Third Person
~
The world around her blurs before it comes into focus.
Kira blinks wearily, the fog and dreariness of her sleepy haze slow to lift as always. Morning light battles it's way through the linen curtains to bounce off her sheets while warming her skin beneath.
There's frantic beeping at her bedside. The alarm rings from her phone just begging to be snoozed but it's still the school week, Thursday to be exact, and she's not at liberty ignore it as much as she wants to.
She sits up with a yawn, struggling to recall the events of the previous day. Average school day, practice, and an evening shopping spree with the girls and Haru.
She grins to herself when she checks her notifications to see Haru's greetings. She responds before going through her morning routine; stretches, bath, make-up, hair (which she notes is getting long again), and breakfast with Ares and Kat, who's slowly warming up to her.
She exits the apartment building, subtly breathing in the warm spring air. It's the beginning of a perfect morning, just the way she likes it.
It all shatters when she arrives at the school gates, a heavy dread setting in as she spots the others at the entrance. Jade, Momo, Haru and...
"Where are..." Her question trails off, who exactly was she asking for.
"Did you take a weird spike to head or something?" Jade lifts questioning a brow her way.
Momo's already at the brunette's side pulling her forward and Kira let's herself be led on as the blonde starts to fill her in with the latest gossip.
"Not really, just got a weird feeling now?" She laughs.
"Like deja Vu?" Momo inquires, throwing aside her own story.
"I don't think that's how it works Moriko-chan," Haru interjects.
"It's not worth it, nothing's getting through that Demona filled skull," Jade teases putting away her manga before the teacher in charge at the entrance decides to make a fuss.
Demona.
Kira feels her head throb, making her steps falter. The ground beneath her blurs again, like it's shifting under her feet and she can't help but stare at the way it moves in time to crashing waves of urgency in her heart.
"Kira?"
She looks up to see her friends giving her worried looks; she can't have that, "It's fine! I just had... trouble sleeping last night," she gives an assuring smile, "Guess I'm still pretty tired."
"That's fine, be sure to get a nap in during Math class!" Momo beams like it's the most perfect plan in the world.
And Kira might just take the advice if Jade wouldn't spend it occasionally pelting her with tiny paper balls.
She trudges behind them as they near the school building. She composes herself and pushes the weird feeling out of her mind.
She's Kira Vermillion, second year at Hamada High and star player of the volleyball team, about to have another perfect school day with her best friends.
There's nothing missing.
And everything's fine.
***
Troy stares, reigning in his confusion as the scene unfolds before them. One minute, Kira is standing upright, the next, she's trapped with a pillar of flaring orange energy, it's light reaching every corner of the council chamber.
She floats unconsciously off her knees, held up by Lady West's spell, every so often her face contorts, and a though they can't hear anything, her mouth opens in what they can only assume are screams.
The Demons had vanished as well, leaving him and Kuro with no connection to understanding if she's doing fine or close to danger.
He eyes the other side of the chamber, Mochizuki Ryoichi doesn't look like he's doing any better.
In front of him, Kuro is eyeing Kira's pillar with the utmost hatred, red eyes swirling with murderous intent at their depths.
But there's an emotion so easy to overlook beneath the hatred.
Fear.
Troy ignores it, they don't have time to dwell on his relationship with his past mentor, "Brat, what's she doing to them?" He shakes the younger boy out of his hate trance by his shoulder.
Kuro blinks, using both hands to slap his cheeks and restore his senses. He glares at Lady West who's whistling innocently while stealing glances his way. He couldn't let her get to him.
"It's her power, Glass Reality," He murmurs, "She can take any number of targets and entrap their souls and minds in a dimension where she controls whatever they see."
"Almost like..."
"Ahlai," he finishes for the blond, "The only other similarity is that she can't see their fantasies as well, the difference is...she can make it either a dream or a nightmare, and depending on what she knows about them she knows what strings to pull that will get their minds work against them more efficiently."
Kuro pauses his explanation to glare once more, she's still watching them, "The ultimate puppet master of the mind, your perfect world becomes nightmare as she wishes, the constant changes slowly breaking your psyche or making you addicted to the illusion, but unlike Ahlai, you'll never be able to tell, until she's done with you."
Troy hums his understanding; it makes sense now how Kuro was the one to first break out of Ahlai's spell the first time. He's been through it before.
"Very impatient of you West," Tokiya chastises lightly.
