Chapter 51 - Vol. 2 - 16

Keiko

A few minutes earlier

Admittedly, it was hard for her to feel sad right now. A part of her felt guilty about that. But, as everyone gathered together in the fields outside of Pearl, and Keiko turned, seeing Kaori walk towards her, she couldn't help but grin. The woman looked every bit like the hero Keiko believed her to be. Golden, angelic blonde hair, an hourglass figure, radiant armor though stained with blood, and the face of pure grace.

She walked up to Kaori and hesitantly, looked up at her. 

As Kaori noticed her, Keiko saw her eyes gleam as she tilted her head, as if she was seeing Keiko for the first time. As though she was living Keiko's experience right now. 

"Keiko?" Kaori asked with wonder in her voice. The Zayama nodded and smiled at her, running in for a hug. 

Though, only one hand returned the embrace. As Keiko tried her best not to cry, she pulled back and their eyes reconnected. 

"You..." Kaori chuckled. "Your eyes. What...?" 

"I did it!" Keiko laughed with glee. "I... I unlocked my Spirit Eye." 

"Keiko, that's amazing," Kaori told her, though Keiko could see her expression was somewhat conflicted. It made sense, of course. Keiko didn't expect her to suddenly forget that they had just lost an entire city. 

Still, Kaori leaned in and pressed a kiss against Keiko's forehead, which filled her heart with adoration for the Savior. For a moment, Keiko was able to forget everything that had led her up to the point. The disappointment of her family, the self-hatred she'd developed over the years, everything faded and all she was left with was Kaori's kind eyes looking down at her as Keiko basked in the moment. 

A few minutes later, someone else exited the castle, and Keiko nearly gasped when she saw her. Ash was walking out, her Savior's Armor stained with red and violet blood, her hair a wild mess and her eyes cast low. 

And, though the moment was a dreary one, Keiko swore she was everything she thought she'd be. 

---

The city burned in the far distance. The violet sky had turned back to black, showcasing scattered stars above the group of survivors as they walked. Nathan, the Lord without a city anymore, led the group as he had told everyone they'd seek refuge in Jade. 

Keiko expected that scouts had already seen Pearl's status and that maybe some forces from the capital were already being sent here. 

A hand fell on her left shoulder. It was General Ioko, who smiled with a hint of sadness on his face at her. 

"So, you did it?" He asked. 

Keiko nodded, returning the same somber expression. 

"I... I don't want to imply that losing a whole city for this was worth it, but at least something came out of this whole thing," Keiko replied. 

"Whatever happens now," Ioko said, "I am glad we will be facing the future as equals." 

"Heh, not exactly. I-I mean, you're still a general and all." 

"Eh, titles like that don't mean much out here." He gestured towards the wilderness. "We're all equals under the gods' eyes." 

"Maybe," Keiko conceded. 

As Keiko said that, she remembered something. Or rather, someone. She looked around, trying to see if she could find the woman who had helped her get here. It took some time, but she eventually found the crimson-haired woman from earlier standing at the far back of the group. Keiko likely wouldn't forget her face anytime soon. 

She was, after all, the first person she saw upon gaining eyesight. 

Keiko bowed to Ioko and then jogged backward, moving towards her. She ended up in front of the illusionist, who raised a brow as she saw her approach, a deep melancholic expression on her portrait. 

"Thank you, thank you so much," Keiko said, bowing to her. 

"Hm? Oh, right..." She said. "You were the blindfolded girl?" 

"Yes, yes. I... I'm sorry, maybe I got your name but everything was so... I forgot, what was it, again?" 

"Kasumi," the crimson-haired woman replied. 

Keiko had only seen this group of people, and everyone around here wasn't exactly in presentable conditions, but she could confidently say that no one else quite resembled her. Dark brown skin, thin brows, and an elegant face with, well, to be frank, breasts that were far bigger than they had any reason to be. 

She seemed quite a bit older than Keiko, though maybe that was just how people looked. Again, she hadn't seen enough faces to really know. Kasumi reached up and with a hand that held long, slender fingers, she swept some red hair away from her eyes, as though waiting for Keiko to continue. 

"O-Oh, right, I'm Keiko! It's a pleasure to meet you, uh, ma'am," she bowed. Kasumi sighed and shook her head. 

"It was nothing," she muttered. 

"I... I have to disagree." Keiko said with a shy laugh. "You changed my life. Seriously, I can't thank you enough for that." 

"... You're welcome," Kasumi replied, starting to walk back with the others. Keiko remained by her side. 

