S-CRY-ed Fan Fiction ❯ The Spectre's Seven ❯ Chapter Nine--True Power ( Chapter 10 )

Disclaimer: I think you know by now what I own and what I don’t own.

A/N: No the story hasn’t died, I can assure you of that. I’ve just been working on my site and school (yay! It’s out!) nonstop. I have every intention of finishing this story…so long as people want me to. ^_^ Not to mention, I used some bits and pieces from the s.CRY.ed manga, like the word of evolution, ‘s.CRY.ed,’ and the Alter of Everlasting Betrayal. Heh, aren’t I original? By the way, clockorder and secedence are MY words (even though they aren’t words of the English language) so they AREN’T spelled wrong! BWAHAHAHA!     Chapter Nine--True Power

“It was all just a big misunderstanding,” Raviel explained, once everyone unwillingly sat down after the interview on the TV and began to discuss themselves. The blonde thief shared the story of the cannibal village and Crane, who had taken all of the residents hostage.

“I don’t care about getting even with you,” he said. “But now that he has Kanami and Mimori in his clutches, I will stop at nothing to get them back.”

Asuka, who had informed his friends of his escape, thanks to a HOLY Elite member, reflected on his own trauma, and the intensity of Crane’s power.

“How a man could make another do his bidding is entirely beyond me. I’ve never seen anything like it. And the air in which he chooses to walk in was of bitter ice, so cold that even your breath could be seen in a warm hallway,” Tachibana explained.

“It’s the same with us,” Ryuho had admitted. “Even now, our power hasn’t regained its full strength.”

“Part of it is thanks to that blonde moron over there,” Kazuma glared at the thief, who simply smiled.

“Now don’t be bitter, Kazuma,” Raviel told the man calmly. “If you’re as AMAZING as you say you are, you should be fine within a day or so.”

“Anyway,” Asuka looked from Raviel to Gray and the others. “If it’s true that you are also opponents of his, such as we are, then there’s no reason that we shouldn’t work together.”

“You’re awfully forgiving, Tachibana,” Ryuho’s eyes narrowed, the creases under his eyes deepening. “Have you already forgotten the turmoil these guys have put us through?”

Gray took the floor. “Hey, I thought that we went over that already. As long as we’re in it for the same goal, does that really make us enemies?”

“How could we trust the likes of you to watch our backs?” the green haired man persisted.

“I’d have to ask the same for yourselves.” Gray answered, nonchalantly. “But since Raviel is our friend…” He suddenly paused, and added, “…most of the time…But since he IS our friend, I think that he speaks for all of us. And besides, if Kanami is in Crane’s hands, we can’t just turn our heads and pretend that nothing’s wrong. We owe that kid big time.”

Kazuma scowled, the memory of the breakout becoming fresh in his mind.

“So then it’s settled,” Asuka nodded. “Until we get Mimori and Kanami back, we’re allies.”

“And good feelings to that,” Gray assented, shaking Asuka’s hand.

---------------------------------

“You’re not going to the battle tomorrow, are you Rav?” The blonde thief did not look back as his older friend joined him on the porch that night. “Tomorrow…when we all storm HOLY to get the girls back…You’re not going, are you? I can see it in your eyes.”

“You know me too well, brother.” Raviel chuckled, slapping Gray playfully. “Was I really so obvious?”

“Maybe,” he grunted as he stooped down and fell onto the wood of the porch. He had grown accustomed to the alias of ‘brother,’ seeing as it was the same way he felt about the younger ruffian as well. “Just don’t go expecting me to save your butt again, okay?”

“Again? What do you mean ‘again’?”

“You know, if Sydney and I hadn’t of trampled down that poor kid with the door, things would’ve started looking pretty grim for you.”

“Says who?”

“Says me,” the older man concluded, ruffling the younger thief’s hair. “So where do you plan to go?”

Raviel, surprisingly, was silent. It was not like him to not have already made up his mind about where he was going or who he was going to meet up with. But for the first time in a long time, he was skeptical.

“I hear HOLY has some connections with a big trading industry that mostly takes place near the secret dock a few miles west. I’d like to see for myself just what Crane is smuggling into the Lost Ground…if you don’t mind my saying so.”

“Smuggling,” Gray laughed, his mouth opening wide. “An interesting word to use. So you’re not interested in getting the Princess back?”

“Who? Mimori? I know you guys can handle it.”

“I didn’t mean back from HOLY. I meant back to us. Ya know, she could be worth quite a fortune to Crane, if he wants her so badly.”

Frowning, Raviel backhanded Gray across the shoulder lightly. “Her parents DIED Gray. I don’t think it’s right to put her in anymore misery than what she’s in now.” Then, rising to his feet, he arched back to stretch.

