Aimee pulled up to the hotel the next afternoon. Mia had offered to take the first one they found in Breksaw, a town built just off the interstate, and their new route left them with another two weeks until Fracassor.

The two kissed and smiled.

"Love you."

"I love you too."

Mia&Serena got out and started down the sidewalk to the hotel. The eight eyes in the van kept on them, and Aimee didn't pull out until she saw Mia's thighs step in to the lobby.

"What a dump." chimed Yuruko.

"Aimee's gonna take the best one for us." grinned Jeanne.

"…what? Oh - uh, yeah." Aimee laughed, pulled out and started down the street. The sidewalks soon tapered off, and inlets off the main road led to plazas of small businesses, signs with phone numbers for cheap services in the grass.

A mile away, they came to another hotel a smidge above the previous. Yuruko&Samuel got out with their bags.

"Have fun." chimed Yuruko, and they were gone.

"Guess these won't be too far away from each other." said Jeanne as the van started again.

"Eh - still gotta find our's." murmured Aimee. "Still - Revenants should let us run that, uh, what is it? Three mile minute?"

Jeanne laughed. "Three minute mile."

"What's the - oh, right. Still - uh. Keeps a wide spread so we can know what a Revenant does before it shows up, if any of us need help."

They came to their three-floor hotel, and the road split the parking lot from the gas station adjacent.

"Let's check in." mumbled Aimee.

◆◆◆

Aimee wasn't the only one tested. Serena wanted to keep talking with Yuruko, but had the feeling Mia wouldn't let her out on her own.

"So, um, no lunch with all six of us?" mumbled Serena, on her bed.

"Not - until we have more information on these Revenants." chimed Mia. "Er - did you need something, Serena?"

"I, uh." Serena scratched her neck's back. "I... don't have anyone's number, so."

"Oh. I'll send them to you, then."

Serena nodded. "Sweet."

◆◆◆

Three hours passed away from Mia, and Aimee was starting to dread the possibility of another two weeks. Text couldn't replace touch, and though Aimee'd been the one to suggest the new separate arrangements, she wished Mia would've protested them more, or that she'd let the protégé off the leash. The three pairs had slept in separate wings of the airport the night prior, and Mia had barely let Serena out of her sight then. She had almost started to dislike Serena for it, but doubted it was her idea.

She sighed and started typing a message.

'Can we have Serena swap with me? C'mon. I'm going to be gone in a month, and we can't even spend one night together, alone?'

She pushed her disappointment down, and decided to nourish hope that Mia would realize it first. It wouldn't be right to give her more stress.

(Aimee) "I love you."

She sighed deeper as no response came, and took her tablet to ensure Mia's location was still on. One red dot was in her hotel room, two in Jeanne&Aimee's. Samuel's was in a store nearby.

Jeanne came out from the bathroom, her hair and clothes clean. "You alright?"

"Uh - yeah." mumbled Aimee. "What's up?"

"I heard you sighing." grinned Jeanne, sitting down across. "Can't fool someone who used to be depressed, you know. I know all the tricks."

"The tricks?"

Jeanne sighed deep, and Aimee's cheeks went pink at the imitation. "Is that what I sounded like?"

"That's a -need to talk to someone- sigh. But you're stuck with me. Good luck."

Aimee shook her head. "...nah, I... ugh. Shouldn't talk about it. Just... trying to think whether I'm being too pushy or not."

"With Mia?"

"I - uh - I mean -"

- the roof started to shudder -

"Pouch!" shouted Aimee; a flash of Rider's tendrils, and she was suddenly standing with the pouch. Jeanne shot up beside her, and as the roof shuddered again -

- the floor split open as if an earthquake had struck it, and in to the sudden fissure the women fell, the entire floor above collapsing as they fell in to another room -

- and as Aimee fell, the world slowed as a reflection in a disturbed pond.

