Canticle of Broken Things (Persona 3/MGLN S1)

[CloakGear]

Author's notes:

Hello there everyone. This is my first time posting here.

This story has has already been crossposted on other sites, (ffnet, Ao3, Spacebattles) and I'm just putting it here, just to try. I'll be posting the first three chapters first, then I'll post one or two chapters per day until it catches up with the others. then I'll try posting at least once a week. Hope you enjoy the story.

Just a quick warning. It's been a long time since I've actually written any chapters/story (almost ten years to be exact), only excels/reports, and I've only started writing since last month, so it's very likely my writing's awkward. Also, English isn't really my first language.

Disclaimer: I do not own either the Persona series or Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha series. They belong to their respective creators.

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Chapter 1 – The Mender of Broken Things

---

Journal Entry - April 13th, 2004

Has it been five years already?

The doctor said it was quick. That they didn't feel a thing. I don't know if that's supposed to make it better but it doesn't, only making the silence that came afterwards feeling louder.

I think I can still hear it sometimes; the screech from the sudden braking of tires that weren't there, or the car window glass shattering that I did not see. My brain just… makes it up. Maybe the apology I heard at that time was my imagination too. Maybe even the masked skeleton monster with the cloaked body. Fills in the blanks with the worst sounds it can imagine. It's easier than remembering the real silence after the phone call. So I decided to try and focus on the cracks I can see, ones that I can maybe fix.

I live with the Tsukimuras now. They're nice. Their house is big and quiet. Too quiet. Suzuka tries to include me. She's kind. They all are. But it's like there's a thick wall between me and the connection outside. I can see them, I can hear them, but it all feels… distant. Muffled.

I keep fixing things. There was an old radio I found that was thrown away. It took me three weeks. When I finally got it to play, it was just some static-y news report. I turned it off. The cup this morning was the latest. A tiny hairline crack from the rim down. It took an hour with the glue, clamping it just right.

I wonder, why do I do it? It's not like people will use a broken thing again. Perhaps I merely wish to prove they are wrong. Things that break are still useful.

Maybe things that break can still sing again, if you care enough to fix them.

Or maybe that's just my arrogance talking. It's not like it fixes anything else.

Makoto Yuuki closed the journal, the soft thump a quiet period at the end of the sentence. He held it, a plain white porcelain cup that broke before, the latest item he repaired in his hand, running his thumb over the flaw. An unremarkable item except for the almost invisible seam where the glue had set. The mended cup was smooth. Stable.

A knock was heard from the door.

"Makoto-sama? Breakfast is ready." A woman's polite voice was heard from the door—Noel K. Ehrlichkeit, the head maid of the Tsukimura household. Her tone was as polite as always.

"Coming," he replied, his own voice flat yet steady, a voice that gave nothing away.

He stood, his movements economical and devoid of wasted energy, lifting his silent headphones from his ears, and settled them around his neck like a collar of quiet. His room was neat, Spartan. A bed, a desk, a bookshelf. Other than books for studying and items he repaired, it hasn't changed much for the last five years. He put down the ceramic back on the table.

A sound, similar to a frozen leaf crackling underfoot was heard, breaking the silence. He merely looked. On the cup, a hairline fracture spiders across the repaired cup.

He sighed in resigned confirmation that he felt for years. Of course it broke. Everything does. No matter how much something is fixed, it'll never be whole again. Just like him.

Giving the cup one last look, he went to the kitchen, carrying his schoolbag to get ready for school.

+++

The Tsukimura mansion was large and luxurious, as one would expect from a family of rich successful engineers.

His walk through the long hallways was peaceful, his steps creating a soft thread on the floor. Near the windows he passed by, he saw them, the cats living in the manor, were basking in sunlight, sleeping peacefully or meowing when they saw him, yet sprawled lazily in content.

He noticed Suzuka's personal maid, Farin, carrying a tray away from the kitchen door. It seems she has finished delivering food and setting the table.

"Ah, hello, Makoto-sama!" Her tone was bright, yet a little careful around him, like she was handling one of his repairs.

He nodded. The younger sister of the head maid acts similar to most of the other servants that usually met him, so he wasn't really affected by it. She's just one of the few that met him many times.

The wooden circular table is not really big, but it was large enough to serve food for a group. Suzuka was drinking tea, wearing her white school uniform and a kitten sleeping on her knees. Around the area were a few cats, seemingly resting in content and absorbing the sunlight. She offered him a gentle smile as he entered.

"Ah, good morning, Makoto-kun."

"Morning."

He answered Suzuka's greeting, already eating toast and egg for breakfast. Her elder sister, Shinobu, arrived later, apparently having just finished an essay after an all night study.

The breakfast was a quiet affair. Polite questions about sleep, plans for the day. Makoto answered in monosyllables. Yes. No. Fine. It was a typical scene of the household ever since he came here.

Farin once again carried a few more food for Shinobu, but two kittens were playing around chasing each other, spinning around the poor maid and nearly making the tray fall. His hand shot out, and managed to held the tray before him, carefully balancing it so nothing was spilled.

"Howawa!? I, I'm sorry!? Thank you, Makoto-sama!"

He gave a nod, and let the maid take the tray from him. He looked at the two culprits below, the two looking at him meowing with happiness at seeing him. Makoto knelt, and the two immediately butted their heads on his legs, demanding affection. He allowed himself to follow their demands, scratching behind their ears, the vibration of its purr a faint, pleasant buzz in his palm, their fur soft. For a short moment, the tightness in his chest was eased, and the feeling of void in his heart was filled, a rare feeling for him.

Suzuka appeared beside him, her school bag in hand. "They really like you," she said softly.

"They're naughty," Makoto replied, but he didn't stop petting them.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked.

Another nod. He gave the two one final scratch and stood up, shouldering his own bag. The kittens meowing in protest at the removal of affection. Farin held them from chasing him, and gave a bow at the entrance as they left the house.

+++

Their walk towards their destination, the bus stop, was quiet, with the feeling of wind blowing and the smell of the sea breezing nearby. Suzuka walked beside him, a small chat of everyday life and schoolwork before a comfortable silence was made between them. It was how the two usually converse; a few words, one acknowledging the other's presence before once again retreating back into their own thoughts. Internally, he was thankful for her actions.

Makoto's gaze drifted over the peaceful streets, the orderly houses. Everything was so normal. It felt like he was watching a play he'd been cast in by mistake.

The bus arrived moments later, a hissing of the tires to a stop. He followed Suzuka on, automatically moving to their usual spot—the very back corner seat. He took the window, Suzuka settling beside him. Instantly, as if by instinct, he pulled the silent headphones from his neck and settled them over his ears, shielding him from the sound outside. Of course, the action did not lower the noise of the world by much, but the headphones, one of the few items he had before the accident, gave him peace. His eyes wandered at the passing streets, the activity of the city once again awakened to begin their everyday life.

A few stops later, the doors of the bus once again opened. A few students entered and took their seats. Among them, a whirlwind of blonde hair and impatient energy smiling with confidence, easily recognized by the two at the back.

"Suzuka! You made it!" Alisa Bannings announced, sliding into the seat across the aisle. Her sharp green eyes flicked to Makoto. "And the Sphinx is here too. Morning."

Makoto offered a slight, apologetic shrug in lieu of a verbal greeting before looking away. The nickname 'Sphinx' was an old nickname from her, It was their routine.

"As expected of Sphinx, still as chatty as ever," Alisa sighed dramatically, though there was no real malice in it. She immediately launched into a story about the dogs in her house, chasing and running after a toy ball that bounces a bit too far.

The bus filled with more students. The chatter rose, a dull roar that lapped against the quiet bubble of his headphones. Finally, at the next stop, a calmer presence arrived.

Nanoha Takamachi's smile was seen even from the far back seat as she climbed aboard. Her twin tails bounced with energy as she greeted the classmates near her.

"Nanoha-chan! Over here!" Suzuka waved.

Nanoha's expression brightened and made her way to the back, greeting a few other classmates on her way and even Makoto, who merely nodded at her greetings. Nanoha sat down in between the girls. Before long, the three girls fell into easy conversations of everyday life and experience; homework, a new bakery that opened near the school and even the latest episode of a show they saw.

Makoto turned it out, his gaze once again returning to the world outside, the sun streaming peacefully. It was an everyday affair, students chatting, adults talking about work, and a few shops preparing to open for their everyday business. The glass pane felt like the one in his mind. It separates him from the lively, normal world of his classmates, for he was an observer, a ghost riding to a life that didn't feel like his own.

His thoughts, as they often did, drifted back to the broken items he repairs, in which currently the broken cup he repaired that cracks yet again. Why did he even bother? The radio, the cup… none of it mattered. The cracks always came back. Maybe he was just proving a point to himself. A pointless effort that highlights the uselessness of it.

A faint sound was tugged at the very edge of his hearing, slipping past his headphones. It was barely there, like a single, clear note from a lyre carried on the wind from miles away. He frowned slightly, his focus shifting from the visual blur outside to the elusive sound. It was… gentle. Calming. For once, in that short time, he felt it, the tightness in his chest—the one that seemed to be always there—loosening its heavy grip.

Then the bus stops at their final destination, the sound of the brakes drowning it out. The moment was gone, and he felt a bit disappointed. He shook his head minutely. Just the wind, he thought. Or maybe my imagination. He was an expert at hearing things that did not exist in reality.

The bus arrived at their stop, and the stream of students emptied out from the bus and onto the sidewalk, their destination towards Uminari Elementary School. The girls' conversations, now on Nanoha's elder sibling and Shinobu's relationships, continued unabated as they walked ahead. He took a few steps away, letting them be in their own world.

"...so we have cram school today," Suzuka was saying as they walked. "Are you going straight home, Makoto-kun?"

"No. I'll go to the park today, feel like sketching," he replied evenly, his voice barely above a whisper.

"The seaside park? Be careful," Nanoha said, ever the worrier. "It's getting dark earlier now."

He simply nodded.

+++

The school day passed in its usual monotony. Lessons. Notes. People chatting about their lives and what's happening. He participated in the activities, putting efforts just enough to pass and to not be noticed by others. His mind thought about the sound he heard, and what he wanted to sketch. When the final bell rang, he was the few that was earliest out of his seat, greeting his classmates that called out to him, before slipping past the crowd of people.

He decided to take the long way to the seaside park today, with his sketchbook tucked firmly under his arm, and his headphones hanging around his neck. The sky today was a clear orange with the lack of dark clouds. Cars were passing by the roads, zooming through the road with relative safety.

Makoto travelled along the sidewalk with practiced ease, he went there a few times before after all. When he arrived at the park, he found it, his usual spot when drawing; a bench overlooking the sea outside, with the sea breeze flowing freely.

He opened the book, pencil in hand, his head now wearing his headphones; still in silence. He found it easier to concentrate if they were in his head, playing music or not.

Inspiration is always a fickle thing, however, and today it was absent to him. The blank page remained blank, and even with the scene in front of him, Makoto lacked the urge to draw. Somehow it felt empty to him. He closed the book with a sigh, before choosing to stow it away in his bag and standing up. His headphones once again were pulled over his ears. The world went properly silent this time, the seal around his ears complete.

