Aunt Jillian had told Noel she could take her time returning to school, but Noel had insisted that she could go. She had already been absent for three days; she was already behind.

"I understand you want to get back, but you're not in any condition to be alone. Trust me. And with that thug still out there…." Jillian trailed off.

During Noel's episode, the police told Aunt Jillian about a pair of delinquents who had come bursting into a station and yammering about how they tried to mug a foreign girl. They had also confessed that their friend was there with them, but they had left him behind as they had a sudden change of heart and immediately ran to confess.

They were drunk and delirious, rambling about magical girls and angry clouds, so the police hadn't taken them seriously. That was until Noel's missing report had come in.

The two had been arrested and questioned, but the third thug, Goro, had not been caught yet.

"It's alright, Aunt Jillian," Noel had said at breakfast, "I won't be alone. I have my friends at school." Jillian had said that one of her friends had been there to hear the police's report as she delivered her homework. 

She had decided it would be best to corroborate the two's story –though she denied any magical stuff. Jillian was slightly skeptical as she no doubt remembered the dress she had caught Noel wearing that night. However, she didn't push the issue any further.

Noel thought she could go to school, even with the nightmares that made her wake up in a cold sweat and that ever-present emptiness. Though she had found the will to move around again, she felt far from confident that she would be okay.

As she walked down her usual route, her eyes darted around for any sign of Darris. Of him standing in the shadow of an alleyway, his gleaming gold eyes leering at her from the darkness just like they did in her nightmares. But he was nowhere to be seen.

Azrath had tried to convince her to take him to school with her. He agreed with Aunt Jillian that Noel should not be alone.

"I could hide in your bag. Or pretend to be a toy again. I promise I won't move at all, no matter what."

Noel shot him down, "Thanks, I'll be fine. It's just for a couple of hours. I think I could handle that."

But she couldn't. She had expected the stares and whispers from her classmates and teachers. She was used to that from the people back in Davenfield. This was different, though.

Each pair of eyes seemed to bore into her—each whisper, malicious. More than once, the image of Darris's eyes flashed in her mind. Hundreds of them at once, all staring at her with wicked delight.

Her friends tried asking her what was wrong as Noel's breathing became labored. Noel didn't answer. But they were persistent, pestering her with questions until Noel felt a bolt of anger flash through the emptiness.

"Would you just shut up and leave me the hell alone?!" she yelled, "You're all so annoying!"

The hurt on all their faces, especially Yui's, made Noel come to her senses.

"I'm sorry, I—"

But the three were glaring at her now, just like all the others. Noel had thought they understood. They knew about the mugging, didn't they? They were there to hear the report, right?

The life she had begun to build in Tokyo was crumbling around her. She looked around the classroom, where her classmates and even Mr. Tamayoshi watched her. If they didn't think she was a freak before, they would now.

As shame filled her, Noel turned heel and ran out of the classroom.

Aunt Jillian was right. She wasn't ready. She was still so weak.

Noel had no idea where she was going. She just ran, even as she heard people yelling not to run in the halls. But Noel did not stop. All she wanted to do was run. To run away from everything.

That plan was cut short as she ran headlong into someone, sending them both crashing onto the floor.

"Ouch! Watch where you're going, Miller! You shouldn't be running in the halls."

"Ope. Sorry. I wasn't looking where I was goi—" Noel cut herself off as soon as she registered who she had run into. Kusinawa Ushio. She hadn't noticed Ushio's absence from class.

Noel didn't know her mood could sour even more. But it somehow did as she watched Ushio get to her feet and brush herself off. Even now, while she straightened herself, making sure there was no hair out of place, she radiated what Noel could only describe as an aura of bitch. This was extra confirmed as her dark eyes fell on Noel, who was still sitting splayed on the floor.

"Class has already started, Miller. Why aren't you there?"

"I could say the same to you." Noel got to her feet. At least her dislike of Ushio was still intact. It made her feel a little more like herself.

"I," said Ushio, standing up straighter, so she stood a half-inch over Noel—not counting the bow, "am the class representative. And that means that I have several important duties to attend to. Unlike lazy people who lay around in bed being sad."

Noel snorted. That comment had been a thinly veiled insult toward her. What did she know? More than she was letting on. Ushio had just said something strange. But Noel was too caught up in the other girl's passive-aggressive condescension to think about it.

 "Is that right? And just what are these duties that are oh, so important?"

