-Eh? Kohaku-san? ...What a surprise!
Mera looked at him and smiled warmly.
-Hello! - She greeted him. - Sorry if our talking woke you up. Kuro-chan is in there, isn’t he?
Makoto nodded.
-He’s... emm... still asleep, he said he would sleep all morning.
-...What else should I expect from that guy. - Sochin uttered in a tone that wasn’t very serious.
Makoto forced a grin and casually leaned to the wall.
-Don’t you two want to hang out somewhere? Today looks good for a walk. - He said. - Besides, I don’t want to wake Kuroi up by playing any games in the bedroom.
The two girls looked at each other and then nodded.
-Such a beautiful park! I can’t believe I hadn’t been here since I moved... - Mera exclaimed, taking a deep breath.
The town park around them was filled with flowers in full bloom. In the center was a large stone fountain that sprayed fresh drops of clear water to the air. From the plateau where the town was located they could see the nearby sea soaking the land with its calm waves. The sky was clear blue, without a single cloud in sight. The entire landscape around them felt like it could fit perfectly in a touristic advertisement.
-Which reminds me... Kohaku-san, why did you move here? - The blonde boy asked, casually adjusting a pair of rectangular reading glasses on his head. He didn’t wear them very often, but couldn’t go out without having them at hand.
Mera’s expression suddenly became serious, much like Kuroi at times. She looked him in the eyes, then moved her gaze to Sochin and finally back to her front.
-It’s about time you knew, I assume... Kuroi most likely told you about Dreffel already... our home world.
Sochin stared at her with surprise. Makoto waited for what she was going to say next.
-Yes, I was born there just like him. - She continued, looking around to make sure no one was listening to her words. - This might sound ridiculous, but the two of us are demigods who got banished from Dreffel simply for being born. There are more people like us, too.
“D-demigods?!”
Makoto’s heart skipped a beat.
“Is that what Kuroi-senpai is?”
-N-no way! Even if what you’re saying is true, what do we have to do with it? - Sochin asked, at the same time fascinated and terrified.
Unlike Kuroi, Mera had yet to reveal any sort of special ability. Her presence, however, was now so strong the girl could swear she would be able to feel it from the other side of the park.
Mera slowed down her pace as she looked for the right words to answer.
-Eleven years ago, the Nymphs of Dreffel who gave birth to us demigods perished from an unknown cause. Kuroi’s mother, my own mother... After being stripped of their power for falling in love with humans, we believe their life force slowly disappeared with time as a consequence. All that is now left of them are what is known as the Thirteen Relics, physical vessels containing the essence of their power. But...
-But? - Makoto asked.
-...Although we are supposed to claim those relics in order for our power to become complete and continue our mothers’ mission as guardians of Dreffel, Kuroi has different plans for the vessels. He’s out to destroy as many of them as he can for his own, selfish purposes and prevent us all from completing the mission we were born for. That is why I cannot allow him to return to Dreffel before all of us have claimed the Relics to ourselves... and that means keeping him away from any Medium he might come across.
Sochin kept listening to her words, not sure how to react. She didn’t trust Kuroi, but didn’t see him as an evil person.
-Just like me and my companions, his powers are weakened on Earth and he cannot open a portal on his own. He needs a human Medium and an Ibniad Stone, a powerful magic catalyst that can only be found in our world, in order to open a gap in the Dimensional Tissue leading to Dreffel. He probably intends to steal a stone from me as soon as he convinces one of you to help him... Which is why I came to you in the first place.
-To make sure we don’t help him? - Sochin finally dared to ask.
-And to offer you a deal. If you two tell me which one of you is the Medium and agree to open a portal for me and my companions, we promise to keep Kuroi away from you and that you will never hear about this entire issue again. You’ll be able to continue with your lives just like any other human.
“What if we refuse?”
The question popped up in Makoto’s mind, but he stayed silent. He had a feeling the answer would not be very pleasant.
As they continued walking, Sochin seemed to ponder over the deal. Who was she going to trust? Could she trust either of the two demigods? Were they even demigods, like Mera claimed, or was it all just a bluff to scare the two siblings? And who were the “companions” she kept mentioning?
The amber-eyed girl seemed to notice the hesitation in her expression and grabbed something from her handbag.
-Here. - She said, discretely showing the two an unusually-shaped gem that seemed to change color depending on the angle it was seen from. It had a gentle gleam that was definitely not from any place on Earth, and seemed to radiate some sort of mysterious energy.
-It’s... it’s beautiful... - The younger girl uttered.