"So, uh, where did you learn to cast magic like that?" Keiko asked. Again, Kasumi looked back at her, raising a brow. "I-I just... Sorry if this is too much, I just want to know a little more about you, is all." 

Kasumi shrugged and replied:

"I picked it up as a kid," her tone sounded a little softer. She didn't look at Keiko directly, but rather at the group ahead. "No real reason, I just thought illusions were cool. Over time, I got good at them and when I was chosen, well... yeah, it was mostly all I could do." 

"Chosen?" Keiko asked. "What do you mean?" 

At that, Kasumi narrowed her brows. Then, as if realizing something, she raised them.

"You, uh, don't know me?" She asked hesitantly. 

"No, not really," Keiko replied. "I'm, uh, I'm not from Pearl." 

"Oh," Kasumi blinked. "I'm..." She coughed. "I'm a Savior." 

"What? Seriously?" Keiko pulled back with surprise. 

Kasumi looked away from her again. 

"Yes." 

"Wow. Haha, small world." 

"What? Are you one too?" She asked. 

"No, no. But, I came here with a couple of them. Uh, them!" Keiko spotted out Kaori and Ash in the distance and pointed at them. She saw Kasumi's eyes land on them and then, an emotion Keiko couldn't quite place flashed off of her face for a brief second before Kasumi turned away. 

"..." Kasumi didn't say anything. 

"Uh," Keiko put her hands behind her back as she said, "listen, if... If you want, I'd like to get you something to eat when we get to Jade, you know? Just as thanks, and all." 

Kasumi looked back at her, with a face that Keiko assumed meant she was annoyed. 

Huh? 

"No, no... That won't be necessary." 

And so, Kasumi moved ahead of Keiko, pretty much rendering the conversation over. 

---

Ash

The half-demon ended up leveling twice from the fight, which got her to this status, as she had 4 attribute points and chose to place them in her Intelligence and Dexterity, as she figured she could work on her Wisdom and Strength on her own:

Level 13

MP: 80/80

---

STR: 12

DEX: 14

CON: 10

INT: 10

WIS: 8

L: 100

This meant that she'd finally caught up with Kaori, who was also level 13. For some reason, that information failed to bring her any sort of joy. Looking to the right, at the blonde Savior who was walking beside her, she thought she could understand why. Kaori was clearly putting in an effort to hide it, but every now and then, she'd raise her stump of a left arm and glance at it, letting out a sad sigh. 

Ash couldn't handle it. She got a little closer and said:

"Thanks, by the way."

"Hm?" Kaori replied. 

"You saved my ass back there. I was being pretty fucking stupid, and you paid for it. I'm, uh, sorry, about that." Apologizing was something she wasn't used to, but she felt she had to do it. 

"... I'd do it again, any time," Kaori responded. "But..." she looked down at her left arm again. "Yeah. It does kind of suck." 

Ash took a deep breath.

"You know..." Ash started. "I really wish I knew what to do right now." 

"What do you mean?" 

"As in, uh, I... You know, I've been alone for a pretty long fucking time. Consoling people isn't something I've had to do at all. I wish I had before though, just so I'd know what to say to you right now. Fucking hate seeing you like this." 

Kaori smiled a little. Then, she circled around Ash and grabbed her left hand with her right. 

"Talking is overrated anyway," Kaori muttered. "This is enough for me."

Though, when Ash looked back at her, she found the blonde staring down at the grass. Ash felt like she was trying to convince herself of that. 

But, she hadn't been lying. She didn't know what to do or say. So, all she could think of was to give her hand a reassuring squeeze as they moved behind the group. 

Satsuhiro walked up to them a moment later though. 

"Well," he said, "I'd say the cards have been laid out on the table." 

"Hm?" Ash hummed. 

"These portals. I can only imagine that all this time, Niven's been gathering up power and now, he's ready to use it." 

"So, what do we do?" Ash asked. "I'll be honest, I don't see how we can fight this. And..." Ash looked back at the crowd ahead of her. "I'm not too sure I want to die for these people either." 

"Can't blame you on that one, but this isn't really about just humanity at this point," Satsuhiro responded. "I'd say this is everyone's problem at this point. For now, though, let's get back to Jade and tell the Council what happened." 

"And then?" 

"What else? We keep training." Satsuhiro shrugged. "It's all we can do, right?" 

Ash nodded. 

I guess.

"Unless Magia's got something to suggest," Satsuhiro added and Ash looked down at the dirt. 

"If she does, I'd definitely like to hear it." 

And so, the group of survivors, maybe a little over 200 people, walked all the way from Pearl to the central capital of Jade, a trail of grief lacing every footstep they took.