Towering Shadows

The night brushed an unwelcome chill across their cheeks.

Ren and Sayaka locked the door behind them; their coats hugged them tightly.

"So," Sayaka murmured. "Where are we going?"

He turned to her.

An outline blurred behind her, floating in quiet stillness.

He remembered seeing the same presence once before, warm and familiar. 

"Almost like Aira," he whispered.

"What?" 

Sayaka tilted her head closer toward him.

"Nothing," Ren murmured. "It's not too far from here."

He led her through the gate onto the paved roadside. The night air brushed through his thin hair, kissing his cheek in soft waves. 

He stood at the entrance, shifting his gaze down the street. 

"Left, huh?" Sayaka murmured. 

Ren didn't turn or offer a reply, his feet had already begun to move, toward the presences looming in the shadows. 

The walk wasn't long for them. Being Seraphs naturally made their compositions more durable than regular humans. 

Ren stopped first. 

Sayaka, who had hung close, halted inches from his back. 

Ren's eyes flickered to a faint shine that hugged the air above him. This was the first time he had seen a zone barrier so high up, suspended from the sky. A faint chill tickled his nose. A snowflake rested on the bridge of his nose, before melting off its tip.

His hands lifted toward the sky instinctively. Flurries sporadically fell on his palms like tiny diamonds under the moonlight. It was as if the innocent human side of him didn't forget the calm and peace when it reached for them. 

"Snow," Sayaka whispered. "I almost forgot about it."

Ren glanced at her. Her hands were raised, trying to catch whatever may fall on them.

He almost smiled. 

Almost.

His focus returned to the sky. His eyes narrowed at the barrier. He could sense the demons, unmoving beyond it.

Sayaka followed his gaze. Her head tilted silently, unable to figure out why he had turned serious.

Ren could see her clearly, even with his back facing her. He was practicing, and exploring his ability the entire time. 

What he had learned, was that the aura of what he thought was Raphael, was indistinguishable to Sayaka's. He compared that same signature to himself and Aira. 

He could clearly see the contrast now at his level. The demons lurking ahead held a clearly defined aura, one that he had only felt traces of not too long ago.

Even then, just yesterday he couldn't even sense anything within the zones.

He took a breath.

"It's right above us."

Sayaka's gaze held for a moment upward, then they left the sky, returning to him.

 "I know you said you can sense things now or something," she said. "But, there is nothing but sky there, Ren."

His eyes flickered with a faint shimmer as the barrier started to quickly expand toward them. The presences shifted within as if responding to being discovered.

"Are you listening to me?" Sayaka snapped.

"This must be how they trap their targets in Spatial Zones," he whispered back.

"What?"

Her gaze reached one of his hands, which had curled tight by his side. 

She exhaled. 

Without another word, she watched him from behind, trusting his eyes instead of her own.

The barrier had reached the top of the nearest buildings, swiftly falling toward them. 

Good.
Ren thought.

It would be better if they came to him quickly. 

He listened to Sayaka's heartbeat pacing steadily behind him as the barrier swallowed them whole.

__________

The whistling of the wind halted in one fell swoop. There was nothing but the familiar absence of life and color circling them.

Ren's arm's relaxed by his sides.

"This is..." Sayaka's words trailed off as she stepped up toward Ren.

He didn't respond. His focus was elsewhere. Everything was much clearer than before.

He could pinpoint where each of the demons were ahead, waiting for them. He could also tell that they were different. Their aura's were heavy; much different than their own. If he had to put it into words, it would be fair to call it living suffering. As if their bodies had accepted their fates, embracing the never-ending torture.

He turned toward Sayaka at his side, more for her comfort than his own. Her heartbeat sped steadily with controlled precision. 

She wasn't afraid or anxious. 

She was ready.

Ren's eyes studied her for a moment. While in this space, the presence of Raphael now coated her frame instead of drifting near. It was as if they couldn't materialize within these zones.

This must be the "divine energy" Aira had explained to him before.