A shadow of a smirk danced across Ushio's usually icy countenance, "That's not something a foreigner would understand, now, would it?"

"Oh, I get it. Ass-kissing is more of a Japanese thing, then? Or is it just a you thing?"

The other girl's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. For Ushio, that was equivalent to an angry scowl. It seemed Noel had touched a nerve.

Feeling something resembling triumph, Noel walked past her, "I'll leave you to it, then."

"Wait, come back here, Miller!"

Noel waved her off and continued walking down the hall. Noel thought that Ushio would follow her, but she didn't. So, Noel kept walking, letting her feet carry her wherever, her momentary triumph melting back into sadness, then into emptiness.

Noel hated admitting that she wanted to stay with Ushio just so she wouldn't feel alone. To go with her back to the classroom and apologize to her friends for yelling at them. However, the fear of seeing their angry eyes again far outweighed her other desires.

 Just the thought made her breath seize again. Why did she have to push people away? Why did she have to endure what other people could only imagine?

It was all Darris's fault. If he hadn't… If Azrath hadn't…

Her breathing became labored as her feet hit something. She looked down to see a set of stairs leading upward. Second-years, like her, were on the second floor, while the first years were upstairs.

Noel focused on steadying her breath as she climbed the stairs. When she reached the third floor, she saw a second set of stairs, just off to the side, that led further up. Not wanting to be caught on the wrong floor, Noel decided to keep going up, still trying to gain control of her breathing as she came upon a metal door with a sign that read:

Restricted. Do Not Enter

At this point, Noel didn't care what the sign said. She just wanted to be alone. She didn't want anyone to see her break down again. A restricted place sounded perfect right about now.

She thought the door would be locked, but she pushed it open with ease and was met with the bright afternoon sun as a grey landscape lay before her, surrounded by a chain-link fence twice her height. She was on the roof of the school. The metal door slammed shut behind her.

As she stumbled out across the roof, the despair in her heart bubbled to an overwhelming degree.

I can't… I can't do this anymore.

She was such a failure. She thought she could be strong on her own, but she had been wrong.

Noel made it to the other side of the roof and stuck her fingers through the chain link. She was hanging on for what felt like dear life. Noel looked out across the Tokyo landscape. The wind blew her hair in all directions as she looked at the buildings and the people walking by, living their everyday lives. Just seeing them being normal made her feel all the more inferior.

How could she have ever thought she was ready?

"So, you're up and about already, are you?"

Noel thought she would have jumped and started screaming when she heard Darris's breezy voice again. But to her surprise, she didn't react except to turn around slowly to see Darris sitting with his feet up on the large, grey block that held the doorway she had just come from. His body was perpendicular to her as he stared out across the horizon to her left. He seemed to be pondering something. She had walked under him without even noticing.

Somehow, it did not surprise her that Darris was here waiting for her. This felt like how it should be.

The wind was blowing Darris's silver hair as well. He ignored the bangs that brushed into his eyes as he turned his head to look down at her while his body remained in profile. He was not smiling or angry. He was just looking at her. The eyes she had seen so many times in her nightmare were just as deep in thought. Then they seemed to come into focus.

"I admire your attempt at courage, but I wouldn't have minded if you had taken a few more days to rest, you know. You seem to be forcing yourself. There's no need to put on a brave front if you're suffering to this degree."

"Yeah? And whose fault is that?!" Noel snapped. She whipped back around to face the fence. "I wouldn't expect a heartless monster like you to understand."

"No?" Darris's voice was softer than usual; she could barely hear it over the wind. "You don't think I understand what you're going through? The anger and despair that gnaws away at the very essence of self, leaving behind a dark void of nothingness? A nothingness that seems to consume every emotion like a starving animal, always craving but never satisfied?"

An electric shock pulsed through Noel. She turned to look at the giant sitting on the block. He continued to stare at her. His pupils were round again.

"I know that feeling very well, Noel Miller. I may look like a monster. But I am as human as any other. Maybe even more so."

Noel felt bile in her throat. "You? Human? Don't make me laugh!"

"Don't be deceived by appearances, girl. I was not born looking like this." He lifted his right hand and examined it, turning it over to alternate between looking at the palm and knuckles. "I wonder… how long has it been since I last looked upon flesh that was not tainted by the blood of the Ahngreel? Time flows so strangely between here and Sohaud that I tend to lose track if I stop thinking about it for even a moment. Perhaps if you saw me as I was, you would not look upon me with such scorn?"

