The unknown

There were just a few hours left before the invasion and two hours had passed since the meeting between NN, Himeno, and Shinichi Shindo, the rat strategically placed by Sasha Linda.

Himeno returned to the diner in which she and Junepai had their “date,” patiently awaiting the arrival of her two guests.

There was no one else there but herself, in terms of customers. Her waiter swung by several times, asking if she’d decided on her order. She only asked for a refill of lemonade.

The front door of the diner swung open, a bell dinging, further signaling their entry.

Junepai entered alone, wearing black sweats and an oversized jacket of the same color. He sat himself in the booth across from Himeno, his stomach sinking as soon as her eyes fell onto him.

“Is something the matter?” He asked, picking up his menu and ducking behind it.

“We’ll talk when your friend gets here, just relax for now.” She crossed her arms, staring off into the distance.

Ten minutes passed, and in came Yuya, dressed in jeans and a black sweater. He sat himself beside Junepai, and his heart sank just as Junepai's did; Himeno's eyes flickered toward him like an angry teacher.

“Did we do something wrong?” He asked, nervously chuckling afterward.

“No, sorry.” She sighed, holding a hand over her forehead. “I don’t think NN is making the right play here.” She stated.

“What do you mean?” Yuya asked.

“He insists on leaving you two out of the raid; he thinks Shinichi could be leading us into a trap. I don’t blame him for his distrust; hell, even I find myself doubting him now. But I can tell he isn’t lying; there is no trap.” She stated confidently.

“So what are you suggesting? You want us to come along?” Junepai asked.

“Not directly, no.” She grabbed a napkin from the dispenser, pulling out a pen and jotting down an address. “This is where they’re located. I want you both to go there well after we arrive. That way, you can avoid being told off by NN and have the element of surprise.”

“You want us to disobey NN’s orders?” Yuya shuddered at the suggestion.
“Yeah, no offence, but that guy's kinda freaky,” Junepai added.

“If these guys are as strong as Shinichi says they are, we’re going to need all the help we can get.” Himeno responded, “If we die tonight, then everything I’ve done to protect Sylvie will amount to nothing.”

“So I’m supposed to just leave Sylvie in my house, alone?”

“She’s not some fragile little girl; if push comes to shove, she can protect herself. Listen, even in the off-chance that the agents swoop into your house, you staying back will do no good if we end up dead anyway.”

The two boys gave each other a glance.

“That makes sense, I guess.” Junepai crossed his arms and leaned back.

“Yuya has something that I doubt the spies will be prepared for, that ability that negated my magic.” She stated.

“Zero zone,” Yuya stated.

“Yeah, that. No one's expecting to have their magic nullified. Not only that, I’m still a highly-experienced fighter, so having my magic temporarily stripped away won’t be as big a detriment to me.”

“What about the other two, NN and Shinichi?” Junepai leaned forward.

“That’s why I want you both to come after us, give it a little bit, and scope out the situation. If things seem truly dire, then I want Yuya to use that zero zone of his. That’ll be our final trump card.”

|

Yuya and Junepai approached the dock, standing before the large dome. A strange energy exuded from it.

“I can’t sense anything beyond this thing,” Junepai remarked.

“Is it a distortion?” Yuya asked.

Junepai didn’t answer, stepping closer to the red-pink dome and stretching an arm outward, hand held out and slowly inching toward it. On contact, he could feel something prick into his palm hundreds of times, an intense heat burning his flesh. A bright red light shone at the point of contact, pushing his hand away with immense force, steam rising from his hand.

“Definitely not. It’s a magic barrier.” He answered.

“Magic barrier?”

“They look like distortions, except they aren’t. They’re created by a person rather than a dungeon with the main purpose of keeping something inside, or things from the outside getting in.” He closed his eyes and held a hand out. “Still nothing he remarked.”

“What are you trying to do?” Yuya stood beside him with a confused expression.

“I’m trying to feel out their auras so I can get a good read on the situation, but this barrier is making things all wonky.” He lowered his arm and sighed. “We can’t get in at this rate.” He turned to Yuya, eyes narrowed. “You’ll have to use zero zone. Your technique should be able to negate whatever's causing this barrier.”

“Are you sure? Himeno is the only one somewhat prepared.”

“I’m sure. This barrier is giving me bad vibes.”

“Alright then. Stand back.” Yuya's voice shook a little as he approached the barrier, stomping a foot down in an exaggerated gesture.

|

A few minutes prior, Shinichi faced off against the remaining two agents of his group. They attacked with perfect synchronization, preparing for their next attacks before the last one even finished.

The now one-armed woman led the charge, raising her foot so high into the air that she could kiss her own knee. She slammed her leg down onto Shinichi’s shoulder, a silent grunt escaping his lips.

The male agent followed up with a kick on the opposing hip. They both let out loud shouts, blue light wrapping around their bodies.

They quickly leapt away, panting as if they’d run a marathon.

“Did you see it?” She asked.

“I saw it.” The other agent responded. “That future.” He shuddered, watching Shinichi hold his blade above his head, bringing it downward and cutting through the concrete with a tall wall of water. It sped toward the two at a rapid pace, the agents just barley managing to duck out of the way.

The female agent watched as the sleeve of her button-up was sliced off, fluttering in the air.

“His movements are too fast to consistently keep up with.” The man stated.