"If we spent any more time debating on a test we'd never leave and you know it," she grins with a dismissive wave, she turns to them, twirling the frayed edges of her scarf innocently, "And if anyone is opposed they can always just speak up."
The Council members barely exchange glances before Shigeru speaks up, "There's no issue testing their fortitude, but you toying with the children as you wish won't help resolve anything."
"Always so considerate, Shi-chan, but no need to get your curls in your twist. I'm barely putting any energy into the spell, the first of them to escape within half an hour wins."
"They weren't prepared!" Hayahiko bites out.
"No one is ever truly prepared for anything now are they dear?" Lady West coos in a mock soothing tone, "It's a fair test."
"No it isn't! Demona already said what she wanted, you're using it against her as we speak!" Kuro scowls, "Let her-"
"That was the Keeper's mistake," Motoichirou cuts him off, "Besides, you three boasted of defeating the Demon Ahlai who I recall has manipulation abilities as well, to me it quite fair," There's a finality to his tone and with none of the other Council members speaking up, Troy assumes they all agree with him.
He grits his teeth behind closed lips, as usual Vermillion's big mouth managed to get her into trouble. Nevertheless, they couldn't just sit back and watch, could they?
"There's nothing you can do."
He turns to his side where Inuoe Tsukito is standing, the other’s dark brown eyes move from him to Kira and Ryoichi.
"Only the more deserving will break the Lady's enchantment-"
"Then Demona will win," Kuro cuts in.
"How are you so sure?"
"It's not her first time," Troy supplies, he mind drifts back to the battle with Ahlai. Vermillion was several things, but stupid wasn't entirely one of them, and just like Kuro he was holding out hope she wouldn't fall for the same trick twice.
***
Kira spends the day more or less in a sort of daze. Every class, every conversation, every action, barely any moment seems to register itself in her memory. She's going through the motions but it each one feels like some key element is missing to her actions and she can't put her finger on what that should be.
Or shouldn't be.
"I'm definitely up for some karaoke!" Moriko blurts out as they exit the school while discussing plans.
Kira's extra long practice had eaten into some of their time so it's definitely getting late. It’s several minutes past 7pm already.
"As long as I don't have to deal with anyone fainting on stage again," Jade huffs without much bite.
They had at least three more hours until the curfew.
"I'll do my best this time," Haru whimpers, apologetic.
The others keep discussing ahead of her and she lets her feet track their movements while she remains half-conscious and deep in thought. The, sights, sounds and people walking around her all blur into white noise at the back of her mind.
She can't bring herself to speak when every step feels like she's walking closer and closer to some unseen trap. Every nerve beneath her skin is alight with trepidation and she can't bring herself enjoy anything around her.
The lights are too bright, there are too many people on the road, and the air too cold. She glances around, ‘I can't be the only one noticing this.’
But she is, everyone carries on while she searches for at least one distinguishable face that doesn't belong to her friends.
Her friends.
It's too quiet, when did they stop talking?
She turns to look for them but there's a flash of blond hair in the window beside her. Not Momo's though; it's too long, too pale and beautifully braided. Her eyes follow the strange the figure, walking leisurely beside a shorter dark haired one, faces indescribable as they begin to vanish into the crowd
Her heart jumps without explanation, but it's enough for her, she chases them immediately, names on the tip of her tongue as the distance continues to grow despite her efforts.
She shoves through several bodies that barely pay attention to her roughness, having half the mind to find that strange but her attention is entirely on the two strangers, getting further and further by the second but she keeps running.
She can't stop, she has to... She has to...she pauses briefly, watching them, what does she want from them?
"Hey! Come back!" She screams between heavy panting breaths, frustrated tears prickling at her eyes as she begins her pursuit anew, she can't give up, "Come back...please!"
A step and the world blurs briefly, by some miracle Kira gets a few steps behind them. She jumps, reaching out her left hand with aim to grab the blond's coat but all her senses register is air as everything around descends into deeper darkness.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
She falls to the ground, punching the pavement while gritting her teeth, her mind a mess of thoughts struggling to make sense of what she had just witnessed.
She's breathing hard, her chest hurts and the fog of dread has settled in again. She grabs at her hair, fighting back the building tears, "What's happening to me?" It comes out as a raspy wheeze as she tires to pick herself up. It is only then she notices the quiet again, the dark empty sidewalk, illuminated only by the lights of the TVs belonging to the story on her left.
Her eyes fix on the largest TV in the center, set to a news channel with a time stamp beneath.
Fifteen minutes until the city's curfew.
But that's not what has her attention.
It's the report.