He decided to head back early. As he walked, his path took him along a street that overlooked a small veterinary clinic. Movement caught his eye. Down below, he saw three familiar figures—Nanoha, Alisa and Suzuka. And they were carrying something. A small, yellow-white, furry animal? A cat? A dog? A ferret?

He paused, his hand unconsciously moving to lift one ear cup. He saw the looks on their faces—frantic, worried. Nanoha was talking rapidly to a woman in a lab coat who held the clinic door open for them. But just before the trio entered inside though, he thought he saw something. A small red gem, similar to an orb, barely noticeable on the animal's chest.

He shook his head. It was probably his imagination.

He considered it in a moment, going down. Asking if they needed help. But the impulse died as quickly as it came. He wasn't part of that, it was none of his business. They had it handled.

With that decided, Makoto chose to put his hands into his pockets and covered his ears with his headphones once again. He turned away and continued his walk towards the Tsukimura mansion, his steps steady, echoing the silence in his mind.

The image of the girls' concerned faces soon faded, before being replaced by the familiar silence; his own thoughts of his life. The world continued on around him, loud and bright and real, and he continued his walk, a spectator behind an unbreakable pane of glass.

 

[CloakGear]

Chapter 2 – Hum of a Distant Star

---

"A ferret?"

Makoto was eating breakfast with Suzuka, with today, the breakfast prepared being rice and miso soup. Makoto was scratching a cat's ear; the creature was resting on his lap when Suzuka talked about what happened yesterday.

"Hai," Suzuka put her tea cup on the table. "Yesterday, Nanoha-chan suddenly ran off when we went by the park, and when we finally reached her, we saw an injured ferret."

Makoto nodded, understanding that it was before he saw the girls yesterday. Suzuka smiled in relief. "We were so worried! We sent him to the vet, and the doctor says he'll be just fine!"

"Yeah, I saw you three carrying it on the way back." Makoto said, his voice muted but heard. "I didn't know it was a ferret."

Suzuka seemed surprised by that. "You saw us?"

He nodded. "I thought you three had it handled."

The breakfast continued its silence, only broken by an amused laugh from Shinobu, who's calling someone on her phone. Judging from her expression, it's someone who is from the Takamachi household, probably Takamachi Miyuki, Nannoha's sister.

"Yes, yes, I know, thank you Miyuki-san. Say hi to Kyouya for me." Shinobu closed her phone, before letting out an exasperated, yet affectionate sigh. "Really, I know you and Momoka-san like how smart and cute that ferret is, but you don't have to scream about it…."

"Onee-chan?" Suzuka said. Shinobu greeted the two while sitting at an empty chair. "Did something happen?"

"Ah, yes." Shinobu began explaining. "Apparently, Nanoha brought a ferret home, and she was telling me about how Momoka-san was screaming about how cute and smart it was, before she herself was screaming about the same thing."

"Ferret…? Ah!" Suzuka clapped her hands together as if in realization. "Could it be the same one yesterday?"

"Hm?" Shinobu let out, tilting her head in confusion.

"Well, you see…" Suzuka explains to her sister what happened yesterday, while the head maid gave a brewed tea cup at Shinobu.

The older sister gave a quick sip. "Ah, I see. Yes, it should be the same one. Miyuki-san says Nanoha-chan says it's from the vet."

Suzuka smiled in relief. "I see! Nanoha-chan messaged me and Alisa-chan last night about picking it up later, but I'm glad to see it's alright and with her."

She then wondered in confusion. "Hm? How come it's at Nanoha-chan house now? Did something happen?"

"Apparently, there was a car accident there." Shinobu utters in seriousness. Makoto's hand stopped scratching the cat for a moment at the word accident, but he took a deep breath before forcefully pushing it aside. His motion was a bit stiff and mechanical. "At least that's what the police called it. And the walls were smashed. Thankfully no one was hurt during that time."

While Suzuka gasped in surprise, Makoto let out a curious hum with a faint, almost unnoticeable frown. His hands stopped scratching the cat's ear, to the cat's protest. He tilted his head and stared at Suzuka's older sister for half-a-second. The word 'accident' hooked into his mind like a fishhook, pulling at a memory he kept buried. He forced it back down. It was none of his business. It was just a word. He then stopped himself, shaking his head and dismissed it.

The breakfast continued as usual, Makoto giving monosyllables when asked about what he did yesterday, while nodding at Farin as thanks, who took the sleeping cat away from his lap.

"Ah, right." Makoto mutters, as if remembering something. Farin and the two sisters stared at him in surprise. "I'll be sketching at the shrine today after school."

Suzuka looked at him with worry. "Alright, but be careful. After what happened at the clinic…"

He nodded, already mentally checked out. He was only there for drawing and solitude, not to investigate.

The breakfast was finished with silence. His thoughts of the damaged clinic were soon forgotten, fading into a distant dream.

+++

[Nanoha POV]

"I see! He's safe at your house, Nanoha!" Alisa smiles in relief.

"But still, to think you met him on the streets when he was escaping from that mess…" Suzuka mutters. "I heard it from my sister who heard it from yours, but that's really one incredible coincidence, isn't it."

""Right?"" The two girls said with a smile, looking at each other.

Nanoha let out a strained laugh with a small panicked thought. I'm not lying, I'm not lying! I was just tweaking the truth a bit!

The truth was simple that night, she did not find the ferret, Yuuno as he called himself, he was actually calling from help telepathically, before he escaped, in which only she herself heard it. Well, her older brother was definitely angry when she finally returned, with her older sister being the one who managed to calm him down…

Anyway, when she heard the call for help, she immediately left her house, running towards the clinic, with her head having a headache when she arrived. A monster charged at Yuuno, hitting the tree and crashing it down, and Yuuno, who avoided it, landed safely in her arms, before she retreated.

There were a few other things happening, but in the end, with the red jewel, Raising Heart's help, she transformed into a magical girl, and helped seal the 'Jewel Seed' from the monster, who then disappears after sealing, leaving a blue gem, the Jewel Seed number XXI, behind before being absorbed by Raising Heart.

Yes, she, Takamachi Nanoha, became a magical girl like in the cartoons!

…Saying that to herself in her mind was pretty embarrassing, admittedly. Thankfully Yuuno didn't hear it due to telepathy. ….Right?

Since she can't hear Yuuno commenting about her thoughts, that should be the case!

Oh yeah, she could actually talk to the ferret, Yuuno telepathically now! It was thanks to the jewel, Raising Heart. It almost made her in trouble in school for not concentrating on lessons, but Yuuno is a friend, and he's in trouble, so it's not wrong to help him, right?

The two chat during class, in their mind, of course. Apparently, he, Yuuno Scrya (Scrya being the family name) actually found the stone during an archeological excavation, and apparently, according to Yuuno, they can grant wishes of the ones who possess them. Though sometimes they can turn on their users. Nanoha can't really imagine someone wishing for a monster like that.

In the end, Yuuno asked for investigators to transport it, but somehow the ship transporting it had a big accident, and he felt responsible for it as he's the first to discover it, so he should be the one to collect it.

Nanoha could understand the ferret's feelings. Even though the accident wasn't his fault, as a diligent person, he felt responsible for it. Of course, when Yuuno tried telling her he'll go alone getting the Jewel Seeds after resting for five days at least, because he felt guilty for involving her, she denied his request. After she heard his story, Nanoha decided to help him. Why?

It's because of what her dad, Takamachi Shiro, taught her. 'If someone is in need and you have the power to help them, you should never hesitate to help them.'
Moreover, she knew how sad it is doing things alone. So even if she cannot help her when she's going to either school or cram school, she'll help him in getting the Jewel Seeds.

'...Thank you.' Nanoha hears Yuuno's mutter as she, with Alisa and Suzuka, walk towards Suzuka's large house.

'It's fine. You seemed pretty troubled, and I can help you with my strength, right?' Nanoha felt the sea breeze as the trio continued their walk. 'With my magical power… Though I don't know if I can become a proper mage.'

'Nanoha, you're already a great mage.' Nanoha and Alisa were waving goodbye towards Suzuka, the trio already in front of the latter's house. 'I'm sure you have an incredible amount of talent, more than I do, at least.'

Nanoha was internally embarrassed, while apologizing to Alisa, who was inviting her to the car to send her home, pointing out her house was a few minutes walk away. The two waved goodbye, and Nanoha ran towards the direction of her house.

The nine-year old girl was embarrassed by Yuuno's praise, she didn't get it herself, she doesn't really see herself as that incredible yet. For now, she requested Yuuno teach her what he can, with her getting snacks on the way home.

Then both Yuuno and her felt it, the change in the atmosphere, the feeling of something activating.

'Yuuno-kun, what's that!?'

'A new Jewel Seed has been activated. It's close!'

'What should we do!?'

'Let's stand up against it together, please help me!'

Nanoha agreed, and ran towards the direction where she felt the change and the activation. If there was a monster like yesterday that people accidentally met, then she should try and stop the monster, and help people.

Right, dad?

+++

[Makoto POV - Few minutes ago]

Makoto sighed; his left palm on his chin while his right hand rolled the pencil in his hand. He was looking down on his sketchbook, as clean as an empty canvas. He was sitting on the back of the shrine, looking at the scenery of the forest and the sky lazily, while his headphones were cupped to his ears.

It was similar to what happened yesterday at the seaside park. Makoto, once again, did not have a simple desire to draw anything, not even an iota of it.

As such, he laid his back on the wall, he stared at the sky, wondering what he should do. Not even the blue butterfly that passed by-wait.

Makoto blinked. For what was in front of him was a butterfly he had never seen before. A blue, no perhaps, a velvet in colour. Somehow, it feels ethereal to him, or perhaps it's the first unique thing he sees? No matter the case, he put his drawing utensil to make the image he saw to the best of his abilities.

Then he heard it, a hum.

Unlike yesterday, where the clear note from the string of a lyre could be from his own imagination, this one he could clearly hear it. It felt calm and close, like a gentle lullaby a mother sang to their child, the twinkle of a star.

The butterfly now forgotten, the note, sounding both pure and crystalline, was vibrating not through the air, but filling the stillness inside him. For once, he felt the world was… right. As if a fish was now in its element, swimming freely in the water. He closed his eyes and listened to the tune, absorbing the melody to his mind as much as he could. His pencil and half-sketch of the butterfly laid down, forgotten to the peace.

Not once he heard the growling of a monster in front of the shrine. Not once did he care of the slight tremor from the ground from the resulting landing of the dog monster that failed to pierce a pink barrier. Not once did he even care about the sound of collision between beast and magic, and the sparking sound of impact during the collision, nor the sound of the beast screaming as it was being sealed. For the first time, in these five years since the accident claimed his parent's life and changed him, he was at peace.

He was disappointed when the sound of the hum finally faded into silence. The silence that came after felt a bit deeper than before, and more profound. The world felt duller somehow to him. What he felt, he could not name it; merely feeling a silence that came after a song ends, with only the emptiness left, being somehow deeper than the silence before everything began.

Makoto blinked, looking around before looking down at his sketchbook. The blue butterfly he saw was gone. And his sketch was half-finished. It seems unimportant to him now, a memory of a feeling had been replaced by a far more compelling one.