-This is the purest form of an Ibniad stone. If you touch it, you’ll be able to know what I just told you is the truth.
Makoto placed a hand on his sister’s shoulder, as if trying to warn her to be careful.
-There is nothing to fear. - Mera said with a voice that was quiet but filled with conviction, almost a daring whisper.
Sochin slowly approached her right hand to the Stone and watched in awe as it seemed to glow more powerfully as she got closer to touching it. Makoto bit his lip and looked around nervously. Mera’s expression seemed to change to a satisfied grin for a moment.
“Yes, show me what you can do, Medium!!”
In a flash, something struck Mera’s hand and made her drop the jewel and take two steps back. It resembled an energy sphere, but it was pitch black and something felt awfully empty about it for the second it lasted.
As the three turned their heads to the direction it came from, the figure of a young man dashed towards the fallen Ibniad Stone and snatched it from the ground between them, then turning back around and revealing his face while stuffing it in his pocket. Framed by waves of wild reddish brown hair, Kuroi’s green eyes sparkled with anxiety as he stared at the three with a mix of relief and disappointment.
-Excuse me, but I’ll keep this.
-Give the Stone back, you damned thief! - Mera yelled out, suddenly losing her composure. Her amber eyes gleamed fiercely under the sunlight that filtered down on them from the trees above, and the two siblings could swear they were feeling heat emanating from her body as she spoke.
-Thief? I’m probably no worse than whoever sold this Stone to you, Mera. Now if you want to continue tricking those two humans into trusting you, you’re gonna have to take this Ibniad Stone from me first.
-’Sez who? - An unfamiliar voice rang from behind Makoto and Sochin. As they turned around, a boy that was little older than Kuroi and Mera appeared from behind a large bush. He wore a light leather jacket and his dark brown hair was pulled back away from his forehead with the help of a headband and he smirked victoriously. Next to him was another young man, seemingly a bit older, whose red hair was neatly tied back in a short ponytail. Despite the weather, he was wearing a long brown raincoat over his t-shirt and jeans and his expression was somewhat indifferent. The latter seized Kuroi’s moment of surprise to hold Sochin still, at the same time as Mera retreated to immobilize Makoto. The boy in the leather jacket stood in front of them with his hands in his pockets, and analyzed Kuroi with his sharp hazel eyes.
-This time you’ve really done it, Seishin. Not only did you establish contact with a Medium, you even had the nerve to snatch that Ibniad stone right under our noses. But what do you think you’ll achieve from that?
Behind him, the two siblings struggled to get free from the demigods’ grasp, but in vain. Makoto attempted to kick Mera, but she noticed his movements and punched the back of his head with surprising strength and nimbleness for such a delicate-looking girl. He fell on the ground, stunned.
-Makoto! - Kuroi yelled as he watched the boy drop nearly unconscious. - Leave those two alone, I’m the person you’re after!!
-Are you really that dumb? - The other young man asked with the same smirk. - Give us the Stone, and we might consider letting them live after we get the pretty girl to open a portal for us. As for you... That will depend on how well you behave.
-Genji, quit the chat and retrieve the Stone! If we don’t hurry, someone might show up! - Mera complained, joining him in front of Kuroi.
-Ladies first. - He replied, shrugging his shoulders with disturbing calmness.
Mera nodded and stretched both of her hands out for an instant before a circle of flames appeared around her feet and quickly devoured the ground towards Kuroi. He was barely able to dodge the flames by jumping to one side.
The girl shortened the distance between them and quickly threw a fireball that Kuroi dodged once more. Just as he was about to regain his stance, Genji sneaked up from behind him and dealt a powerful kick to the chest.
Sochin watched, powerless, as he fell on his back. She was in shock, having clearly seen Kuroi’s opponent vanish from one spot and immediately reappear on another as if he had teleported.
As Genji assumed a rigid stance before Kuroi, still on the ground, the ground around them began to shake slightly. Suddenly, a column of rock emerged from the ground and struck the green-eyed demigod from below, launching him up a couple of meters. As Mera prepared to launch another fire attack, Kuroi swiftly turned around in mid-air and vanished, reappearing right behind his adversaries and raiding them with two more blasts of black energy. Mera countered the one directed to herself with the fireball she was preparing, but Genji was hit by the other one.
At first it appeared that the attack had had no effect on him, but his legs suddenly bent and he fell down, robbed of his strength.
-That does it, I’m getting that Stone back right now! - The black-haired girl exclaimed, starting to run just before disappearing like the other two and reappearing next to Kuroi with a fireball in her right hand, ready for a close strike.
