1

Loud echoes of his hurried footsteps continued following Kazuki as he strode down the hallways. It had not taken too long before the sense of urgency awakened within him.

There was a presence of another person inside. Somewhere deep inside this labyrinth of mirrors was a human being. Worse yet, that person had another presence near it.

A strong Nullity it seemed.

"It's strange, though..." he said to himself while maintaining his pace.

Ever since the presence of the two beings became known to him, he had detected that the two of them were extremely close to each other. With a human and a Nullity in such close proximity, he would have expected one, if not both of those, to have been on the move.

"Wait a minute," he paused after the hallway led him to a larger room.

"No, that's not it."

Just now, he considered a human-Nullity relationship like the last fierce opponent he had, the tandem of Touya Satoru and his Nullity, Setsura. He still recalled the winding tentacles and their strong, bone-crushing grip as well as the sharp blades of the woman that acted as the masked Awakener's extension. Something didn't add up.

He had never sensed Setsura's presence. There was no doubt that Setsura was a Nullity, albeit essentially stripped down to being a husk of one. Yet she exuded none of the Nullity readings that Kazuki had registered in his mind.

However, the memory of the duo triggered yet another memory in Kazuki's mind.

After all, in the very same Fragment was another human-Nullity duo.

He had never made it in time to see the Nullity supposedly born out of Amagi's feelings, but he knew of the vibe that the Nullity had.

"If so, then don't tell me..."

Thankfully, the Class B Nullity whatever person's inside this Fragment spawned must not have been too aggressive... yet. Despite that, Kazuki knew that he had little time to lose.

With his Armament at the ready, he continued his run towards the direction of the presence he felt.

2

Kazuki felt a weight lifted off his body as finally made it to another large room, only to meet with more deformed versions of himself staring at him from all angles. Having seen many versions of himself for minutes on end, it felt like a sight that would have probably taken away anyone's sanity. Fortunately, he had gotten quite used to it.

He panted and caught his breath before letting down his arm and watching the bladed shield transform back into his base form Armament.

The enemies had come sporadically, but the stress of navigating the impossible maze and the distance between him and the lone human presence took more of a toll on him. In a way, it was similar to Tenka Peak.

In fact, the ordeal as a whole gave him unpleasant flashbacks of Tenka Peak.

Nevertheless, he was able to relax when he shut his eyes to activate the Awakener's detector ability once again.

Finally, he was close to the presence.

Strangely enough, the two of them remained together.

"What are they doing anyway? Chatting or something?"

He forced a tired smile while looking at the forked path ahead of him. It was a sarcastic joke meant to lighten his mood, but he did not know what he would have to face.

On one hand, he pondered if he should have called the two classmates to enter the Fragment with him. However, he was never really sure if he had the luxury of time to spare and wait.

It would be catastrophic if he found himself in a major bind with no backup, and the more he thought of it, the more he felt the slight tinge of regret.

Nevertheless, this was no time to be feeling scared. He had jumped into these situations before, and he so far had a decent chance of coming out of it safe.

Those were odds that he was hesitant but willing to take.

Walking into the next hallway, Kazuki paid little heed to the reflections of himself that can be seen wherever he looked. He readied himself as the sensation of the two beings started getting closer.

Once he ran through this hallway and got to the big room in front of him, he would probably walk straight into the eyes of a trapped human and his Nullity. After that, what would happen? Kazuki did not know.

3

The Awakener did not have to wait too long to find out. As he quickened his pace, the readings grew stronger and stronger. Eventually, he exited the corridor and landed into the large room.

"Assimilator's Core!" he yelled the moment he felt his feet touch the floor.

He heard the sound of his Armament ability activate, and the shield on his left hand was engulfed in light. Once the light cleared, the shield had transformed.

It had become the jeweled crossbow, and its wielder aimed it straight at the perceived target.

Only there was none.

"Kimura?"

Kazuki's eyes narrowed as he saw nothing but the girl passed out several meters in front of him.