Several dead from a major arson attack on a business center barely a few minutes ago. How had it gotten so late so fast? Why hadn’t Tokyo’s vigilante hero been there? And why is her heart beating even faster than it had when she was running?
All these questions and more race through her mind as she attempts to make sense of where she is, but with every step away from the store, more and more pieces fall into place; a familiar alleyway, a sense of dread crawling its way up her spine, she doesn’t have to check to know…she’s being watched.
“No, no, no!” She murmurs the words under her breath like a prayer, she wants to run but her eyes are fixed on the endless void of the narrow alley before her, her legs rooted to spot no matter how many signals fire off in her brain.
The wind picks up, screeching madly around her as the darkness begins to move, warping, its shadows reaching out to loom over her. A gaping maw that slowly twists itself into the form of a haggard being; ragged purple robes, jagged scythe and burning, emerald green eyes. The words are out before Kira can register them, venomous and angry more than they are fearful, “Go away! Stay back!” She topples to the ground as her legs finally give out and refuse to work leaving her to glare at the creature’s mocking grin as it draws near.
Instead of growing larger it only shrinks, the hideous sounds of cracking bones and piercing flesh filling the air the closer it gets. Kira attempts to pull back, get far, far away but she watches the transformation with blood and fear roaring past her ears. The figure stops a few inches away in its new humanoid form, green eyes the only distinguishable feature beneath the darkness of the hood.
As well deep, brown hair; longer but familiar all the same.
Kira’s lips tremble helplessly as she struggles to find the words.
She doesn’t get to, all too quickly the scythe is lifted and the world slows to an agonizingly grinding halt. Kira hears her own scream in a muffled haze, feels the burning slice of pain at her throat, but it’s all too fast, almost painless like nothing had happened.
If that’s the case, then why’s she falling to the ground.
The world around her blurs before it comes into focus.
Kira blinks wearily, the fog and dreariness of her sleepy haze slow to lift as always. Morning light battles its way through the linen curtains to bounce off her sheets while warming her skin beneath.
Then comes the fright, hands scrambling to her neck, as a blossom of phantom pain flits through her skin, but it’s gone as soon as it had come, leaving her to feel as if she imagined the whole thing.
Imagined what exactly? She doesn't remember.
There's frantic beeping at her bedside. The alarm rings from her phone just begging to be snoozed but it's still the school week, Thursday to be exact, and she's not at liberty ignore it as much as she wants to. She forces herself into a proper sitting position, confusion making her limbs heavy while she struggles to recall the events of the previous day. An average school day, practice, and an evening shopping spree with the girls and Haru.
No, that can’t be right, but it is.
Isn’t it?
Her hand begins to tremble as she reaches for her phone but she ends up leaving it there, unable to muster the energy needed to answer Haru’s message. She’s still shaking when she exits the shower, still jittery even she arrives her school. She walks through the day almost listlessly, hands unconsciously going to her neck when there’s clearly nothing wrong. She does everything to convince herself that she’s becoming paranoid.
Of what? She’s not sure.
All the same, she finds herself chasing faceless entities down the sidewalk to find answers, just to stop in front of and an alley she’s sure she shouldn’t know but finds familiar.
A crippling fear mixed so potently with guilt, frustration and horror that she can’t move as she stares into its depths. Then comes the terrifying glint of ice cold steel, the world fades again and she wakes up gasping for air only to walk the cycle again, with every loop eating deeper and deeper into her soul.
Until…
“Brat!”
Her ears perk up at the voice but she doesn’t have to search for who it is. She’s jostled on her feet, spun almost weightlessly as she comes to face a man with beautifully glowing dark skin and silver hair the color of the moon, the three horns reaching out like a crown do almost nothing to hinder his charm while he seems to fade in and out of reality.
“Kira, Can you hear me?” he screams into her face as he shakes her frantically, Kira has half the mind to wonder why this stranger is touching her so casually before wondering why his voice makes her want to punch him in the jaw.
She pulls out of his grasp, reaching into her bag for her mini taser, she didn’t spend eight years in The States to get mugged so easily, “Hands off creep!”
“I don’t have time for this! Don’t tell me you don’t remember anything?” He continues, the anger in his voice is quickly being replaced with incredulity. Kira doesn’t get to respond before the roaring wind begins to swirl around them. She freezes, turning to the gnawing alleyway in front of them, watching as the shadows begin to reach out again.
