Red Nocturne

by Shūsuke Amagi

Far away from the students in the Military Arts course, Layfon stood alone on the roof of the Student Council's building. The city held its usual peace from a viewpoint high above anything else. However, the atmosphere wasn't as lively as before. All of the students left behind had entered the shelters.

  Layfon's weapon harness was empty. The student who delivered his meals told him the Student President would hold his Dites temporarily. The Sapphire Dite. The Shim Adamantium Dite. The Adamantium Dite. All of them. The Student President didn't want him to make a move.

  (He's serious.........)

  Karian's determination to keep Layfon away from battle was apparent by not returning the Dites to him even under this situation. Layfon was a bit uneasy with Karian's action. He recently had a feeling of fear from not doing anything.

  "I have nowhere to run......"

  What could he do even if he ran away? He did tell Meishen that he would return to General Studies after Karian graduated, but he had now lost that confidence.

  "Am I someone who can't do anything without the Katana?"

  Another way to put it was from the moment when he was born.

  "What do you think?" he turned around.

  Felli was here. "That kind of thing......" Her face was still pale. It might have been caused by her overuse of psychokinesis. Nina was the same before.

  "I'm sorry for making you fight with me."

  Felli shook her head. The wind blowing past the roof made her hair dance. She turned her head to keep the hair smooth and quietly moved over to his side. No weapon harness hung on her waist.

  "They took it away at the hospital. I was permitted to leave my room but they banned me from using psychokinesis."

  "I see......"

  "I can still use it even without my flakes. I can use the flakes in the battle to support Fon Fon," she said, watching the city as she pressed down on her hair with a hand.

  Layfon looked at her with a "what're you planning" expression.

  "But it doesn't have to be that troublesome. I know the approximate location of my Dite," she continued before he could respond. "I can restore it from a distance. I can even tell you accurately the number of scales on a filth monster."

  "Felli........."

  "What?" Her hand was still on her hair as she turned to him. "I'll grant your wish. It's not because of someone's order. It's not forced. I'm not doing this for the city. My actions come from my feelings to work with you."

  Meaning she wanted to aid him. But.........

  "You don't have to."

  "Why?"

  "Felli, you haven't fully recovered. Don't force yourself, and......"

  "And?"

  "I don't have the confidence to hold a Katana right now," he lowered his gaze. Karian was right. Even if he held a Dite now, he probably couldn't take any real action. But perhaps he could do something if he did hold a Dite. He felt that influence from Felli's words. She'd fight even though her body was not in a condition for her to fight.

  ".........I see."

  There wasn't any disappointment in her voice.

  "In truth, I'm a bit lonely."

  "Huh?"

  Felli's gaze turned to the outskirt of the city. Layfon didn't know whether she could see that far without using psychokinesis, but she said with a frown, "I said before that I have to use psychokinesis. I don't wish to become a psychokinesist, but my body makes me. That I really don't like. I also don't like my brother forcing me into Military Arts."

  Yes, she did say that.

  "But when I am told not to use psychokinesis, I feel unexpectedly lonely. Even though I know this is just for a short period of time."

  Her pair of eyes looking so far away did feel like they had lost something.

  "Fon Fon, our bodies were born to fight. It's a reality that we can't turn around. So we have to fight, or you could say we have to fight because of this body......What do you think?"

  "About that......"

  How could he know.

  "But what I can confirm is........." She was still looking at the outskirt of the city. "The people over there are weaker than us. Have they already found their answer?"

  The immature Military Arts students who fought desperately against the larvae. However, they did not run away. They gathered and did not abandon their battle.

  "Have we been abandoned?"

  "If that's the case, we........."

  Darkness filled their future. Layfon shook his head as if he was shaking off that image.

  "I don't want to admit it.........But, that person is essential to us."

  Nina Antalk. She had what Layfon and Felli lacked. Especially.........Felli didn't know............The reason that Nina attracted Layfon was because she had the determination to sustain her will. Something that Layfon didn't have?