Makoto closed his book, and began packing his things. The moment he felt was over, and there will be no more attempts at drawing today.

+++

It was evening already when he packed his things. Walking at a steady pace, he walked towards the torii gate of the shrine and went down the stairs. At the stairs, also descending towards the bottom was someone he was surprised to see. It was Suzuka's friend, Takamachi Nanoha, still in the Uminari Elementary school uniform with a schoolbag on her…and was that a goldenish-yellow creature on her shoulder? Huh, must be the ferret he had heard from Suzuka before.

Apparently, she and the ferret did not expect him to be there too, because when the ferret sounded surprised when it turned and looked at him, she immediately did a quick turn to look behind her, and saw him, still wearing his headphones covering his ears. Makoto removed the headphones covering his ears and let it hang around his neck.

"Y-Yuuki-senpai!?" Her voice was a higher octave than what he usually heard her before. "W-what are you doing here?" There was no disguising the panic infecting her voice.

In response, he just…blinked. Makoto stopped a few steps away from her, his hand holding the sketchbook being lifted up to show her, and pointing at the shrine behind him. "Sketching, there was a blue butterfly there."

Now that he got closer, the ferret definitely seemed familiar. It should be the same one he saw the girls were carrying to the clinic, but he could not see the red jewel on it anywhere. Huh. He filled those thoughts of his as unimportant.

Nanoha seemed to calm down after hearing that, but then tensed herself before asking him another question, seemingly nervous. "...Did you hear…anything?"

Makoto tilted his head at her strange words. "I'm… not sure? The headphones were on my head the entire time. Although…" Both Nanoha and the ferret seemed tense at his words. "I did hear a gentle hum."

Nanoha gave him a confused look, while the ferret on her shoulder seemed to be standing straighter. "A…hum?"

He simply nodded. Suzuka's friend seemed to have some unspoken question, but he had no answers to give, he was merely enjoying the sound after all.

"Well," he said, the single word a clear end to the conversation. He gave her a slight nod. "See you tomorrow, I guess."

Makoto walked past them, descending down without a backward glance. He turned to a corner, once again with silence as his companion but now accompanied by a fading memory of a distant star's song.

+++

"Nanoha," Yuuno's voice was low, calm. "Who was that? Do you know him?"

"Ah, yes!" Nanoha was slightly surprised by how serious Yuuno sounded. "That's Yuuki-senpai, our senior in the same school. He's famous for being usually a quiet person, and lives with Suzuka-chan's family. I can't believe he was there. He almost saw us and everything…"

While Nanoha, walking back home, seemed to sigh in relief that someone she knows didn't see her doing her magical girl activity during her first day, Yuuno's mind whirl at what the boy, Makoto, said.

A hum? Yuuno frowned in his mind. For a mage, or anyone who is sensitive to magic, the activation of a Jewel Seed should be felt as a sense of disturbance, a prickling of a skin. And yet he heard a gentle hum? Is there something unique about him… or perhaps, is there something about the Jewel Seeds that made him hear something different? Something his clan failed to discover? And he didn't feel any discernible magical signature from the boy at all. For someone who could hear the Seed's activation, he should be radiating something... unless his perception operates on a level even he can't sense.

"Yuuno-kun?" Nanoha's worried voice shook the thought out of his head.

"Ah, no, it's nothing… probably," the last whispered words were unheard by the magical girl, though he felt guilty for not telling her everything.

For now, Yuuno thought, burying his curiosity deep down. I should focus on gathering all the Jewel Seeds for this world's safety.

Yuuno swore in his heart.

 

[CloakGear]

Chapter 3 - Dirge in the Rain

---

It had been a couple of days since he had heard of the hum at the shrine, and since then, he hadn't heard of it ever since. He thought the hum was a one-time thing, a miracle found by sheer chance. Something that will never happen to him again.

But he did, he heard the same hum again, the twinkle of the star. It was heard yesterday, Saturday, when he was going for an early sleep. At first, he thought he was hearing things, for the sound was strangely muffled, as if it was quiet and covered, but then he heard it, a familiar humming that was similar to yesterday at the shrine, although a bit quieter than before. He assumed it was just further than it was yesterday. And once again, while he was enjoying the hum, it too faded in silence.

But Makoto realized; he had heard it again, so it's not something that happened once in his lifetime. He decided to try and find it tomorrow, or rather it was today he'll be looking for it.

Today was Sunday, so there was no school today. A few hours ago, Suzuka did try to invite him to go watch the soccer match between two teams; with one team being coached by Nanoha's father, but he politely turned her down. He wasn't really interested in soccer, and since it was a free day, he wanted to walk around the town for a change, although it's also for looking for the hum. Suzuka accepted his words and left with her friends.

Some time after Suzuka left, he prepared himself for the walk around to find the hum, even leaving his headphones behind so he didn't miss hearing it. Near the entrance, he told Farin and the head maid that he was going to get some fresh air outside, and he might be late. Which, from a certain point of view, was not a lie.

In response, the head maid gave him a small, compact umbrella when she heard him, saying that the weather report says there could be a sudden downpour later, so it's best to be safe than sorry. Farin also asked him to stay safe. He thanked them both, gave a bow, and carefully stowed the compact umbrella in his schoolbag. It was a small, negligible weight, a precaution against a possibility he hadn't even considered.

+++

Of course, while the desire to try and find it is commendable, being able to find the hum itself is another matter.

The first location he decided to go to was the school, where he believed where the hum originated yesterday. The weather was warm, gently heating up the city, with a cascade of voices chatting about their lives or even the soccer battle (must be from what Suzuka said before), or the multiple steps of people walking on the dry asphalt road, going on with their lives, with him walking gently with a deliberate, relaxed pace.

The school was naturally closed when he arrived, the iron doors shut tight to prevent entry. One could try to jump above the steel gates to enter and sneak in, but it's highly likely there will be security guards or security cameras inside to record and capture any offending, possible culprits, and besides, he wasn't interested in entering the school anyway.
As expected, he could not hear any sound that was quite similar to the hum he heard during the time at the shrine; only the sound of cicadas, some people chatting in the neighbourhood and cars passing by the road, their exhaust rumbling with energy as they served their purpose. But strangely enough, he could sense something there at the school, though he didn't know the exact location, only it felt like a mere echo that was left behind, something that was muffled or kept in storage for safety.

No, not just muffled, but to him, it somehow felt unreachable; feeling it to be so close, yet so far, no different than a man trying to grow wings to fly closer and grasp the sun. To him, it felt like a melody played behind a thick glass wall, the notes recognizable to all but the music being impossible to be touched.

Makoto looked around again to see if he had missed anything, but after a while, and ignoring the stare of the security guard he saw looking at him intently, likely thinking he was a troublemaker-to-be, he left the area, looking for another place. But where should he go next time? Hm…

+++

The sun continued its journey across the sky, and Makoto continued his. His walk across Uminari City was without any clear destination. He only believes his path meandering across the city will lead him to reach his destination.

Alas, it was never meant to be. He went towards the veterinary clinic, where he heard from Shinobu about an 'accident' happening here, and sure enough, he could see the place was covered and hidden behind temporary construction panels, but one could barely see the damage from the broken doors, windows and walls, the latter's damage indeed something that could be plausibly be explained by something like a car, or at least, something similar to it.

But he did not once hear a hum, nor do hear an echo at the clinic. Interestingly enough, however, the echo was actually felt in the middle of the road, where, similar to what is occurring at the clinic, also happened there, a temporary warning sign of damaged road smacked dabbed in the middle, with some workers going to try and fix it.

It was merely a guess, but Makoto assumed, whatever the source of the hum was, it belonged to a large living thing that managed to move with the strength of a vehicle, or it could be a vehicle itself. However, that would create another question, why did the 'accident', or whatever that caused the damage on the asphalt road, occur in the middle of the road? But either way, as he did not have any more reason to be at the clinic, he left to go to his next destination, the seaside park.

Unlike his previous visits, the park didn't even have an echo he could faintly hear, it was the usual everyday things he could hear. What he could hear from the place, other than the people chatting and resting at the location, was no more than the sound of waves and the cries of gulls. Since he did not find any proof of the hum, or even a single clue, he left quickly.

His steps were heavier, and for each location visit, his doubt grew. Each location he met with a silent question, he left with a silent answer. The hum remains elusive to him, even after finding its traces. He even believed he would never hear it again. Maybe it was truly born from his imagination, a peace he desperately sought that was constructed from his mind.

When he finally resigned himself, and decided to not go to the final place he thought of going, the shrine, he felt it.

Not a sound from a hum, but a tremor.

The ground shook hard enough for him to nearly fall, forcing the boy to look to hold onto an electric pole for dear life, lest he fell down. It was then followed by distant, collective gasps from the people down the streets, their heads turning towards a certain area, pointing at a certain area. He looked at what everyone else was pointing at,and he understood their surprise.

Trees. Large colossal trees that suddenly appeared and grew large enough to eclipse the houses. From what he observed, the trees were grown in the middle of the city, not from any forest area. If that's the case, that means, they would have grown from the soil below the pavement, breaking through them by sheer force, and yet, no matter how he thought about it normally, it was impossible for the tree to suddenly grow without notice.

And then he heard it. It was faint, but it came from the areas where the trees grew.

The hum.

His feet moved before his mind could completely process the danger. While the people around looked at it in fear, he was walking, then jogging towards the catastrophe. He understood in his mind, the people around him fear change and the unknown; a disturbance to the harmony in their everyday life, but for him, it was solace. The hum provided him peace, no different from a parched man finally founding an oasis. Was it not surprising that he chased it?

+++

His path forward was unfortunately quickly blocked. Police tape was strung across the street entrance, and the anxious gathered crowd stood in front of it, with flashing red and blue lights painting their forms. Officers in uniform were directing people back, their voices firm and strained.

"Back up, everyone! Keep your distance! It's not safe!"

Makoto stood at the edge, his view blocked by the crowd, cars and buildings. He could hear the hum, the sound seemed fulfilled, as if it successfully delivered an opportunity to someone.

He was close, so close. But just by looking at the crowd; the large volume of people gathering and pushing tightly together, he knew; he wouldn't be able to pass straight through, not to mention the police would immediately stop him even if he did. When the boy took a step back to try and find another way, he saw them, up above the sky.

Pink beams of light. Not just one, but many in number. They were moving across the trees; the roots, the trunk, everything of the trees. Every time the pink beam touched the surfaces of the trees, they bounced forward, similar to a ball jumping forward after being thrown on an even surface. Even so, he didn't know why, but somehow the pink color reminded him of someone, but who…?

"Ah," a small voice murmured out from him. A larger pink beam of light lances through the sky, hitting a section of the tree, which he faintly realized was where the hum was heard. A short moment later, in a flash, a large amount of pink suddenly washed through him, covering both him and the crowd, forcing the boy to close his eyes at the sudden brightness. In that short moment, he felt warmth. Different from the peace from the sound, yet it was filled with kindness, but with a tinge of regret, as if a warmth filled with a fierce, apologetic kindness, and a silent vow to do better next time.

When he opened his eyes, as if by magic, the large trees disappeared, as if they never existed in the first place, yet the damage from the roads and the murmur of confusion and relief from the crowd told the world otherwise.