“What?” His jaw agape, Gray followed Raviel out into the open, where Raviel began to eye Sydney’s truck. “You’re willing to let the biggest prize that’s come waltzing into our eyesight escape!? You MUST be crazy, Rav!”

Silence was Raviel’s reply.

Gray sighed, slouching. “…Fine. I know that once your mind is made up, there’s no changing it.” But still… “However, there’s no guarantees. You know that, right?”

“…Yeah…”

“Sydney and I will try our best to protect her, but it may already be too late. Crane could’ve already picked her out to be one of his new subordinates. And if he’s intending to use her as leverage, then…”

“That’s why I trust you to make sure that he doesn’t. And to protect Kanami as well. It’s just…I’ve got this feeling, that’s all.”

“Yeah, don’t try to explain it to me. I know you far too well. Sydney may not though. It was only tonight that he found out that you were an Alter User.”

A wide grin cracked at Raviel’s lips. “And wasn’t that a sight too. Really a shame that we didn’t have the camera.”

“Yeah, I know.” Mirroring his younger companion’s expression, Gray stopped for a moment, chuckling, and then regained himself. “Rav, I know you care for the girls, so don’t expect me to say anything against you. But I’m trusting you to kick some HOLY butt if push comes to shove.”

“Alter?” Raviel stuck out his tongue. “PUH-leeeeeezzzzze. I can do ANYTHING without my Alter.” Pivoting on his left foot, Raviel turned his back to Gray and waved him off. “I’ll see ya around.”

Picking the keys that he had cleverly pick pocketed from Sydney’s pants, he unlocked the scrawny man’s truck and climbed in.

“Sydney’s gonna have a fit when he finds out you stole his truck.”

“Ironic how the thieves are being stolen from. Uh, I mean, BORROWED.” Slamming the door shut behind him, Raviel turned over the ignition and pressed his foot against the gas pedal, speeding away into the night.

“Ugh! What the!?”

Gray looked back, seeing as a line of Ryuho, Kazuma, Urizane, and Tachibana had lined up at the door.

“You let him escape!?” Ryuho spat to the eldest man.

“No,” Gray shrugged. “I told him to.”

Groans were emitted from the rest of the party.

---------------------------------

She lay huddled in the corner, exhausted, too drunk to see anything. Drunk? Such a word. No, not drunk. But completely unfocused.

The welcoming darkness had remained her only company for what seemed like years, and silence lay side by side. Garnering the blackness and clutching it to her heart, the woman remained still, cold, and nearly lifeless.

And then her ears pounded again with the reverberating thunder against the slate of the floor like an uneven beat. But she did not have the strength to shelter her ears. She was relieved when the thunder ceased; however, it was followed by a slower movement, like a river flowing down stream, and she wanted to jerk when warm flesh reached around her, and turned her over.

It was the silhouette of a figure, housed in black, like the darkness. Perhaps it truly was the darkness itself to take her away. Then, she was lifted…higher…and higher, until her body was pressed against a warmer substance. And she felt herself floating from her darkness.

---------------------------------

“Mmmm…” Dear Lord, what was this awful headache!? “…Ugh…”

“Don’t try to move,” a stern voice commanded. “You’ll just make it worse.”

That’s when her eyes tore open and she jolted her head to the right. A man dressed in a black HOLY uniform sat in the driver’s seat, and she in the passenger’s.

“Do you know who you are?” he asked her.

Did she? She thought she knew, but she wasn’t sure.

He could sense her hesitance, so he clued her in. “You’re a Kiryu. How about now?”

“…Yes,” she replied, and then coughed a little. When was the last time she had spoken anything? Her voice felt old and her neck was stiff. “…I’m Mimori, right?”

“That was faster than anyone else would’ve gotten it,” the HOLY member nodded. Mimori’s eyes drifted to his badge, which read ‘ELITE’ across it in big, bold, golden letters. “Then again, I expect no less from you, Ms. Kiryu.”

“You know…who I am?”

“You could say that.”

“How?”

“That,” he paused, “I cannot tell you.”

Mimori bowed her head, taking the hint. Instead, she asked, “What happened to me?”

He was blunt, uninterested in hiding the truth or beating around it for any longer than needed. “In case you don’t know, you’re an Alter User now.”

Mimori, her back shivering from an icy chill, jerked her head upwards, facing him. What did he just say?

He continued. “I understand your disbelief. You were drugged for most of the time, and so cannot recall what actually happened to you.”

“How can that be possible!?” she cried, leaning forward. “People can’t become Alter Users!”

“When you’re dealing with Isaac Crane, that’s an entirely different story. It’s one of his plans, you know. But I can’t tell you anymore than that.”

“And why not?”