How much for more speed? Shinichi questioned. “I’ll take another month.” The voice responded. He held his wakizashi out at his side, water rising from the blade. He charged forward, scraping the sword against the concrete before lifting it upward. He spun his body, the water spinning with him and shooting toward the agents.

It cut through the ground, speeding forward and expanding.

The two agents failed to dodge, and the full brunt of the wave slammed into them. It consumed them, then threw them to the ground with immense force. Before they could recover, Shinichi was towering over them. He plunged his sword through the man's chest, his body going limp almost immediately, the blade piercing his heart.

The woman looked onward in terror, flipping herself onto her feet and leaping away.

“I’ll put everything into this last strike.” She muttered, holding her arm down to her side. The world seemed to darken around her, her hair cascading over her face, wind swooshing around her clenched fist. A thick blue aura burst, the wind growing more intense.

The two charged forward at the same time, the world seemingly stopping as they came face-to-face. The agent's fist was mere inches away. Shinichi held his wakizashi at his side.

Time resumed its normal pace, and Shinichi disappeared from her field of view entirely. She could see her own blood splash in the air, blending with the atmosphere of the dome.

I tried my best, master. She fell to her knees, eyes going dead, head hung low.

Shinichi wiped the blood from his blade, closing his eyes before reopening them and rushing forward.

Himeno dealt with her opponent with much more ease. Despite his newfound power, the agent could hardly keep up with her insane speed.

He barely managed to block a hook from the right, using both his arms to cushion the blow, but still somehow felt the impact on the side of his head.

She’s a monster! He thought.

She remained on his trail, slamming her fists wherever she could.
A strike to the chest, followed by a kick to his hip. She leapt and spun her body around, kicking at his shoulder. Once she’d landed, she closed the distance once more, grabbing the agent by the collar and reeling him into a devastating headbutt, his own blood flinging above his head as it snapped backward. She slammed a foot on the ground, hands still held tightly around the agent's collar, and swung his body one hundred and eighty degrees. Her foot bashed into the back of his leg, forcing him to a knee.

The agent raised an arm, blocking her attempted hook. He tried to reel his head away to dodge her knee, but failed, the full weight of the attack slamming into his chin. His head slung backward, his body flopping onto the tile floor. Through his blurred vision, he could see a blob barrel down toward him.

Himeno watched him roll away the moment she leapt into the air, her fist slamming down and exploding the floor beneath him.

The agent stood, trying to regain his composure.

Himeno crouched down, mana gathering at the soles of her feet like powerful cushions. The ground beneath her exploded into dust, her body zipping forward. She jumped into the air, tucking the lower half of her body toward her chest.

The agent stood, looking beyond the reality before them and reaching out with an invisible hand, peering at the futures that behold him.

I have to dodge! His mind screamed, but he couldn’t. His body couldn’t react as fast as his mind.

Himeno sprang her legs outward, slamming the bottom of her feet into the agent's chest and knocking him back into the loading dock, his body slamming against the wall with a loud thud. He slid downward, body going limp.

Himeno wasted no time in returning outside, the sound of battle growing louder and louder. She turned a corner, eyes falling on NN and Agent Moore.

“Don’t come over here!” NN’s voice slowly echoed toward her, his hand stretched outward.

The moment they came into full view, she could see Agent Moore's finger pointing in her direction, an intense blue light shining at his fingertips. It zipped her way, aimed right between her eyes.

At that very moment, the dome that once encapsulated them shattered, the broken sky above mending itself and sealing away the eye watching over them. A bright golden light flashed, a dome of the same color taking the place of the previous one.

The rapidly approaching blue light disappeared, and at the same time, Shinichi arrived. His Wakizashi turned into nothing more than a puddle of water. Himeno could feel an insane amount of fatigue consume her. The red aura surrounding NN disappeared entirely, his body surging with insurmountable pain and anguish. He fell to a knee, looking up at Agent Moore, who was shouting into the sky.

The black surrounding his arm disappeared, as did the eyes, which revealed several deep, bloody holes. His body appeared to be aging rapidly. His blonde hair turned gray, his skin grew wrinkles, and his back arched.

NN stared onward in horror as the powerful man he once engaged in battle with turned into nothing more than a shrieking, defenseless old man. That defenseless old man crumbled onto the floor and began panting heavily, holding onto his slacks with a powerful grip.

“What’s going on?” Shinichi asked, stepping forward.

“Zero zone,” Himeno muttered, looking up at the golden sky.

NN groaned and began to stand. The old man looked up at him with intense fear, falling to his back and crawling away. They found themselves unable to look away from one another. There was a strange sensation welling up in NN’s heart. It wasn’t necessarily fear, nor was it pity. It felt as though he was staring down at a mirror.

Yuya and Junepai rounded the corner, silently panting and coming to a halt, their eyes scanning the scene before them.

“Are you guys ok-” Junepai allowed his voice to trail, watching as NN got onto one knee and planted his pointer finger on the agent's chest.

“Wait!” He clamped his hand down over his wrist. “If you do this, there’s no going back. The one who comes after me will inherit all my knowledge regarding you and your techniques. They will kill you.” His eyes were burning with a mixture of rage and fear.

NN didn’t utter a word, a gentle blue light shooting out from the tip of his finger and piercing the old man's flesh. He watches his body fall to the floor, that strange sensation in his heart growing more intense.

There was that scent, then that feeling. The invisible hand pulled his gaze toward Yuya.