She saw a woman at the door of the room, facing them as soon as they had fallen, a set of nails in hand. Aimee swept her eyes up, nails pinned to the ceiling, and as time resumed, the two women fell again -

- on to the floor, and it split open again underneath their combined weight, throwing them down to the first floor backfirst - and the entire building started to collapse all around. The rain of rubble buckled and fell, concrete starting to collapse, and as the storm of material threatened to crush them alive -

" - Rider!" shouted Aimee, shutting out the screaming, and a whirl of steel went through the falling concrete -

- yet she found far more weight than she had expected, her blade bending underneath -

- and as time resumed, the rubble crushed her and Jeanne with the strength of a thousand. She thrashed and writhed underneath the concrete sea, and as she heard a weak gasp from Jeanne beside -

- a hasty spray of Dream around, carving a water-concrete hole above; yet the supply of rubble felt limitless, and the water still held mysteriously the two-ton weight -

" - Jeanne - e-enhance -" gasped Aimee, weakly moving her arm to Jeanne's -

- and the next scene was instant.

A titanic spray of Dream on the ground underneath, turning it to water-concrete; and the women fell in to the hole, a tunnel rapidly forming as Jeanne sprayed again and yet again - and through the bizarre burrow the women swam, the speed of time in their legs as they dived underneath and through.

Jeanne yanked Aimee up as she sprayed up, and with a final kick, the women burst out of the water through the hole above -

- to at last land in the parking lot, safe and outside of the hotel's ruins -

- and there, fifty feet separating them and she, stood the woman from earlier. Aimee and Jeanne gasped out the water, panting as they staggered and stood; but few could match Aimee's speed.

"Rider!"

Her tendrils curled, and in the next instant she was a dozen feet from the woman, rushing forward -

- but the woman swept a tennis ball from her back, threw it ahead and above; Aimee swept underneath, and as the projectile sailed over her head -

- it suddenly stopped mid-air, and fell with the density of a thousand tons; the projectile smashed and pinned Aimee's right foot, cracking her bones and stopping her step, Jeanne rushing behind. The counter stopped her for an instant, and as she yanked the nail out of the tennis ball -

- a second ball hit the back of her skull and threw her to the ground, her foe fleeing away as she threw a third -

" - Dream!"

- and the third tennis ball fell as if a feather, allowing Aimee time to peel out the second nail, the tennis balls back to their normal weight again. She drew to her feet, fifty feet separating them and their foe now.

"Dense-Dense-Revolution!" shouted the woman -

- and the next scene was instant.

A throw of nails at her feet and around, forming a sharp perimeter. The ground began to buckle, bursting inward and starting to collapse -

" - Dream." murmured Jeanne, spraying a platform of graphene below as the distance between their foe and them collapsed, a wide fissure now separating the two.

"We're - gotta flank, c'mon." grunted Aimee, and the women turned. Through the parking lot the two ran, asphalt collapsing behind, and they hurtled out to the road -

- just in time to avoid the rest of the parking lot collapsing in, leaving a wide and deep crater, the woman nowhere to be seen now. They ran through the road and on to the sidewalk, the gas station adjacent, and as they turned their eyes back for a moment -

- they ran direct in to a scarred Mia and Serena; the four staggered away for an instant, and spoke quick as they stepped careful.

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"Revenant -" panted Jeanne - " - changes weight and density - tennis balls that pin you -"

"- yeah -" panted Aimee, nodding to add confidence.

"Revenant - electrical - it -" panted Mia - " - it can break through my - fucking electrical immunity -"

" - just - Mia, let me fill your wounds -" panted Serena -

"CONSERVE YOUR FOG!" shouted Mia, her voice whipping Serena, and the two others winced for a second. "I - please, Serena."

But the women had little time to rest.

The road behind began to buckle; a fissure shot down the sidewalk, chewing asphalt and threatening to swallow the four alive -

- and from the other end of the street, came a ray of lightning that missed narrowly Aimee's neck -

" - gas station!" shouted Jeanne, and as the sidewalk collapsed underneath -

- the four leaped off to the gas station's lot adjacent, rushing between the tanks of petrols as they spoke, three seconds separating them and the entrance.

Their eyes shot behind, and found the blond man in pursuit from the direction Mia and Serena had come, the female foe leaping across platforms of concrete, in pursuit from the direction Aimee and Jeanne had come.