“How many times are you going to do this?” The horned person scoffs impatiently, grabbing her under his arm and leaping into the sky to take them soaring past several buildings in attempt of putting as much distance as possible between them and the slow forming threat.
Kira kicks her feet furiously, indignant at being carried like some kind of purse dog, “Let me go, you fucking bastard!”
“Are you really ready to face that thing?!” he stops abruptly, dangling her by her blazer in front of himself. From his sharp violet eyes alone she can tell he’s fighting the urge to toss her through the nearest building, “You can’t even remember me, how the hell are you going to remember the other morons? Your precious little friends waiting for you to wake up, what about them?”
Kira’s heart throbs painfully in her chest, the world seems to shift with his words making her dizzy with nausea, “Stop,” it’s a hurt whisper.
He drops her unceremoniously, eyes glaring down with contempt, “Troy? Kuro? Either of those names ring a bell, brat?” he hisses out in an icy drawl.
She curls up, her body trembling from the throbbing pain as the world starts to crumble away in time to the aching pain in her head, “Stop, please, I can’t, I’m not strong enough…”
“No one truly is, kid,” he sighs softly, the change in tone makes Kira look up at him, form flickering off and on but strangely, she feels he’s the only true thing in the world slowly splitting at the seams, “It’s easy to run, isn’t it? Pretend you failed here because that witch used your perfect vision against you but you know this isn’t actually what you want, Kira, you can’t stay here.”
A mirthless laugh falls from her lips, she knows that, a part of her has known all along, yet…“But it’s close and I’m getting so tired of having to prove myself over and over. If we get past this, who’s to say I’m the right person to handle what comes next? I don’t want to fail anyone, Lucifer but I can’t stop thinking about the future.”
“You managed to remember my name, that’s a start,” He huffs kneeling down her level, “I don’t have much time since Mammon and I can only keep this up for so long. Listen well kid, they’re waiting for you and you can’t let them down, especially when it’s clear they’re ready to stand by you no matter what, just like you do for them. You don’t have to hesitate, for now at least-”
He’s cut off by a heart wrenching screech coming closer, their bubble dissolving to the crashing reality around them; blood red skies missing huge chunks of itself, buildings crumbling but their pieces floating mid air and several roads leading to nowhere but empty voids. Kira stands to get a closer look at what’s coming, she’s still struggling to piece it all together but she understands this isn’t real and she has to leave, go back to Troy and Kuro with her mind in one piece.
“How do I get out of here?!”
“If I knew I would have said so, wouldn’t I?” the demon drawls.
Another monstrous screech, this one much closer this time.
“Don’t tell me I’ll have to fight that thing?!”
She doesn’t get to hear his answer before he before he blinks out of existence to leave her stranded in this crumbling void. She does her best to stomp down the build fear, but the crash of heavy footsteps behind her makes things that much harder.
Turn around.
Another step.
Turn around, Kira!
She clenches her left fist tight enough to break skin, steeling her resolve and with a scream of built up frustration, she swings. She has no idea of the outcome but going down without a fight isn’t her style, it hasn’t been since the first day and she refuses to go back on her promise and settle on a half-baked illusion. With that punch, she breaks through the Lady’s fog, the one of which had amplified her fears and doubts, all those she’s put behind for the sake of her perfect world. A world that has to have the two people she trusts most there.
Even then, barely anything changes around her, it takes a moment to realize it but her punch hadn’t connected, the purple clad figure in human form has her fist in its hold. Except now, she knows exactly who it is and maybe because she does, there’s no Mask to obscure their features.
Her features.
Her own teary eyes look back at her, “You should have just remained asleep.”
“You know I can’t do that,” she huffs; she knows what’s coming next even before the scythe is fully lifted.
“It’ll be over soon if you just let go,” The imposter smiles softly but Kira isn’t letting them end this, she curls her other fist, putting all her focus into connecting to her magic energy, her power and her Demons. A burn spreads through her right shoulder and she grins.
“You’re right about this being over, but I’m definitely not letting go,” She throws her right hook, “Thanks, Lucifer.”
The air bursts to life around them filling her lungs and pumping adrenaline through her veins, she directs her enhancing magic into the punch breaking through the imposter’s block and right into their jaw. There’s the sound of shattering glass from all around her, the feel of cold, sharp material digging into her fist as both the figure and illusion beyond explode into a kaleidoscope of colourful, shimmering glass. She’s falling rapidly through a void of light, her destination getting brighter and warmer.
And without hesitation she reaches out to it.
