ACT III – CORE-COLLAPSING INFERNO

 

Part II: Rehearse with the Devil

 

It was only thanks to Yuki’s intervention that Hikaru finally eased down, Kar only shrugging after the battle between him and the youngsters was avoided, taking one of the free seats to the sides of the ‘stage’, everyone else around sighing in relief. Reimei herself was still more confused than anything else, wondering what the reason behind the young Summerbolt and the old Mr. Devibolt’s intense relationship was.

Obur calling out to all the students quickly took her mind off those thoughts, however, and shifted her focus to the reason they were all gathered in this room.

(Obur) ‘OK. Now that that’s done, let’s get started. Where did we get to last time, Hikaru?’

Hearing that, the mad genius handed a bundle of pages kept together by a paperclip to Reimei while looking at a bundle identical to hers with the exception of the many notes written on the sides of the text printed there.

(Hikaru) ‘Yeah, just a moment, sensei.’ – his eyes skimmed through the contents of a couple of pages with astonishing speed even for the scarlet-haired beauty’s fast reading standards, eventually stopping in the middle of one of the pages – ‘Got it. Act IV, scene 1. This is the one where the dark titans make contact with the demons for help and the lesser Titania trinity comes to take charge of their forces.’

Confused by every single thing Hikaru said, Miss Scarlettail turned to the first page of the bundle, reading the fully capitalized title of the script with a line of text with normal capitalization under it:

 

WORLD PENTAMACHY:

THE EPIC OF A TRAGEDY

 

Written by: Hikaru Summerbolt

 

The title did clear things up for Reimei a bit, but not entirely, after the young Summerbolt went and pulled the teacher’s desk in the center of the room’s stage to the side using one arm and returned to her, deciding to ask for clarification on several points.

(Reimei) ‘So your role in the Drama Club is a scriptwriter, Hikaru? I had no idea. And this story … did you base it on the Pentamachy myth about the ancient multiracial war of Saiten?’

Her classmate didn’t answer, giving instructions to some of the other Drama Club members, including Yuki and their tiny silver-haired red-eyed classmate Ayli, who stepped forward, Obur already standing by their side with an apparent eagerness to act greater than everyone else’s combined.

(Hikaru) ‘OK. First up, Segune-sensei, you give the introduction for this act. Then we get to the first scene, starting with just the extras for the dark titans and the demons. All you guys use your deep and scary voices and those special moves we talked about, OK?’ – he didn’t even wait for a confirmation of any kind from the people he had asked, moving on to the next instruction while they were left comically puzzled – ‘When your dialogue is done, come in the three first generals who’ve just arrived from Titania. Sik, Yuki, Ayli, be at the ready to look as surprised as possible when you walk through your servants’ ranks and see the state they’re in. Finally, we get to the decision for the titan invaders to move against the dragons and close the scene. If we can do this in one go, that will be great as I’d like to cover the whole fourth act today.’ – though the majority of them were still comically puzzled, the actors nodded, Hikaru’s expression that looked like he wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer mellowing out after receiving confirmation his order would be followed – ‘Right. Take your positions and let’s go.’

Seeing as how he still hadn’t answered her and she was becoming more curious by the minute, Reimei decided to ask the young Summerbolt the same questions again at the risk of making him angry, someone else getting such a reaction from him before she could when Kar raised his hand with an awkward smile.

(Kar) ‘Um, sorry, but … did you say the first scene will have a dialogue between dark titans and demons? Because I’d be more than happy to play one of the demons. I’ll even use my transformation to make things more realistic. Might help with the acting, right?’

Obur intervened this time before Hikaru could counter his grandfather with another outburst, threat or the like, while the Literature teacher was again very polite, the undertone of dislike for Mr. Devibolt in his voice being unmistakable.

(Obur) ‘I’m sorry, Mr. Devibolt, but we’ve already got the roles for the demon extras covered and although they don’t have many lines, it’s good for them to practice those lines as much as possible. And for their schoolmates to get used to acting opposite them in this scene.’

(Hikaru) ‘And didn’t you say you won’t be a hindrance and that we should just pretend you’re not here? That will be hard to do when you’re taking over the roles of extras in the play!’

Now the regional education manager’s expression and overall stature changed to that of a pouty child as his eyes moved from Hikaru to Obur and back, annoying both of them more and more.

(Kar) ‘Come on, now! I don’t get a chance to be directed by my grandson everyday! I won’t be doing it for the whole rehearsal! Just one time! Please, Obur! Just give me a chance to see how effective it’s gonna be! Hm? Hmmmm?’

The mad genius’ Literature teacher hugged him over the shoulder and both of them turned their backs to Kar so they could confer in secret, Reimei being closest to them than anyone else, though, and thus still being able to hear what they said.