Makoto looked around at the people in confusion. Not a single person in the crowd seemed to react to the pink wave he experienced. No, more than that, did they not even see the noticeable pink beam in the sky? They did not react, or rather, other than the trees, they didn't even notice the strangeness that he saw.

The evening sky, as if responding to the strangeness that happened below, began opening up. Even as a steady rain began to fall, the crowd dispersed away, and the police began their aftermath procedures,even as he opened the umbrella that was given by the head maid from his bag.

He barely realized the hum was gone. His mind was in turmoil. What was actually going on…?

+++

With the rain continuously pouring down, the pavement was all but dry. Once again, Makoto shuffled without purpose in the city, the lights from the street lamps merely a blur covered in a watery curtain, smearing the wet streets with its color.

The rain outside felt into a steady rhythm onto his borrowed umbrella, the sound of people chatting muffled by the rain. Even then, his steps echoed through the wet pavement.

Even so, when compared to the peaceful tempo of his steps; his own thoughts were instead a mass of confusion. The images of what happened earlier were replayed non-stop in his mind.

The trees. The pink beams of light. The hum. The unnoticed crowd.

He knew what happened earlier was not normal and never once happened before. And yet, the cracked road and fallen poles from the sudden growth of the trees showed that what happened earlier was real. Makoto realized perhaps, ever since he heard the hum, the everyday life he knew, or rather, what he thought he knew, was broken into pieces.

Even then, his heart still seeks it; the hum that brought him peace.

The boy let out a sigh. He knew; the hum heard earlier was a mere coincidence. It would be unlikely for the sound to be heard again twice on the same day.

He turned down a side street, the sound quieter than what was heard in the main street. The alley itself was narrowed and shadowed, and-

And then he heard it.

The hum was unlike before, not fulfilled, triumphant one. It was similar to the one at the shrine, a twinkle of the star, trying to fulfill one's wish. And it was close, far closer than the time he heard at the tree.

Makoto blinked, his mouth opened in surprise. If Suzuka was here and saw his expression, even she would be surprised at how expressive and stunned the boy was.

Can it be possible? Can something so miraculous happen twice on the same day? Will something strange and impossible happen like earlier, a sudden disaster occurring in an instant? Is it worth it?

Makoto hesitated a little before steeling himself, moving towards the hum in a hurry, quickening his pace. He believes it was worth it, for the sake of his peace.

Makoto barely noticed it, the sound of his surrounding, neither the police sirens fading into the distance, nor the downpour of rain that suddenly got heavier

+++

His feet slowed to a stop, his breathing a bit heavy from pushing himself too hard, as he looked at the source of the hum.

It was on the ground a few distance away from him, next to the concrete wall beside the electric pole; small enough to be considered to be the pebbles on the road. Yet the distinct bright blue color marked it as something extraordinary. From what he could see, it was an oval or crystal shaped, or perhaps one could call it a seed, and a small enough object to be held in one hand and covered fully in a closed fist.

And yet somehow, to him, it was emitting a serene hum… no, it wasn't just humming. It was pulsing, calling for someone, or something to answer it, fulfilling desires.

Makoto once again hesitated, he remembered what happened earlier, and wondered if this 'item' was the cause of it. He could take it for his peace, and yet, it is also true it could also possibly cause a disaster, maybe even worse than before. He wondered what he should do.

In the end, there was no choice that was taken, because another made a decision for him.

He suddenly felt it; the prickling of his skin, the tightening of his chest, the sudden wrongness that was felt. In front of the blue seed, something black phased from the walls, passing through the small gaps of the bricks no different than liquid oil. From the side, he could see a mask of a tragic face, with a Roman Number I on it, forming from the black puddle held by a single hand, a half-body rising to a barely humanoid shape, with the bottom a black blob, and seemed to swallow the object as it moved on top of it.

The hum slowly disappeared, quieting down into a small whisper. It was then replaced, or rather the hum was warped; it became something far more horrible and unpleasant. It reminded him of the scratching of multiple nails on a chalkboard, only worse, and it was vibrating through his entire body and clawing at the inside of his skull. If he were to categorize this sound simply- yes, he would call this a scream. The monster itself grew a bit bigger, two thin hands growing from the puddle, pointing at the raining sky above as if in celebration, and he could see the seed-like object on its body, now glowing in a disturbing blue-black light.

He stumbled, closing his ears with his hand even though the sound didn't come from the air. The sound of his steps echoed terribly loud to him, and the thing turned to the source of the sound, himself. Somehow, it seemed to flinch, moving backwards mimicking a human that was surprised at what it saw, and perhaps it was.

"FOunD… yoU...~♫ ."The voice it let out was the scream given form, a high-pitched distorted record scratch overlying a child's music box melody. It was one of the most terrifying sounds he had ever heard.

The creature lunged towards him, its speed faster than he expected.

Makoto was too stunned to move, both from the scream dragging his mind to a whirl, and the shocking sight in front of him. He realized he was going to die, the monster's hands solidifying into a sharpened point and aiming at him, while his mind replayed a past memory, the screeching of tires and the shattering of glass.

This was it. This was his end. Makoto crossed his arms bracing for it. Sorry, Su-

He suddenly felt it. Something breaking like glass from him. His mind felt it, a noticeable straining feeling, a white-hot pain lancing through his skull. Something came out from him. He opened his eyes and saw it, a figure materializing between him and his certain death, glass shards floating and disappearing, melting away from the physical world. The mechanical figure of white and red with a lyre on its back, with crossed arms catching the sharpened blows, and his arms felt like it was stabbed itself. The sound of impact was a deep, resonant chime. Cracked spiderwebbed across the figure- no, across Orpheus's arms.

Wait, how does he know-

Before he continued his thoughts, he clutched his head in pain. A thumping feeling was felt on his head. The strain he felt was magnified. He felt his mind splitting itself in pain, pushing him almost beyond his tolerance.

Orpheus began wobbling, and the monster in front of him seemed paralyzed from what he saw. Two gloved hands appeared inside Orpheus through the neck where the body was and pulled the head forcefully inside the body, the body convulsing and shaking. The hands reappeared again, through the neck again and holding the chest. The hands then tore the body-the shell in half, tearing it down as the shell—Orpheus shattered into ethereal shards of glass.

What stood in place of Orpheus was a being of black, having a skeleton-like mask on its head, with coffins chained on its back similar to a cape; rattling on a wind that did not blow even as the rain continued to fall. The beast, Thanatos let out a blood-curling roar, a cold-vast fury emerging from it.

What happened next cannot be called a fight. A fight meant the opposing enemy had a chance to win, to be able to defeat the skeletal being, or at least hurt it.

What happened instead was an execution, plain and simple. Thanatos pushed the creature down with a sudden force, cracking the pavement under it, before stabbing the body with its weapon, a long katana, cracking the road even further. The monsters trashed, struggling to break free, but it was futile; one of Thanatos held the core in place with one hand, Makoto realized it also held where the seed-like object was, before using its other hand to grab the mask, then crush it with a fierce grip. The creature dissolved, melting into a stream of darkness that was sucked into Thanatos's form like a deep, final breath.

+++

"Haa… ha-cough!" Makoto let out a laboured breath, his head in sharp pain, his eyes squeezed shut, the seed-like object just in front of him, while his umbrella was left at the side.

He was one leg on his knees, one arm held on the ground while the other was straight. He was barely holding his body from falling on the ground.

The skeleton-like entity, Thanatos, let out a ragged breath, and before Makoto realized it, similar to a tv static, it became Orpheus again, before it too dissolved into particles before entering him.

The pressure on his skull vanished. He himself, however, felt… heavy. After Thanatos sucked in the darkness, he felt impure. Corrupted. It was as if the darkness it took in was now a part of him, and now that he realized it, he also felt it, a sudden pang of loneliness that was not his own; missing a part of him that he did not realize was gone.

When he opened his eyes, his gaze fell on the large puddle in front of him, distorted by the rain.

The mirrored face from it was his, and yet not at the same time. His eyes glowed in sickly yellow light, and black lines spreading from his eyes and appearing on his cheek. Not only that, he could also see an almost spectral afterimage of a mask with a letter I (or was it a number?) on his face, similar to the monster earlier. But when he blinked, everything was gone, his own face was reflected on his face. Was he seeing things…?

He barely managed to lay his body on the concrete wall, too tired and drained to even care of anything, his hand barely holding the umbrella. It was then he heard footsteps, rapid and frantic, splashing the puddles without care. Makoto turned to look at the incoming figures from the alley corner.

"We need to hurry before-what in the world!?" A voice he never heard before.

He blinked. Takamachi Nanoha, Suzuka's friend, wearing a white, fancy clothing that reminded him of a magical girl show, and holding a staff with a red gem. And beside her was a familiar ferret, the one that was rescued. They came to a stop when they saw him, eyes widening at the damaged pavement, and the lingering wisp of whatever was left.

…He guessed she was a genuine magical girl now.

+++

Some time ago, the two, Nanoha and Yuuno, were taking shelter from the rain, without anyone else around them, the girl's expression was filled with regrets; the dismissing of what she sensed as her imagination led to this disaster. The ferret looked at her in worry, not knowing better ways to cheer her up, while also regretting giving her this anguish. He hated his own powerlessness.

It was then they sensed it, a familiar prickling of their skin, the activation of the Jewel Seed. However, unlike before, the feeling they sensed was darker, twisted with a wrongness that distorted normalcy. It's as if it was… corrupted.
No words needed to be exchanged. The two immediately ran towards where they sensed the disturbance, Nanoha clutching Raising Heart from her necklace, transforming her into a magical girl again.

Their run came to a stop when a second feeling came to their senses. Unlike what they felt from the Jewel Seed, it felt thicker. Heavier. It was as if a divine providence had come, with a cold-fury judgment to the sinner.

"Yuuno-kun, what's…!?" Nanoha was worried. It was the first time since she was a magical girl that she felt no different than an ant before a juggernaut.

"I don't know, but…" Yuuno quieted down, but not because he was thinking. Nanoha turned to look where he was looking, and understood. It was because he saw something, a floating figure with coffins on its back.

The skeletal monster did not see them, but just by looking at it, she felt afraid. The creature felt like it; a personification of misery, anguish, and desolation, a wish of despair, a peaceful death or mercy at its finest. Even the rain around it seemed to freeze mid-air, as if the water droplets themselves fear the being, too afraid to fall.

But when she blinked, the monster turned into another figure. Not filled with malice, nor a heaviness that seemed to make it harder to breathe. From what Nanoha could see, the white haired figure was more robotic in nature, having a large lyre on its back, and a red scarf on its neck. It felt far more gentle and peaceful than she realized. For a short moment, she (and Yuuno) even forgot about the being with coffins chained to its body similar to a cape before and even the Jewel Seed.

"Ah…" Nanoha called out. The figure disappeared, dissolving into glass ethereal shards, and Nanoha felt a bit saddened by its disappearance. She suddenly shook her head, and both girl and ferret continued their run towards where the Jewel Seed was felt, where she faintly realized it wasn't twisted anymore. She faintly heard Yuuno saying something before she saw her senior at school, who also lives with Suzuka as a ward of the state.

