Chapter 22 - A Year of Sunlight (Finale)

Akari pointed at the man, who sighed and kept his composure.

“That idiotic child…” He whispered.

“Don’t even bother speaking, I’ll wipe you out right now!”

Zenith snaps his fingers and a tide of vacant-eyed husks flooded the street. Hundreds turned into thousands—a grey sea of flesh.

“Let this parade begin, then!”

Akari pushed ahead as fast as she could, slowly picking up speed until she landed a decisive kick onto one of the enemy's skulls. The humanoid creature spun, as Akari blew past them. Akari ducked their swipes and shoved them into the concrete. In her path, Ranmaru dropped down in the middle of the road to Zenith.

“Let us finish our battle, Hoshizawa! This is the end!”

He tossed a blow, but she evaded with precision, responding with a swift kick to the head. Akari bobbed from right to left, dashing to the side and attacking with quick strikes. She moves back, getting a running start to punch him, however the punch slides through him. From behind, Akari slams his face into the ground with immense force. Her hands caught fire. She hurled two spheres of heat that bloomed into orange ruin across his chest. The girl whipped her head around to Kanzaki.

“Don’t let that bastard tell you what to do! He’s not your everything! Your life can be so much more! So let me handle this! After I’m done, he’ll never bother you again!”

Ranmaru slowly stood up, grabbing the concrete Akari stood on and tossing it high up, but with a downward smash of her fist, she crushed the concrete scattering pebbles around Ranmaru, she vanished, as pebble after pebble slammed into him. He swung his arms around, hitting afterimages while Akari crushes her fist into his face, she sends him slamming back into the ground, not stopping for a second to elbow him in the chest, bridging her foot down on his neck.

“She’s… winning?!” Kanzaki gasped. Kagemura met up with Rika, halfway across the school.

“Sensei, we have to help her! I know you-!” Kagemura shook his head. “No, you’re right. Where’s Yuto and Ami

“I don’t know, I haven’t seen him in weeks. And Ami… I don’t know.”

“...Shit. We’ll just have to pray they meet up with us.”

Ranmaru kicks her in the chest with a heavy boot, but she brings her fist down onto his leg, swinging and beating on his arms.

Kanzaki stood back as Akari ran circles around the man, any mindless shambler that tried to intervene being atomized.

Seki…

Kanzaki trembled, but watching the focus on Akari’s face eased her mind slightly. She could win, she just knew it.

Akari fired off another blow knocking her enemy off balance. She drops down and sweeps his legs, before standing on his stomach.

“How have you improved this much…?!” Ranmaru gasped.

“I had a good teacher. And I’m not fighting blind anymore.” Akari hauled him up by the collar and buried a fist in his gut at such an extreme force, he crashed into a building. Next to him, Yanagi jumped down.

“Will you need some help, Ranmaru?” He taunted.

“Screw you…! Kanzaki…!”

The girl was gone, as Yanagi leaned over. “You’re all alone. Unless, you take my hand. Join us.”

He stared at Akari, and almost instantly made up his mind. He grabbed Yanagi’s hand, as a dark purple energy filled him violently. Akari dashed at him, but her punch was blocked and countered with a heavy blow.

“Blighted One! Join him and kill her here!” Zenith shouted.

Yanagi looked at him, shaking his head. “Unfortunently, my work isn’t done. So i’d rather not die yet. You;re on your own. You don’t interest me anymore.” With that, he jumped into the streets disappearing from view.

“These goddamn scum! Kikyo, you-!”

“Hush, you sinner. It was of your blood who took my sister dearest from me. I shall not impede Akari’s progress. I’m personally rooting for my sister’s special one to defeat you.”

Zenith stepped back. “Kill her, Ranmaru!”

He roared, striking Akari with blow after blow she barely parries, each toss of his fist destroying the buildings around him.

“NOT YET!” Akari shouted. Elsewhere, Yuto’s eyes lit up as he wandered the streets.

Akari…

Kagemura transports him, with Rika in tow.

“I could barely sense your nervous system, what…?”

Yuto cleared his throat. “It doesn’t matter now. Is Akari in danger?”

“...Yes.”

He joined them with a simple nod.

Akari slid back, panting heavily as in front of her, she watched Rika, Yuto and Kagemura appear, standing solid together.

“Guys…!” She cried.