(Obur) ‘Hikaru, I say we let him do it once to please him and then move on to the real rehearsal. Otherwise he’ll just keep asking to be included in the scene and getting on our nerves, which will only piss everyone off.’

(Hikaru) ‘Hmmm … I don’t like it much, but I guess you’re right, sensei. Let’s just hope this will put an end to his bullshit, because I’m about to lose it.’

After that the duo turned to face Hikaru’s grandfather again, having taken on a fake approving appearance which in turn filled him with hope, Obur holding his student by the shoulder, though, to make sure he wouldn’t lose control and break the act.

(Obur) ‘Very well, sir. We can use you for one take. Jole, you can take a break for this one. Hikaru, get your grandfather a script to read off of and let’s get to it.’

Both Jole, who Reimei saw on the script in her hands was the demon extra with the most lines, and Hikaru only nodded as they did what Obur had asked, the former moving aside from the others who were meant to play the demons while the latter gave Kar one of the many printed copies of the script lying around as he took his position among said extras.

(Hikaru) ‘These are your lines here. Whether you get it right from the first time or not, I don’t care. It’s the only chance you’ll get. Mess it up and we move on to another take with the original cast.’

(Kar) ‘Thank you, my boy. I’ll do anything you tell me to, so don’t worry. Your granddaddy definitely won’t mess this up!’

Under different circumstances, Reimei couldn’t imagine Hikaru would be disrespectful enough to strike an elderly person, but if ever he was close to doing so, it was after what Kar said to him then, Yuki pulling him to Miss Scarlettail’s side to calm him down while Obur took his position between the demon and the dark titan extras.

(Yuki) ‘Just bear with it a bit longer. It will all be over after this take and then we can actually get to work. Everyone’s relying on you to guide them, so you can’t get distracted now, even by him. OK?’

(Hikaru) ‘Got it, Yu. Thanks.’ – after that his attention was turned to the actors for the fourth act’s first scene, the young Summerbolt becoming as serious as possible and the same being valid for everyone else involved in the scene, even his grandfather – ‘Right, then. Act IV, scene 1 – start! Enter the narrator!’

Obur walked a few steps forward while hunching and using an imaginary cane for support, stopping at one point and taking a deep breath before starting to speak with a voice that sounded even deeper and more mesmerizing than Reimei found his normal one to sound like.

(Obur) ‘And so, after the defenders of Ombus turned the tide of the war in their favor with the use of the three holy weapons, most of their enemies fled back to the darkness of Xule’s mountains to seek the help of otherworldly forces yet again. Unbeknownst to the invaders, as the demons of hell answered their call, three of their race’s strongest living weapons were speeding toward Saiten to check on their progress on behalf of the rulers of Titania.’

Mr. Segune stepped aside now for the demon and dark titan extras to come into focus, the moment he did that the latter group of extras kneeling and starting to bow their heads to the floor again and again while chanting in as sinister a voice as amateur teenage actors could manage.

(Dark Titan Extras) ‘Hear us, oh, lords of hell. Your dark servants call upon you. Reveal yourselves to us in our hour of need. Guide us on the path of destruction. And let your rule of damnation never end.’

Right after, Kar enveloped himself in streams of grayish-black water with streaks lit in light red here and there, as unusual as Reimei found the water’s appearance to be and unnerving – the feel it had about it, the changes Hikaru’s grandfather underwent behind the streams made of that water were a lot more disturbing. Demonic wings came out of the man’s back, a tail – from the back of his waist, horns sticking out of his head, his height and muscle mass changing while his body twisted in unnatural ways and made sounds as if the bones within were breaking.

Amid the disappearing water streams came out a creature that chilled the scarlet-haired beauty to the bone despite her skin having registered the temperature in the room had slowly been rising ever since the transformation had began. It was a male demon with dark green skin and horns, his shoulder-length straight hair being made of that specific water, the back of his palms and his ankles being clad in the same deva just like his entire wings and the end of his tail. His azure eyes lacking pupils and irises almost seemed like cracks on his face rather than actual eyes because of their irregular shape. The inside of his mouth was of the same color and like the eyes it looked like a crack, this one having sharp teeth in it here and there. His tongue glowed in light red, as did the marks on his cheeks that were in the shape of two squares on each. Lastly, the creature’s attire included light armor that mixed azure with light red and bandages of a darker shade of blue for the length of his tail, his torso and the lower half of his legs.

His chilling appearance was equally matched by the specific blood-curdling sound of his voice, some of the other demon and dark titan extras being on the verge of fainting after hearing it as he started reading from the script in his hand.

(Kar) ‘What need drives you that you seek us out again, ye lowly titans? Were the demon shifter marks we gave your slave troops not enough that you ask for more?’