  "I hope she can return."

  "Yes," Felli nodded, and......The atmosphere in the air suddenly changed. A sense of danger pierced Layfon.

  "Eh?"

  "Go inside the building! Hurry!"

  He pushed Felli from behind and looked up at the sky. The air spun like a whirl inside the air purification system. A huge creature appeared above Zuellni after the whirl dissipated. At a place where no battle preparations had been made.

  "Filth monster......" Felli murmured, having lost her chance to run.

  "......Oh no."

  The fear of death from Layfon's memory surfaced. A body like a lizard with strong hind legs and front legs that were smaller and shorter. A long neck sustained a head with a horn for assault purposes. A horn to pierce the sky. A pair of gigantic wings allowed the body to stop in mid-air. A matured filth monster. Layfon couldn't tell which phase it was in. It stopped in the sky as it surveyed the city. A filth monster that was more ancient than the one that Layfon and the other two Heaven's Blade successors had fought.

  (Can't win.)

  Just by standing here......The pressure on his entire body caused him to instinctively make that conclusion. He couldn't win even with a Heaven's Blade in hand.

  (I see. This is the real thing......)

  This should be dealt with by the Queen of Grendan.

  "Human.........The human being who foolishly broke the boundary. Why are you here?"

  But what was more unbelievable came next.

  "The filth monster.........spoke?"

  "Stop. Bring me your leader, else I'll eat you."

  The filth monster's voice drowned out Layfon, its voice covering the entire city, a voice filled with rationality and deep hatred that numbed Layfon's entire body. The city's movement stopped as if it was responding to the filth monster. The filth monster nodded at the shrill sound of metal clashing against metal that resounded through the city.

  "Good. The messenger has already left."

  The filth monster vanished from above.

  Chapter 5

  The Center of the World

  Leerin ran in the unfamiliar city. She ran and ran till exhaustion caught up to her and made her stop running.

  "Ha, Ha......." She panted, her lungs tightened in need of air. Her stomach hurt as if it was twisted.

  "I......I don't......exercise enough......."

  She had been sitting everyday in the roaming bus, and that fact hadn't dawned on her when she requested to leave the city. Now she didn't even have enough strength to smile bitterly.

  "Aaah, already done?" Roy smiled, standing ten steps behind her. This was the same distance between them when the chase began.

  "Sorry, I can't do much about my strength......"

  "Yes. It's good to exercise sometime! You can also cut back on some fat."

  "......Shut your nonsense!"

  "Excuse me," he stopped laughing. He wasn't the young man Leerin saw before. His twisted expression was revolting.

  "Isn't it about time to give up and hand that thing over?"

  She still held Myath, the Electronic Fairy that had the same name as this city. The bird could have escaped far away by flying off, but it stayed in her hand, i
nert as if it was sleeping.

  "It's useless! It has used up its strength inside the barrier. It can't move. It's half dead! You understand what would face this city if the Electronic Fairy died.........?"

  The death of an Electronic Fairy was directly linked to the death of a city. A Regios that couldn't move would not be able to escape filth monsters. It'd be consumed sooner or later. Leerin trembled at that possible future.

  "What do you Wolf Faces want?"

  "If you were a Military Artist, things would be so easy!" There was a mask in Roy's hand. "Once you wear this, you can see the world that Ignansis wishes for. You can see the Dream of Ignansis," Roy said, half wearing the mask. "World peace can be achieved when the majority of Military Artists hold the same dream."

  How unconvincing. How pretentious.

  "The Electronic Fairy is needed to stop the fate of continuous fighting between filth monsters and Military Artists. That's why we must move numerous Electronic Fairies to Senou. I came here to find En."

  "What's En?"

  "The network of Electronic Fairies. It shows the genealogy of them. Electronic Fairies can find Electronic Fairies of other cities through En, and it can also tell whether other Electronic Fairies belong to the same category as itself. Schneibel and Myath belong to the same genealogy. So I must catch Myath to obtain the En."