Kuroi attempted to turn around and block the attack, but all he managed to do was put his left arm between him and Mera fast enough to dissipate the flames on the impact. The attack was weakened enough to cause nearly no injury, but it burnt through his left sleeve revealing a two-stroke black marking on his forearm skin which he had so carefully kept hidden until then. However, it did not matter anymore. He didn’t know if he would still be on Earth the day after, nor if he would even be alive by then. The only thing in his mind was the urge to protect the Stone and release the two siblings from his enemies.
Seizing the moment right after the impact, he teleported himself close to the fountain and shattered its valve with one single punch. Water sprayed everywhere around, soaking both him and Mera just about enough to weaken her fire offensive.
Sochin couldn’t breathe for a second, though, watching as the Ibniad stone jumped out of Kuroi’s pocket, blown away by the impact from the punch. At the same time, Genji regained part of his strength and stood back on his feet, running towards the magic gem. Completely forgetting her position, she yelled out.
-Watch out, the Stone!!
The red-haired man quickly covered her mouth with one hand and grasped her even more tightly with the other, making her feel extremely uncomfortable. She tried to struggle, but he whispered something that resembled a chant and her entire body felt very weak and tired, almost as if she could sleep right there.
Kuroi dashed by Mera in hopes of getting the Stone back, but it was too late. Triumphant, Genji held it tightly in his hand. Stomping once on the ground, he made several columns of rock appear around Kuroi, locking him, and then threw the Stone to the hands of the boy with the raincoat.
-All yours, Wyatt! Use her to create the portal before she wakes up!
-Roger that!
Catching the Ibniad Stone with one hand, he held an inanimate Sochin with his free arm and started a different chant, this time in a loud voice. Approaching the jewel to her chest, he kept repeating the chant as its glow increased. Suddenly a white aura engulfed the girl and the air next to them appeared to be distorted. Ripping through space, a breach big enough for three adults to fit through appeared from thin air. Its inside was made of diffused light spiraling around at an irregular pace.
Kuroi, however, didn’t take his eyes off the sleeping girl. Her body was still glowing together with the Stone despite the portal being finished, and Wyatt’s expression showed just how awestruck he was. As he let go of the stone, a shattering sound was heard and the girl’s face contorted in pain. Makoto, still on the ground and facing up, tried to slowly open his eyes but the light forced him to blink several times before he was able to see what was going on.
-The Stone! It’s... it’s...
-Wh-what’s this, Genji?! - Mera asked, visibly alarmed.
-She probably still had a bit of her consciousness left and tried to fight back! - He replied, running in their direction. - Wyatt, get the Stone away from her!
The red-haired boy searched with his hands for the jewel, but as he finally grabbed it he realized only half was in his hand. As the light dissipated, the other half became visible attached to the girl’s chest through her ripped clothes, as if it had always been a part of her body. Makoto tried to get up, but the shock made him freeze in place like a statue.
Genji grabbed Mera’s arm and pulled her with him next to the portal. Staring at Wyatt, he cut through the air firmly with one hand.
-It doesn’t matter, taking half of it with us is enough to make the gap close after we enter it! Let’s go, before Seishin’s cage weakens!
The two other demigods nodded and immediately entered the distortion, which swirled even faster as each of them went through it. Genji went last, and the portal closed right as he vanished through it. All of a sudden, the area was filled with nothing more than dust and a thrilling silence.
Feeling the rock that surrounded him finally lose its magic protection, Kuroi punched through the columns with his knuckles already bleeding from breaking the fountain. Makoto dragged himself next to his sister, hurting with anxiety. He gently placed a hand on her neck to check if her heart was beating, and sighed in disturbed relief. As he suddenly felt her move, he jumped back with surprise.
-WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!
The girl yelled as her eyes opened widely and stared into the sky of the same color with an expression of terror. Kuroi instinctively covered his ears as he heard her high-pitched scream, but quickly recovered his cool and ran towards her, worried.
-Sochin-san, please calm down! - He told her, kneeling down next to the two siblings and holding her hand while she pulled her ripped shirt up to cover her chest. Tears flowed down her eyes, quickly dissolved in the water that was still spurting from the broken fountain, and she was shaking uncontrollably. The faint glow that remained in the half Ibniad on her chest showed through the holes in the clothing and blinked every time she trembled, gradually losing intensity until it was completely gone.
-Sochin... Are you feeling alright? Do you need anything? - Makoto immediately asked, holding her in his arms.
As she slowly managed to calm down, she turned to her brother and hugged him tightly.
-Nii-chan... I’m scared... What’s gonna happen to me?!
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