Darris's eyebrows knitted, and his body tensed as an intense concentration filled his face, his pupils briefly narrowed to slits. After a moment, he relaxed and looked at Noel with a smile. "There now." But nothing had changed about Darris except that his pupils returned to round. "The Rau needs some time to take effect, but soon you will understand. That's all I want, girl, for you to understand that I am not the monster you think I am."

Noel scoffed, "I don't care what you look like. You say you're not a monster. But what you did to me—to the guard—those aren't the actions of a person. They're evil!"

"Yes, I know."

"You know? What do you mean you know?"

Darris shifted his sitting position so that his feet dangled over the edge of the grey block, inches above the ground, as he looked down at her dead-on.

"It must be nice to live in a world—a time—where death does not lurk around every corner. Oh, I'm sure you have your struggles, but a daily fight to survive is not one of them. You live in the lap of luxury; you can get more food than you can ever want. Food that you don't have to kill to obtain. You have someone else do it for you. And cook it for you. You are spoiled by the fat, rich world around you. Whereas I lived in a world where it was kill or be killed. And not just animals, but people as well.

"Until recently, you had no idea what it was like to stand on the brink between life and death, did you? Of not knowing if tomorrow would come. For myself, that was all I knew, even from birth. I envy you. You were able to live your life ignorant of the harsh reality that is survival."

Darris slid off the block and walked towards Noel, who flinched. However, Darris walked past to stand next to her. He stared through the fence, which was only taller than him by a few inches.

"I admit. I am cruel. And I'm not going to blame it on my circumstances either. I chose to be such in order to achieve my goal of becoming the strongest. To show all that I, Darris Leondras, could rise beyond what they saw me as. A sickly, bastard child who killed his whore of a mother in childbirth."

As Noel watched, splotches of light brown began to appear on Darris's purple skin. His silver hair was darkening to coal black.

"I didn't ask to be born a giant. But the people of my village saw what I did to my mother. I was called a child of the devil—the ignorant fools. Only one man saw me as I truly was. The man who raised me as his son. Though it wasn't easy for him. He was crippled, you see. Injured from a battle lost. And I was sickly. The only thing that kept me alive for the first seven years of my life was my father's dedication and the single spell of healing he managed to learn so he could attempt to cure me of my illnesses. That was the hand fate dealt me."

He turned to look down at her with normal, human eyes that were black like his hair. His ears were round, and his teeth were normal when he smiled at her. A man stood in front of her now who was as tall as Darris and had Darris's feminine features, but he was not the malicious monster who had tormented her. Somehow, he looked familiar, but she couldn't place exactly where.

Darris's eyes did not hold any delight or anger. He just looked tired.

"I was born premature, you see, as I was too large for my mother to carry. And because of my size, I destroyed her from the inside out. But she loved me enough to bear the pain and carry me until her death. My adoptive father was the one who ripped me from her womb. He gave me a chance at life. They both did.

"There were consequences, though. My lungs were underdeveloped and prone to infection. As a result, I was sickly and far too weak to walk, and I spent much of my boyhood in bed, tall enough to stare out the window and watch the world of which I thought I could never be a part. I'll admit, girl, I hated them. I hated them so much that I wished to walk only to spite them. The people only living their lives and those who would torment my father for harboring the devil child.

"And on my eighth birthday, I decided I'd had enough of sickness—enough of the anger that burned within my very soul. So, I convinced my father to let my illnesses run their course and only to heal me when I was on the very brink of death. Although reluctantly, he agreed. And from then on, I was in a constant state of sickness. Fighting off infections, slowly growing my endurance, and strengthening my lungs. On the rare days I was not stricken by fever, I tried to walk. It took years of struggle, of falling and remaining where I was on the floor, refusing help until my father could bear it no more, but I did it. It was only to the front door, but that first breath of real fresh air was mine.

"I did not understand it at the time, Noel. That was my first battle with fate. A battle that I am continuing to wage. And winning. I am indomitable, after all. A warrior."

There was such pride in his soft face that Noel felt something stir in her chest. Was it respect? She shook herself. The man in front of her was Darris the Indomitable. Who had watched with glee as he caused her horror and pain beyond imagination. Who had killed a man in cold blood. It didn't matter that he had struggled in life. If what he said was true at all.

"I don't care about your stupid battle with fate. I just want to be left alone!" Noel turned away from Darris to look through the fence once again.