+++

"Yuuki-senpai!?" Nanoha cried out, her voice both in distress and alarm. "What are you… no, what happened here!?" Her staff was raised and held tightly, but her concern for the boy was evident from her expression.

"This is…" the ferret looked at the surroundings with a critical gaze, looking at the damage made on the area, before spotting the Jewel Seed in the area, slightly glowing in blue-light and pulsing. "Nanoha, the Jewel Seed! Quickly!"

"A-ah, okay!" The girl nodded, before pointing her staff at the Jewel Seed. "Raising Heart, please!"

The staff, Raising Heart glowed, words forming on the red jewel. [All right. Sealing.]

The blue seed-like object floated before Makoto's eyes, pink ribbons wrapping around it in a gentle embrace, before being sucked into the red jewel of the staff. [Receipt Number XII.]

The rain fell into a drizzle, and Makoto could feel some of his strength returning. He barely stood up, his breath heavy and rapid, though he almost stumbled forward. The magical girl quickly moved towards him, holding his side so he did not fall.

"Don't push yourself so hard!" Nanoha called out in worry, being surprised at how light her senior was. The ferret was looking at him in a duality of wariness and worry.

"Yeah, but…" Makoto could hear it, police sirens closing in on where they were. "I don't think we have the time for that."

The other two could also hear it, and they tensed. "For now," the ferret called out. "We should go somewhere quiet and safe."

Makoto nodded, holding the umbrella to cover both him and the girl. He was too tired and too surprised by today's events to be even shocked by the talking ferret. "...Dizzy..." he muttered, unheard by anyone.

+++

The trio could hear the police siren fading into the distance from the covered bus stop they are taking shelter from. There was no one there at the bus stop. Thankfully, the rain made it rare for people to walk around unless they have a raincoat or an umbrella. Even if they did pass by, the rain provided a natural curtain for the trio, a privacy they needed.

"Senpai, are you sure you're okay?" Nanoha looked at him with worry. "You looked really pale…"

Makoto let out a sigh. Truthfully, he was tired, but when compared to when the creature appeared, he was feeling far better. He could actually walk by himself now.

The ferret looked at him intently, as if trying to solve a puzzle it can't comprehend. He closed his eyes, and blinked, as if realizing something. "Nanoha, his magical signature has… changed. Try sensing it."

"Eh?" Nanoha blinked, before closing her eyes, trying to sense what Yuuno sensed.

She felt it, something different from before. In the past, after her magical activity, and during the shrine, her senior felt normal, no different than usual. Right now however, she felt it, a deep still sea, with some things anchored to him. It felt less coming from what's inside him, rather, it felt it was coming from him, the person itself. And yet, it still felt like her senior, just larger in magnitude. "Yuuno-kun, do you know what's going on?"

"...To be honest, this is the first time I actually sense something like this." Yuuno the ferret moved in front of him, looking at him with both interest and dread now, as if realizing a fundamental rule of the universe having a flaw. "It's... not like any linker core I've ever sensed. No, it is not a linker core. It's not a source of magic; it's... it's as if his very soul is the magic. And it's... deeper."

The ferret then shook his head, as if realizing something. "No, it's not just deep... it feels layered, like it's possible to house other presences sleeping within that same depth."

"Not only that," Yuuno continued, looking down, but instead of saying to them, it seems it was thinking out loud without realizing it. "It felt like the being was deeply connected to his soul, like it was a part of him. This contradicts every principle of modern magical theory. Linker Cores generate magic; they aren't made of it. This is... something else entirely."

If there was a small notepad and a writing utensil, Makoto could imagine the ferret sitting in front of him writing his words for theories and explanations for answers. The ferret turned to him and said. "If you don't mind me asking, can you please explain what happened?"

Makoto nodded. "I'll try."

And so the boy explained. Of what occurred earlier, and a short explanation of what he did before going to the area. Of how he saw a pink wave from the tree before it disappeared (Nanoha flinched), the hum he heard, and the mask monster. He then explained his encounter with the monster.

"Orpheus?" Yuuno questioned. "You know it, your… 'familiar'?"

Makoto corrected him, slumping on the bus stop bench. "Just its name, to be honest. I don't know if it's my familiar or anything… All I know is that it saved me."

Yuuno nodded, his head ticking the points made in his head. "And… what of the other one?"

The boy shook his head. "That one… I don't really know. I only felt a cold fury. The silence after. …All I know is…it destroyed that thing."

The ferret seemed dissatisfied by the explanation, but Makoto couldn't help it, that was truly all he knew. Before the ferret could question him further, Nanoha held the animal in her hand, surprising the creature as it was lifted before being put on his knees.

"Let's… stop for today, Yuuno." Nanoha let out a weary, tired sigh. "It's been a surprising day for everyone."

"...Yeah, you're right, Nanoha. Sorry." the ferret bowed to him in apology, he nodded in understanding. He wasn't surprised by Yuuno's curiosity; he himself wanted to know what actually happened earlier, but it's also true it's been a long day for everyone, especially for Nanoha and the ferret.

The trio blinked, hearing the sound of a phone ringing. Makoto realized it was from him, and when he looked, the phone number was from Suzuka. Ah, was it already this late?

He answered the phone, and sure enough, it was from the said girl. She asked him where he was, her tone filled with worry.

His reply was simple. "I'm with Takamachi at the bus stop. Both of us got caught in the rain."
Suzuka was surprised by the fact he's with one of her best friends, and he gave his phone to said friend in question. Nanoha took it and answered.

"Ah, yes, Suzuka-chan! We're okay!" Her voice was bright as she reassured her friend, yet he could tell it was slightly forced. He felt guilty, for both Nanoha and Suzuka. "Oh no, don't worry. Yes! Okay, see you tomorrow!"

Nanoha let out a sigh, not of hating the talk with her friend, but merely being stressed by the situation they're experiencing.

Makoto looked at the girl. He noticed how damp her hair was from the rain, how tired her eyes looked as it forced itself to open, and even the way she barely held herself standing while holding her staff. From that, he decided, looking at her profile. "I'll send you home, Takamachi."

"Eh!? But-"

"It's fine," Makoto stood up as he said it, his voice firm. He could definitely move now. He met her eyes for a brief second. "You carried my weight earlier. Let me carry yours now."

It wasn't just about physical support; it was an unspoken understanding of the burden they now both shared.

+++

Their walk towards the Takamachi household was a quiet affair, the umbrella covering the two from the rain and their steps echoing the pathway. Makoto kept his pace with Nanoha, with Yuuno on her shoulders, and to make sure the rain did not touch her, he slowly shifted the umbrella to fully cover the girl, not caring of the fact his shoulder was now exposed to the rain and was wetted by it. Nanoha noticed and tried to protest, but he gave a slight, almost imperceptible shake of his head, his gaze still looking ahead. The gesture spoke enough. The matter wasn't up for discussion.

Their speed was unhurried, their feet sometimes touching a puddle with a gentle plop.They did not talk about anything, their minds thinking of what happened earlier today.

Mkoto broke the uncomfortable silence, his voice merely above a whisper, almost lost by the rain. "The pink beam of light today… that was you wasn't it?"

The girl flinched, the ferret stiffen. Still, he did not stop, his gaze distant, not looking at the girl in question. "I… could feel it, a kindness yet also filled with regrets for the pink wave. You blame yourself for what happened."

The girl looked down on her feet, and Yuuno looked at her sadly. Makoto continued. "Thinking that if you'd just... noticed something sooner, been faster... things would be different. That it's your fault that it happened." He sighed. "...I know that feeling. The 'what if' is the heaviest weight." His last words were a quiet murmur, almost lost in the rain, but Nanoha heard it.

"...Eh?" Nanoha let out a voice in surprise. Both she and the ferret looked at the blue-haired boy in surprise, truly looking at him. She did not speak. Her shocked silence says everything.

Their walk towards Nanoha's house returned to silence, but unlike before, to Nanoha, it was a pleasant silence.

Nanoha remembered her chat with Suzuka and Alisa during lunch time in the past, about how the boy who's now living with her, is a really kind, understanding person. Right now, standing under his umbrella, feeling the weight of his silent understanding, Nanoha finally understood her friend's words.
It would be a short while before they saw the Takamachi house. Makoto could see two older figures, Nanoha's elder siblings or parents perhaps, waiting outside. He decides to state the obvious. "We should continue our talk tomorrow. After school." The other two quickly agree.

"Well then see you tomorrow, Takamachi." Nanoha frowned a bit. It felt distant to her; a wall being formed between the two after the experience earlier.

"Please, senpai." Makoto turned to look at his junior in surprise. She said, "Call me Nanoha."

Makoto let out a quick small smile before nodding. "Okay, Nanoha." he said, before adding. "Then… call me Makoto."

+++

[Nanoha's POV]

From the windows at her room, she watches her senior, Makoto, walking away with an umbrella, his figure swallowed by the rain. Somehow, he felt… lonely.

Her family was rightfully worried about her, especially because of the sudden downpour. Nanoha merely gave a strained laugh, it's not like she planned to be trapped by the rain!

She took a quick bath, before drying herself, changing into her warm pajamas as she laid down on her bed. She looked at the side. Yuuno was sleeping on the basket with a bed. It seems he too was tired of today's events.

"Soo tired…" Nanoha muttered, looking at the ceiling.. But then she slowly stood up, and went to her table, sitting down, before taking out both a pencil and a book. Her journal. She wanted to record what happened today, before she forgot. Although, it was an unforgettable encounter.

Journal Entry, Sunday

Today, my mistake nearly hurt everyone. I regret it, and from now on, I should take it seriously. At the same time, I learned something about my senior, Yuuki Makoto. He too had something special about him. And he understands me. He didn't explain anything, but from how he looks forward, from what he explained, he knew how I feel. Somehow, I kind of understand why Suzuka-chan says he's a mysteriously kind person. I also understand that sometimes, the people who seem the quietest are holding back the most.

 

[CloakGear]

Posting two chapters today.

Like from the other sites, a bit of a warning. This chapter introduce fully shows and introduce crossover (original) mechanic(s) that I thought of because of the two series universe meeting with each other. I'm just telling earlier just in case people are confused.

---

Chapter 4 - The Weight of Silence

---

The final bell rang, and Makoto's homeroom teacher declared to her students, "Alright, that's all for today!"

Immediately afterwards, some students left their seats early, either eager to go home or chat with their friends or significant other, while greeting their friends or classmates that are either nearby or calling out to them.

For today, however, he wasn't leaving the school early. To his classmates' surprise, he was even just starting to pack his stuff! Some of his classmates that knew him since he transferred began discussing what happened. Did something happen? They also noted he seemed more absentminded than usual, the boy who was somewhat famous as a quiet, apathetic person among those in their class.

…Well, it wasn't wrong that he was more distracted than usual, but when one remembers what happened yesterday, incidents that removed one from what is considered normal, who can blame him? Even now, he still couldn't believe it was real. The sudden tree growth. The monster. The one inside that came out of him. Even Nanoha as a magical girl.

…Well, he can actually believe the last part more than anything.