"We - can go through the back wall, buy time? I can fill it!" panted Serena -

" - er - perhaps, but -"

" - got a different idea." said Aimee, and relayed it with a whisper, thankful for no civilians outside.

The women rushed in through the doors, running past the aisles, shoving more aside as they came to the back wall, and as their foes entered the lot -

" - no one move! Hold your breath!" shouted Aimee, and the four turned - " - Mia - enhance!"

The blue tendrils entered Mia's wrists, and in the next instant -

- a pillar of blue flame erupted outside at the tanks of petrol; their foes stared stupidly at it for a moment -

- and an explosion that threatened to blast to atoms the entire lot erupted, the ground shaking as the gas tanks burst in to smoke, the enormous blaze choking the entire lot and building -

- but the next scene was instant.

"Worldwide!"

A field of unmeltable ice grew on the floor, shooting to the walls and encasing them frozen; the shockwaves and initial explosions were blunted, and as the fumes hissed through the cracking ice -

"Dream!"

- a spray ahead turned the fumes to water-fumes, and as the tornados of smoke filled the air -

"Blackburn!"

- gusts of wind filled the hideous clouds, scattering them back the way they'd came.

The four held tight, coughing and cracking, eyes on the civilians still fortunately standing.

"Let's check." winced Aimee, stepping forward careful. A fire scarab melted the icy entrance, and they drew out to the ruined lot, rubble of the canopy scattered all around -

" - are you fucking kidding me?!" panted Aimee, still seeing one foe standing at the tip of the mountain, his arms blown clear off, chunks of his former weighted compatriot at his feet.

"You've - given a perfectly - conductive environment - Mia Schultz!" he panted, sweeping his right stump out; an electrical bolt shot from his shoulder, and as the ray of lightning sought the gas station of ice -

- for Aimee, the world slowed as a reflection in a disturbed pond.

'Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.'

She rushed ahead of the speeding projectile, and as a true hero might, took the hit dead-on -

- and shrieked in agony as time resumed, the projectile carving a gaping wound clear through her stomach and back, Rider's damage reduction ensuring only unconsciousness and not instant death.

The man stared at her stupidly for a second, stumbling back as the other three surged forward, fifty feet separating them now. His left stump flashed out and back, and another bolt of lightning sought Serena's neck -

- only in time for Mia's sword to block it -

- but she screamed as the current entered through the hilt, coursing through her skin; and it melted to liquid as she threw it rapidly away, only thirty feet separating the three left as she fell unconscious.

And fear filled Jeanne and Serena as they realized they were still standing on the remnants of metal tanks. The man's eyes grew feral as he realized, and as his stumps swept down, lightning crackling down -

" - Dream - rubber!"

- a spray of insulation around, and as the two women swept inside, the electrical current entered the metal mountain -

- and he shot up as if a hundred bolts had struck him. His body charred to ash in an instant, and the electrical current wilted.

"What - what the fuck?!" panted Serena, daring not move her eyes. "Did you do that?"

"No - Mia's - unconscious - Aimee's unconscious - okay - okay - first, is he dead?" panted Jeanne.

"There's - there's nothing left of him - not even - what the fuck? His Revenant is gone?"

Jeanne placed her hand on Serena's shoulder. "Okay. Okay. Just - five seconds to make sure he's dead. Right?"

The two nodded, counted slow, hoping he truly was.

And to their hesitant relief, no attack came. Serena rushed over to an unconscious Mia, stifling fear as she crouched down, bleeding Lichtenberg scars all over her mentor's body.

"S-Sorry -" panted Serena - "- I - I just need to -"

" - calm." said Jeanne, walking over and crouching down. "You've done this a lot before, right? Your Revenant did this a lot. Right? When Saya had it? It's good at this."

Serena nodded. She took a deep breath, and filled Mia's wounds - with new flesh and blood. She ran over to Aimee, filled quick her wounds the same.

"Let's - I'll call Yuruko and Samuel, make sure they're alright." nodded Jeanne.

◆◆◆

Samuel and Yuruko weren't privy to the news until later, though they'd had their own battle at the time.