Removing one arm from the steering wheel, he reached across his body to point at his badge. “Because I am one of the Elite.”

“Yet you defied them and rescued me?”

“Your friend told me they had you locked up in there.”

She sunk back into the seat, discouraged. He was only giving half answers.

“His power, allowing himself to control the minds of Alter Users, had almost completely consumed you. Since you’re something they call a ‘reformed Alter User,’ it makes your body easier to go unstable and have conflicts with your Alter Power. Luckily…” Using the same hand that he had used to display his badge earlier immediately went into the folds of his coat. He withdrew a brown pouch, which instantly filled the inside of the car with the aroma of berries. “…the Alter Forest has remedies for crises like that.” He pushed the pouch towards her, and dropped it into the palms of her hands. “You may need them again if your Alter begins to overpower you.”

“Again?”

“They’re what you’re under the effect of at the moment. I gave some to you before we left, so that’s why you’re conscious now.”

Mimori’s eyes remained on the pouch, almost glued, and she was silent.

“So,” she began after some time. “Where are you taking me?”

“Well, actually, I hope you don’t mind, but I snatched your friend up for the ride back there.” And he jerked a thumb to the backseat.

Twisting her body so that she could look over her own seat, Mimori’s mouth fell agape at the sleeping form of Kanami, tucked up in the backseat.

“Kanami…!” she breathed. “How on earth--”

“Crane had her in his possession too,” the man interrupted. “It seems to me, Miss Kiryu, that a great many things happened while you were locked down in HOLY’s cells.”

The Kiryu woman kept her eyes on the younger girl, wondering exactly how much time had passed since she had last seen the light of day.

“So, as for where I’m taking you, I’ll start by recommending that you get off this island once and for all and go back to the Mainland.”

“I can’t do that,” Mimori said, prying her eyes back to the Elite member. “I’m an Alter User now. The odds of me successfully being able to escape from this island are slim, especially if Crane is looking for me. And besides…” Her eyes fell, her thoughts trailing in reverse to the conversation between her and Crane. “…My parents are dead. I have nowhere to go back to.”

“This is true,” he replied, surprisingly remaining emotionless. “Still…there is no better way for Crane to keep his hands off of you other than for you to leave.”

“And as long as you’re alive you can…do things…”

Mimori shook the flashback from her mind. “And then what? Ignore what Isaac Crane is doing here? Let him get away with altering my body into that of an Alter User’s? I can’t do that!”

The former HOLD research scientist paused when she felt the car make an abrupt halt, and for the first time, she realized that they were parked right outside of Asuka Tachibana’s house.

The car, still humming, was the only noise that was being made between them, until the HOLY Elite member pulled something else from within his pockets. He pushed a bundle of currency towards her, waiting for her to take it. When she did not, he said, “Take the money. Go to the airport--I’ll even take you there myself if you want--and buy a ticket for the Mainland--or Australia, or America. Just, get away from here.”

Chewing on her bottom lip, Mimori slowly shook her head.

“Don’t you understand?” he persisted. “Families just like yours are disappearing right and left! You’re the sole survivor of the Kiryu inheritance, but do you really think that it’s money that Crane wants?”

“Of course not.” Mimori slowly pushed his hand back towards himself. “He wants power too. He wants authority. But why he wants it is unclear. Still, I won’t run away while my friends are battling for their independence.” With that, she unlocked the door to the back and opened her own, stepping outside. Then she opened the backdoor, and carried a sleeping Kanami from the car.

“I’m giving you this chance,” the HOLY Elite member protested, waving the money at her.

“And for that, I am grateful.” She bowed her head. “Thank you for everything.” Closing the car door, Mimori turned on her heel and jogged to the house, entering it, and then disappearing.

The Elite member sighed and fell back against his seat. “…Great…She’ll never change.”

Mimori turned inside the house, watching as the black car pulled into reverse, skidding against the gravel, and made a sharp U-Turn before speeding back the way he had come.

She breathed a sigh of relief, the unconscious form of Kanami still in her arms.

“Miss Kiryu?”

The raven haired woman glanced up, her thoughts distracted, and recognized Cammy standing in the hallway.

Her normally cheerful face was not full of life today. It was pale and worried. She looked as though a ghost had passed by her.

“Cammy,” Mimori set the small girl down upon the couch located nearest to the front window, and rushed to the younger woman, arms held out. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

As Mimori neared, Cammy immediately lunged forward, seizing her by the shoulders, and buried her face into the Kiryu Heiress’ HOLD shirt, weeping.

Startled, Mimori slowly wrapped her arms around the other, patting her back soothingly.

“We saw what he did to you!” Cammy wept, her own body trembling. “We…we didn’t know what to do!”

