1

Yui Kimura glanced around wildly. Like an iron grip around her heart, the panicked noises of the crowd cut her breaths short. It tightened its hold, and she brushed the sweat off her forehead with each drip.

It was as abrupt a change of mood as the sudden turn of events.

She had been spending her time admiring that fancy thing, the Concept Realizer, in between sneaking some glances at Uehara and Saito in conversation... mostly the latter. Then, things just had to go wrong of all the times.

Her heart thumped with each passing second, and the unpleasant chill of an ominous being crawled all over her body.

A Fragment.

She saw Uehara quickly end her conversation with Saito, and before she can get a grip of what happened, a powerful force wrapped around her arm, dragging her away from the crowd.

"Got anything?" she asked her partner.

"Tsk. We have more pressing matters to deal with now."

Kimura was even more surprised upon seeing the frustration in her colleague's face. Was it the appearance of the Fragment that upset her?

Whatever it was, she obviously did not want to end her conversation with Saito.

Kimura glanced back momentarily to see Saito's confused expression. Despite his calls, he was quickly swallowed by the raucous crowd.

Sorryyyyy.

Unfortunately, even if he wanted to help, what they're about to face was something even Kenji Saito had no business being involved in.

Such a shame, too. She would have wanted to spend more time hanging out with him once everything's said and done. He seemed like a fun and cool guy.

Putting her thoughts of Saito away, she followed Uehara's lead, running down the hall and through the crowd as the chilly sensations grew stronger.

Announcements had already been playing through the PA when the two of them made their way to the lounge where they encountered the disrespectful men.

Seeing the place again made Kimura's blood boil at the thoughts of those perverts.

Uehara slowed down when they reached the artist zone, and Kimura can clearly see that something was stressing her out... more than she already was, anyway.

Kimura began imagining what it could be before it hit her.

They hit her, rather.

The hateful sensation of a Fragment started flicking her skin every few seconds. She had always disliked this feeling, but she had never sensed anything like this before.

There were two... three... no, four...

How many are there?

Words failed to escape her mouth while she stood around trying to come to terms with the situation. She had always had a strong sensitivity towards the powers of Mu. However, nothing compared to this, not even the incident at Fuyusato Academy.

It was also unlike the situation at the Chronodome in which the strength at which the sensations attacked her was overpowering. What these Fragments lacked in power they made up with sheer numbers and spread.

When she came to, Uehara was headed towards one end of the artist corner, making a beeline towards a veiled door that had appeared.

Hurriedly, she ran and stopped her companion.

"W-wait, shouldn't we be calling Darling up first?"

Uehara rudely put a phone to her face, showing the lack of reception.

"You can either jump in with me or try to blindly run around looking for him. If you're scared, feel free to do the latter."

"W-who do you think I am?! Don't look down on me!"

Uehara gave her a stare that irritated her to no end before relenting.

"Don't slow me down."

Once again, those were her words before she jumped into the veiled door.

"You didn't have to be so arrogant. Geez!"

Kimura, left by herself, began looking around. That black-haired girl did not even check to see if people were looking.

People suddenly disappearing by running into walls would have set off some bystanders who just happened to be looking in their direction.

Thankfully, everyone seemed preoccupied. Kimura herself found it quite astounding that the people in the hall remained relatively calm. Some people looked quite jittery and all, but the mood here was awfully calm in relation to her expectations.

That remained even as noise from the chaos reached the hall and the PA continued announcing the protocols.

Seeing that the coast was clear, she also took the hop into the veiled door.

2

Already not in a good mood, the appearance of Fragments turned things from bad to worse for Uehara.

The purple fog and the foul aroma did not help things despite her having grown used to it already.

Things had taken an unfortunate turn, but she was at least able to get some information out of the student council president.

Chief among those was Guren Izaya's involvement with the Ishidas, specifically the head of the family, Yoshihiro Ishida. It was highly likely that he's here, considering the significance of the event.