"This look good?" said Samuel, grocery cart full of meat, milk, and vegetables.

"Eh - let's try to have more fun than that. Gonna be stressful." said Yuruko, and with a nod, the two went down the aisle. "Need instant ramen, too - quick and easy."

"Is that really why you want it?"

"Uh - well, that, and they came out with a new flavor, and I gotta try this shiiit." said Yuruko, swiping the szechuan packets off the shelf. "Some guy online ate twelve flavor packets and said he saw God."

"If you say so." said Samuel, in the presence of a mind filled with internet, science, and anime. "Still -"

" - excuse me -" said a woman behind, and as they turned -

- there stood a woman at the end of the aisle, her cart half-full. "Do you know where the -"

"- you have ten seconds to leave. Get out of my sight." said Samuel, swiping off his sharpened badge, which read 'BOAR'.

"I - what are you doing - are you Urasaria students?"

" - yes! Leave - now!"

" - just let me -"

- Samuel threw the badge forward; the woman instinctively threw her arm out with a cry -

- and ghastly hands guided the badge to slit her throat open, stabbing her neck as she fell dead in to her cart.

"Samuel -" sputtered Yuruko " - what the fuck -"

" - check for a Revenant." muttered Samuel, running over, taking his badge and making an incision to her chest. Inside, a still-beating heart. "Knew it. She's got one. Can you destroy it?"

"I - uh, shit, dude." murmured Yuruko, stepping over. "That - what if that actually was a civilian?"

"One dead civilian is better than two dead heroes. Not taking chances."

"...that's kinda..." Yuruko sighed. "Whatever."

She set to work on destroying the Revenant below. She wasn't desensitized yet, but figured that, as she wanted to become a Revenant researcher, she would be used to it eventually. For now, she had three more years of fighting.

◆◆◆

When the two injured had finally awoken late that night, the six met in Samuel&Yuruko's hotel room.

Mia had spent the minutes after she awoke torn between relief for Serena's survival and frustration that she had forced Serena alone again. She resolved to treat the victory as proof her strictness was working, but couldn't push out feeling like an impostor of a mentor. She wondered if Matoi would've ever had trouble like this.

But the need for conversation after only gave her time to assess, not reflect.

"His own Revenant killed him?" said Aimee.

"That's what, uh - what we saw." said Jeanne. "He tried to turn the metal electrical. I sprayed a line of rubber for insulation, and his body - just got burnt up."

"Can't Revenants not… harm their hosts?" said Serena, and Aimee nodded.

"Not unintentionally, yeah. Has something to do with -"

" - wait." said Mia. "There - Aimee, there is a way that Revenants can unintentionally harm their hosts."

"What are you talking - oh shit."

"What's up?" said Yuruko.

"It would be a long story, but essentially…" Mia tapped her brow. "… Worldwide was given to me from a professional hero's Revenant - but they did not... wipe the progress on it, I suppose."

"They didn't use xenocyclin on it?" said Yuruko, and Mia nodded. "… whoa. That's - seriously rare. I've never even read about something like that."

"Professional organizations always keep their deaths under wraps." murmured Aimee. "I remember when I was a kid, I used to see Sole Survivor on TV all the time, giving interviews about being a retired hero -"

" - and some tabloid found out he'd been dead for ten years." said Yuruko. "But it was always a pretty weird name for a hero."

Aimee laughed, gestured for Mia to continue.

"... at one point, my sword melted when I attempted to set it on fire - because it was too strong for my… Limits, at the time, I suppose."

"Is that why you were with Matoi for that month?" said Samuel, and Aimee nodded.

"Finally got rid of that arena, too." laughed Aimee. "Still - that's - shit. That's the only thing I can think of. Do you uh - know anything else that might do that? Yuruko?"

"I'm a chemist, not a doctor." chimed Yuruko, and the six boldly laughed where no one had laughed before. "… still, though. That means these might be professional Revenants, right? Lots of training?"

"Best guess for now, I guess." sighed Aimee. "Explains why they're so strong - but if they're from heroes, how the hell could something like that speed one be a hero?"

