Questions Enchained

Darkness surrounded Sayaka in every direction, drifting in memories like water. She was suspended and struggling, flowing with thousands of them in an undercurrent. They passed one by one before her eyes, each lingering in her mind's eye.

Growing up, a divided household, countless nights with just her sister. Always dreaming of a better tomorrow, pushing forward despite tragedy, only to get broken again, and again, and again.

Her eyes blurred as she took it all in with confusion, watching her younger self push through all those struggles. Every time she'd piece herself back together, every time she'd gotten up, regardless of how much it had hurt.

…That was, until she'd done the unforgiveable toward the single light left in her life.

Hinata.

Her heart sank as she remembered what'd drove her toward her breaking point, off the cliff and beneath the waves, hoping to finally end it all. Her failure as a sister, her failure as an advocate, her failure as a decent human being.

Her lungs took in water as she kept reaching toward the surface, struggling to get air despite the pain.

Yet it hadn't ended there, she hadn't gotten peace. She'd gotten a new life in this world instead. Damned to deal with her pain, broken again but with no will left to pick herself up, and ridden by guilt for taking someone with her.

Her body burned as her muscles strained in slow motion.

The struggles she'd faced, the doubts she'd had, every moment of weakness. They clung to her, weighing her to the abyss.

"!" At least until her eyes flared on a renewed instinct.

She forced herself up in a burst, squeezing every ounce of strength from her limbs.

*GASP*

Her head breached the surface. She gulped for air as she coughed and scanned around her, searching for answers.

"…" But the only thing here was an endless void that stretched on until the horizon. She treaded its surface, barely afloat as she tried to make sense of it.

Her head strained until more scenes came to her. Flashes of combat and battle. Dodging danger as they ran for safety, a golden glow hand in hand, then her lashing out as she tried to protect Itsuki.

But why was she here?

As if answering, things began to manifest atop the water—disjointed memories that drifted around like fog.

They were moments of everything that'd convinced her to jump.

Why was she seeing them again?

"!" A paralyzing pain suddenly latched onto her from the void, shackling onto her ankles. She did her best to fight back as she kicked frantically.

No! She'd already beaten that battle! She would not be dragged down again!

As if to prove it to the void, she invoked other memories to combat it. They were more recent scenes, vivid despite their spectral hue. All of them bolstering who she was and the hope she had now.

Refi and Eflam's smiles. Velena and Kiaki's affection through their training. And lastly, the one who had convinced her to try living again:

Kisaragi Itsuki.

Brown eyes, a gentle smile, a hand offered to her at her lowest point. They were the things she'd learned to trust and even further beyond ever since they'd gotten to this world.

Strength surged through her as she reached out toward him. Then clarity struck.

She was unconscious now. She'd been taken by Reathe after they'd attacked her. That's what was happening.

Sayaka's chest throbbed as the shackles violently tightened despite the revelation, dragging her away from Itsuki's warmth. A splitting headache invaded her mind as she flailed helplessly to stay above water and everything shattered.

***

Sayaka opened her eyes in a gasp, sweat pouring from her face as reality met her. Her hair was fluttering around her wildly, like she was in the middle of a tempest.

Confused, she tried looking around but couldn't move her head that much.

She couldn't move much of anything.

Her chest chafed and her limbs were restrained tight against her sides with chains, barely allowing her to wiggle even a fraction. She could sense other things though, like the wind that buffeted her from every angle, levitating her a few meters above the ground. The air it brought was saturated with static and wetness, raising her hair to stand on end.

Sayaka sucked in her breath as she angled herself to try and get a better view. But it didn't work that much, only emphasize the soreness and wounds that covered her body.

Nothing but trees and wilderness met her gaze. The sky above them stormed with lightning and thunder. Flashes occasionally illuminated the landscape and what looked to be a few dozen ruined buildings.

Her heart sank as she slowly realized her situation. She was in the middle of nowhere.

She just hoped Itsuki was okay considering his injuries and that the others were alright too. But now that she was captured, what would happen to her? Would things be alright with whatever those cult freaks wanted her or Itsuki for?