***
Troy wants to be surprised, and a part of him definitely is. More shattering sounds pierce through the air as Lady West’s spell quickly comes undone, pieces of the pillar fall to the ground and disintegrating into nothingness. Gasps and whispers erupt all around them.
“Oh my,” The lady chuckles as it finally falls away and Kira crashes to the ground with a pained groan.
The blond follows Kuro to her side, she sits up with harsh breaths and narrowed eyes at the eyes at the older female magic user.
“You bi-”
“Oh don’t be so sour now, you passed didn’t you?”
The brunette’s eyes widen almost instantly, venom leaving her tone in flash, “Really?! I…what?!”
Tokiya coughs to gain her attention and tilts his head in the direction of Ryoichi’s pillar which is only just starting to crack.
Troy watches the grin split Kira’s face, her hand in his while he uses his healing magic to check for abnormalities. Her smile is obnoxiously wide, the kind she likes to give when she’s won a stupid argument or accomplished the most basic of tasks. He sighs, at least now he’s sure she’s herself.
Kuro as always disrupts his work by tossing his full weight onto her and taking her to the ground while dramatically screaming, “We won! In your face, hag!”
Kira wants to laugh along with him but she has half the mind to remember they’re literally in a hall with a few other professional magic users, as well as the strongest people in Japan, and all eyes are watching them with emotions ranging from shock to indignation.
“You put up quite the fight, little one,” Lady West says drawing her notice, “It was certainly one of my simpler spells, but I might have to keep an eye on you.”
“Is that a change of heart I hear, West?” Motoichirou inquires.
“Demona-kun has proven herself fair and square, don’t act otherwise,” Hayahiko nods, squarely.
“Doesn’t mean we have to enjoy it,” Yasushi mumbles.
Kira stands, the rush of relief spreading through her system interrupted only by the deafening shatter of Ryoichi’s pillar. The room goes silent as he falls to his knees, harsh breaths spilling from his lips and sweat pouring down his brow. Sympathy tugs at her heart, from her own experience, she doesn’t want to imagine the hell he’s been through in his own mind.
She takes a step forward, stopped instantly by the threatening boom of his Voice, “STAY BACK!”
His eyes, crazed and filled with loathing lift to glare at everyone in the room as he stands, the atmosphere becomes thick with a new presence, something dense dark and angry. “You keepers of the balance, always going on and on about fairness and justice in order to keep the peace,” his gaze then falls squarely on her, “Especially the Keepers but the truth is you’ll abandon everyone and everything to get what you want! Just like he did!”
Shigeru scowls, standing, “Mochizuki wha-”
“STOP CALLING ME THAT!” He grabs at his face, digging in with his nails as maniacal laugh burst from his lips, “Ryoichi this, Ryoichi that, for almost a year and that bitch didn’t even notice! What a moron!” with every second he’s pulling off more and more skin from his face, pieces of flesh fall to the ground with the inner parts a vivid blood red.
The hall watches in stunned silence as he goes on, completely absorbed in his disturbed tirade, “So much for being a great Teacher, ‘Hikari-san saves everyone’ he said, but guess what?! She couldn’t even tell when he was gone all because of the easiest trick in the world,” Ryoichi, or more correctly, the guy previously playing him, reaches into the folds of his jacket, once white but now they’re a gleaming shade of midnight black just like his hair, which had also lost its feathery, snowy look to resemble harshly cut spikes.
He pulls out a small orb and Kira recognizes it immediately, it would be impossible not to.
Nightmare.
Its exactly like his soul orbs but unlike the others souls she saw during their encounter, this is a dazzling white and gold; bright, pure and beautiful.
The his guy isn’t Nightmare, that much is clear, but they're obviously connected, “My poor Ryoichi-kun, thanks a lot but your soul as reached the end of it use.”
“Don’t-” .
Kira is moving before the shout fully leaves Kuro’s lips, it’s instinct borne from Hikari’s unseen guidance. She pours the anger from the strangers words into her punch, his mocking of Hikari and the desecration of a formerly to-be Keeper’s soul. This bastard, whoever he is, crossed the line several years ago and the only thing she regrets, on Kazue’s behalf, is no one ever realizing.
She’s fast.
Faster than she’s ever been, but the stranger still manages to hide the orb away before her attack connects with his stomach, sending him hurtling across the room, through the wall at the other end and crashing into some wall on the outer chambers, dust clouds the air from the impact hiding his body from view.
Kira scowls, her next words leaving her lips as low growl from her throat, “GIVE. HIM. BACK.”