1

Three Years Ago

The days dragged on and on.

Any normal person would have lost their sanity in this world of red. What with the world weighing down on any person’s shoulders. Not a single person would have lasted in the overwhelming sensation, buoyed by the sulfuric smell.

But not Guren Izaya.

Months ago, those worries would be applicable for him, but ever since he got the hang of this new power, ever since he had gotten desensitized to the smell of his own blood and the pain that came along with it, those thoughts had gone away. Gone were the supposed limits of the human body, replaced by newfound abilities that he had never dreamed of before.

As long as his heart remained steadfast toward his goal, pain was an afterthought. These monsters were no match at all.

Flicking his long silver hair, Izaya took aim at one such monster with his rapier. Shaped like an ape, it was only one of the many forms these things came in.

Without a word, he dashed, and before he knew it, the monster had been eradicated into a mess of black mist. The screeching and growling, as well as the sound of the monster’s death, no longer registered to him.

For Izaya, there were more important matters than these creatures that resided here.

Thinking back to the final look that woman had on her face, the cold, defiant glare… It served to fuel his desire. Even with his rapier pointed at her neck, her look at that moment of adversity said it all.

Formerly his friend, Miyuko Sadohara had made up her mind almost immediately.

Her unflinching expression showed a firm stance that he had never seen from that whimsical girl before.

Why? Just why?

The same question he had asked himself for months continued haunting him.

At those thoughts, his body tore away at him, and pain spread from his wounded midsection, causing his thoughts to return to the present.

Walking into the midst of the craggy rock formations, he soon found himself in the midst of combat. Surrounded by nothing but ruined walls, he was surrounded by blackened creatures, most of them humanoid in appearance and letting out ear-piercing chirps and screeches.

He grinded his teeth as he hacked away at the shadowy creature that appeared in front of him. More of them emerged from the walls of the ruins that surrounded him.

Dyed in the reddish hue of the sky, he slumped forward and exhaled from exhaustion, a rapier serving as his balancing stick. Nevertheless, he got back up before pointing it at the monsters.

Izaya had enough of their noise. They were scary when he first dropped into this world, but not anymore. Those sounds belonged to nothing but pests that continually reminded him of the scene he had laid witness to a few days ago.

Small roadblocks that he refused to lose to.

“Will you lead me to the Ascended One?” he asked one of the long-fingered humanoid beings coated in black.

Of course, those mindless creatures cannot answer his question, and to that, he responded with the only way he can: a sleek stab through the head.

Howls and screeches filled his ears just after he pulled his rapier from one of them. Normally, the chorus of unpleasant noises would have rattled anyone to his core…

But not someone with nothing to lose, someone ready to stake his life in a mad run at changing the world and rescuing the girl he loved.

One by one, the shadowy monsters fell to the might of his rapier.

Each monster death served to fuel the bitterness and the conviction within him. They served to make him stronger.

With each strike, however, his body yelled at him to stop. It was mere months since he first gained this power, but he had already been pushing it and his body to its limit ever since his first encounter with the monsters: one which nearly brought a swift end to him.

In the heat of that battle, he was caught between a cliff and getting ripped apart, so he took a stab. His eyes were even closed when the rapier made contact and an unpleasant squelch registered in his ears. Then, he realized something as he laid his eyes on the slain monster and his own wounds.

He enjoyed it. He enjoyed taking matters into his own hands. It marked the first step into his conquest: his lonely road to saving Kiyone.

As he hacked away at the monsters at the present, his feet slipped, his legs ached, and his arms burned in agony.

Yet, he remained relentless as the monsters continue to drop down: both due to sheer determination and frustration.

Things would have been a lot easier had he had someone by his side.

---

The last of the shadowy creatures disappeared into a cloud of dust. Left alone, Guren Izaya got a much needed time to recuperate, and he did so by leaning against the rough surface of a wall.

After looking at his palm and his damaged coat, Izaya stared at the red sky that seemed to stretch to the far beyond.

Miyuko was someone who had always had an upbeat outlook in life. In contrast to him, she was always craving for adventure. Like Kiyone, she can be unpredictable but only in a certain way. She’s the type of person who could waste life away partying before suddenly remembering she had work to do. She’s the kind who would spend hours on end ranting about guys before shifting the topic to something just as fleeting and petty.

But that’s also why Izaya admired her. Despite all of those shortcomings, she had managed to excel and carve her path to become the smart, beautiful, and powerful friend of his.

So why?