  "It's ok to do that even to sacrifice this city?"

  "Yes, it's an evil that is necessary."

  "You, you live in this city, don't you?"

  "Yes, so?"

  "......This city might disappear. Don't you feel anything? Aren't you a Military Artist?"

  "Ho, hoooooooo......" Roy laughed. "Who cares! How do you look at an Academy City? Same as others, right? That's not good. This isn't a permanent home. There's no value in protecting it."

  "How dare you say this......The people here are normal students!"

  "The principles of Military Artist? Humph!"

  Deep hatred showed on his face. "Is there meaning in it? Fear! Pain! The hell of Military Arts! Bastards who push these things to us so they can survive! Their lives or deaths have nothing to do with me!" the hatred twisted his face more. "Those guys who only look for the results and care nothing for our effort! Those guys!"

  Who did Roy hate? Who was Roy being angry with? Insanity and madness spread across his countenance. He didn't look like a human being anymore. Leerin retreated. But his words......seemed to be hiding something. She must see through it. That was her way of escape.

  (To understand Military Artists.........)

  She thought of the Military Artist that was the closest to her, Layfon. What would Layfon do? She thought desperately as she distanced herself bit by bit from Roy. She had to protect the Electronic Fairy in her hand. Its death was the equivalent to a city's death. Military Artists were usually the ones who protected it!

  (Ah......) She understood.

  "......I see," she stopped moving and laughed. The forced laugh made her face twist. "That's your reason!"

  "I said so!"

  "You're wrong." Leerin's tension rose. She must change her position and attack. "That isn't the reason to abandon Myath! That's the reason that you fell into such a state?!"

  "You!!!" Roy's voice was louder than a normal person's voice. Strong wind assaulted Leerin.

  She laughed mockingly. "Pain's revealed your true self? That of a weakling?"

  "Wh......"

  "You said it yourself. Fear, pain, the hell of Military Arts......That hell, you mean intense training, don't you? That's simple then. What about the rest? Fear and pain. Of what? If you want others to understand you, you should show your feelings and help them understand you."

  "You don't know anything! Don't say it as if you know!"

  "As if I know? Why do you think so?" Leerin asked coldly.

  Silence. He had nothing to hold onto. Roy now swayed between his dignity and weakness. Leerin had no confidence in how he would react. She was just taking a risk.

  (That's my only weapon.)

  And......

  "Pain. You must have felt that during training. As strict as my adopted father's dojo, and in the end you couldn't get up! Then what about fear? Something that a Military Artists is afraid of. Fellow Military Artists? That can make you afraid. War? Killing each other is horrible! But those who are asked to take the job are elites like the captain of City Police. Besides, you can't feel that level of fear in a fight between Military Artists. In that case, what's left is......?" her gaze moved from the sky to Roy.

  Roy's entire body trembled.

  "Filth monsters!" she scolded. "You ran away from filth monsters!"

  "Ah...... Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!" Roy hugged his head. "Damn! Damn! Damnnnnnnn!! Those guys, those guys! Playing with me. They don't know how horrible it is! They haven't even seen it!"

  Leerin's guess was right. It was beyond her imagination in how much it had hurt Roy mentally.

  He ran away from filth monster. Probably while on the ground receiving an assault! Fleeing from the horror of seeing filth monsters for the first time! Military Artists were born to protect the city, so they were protected by many laws......

  (Though that doesn't apply to Layfon......)

  Grendan had countless number of Military Artists, so they only received the lowest level of insurance money. That money would increase shockingly if the Military Artist showed he had great strength. Layfon had given that money to the orphanage, so his and Leerin's standards of living remained the same. They grew up together in poverty. Even so, he did not run away. Perhaps Layfon did feel that enormous fear, and he participated in underground matches in order to dispel that fear. He worked hard to keep the orphanage stable.

  (Compared to him, this man......)

  Roy was so, so very weak! No, she didn't think being weak was a sin, but a Military Artist who lost to his weakness was even worse than an average person.