"…" Actually, had this all been for nothing? Was her new life over before it'd barely even started? She was in their hands now, right?

"Ah, so that's why it stopped. Looks like the fooled lovebird managed to wake herself up~"

Sayaka instinctively froze, recognizing the flamboyant cadence as her body was flipped over to face them.

It was Reathe. They were hovering right beside her in muted glee. Their twintails fluttered around them, their robes were tattered and torn, and much of their pale body was exposed to the howling wind.

"W-where am I?!" she immediately shouted out and averted her gaze from their body. "What is this place?! And what are you even doing?!"

"You're with me. An old settlement. And seeing how well you resonate with an artifact-adjacent system—a test run if you will." The androgynous cultist tsked before shaking their head. "Though, you could've asked with a little more politeness. You do know that I could always cut your pretty tongue out on a whim, right?"

Sayaka quickly shut her jaw closed as Reathe wiggled their finger at her. The sharpness of their wind blades swiftly came back to mind. Her entire body was still covered in the wounds they'd inflicted on her when capturing her.

The reaction elicited a giggle from Reathe.

"Relax, relax. I wouldn't go that far. After all, not having a tongue really limits things. Like the noises one can make when suffocated~"

"W-what's wrong with you?" she blurted out before immediately biting down on her lip.

Darn it. Why couldn't she just be quiet?! Stupid impulses!

Lines of tension radiated from her as she clenched her body, expecting some kind of reprisal from the cultist. However, to her surprise, Reathe simply exhaled and deflated as the wind picked up more.

"I haven't heard that question in a good few years or so. At least, not from anyone I wasn't actively killing. If you want to know though, I'll be more than glad to oblige. I figure we can use this as… bonding time. Even if there isn't much left."

They gestured around them as they hovered above a strange stone circle carved with various runes.

"To think that ancient worldwalkers once used these platforms to transport themselves—it's rather fitting, isn't it? Test something, activate it, and a clean getaway to our actual artifact all in one. But that's enough gloating~"

They refocused on her.

"What's wrong with me is the same as you, my dear. Both victims of a broken system. Both forced into predetermined roles. Both repaid with nothing but death and an empty void when it all crumbled apart."

Sayaka's entire being was on edge, trying to find a way out as they talked. But she couldn't even outstretch her hand to use spells or her power. She tried shifting herself into another position.

"What's with all these 'boths'? You don't know me at all!"

"Don't I though?" they responded with a smirk. "I think I do, and very well at that now, Usami Sayaka."

Confusion, disgust, and dread crept in like vines upon hearing her full name from their mouth.

Reathe immediately noticed with a grin.

"You know, I've been rather bored since I knocked you out. Couldn't go as fast as I usually do, nor was I able to fly high with you much in this weather. Not when I'm keeping you locked up tight and preparing you as the catalyst for our plans."

Reathe started toyed with their hair as it flowed in the wind.

"So I took some liberties to entertain myself while I prepared and waited. And now… I've taken a liking to you personally. Haven't explored all your bits yet, but at least I've seen the important parts."

Sayaka's eyes widened as she looked down at her body, a chill running down her spine while she squirmed.

"T-the hell you mean 'explored all your bits'?!"

Reathe paused a second before smirking.

"What? Oh no, I didn't mean that in any erogenous way—dirty mind, you~ I meant it in a different sense beyond your modest chest. Deeper inside you~"

They giggled as they poked her forehead.

"So many thoughts in that head of yours. Your old world, your worries, your failures, and everything that you're going through now. I tried to parse through it a bit in our transit time and right now. Was a bit difficult, but… I managed well enough."

Indignation and confusion grew within Sayaka while she processed what the cultist had said. Her right hand slipped free of her bonds just as it began to click.

They'd read her mind?

"Wait… How…?"

"I'll get to that in a bit perhaps. For now, I'd like to comment first."

Reathe continued with a smugness on their face as they caressed her cheek.

A shudder ran through her again as lightning struck and rain started to fall.

"l can't believe some of those thoughts you were having in that dream of yours. Like, to think that you've fallen for someone with so much baggage."

They tsked as they grinned in the gale.

"…If only you knew that Kisaragi Itsuki more~"