"I'm afraid I will not do that."

Now Noel felt the tears welling up, "Why?! What did I ever do to deserve what you did? I didn't do anything wrong. I don't deserve this."

Darris sat down again to look at her at eye level. "Nobody deserves what fate gives, Noel. But fate's plan is indiscriminate. Its only purpose is to send you down its chosen path and nothing else. It's gone by many other names: providence, fortune, chance, destiny. It's all the same force imposing its will upon humanity. And humanity has let it. They are content, see, to let fate drive their very existence because it alleviates their agency and, therefore, their responsibility. You are wrong to think that you are faultless. That is the softness of modernity speaking. Let me ask you something, girl. Who is to blame for you being on the dock that night?"

A fire instantly burst into life in Noel's head, "WHAT?! It's your fault, of course! If you hadn't come to Earth—"

"I," said Darris, quelling her with the firmness in his voice, "only wished to return and fight a powerful opponent. I had no knowledge of you or fate's inner workings. Did I force you to leave your home? Or was it someone else?"

"Are you saying you're not taking responsibility for what you did to me?"

Darris scoffed, "Of course not. Everything I did to you was a carefully considered decision. I chose to hurt you. And to threaten those you love. I want to push you beyond your limits. And I am responsible for my choices. I broke you. In that regard, you are indeed a victim. And so is the man I killed. I chose to take his life as well. And I will not apologize. I made those decisions.

"Call me a monster. Call me ruthless. Call me evil if you wish. I agree with you. I am all those things. But you cannot blame me for anything that transpired before our meeting. Don't try to twist my words or actions to deny the truth."

"I-I'm not. You and Azrath—"

Darris stood, "Indeed, the bird had his role to play in leading you down your destined path, but he is not entirely to blame. Say it, Noel. Say what you know to be true. Who chose to listen to Azrath's nonsense? Who ignored all thoughts of caution and recklessly followed him into danger? Who, Noel? I know the answer, but I want to hear it from you."

Noel was too offended to speak. How dare he accuse her of this when she was the victim here. But Darris wouldn't let it go. He folded his arms and looked down at her with his black eyes, waiting.

Noel fought the impulse to run. Darris would have no problem catching her before she got two feet away. So, she forced herself to stumble out an answer. "I-I had no choice. I—"

"Stop." That single, soft-spoken word shut Noel up instantly. Darris was now angry. Every inch of his being emanated righteous fury. "You were about to say something like, 'I had no choice, I had to help that poor, defenseless creature,' weren't you?"

She swallowed that answer back down her throat. Darris was right on the money.

 "You see? This is why I despise people who claim to be kind. It's all well and good when everything turns out as you expect. But as soon as your kindness is misplaced, or you are betrayed by the one to whom you extended a hand, you default to that answer. It's always the same. So-called kind people refuse to acknowledge their choice to be kind in the first place. And then are always the victim when they are spat upon. It's disgusting. And I will not tolerate hearing that trite again. So, tell me. Who is to blame for your choices?"

She was backed into a corner. Not by accusations, not by Darris physically, but by the truth she had refused to face until this moment.

"I am." It was barely a whisper.

"Say it again."

"I am." This time her answer was stronger.

"Again."

"I am, alright! I ignored the warning signs! I knew my curse was pushing me towards something, and I didn't do anything about it. I put myself in danger. Are you happy?"

"No." Darris was looking at her with curiosity, "What was that about a curse?"

Noel realized, too late, what she had just let slip. "Uh, no, I mean… You said I'm cursed by fate, right? That's what I meant."

"Oh? Are you sure?" Something in his voice was odd, but Noel wasn't sure what.

"Yeah, I am."

Darris laughed suddenly. "Don't take me for a fool, Noel. You just answered the question that I spoke in the Ahngreel tongue without hesitation. You are indeed cursed by fate. But through your lineage, every other generation. Am I correct?"

No way. But how could he know? "You? You know about the curse?"

Darris smiled, "Indeed. Not only do I know it. I've lived with a similar curse all my life. Or did you think your family was the only one?"

Noel didn't know what to say to that. She had never even thought of other families having the curse.

"That was another reason I was considered a devil child. Though my curse manifested in random acts of misfortune." He chuckled, "I had always thought I was accident-prone. But as soon as I realized that I could read and hear other languages, I knew it was much more. My father called it the gift of tongues. A blessing from God balanced by a curse from the devil out of spite. I've only met a few with a curse like mine. And they all could be recognized by understanding languages they shouldn't."