None of his praises matter now that she had betrayed him months ago. Just when they’re at the cusp of gaining power and making a difference in the world, she just let this opportunity slip by. What kind of scientist does that? What happened to influencing the world and helping others?

He wanted to hate her, but he can’t. Especially not when it will distract from his long-term goal: to re-enter Babel, take hold of the Akashic Records, scrolls that control the flow of knowledge, and save Kiyone from the condemned being that used her body.

With the Akashic Records, he could finally make the big change in the world that he wanted. He had seen far too much injustice and the corrupt getting their way. If he could alter the “truth” that humanity knew, the “truth” that they believed in, he could enact that change.

All would be welcome in his new utopia.

And that included Miyuko, despite her being so vehemently against his plan.

Izaya sighed.

Saying goodbye to those thoughts and doubts that hurt was indeed one of the hardest things imaginable. He took up a profession in law as to harden himself against them. Alas, it was no good.

He got up before scanning the environment further.

A lot of work to do, but that’s nothing. He had already let go of his humanity. He’ll save Kiyone. He’ll get the Akashic Records and right the wrongs of the world.

Or he’ll die trying.

 

2

Present Day

The limousine rolled over to what used to be the biggest and most prolific research complex in Shiroki City: Elysium.

Guren Izaya stepped out of the car, his long, silver hair ruffling in the wind. The cold wind and the twilight sky enveloped him as he brought out a small cigarette to smoke.

“It’s not a good habit to smoke, especially in front of impressionable youths like Sana.”

Sayaka Uehara followed, and with her was the yellow-haired girl with a bob cut. Sana nervously clung to her big sister figure while the frigid air bit into the girls’ faces.

Hearing Uehara, Izaya quickly put out his cigarette.

“Apologies. Just a bad habit I’ve developed. A crutch whenever I get really stressed.”

He turned to Uehara and Sana, trying to look at their expressions. While he saw the usual deadpan and disinterested expression from Uehara, Sana had a look of apprehension.

That’s to be expected. As I thought, she wasn’t ready.

---

“The dreams you’ve been having, as well as the headaches, it’s due to an entity within you,” he said, bending forward and talking to the bedridden Sana. He maintained eye contact with the girl curled up in the sheets.

Teary eyes, pained and uncertain, looked back at him. However, said eyes betrayed a certain confidence within, as if the girl knew what she was talking about.

“W-what do you know about it? Mr. Izaya?”

“Sayaka saw it all,” he pointed a thumb at the girl beside him. “The truth is, you’re still exhausted after taking in the fleeting power of the Magna Arbiter. The Ascended One now resides within you, trying to regain its strength. It’s a phenomenon that I’ve seen before.”

“W-who are you people? H-how do you know?”

“I think this begs for a longer introduction,” nodded Izaya. “I am your friend. The leader of the organization Euphoria, and our goal is to end the threat of these monsters called Nullities.”

Sana retreated further, pushing her back against her soft pillow.

“Those nightmares of yours, I can help free you from them. I have the power to remove the Magna Arbiter from you, and I can return you to your old life.”

“T-that… B-but the Magna Arbiter… I-it’s not a bad thing! It only wanted to fulfill my wishes. I-i-it’s all my fault that’s why it’s like this.”

“No, it isn’t. It’s not your fault.”

That last sentence was said with a snappy tone, a surprisingly decisive statement from the otherwise gentle Izaya.

“Why blame yourself from something that is inherent? Something that makes you human? Isn’t it natural to each have our desires?”

“Y-you’re not going to scold me like Mama? F-for being selfish?”

Izaya shook his head repeatedly.

“I fully understand what you said that the Magna Arbiter meant no harm, but it cannot stay within you. Its presence alone, especially at its currently weakened state, causes those untoward effects. Your body is not meant to handle its power, and more so now that it’s siphoning your life force in order to sustain itself.”

“B-but… I promised.”

“I would rather eliminate a thousand Nullities than allow one to take a human life.”

With that, Sana fell silent.

“Whether it wants to or not, the Magna Arbiter cannot stop itself from harming you. That’s just the nature of life. That’s the cruel cycle of individuals stepping over others in order to survive. It’s something I hope to put an end to.”

---

“I’m sorry if I caused you some discomfort, Sana Kurashiki.”

As he walked towards the girl, Sana shook her head. “I-I’m okay. It’s just that…”

Her eyes were on the walls of the structure, or what walls remained in the half-baked demolition of the complex.

