The beautiful greenery along the cliffside swayed in the wind as the sun had begun to set. Though it could not think, if it was capable of such an action, it would likely choose not to. The beauty of the view provided would leave it without a single thought in mind. However, the grass was not the only thing that had admired such a spectacle.

Walking closer and closer to the cliff was a group of twelve. Though many were huddled together, there was one who continued to move ahead of them. Stopping by the edge of the cliff, and planting the hilt of their sword in the ground, they watched as the sun continued to fall across the sky ever so slowly.

???: [Men, from here, I’d like to ask for all of you to split up.]

As the elegant woman spoke, the group each formed an expression of confusion across their faces.

Night: [Lady Devi, I’m well aware that your decisions are that of your own…but–]

Devi: [I will not act harsh, but I will not repeat myself. Your order is to split up.]

Each of them hesitated to accept her order, but eventually succumbed to the order provided. Doing as they were told, each of the eleven split into different directions.

All except one.

Standing nearby, continuing to gaze at the woman they had served since they were young, the beautiful woman covered in jewelry and thin silk clothing spoke. Her once energetic appearance had faded into a much more somber look.

Sol: [Lady Devi…]

Shutting her eyes, Devi prepared her response before Sol could even continue.

Devi: [I could tell from your expression earlier, Sol. I shall wait here. The view is quite nice this evening, so I shall bask in it.]

Sol: [But, Lady Devi, this is a much greater deal than–]

Opening her eyes, Devi turned her scarlet jewels that resided in her sockets to view her right hand woman.

Devi: [Assistance will not be necessary, Sol. Do you recall what I have always mentioned regarding matters with family and the like?]

Sol: [I-I know, but wouldn’t this be super risky?! I can’t allow an attack directed at you without being there to help!]

Once again, she hid her crimson eyes from the world.

Devi: [I and only I shall do it alone. To bring reinforcements would only sully my own image to the one who once assisted me. I am ashamed of my current predicament with them as is.]

Sol’s mouth quivered as she was unable to produce a response, and merely accepted the firm nod that Devi had provided to her.

Moving towards an unoccupied direction, she turned to face Devi one last time, before jumping high up into the air.

Devi did not avert her gaze from the sun in front of her, as the sun behind her continued to take its leave.

Tightly gripping the hilt of her sword, her eyes morphed into a far more intimidating, narrow shape.

Devi: [Now then, a test before it all begins would likely be the correct choice.]

With those very words escaping her mouth, a rare occurrence appeared on the face of the Braveheart.

A radiant smile formed across her lips as she continued to speak to the wind that attacked her long, blood red hair.

Devi: [I’d like to see just how capable the next in line is.]

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Several days had passed since Shiro had begun her sprint towards the village provided by Kōkatsu. With her eyes set on the rendezvous point, she continued to safely and securely make her move without stopping very often.

Hunting was not a problem for her, as Silvia had brought her on many camping trips in the past where food would be provided via the same method. By proxy, she was able to safely decipher locations for water that could be consumed.

Sleeping was often a none issue, choosing to sleep within trees over any other spot to avoid night eyes from seeing her.

But now, in the middle of the evening, her feet continued to harshly slam against the ground below her in a ferocious sprint.

There was certainly an argument to be made about flying, however, performing such an action would make her more likely to be spotted. Thus, the method of traveling on land was picked.

Due to both her incredible speed and absurd level of stamina, Shiro allowed her body to keep moving for several hours. Although she grew tired, her resolve provided the needed fuel to allow her to run.

Shiro: [If I keep it up at this pace, it should only be a few more days now till I hit that spot. I might just make it in record time!]

Due to the fact that she was alone on this endless dash, and did not need the entirety of her mind to focus on the task at hand, Shiro let her thoughts take over the words that she spoke.

Shiro: [Nero…What the hell happened to you…I can’t get everything off my mind, but that’s probably due to how insane this all is. Yoro is dead, Varius is missing, Nero killed a bunch of soldiers, and now I’m being framed for something I didn’t do…]

Though her eyes gazed towards what was ahead, they started to lower in sadness at the thought of her friend.

Shiro: [Was that his doing too?....No…Nero would never do that…But…Even if he wouldn’t do that, there’s still an anomaly with his actions, so maybe he would?...Damn it! I have a ton of questions to ask him when I see him again, and even if he’s different now, I’m gonna make sure he answers everything!...Unless he doesn’t, in which case, I’ll beat him up and then ask!...But not before apologizing though!...]

Washing away the idea of Nero’s current state from her brain, Shiro began to consider everything else that was going on.

Shiro: [Kō is probably on the move by now, or at least she should be soon. I really hope she made it in time…It’s Kō, after all. She might be late to some things, but there’s no way she’d be late for something as dire as that. Anyways, she’s either at her house right now, or on the way to the village.]