The dark titan extras were so taken aback by both the dreadful appearance and convincing performance of the demon morph that none of them answered for a while, Reimei, who was closely following the script, deciding to call out to them when no one else did.

(Reimei) ‘Dark titans, you’re up! ‘Our enemies wield three weapons of great power …’ and so on! Let’s go!!’

Miss Scarlettail’s shouting, which surprised even her, was able to make the extras come back to their senses, the serious expressions returning to their faces as they fully bowed their heads again, one among their group starting to talk to Kar and the other demons without looking at them.

(Dark Titan Extra No. 1) ‘Our enemies wield three weapons of great power, my lord. Weapons capable of slaying even our titan slaves turned into half-demons. Those among them that survived sided with the defenders of the capital. With such might at their disposal … we’re no match for them.’

Mr. Devibolt and the demon extras now became curious, as per the script the scarlet-haired beauty was reading, looking at each other despite the obvious unwillingness of the rest to look at Hikaru’s grandfather, another one from that group starting to speak after taking a step forward.

(Demon Extra No. 1) ‘Capable of even slaying half-demons, you say? If that were true, this substance will most likely be able to affect angels as well. Never did I imagine to find such a thing on this world of all places!’

The demons’ point of focus became the dark titans again, after a third member of the former group raised his hand, the members of the latter looking up to face their superiors while continuing to kneel.

(Demon Extra No. 2) ‘You titans seek to not only annihilate the traitors who escaped from your world to this one, but to claim the substance they’re guarding in Ombus, do you not?’

(Dark Titan Extra No. 2) ‘We do, my lord.’

(Demon Extra No. 2) ‘Very well. We will help you do both. And in return, after you’ve completed your conquest, half of this mysterious substance will be handed over to us.’

This time, the dark titans looked at each other for a moment before returning their attention to the demons.

(Dark Titan Extra No. 2) ‘It shall be as you will it, my lord. Half of the substance shall be yours when the end of the war comes.’

(Dark Titan Extra No. 3) ‘But how will we claim victory if we can no longer rely on our slaves to be turned into demons by you? Could you perhaps send demons from your realm onto this one directly, without using any vessels?’

Moments after that question was asked, Kar and the other demon extras grinned villainously, directing their hands toward the kneeling dark titans, the time for Hikaru’s grandfather to talk coming again.

(Kar) ‘Such a thing is not possible, nor is it necessary. We still have plenty of vessels to use on your side. Your slaves were weaker, so we could only turn them into half-demons, but you titans of the seven prime nations … we will possess your bodies fully and bring forth the true power of hell’s scourge into Saiten!’ – the dark titans now became terrified, their demon masters bursting partially in their devas with their hands still directed forward – ‘Now, offer all that you are to us and seize your victory in blood and blasphemy!!!’

As there was a pause again, Hikaru intervened with specific instructions he seemed to have thought up beforehand.

(Hikaru) ‘OK, this is it! Climax of scene 1! Demons, keep on bursting in your devas and directing your hands toward the titans! Titans, do as we practiced! Start rolling on the floor and screaming in agony!  Sik, Yuki, Ayli, when they start transforming, you three come in and look as shocked as you can!! GO!!!’ – four of the students which seemed to be in range of Kar’s hands suddenly burst into reddish-purple flames, utterly shocking everyone except Hikaru who skipped the shock faze and went straight to anger – ‘WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, YOU SENILE DEMON?!! DON’T ACTUALLY SET THEM ON FIRE!!!’

(Kar) ‘Oh, sorry! I really got into the whole evil demon thing and with my hands pointing at the students, I just …’

Obur and the students went straight for the burning and screaming extras now, trying to use their devas to put out the fire with no success, even the ample amounts of water Reimei was pouring on them proving to be useless.

(Ayli) ‘Damn, nothing’s helping!’

(Obur) ‘They’re not normal flames! We can’t put them out like this!! Kar, stop them yourself!! Right now!!! Feoria, you absorb the heat from them while he’s done to lessen the damage as much as possible!!’

(Feoria) ‘I’m on it, sensei!’

In that moment Feoria – Miss Scarlettail’s other classmate who was a member of the Drama Club and had dark brown hair always tied in a ponytail and yellow eyes – tore some of her school uniform apart and started burning through the rest with the activation of her deva capable of emitting and absorbing heat through the skin. But the moment she released her ability coincided with something else. Something many probably hadn’t noticed due to the state of panic they were in.

Reimei noticed it, however – Kar had an absolutely terrifying grin of triumph on his face while watching how Feoria put her deva to use with full force. As if that had been exactly what he had wanted to cause all along with his supposedly accidental loss of control.