His senses didn't lie, however. There was a Nullity reading in this very room, but he saw nothing but the girl sprawled across the floor, leaning against a wall of mirrors.

Looking at the mirrors that barricaded the room, Kazuki kept his guard up. Still, he cannot help but feel a bit restless in the total silence of the room. The room echoed every step he made as he slowly inched towards the girl.

When no Nullity appeared, he quickly moved in and knelt in front of the downed girl.

"Kimura! Wake up, Kimura!"

Kazuki repeatedly shook the girl in an attempt to get her up. However, she was completely unresponsive.

"No good, huh? What happened?"

Placing his right hand on her forehead, he could feel his breath being sucked dry.

She was cold.

Kazuki only eased up when he checked for a pulse and managed to confirm that his classmate was still alive. However, the reprieve would not last for long.

At the worst possible timing!

Hearing the screech behind him, Kazuki gently let go of the girl and spun around.

A mass of shadows had formed several meters away from him. The shadows moved in an unpredictable pattern before gathering together into a cloud that began taking form.

First, two humanoid feet.

Second, a feminine body with an exposed chest.

Third, wings that stretched out from the sides of the body. They flipped out from the front of the body, taking the place of arms as the bladed feathers formed.

Fourth, a face formed by shadows that moved around like static energy. From what Kazuki can tell to be the face spawned four eyes.

Finally, hair burst forth, scattering in all directions and each clump moving like waving arms.

"You must be the one behind this Fragment's spawning. How did you come to be?"

Giving a glance at Kimura, Kazuki began formulating how to approach this enemy. It was not his first time fighting while keeping track of a girl to protect, but Kimura was by far the worst for wear.

The wing arms and the hair looked threatening enough, and Kazuki figured that they could strike from afar. In that case, getting in close could be dangerous.

As luck would have it, his Armament had already been placed in its crossbow form. All he had to do is aim the energy bolts and pray that he would connect, how little of a chance that can be.

Without him even moving, the Nullity reared back and let out a ghastly wail. Kazuki did not know if it was the environment and the mirrors that amplified the sound, but the noise threatened to blow his ears apart.

Still, he held his ground and pointed his Armament at the Nullity. The thing was agitated, but it still showed no signs of attacking.

Before it can strike, I'll finish this!

Energy gathered at the jeweled part of his shield, and Kazuki pulled back.

There was no time to charge up a more powerful attack, but these would have to do.

Whoosh went the arrow of light.

Before he can figure out the aftermath of the attack, Kazuki had his hand on the jewel again.

Another arrow of light flew forward. And another.

He had no real faith in his aim, but he was sure that he would have at least gotten a bit better at it compared to when he first unlocked this form of his shield. If he shot enough shots, a few of those arrows would probably hit their mark.

And if it tried anything funny, he can react quickly and block any incoming attacks with the shield.

He focused on the Nullity in time to see two arrows go through its chest... Two out the countless shots he fired one after another.

He braced himself just in time as his ears held themselves together from exploding as pressure assailed him from all angles.

"It's one of those sound wave attacks," grunted Kazuki. "Should have expected it."

His feet refused to move, and his body likewise.

It felt as if he got petrified by the attack. It was a display of power that frankly terrified him and had caught him off-guard.

The next thing his eyes laid on was the form of the Nullity gliding towards him.

Without time to react, he felt himself being tossed aside.

"Get away from her!" he yelled from his prone position.

The Nullity, hovering over Kimura, paid no heed.

Kazuki pulled himself up using the floor as leverage. With his eyes, he follow the direction of another arrow that shot out from his Armament.

Despite the shot just passing through it, he finally got the Nullity's attention.

But not for long.

Letting out another wail, it quickly dissipated into a dust cloud from head to toe as the cloud swept all over the room.

Kazuki put up his arms in instinct. All the while, he struggled to see through the hazy field, taking care not to let Kimura leave his sight.