"Remember that I - lost control of Worldwide, Aimee." said Mia. "It's - if it were from a previous host, he may have been able to… control it, better."

"… Right." murmured Aimee. "Still, makes sense, right? Strong Revenant - but can't control it. On his last strength, stressed... Just - uh. Just like you were with Era, right?"

The realization struck Mia first, as was often the case. "It... it couldn't possibly be the other Revenants, could it? Aimee - has Renault contacted you yet?"

"The - huh? No, he hasn't. Just told him 'Purify' and look up that Revenant, see if there's any link to it."

"Tell him to look up… The - fuck." Mia groaned. "Do you remember the name of - Magnus's agency?"

"Magnus's agency? Uh, no, but - wait."

"You two are pretty secretive, aren't you?" chimed Yuruko, comprehending less than none of it.

"I - don't look at me like I know." muttered Serena.

"…I mean, it'd be… Five… Six years ago? Right? They'd be…" Aimee sighed. "… Sorry. Don't wanna leave you guys in the dark - but it's been a pretty long day. I'll - Schultzy, I'll tell Renault about it."

"What about us?" said Yuruko.

"It'll make for a good story on the drive tomorrow."

◆◆◆

That night, Nuiko was running through the forest, hearing the man chase behind, her bed-bowl jingling in the crook of her elbows.

Ahead was another tree, and as she ran direct in to it -

'- Shrink!'

- the tree shrunk to a sapling, and she rushed over and ahead, dirt and branches below, the tree swelling back seconds later.

Yet few could match her pursuer's speed, and as she tripped over one bramble, she stumbled and turned -

- just in time to catch his tackle, and the two combatants hit the ground fighting. In a whirlwind of blows they revolved down the clearing, and as her nails sought his throat -

- a hammer appeared in his right hand; a smash against her right arm, and it went suddenly limp and paralyzed -

- and his grasp shot to her left wrist, pinning her down. She thrashed against the dirt, kicking desperate as she writhed.

"I can - fucking - do your neck instead." he grunted. "You won't be able to breathe - I won't kill you, if you fucking - tell me where that tablet is!"

"It's - not with - me!"

The man paused, and the two stared down. "No - no. We need to find that - that tablet - it's our's. You have it. Don't try to lie your way out of this." He sighed, pulling pliers from his back pocket. "Don't make me use this."

"I don't have it." grunted Nuiko, turning her head left.

"I'll see if you're lying." muttered the man, inching the pliers closer to Nuiko's left hand. "Long nails. Would hurt a lot coming out."

"It's - with someone else."

"Tell me."

Nuiko went silent, and the man sighed. He had never imagined being a torturer, but the needs of his&Gabriel's father came high.

"I'll start with the pinky, then, if you won't -"

- Nuiko's left hand swept across the dirt, and before he could react -

" - swell!"

- the keen end of a rapidly growing branch pierced through his right eye and went out his skull. The paralysis left Nuiko, and with a cathartic need, she scooped her bowl from off the ground -

" - fucking bitch!" she shouted, smashing her bowl over his head -

- and cursed herself for her anger a second later.

"Fuck - my fucking bed!" She groaned, rolled out from underneath him, searching with Shrink&Swell's enhanced vision for her microscopic bed -

- and heard more footsteps from the other end of the forest.

She ran.

◆◆◆

Gabriel&Chapa found Ahote's corpse, and they knew their target was already gone.

Gabriel had often been told by his father to keep his emotions down, and heard his voice as looked away from Ahote's corpse. Their father believed the lack of strong men in the world outside their reservation was keeping it chaotic, and he had tried to force his four sons in to his own image.

Chapa stood up. "We will tell Alo. He will send his body back, for a proper burial. We must not speak his name, for now. His spirit will not find rest if we do." He winced, and Gabriel knew he was hearing the same voice. "...the tablet. We must get the tablet back, and - that is how we will honor his death."

Gabriel had always thought it difficult to believe in religion, but pretended his hope the afterlife was true now was out of his own volition, as the other three would be dead or exiled if they didn't take back what was rightfully their's regardless.