Why did this Fragment had to ruin things? Just when she's getting so close to being able to find and confront that man.

In spite of those frustrations, Uehara got it in herself to enter her trance – the special ability that Awakeners naturally get, allowing them to detect fellow Awakeners, possible innocents, and stronger Nullities.

Four people grouped into two pairs in the distance... Wait, a fifth person? This is getting bad.

Unfortunately, while Awakeners had the ability to detect presences and approximate distances, they never had the ability to map out the environment or see how to get there. Navigation had to be manual.

Uehara's trance abruptly ended after hearing a thud behind her. Opening her eyes, she looked past her shoulder, staring a hole through the green-haired girl.

Why did she have to be stuck with this diva again?

Unpleasant thoughts aside, she was a capable ally and would come in handy in the upcoming fight against Nullities. With the Fragment of this size and multiple entrances and exits, nothing less than a strong Class B stood in wait at the end.

"You jumped in after all," she said to Kimura, who had planted face-first onto the paved floor.

Brushing her clothes clean, the idol sprang up, trying to no-sell her awkward landing.

"What do you take me for, anyway?"

"I thought you'd rather spend time looking for your 'Darling' while embarrassing yourself in the convention hall."

"And you? Isn't he on your mind, too?"

Uehara twitched in response. Kimura's smug face annoyed her all the more.

Nonetheless, she forced her calm façade and looked into the distance. True, Arata's whereabouts bothered her. Still, with the appearance of this Fragment, that knucklehead would have found his way inside.

She just knew it.

"Not as much as getting this over with and preventing more deaths," she calmly replied.

Her answer to Kimura was very formal, very straight-to-the-point as fitting of her personality. The last thing she would want was to give this annoying girl more ammunition to throw at her with regards to Kazuki Arata.

She absolutely cannot show any sign of weakness around this person.

"If you say so."

With a shrug, Kimura took her place beside her, and after taking a deep breath, summoned her Armament: the microphone-like staff that Uehara had only passing knowledge of.

She did not know much of the properties of that weapon. All she knew was that it can shoot beams and its true power lay in its ability to enhance allies, heal wounds, and weaken enemies through her singing.

At least that's what she can tell from their lone battle together, several weeks ago.

Regardless, she'll provide good support.

"Come to think of it, it's the first time we're inside this creepy world with just each other. Hmph! I'd take Darling over you any day of the week!"

"We're thinking the same thing for once."

Summoning her sword, Uehara prepared to make her move. Something seemed different this time around, and it was not just the fact that they were not in an old city in ruins.

As they walked carefully, a glance to the side revealed the scarlet sky that stretched all the way, and approaching the stone barricades showed Uehara that they were standing at a hallway.

A hallway with rough, stone barricades...

She had no idea what the layout of the Fragment could be like, but the closest comparison she had was a gigantic castle from the ancient times. As she leaned against the barricade, more information came to light.

A castle that seemingly floated atop a red void.

"Ermm, Uehara? Doesn't this place look familiar? I'm getting a real sense of déjà vu here."

Yui Kimura was right. It may not look like a perfect copy, but it also reminded her of a place she never wanted to enter again.

The Temple of Recollections.

It was a place with nothing but especially unpleasant memories. Her heart and body still hurt when she recalled those poor, petrified people. They had been reverted and most had no clear memory of the incident, but the desire to not have a repeat of the incident kept her going.

This time, they will nip the bud of the disaster before its roots can take hold.

She carried on with these thoughts while the two of them began traversing the labyrinth.

Their first opponents did not take too long to show up.

Those humanoid Nullities were here, and spawning from the floor and dropping from above, they appeared in waves. Those same creatures often found in the ancient city, Shiroki City's main Fragment, made their home here as well.

They utterly infested the passages of the gothic castle.

Uehara wasted no time getting to work.

"Haaaahhh!"

Still doesn't make them anything more than small fry.

She decapitated a Nullity that appeared from a wall.

More and more of them fell against her brilliant blade dance.

