of tears, than the very goddess of mourning. It also shows that through being in love with Touma allowed Nephthys to use her magic to heal and have therapeutic effect, something she is grateful for.

And of course, there is a part in which Touma is his own healer. As it is remarked, the therapy in this chapter is just a push in the right direction. And ultimately, only the person undergoing therapy can make necessary changes to their life, no one can really force those alternations onto them. So Touma has a moment to reflect on his own self, what comprises it, what he wants, and how he wants to do it too. And while he imagines his future, it doesn't make his dreams any less real.

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And this is pretty much the outline of the therapeutic structure in this chapter. I truly hope that you found them interesting in at least some form or way.

Now, for the plans for the future.

As I said, I have to take a short, planned break from writing my personal pleasures, like this story, due to academic responsibilities. Not because I want to, but because I am forced to. I estimate that the next chapter will appear either in the second half of June or early July, but I will keep you updated, as it may come sooner or later.

I do hope that you will have the patience to wait for at least a month and a half without new content. Trust me, if I had the way to post new chapter beforehand, I would do so in a hearbeat. So I kindly ask for you to remain here, while I sort my affairs and then deliver new chapter.

And what chapter it will be? Next we will have Recovery Arc: Soul, then a bridge between arc (miscellaneous content, spoilers, but it will be fun!) and then Birdway Family Arc, from chapter 56. There is a lot to look forward to, I can tell you that.

Well, that appears to be it. I am going for now, but I am very much active, and you can still contact me if you have questions or doubts. I will keep you notified in regards to any changes to my schedule.

Thank you for reading, as always, you are incredible in my eyes and I deeply appreciate your support.

See you next time!