“Cammy, please calm down. Who did what? And who’s the ‘we’ you keep referring to?”

The brunette’s head shot up, her swollen eyes wide and filled with fear. Her mouth formed one word, “Crane.”

Just the very sound of his name sent icy chills up Mimori’s spine, the thought of what he had done to her and what she was now becoming more evident.

“In case you don’t know, you’re an Alter User now.”

The raven haired woman frowned, inattentively biting down on her lower lip.

Alter User.

The feeling was almost unrealistic, yet it was true. Her body had been molded to that of the others, like Kazuma and Ryuho. Even Kanami knew this feeling, she was sure. But she didn’t want to tell them yet--not until later. If they knew what she was…what she had become…

“Cammy, it’s all right now,” Mimori reassured, continuing to rub her back. “But where’s everyone else? Are they nearby?”

Cammy’s eyes began to glisten with tears again as she frantically shook her head. “They’re at HOLY…fighting to rescue you and Kanami!”

---------------------------------

“So, that’s their defense?” Raviel peeked out from behind a rock, holding all of his weight on his left leg--just in case he had to duck for cover. He smiled, taking in all of the surroundings.

A dock was positioned out in the middle of nowhere. “Red flags, OBVIOUSLY,” he stated. It was easy access for Mainland ships and located on a rocky cliffside so that they couldn’t be spotted by anyone passing along the road. HOLD vehicles were already stationed there, waiting for the next shipment, whatever the contents could be, lined up against the shorelines where several giant piers had been built for occasions like these.

Raviel couldn’t see if anyone was actually in them, but taking chances was far too risky. However, other than the HOLD vehicles, no one was in sight and all was silent except for the waves crashing in and the seagulls hovering in circles over the ocean. He sat far back on a small rocky hill, well hidden, locked between two larger boulders.

“If I can get in closer, then perhaps I can see exactly what it is that is being dropped off as cargo. Their next ship SHOULD be coming soon…”

As the words left his mouth, he slipped down along the side of the hill, brushing his hand against the solid surface of the rocks, using them for support as he hit the bottom. Standing erect, he slowly moved forward, crossing a ditch fixed in between him and the oncoming cliffside.

“Impulsive, aren’t you?”

Raviel whirled around to see…another hill.

“Up here, you foolish knave.”

“Name calling isn’t very admirable,” Raviel’s eyes lifted to see a life form standing on the very tip of the hill, arms crossed, and gazing down upon him, as though trying to be intimidating.

The man ignored his comment. “It’s strange how Crane was able to detect you just by knowing that you were an Alter User. So he sent me here to do away with you.” Then the man snorted, as though he had just been insulted. “But you don’t look like much. Are you really an Alter User?”

“I get that a lot,” Raviel laughed. “Guess you’ll have to come down to find out.”

“Very well,” he nodded. The man squatted low to the ground, braced himself against the rocky terrain, and then bounded from the hilltop like a spring set from a trap.

He drifted through the air, as though he were flying, and then immediately began to descend to the ground. He held his arms out, palms flat, and what appeared to be his armor reflected against the sunlight, blindingly. Raviel watched him intently, silently astonished.

He landed almost diligently, the soles of his feet hitting the ground easily, as though he had felt nothing at all from the jump. The man lowered himself to one knee, brushing the dirt from his armor, and then stood tall, eyeing Raviel fearlessly, his lips pressed into a thin line.

It was at this time that Raviel took the opportunity to glance his opponent over carefully.

‘Third form Alter?’ Raviel asked himself, thoughts forming in his mind. ‘I’ve heard of it…of Alter Users reaching their third level potential, like Kazuma and Ryuho, and even some who’ve achieved ultimate evolution…’

“s.CRY.ed,” the blonde thief mumbled, looking at the man before him, clad in extremely detailed red and orange body armor with gold lining and a black undersuit that was meant to defend him against Alter Users. Glasses shaped almost like a visor--or maybe a helmet even--encompassed the front of his head while the rest was exposed by wild brown hair, sticking up on all sides. Even durable wings were attached to his back, perhaps used for flying or gliding. Along his arms and legs were toughened guards, tightly fit, but the one thing that caught Raviel’s eye were the Roman numbers tattooed across the armored plates of both arms and legs.

‘III, V, IX, XII…What could that mean?’ But then he saw the imprint of a clock on the front of his armor…wait…was that a clock?

“Are you concerned with my Alter?” the man asked.

“Is that your highest form of evolution?” Raviel pointed to his opponent’s armor. “Is that your ‘s.CRY.ed’?”

The Alter User’s lips miraculously turned upwards into a smirk, and he looked at his arms, overturning them, and gestured to the Roman numerals.