Either way, he should be meeting Nanoha and the ferret… Yuuno, if he remembered correctly. He wonders if Yuuno is outside the school, or maybe Nanoha brought it to school? Hmm, it's completely possible, but a ferret appearing at school, especially with the unique coloring of Yuuno may be too eye-catching, or maybe the little thing can sneak it undetected? That's possible too. Let's see…

'Senpai?'

Makoto blinked. …He thought he heard Nanoha talking to him. He glanced around the classroom just to make sure. As expected, she wasn't around. All he could see was an empty classroom devoid of people.

He scratched his head, was he hallucinating? But that voice was definitely Nanoha, and it was clear, though it strangely felt…internal, like a thought that was not his own.

Actually, doesn't it feel like she was actually talking in his mind? Shrugging to himself, he decided to try 'talking' to the voice in his head, no matter how silly it feels. 'Nanoha?'

'Ah, it worked!' …That definitely sounds like Nanoha, judging from the tone of her voice. 'Makoto-senpai, do you want to go to the park together? Yuuno-kun also wants to have a talk about yesterday.'

He nodded his head, as acknowledgement to her question, but then he quickly realized she wouldn't be able to notice him actually nodding. 'Yeah, I don't mind. I assume everyone will also talk together later like this, just for privacy?'

'Hai! Yuuno-kun is still at home, and I can't really take Yuuno-kun to school since I promise my parents not to let Yuuno cause any trouble if I want to continue to keep him.' Nanoha confessed, he could imagine her rubbing the back of her head with a smile as she said that.

'Indeed, that would be good.' Makoto agreed, standing from his seat and doing a quick stretch to himself to get rid of the soreness of him sitting. 'By the way, I assume we're able to talk to each other is due to telepathy? Is it also part of your magic?'

'Ah, hai! Yuuno-kun's been teaching me for some time.'

'Huh, that's pretty impressive.'

'...You don't sound that impressed, Makoto-senpai.' Somehow, even though he couldn't see her, he could already imagine it; Nanoha giving him a deadpan stare.

He couldn't help but be confused by her tone, even though the girl couldn't see him.

Was his delivery really that bad? He really needs to work on that. He was genuinely impressed. After all, it wasn't every day you discovered your friend could talk inside your head.

+++

Once he left the classroom, Makoto immediately went to the school gate. Scanning the crowd of students, he tried looking for a certain brown-haired girl with a familiar hair style. Thankfully, said girl was nearby so he didn't have to look too far.

He saw the girl in question, Nanoha, near the school gate. She was leaning on a nearby wall, humming a tune to pass the time while her right foot was tapping on the ground, moving on a beat of her hum.

"Ah, senpai!" she greeted him with a wave of her hand when she saw him, her expression morphed into a smile. He gave a small nod in response, and the two then headed towards their destination, a park not far from here, the pace on a similar distance and rhythm.

Their walk wasn't really quiet though, he and Nanoha were chatting about their everyday life , schoolwork, and her two friends, Alisa and Suzuka, though he realized both of them were avoiding the talk about yesterday. He could understand that. Even for him, it'll be pretty awkward for him to talk about what happened.

"So Yuuno's checking the park now?" he asked the girl, who nodded in response. Thankfully, there weren't many people around them right now, and even if they heard him, they'll assume he's talking about a friend of his at school, instead of a magical talking ferret that could somehow teach Nanoha magic. It's not a lie after all, since both possibilities are true.

"Yuuno's pretty worried about what happened, so he's just making sure." Nanoha let out a stained laugh, her face now being awkward as she looked at the side with a sad expression, as they arrived at the park, which, to his surprise, was completely devoid of people, if one excludes them. Before continuing using a telepathic thought. 'Especially after what we sensed yesterday…'

…He somehow felt apologetic.

A short time passed as they continued to walk through the sparsely populated park. Suddenly, Nanoha reacted—letting out a voice of surprise, before shifting to a certain direction, crouching down and extending her hand forward, trying to welcome something. When he turned to look, he saw the familiar yellow fur from a certain ferret. Yuuno was running towards Nanoha, before climbing up on her shoulders, nodding at him.

'Can you hear me…Makoto, was it?' he nodded, unsurprised by the ferret talking in his head. Since Nanoha did say the ferret taught her magic, the fact that it…no, he can talk to him the same way it's not that surprising. 'Good. There's an empty seat at a corner of the park, with an almost lack of people. We should be fine sitting there for privacy. We can talk on the way.'

Makoto nodded. 'I don't mind. Lead the way.'

+++

Although the park was somewhat big, their travel to the wooden bench, on one end of the park, was short and uneventful. As Yuuno checked before, the number of people was scarce. He did not see any individuals that hung around in the area. There weren't even any people or animals laying down on the grass, sleeping on this clouded evening, with a few sunlights passing through the shadowy gaps from the trees. What was seen were only butterflies floating round the flowers, and birds drinking on the water fountain gently gushing out a stream of clear water from its top.

Of course, that contrasts with what they were talking about earlier. Yuuno seemed to trust him enough, along with Nanoha's encouragement, and began explaining what was exactly happening. Even though it's somewhat similar to the magical girl's show he often sees Suzuka seeing sometimes in her spare time, he still needed to process it.

'So these…'Jewel Seeds'...' Makoto said, vaguely gesturing the object he imagined with his hand, as if tracing an imaginary shape. He was leaning on a tree nearby as the shadows covered him from the evening glow. 'The one I found before, the ones that were humming… they grant wishes or desires.'

'Correct,' Yuuno was standing on the bench, with Nanoha sitting beside him. It was the three of them now, with no one else in sight, and none sensed by Yuuno. Yuunoi then continued. 'To be frank, I still can't believe you can hear the Jewel Seeds as a hum.'

Nanoha took out a red jewel that was attached as a necklace, and then the device, Raising Heart, declared. [Confirmation]. The red jewel glowed, and six almost rhombus-like blue objects — the Jewel Seeds, began circling in front of him and around the device, their Roman Numbers colored black and glowing red.

'Hm,' Makoto nodded, confirming the source of the hum again. 'Even though you guys sealed it, I could definitely still hear it, though barely.'

Indeed, even though it was quieted and muffled, he could hear them, the small hums, similar in tones, coming from each of them, though he could also feel a small difference of urging of feelings. He's not sure about what though. And currently, he's thankful that he didn't have any urge to take it now, when he remembers yesterday at the alley, and the fact he hesitated. Who knows what'll happen if he touches it, both now and at that time?

What would the Jewel Seed do to someone as broken as him?

Yuuno stared at him in surprise, his form completely still. 'That... that shouldn't be possible. The seal is meant to isolate the Jewel Seed's energy completely. For you to still perceive its resonance…' He trailed off his words and not continuing his words, still in disbelief.

Raising Heart stopped glowing, and the Jewel Seeds once again are being absorbed into the red jewel again. Nanoha put back Raising Heart under her shirt, while the yellow ferret seemed to be deep in thought, muttering something to himself he couldn't really hear well while his tail was moving non-stop. Something about a theory of 'soul-based manifestation phenomenon'?

Yuuno shook his head, then stared at Makoto with his green eyes. 'So then, if you don't mind, could you explain again about what happened yesterday?'

…Well, it's not like he had anything to hide about, so Makoto agreed, and started with what happened yesterday. Where he first sensed muffled hums from where he assumed, and confirmed by the two, where the Jewel Seeds were sealed by Nanoha, the school and the clinic, though he admitted he didn't actually hear in the clinic area, just on streets a few walk away from it. He also explained why he was searching for them.

'...I see…,' Yuuno crossed its tiny front feet together like they were hands, nodding at Makoto's explanation. 'So you felt the traces of the Jewel Seed, and decided to look for them, because they gave you peace of mind? That's really interesting.'

'Hang on,' Nanoha interrupted their thoughts, as if realising something. 'So that means, you didn't hear anything from Raising Heart?'

'No,' Makoto confirmed her guess, shaking his head. 'I didn't hear anything. Not even a hum. In fact, if you didn't show me the Jewel Seeds just now, I won't even know you have them with you.'

'And no,' the boy continued. It's best he cleared this up early, for his own sake too. 'I won't even try taking it, not anymore. Especially after hearing the scream.'

'You definitely shouldn't.' Yuuno declared, both him and Nanoha nodding at Makoto's words. 'And the seeds contained in Raising Heart are now dormant and sealed, so it's quite unlikely that you will be able to hear them unless you're close.'

Yuuno then blinked in surprise, as if realizing something from what the blue-haired boy's said. 'Wait a minute. What scream?'

Both Makoto and Nanoha blinked, before the latter stared at the former in confusion. The boy realized he didn't actually explain what he heard, only the monster.

'If I remember correctly…' Makoto rubbed his long bangs covering his right eye, standing straight. 'Some time after the tree incident, I took a walk around before hearing another Jewel Seed. This one is originally a hum, and I went towards the source.'

The blue haired boy crossed his arms while leaning back on the tree again. 'I didn't know what to do with it though. I had a feeling that the Jewel Seed also caused the sudden growth of trees, so I just hesitated. Then… something came out.'

''Something?'' The magical girl and the magical ferret tilted their heads in confusion.

Makoto grimaced at the memory, before explaining to the other two. On how the monster somehow melted into existence out of nowhere, as unbelievable as it sounds. And how the seed's hum became a scream after it came into contact with the monster, and the monster attacked him after noticing the blue haired boy.

'Also…' he hesitated, drawing a look of worry from the brown-haired girl. '...No, never mind.'

He shook his head, dismissing the memory of the high-pitched, distorted voice as his own imagination, born from his fear of seeing the monster and the rain. It was easier than dwelling on it. Because, the alternative, the creature was actively searching for him, would mean…

'In other words,' he was privately thankful for Yuuno's words as it interrupted his train of thoughts. 'What Nanoha and I felt back then was the 'scream'; you mentioned earlier.'

'It felt really wrong,' Nanoha admitted, her arms hugging her body, shivering at the feeling that day. 'I find it hard to breathe and it feels really heavy. Like something was being twisted.'

'Or corrupted,' Yuuno declared, his face scrunched. He seems to be deep in thought, yet both Makoto and Nanoha felt the anxiety and a small excitement from him. "Something that was never recorded and found out by my clan? Is it because of this planet? Or is it because of what Makoto encountered? No, perhaps, the Jewels Seeds always meant to do that. But that doesn't explain-"

Yuuno seemed to be thinking out loud now with his tail swiping left and right, completely lost in his theorizing, making and cutting away theories non-stop, and forgetting both Nanoha and Makoto, the two of them letting out a wry smile at how scholarly Yuuno seems to act. Since Yuuno called himself an archeologist, finding a new discovery seemed to excite him. For Nanoha, it was the first time she saw him acting like this, and not just like a serious, responsible person. She's glad he can act like this.

While Yuuno seemed to not stop yet, Makoto suddenly flinched, his right hand holding his head as he felt a familiar unpleasant nausea wash over him, his temple throbbing as he looked in a certain direction.

"Senpai!?" Nanoha cried out aloud, standing up in alarm, breaking Yuuno out of his muse.

"...It's over there," Makoto gritted out his words. He pointed his finger in the direction where he sensed the wrongness; the deepest part of the park. He rarely went there, since the lights from the lamp post barely shined through the darkness in that location. "The wrongness. The scream. It's…close."