Seeing a clump of them spawning in the hallway ahead, she made a quick dash towards that particular group.

Holding onto her sword firmly, her intention was clear: finish them all in one stroke. She sensed something rumble beside her but decided to ignore it.

"Uehara, I'm sensing something in these walls!"

Those words had registered in time for her to slow her approach, and right on cue the wall in front of her slammed to the side. Having collapsed onto the other wall with a thud, it left a cloud of dust that caused Uehara to cough.

More importantly, she had barely avoid getting turned into paste. She considered this fact with a sigh of relief.

That would have been an embarrassingly terrible rookie mistake. She clenched her free fist, knowing that she nearly wasted her life in such a stupid way due to being in a hurry.

Should have believed in my intuition.

The sound of lasers pierced her ears before she saw the beams dispatch the few Nullities creeping out from the wall that blocked her way.

"Imagine if I wasn't there," smugly scoffed Kimura, who came running while twirling her staff around her fingers.

"I sensed that, too."

"Then why did you keep running forward like an idiot?"

Getting up, Uehara patted her dress just as the wall returned to its original position.

"Don't ask me."

Kimura groaned. "At least the rumbling's calmed down. Let's go!"

Seeing the clump of Nullities there, Uehara and Kimura charged forward.

3

Finding themselves inside an empty hall with no signs of Nullities, Yui Kimura finally got a chance to catch her breath.

Despite them making an ample amount of headway, she can sense that something was off. She had not been into this world as much as her overbearing ally, but she knew that this was no regular Fragment.

It certainly was not the fog that occasionally interfered with vision, nor was it the brand new aesthetic that looked suspiciously like the Temple of Recollections.

Could it be that this place was created due to the power of the Magna Arbiter? If so...

With a rare break in the action, she quickened her pace and approached Uehara.

"Say, Uehara, don't you think that this place has something to do with the Magna Arbiter?"

"Why did you think I've been very focused on getting to the Class B ASAP?"

"You don't have to be such a bitch about it," pouted Kimura.

"We can't afford to slack when innocent lives are at stake. Something like what happened to Fujiwara... I can't bear to see that incident play out again."

She noticed Uehara's sword shake along with her fingers gripping it. It was an expression that showed agitation, but in hearing those words, Kimura calmed down a little.

"You can be such a softie inside, huh?" muttered Kimura, holding back a chuckle. She wanted to tease her stiff partner even more, but this time, it was something that she cannot do.

The will to protect people and be their strength. It was something that she likewise desired. Only her Darling really knew of that side to her, and she intended to keep it that way for that very special person. Still, she found it interesting.

The will to protect. That really was the mindset that allowed the entire team to stick together despite their differences.

As the newest member of their Awakener team, she cannot afford to be left behind.

A black wisp, moving like smoke, caught her attention and snapped her out of those thoughts.

"Huh?"

She glanced towards its direction, only to see empty air. There were no signs of Nullities, and while the fog was decently thick, she only managed to see brick walls and gargoyle heads protruding out of the walls. They glared at her ominously, but she was sure that they had nothing to do with the black wisp that crossed her peripheral vision.

"What is it?" asked Uehara.

"The corner of my eye caught something. Don't you sense anything? It's like we're being watched."

The black-haired girl, in response, closed her eyes, as if trying to meditate and detect something. Mere seconds later, she opened her eyes and shook her head.

"I'm sure I saw something," she said with much uncertainty in her voice.

The two then proceeded to the next section of the castle, more gingerly this time.

4

"Ahahaha! Missed me, didn't you?"

Akane Fujiwara, now in her fairy form, pranced around Reijy's shoulder.

It was only in realms with Mu's power that she was able to come out in her regular form, which was a fairy with... a questionable choice of outfit. There was barely enough covering her body, and her dress looked more like tattered rags that both exposed part of her flat chest and all of her toned arms and legs.

It was something that Akane would never be caught wearing, but the same can be said of her mannerisms in her seductive talking or the way she kept making those distorted facial expressions.

