The Rain That Pacify The Soul

"Hey girl, what's your name?" Reaper carried Naoko under his arm, the shadowy branches helping to support her weight while binding around the girl like ropes.

"Why would I tell you? I have no interest in cooperating with allies of necromancers."

"Are you stupid?" Magdalena held Naoko's violin in her hands. "Or just a huge hypocrite?"

"I'm not like other necromancers. I'm an ally of justice, that's why Jack chose me."

"Stop the nonsense, just say your name already!"

"Argh… Kawada… My name is Naoko Kawada."

"Kawada?" Magdalena raised an eyebrow.

"You know her?"

"No, but I've heard of the family name before. Kawada is a strong name between the mages."

Naoko replied with a murmur: "Yes, the Kawada's lineage was respectable… Until I existed…"

(...)

Before Edward fully regained consciousness, he found himself in a dimly lit environment. The only thing he could make out was an armchair in front of him, and sitting in it, the blurred image of that aristocrat dressed in red.

"Didn't you say you were going to make him regret it?"

The man pointed at Edward's body. By reflex, Edward looked at himself and noticed the hole in his clothes. The wound caused by Jack… was no longer there. Edward had no time to process what was happening, as the dream ended, and he was back in reality.

Upon waking, Edward saw Arya’s tear-filled eyes glimmer before her face broke into a smile. He gently wiped away her tears. "It's okay." Indeed, upon checking his wound, he felt it was no longer bleeding, and the pain was almost gone.

That dream unsettled his thoughts, but he couldn't waste time pondering its meaning. He needed to help his friend and find a way to save his beloved. However, as soon as he stood up completely, Edward understood that the dream was far from being just a dream. The voice of that man still echoed faintly in his mind, telling him: "It’s time to return the favor."

Still shaken, Edward felt an energy coursing through his body, spreading through his veins like a torrent of boiling water. At the same time, he felt his movements becoming lighter, and his mind processing the battlefield with greater clarity.

Edward puled his sword and charged toward Jack, who still had Peter in his sights. Edward clenched his fist and struck the ground, extending the bones of his arm underground, making them emerge beside Peter, nearly piercing Jack’s chest. Jack instinctively leaped back.

Jack retrieved his pistols and started firing at Edward, but the boy kept advancing, dodging and deflecting the bullets with his sword. In mere seconds, Edward was face-to-face with Jack, unleashing slashes from multiple angles as Jack struggled to dodge.

Realizing he was about to lose, Jack snapped his fingers, and suddenly, Arya was in his place. Edward stopped his sword just before striking the girl, and the two exchanged confused glances at the sudden switch.

"Huh? What? I was—" While Arya was still disoriented, Edward grabbed her and conjured a bone structure in front of them, forming a kind of barricade.

Edward didn't understand how it happened, but he deduced that Jack had swapped places with her, bringing himself closer to reclaiming his sniper rifle. Thanks to his quick thinking, Edward managed to prevent Jack's shot from hitting him again.

The shot had left a hole in the structure Edward created, through which he peeked to search for Jack’s position. "Arya, be careful!" As soon as Edward spotted the undertaker, he sprinted forward, using his whip as a distraction to close the distance. Jack’s bullets whizzed past, but this time, Edward was so fast that he could dodge their trajectories.

"Limited Edition: Juggernaut Touch." Jack stretched his arms through the portals, and when they returned, they were clad in bronze gauntlets with a technological appearance. Numerous circuits conducted magic, while gears on the back spun ceaselessly.

Jack waited for Edward to approach and then threw a punch with his left fist. Edward thought he had time to strike Jack before he completed the movement, but Jack's gauntlets glowed with a red light, and his fist was propelled forward at high speed, catching Edward by surprise.

The boy still had time to react, stopping his attack and blocking with his sword, but the force behind Jack's punch was so great that Edward's grip faltered. He was sent flying and crashed into a tree, shattering it on impact, but he refused to give in and managed to stand up despite the blow.

Jack’s left gauntlet began releasing a large amount of steam as the gears started slowing down. Jack looked at his right hand—each gauntlet needed a cooldown period, which meant his next punch had to be decisive for the victory.

The two combatants locked eyes one last time before bringing the battle to its conclusion. After the final charge, they crossed paths, narrowly dodging each other’s attacks before turning back at the same time—Jack’s right fist aimed at Edward’s head, while Edward’s sword targeted Jack’s neck.

"Black Parade." By a matter of milliseconds, the fight was interrupted. The tendrils of the Black Parade wrapped around both of their arms, preventing them from continuing their movements.

"You two seem to be having fun." Magdalena and Reaper had returned to the scene, along with Naoko, who was being carried like a rolled-up carpet.

"Looks like we interrupted at the best part."

"Jack, I’m sorry..." Naoko was visibly shaken by how things had turned out.

"It wasn’t your fault. I shouldn’t have let Magdalena act freely."

Jack withdrew his fist, showing his intention to end the battle. However, Edward was still struggling against the tendrils’ grip.

"This isn’t over yet… I will repay…"

"Repay what?" Magdalena was growing impatient. "From what I see, all three of you are still in one piece. Isn’t that enough?"

"If we let him live, he’ll keep coming after Arya…"

"And what do you intend to do? Kill him? Don’t be stupid, bone boy." Magdalena tightened her shadows, forcing Edward to drop his sword. "I don’t care about this necromancer hunt, but that doesn’t mean I’ll let you kill a creation of Mors." Magdalena glanced briefly at Jack. "And it wouldn’t solve anything. If you kill this Undertaker, a new one will be created, and the hunt will continue."

Magdalena had been careful when revealing this information, but it was pointless—Jack was already fully aware of his own existence. He had done well, managing to survive for fifteen years, but it wasn’t as if the necromancer hunt had only started fifteen years ago. Before him, there had been another Undertaker, and when he was gone, a new one would take his place.

"Anyway, I think we have a lot to talk about, don’t we, little hypocritical dog?"

As Magdalena and Reaper took control of the situation, Arya ran toward Edward, embracing him tightly. "Edward, you were amazing."

"Thank you… Looks like I finally kept my promise."

"Are you okay? How’s your wound? We need to treat it immediately."

"Don’t worry, I’m already feeling better."

In reality, that was what unsettled Edward the most—he felt fine, almost too fine. It was as if the wound wasn’t even there anymore. As his adrenaline levels dropped, exhaustion began creeping in. "Arya, I think I could use a nap…"

As Edward’s eyelids grew heavy, Arya carefully held him so he wouldn’t collapse to the ground and positioned his head on her lap, making her legs a pillow for him to rest.

"Is he okay?" Peter was still moving with some difficulty.

The two checked the wound Edward had suffered, only to be caught off guard. The layer of bone Edward had used to stop the bleeding had fallen away, revealing his perfectly intact skin.

"How is this possible?"

Peter sat beside them. "I have no idea, but isn’t it better this way?"

"Ah, yeah…"

"You should rest too, it was a tough battle."

At last, the three young warriors could breathe in peace. Even though they hadn’t properly defeated the hangman, they had survived the encounter. As if the heavens were responding to their relief, a light drizzle began to fall.

"…Huh?" In Arya’s experience, this was the first time she had ever been caught in the rain under an open sky, but for some reason she couldn’t explain, this rain gave her a feeling that seemed… familiar?