“Been awhile.. Hm?” Rika added.

“The time for questions is over, if Akari is fighting this hard it’s clear… You’re the one responsible!” Yuto shouted, moving made his muscles ache.

“Anyone who aids in this terrorist's actions shall be imprisoned. This includes any past supporters. In just two hours, aid from the Order of Solace themselves will imprison everyone! Starting with Lumen, and Bolt.

The duo look at each other and nod, standing up from their seats in Amatsu Tower and running as hundreds of guards give chase.

“Akari!” Kagemura shouted. She looked up at him, as he gave her a genuine smile.

“I remember everything, sensei… Now that I’m not holding back, let’s finish this.”

“Absolutely not!” Yuto barked, “Zenith is your enemy! We’lll handle this fodder!”

Rika tossed Akari her staff as well. “And take this, if you even remember. Tuned it up.”

“This is our life’s work, how could I forget?” Akari smiled. “C’mon, Komorebi… Let’s finish this.”

Kagemura walked ahead, adjusting his coat as his students followed behind him.

“Team Hinome, let’s do it.” His students smiled. “Right!”

Akari blitzed past Ranmaru, as Yuto flicked a high pressure needle of water at the Blighted Man.

“Keep your eye on us.” Kagemura’s fist slammed into Ranmaru’s chest, with sparks of electricity flying out. Yuto flooded the area with a thick mist, a blade of water cutting into the chest of the enemy over and over. He swung wildly, only to watch Rika boost forward and knee him in the chin. The force sent him flying upwards, and within the same instant, Kagemura smashed his fist into him like a lightning bolt. The man slams into the ground with a resounding thud, as Yuto encases him in a prison of ice.

“When did you learn ice?” Rika taunted.

“When did you not use strings?” He replied.

Rika stood firm. Kagemura told me to think outside the box, and I did… these hands were meant to destroy too! That’s how any good mechanic rebuilds.

Yuto stood by her side, A week, of constant torture taught me one thing. As I am, I will never be enough. So I have to be more, and I WILL!

Ranmaru breaks out of the ice, stomping towards them. Just as Akari is about to reach Zenith, a white light kicks her out of the air and onto the ground. Akari shoots right back up, watching Seraphine touch down wearing a bright knight’s armor.

“...Chika. Drop the disguise.”

“Oh, you remember me now? Well, isn’t that a surprise! I thought I’d have to kill a fourth friend to remind you.”

“Shut it! I’m killing you right now, I promise!”

Suddenly, a memory strikes Kagemura, Yuto and Rika. The final memory of Ami. The three of them wince, as Rika clutches her chest.

“Ami… dear god…”

Chika’s hair shifts from blonde to black, as her bright yellow eyes glare at Akari.

“...Your power lets you shift places with your orb of light, but what I couldn’t have noticed is that you can leave a part of yourself.”

“..Like right now.” Akari spins around, slamming her staff into the head of Chika’s afterimage.

“Perceptive… the only person who could figure that out would’ve been Ami.”

She points her thumb at herself. “Ami’s still inside me! So is Astra, and whoever else you’ve killed!”

Akari rushed head first into battle, a swipe of Chika’s sword cleaving countless buildings in half. Kibi switched into its scythe form, colliding with the sword dead-on, Chika appeared behind Akari instantly slicing an afterimage, while Akari rushed in with a fierce kick to the face, Chika teleported, but Akari would always be behind her, landing consistent attacks. Chika’s sword slashes Akari’s cheek, spilling blood as the two swing their blades at each other, once, then twice, then faster than the eye could see, Akari twirling her heavy scythe around to deflect the sword’s burning fury.

“Oh holy-!” Akari’s fist slammed into Chika’s face, she was erased from the air, cratering through the brick and mortar of the slums. following up with a barrage of fireballs that level everything in its wake. She slices down, only to find a crater. Chika rushed at her, with Akari ready to retaliate, however Chika spits blood in her eye. Akari lunged blindly. She didn't feel the blade—only the sudden, impossible lightness. Her arm hit the pavement, as Kibi clattered into the blood.

She held her stub, before being hit with a barrage of attacks from Chika, tossing the sword aside Chika grabs Akari by the face, dragging her across the buildings face first and into a crater,before leaping high up and slamming down on her back, crushing her spine into dust.

