You Said

*Present Day, Mainland Japan*

“Is she dead?” A soft trembling voice questions as they look down at the archer’s still body.

“No you idiot, you can see her chest moving.” The brash voice responds with frustration.

“Well then, why hasn't she woken up yet?” Only hidden crickets offer an unknowing reply.

“I'm not a doctor and I'm not knowledgeable of human physiology. How would I know?”

The unconsciousness archer begins to stir. “Oh, she's waking up! Kanade! Kanade! Hey!”

“We're not supposed to call her that! Her name is Rayven, The Silent Hunter. Kanade is dead….”

“Oh right, I forgot….” The soft voice grows somber. “Like how Alto and Tenor are dead too.”

“Exactly.” The harsh voice speaks with certainty. “We exist as one now, and are called Alten.”

A silence falls over them, just as Rayven sits up. She rubs her head, the light throbbing starting to become a perceived nuisance. ‘Alten…we failed, didn't we? We couldn't save her after all?’

“No…we couldn't.” The large avian creature finally steps out of the darkness and its two-toned feathered coat glistens beneath the moonlight. No words need to be spoken aloud for them to understand her anymore, as the lost trio are now eternally connected as Children of Harmony.

Rayven gets to her feet. She catches a brief glimpse of herself in a nearby pond. Her once lustrous orange hair has dulled like an overripe gourd, her youthful, vibrant green eyes have dimmed, and her rounded face has grown hallowed. She is no longer the naïve girl who she once was, but rather a void, frail woman who’s barely a ghost of the girl who never should’ve existed.

She grits her teeth as she turns away. She reaches for her long bow and confirms it’s still pressed against her back. She then checks the quiver resting against her shoulder. ‘About 20. Sufficient.’ She then checks the satchel against her hip. ‘Rations, check. First aid kit, check. Flute…check.’ She squeezes the round, wooden pipe between her fingers and strokes it gently. She eventually removes her hand from the satchel and with a decisive stomp of her boot heel, she finally looks up at Alten. ‘Are you good? Do you need any medical attention? Can you still fly a distance?’

“We’re fine, you took the most damage. Are you sure your head’s ok? We should be able to fly.”

‘I’m fine. My head hurts a bit, but nothing I can’t handle. If you’re good, then let’s get going.’

She reaches for Alten’s harness, but they hesitate to lower their body. “Where are we going?”

She refrains from answering immediately, but with a sigh she replies, ‘We have to go back.’

Alten pulls back, snatching the harness strap from her hand. “We knew it! No, we refuse!”

Rayven frowns and reaches for the strap again more aggressively. ‘Don’t refuse. We must go!’

“You want to go back to that place where you nearly died?! If we hadn’t snatched you up and flown you out of there, you’d have bled out on that marble floor just like that scam Conductor!”

‘I understand your concern Alten, but he just caught me off guard. That WON’T happen again.’

“You’re right it won’t, because we’re not going back. We said we’d try Rayven. However, we made a promise that if things got too dangerous, or if our first attempt failed, that we’d retreat and figure out another way to stop the Conductors. Trying to tackle the capital was reckless.”

‘We took out the Tchaikovsky compound without issue, and they use similar defenses. We made it here and even breached the residence of the Chief Conductor himself, Grand Maestro Gon Zhou. Unless he’s immortal too, then my next arrow will kill him. He’s weak. Now is the time to strike.’

“Strike what Rayven? What more do you want from them? Haven’t thousands already paid the price for their leader’s crimes? We’ve already shed a lot of innocent blood tonight. It’s enough.”

Rayven wears a look of disbelief at their words. ‘It’s enough? You’re seriously saying they’ve suffered enough? How much did we suffer? Uta, Kaiya, Kou, Zen, Hitomi, Mel…, Mama….’

“That’s….” Alten tries to find the words to say, but they get lost in the depths of their sorrow.

‘The Conductors took everything from us, and left us in this state. Vulnerable immortals with no true names. They even stole the Blessings of Harmony and used it as protection against the very monsters THEY created! They sowed the discord that bred the Ongaku and forced the Heroines to rise up. Then they forced those women into lifelong duties as mere weapons to protect against their own wickedness. They made them subservient to the rich and powerful Lords who colonized these lands. How many native settlements did they trample in that process? Millions died before we were ever even born, but now we should feel sorry for them simply because they didn’t pull the trigger? Neither did we, but they showed us no mercy. So no, it’ll never be enough. Never!’

Alten is silent for a long while, as they stare at the seething young archer with spiteful eyes. “We understand how you feel Rayven, but even still, we can’t let you put yourself in danger again.”