Before Shiro’s departure, Kōkatsu had spoken about how she would take on Shiro’s own task.

This both served as a means to give Shiro less to worry about, along with allowing the plan she and Silvia had prepared to begin.

On top of this, it was something that Kōkatsu herself had desired. If she were to fail with a mission such as this, she would likely be unable to live with herself.

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Shiro: [I’m unsure of where Silvia is at. She might be with Kō, or maybe she’s taking her own route to get there. She’ll probably bring her troops as well, but I kinda wonder if she’ll bring…Nah. She’d probably worry too much if she brought Alf with her.]

Though Silvia was involved with the plan, Shiro had not seen her since the day of Nero’s birthday.

Following the big event, and the incident that had occurred shortly after, messages involving Silvia were passed onto Shiro by others.

Where she had been, or what she had been doing, was something that was completely unknown to her.

With all of these thoughts brewing in her head, Shiro began to think of one final piece.

Shiro: [...I’m really nervous about them. I truly hope everything is alright. I don’t care if I’m viewed as a monster, a freak or something even more vulgar, I just want them to be okay…]

The sad look from earlier had returned to haunt Shiro again, only this time its effect was far greater.

Filled with worry, she continued to wonder if her–

Shiro: [...I don’t like this. Every other time that I was running, there were soldiers nearby. It didn’t matter where, there was usually someone scouting the area. Why isn’t anyone here right now?]

Gazing at the forest around her, she took quick notice of the lack of eyes attempting to spot her.

The previous few days for her had been a challenge, as many were on the lookout for her, and likely Nero.

There was a chance they would not pursue. However, if either of the two were spotted, a report of them being seen would likely be sent to those who stood at a higher status.

From there, it would only be a matter of time before countless armies would surround Shiro.

At every moment she had begun to sprint, Shiro avoided any and all contact she could have made with those looking for her.

If a few more days were to pass, she would likely reach her goal without a problem in sight.

In some ways, she would view it as a long cross country run that took only a week to perform.

However, there were none at this very moment.

Not a single soldier appeared within the area as she continued to make her sprint.

None who were ready to send in a report.

None who focused on scouting the framed criminal.

None.

As Shiro continued to run, she noticed the end of the forest ahead of her.

Shiro: [Don’t tell me they’re all there!...No. I don’t see anything from here, so hopefully that means–]

Her words were cut off as something new was felt.

A presence.

An immensely large presence.

A presence of matōki that caused her lungs to tighten.

Feeling this very presence, Shiro attempted to curve her legs to stop her endless speed.

But it was far too late.

Grinding the soles of her shoes across the ground, Shiro rose from her bent position to view what was now in front of her.

No longer a forest, but a cliff.

No longer shadows, but the sun.

And most importantly…

No longer was she alone, but a woman stood valiantly with her back turned to Shiro.

It was at that moment that Shiro saw it.

Long red hair.

Red like blood.

Hair that, if it stopped the flow it had gained from the wind, would likely reach down to the woman’s hips.

Her.

It was her.

Shiro had not met many with the same features as the one she had seen many times since she was young. However, she had seen a decent few who had similar traits. Many of which did not have the same as she saw for many nights, within her dreams.

But now…

She saw it.

The very same color of hair.

The very same length.

And most importantly–

Devi: [I see. So you’ve finally arrived.]

Eyes that matched in color.

Shiro: [Y-Y-You’re…]

Devi: [I would like to apologize ahead of time. I would have preferred to meet under much better circumstances, but unfortunately…]

Why was she here?

Why had she chosen the very same place Shiro was headed?

Devi: [...I believe we both know what must come next.]

Standing with bravery emanating from her soul, the former ruler of the world and woman with the title of Braveheart, Devi Bloodfire, appeared before Shiro.

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In the incredibly long minka house, within the Babylon District sat a kitsune who continued to press their kiseru against their lips. Blowing smoke from out of their mouth, they gazed at the nearby pond that reflected the evening sun.

As the tall, orange kitsune enjoyed the outdoor weather, a kitsune that almost reflected them in appearance approached them from behind.

Kaoru: [Lady Kōkatsu, I believe it is time for us to leave.]

Kōkatsu: [Awwwwwww! Do we really gotta?!]

Kaoru: [You along with Miss Silvia created this plan, Lady Kōkatsu. It would be rather rude to not follow through with it.]

Kōkatsu: [But I don’t wanna say bye yet! I’m havin’ so much fun here!]

Seeing the tantrum being thrown by the woman who she viewed as her mother, a thought sprouted within Kaoru’s head.

Kaoru: [Which one of us is supposed to be the child?]

Tapping her kiseru against the rock-filled ground, Kōkatsu pressed her hands against her knees as she started to stand up.

Kōkatsu: [Alright, alright. We might as well get goin’ then. I wanted to spend more time, but that’s on me I guess. I’ll say my farewells real quick, and then we’ll head out, sound good?]