“What’s wrong, “Leader?!” She shouted, kicking Akari’s gasping body. “Where’s that cocky attitude now huh?!”

Her foot slammed into Akari’s ribs again.

“Why did Zenith choose you instead of me?! What makes a nobody like you special?! I gave up EVERYTHING! I SLAUGHTERED EVERYONE FOR THIS! SO WHY?!”

Akari laid, vision fading in and out as her hearing started to fade.

Countless voices, all calling her name, each with a different emotion, voices of the young, the old, friends old and new,

“AKARI!” Yuto shouted.

“GET UP AKARI!” Rika yelled at him.

“DON’T LET HER BEAT YOU! YOU CAN WIN THIS!” Kagemura added.

Ami and Astra smile at her from the side of her vision, her parents stepping forward with a nod.

A voice she’s never heard jumps to the forefront of her mind.

“What do you wish for?”

Chika lifts her blade, ready to bring it down onto Akari’s head.

Isn’t that obvious…?

A final plea screamed the loudest, out of anyone else.

“AKARI!” Mei screamed, her emotions resonating a mile away.

A blinding white flash of white shot up into the sky, dispersing the clouds as far as the eye can see before condensing into a dark sky. Before she can blink, Chika is kicked in the chest, tossed miles away.

Before them, Akari stood with piercing orange eyes that vented steam, her hair a vibrant pink as it whipped behind her, a soft burning sunrise glowing around her completely healed. Chika teleported behind her in a panic, but Akari shattered the sword with her bare hand. Another teleport happens, Akari is there before she is. A strong slam to the head drops Chika as an explosion follows. Kibi pulls itself into Akari;s hands as she slams the Knight with a left hook, then a right, switching each fist splattering blood. The blows get faster, and faster, slowly heating up Chika’s body as the white hot final fist sends her blasting into the stratosphere. The girl gritted her teeth, grinding them in anger.

“For the Flame! For a world without shadows!”

A beam of light from the heavens shines, the light spreading to all corners of Tokyo, all of Japan itself.

“That foolish girl…! She’ll wipe out my perfect country.” The light fires down, only for Akari to cleave it in half in the blink of an eye. Her fist slams into Chika’ head blowing her back with an explosion, each continuous blow an explosion that rocks the girl’s skull.

“How is she so strong…?!” Yuto exclaimed, dodging Ranmaru’s attack and countering with a chest blow into a Rika kick follow up.

“She’s accelerating… continuously. Even while standing still, her body is moving at speeds I can’t even comprehend…!”

Suffered or not, I can’t let this happen! I don’t have much time…I know that. But what I can do… is this much!

The final punch sends her flying into Seki at thousands of meters per second. Akari deconstructed Kibi, shaping it into railgun form.

“Everyone… Hold them still, please!”

Yuto nodded. “You heard her! One last push!” Rika burst forward, struggling to keep up, however, Yuto put up multiple ice walls to slow them down. She slammed her fist into Ranmaru’s head. “This is for AMI!”

Yuto joined in with his right. “This is for Astra!”

Kagemura dashed in and punched with the fury of a lightning bolt. “AND THIS IS FOR KOHARU!”

Rika turned to her sensei, holding out her palms. “I can ionize the air, but you only have a couple of seconds…!”

Kagemura nodded, his body forming pure electricity pulled his fist back with and connected a punch that produced a shockwave that shattered every window in hundreds of miles.

“FIRE!” Everyone shouts her.

Akari exhales, “..Bang.”

She pulls the trigger, the beam reaches them almost instantly, however at the last second Chka transports to Zenith’s feet. Ranmaru isn’t as lucky, being vaporized entirely, the beam flies out of earth into deep space, It claimed Ranmaru’s life and tore a scar into the Pacific. Billions of tons of seawater hissed into steam, a white wall of mist that reached the stars.

Akari sighs, feeling her body vibrating.

“Shit… It’s almost time…!

She whipped around to face Zenith, dashing forward to attack, being stopped the second he held his hand out.

“As long as I’m alive, you won’t land a scratch on me. Sit there, encased in time you can’t-!”

Akari inches forward slightly. “Wh-what?!”

“She’s still accelerating! Even while stopped! It’s unbelievable!”

Zenith stepped back, “Genma…! You..!”

Akari lunged forward, slamming Zenith through the reservoir. Chika crumbed, falling to the ground unconscious.