The dust storm lasted far shorter than he expected.

However, the oddity did not end there.

The Class B Nullity's reading had disappeared without him destroying it.

4

Kazuki carefully stepped out of the portal and landed on a familiar backalley in South Quinn Street, with Yui Kimura in tow. 

She still did not give any response besides mild twitching when he touched her, and the prospect of having to take an unconscious girl home again worried the Awakener.

"It's gonna be like that time with Amagi again?"

Instead of being held up by those thoughts, Kazuki decided to focus on the more important thing: the behavior of the Nullity and what it had to do with Kimura. Surely, things couldn't have been coincidental. Or could they?

He was not sure what happened, but that was the first time he ever saw the presence of a Class B Nullity straight up dissipating without it being destroyed.

No way would that series of poorly-aimed shots have settled things.

More questions clawed at Kazuki, and he found it difficult to focus, partly thanks to the chilling night air that had blanketed South Quinn Street.

"Let me take it from here."

Interrupted, he looked around only to have his eyes run straight into the narrow ones of a woman.

With lavender hair, a light gray suit, and the usual stern and formal poise, she stood at the mouth of the backalley.

He had no idea where this woman came from or how she arrived at the scene, but he quickly recognized her. Because of that, he slowly loosened his hold on Kimura, and the rest of his body followed.

Things are just too coincidental, aren't they?

"Would you mind handing that girl over?" asked Yuki-tan's manager.

"You're Ki- erm... Yuki-tan's manager, right?"

"So you know me. That's nice. That should make the decision easier for you. I'll take it from here."

Kazuki nodded. "You happen to know of--"

"No."

I didn't even finish my question. Geez. Well, whatever. Not like I have any other choice.

He propped the barely conscious Kimura up and handed her over to the woman.

"Thank you for making things easy, boy. Had you refused..."

She gave off a look that Kazuki felt completely uneasy about before snapping her fingers. From behind the woman, men in shades and suits emerged. This prompted Kazuki to look back, only to find that the same group of men had also appeared behind him.

"No need to take it too far..." grumbled Kazuki. "I know she's a celebrity and all, but it's not like I have any intention of kidnapping her or something."

"It's just a precautionary measure. I hope you understand."

Kazuki wanted to throw his arms up in the air at the manager's reply, but he simply stepped away from her and Kimura.

"Alright, alright. Mind leaving me alone now?"

The manager nodded her head before handing Kimura over to one of the men. As quickly as the men in suits appeared, they disappeared afterwards.

"Thank you for your cooperation," said the woman before giving a bow.

Do all idols have protection like this in real life? This is crazy.

Kazuki finally let out a relieved sigh as he watched the manager walk off.

5

Reiya Utara rubbed her hand over the head of the sleeping girl on her lap. Her fingers gently touched and ran through the fluff of hair, and she gave off a gentle expression, a rare departure from the usual stoic look on her face.

Not that her expression can be seen by Kimura, who's fast asleep.

Resting inside her private vehicle, Utara reviewed the event that happened a while ago. She had sensed Kimura's presence, but by the time that she arrived to the scene, the girl had already been rescued.

What piqued her interest more was the male youth who was with the idol.

She had seen him before. No. She did not just see him before. She had seen him make a fool out of himself at Imperial Tracks.

"That boy's an Awakener?"

Reiya Utara took great pride in her visual library. Every fan, both the good or bad types, gets registered in her memory as long as they had any sort of meaningful interaction with Yuki-tan. It was this level of observation that she worked hard on.

She had sworn to do so ever since picking up the job to be Yuki-tan's manager and caretaker.

Never would she make that mistake ever again. The very mistake that led to her separation with a previous client.

Briefly taking her hand off Kimura's head, she opened her smartphone and booted up the Yuki-ON! app on her phone.

Monitoring her client's activities, the comments directed to her online, the general perception... Such had been her job for as long as she can remember. However, things had changed not too long ago.