“Not everyone has the potential of reaching s.CRY.ed,” he said. “But you seem to know about it.” Then he nodded. “Yes. This is my s.CRY.ed.”

“Interesting,” Raviel remarked. “Then, for the record, may I have your name? I want to say I knew you when I get back.”

“There are no names for the dead,” the Alter User responded. “And I’m afraid that you won’t be making it back.”

Raviel quirked an eyebrow. “Dead? What do you mean by that? You’re here in front of me, aren’t you?”

“I am a Spectre--one of the seven. But, you don’t need to know anymore than that. Now down to business. I know what you’re up to and I must say that I cannot allow it to continue.”

“Was I that obvious?” The thief closed his eyes, disappointed. “I swear, I’m losing my touch.”

“Never mind the wise cracks.” The Alter User stepped forward, towering over Raviel. “I’m afraid that I can’t let you go back now.”

“Are you asking for a fight?”

“That, or you can just surrender.”

“The latter never DID impress me. So then,” Raviel’s eyes lit up, deviously. “when do you want to tango?”

The Alter User held his hands out. “Why don’t you start? I’d hate to have to crush you without it being fair.”

“You’re a cocky one,” the thief observed, his body illuminating with an Alter radiance. “Normally, I don’t like using my Alter, but…”

“If you insist…” A duplication on his opponent’s left.

“Then I…” Another appeared behind the Alter User.

“Have no choice!” And a final materialized on the right, surrounding the Alter User completely.

“How unique,” he said, staring at Raviel and his duplicates. “An Illusionist? I thought only the Dars had that kind of power…”

“You know that I taught them everything they know,” the Raviel in front of this man joked.

“But, now to end this,” the duplicate from behind said, and lunged forward. The others mirrored him.

“I don’t need to worry about how to kill you.” The Alter User pivoted, his arms stretched out to his sides. “Gravity Press.”

A small white rotating barrier appeared before his fingertips, and the air before him was compressed to the ground. Raviel’s feet, along with his duplicates were locked in place as he felt his body slow. Suddenly, he was pulled towards the ground, the others mirroring him in the same anguish.

“W-What?” Raviel asked as he recognized the coldness of the ground. “How can this…?”

“Hmm, that wasn’t fair of me now was it?” The Alter User smiled. “I’ve completely locked gravity in place. You couldn’t move even if you wanted.”

Raviel’s Alter shattered, and only he was left, huddled to the ground, as he struggled to lift his head. “Y-You’re…able…to control…g-gravity?” he struggled to speak, the gravity of his words becoming too intense to even form. His body seemed to turn into a rock, too heavy to move.

“It’s quite impressive, is it not? People who rely solely on agility will never be able to fight back against it. But now that I’ve tapped you on the nose, you have a clear idea of what I can do.” Raviel became relieved as gravity returned to normal, and his body lightened with its terrible load. “Try again.”

“Gladly,” Raviel said, rising on all fours.

“It’s payback time!” A blur came from behind, fist extended, and lunged towards the Alter User.

“Are you blind?” the man asked as his armored hand quickly seized the balled hand with force, and Raviel’s duplicate was halted in place by the Alter User’s fierce grip. Then, swiftly, the copy was lifted from his position on the ground and heaved over the armored man’s shoulder.

“Reverse Clockorder.”

Raviel’s Alter crashed to the ground below, defeated, and dissipated back into nothing.

“Blind?” Raviel asked, by now already back on his feet. “I’m not blind.”

“You don’t understand, do you?”

Suddenly, Raviel’s hands were clawing at the sides of his head, and he was screaming as he fell to his knees, and tumbled forward violently until his body connected with the earth, shaking the ground beneath him and creating swirling dust clouds in the air. The thief continued to cry out, clawing at his hair, while the Alter User above him did nothing but stare at him.

When Raviel’s hollering silenced, he spoke again, “Your mind is in my clutches. Your thoughts now betray you.”

“I…I don’t get it,” Raviel panted, struggling to lift his head from the ground. “If your Alter ability allows you to control gravity, then how does that help you read my mind!?”

“Simple.” The armored man shrugged. “It’s not only the gravity of this planet that I can control, but the matter in which your mind works as well. Reverse Clockorder makes all of your processed thoughts slow, allowing me to read them…like a book.”

“Impressive,” Raviel grinned, the side of his face still locked to the ground. “But when you control gravity, that means that you can’t move around either…can you?”

“If I am the one who controls gravity, who is there saying that I can’t move freely?” Raviel’s eyes diverted upwards as he watched the man move normally about. “Try again. You’re embarrassing yourself.”

“Why you little…” Raviel jumped to his feet as the man just stood there, and bolted forward, like lightning. As he came nearer, he saw the shining grin of the man’s teeth.