The two of them slam into a room, filled with a bright green energy. Both of them land on a metal walkway as Akari’s hair and eyes all go back to normal.

“I’m out of time…!”

Zenith clapped his hands. “I’m shocked. You’re amazing! A worthy vessel! You’ve surpassed my expectations by leaps and bounds. Even though soon, you’ll die.”

He held his hands out. Nothing happens. “What..?”

“In rooms of pure Aether, Anima is overridden. Neither of us can use our abilities. If you listened to my father, maybe you wouldn’t get your ass kicked by a girl.”

“Did your father also tell you of your true nature?! In this world, popularity is power! The towers make it so! The more the masses call your name, the stronger you become! This is the truth of Aether! Of Anima! Of the WORLD!” Akari lunges at him, dodging his punch and countering with her own to his face, then his chest, swift crushing blows crush his bones as her blurring fists pushes the man back. Akari corners him by a wall, beating his head into the structure, left and right over and over, She used her forehead. She slammed Zenith into the rusted pipes until his nose was a pulp of red, before kicking him away.

He laid on the ground, with bated breath.

“One year’s time… You’ll die.”

Her eyes widened.

“Caught your interest? My experiment infuses souls into your body, and because you have other souls in your body you can access those powers you displayed… at one cost. Within a year, your body will fade…. Humans weren’t meant to have multiple souls after all.” He chuckled. “That shard… is a portion of the first flame's power. It doubles as a map. I looked for years… how funny.”

“Why are you telling me this!?”

He looked around, Aether pouring from the reservoir into the sky. “This place will blow any minute now… Akari Hoshizawa… if you survive this, I promise you… I’ll kill you no matter what. You, the Hayasaka, and the useless girl whose grandparents are at fault. Once I kill you, at your best… How else would I reach the Zenith…?”

Kagemura zapped in. “You need to go, it isn’t safe anymore. Leave the city, and run. Run as far as you can.”

“But, Mei!”

“I’ll take care of her, I promise. I did it once, I can do it again… Akari, please.”

She thought, for a second, before hugging Kagemura. “I’ll come back someday… I promise. Thank you. Tell Mei to stay strong.” A bright light engulfs all of them, as the reservoir erupts in a mushroom cloud. Multiple Lucets all try to contain the explosion, however half of Tokyo is annihilated, turned into a barren crater.

A helicopter flies overhead, as a woman on the news looks downtrodden.

“...The death toll only rises after the terrorist attack on Amatsu Tower, led by the once beloved Team Hinome. Akari Hoshizawa, Yuto Hayasaka, and Rika Misono. Official reports name Akari’s father as the architect of the disaster, while the Hayasaka’s only funded the project, built by Misono’s grandparents. The group is currently at large, stripped of their rank, and should be apprehended immediately. Their accomplices, Ryou Kagemura, Lumen, Bolt and others, are currently within custody. These souls are also being held responsible for the murder of Team Astra that took place just a couple weeks prior to this awful incident, however these persons will stay in custody until Zenith and another brave Lucent of his are out of critical condition. Everyone has to ask now that the dust has settled… Will we ever recover from this awful tragedy?”

The three cloaked figures stare out at the smoldering city, smoke rising high up as they stand on a grassy hill around a burning campfire.

“Leaving her behind… Are you sure, Akari? She could-”

“It’s alright. I trust sensei. He’s taken care of us for this long.”

Rain started to drop on them, washing the soot from their faces.

They turn to Sister Kikyo, who bows to them. “Next we meet, we may be enemies. But I’ll do this as a favor, for my dear sister.” She leaves without another word.

Yuto stared up, sighing. “What next?”

Akari closed her eyes, thinking.

Kikyo, Kana, Chika, Akio… Even Ami, to some extent… It all links back to one thing.

“We’re going to find the first flame, and make a world free of hatred.”

Rika stood. “Even if we could… how…?”

Akari held the shard, turning around and walking away.

Yuto stood with them, silently walking off with her into the foliage. Rika turned back, one final time.

Everyone… Wait for us. We’ll do what we can… Thank you.

She follows them into the foliage, as they disappear from view. The flickering embers of the campfire crackling, until the smallest gust of wind quells the flame carrying the smell of rain and charcoal. The fire died with a quiet hiss. The ashes didn't fall; they rose.

Back to the sky. Back home.

The End.