And she knew very well that that change was part of what caused that Fragment to manifest... at least to that extent.

"We're really running out of time, Kimura," she said calmly. "If you can spawn Fragments of that scale already..."

She stopped whatever tears threatening to fall with her stiff expression. For good reason, their conversation not too long ago played back in her mind.

"Hey, Manager, can I ask for a favor? Now that I have my own app, I want it to be exclusively my own app. What I mean is just give me the freedom to interact with fans my way. I've always wanted to try it out! You know, instead of... being uptight with my image and all."

As Kimura's earnest request finished playing back in her mind, Reiya Utara slightly regretted agreeing to those conditions. Given Kimura's personality and how little she knew, of course she would run into trouble sooner than later.

The world of idols was a cruel one, and she knew that Kimura's personality would not be able to deal with the harsh reality of it.

Yet part of her agreed to the idol's demands because above everything, the one thing she now valued was her client's present happiness. Saying no, especially with the knowledge that Kimura had little time left, would have opened far bigger scars in the manager's heart.

She yearned to let Kimura live out her life to the fullest.

"If I can make you the happiest you can before that day, maybe it's not so bad after all," she softly whispered.

It just pained her heart now to think that what Kimura went through could have easily pushed the timeline forward for that specific day.

A day that Utara knew would inevitably come to pass.

While her gaze returned to the windows, she realized that rain had begun dropping and, along with the cool air inside the car, created a thick sheet of water that blocked out her view of the outside world.

With the car caught in the middle of traffic and Kimura's residence still quite a distance away, Utara gave a final look at the girl on her lap before leaning back against her seat.

She gave the window one last rub before letting sleep take over.

6

Reiya Utara found herself staring at a sight that she had no memory of.

Rocky ground, dilapidated structures rising up from the ground and being cut off before they could reach the sky. A smell that stung her, and the red sky that stretches endlessly into the great beyond.

I must have passed out.

She vaguely recalled drowning herself in liquor in Aria Alley. It was not her first time, but this was by far the most bizarre hallucination she had. She probably collapsed on the street on her way home. Where she dropped, she cannot remember.

If it was on a particularly bad spot in Aria Alley, perhaps she would wake up having been robbed dry or having lost more than physical assets, not that any of that mattered to her now. None could compare to the heartache weeks ago when she first read that note.

The mad search had pushed her in front of a truth that she did not want to accept. However, she had come too late, and the deed has been done.

She could still feel her cheeks burning with the tears as she held onto those unresponsive arms. All her hard work as the manager of the newest rising star, all their hopes for the future, snuffed out in one fell swoop.

"Hey, Manager. Do you think that I can become the greatest idol in the world? The one who would make all the fans' hearts quiver and fall in love with the world of idols?"

"What's with the sudden question? You're still two years into your debut, MEIA."

"Just answer!"

"Hmmm... yes, you sure will, MEIA."

The orange-haired girl responded to Utara's assurance with the biggest and most honest grin that the young manager had seen so far.

"I wonder what kind of outfit you would make me wear for my third year anniversary. What theme would we be going for? Gamer girl? Alice in Wonderland? The bad girl look? I can't wait!" she said as she flipped through the pile of magazines that her manager had been going through.

"Aren't you getting a bit ahead? That's still a year away and you just got finished with your second anniversary show."

"But I just had a blast and can't stop thinking about the whole idol thing, and it's all thanks to you, Manager!"

"The pleasure's mine."

"I'm sure the next year would be even better! Let's go!"

The scene played in her head once more as Utara felt her heart tighten. It had been months since that conversation, but it was still one that kept haunting her.

The girl was utterly unprepared to face reality. The pressures from fans, corporate meddling, even some under-the-table deals that involved things that a young teenage girl should never be privy to...

Done reminiscing, Utara looked at the world around her once again.

A woman's first instinct when thrown into this maddening world would be to cower in fear, but for someone who had lost her purpose, Reiya Utara had found the perfect place for rest.