Others? Were they her ancestors or someone else's? Or… A dark thought crossed Noel's mind.

"You wouldn't know if we're…." She couldn't say it. But Darris seemed to understand.

"Related? Not a chance."

Noel was surprised he had answered so quickly and bluntly. "Is that because you never had descendants?"

Darris looked surprised, "Come now, why do you think that?"

"You do?" Noel had never thought that Darris had children with a woman in a million years. Or that Noel would be having a conversation with Darris. Maybe it was because he no longer appeared as a demon, maybe it was because Noel could relate to Darris through their curse, or perhaps she felt an odd sense of freedom after admitting her own role in her suffering. Whatever it was, she felt…better.

Nowhere close to 100 percent, but better than she had been all day.

Darris smiled, "Yes. Surprised?"

"Yeah, but they're not all giants? Are they?"

"Not at all."

"Then how do you know I'm not one of them?"

Darris paused, considering her words, "Let's just say, my lineage is very… selective."

"What does that mean?"

Then, as Darris began to give her some vague answer, he did something strange. Or rather, his right hand did as it appeared to lift on its own and began to rub at the center of his chest. Noel couldn't take her eyes off his massaging fingers, which sank into the red of his coat like they were trying to dig beneath it. Darris noticed her looking below his eye level and followed her gaze down at his chest. A look of rage passed over his face as he jerked his hand back down to his side.

As Darris turned his back to Noel, she saw the purple return to Darris's skin and the silver to his hair. "Forgive me. It appears I have broken my concentration."

He faced her again, but his eyes were once again solid gold.

"The point is that if you are indeed cursed, it changes nothing. What I said remains true. It only means that fate is fighting a mite harder, but it is possible to break free of it. I did."

Noel, distracted by Darris's sudden return to his demon form, gave a start and looked up at Darris. His eyes seemed less cruel somehow.

"How?"

"Think of it as a river with a particularly strong current. Most people are content with lying on their backs and letting the river carry them to their destination. By the time they reach that destination, they regret where the river has taken them. People try to swim against the current, but it's in vain. They are too old, frail, and weak of mind. The current was always going to be too strong. What they should have realized is that the river is shallow. And only by planting their feet and remaining where they are can they begin to build enough strength to walk against the current and plot their own course."

Noel stared at Darris. Something about his words resonated with her a little.

"It all comes down to a matter of will and choice. I want that power of yours, Noel. And I will do anything to get it. Since my will was not strong enough to break the bond between you and it, for now, I'm afraid it has become my will against yours.

"At this moment, If I so choose, I could kill you and take your power by force. However, I do not want to do that. Not because your will is weak but because it has yet to grow to its full potential. I want to see it grow and battle with that magnificent soul of yours!

"You were wrong when you said you were nothing special. And it's not your curse that makes you special. It is your soul. If you were born in my time and age—a time where society valued the warrior—you would have been revered despite being a woman. Your very essence is nothing short of awesome. Even as I overwhelmed you, the way you stood against me showed me who you truly are."

There was such earnestness in his voice that Noel did not doubt that Darris meant every word. She couldn't help but be a little flattered.

"I'm beginning to understand your real self. The one you bury beneath your timidity and your rage. That anger is not you, nor the fear. It is that defiance. That ability to stand against an unstoppable force and say 'no.' You are a remarkable young woman, Noel. I respect you. And that is why I am telling you now that no matter what, you always have a choice. You, too, have the power to become indomitable."

Noel's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"You may think that by threatening your loved ones, I took away your choice to run away, but that could not be further from the truth. You could have run away despite my threats and left your family behind to be slaughtered. You could have remained in bed and forever wallowed in despair. But you chose to face me instead, like the warrior that you are. Cherish that ability and the choices you make, Noel. It is God's gift to His people; to choose good or evil. Something never to be wasted.

"Even as the world treads upon you and treats you like filth, never forget that you have the power to choose how you take it. You are indeed a victim. You are a victim of both fate and myself, as I will continue to impose my will upon you. Make no mistake; you are trapped. But I ask you now, Noel: what will you do about it?"

Noel had never considered that question before. "You think being a victim is a choice, too?"

Darris smiled, "Indeed. You are not the only one who has suffered in this life. Changing your fate begins by changing your mindset. Take back control by making a choice. Since you chose not to run or hide from me, three options remain that will decide where we go from here.

