Disclaimer: I own nothing, this is purely a fanfic for enjoyment.
Cross-over from various games, books, anime, manga, and movies.
The familiar characters you see here belong to their respected authors and owners.
"Speech"
Time*
Chapter 65: Turned For The Worst
10 minutes later*
"Seriously, I think you've changed a lot—like, a lot a lot." Rion points at me with her wooden chopsticks, strands of noodles dangling dangerously close to falling back into her cup. She doesn't bother wiping the broth splatter from her cheek as she resumes slurping.
I ignore Rion's comment as I was too busy dealing with inner demons, or in this case, I'm dealing with the illusions produced by the Sefirot: City of Calamity, which makes me see everything as if it were hell. Its illusions coat everything in a grotesque second layer of reality—dead skies, rotting buildings, collapsing skeletons of worlds that shouldn't exist. Even Rion and Sakamoto flicker between their real bodies and hollow, ruined versions of themselves. It's like watching their corpses walk around, unaware of their own deaths.
Sadly, the Immortality Marble Glove does next to nothing here. Against normal burdens, I could've dumped this mental contamination onto someone else—Willing or not, it doesn't matter. But against the Sefirot? It barely scratches the surface. The negative aspects cling to me like tar.
"Honestly." Rion says between bites. "You're becoming less and less of a ninja and more of a ghost. The way you vanish? Even I can't find you, and I've tracked targets through blizzards."
Sakamoto said nothing, staring at me in silence.
It becomes harder, painfully harder, to keep pretending I'm calm and cheerful. The mask cracks the moment the Sefirot: River of Eternal Darkness starts acting up at the worst possible time. The illusions from the City of Calamity were already gnawing at my mind like rats, but this… this is different. My sense of sight twists again, and now I see them, ghosts, those I've killed, clustered around me in a silent circle. Their empty eyes stare without blinking, without judgment, without mercy.
I almost forgot, almost, that every death leaves an imprint in the River of Eternal Darkness. Every life taken gets absorbed, becoming part of its flow. And now the Sefirot, in its infinite cruelty, decides that I need to witness them—only me. Concealment, a power and symbol tied directly to the Darkness Pathway and part of this Sefirot, makes sure no one else can see what I'm seeing.
Rion's eating noodles, completely unaware that she looks like she's surrounded by a ring of silent ghosts. Sakamoto still leans against the wall, expression unreadable, but the shadow at his feet twists into a shape I recognize—someone I killed years ago. The ghost's fingers graze my shoulder, and I nearly react out loud, but force myself to swallow the instinct.
Testing something, I switch over to the Pathways: Darkness, Death, and Twilight Giant. I feel my connection with the River of Eternal Darkness. Using that connection, I force the ghosts to dissolve—pulling their presence back into the Cards of Blasphemy. The Sefirot's influence recoils, dragged back inch by inch, before it can seep too deeply into the world and corrupt Rion and Sakamoto by mere proximity. They've already been standing near me long enough.
Luckily, it works. The ghosts vanish, and my vision clears. Honestly, I wasn't expecting this. Seeing how this is the first time this specific Sefirot acted up on its own.
"Hey, are you even listening to me, Nagumo?" Rion finally snaps, glaring at me from behind her cup of noodles. I realize too late that I've been staring straight through her for the past few minutes. Her brows knit together as she leans forward. "Seriously, I hardly see you smile like you used to. Not even the sarcastic smile you reserve for idiots. Is something wrong? If you need help, Sakamoto and I have your back."
Her blunt words hit harder than I want to admit.
"She's right, you know." Sakamoto finally spoke up. It makes me shift my gaze toward him, just barely, from the corner of my eye as I lean back against the open window. "Back then, the three of us worked together and survived things nobody else could've. And even now, we're still working together. Nothing's changed on that front."
His sincerity carries weight—the kind that makes my chest tighten.
I let out a deep sigh as I switch over to the Pathways: Demoness and Red Priest to have stronger control over the City of Calamity and suppress it. Then, I switch back over to the Pathways: Door, Error, and Fool once again.
"Let's just say I have personal issues I need to deal with myself. No one else could help me right now." I rub the back of my head, then I smile at the two like as I did in the past.
Easy as breathing, just a smile to hide the mess within.
"It's fine, guys. I'll seek you both out after I deal with a couple of things only I can handle." I deliver the line with practiced ease, brushing everything off like it's just a minor inconvenience. In reality, the problems are anything but small. Especially how dangerous it will become the moment I actually lose control as a Beyonder.
"Well, we're always ready to help you, Nagumo." Rion studies my face for a long moment before she suddenly breaks into a grin, her eyes filled with amusement. "By the way, did you notice how many people are stressed out lately? Our appearance alone is enough to make half the school shit themselves. And with all these new transfer students? They're having an awful time in this hellhole."