What prevented her from falling into the insanity upon entering this world was her aching heart. It was something that overcame even the most basic flight instinct. With nothing left to live for, being stuck in this place felt like the perfect sendoff for her. Even if she would never wake up, it didn't really matter.

At that point, she felt that her pupils have turned blank. Walking ahead in a daze, she did not even notice how far she had gone, nor did she know when those strange shadowy creatures appeared.

By then, it was too late.

The humanoid figures with lengthy arms were upon her, but she did not even put up any resistance. Even as she found herself pinned down with voracious predators on top, she just stared blankly and sighed.

There was never a flight-or-fight response, and she just lay prone with her eyes staring at the red sky.

End me.

She heard no emotion in her voice.

However, her deep-seated wish would not come to pass. With her empty eyes not registering much, she could only hear the sound of slaughter enter her ears, and in no time at all, her assailants have all been wiped out.

"Why?" said her as she felt a human presence tower over her. She refrained from movement and instead averted her eyes from her savior.

"Why not?" echoed a kind and mature voice.

Finally turning to face that person, Utara laid her eyes on a handsome young man. He did not seem to be a person who would have hung out at Aria Alley. His longcoat and flowing silver hair nicely framed his youthful facial features.

With a rapier on his hand, he looked more like a cosplayer that would instead fit the events that MEIA often performed in.

"Isn't it such a big shame to have a life be wasted in this desolate place? The world needs less suffering than it already has."

"I have no more will to live. Since you denied me rest from my wish, why don't you just drive that rapier down my chest and end it?"

The silver-haired man smiled and shook his head. "That won't do."

Utara clicked her tongue out of exasperation.

"You're not just an ordinary human, are you?"

"What are you talking about? I'm just a woman who had lost her purpose. Once I wake up, I have to face the fact that the sponsorships and all the loaned properties are gone. In real life, I must have been robbed dry by the people of Aria Alley already, and..." The woman's face trembled. "MEIA isn't coming back."

"Fate can indeed be so cruel, and we as humans are hopelessly powerless against it."

Utara listened on and kept quiet. However, she cannot deny that those words had piqued her interest ever so slightly.

"Don't you want to change that? We can strike back at injustice, and this world holds the answer to that."

An open hand reached out to her, and she took it without her realizing it.

"I cannot accept your offer, young man," she said, contradicting her actions.

"I can give you a renewed purpose in this world. Not too long ago, I ran into a promising young man at the crossroads of his life. Unlike you, he was a doctor. Like you, he was in a very similar situation, and he had also lost his will to live."

"What about him?"

The silver-haired man shrugged. "I shared hope with him. My only regret was that I never got in touch with him. Now, I'll never know if he managed to put my gifts to good use."

He pointed his rapier at the woman before giving a sincere-looking bow.

"I will not be repeating the same mistake here. My name is Guren Izaya, and I shall help give you your purpose. Together, we can change the world. What do you say, miss?"

Before he can continue, the whole world was thrown into a spiral of distortion. The man who introduced himself as Guren Izaya disintegrated, and the world of red collapsed into itself, swallowing Utara along with it.

"...tara. Ms. Utara!"

Dim light peered through Utara's eyes, and she found herself face-to-face with her personal driver staring at her.

How long have I been dreaming?

"We have arrived, Ms. Utara. Are you all right, Ma'am? You seemed to be quite restless in your sleep."

Finally getting the sense of reality returning, Utara politely shook her head. "I cannot say that I am fine, but I'm all good now."

She kept up her air of formality in front of her driver, tucking away those memories of three years ago. The past was meant to be left behind, after all. It was something to get over, and it served only one purpose. It was to be a warning for the future so that people can avoid repeating the same mistakes that they did.

She stared at Kimura, still asleep on her lap.

"I cannot back down now. If it's inevitable, Yuki-tan, I can at least not let you suffer the same way that she did."