  "Unforgivable......" Roy said in a low voice. "Unforgivable, woman! You're just a normal person, but you dared to fool me......" he crouched and rushed towards her. He didn't need any weapon. Just a fist would do. The Kei in his fist was enough to finish a normal person.

  Something blocked his attack.

  "Wh......"

  "......How shameful!"

  It wasn't Leerin. Different hair colour. Different voice. Sharp gaze pierced him.

  "You......"

  "Your attitude does sound like one who is banished from the "original city". But being unable to face your weakness, you picked the easy path, didn't you?" Nina let go of his fist.

  Leerin stood behind her. She was just buying some time. She knew Nina would come over to check the situation since the nest of light was gone.

  "They made something called En and used it to lure Myath.........An En for Schneibel."

  Leerin had won her bet.

  "You abandoned the city you should be protecting......You fool. Know your shame!" Nina said.

  Roy stepped back with a speed that Leerin hadn't yet seen. He had restored his Dite into a sword.

  "Ha, Hahaha! You're joking? Can you defeat me? I know! You traveled here through En. You might have defeated other Wolf Faces, but you can't defeat me!"

  "I will, just like how I stopped you before," Nina stretched out the hand she used to stop his attack. "But I won't kill you. That would be the same as waking up from a dream. Not that I plan to kill you."

  Leerin could only see Nina's back, but Roy, seeing Nina, showed fear in his face.

  "I'll deal out the punishment that suits your crime."

  "Hu!" Roy was behind Nina. And his figure disappeared as wind in the next second. Nina hadn't moved.

  He had fled.

  "Is that ok?" Leerin asked.

  "No time to play with him. Besides, that's all I could do."

  "Is......Is that true......?"

  A traveler who came through En. Leerin wasn't sure whether she got that right, but she knew Nina shouldn't be here. Nina already said that she felt like she wa
s in a dream. Leerin didn't believe her back then. And now. She didn't quite believe her either.

  "I can't explain in detail. This is my first time trying, after all. I'm not sure of the exact details myself," Nina turned around with a troubled smile. "I'm not someone who can be totally fair. I have a sense of righteousness. It might bring misfortune to my city sometimes, but this is different. This isn't what I wanted. I can't force other people to finish it. No matter what my true feelings are, it's some consciousness outside me that determines it. If I say it that way, I might be the same as the Wolf Faces."

  "You mean Ignasis and the Rigzario Belief?" Leerin said, remembering the conversation between Nina and the Wolf Faces.

  "Perhaps.........As for Rigzario, I don't know whether it's a person's name or something else."

  "What's Rigzario?"

  "The city I was born in. In the Senou City Schneibel, there's a machine called Rigzario."

  The target of the Wolf Faces.

  "And?"

  "I haven't seen it, but dad said it's the machine that gives birth to Electronic Fairies."

  "Huh?"

  "The womb that the Electronic Fairy Schneibel uses......That's probably what Rigzario is. We have other Electronic Fairies besides Schneibel in my city."

  "But the increasing number of Electronic Fairy......?"

  "Electronic Fairies travel as time passes to find their own cities....... That's probably it. I myself haven't seen an Electronic Fairy that travels though."

  The inert Electronic Fairy in Leerin's hand, small and weak, came to this city to give it life? The Alchemists had made Regios, cities that the level of modern technology could not make.

  "Sorry, I didn't know it'd turn out like that. But Electronic Fairies are born in Rigzario. The Wolf Faces have targeted it, and that has something to do with their actions here."

  "......So Nina's helping Myath because this has something to do with your city?"

  "Perhaps. That benefits me, doesn't it?"

  "You can't conclude with that."

  Nina took action before she knew about the Wolf Faces' aim. Some consciousness inside Nina had driven her to take action.

  "As I thought......You did it because you're strong," Leerin said, though she thought to herself "Ah, why did I say that?" She continued, "I know someone very strong, but he doesn't run away. I can't say we're his burdens, but he's probably freer without us. I want to be strong, but I'm just weak."