"One," he held up a finger, "You can battle me once more—right here, right now on this rooftop— I will return to you your power so that you can fight with all your strength. And I shall use every ounce of my power to guarantee you a warrior's death." His eyes were serious and hardened with resolve. His other hand once more lifted. But instead of grabbing his chest, it grabbed the handle of the huge sword on his back.

He waited, looking at Noel, who looked back at him. After a moment, Darris seemed to decide that Noel would not take that option. He lowered his hand. And a twinge of disappointment pulsed through her. Just like on that night. But why? Noel couldn't dwell on it for long as Darris started speaking.

"Two," another finger, "you take fate into your own hands and choose to end your own life." He cast his eyes towards the fence that guarded the edge of the roof. "There is a reason this barrier is so tall. I wonder how many had to jump before you for them to raise this fence.

"But no matter. It should be no problem for you to scale. Either option you choose, I promise to bring no harm to your family or the Eziron. I will leave this world along with Urzuran's power. Your family will grieve you. However, I will ensure they know you died nobly defying me and your fate."

He stopped speaking as he waited for her to consider the options.

Noel thought she would have immediately refused. But for some reason, as she turned to look out at the city, she considered his words. She looked down over the edge. The ground was a long way away. Death would be instantaneous. If she ended it now, then her family would be safe. All the pain and emptiness would also disappear, and all the suffering she had gone through would end. Noel knew what the third option was before Darris even said it.

"And three. You can fight for your right to life. You follow my training and battle your way through my trials. Climb the ranks of the Ahngreel to battle with me once more, as equals. It will be a torrential and painful path, but unlike the others, this path leads to the dimmest hope that your will grows stronger than mine and you defeat me. If that happens, I will have truly lost, and you will have triumphed over me and fate. It is not a choice I can make for you, Noel. Only you can decide how to live your life. So, what say you?"

 Noel continued to stare out at Tokyo as Darris waited patiently for her to answer. After a while, he spoke.

"You know, I used to believe that hoping for a better tomorrow was enough to get me through life. But it took me a long, long time to realize that mere hope is pointless. It does not accomplish anything to sit idly and dream of better days. Why hope for a better tomorrow when you can work to make a better tomorrow?"

Those last words shook Noel to her core. She stared at Darris, who smiled softly at her.

Make a better tomorrow?

Her dad had told her to hope for a better tomorrow years ago. She had taken his advice without thinking. Waiting and waiting for her life to get better, yet it never did. And as much as Noel wished for the curse to leave her alone, it never listened and seemed only to grow stronger in defiance.

Nothing good came out of just waiting for her life to change. She had seen what that had done to it. It was why she was living in Tokyo and why her parents were gone. Who knows how her life could have been if she had only acted beforehand? It was just like Granny said.

At last, Noel turned to look at Darris, who smiled. "Have you made your decision?"

Noel nodded, "Yeah. I want a better tomorrow."

"Are you sure? As I said, I am a cruel man. I swear on my sword that I will do everything in my power to forge you into a warrior worth fighting. That means pain. That means suffering."

"And I promise to beat you into a pulp. I'm gonna pay you back for everything you've ever done to me twice over. And everything you're going to do. Plus, I'm gonna get justice for the man you killed."

"I would expect nothing less from you, Noel Miller. I want to see everything you have to offer. Hold nothing back." He held out his hand for her to shake.

Noel hesitated for a moment before putting her hand, the size of a baby's compared to Darris's massive one, into his.

"Never."

Darris smiled. "Then we have an accord."

And with that, he was gone. Somehow leaving Noel with the pen, the shoe buckle, and a plastic card sitting in the palm of her hand. Noel picked up the card and saw a familiar face staring neutrally back at her, though she had never seen it alive. The guard. This was his ID.

When did Darris grab this?

Sakuraba Tenmei. That was his name.

Noel looked to where Darris had just been. He had given her the means to find out who exactly the guard was. One piece of the man still existed. She could hear Darris's voice echo through her head. Now, what are you going to do about it, girl?

Honestly, now that she had the ID, Noel had no idea. All she knew was that she wanted to make sure that Mr. Sakuraba would not be forgotten.

The wind swept through Noel's hair. It was fierce enough to make it fan out behind her as she turned back to look at the city again. Her hand closed around the objects in her palm. As she did so, she could feel the emptiness in her chest shrink—just a little.