Yuuno and Nanoha focused their senses. A moment later, Yuuno's fur bristled. "He's right… I feel it now. A dense, oppressive magical signature. It's… suffocating."

Nanoha paled, gripping Raising Heart. "It feels heavy. Sad. Tired. And really, really angry."

Before anyone said anything, Makoto suddenly took off in a rush, moving in a direction with a determined look on his face, his body acting before his mind could even process the command. Nanoha and Yuuno realized, from where they sensed the feeling of dread, the blue-haired boy was running to where it was located. "Senpai, wait, stop!" Nanoha called out to the running boy, but Makoto didn't seem to hear her words.

"Kh, let's follow him, Nanoha!" Yuuno declared, already following the boy.

"Ah, wait for me!" Nanoha held the red jewel in her hand, even as she started running along. "Raising Heart, please!"

[Standby. Ready. Setup.] The Intelligent Device declared, the words forming from the jewel itself. A short glow later, and Nanoha, while running, is now dressed in a blue and white dress with a metal waist guard, similar to her school uniform.

Even as the duo followed the blue-haired boy though, the familiar prickling to their body became deeper as they got closer to the source, Yuuno's mind whirled with his thoughts. One part was being impressed that Makoto actually sensed the 'corruption' earlier than the two of them. The other was a deep worry.

Why did he run without a word? What did he sense?

+++

Up ahead, the two saw Makoto come to a stop at a corner, looking at something with wide eyes. As the two got closer, they could smell it, similar during the morning when Nanoha had breakfast with her family, the smell of a cup of coffee, but it felt lifeless, as if all the warmth was now sucked dry and what remains is but a cold certainty. And when the two arrived to see the scene, they understood why he was speechless, as they looked at what Makoto saw on the side.

"What… is that?" Nanoha breathed, her voice barely a whisper of horror.

A large grey table was first seen, similar to those in an office, but one could see it being cracked, one part almost breaking apart, one wonders how it could be held. On the table sat a masked individual, but one cannot see the lower half of the body, as if it was fused with it. The body was no different than a mannequin in a shop, completely similar to those in a shop, dressed in tattered salaryman clothing, yet on both the table and the body, one could see black lines pulsing in disturbing red light. The individual was grabbing something from the surroundings. The trio looked to see what it was grabbing.

Papers. Papers flying and floating around where the masked being was. They were flapping similar to butterflies, with words and agreements on it. The left arm grabbing them was large, far larger than its own body, yet strangely looked like a stack of paper.

The right arm however ceased to be humanoid, merely a large red stamp made of thick concrete with two words, "REJECTED" or "NON-COMPLIANT", landing on the grabbed papers with the force of a hammer, the impact echoing through the clearing with a final, bureaucratic *THUMP* that sounded like a judge's gavel sealing a fate, before it floated and was absorbed by the front of the left arm.

Yet, the papers itself floated back from the back of its shoulders, the words stamped disappearing as if it never existed.

It wasn't a monster; it was a monument to despair. A prison of conformity built from broken promises and endless paperwork.

The air itself pressed down on them, heavy with the promise of erasure. And on its back, glowing in a blue-black colour that seemed to have fused on it, was a Jewel Seed, the red Roman Number V glowing in an ominous red.

The monster was ignoring them, or rather, it didn't seem to notice them as its side was facing the three of them. Yet they could hear it, the sound of printers, the clatter of keyboards, the rapid thumping of a stamp, and the low, grinding whir of a server farm pushed to its limit—a dirge of modern office hell, the muttering and screaming despair of a person acting a cog in a machine called office. Beneath it all was a small, almost unheard desperate whimper beneath all, that may belong to a human voice.

"No way," Yuuno muttered out loud, as he's in disbelief at what he was seeing right now. "How could anyone wish for something like this…?"

Nanoha tightened her grip on her staff, her eyes widened in horror at the acne in front of her. Suddenly she heard a painful gasp and something falling. Surprised, the magical girl and ferret turned to see Makoto on a single knee, breathing heavily.

"Senpai, are you-" the brown haired girl started, but then her eyes widened in alarm. "Senpai, you're bleeding!"

Indeed, Makoto's nose was bleeding, and his head was really splitting apart, the worried voice from the other two was now hard for him to hear. And yet, his gaze never left the Seed, the source of the monster. The scream.

For him, he could feel it, the rage of a person, their anger and helplessness. And yet, there was something else that was felt, so similar to the rage, yet different. An almost fanatical belief.

Of course, the noise from them was heard by the monster. The sounds stopped, as it slowly turned to look to its left, wanting to know what was disturbing its systematic actions. Its sickly yellow eyes were seen from the mask, with the Roman Number V, with the mask itself lacking any features, not even a nose or a mouth carved on it. With a wordless anger, the left large hand extends itself, trying to grab the girl and the boy.

"NANOHA!"

Yuuno's shout made the two look in front of them in surprise, before seeing the large mass of hands closing in on them. Nanoha immediately pointed her staff, Raising Heart, at the incoming hand. [Protection!] Raising Heart said, generating a pink barrier to block the blow.

The blow from the arm made of stacks of paper was unexpectedly heavy, as if it was filled with the weight of responsibilities that were given without notice. Even though she successfully blocked it, Nanoha realized she couldn't move from the spot or else Makoto, who was still in pain, would be grabbed by the monster or worse. Yuuno tried calling out to the boy, asking him to move away.

The blue-haired boy couldn't move however. He couldn't really hear his surroundings, his vision only focusing on the corrupted Jewel Seed, his feet felt like it was nailed to the ground he's standing on, he felt chained there. Even so, even with that, he could feel Nanoha protecting him from something. And so, he internally shouted at himself.

Move. Move. Move! He needs to move! To help his friend! To help the despair he felt!

MOVE!

'If thou hast the will to face what lies ahead, then call upon my name.'

His other self answered.

'Thou art I…'

"And I am thou," Makoto muttered, grabbing the ground in a tight grip, his head suddenly felt lighter than before, as if he's now doing the correct choice.

"Senpai!?" Nanoha called out in surprise, but he merely glared at the white mass of paper arm.

"I'll help." Makoto declared, wiping out the blood from his nose with his sleeves in a grimace. It wasn't an offer; it was a vow, to Nanoha and to the tormented soul in front of them.

"Wait, what are you…" Yuuno went silent at what he saw and felt.
A gentle melody. A calming serene feeling. The growing feeling of magic from the individual named Yuuki Makoto, and both Nanoha and Yuuno couldn't help but look at him with surprise. Even the masked monster seemed to flinch in pain.

And so, the boy called out. The words that felt right. To his other self, to the name from his soul that felt right.

"Per…so….na!"

A feeling of a glass wall shattering for him, as glass shards shaped energy spiralled around him. His eyes were now glowing blue with power, and an individual was forming from the shards above him, a familiar one known by the trio. A red scarf. A mechanical body. A large lyre on its back. White hair with black face and red eyes.

Once again, Orpheus descends to help.

"You summon it again!?" Yuuno's shock was noticeable, before he corrected himself. "No, you can consciously choose to!?"

There were no words exchanged, yet Orpheus knew what his other self wanted; to help Nanoha. He grabbed the large lyre on its back and held it in two arms, and swung it down towards the wrist area of the arm that was grabbing the barrier. The arm bent from the force, before the areas that were hit broke, causing stacks of papers to fall uselessly on the grass ground. Additionally, the papers that formed the hand that was connected to the wrist also fell, its connection to the main arm was severed. The monster roared in pain.

Nanoha and Yuuno were in awe of the power shown, but before they could respond, Makoto once again ran forward, going towards the monster…no, he was going towards its back where the Jewel Seed was. Yuuno called him out to stop, as some of the papers seemed to straighten themselves and fell towards the running boy.

He did not stop, even though he heard them, even as Orpheus knocked the papers away that came towards him. Anything that Orpheus missed, Nanoha shot it down with her pink spells. And the concrete stamp coming down was easily pushed away.

Makoto somehow felt it, something calling out to him. Something pulling him towards something. A drive that suddenly came to him, telling him what to do. No, that wasn't it. It wasn't just a drive. It was instinct. A desire to touch the seed, and to bring silence to the scream. And so, while Orpheus and Nanoha held the monster from moving too much, Makoto pointed his palms in front of the seed.

Immediately afterwards, Orpheus floated above his other self, the hands trying to clasp together, trying to hold the Seed, with ethereal strings coming out from Orpheus's palms trying to wrap around it. A reddish, almost translucent sphere was seen covering the Jewel Seed however, stopping the hands of Orpheus trying to clasp it, and yet, as the strings wrapped around the sphere, the color was also changing, withering away to a lighter, almost bluish color. And amazingly enough, both Nanoha and Yuuno can feel it, the oppressive feeling coming from the Jewel Seed creature was becoming weaker and lighter.

"Is he… purifying it?" Yuuno began sensing again, but he realized what the boy was doing and saw the red corruption moving from the strings towards Orpheus. "No, the corruption, he's absorbing it!"

Indeed, when both Makoto and Orpheus touched it, the blue-haired boy could feel it, the creature—the office worker's emotion, a torrent of negative energy containing the victim's rage that seemed to burn him, a helplessness that freezes his veins at its coldness, and a twisted sense of "necessity." The touch drained the feelings into him, and he felt a violent feedback to the depths of his soul.

The torrent of emotion threatened to overwhelm him—and then, it fractured. For a split second, the office worker's rage was gone, replaced by a flash of... something else. A memory not his own, not of the office worker he realized, flashing through his mind: Distorted figures in lab coats that are looming across a device. The voices he heard were also distorted but filled with worry, he could hear the words 'dangerous' and 'irreversible'. And yet the last words that seemed to come from him, or the individual he's remembering, that Makoto realized felt the exact same feeling as the office worker, saying in a clear voice— a dogmatic belief justifying any actions. "For Al-Hazard."

The vision vanished as quickly as it came, leaving behind only a ghost of fanatical certainty that felt alien in his mind. What was Al-Hazard?

Of course, while he was draining, the transformed individual did not stand by and do nothing. Some of the floating papers began forming the hand again, and even enlarging its size and volume, while others became sharp, with one moving at high speed towards the boy.

"Senpai, look out!" Nanoha called out, and to both the girl and Yuuno's surprise, Makoto and Orpheus didn't even move to avoid it—no, it was as if they didn't even register the incoming attack, causing the paper to cut the boy's cheek.

"SENPAI!" Nanoha's scream was raw with panic. The sight of the paper slicing his cheek sent a jolt of terror through her that was far more personal than any fear for herself.

"Why didn't you block it!?" Yuuno shouted at the blue haired boy as he ran closer. But after seeing that the boy barely reacted, to both the injury and the shout, even as black lines formed on his face, the ferret realized the reason, the boy was too concentrated to even notice his injury. Makoto wasn't even flinching, his breathing steady; all he was focusing on was what was in front of him.

Yuuno called out in alarm. "No, it's not that you didn't, but you can't!? Nanoha, we have to protect him! He can't even break concentration to save himself!"

After hearing her friend's shout, Nanoha's face became determined, her grip on Raising Heart tightened, until her knuckles were white. She immediately moves close to Makoto to protect the boy, pink spheres of light forming around her.

