Judas At the Rubicon

“Rosary, I’m telling you something’s off about this,” her guardian says as she and Mist stand before the torii gate. “Calling you to meet at the shrine, it’s all too… Too…”

“Too suspicious, I know,” she shoots back. Mere minutes ago, she was comfortably snuggled in a futon on the church office floor. The tension had passed, and she thought the night would pass peacefully until her phone vibrated. Expecting a call from home to check on her whereabouts, she looks up only to see Queen Bee’s name.

“Hello?” she answers, confused by the sudden call.

“Hello, Hattori-san,” Queen Bee answers, the tension in her voice evident even through the phone. “Sorry to call so late.”

“Don’t worry, I was awake,” Momo says, wiping sleep from her eye. “It’s not like you to call so late. Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, um…” she pauses, as if gathering her thoughts. “Actually, no… I… I’m…”

“Are you in danger?” Momo asks, hand clutching the phone tighter.

“No, nothing like that,” Queen Bee assures. “It’s just… Would you… Be able to come meet me somewhere right now?” Momo’s eyes widen, and she pulls the phone away to check the time. 23:45, April 3rd. It’s long past curfew for minors, and hardly the time for anything but sleep.

“What’s going on?” Momo asks, her body growing tense as the scent of danger lurks in the air.

“I just need to see you… right now… I’m sorry there’s nobody else I can turn to, so… Please…” Queen Bee’s voice turns from tense to desperate, triggering Momo’s empathy like a trap springing.

“Okay, where are we meeting?” she asks, sparking a look of disgust on Kasumi’s face.

“You’re leaving me to go see her?” she thinks, clenching her teeth to suppress a scream. Her fury soon turns to confusion as Queen Bee shares the meeting site. “Why would she be here?” Kasumi wonders, looking through the gate to the shrine beyond. She recalls the eerie feeling that follows her for days when she last arrives, the warm violet glow of the pearl as she drops it in the offering box, and the cryptic voice that sounds otherworldly, like her guardian, but depraved and desecrated.

“Well, my guardian says we shouldn’t go,” Rosary declares, turning to look at Mist. “What about yours?” Mist looks back at her, a bit shocked. She thinks back, trying to recall the last time she saw her guardian, only to realize it’s also at this shrine. The day the Diviner invited her in and sent her to retrieve the pearl. His visage was before the gate, shaking like a desperate plea not to enter, a plea she ignores. Now, when Mist looks in, all she sees is the faint glow from the windows. The shrine radiates with otherworldly, unholy spiritual energy, leaving her with a crippling sense of dread.

“I think…” Mist begins, wrestling with instinct and judgment. Her body is against it, screaming not to go with every cell. Her heart, on the other hand, urges her forward, baiting her with the promise of a life with Momo with every beat.

“What do I choose?” she wonders, her mind pulled in opposite directions by heart and body. Her synapses fire like a judge’s gavel banging, desperate to restore order. “The ritual is today, sure, but I thought it’d be later… What is that old woman hiding?” A touch on her hand freezes her scrambling mind. For a moment, she can hear something other than her thundering heartbeat, and she looks down at what touches her. Rosary’s hand is wrapped around hers, interlocking their fingers and squeezing securely.

“I know you’re scared,” Rosary says, her blue eye penetrating through Mist’s foggy visor. “But we’re called to follow Christ. Sometimes that means leaving all behind to find and retrieve that one lost sheep, and—”

*CREAK*

The creaking of an old door silences Rosary as both girls look toward its source. A figure in a thick indigo robe emerges from the main shrine building and descends the steps. Rosary wastes no time, dropping Mist’s hand and grabbing her rosary beads. By the time the Diviner stands before them at the gate, she has already transformed the beads and crucifix into their kusarigama form and assumes a battle-ready stance.

“No need for that, child,” the old woman says, her voice cracking and dry. “Not unless you care about your friend in here.”

“What’ve you done to her?” Rosary demands, fists tightening around her chain, poised to attack.

“Nothing she hasn’t asked me to do, child. Now put that away before someone gets hurt.”

*BOOM*

The ground beside the Diviner explodes, sending pebbles flying. The sound and shockwave are like a grenade, nearly setting off the alarm of a nearby car. Mist’s eyes go wide as the pebbles rain back down, and she realizes what’s happened. Rosary stands with her arm outstretched, her crucifix dug into the ground next to the Diviner.

“If anyone gets hurt, you’ll be among the number!” Rosary shouts. “Now release her freely, or we shall take her by force.”

“Oh, are you sure about that, child?” the Diviner says, raising her left hand to reveal a bare wrist. “You remember the look of fear in that firefighter’s eyes when I threatened to release my horde. Shall we find out how well you two will fare?” Rosary stares down the Diviner, her bright blue eyes nearly violet as blood vessels bulge to the point of bursting. Her vision tunnels until not even her guardian’s cries to remain calm can reach her.

Suddenly, a new sensation touches her hand, bringing her back to reality. She looks down, seeing Mist’s hand grasp her wrist. Her grip is firm, recentering Rosary and stopping the rattling of her chain. The two share a wordless look, and Rosary releases a sigh of relief. She pulls her crucifix from the ground, returning it to its original size.

“Come in,” the Diviner says, turning back to the building she just exited. Mist likewise takes a step toward the torii, holding onto Rosary, who remains motionless. Unseen by anyone else, her guardian remains between her and the gate. He grows in size, no longer the chibi angel he always presents himself as. He towers over Rosary, even with his feet planted, as his armor glows with the bloodstains of a thousand battles.

“Don’t go,” he says, hand at his sword. “You should know better, and even if you don’t, I’m telling you. Don’t go.”

“But Mist is…” she whispers, feeling Mist’s hand pull her in.

“You’ve suspected something was wrong with her long before your Metropolitan voiced the same concerns. She hasn’t been herself; she’s hiding something. Her faith is only months old. Is it so outrageous to think she might be—” His words carry a weight beyond his form, as if he would move mountains, call down all Heaven’s armies, or anything else if it would delay her even a second. His efforts buy more than a second. Rosary stares in awe, feeling all her resolution melt away like ice near a fire. She knows he’ll do something drastic if she doesn’t heed his words. The thought alone makes her ask the one question that never crosses her mind.

“What would Jesus do?” Rosary weighs the idea in her mind until Mist’s hand again pulls her from her spiral. Mist pulls Rosary’s arm as she walks, looking back as Rosary remains firmly planted. Her eyes move between the two: her guardian and Mist. “It can’t be that Kasumi—” With her mind divided, Rosary can’t act, so Mist chooses for her. She jerks Rosary’s arm, pulling her forward just enough to take one step. Mist maintains the pressure, pulling forward until one step turns into two, then three, until finally Rosary steps through her guardian and into the shrine. Rosary doesn’t look back, but she hears her guardian speak and feels divine energy flow through her as if severing a bond.

“If I cannot guide you from your march to death, then I do not deserve to be called your guardian.” The energy fades, and a tear of blood wells in Rosary’s eye. Despite this, Mist keeps pulling, and Rosary never stops her, allowing herself to be led into the shrine despite somehow knowing she won’t leave.