Rayven finally calms herself, and unclenches her fists. Her frown becomes a neutral smile, and she lets out a deep breath. Alten thinks she’s found her reason, but they are mistaken. She backs away from her companion, turns towards the distant trees surrounding the quiet meadow, and with little emotion says, ‘Then I’ll go alone.’ She soon walks away. ‘I won’t force you. Be safe.’

“Rayven wait! Please don’t-!” They try to plead with her to stay, but she’s already escaped into the cover of the trees. Her powers are nothing extravagant, but they grant her speed and stealth.

“What do we do now? She’s not thinking clearly. I know how badly she misses everyone, Uta and Mel especially, but I still don’t think vengeance is the correct path. Mama wouldn’t either.”

“What can we do? She’s made her choice. Once her mind is made up, no one can stop her. To be honest, I don’t totally disagree with her. Even when the Lords’ kingdoms all collapsed and their Heroines died, the natives reclaimed their lands, but then rose to corruption themselves. They corrupted the Ongaku Kanade spent decades nullifying and created Hangaku; a vicious mutated enemy to use as justification to build their compounds and trap people inside under their rule.”

“The Conductors are the only enemies here; on that we both agree. However, innocent lives are still sacred. Our people didn’t deserve to die, but neither do they, even if they live behind enemy lines. None of us are gods with the power to shape the world as we see fit. This world is unfair sometimes, but it’s the only one we’ve got. It’s precious and should be protected. I stand by it.”

“It’s only natural. You speak of our optimism. I speak of our doubt. In the end…we’re still one.”

~-~

“Hmph!” With great effort, Rayven manages to hoist herself over the broken wall and inside the penthouse lab once again. The drop is a bit of a fall, but fortunately it’s not more than she can handle. However, it knocks the wind out of her slightly, so she leans against the wall awhile. ‘Ok then, I have 10 arrows left after using them to scale the building. Should be ok. Zhou’s escaped.’

She gets to her feet and makes her way over to the tank she observed earlier. She approaches the console. She presses the button with intent to open it, but nothing happens. None of the other buttons work either. Her fingers tremble restlessly over the console. ‘Fine. I’ll break it open!’

She loads another arrow, and aims at the glass. She lets it fly and with a loud crash, the glass shatters and water comes spilling out. The body of the woman contained inside drops down with it, but the head apparatus and cables she’s connected to keep her mostly restrained. Before she can hang for very long, Rayven jumps up to the platform and reaches for her body. Supporting her with one arm, she carefully disconnects everything and carries her down to the lab floor.

She carefully lies her down flat, and then slowly unlatches her helmet to remove it. Instantly, long blonde hair spans out around her, and a fair beauty is revealed. ‘Mel! Finally, I found you.’ Rayven pulls her close in her arms and allows her head to fall against her chest. ‘I’m here.’ She remains in that position for several minutes, waiting for the woman to stir. She can feel a faint pulse in her wrist, but it’s slowly getting weaker. ‘Please Mel, come back to me. My Melody.’

“Kanade?” The woman opens her hazel eyes at last. “You came for me. You kept your promise.”

Rayven allows herself to breath. ‘Yes, I’m here Mel, just as I promised the day Zhou stole you.’

Mel smiles weakly. “My Heroine.” She reaches up with a trembling hand to touch her cheek. “You haven’t aged a day. Meanwhile, I look like a granny already, don’t I? It’s ok, be honest.”

Kanade shakes her head immediately. ‘A few wrinkles mean nothing to me. You’re beautiful.’

“I can’t hear your thoughts anymore, but I already know what you’re thinking. You were always so sweet to me, and showered me in compliments. You made me feel like the prettiest girl in the world. You never had to tell me you loved me; you made me feel it every day. Thank you Kana.”

Rayven can feel her pulse creep to a snail’s pace, as her tears start to fall. ‘I’ll always love you.’

“I know…and I’ll always love you too. But more than that Kana, I want you to love yourself.” She presses against her face; forcing her to look at her. “Live with happiness Kana and be well.” For a long moment their eyes connect, and many things are conveyed at once. However it’s short lived, as Mel’s hand drops from Rayven’s face, and her eyes become vacant. Her pulse is gone.

Rayven stares at her even longer, hoping that her eyes will return with life, but no such miracle occurs. ‘I was too late….’ She pulls her in close again and clings to her desperately. ‘I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you in all these years. You must have been so scared and lonely. I tried so hard to find you sooner, but I couldn't. I failed you. I’m so sorry…Mel!’ She finally has a breakdown and begins to wail. ‘Come back! Don’t leave me!’ She pleads but it’s already too late.