“Gravity Secedence.” And then Raviel was boosted high into the air, unable to control himself, as though someone had catapulted him.

“AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!” The echoes of his screams followed him far above the ground and into the skies.

The Alter User continued to watch as his enemy was lifted higher and higher, arms and legs flailing into the clouds. Then he nodded slightly. “Gravity Press.”

Just as quickly as Raviel had been tossed into the sky, he came crashing back down at an exceedingly rapid rate. He continued to cry out, the vision of the ground becoming all too apparent…

…and then he hit the ground.

The explosion in the earth was massive, as though the planet had been cracked into two. The terrain, now disturbed immeasurably, crumbled beneath its weight, and split. The thundering of the crash was enormously deafening, knocking anyone who had been anywhere near the area to their feet. But the Alter User remained unfazed, and he stood against the breaching of the earth, the debris, rock, and wind avoiding him and his white barrier altogether. The only thing that moved on his body was the hair on his head being ruffled against the staggering blast.

He did not even turn to look back as massive boulders that had split from the ground were hurled by him, crashing into hillsides and other mountainous land, resulting in more eruptions from behind. When the thick dust cleared and the wind had died, a colossal crater remained, and Raviel was at its bare center, nearly lifeless.

“That’s not all,” the Alter User said, and held his hand out. “Time Compression.”

Raviel, slowly falling into unconsciousness, found himself being lifted in midair, the barrier of light encompassing him. “Your body is slowed,” the Alter User laughed as he walked around the thief. “No matter how fast or deft you are, you’re always too slow.”

Raviel, eyes becoming heavy and body straining against the increasing gravity, struggled to move his arms, but he found his attempts to be futile. “C-Can’t you…do anything…else?”

“Are you tempting me?” the armored man asked over his shoulder. “You think that all I can do is slow you down? Where would the joy be in that?” His fingers curled into a fist. “Crunch him…split him in two…”

Raviel couldn’t describe the pain he was feeling as his body was smashed beneath some unseen weight. It was as though his bones were breaking and snapping backwards. He let out a horrible wail that resounded throughout the land.

Then the armored man brought his hand upwards and pushed it out and Raviel was flung into the wall of the mountainside several feet behind him. The thief howled in pain as the rock caved in around him. Then the man brought his hand towards himself and Raviel was flung forward, dropping to the ground below, and skidding harshly against the rocky landscape. The dust cleared and he lay there, broken, on the ground.

“Had enough?” The Alter User stared down at the thief’s still form. “Then there’s only one thing left.”

A long sword with a bright golden blade materialized in between his fingertips and he grasped it firmly.

“Arbitrary Defeat,” he said, “like a Kamikaze attack upon you. Here is my gift.” As he moved the sword higher, a white sparkling mist trailed behind. Locking into his stance, a streak of lightning began to feed up and down the steel. “Farewell.”

“Kunihiko, there are intruders back on base!”

The Alter User cursed, his master sending a telepathic message through his brain. Well…perhaps this kill could wait for another time.

“You are lucky,” the man said to the unconscious blonde. “Run back home; you will live to see another day.” He turned, and Raviel crashed back to the ground, in the middle of his crater.

The wings on the man’s back began to animate as the white barrier surrounded the Alter User. “Gravity Secedence,” he said, his words crisp and clear, until he was hurled into the sky and set a course for HOLY.

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“Kazuma,” Ryuho spoke through the communicator on his wrist, walking brusquely down the hill to the front side of HOLY. His teammates were straggling behind, unable to fully keep up with the emerald haired man’s impulsive movements. “We’re nearing the entrance of HOLY. How’s your side looking?”

Ryuho looked briefly over his shoulder to catch a glimpse of Urizane and Elian before returning his gaze to the silent communicator.

Static was all that he heard until, “Kazuma here. I’m taking the bandits and the ex-HOLY guy to the rear. It looks fine here. Must’ve scared the bad guys off.”

Ryuho nodded. “Then I’ll meet you inside.”

“Roger that.” Ryuho dropped his wrist, continuing forward until he heard, “And don’t screw this up, Ryuho. My objective isn’t to save your sorry butt.”

The Master of Zetsuei rolled his eyes, grunting.

“Ryuho,” Urizane called from behind, “the kid wants to get a reading of the inside first. Is that all right with you?”

Ryuho, somewhat distracted by the presence of the large structure before him, barely came out with a, “Yeah.”

“Then we’ll catch up later,” the watermelon man, still clad in his ex-HOLY uniform, pulled the younger boy behind, trying to find a place to stay out of sight.

Just to make sure he had caught all of what he was saying, Ryuho glanced back twice, and then shook the thoughts from his mind.