Kaoru: [Yes. I shall join you as well, if you do not mind.]

Kōkatsu: [Course I don’t mind! Me, you, Kiyomi, everyone. We’re all in the same boat here after all. We’re–]

Her comment was then interrupted as the phone within the belt of her hakama started to ring.

Kaoru: [Are you expecting a call, Lady Kōkatsu?]

Kōkatsu: [No…Especially not at this hour.]

Pulling the phone out, and looking at the name provided, she noticed a common occurrence that was odd at this moment.

Kōkatsu: [Says unknown number.]

Kaoru: [Could it perhaps be Miss Shiro?]

Kōkatsu: [Nah. If she tried to call someone, even usin’ a payphone, that’d be a dumb move. Not callin’ ya dumb, sweetie. Jus’ callin’ Shiro that, if it really is her.]

Pressing her thumb against the answer button, she quickly slid it upwards to answer the call.

Due to being a custom made phone for kitsune, the speaker button was automatically enabled to avoid problems with the distance between their ears and their faces.

Kōkatsu: [Yo. Who is this?]

???: [Before I answer, I need to be sure I’m speaking to the right person. Is this Kōkatsu the Almighty?]

Kōkatsu: [Yeah, and who are ya?]

???: [I can’t speak just yet. If you could, please provide me with the code that Lady Helig sent you.]

Kōkatsu’s eyes widened at the sentence delivered from the phone.

Kōkatsu: [I see. She gave me a text earlier, and I wasn’t sure why. Fine then. I think it was M.I.S.C.R.W, that sound ‘bout right?]

???: [...Perfect. If it’s alright for me to ask, could you please speak with me privately? The details I’m going to provide cannot be passed along to anyone. The only thing that should be known is that I will meet you by the kitsune village presented to me, and provide what is detailed there. From there, the job is yours to take care of.]

Kōkatsu: [Yeah. I can speak with ya alone if that’s what ya want.]

Waving her hand away at Kaoru, a small bow was provided from the girl as she slid the door closed and walked away.

Allowing for some privacy from her mother, Kaoru walked down the hall before encountering a much larger, more muscular kitsune.

Kaoru: [Ah! Sister! Are you ready to leave?]

Kiyomi: [Hehe! Yep! Just said my farewells and I already got all my stuff packed. I’m ready when Lady Kōkatsu is ready! Speaking of which, where is she?]

Kaoru: [She’s having a very important phone call right now. I’m not entirely sure what it’s about, but it seems to regard our plan.]

Kiyomi: [I see. Makes sense, we’re about to move after al–]

The two nodding in agreement quickly jumped up in shock.

Behind Kaoru came a loud thud against wood.

Directly where Kōkatsu had been.

Kaoru: [Lady Kōkatsu?!]

Kiyomi: [Damn! We need to check, quickly!]

Kaoru: [R-Right!]

They rushed down the long hall that was once patiently crossed, and slid open the door in an aggressively quick manner.

Kaoru and Kiyomi: [Lady Kōk–]

Their reason to fear…was not there.

Rather, what was before them had been rather odd.

Kōkatsu was kneeling down, looking at the floor in front of her.

Her free hand covered her quivering mouth, and tears came rushing down her squinted eyes.

Constant gasps were quietly produced from her.

All the while, the phone delivered its final statement.

???: [With that said, I’ll meet you at that village. From there, she’s yours to take care of. She’ll likely be in much better hands with you anyways…though I’ve grown quite happy taking care of her myself. It’s the first time I’ve ever really been able to say that about someone, and if anything, it should tell you how great she is. Anyways, farewell for now. I’ll see you at the rendezvous point.]

The phone was then hung up from the other side.

Kaoru and Kiyomi continued to watch as Kōkatsu did not move a muscle, but continued to perform all of the same previous actions.

Concerned over what had happened, they called out to her again.

Kaoru and Kiyomi: [Lady…Kōkatsu?]

Finally, Kōkatsu turned to face them.

Lowering her hand, a quivering, open smile was displayed for them to see.

Kōkatsu: [...She’s okay….]

Kaoru: [Who is, Lady Kōkatsu?]

Continuing to gasp, Kōkatsu provided her answer.

Kōkatsu: [...Vari….Little Miss Vari…Vari is okay….She’s gonna be…handed over to us…so that we can take care of her…]

The two could not provide an answer. They simply allowed their tears to fall across their faces much like their mother had done.

Kōkatsu quickly pounced off the ground and hugged the two as she screamed.

Kōkatsu: [VARIUS IS OKAY! LITTLE VARIUS IS OKAY! SHE’S COMING TO US!]

Before their departure, a message was sent to the Kōkatsu family.

The little girl that many of them had cared for, Varius Virtuoso, was safe and would soon join them.

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