"I'm the school nurse, I don't really go out much when I need to. Why, what's going on?" I raise an eyebrow at Rion, then look over at Sakamoto, who just shrugs, and I look back at Rion.
"Oh, man, where do I even begin?" Rion leans in, lowering her voice into full gossip mode—the kind she uses when she knows she's about to drop important information disguised as nonsense. "Apparently, someone knocked out a first-year female student and tossed her into the bushes. And left her there. She slept there the entire damn night before the principal finally found her. And guess what? She's got important people backing her up, and they're throwing a tantrum over how she was treated on her first day."
Oh shit.
Rion continues, oblivious. "I think her name was Kaname Madoka, if I recall correctly."
"Then there's your little girlfriend—she's been causing a storm by beating up all those little shits who think they're big shots because of their backgrounds." Rion snickers, absolutely delighted by the chaos she didn't have to start. "Parents are complaining nonstop. They're saying someone like her shouldn't even be allowed in this school."
Sakamoto chimes in next, his tone more analytical than amused. "Also… what happened to that other girl with you? We never got her name. The one dressed in white. The one who can fight the Kawakami Clan's heiress on equal footing."
Rion nods vigorously. "Yeah, the one who changes gender at will."
"She went on a very long walk." I answer with a stiff smile.
I try my best not to think about Alucard too much for the time being.
"Why bring her back up?" I ask, forcing my expression into confusion rather than dread.
"Because." Sakamoto says, arms crossed. "Rumors are spreading that a group of male and female students has started worshipping her. Like actually worshipping her." He sighs. "So… I wanted to know if you could talk to her. If not, at least contact her to handle it because I'm not dealing with a potential cult forming in this school."
"Oh! I heard about those rumors!" Rion's eyes spark to life as if someone just handed her front-row tickets to a drama she didn't have to pay for. "One of them I heard during my class period says you gain her protection if you manage to entertain her long enough. Like… she'll personally beat up anyone who bothers you." She pauses and shrugs. "Though from what I've seen, those idiots still get bullied. So either the entertainment level is too low… or she just doesn't care."
Fucking great, now I have to deal with Alucard causing me more problems at school.
"Oh, shoot!" Rion suddenly straightens up. "Break time's over! I've got to deal with those brats and resume teaching my niece. Later, you two!" She leaps out the open window like a feral cat, chopsticks still in hand. Her foot nearly grazes my head, emphasis on nearly, but I move just enough to avoid being kicked in the head.
Sakamoto gives me a simple nod. No dramatic exit. No window acrobatics. Just a calm walk toward the door.
He opens it.
Walks through.
And does not close it.
My right eyebrow twitched upon seeing that Sakamoto didn't bother to close the door behind him and left it open.
I let out a long breath and walk over to the delinquent sprawled on the bed. He's just starting to stir, mumbling something unintelligible. Without hesitation, I give him a quick, precise tap to the forehead and knock him out again before he fully wakes. He slumps back down like a rag doll.
I turned to close the door, ready to finally enjoy a moment of peace, but I was wrong.
The moment my hand touches the sliding panel, Momoyo strolls in like she owns the entire building, grinning wide enough to reflect sunlight.
I close the door with a sigh and walk over to the open window again. The breeze feels slightly calmer than everything else around me. Momoyo joins me, leaning against the frame, then leaning against me with that familiar, warm weight. She presses her shoulder to mine.
"Don't you have class to attend to?" I look at Momoyo.
"With what happened yesterday? Please." Momoyo scoffs. "I deserve to skip a few periods after that mess. Hell, I could've skipped the whole damn school day, but I knew you'd show up. And I was right." She leans in closer to my face, smile fading into a scowl. Her finger pokes my chest, firm, accusatory. "Now. Explain why you decided to stay somewhere else instead of being with me."
"I was out making something, testing things." I answered. "Also, did anything interesting happen last night after I left?"
Momoyo squinted her eyes, then sighed as she rolled her eyes.
"That bad?" I blink.
"Try catastrophic." Momoyo folds her arms under her chest, huffing. "The Kagamiin Clan nearly started an outright war when they realized their Clan Leader's wife had been missing for hours. And those monsters nearly caused more problems for everyone in general. Luckily, I informed everyone in time what could happen if someone tried to kill one of those monsters that exploded upon death in time. But many people are demanding answers on how those bodyguards become what they are. If it wasn't for my grandfather and Ryoko keeping the situation contained, those idiots would've sent hunters after you for answers. I could've told them you're a Seer, but I figured you wouldn't want that little detail public. So I kept quiet. You're welcome."
I step closer and give her a deep, slow kiss—one that pulls her entire body into mine. Her muscles relax instantly; her posture melts. When I pull away after a few seconds, she pouts, clearly disappointed.
"Thank you, Momoyo." I say softly. "Anything else?"
"Your family contacted my grandfather, finally." Momoyo replied, and I froze.
Buried memories of this lifetime's family are coming back to me now.