“Sure. I’ll scout ahead then,” the emerald haired man responded, and abruptly hastened his walk into a jog.

After a few moments, he lost all view of the hills and began along the concrete of the same road to HOLY he had used to walk back and forth from years prior. His fists balled and strained at his elbows while he looked ahead, eyes narrow. No one lay in wait for him.

Just like last time when he and Kazuma had come before.

‘Something’s waiting for me. I best keep my guard up.’

Just as the thoughts left his mind, a black dot caught his eye before him. As Ryuho jogged further, the black dot lengthened into a full-fledged figure, clad from head to toe in black.

‘It’s a normal HOLY uniform, except black with silver lining. And it’s the female uniform…wait…is that a General’s hat she’s wearing?’

His actions moving ahead of his thoughts, Ryuho found himself slowed, his eyes focused on the HOLY member standing on the steps leading inside.

‘It IS a General’s hat…and I can’t even see her eyes. Is this some sort of joke?’

“Are you alone?” Ryuho asked, standing only a few feet from the woman.

“I told Master Crane that I could handle this myself.”

“You had better think again,” he advised. “I’m a lot stronger than you may think.”

“I know exactly how strong you are, Ryuho,” she said, her words bitter. “But I am stronger.”

“How cocky.” He stepped back, holding his hands up to his face defensively. “I don’t want to have to hurt you, but if you give me reason to, I have no choice.” Yet…Ryuho was uneasy. Even through her monotonous tone, this woman’s voice struck him like a knife to his back.

It was almost as though he knew her.

‘No, no, that’s impossible! And who would she resemble anyway? It’s just simply absurd…’

“I will fight you regardless,” she said, still facing him. Ryuho silently wished he could see her eyes so that he would know what she was thinking.

“I see,” he nodded. “Very well then. Before we begin, I would like for you to identify yourself since you already know who I am.”

The woman remained standing, back straight, as though she were reporting to a higher authority.

“I am the sixth of the Spectre, nameless, and without a class…” Shifting slightly, she gestured to her badge that read ‘ELITE’ instead of the natural ‘HOLY’ Ryuho was so accustomed to. “…except that I am apart of the Elite.”

“Elite?” he questioned. “What are they?”

“They are devised to be the strongest assets to HOLY and Master Crane. And that is what I am.” Then she stepped back, defensively. “Prepare for battle.”

“Then there is no way out of this,” Ryuho mumbled. “So be it. Zetsuei!”

The form of his Alter appeared before him at will, red eyes gazing upon the female HOLY member.

“I remember Zetsuei well,” the woman remarked. “It is an advantage.”

“It is nothing!” Ryuho retorted, and sliced his hand through the air.

Upon command, Zetsuei hurdled itself into the air, two long ribbons emerging from its back and coming down hard on the Elite member.

“Everlasting Betrayal.”

Ryuho shielded his eyes as a perpetual darkness covered the vicinity. Ironically, it was just as blinding as sunlight.

But before long, he could look up, the mist of an Alter consuming the woman and his own Alter, who was halted in midair as though time, itself, had stopped for it. The HOLY girl’s extended arm reached far beyond and through Zetsuei, palm open and fingers widespread. Blanketing her arm was the very same darkness that had strangely blinded him earlier. Blinded him? No, could he have been afraid to look at it instead?

“No,” Ryuho snarled, watching as this woman, snaked with darkness, beheld his frozen Alter with just a simple hand. Then he diverted his gaze from his Alter to her complete form, where raven wings had sprung from her back, ones like he knew a demon to have. “What is that?”

“My Alter,” she replied coolly, her arm still through Zetsuei’s midsection. “It allows me to absorb your Alter…and its user.”

‘Absorb? Like Mujo?’

“I…I don’t…GAH!” Ryuho clutched his stomach, knees quaking before collapsing beneath him. He screamed violently, his fingers digging into the cloth of his old HOLY uniform. How…How could this woman…!?

“It simply is a misfortune,” she said, Zetsuei’s broken form disappearing before her as she absorbed it into herself. “You never stood a chance.”

“You…You foolish woman!” Ryuho pushed himself to his feet, anger boiling within him. “Never underestimate me! Zetsuei!”

The Alter broke free from her command, sending her staggering backwards, as though surprised. The Alter hurled itself forward, razor sharp ribbons defending itself momentarily before lashing out against the woman’s arm, ripping the sleeve of her HOLY uniform.

She did not shriek, and her mouth parted slightly as she clutched her torn uniform. Again Zetsuei lunged towards her, bringing the other ribbon down upon her. The darkness resonating from her body faded as she was thrown back against the wall of HOLY, but she managed to stay on her feet, clutching the partition behind her for support.