But he was already aware of that. 

He never saw Aira when he was pulled into zones, even if she supported him within his mind.

It at least proves that even angels have limitations, and that within these zones, he can feel the most human. 

The closest thing to being alone.

Just like when he came into the world... 

...and when he would eventually leave it.

His cheeks shifted upward; forced down by a short shake of his head. A reminder of why he was here.

"Don't you think it would be rude," he murmured. "To keep our hosts waiting?"

Sayaka nodded with confidence.

"Let's go," Ren whispered. "I know where they are."

__________

Glass reflected dull moonlight at Yokohama Landmark Tower. 

Below, the cries of death mixed in with the scent of blood on pavement and walls. Streetlights flickered weakly in the dullness, with some shattered entirely. 

"Those who can still move," Shin roared behind him. "Stay where I or an advanced rank can see you."

Sweat dripped from his brow.

He was managing, barely.

It had all started when they arrived near Yokohama Bay off the Yokohane Route.

The oracle who had joined the team in a separate car behind was given instructions to halt early for their own safety. She wasn't a fighting class anyway, and would only get in the way. The oracle continued to relay information through her phone towards the convoy.

The moment they reached the location in question, silence followed a greater darkness than the night sky.

The convoy halted. Seraphs stepped out of their vehicles. Yuna and Noboru closed their doors behind them, with Noboru checking his phone. 

"Yup," he said. "No connection. We must be here." 

They had driven into a Spatial Zone.

A shriek echoed in the zone, shifting the unit's gaze to the source. The Yokohama Tower.

Shin remembered those moments before things quickly escalated.

The thought that maybe he should have come on his own passed as quickly as it had come.

A roar raged out near the tower's top. 

Abaddon hung on the glass along the side of the building. 

Shadows the size of a ball continued to pour out from its body, growing legs and skittering down the side of the building.

"Tch," Shin muttered. "Each of those are as strong as a regular demon. They would have been fine if there weren't so many."

He shifted his gaze to the shadowy corpses that had turned to mist around him. 

A few of the weaker SL members lay unidentifiable, as their bodies started to fade into a lighter mist.

Shin clutched his blades of divine light within each hand, turning back toward the tower.

"Another wave is coming," he shouted. "Don't separate!"

He turned a sword of energy inward, pointing behind him. He angled the other one ahead then, he dashed toward the base of the tower.

__________

A few moments before...

Yuna pierced a dagger into a stray demon that had lunged at a fallen grunt from behind.

"Th...thanks," the Seraph mumbled.

Yuna took in deep breaths, turning away from the Seraph in silence.

Her face flushed red as she sprinted back toward Noboru's side.

She lowered herself, resting her hands on her knees.

"Why," she whispered under labored breaths. "Do I have to be the babysitter."

Noboru extinguished a bow of light from his hands before reaching into his jacket pocket. He pulled out a small lighter and lifted it toward the cigarette between his lips.

Yuna lifted her gaze toward Shin standing in the distance. She thought he radiated brighter than a star. And if it wasn't for the risk of him getting mad at her, she would have never saved as much as she had.

"We really are lacking," she whispered. "If only my dear Sayaka was here."

Noboru inhaled the lit cigarette, placing the lighter back in his pocket.

"You're thinking of that girl again?" he muttered. "Focus on what's in front of you. Besides, you're the fastest one here, after the chairman."

Yuna pushed off her knees, standing tall with eyes weakly opened. Her pink hair stained with sweat, shone under the dimmed moonlight.

"Another wave is coming..."

Echoed from the front.

It was the last thing she heard before Shin darted toward the tower.

 "I will do my part to support Shin," Yuna whispered. "And he will praise me once we get out of here."

_________

Yuna Hime

Level: 8
Age: 16
Race: Seraph
Class: Assassin
HP: 1700
MP: 1
Strength: 1
Magic: 1
Agility: 8
Intelligence: 1
Faith Points: 0