There was one notable trait to her, however: a thirst for bloodlust. Just as she reacted to murderous intent with ecstasy, that same energy had been charging Reijy up. Admittedly, Reijy wondered how he could have survived Mu without her power.

Whatever the reason for her becoming like this, Reijy vowed to destroy the root of the problem.

He turned to the fairy flying around him with a look of indifference, hiding away how he really felt inside.

She had been ecstatic ever since he had jumped into the veiled portal and started slaughtering the Nullities left and right.

In contrast to her uncontained energy, the gray-haired youth only had a stoic look on his face. He shook the Nullity blood off his two swords in one swift motion.

Upset with being ignored, Akane started playfully rubbing his chin.

"Hey, Reijy. Earth to Reijy!"

His pinpoint gaze was fixed on the path ahead, and he proceeded with haste. Nothing fazed or hampered him.

Nothing. Not the traps in the castle, not the Nullities, and especially not the pesky fog.

"Awww... You're no fun."

Akane flapped her wings before settling down and leaning on Reijy's neck.

"Why else would you jump into the gate as soon as you can if not to see me in this physical form again?"

Reijy's eyes cannot help but twitch at that statement, and it was apparently a fact that did not go unnoticed when the fairy started laughing hysterically.

"Ahaha, gotcha! You're so easy to rile up, Reijy."

As awkward as it was to admit, she had said the truth. Tired of constantly hearing his dear childhood friend as a voice in his head, he had little hesitation taking the leap.

Adding to that was the fact that those gates to the world opening were concurrent with the alert of something having gone awry with his brother's presentation.

"You act as if that is an achievement for you, Akane."

"Of course. No one knows you better than I do. Eep!"

Her yelp came at the same time as a huge wall headed towards him, looking to crush him dead in these hallways.

Without even a grunt, Reijy spun his two swords around, slicing through the wall horizontally. The loud crashing sound of stone preceded his motion of raising both swords up.

By the time his two swords had come down diagonally, the remnants incoming wall were completely demolished beyond recognition.

"Wow, you're amazing as always, Reijy!"

Ignoring the clapping fairy, he went on his way down the hall.

Various thoughts filled his mind, yet from among those, one stood out in particular.

Surely, he had to be here. He had to eventually stick his nose into this business, and that's where I'll destroy him and avenge Akane!

"My, that tickles."

Akane snickered, her wings fluttering happily. With the link between him and her solidifying, she rubbed her body seductively and gasped.

"I just felt your hatred flow through me. I want more of that later, okay? Your hatred, let me consume more of it. I have been craving for some titillation for so long."

"As long as I'll be able to lay waste to him with your help, it will be my pleasure."

"That's what I'm talking about!" exclaimed the wide-eyed Akane, her nails clawing into her cheeks.

Nothing, not even the bigger Nullities that were formed from the combination of negative energy lasted more than a few seconds against Reijy Ishida's strength.

One by one they fell. All but a minor speed bump in Reijy's mad expedition through the Fragment.

The end of Reijy's path led him to a spacious room. If his hunches were right, this was one of the castle's grand ballrooms... or at least what remained of it.

His eyes blinked when a black shadow rushed past his vision, and along with it was a gust. He barely made out the form of the shadow amidst the fog, but it swirled in a concoction of energy in front of him.

Along with that motion, the fog around them quickly grew thicker. While it merely interfered with vision before, it now almost completely blotted everything out in a purple hue.

He held onto his two swords, anticipating combat with yet another type of Nullity, one that would prove to be a challenge this time.

However, as the shape began taking form, Reijy felt his mouth dropping.

"What is this?"

A hint of tenderness escaped Reijy's apathetic voice.

"Ooohh, now this has become interesting," commented the fairy resting on his shoulder.

Standing in front of the two of them was a blast from the past.

Adorned in her Fuyusato Academy uniform, the new Akane Fujiwara reached her hand out towards them.