“Impressive,” she said after a moment. “But as long as you fight me with only your basic form Alter, you can’t expect to beat me.”

“You seem to know a lot about me,” Ryuho remarked, breathing heavily. That last absorption attack had weakened him severely, but he wasn’t about to let her know that. “How is that so?”

“Master Crane has many reports about both you and Kazuma.”

“Even so, you know the minor details, like about my Alter. Only someone who’s been with me would know such things.”

“Then call it sheer luck.” The HOLY woman pulled herself away from the wall, and straightened her back. “But nevertheless, I still have the upper hand. I know why you only fight with your basic form Alter--at least for now.”

A chill ran down Ryuho’s spine as the ends of her lips surprisingly turned upwards into a small sneer. This was the first emotion he had seen her display since they had begun fighting.

“You and Kazuma both. You don’t want to show it, but you both are tired. I know my Master had quite a time with you two, is that not correct?”

“How does that make a differ--”

“You want to pretend that you’re still strong enough to fight me, but the truth is that your spirit isn’t completely healed.” Then she looked upwards, crossing her arms over her chest. “It’s like that with anyone who is under his power, even if it is only for a short amount of time. The Alter User never recovers. And because you never recover, you can’t hope to beat him or myself.”

Ryuho’s lips twitched, the words swirling in his mind like a cyclone. “Then what is Crane exactly?”

“You’ll have to face him to find out.” Then she resumed her fighting stance. “But, of course, you’ll have to get past me first.”

“What does he want with Mimori and Kanami!?”

She shook her head slowly, but did not disengage from her position. “Again, you will have to face him to find out.”

“Fine then,” he growled, mirroring her posture. “Let’s end this.”

“Soon enough.”

Zetsuei, who was still by Ryuho’s side moved with great celerity around the entrance steps, waylaying the woman from the side. She stood in wait, then embraced the Alter suddenly, blocking its movements with her leg and propelling the other around her body to its head. With such an impact, Zetsuei was knocked to the ground immediately, and the woman regained her stance, not even breaking a small sweat.

Ryuho stepped forward to help his Alter up, but never broke his gaze with the woman. She was just as swift as he, and used moves that he recognized as ones that--

“Enough?” she asked once Zetsuei was standing upright again.

“Of course not!”

“Then let’s continue.”

At Ryuho’s nod, Zetsuei was gone in a flash, reappearing before the woman, razor ribbon in heights. It came down upon her again, but this time she dodged effortlessly, leaning back, and then spinning low, sweeping the Alter from its feet. Zetsuei overturned, but regained itself after a moment in midair, overlooking the Elite HOLY member. Again the ribbon came down upon her, but instead of avoiding it like last time, the woman seized it with both hands, halting Zetsuei in its tracks.

Ryuho’s body stiffened. How could she be so agile as to dodge and block all of Zetsuei’s moves!?

‘Could it REALLY be that Crane has such a hold over Kazuma and I? Because of our previous fight? If that is so, then Kazuma will…’

No…NO! If he thought such weak thoughts…if he…

Then his eyes caught the blood from her hands as she held the ribbon in between her fingers, the blade of them cutting through her. Red splotches fell to the ground in heavy drips, splattering across the steps of HOLY. But the new wounds did not stir any emotions into her. She just continued to hold onto Zetsuei fiercely.

“Now is the time,” she said. “Now is the time to end it all. My Master wishes to see you before him.”

“Tell him right after I send you straight to hell,” Ryuho spat, balling his fist.

The woman smiled for the second time in their fight. “I already live there.” At Ryuho’s mystified expression, she added, “I already told you. One of the dead--one of the ones who roam this world endlessly. That is the Spectre.” She still clung to Zetsuei, her hands bleeding with open wounds.

“Someone…of the dead?”

“Enough talk!” Her voice elevated and her grip on the Alter tightened. “Come forth, my Everlasting Betrayal!”

Again…again that darkness! Ryuho watched, bewildered, as the black wings encompassed her, the dark mist running through her body and into the physical form of his Alter. But that pain was the same as before, and he found his hands against his aching head, clutching it so tightly, and screaming.

“Your body is MINE, RYUHO!”

And all at once, the darkness consumed him, and Ryuho was falling forward where the endlessness waited to catch him.

---------------------------------

Urizane paused, looking overhead where the darkness intensified. He shielded Elian with his right arm to keep him from going towards the explosion. He flinched and his eyes widened. What was that?

“Ryuho…” he whispered, his stomach twisting in knots.

---------------------------------

Finally pulled another chapter out from within my laziness. The Spectre are a strong bunch, yes? But you will all find out why later on. All I can say is poor Raviel and Ryuho ;__;

Please R&R if you liked and keep the flames to roast marshmallows, kay?

Kat