“Yeah, even I found this place daunting when I first started coming here. It felt like a long, long time ago. Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.”

Izaya’s comforting words came with him patting the girl on the head. He turned his eye at the large building in front and what used to be the main gate to this prolific research complex.

“Everything’s set. You guys can leave it to us,” he said to attendees who came to him.

With Uehara and Sana following him, he took a step into the research complex. The three of them walked into what used to be the lobby.

The walls had not been torn down, but the only thing that remained was the receptionist desk and some half-collapsed hallways.

He glanced to the side in order to look at both Uehara and Sana periodically. In the end, he stopped in front of one of the hallways that remained unblocked.

“How does it feel going through this path again after such a short time?” he asked Uehara.

The girl merely scoffed at him. With her arms crossed over her chest, she sighed. “Just get it over with.”

Izaya’s face sunk. Yet, he soldiered on with the two girls following him. It was then that a loud sound rang throughout the abandoned research complex. It was not something coming from the obviously broken sound system, but when they stepped into an open area, they immediately saw it.

The night sky, from what can be seen past the still erect walls, had been covered up, and in place of it, a bright purple haze.

“A tad early, hmmm…”

He sniffed the air a bit, only for his nose to welcome the noxious smell of that world. Experiencing those same feelings in this place in particular only brought back bad memories of that time. The he of that time would have retched and faltered, but not the present him.

Not now, when he was mere hours from exorcising those demons. Those ghosts would haunt him no longer after the night’s done.

Izaya swiftly turned back upon hearing a weak yelp, and to his expectations, Sana clutched her chest. The girl had gone down to one knee, and she was breathing heavily.

“Sana!” he called out in concern. Beckoning to Uehara, who had sprung into action and supported Sana, he stopped mere inches away from the girl, shocked by the level of suffering on her face.

It was just like what the reports had said, the whole impetus of the incident that led to her running away. It’s starting all over again.

“We must hurry, Sayaka.”

 

3

While the activation of the drones and the energy barrier around Elysium was not a thing that most people in Shiroki were even aware of, it was a different story for those who had increased sensitivity to the world beyond.

“That is?”

Wide-eyed, Reijy Ishida looked towards the heavens, to the direction of the research complex that was miles away. With most of his face hidden underneath a parka hood, his eyes shone against the moonlit night before they dropped to look at the unconscious body laying before him.

He cracked his knuckles before pillaging the thug of his belongings.

“Ahaha! You felt it, too, didn’t you?” called a lively female voice in his head.

Reijy kept quiet while he uncovered a knife from the unconscious body. He then nonchalantly tossed it aside, right next to the pile of belongings that the thug had stolen from bystanders.

“Heeeey~ Reijy, Reijy~ Come show some excitement, would you?” continued the voice.

“Cut it out, Akane,” he finally replied.

“Aren’t you looking forward to seeing them again? That tentacle bad guy with that hot lady spirit will surely be there. And so will Arata and his team. We’ll finally get to settle the score with them. It will be a thrilling experience!”

“That is why I have been training. That asshole with the lady spirit… I was not able to defeat him. You were put in such a sorry state because of my carelessness, and I can’t let that happen again, Akane.”

“Ahahaha! Silly Reijy! Have you already forgotten who I am? As long as the fire of vengeance burns in your heart, I will never disappear. I will always be in you.”

Even with all her reassurances, Reijy couldn’t bear to see Akane Fujiwara in that form again. Ever since they left that Fragment near the science expo, the grossly injured form of hers had been keeping him up.

Whenever he closed his eyes, the image of the fairy: her already skimpy outfit torn, her wings withered, and her laboring in every breath, crept into his vision. It gave him nightmares non-stop, and every time he woke up, it was with a determination to become stronger and to crush his foes.

He had to become stronger. He cannot afford to see her like that again… He can’t lose her a second time.

“Reijy? Reijy? Earth to Reijy!”

As if teasing him, the playful voice in his head continued to call to him, almost taunting him in approach.

“Get ready, Akane.”

He raised his head, looking at the direction of where the signal came from. He clenched his fists as he visualized many different people who may be there.

An abject failure of a schoolmate, an undeserving hero who’s responsible for turning Akane into the form she’s in.

Family in the most marginal terms. A brother who stole his kingdom from him and a father who betrayed him.

That arrogant bastard with the tentacle arms who dared hurt Akane.

Finally, that lawyer with long, silver hair. A pretentious hypocrite who gave him this power, the same which he would use to destroy him.

He will crush them all.