[Divine Shooter,] the intelligent device called out, shooting the pink spheres towards any sharp papers that try to close in on Makoto, knocking them from their targeted trajectory and making them fall harmlessly to the ground.

Nanoha wasn't just attacking either. Sometimes, she stopped the stamp attacks with her barrier, locking it down in place with her Restrict Lock, a pink circular ring holding the arms, flying papers and the stamp in one place, preventing them from moving, and even shooting at the large enemy with a quick pink beam of light, when she spotted an opening.

As for Yuuno, he called out his technique, Chain Bind, forming a green circle Mid-Childan under him and summoning green chains of light from it, tying the massive paper arm that was formed to the ground, and stopping it, and assisted with Nanoha's Restrict Lock, who was also locking the flying papers, from being lifted up, even as he felt the strain. He also created a barrier, a green Round Shield, whenever an attack came dangerously close to Makoto.

Nanoha's breath came in sharp gasps. This wasn't like the straightforward fights before. This was about defense, about protecting someone who was utterly vulnerable. It was terrifying, but seeing her senpai standing firm against that torrent of darkness... it filled her with a fierce, protective resolve. She wouldn't let a single paper cut him again.

+++

The battle was chaotic, with Makoto absorbing the darkness, the officer's own rage and helplessness akin to a tidal wave trying to brown his mind, and Nanoha and Yuuno frantically trying to protect the boy as he did his actions. The area smelt of sweat and burnt paper, and the trio were getting tired, even as they took their respective actions.

But their actions have meaning, and all things come to an end.

The red sphere surrounding the Jewel Seed became light blue, before shattering. The monster was also destabilizing, the form of papers dissolving and burning away into a pathetic whimper with the sound of a printer shutting down, revealing what was inside, an office worker in grey clothing, his eyes already rolled to the back of his head as he fainted to the bench he was resting on, the large table disappearing as if not existing in the first place. The Jewel Seed itself was now glowing not in the dark-blue, but a calm blue.

Makoto himself fell to one knee, and Nanoha rushed to his side with worry.

Yuuno, however, reminded the magical girl. "Nanoha, the Jewel Seed! It's not sealed yet!" The Seed itself was pulsing, as if trying to activate again.

Nanoha, remembering the sudden growth of trees due to the Jewel Seed fulfilling a wish, let out a determined cry, pointing her staff at it, calling out to her partner. "Raising Heart, please!"

[Sealing Mode. Setup!] Raising Heart transformed to its form to seal the seeds, and pink ribbons made of magic power tied and wrapped itself on the seed, as the seed glows its Roman Number, V. [Stand by. Ready.]

"Lyrical Magical! Jewel Seed Serial V! Seal!" Nanoha called out. And Raising Heart continued, [Sealing.]

The glowing Seed became no more than a dim, and it was immediately absorbed by the red jewel of Raising Heart. [Receipt Number V.] Raising Heart declared.

The case was finally over. Makoto sighed in relief, as he slowly stood up despite the pain from the paper cut.

But when he looked at where Nanoha and Yuuno were, they were looking at him, their faces both in awe and worry as they ran towards him. And when he looked at his arms, he realized why.

His arms were also having those black lines, the same ones he saw in the reflection that he dismissed, and the same one as the one on the transformed masked victim.

…Makoto didn't know that, from the other two's observation, his face also had those black lines, and his eyes that were glowing in a shining blue, had flickered and died, now coloured a familiar sickly yellow shade, also the same as the masked monster.

Nobody said anything, with the silence that followed after being heavy with tension. Makoto clenched his fist, and as if responding to that action, the black lines (and yellow eyes) slowly disappeared. The signs were now gone from him, as if it was merely an illusion.

And yet, the memory of what occurred, had now burned into their eyes.

For a long moment, from the evening breeze, the trio heard the rustling of grasses and leaves. Yuuno slowly opened his mouth, asking him quietly. "What... what are you becoming?"

The three of them stood in the quiet park, the normal sounds of evening feeling like a mockery. The weight of the silence was heavier than any monster they had just faced.

---

Author notes:

A bit of info on the Jewel Seeds of this crossover.

Spoiler: Jewel Seeds for this crossover

There are not just wish granters. They are amplifiers of suppressed emotions. They do not create desires, only amplifying what existed, usually forcing it to physical form, if not from the holders, then with something nearby that could help the holder fulfill their wishes/desires. So a dog having the seed wanting to big and strong to protect its human friend/owner will get so, but makes it attack anything on the area that could make it fail it's duty. The kitten/cat just wants to play and get bigger, so the Seed made it so.

When someone touches or comes too close, the Seed doesn't just react to magic energy like in canon→it probes their emotional residue. If that residue is stable (clear will, balanced heart), the Seed stays inert. If it finds a suppressed emotion→ it forces manifestation into reality.

Of course, they're not malicious and just doing their duty, unless of course, either a shadow gets to them or they hold onto a being with negative surpressed emotions. Then they become corrupted. A stronger surpression means a stronger distortions, and what emerged is what is usually a monstrous form (a Shadow), and the longer the Seed remains unsealed while resonating with someone, the more it "anchors" itself to their psyche, causing worse corruptions.

 

[CloakGear]

Chapter 5 - A Hollow Lullaby

---

[The Park]

"Hm… Looks like that guy is alright now." Makoto muttered.

He, Nanoha and Yuuno hid behind a tree. They were looking at the back of the latest Jewel Seed victim, the office worker who was walking through the park shined by the evening glow with a happy hum, as if all the weight on its shoulders had disappeared.

A few minutes after the fight, the three of them didn't know what to do and say. It felt really awkward for Makoto, especially with how worried the other two looked when they looked at him.

A thought came to his mind. Maybe he should say something? Before he was able to execute it though, the three of them could hear it, the sound of someone groaning, as if they just regained their consciousness.

The trio turned to look at the source, and sure enough, it was from the grey clothed worker, seemingly waking up from their deep slumber. Makoto, Nanoha and Yuuno looked at each other in a panic.

Then, as if they shared a single brain cell, the three of them hid behind the same large tree nearby which was a few distances away from behind the bench. Makoto sneaked a look from his cover, watching while on his knees while laying really low. Nanoha was holding onto his shoulders, her head resting above his head while standing behind him. Yuuno simply stood above her head, also looking. To an outside observer, they looked like a totem pole.

A moment later, they all seemed to realize this simultaneously, quickly untangling themselves with flushed cheeks and awkward coughs.

"H-huh? This is… the park?" The man muttered out, sitting up straight as he gently scratched the back of his hand. He looked around to see the usual park, not a single soul in sight. Weird, he remembered being so angry at the sudden increase in work he had to do, and was dead tired, walking around without a care, and before he realized it, he went to the park.

The man didn't feel like wanting to be near people in this dull, grey world, so he moved to the farthest place where people usually go, and then…

…He can't remember it well. It felt like something was calling for him, telling him to go there to fulfill his desires, whispering power and temptation, the ability and power to endure against his dull work even as he continued his every life… and then…

…No good, nothing. No clear memory came after that. All he remembered clearly was a feeling of cold comfort of his everyday life and his helplessness, now being magnified by a weight of power that told him to continue working as if his life depends on it even as he was called to work on a no-paid overtime, stamping through an endless amount of paper statements that was rejected, yet they never stopped coming.

He remembered a feeling though; a strange, melodic warmth, like a distant hum he felt in his soul, telling him it was going to be okay and he'll live to face tomorrow. It felt like an embrace from the beautiful music that he heard from a player in an orchestra, or the singing of gentle hum that would bring a brand new day, taking away the pain of everyday life ever since he worked there.

Actually, the man thought as he blinked, slowly standing up from his seat. Now that I think about it, I'm… not really feeling that badly about work today… or ever.

It was as if all his feelings in the past were now a lie. Was the sleep here needed to calm him? Or did he somehow get his negativity exorcised by a kind wandering sister while he was asleep? Or perhaps, a magical girl came and defeated the monster that was formed inside him? …Yeah, right. They don't exist in the real world.

"Either way," the man muttered, his hands now clasped into a short prayer. "I'm thankful."

The man left the area, the world somehow feels fresher than before. The world somehow looked brighter even though it was in the evening, and it wasn't from the glow of the sun either. He even felt humming a tune now! As he goes forward for a brand new day. He didn't even notice the trio looking at him in wonder, as the man seemed to skip instead of walk, the evening wind blew through the park, scattering the leaves with its gentle blow.

+++

Makoto, Nanoha and Yuuno stepped out from behind the tree with Yuuno jumping onto Makoto's shoulder, looking at the former victim skipping away with a strange buoyant energy, slowly getting smaller from their view until he disappeared beyond the horizon.

The park returned to its previous silence. When one compares the office worker now to how he was before, where it felt full of despair and suffocative to the surroundings…

"He's…okay," the brown haired girl said, letting out a shaky breath she didn't know she was holding. She was smiling in relief, her left hand gripping Raising Heart tightly. "He's really okay."

"I don't sense any of the previous disturbance from him anymore," the ferret noted, his arms crossed. "The oppressive magical signature is now gone. Purified. But…"

The two looked at Makoto, who internally sighed. He knew the two of them were worried and curious about what happened. And truthfully, he himself was too. He just hoped there would be some answers that came from what they were about to discuss.

Thankfully, there were no other people around them in the evening park. He guessed they were lucky. And so, he decided to ask, gesturing at the now empty bench that was formerly transformed into the base of the office worker. "...Shall we take a seat first?"

They didn't have any reason to refuse, so the other two nodded. Makoto and Nanoha each took a seat, a few short feet away from each other, while Yuuno hopped down from his shoulders and stood between them.

…How awkward the atmosphere was. It was heavy with suspense and tension. Each of them seemed to want to say something, but decided to close their mouth, as if afraid of what would occur. What happened earlier was shocking, even more than yesterday's tree incident.

Makoto decided to take the plunge and started a topic. Besides, there was something he was curious about. "So the park's still okay after everything earlier, huh."

""Huh? Oh!"" Nanoha and Yuuno blinked at his words, before their eyes widened, quickly turning their heads around to see the park's condition.

Amazingly enough, despite the battle, the crater that was made from the paper that cut Makoto's skin was gone. Not only that, the other signs of battle, the impact from the stamps, the marks from Nanoha's attacks and even the blow of Orpheus that took down the paper arm was gone, as if it never existed.

"You're right…" Yuuno was curious, as if he realized what he missed. "I never realized it since we were in a rush, and was overwhelmed by what happened. Did we somehow go inside a barrier without noticing it?"

[Affirmative,] the red jewel, Raising Heart said, giving a quick glow in an equivalent to a nod. [We had entered it ever since we stopped beside Master Makoto when we confronted it.]

Master? Makoto wondered, but Nanoha's words continued, breaking his confusion with an even bigger one. "A barrier? You mean like the one you made at that time, Yuuno-kun?"

"Yeah," the ferret nodded, looking at his left and right as if trying to find something hidden beneath the park area. His gaze then looked at Makoto who was filled with confusion. "Ah right, you don't know yet."

Yuuno turned his body so he completely faced towards him, standing up straight, one front leg crossed while the other was lifted into the air, somehow imitating a teacher giving lessons. Makoto blinked. For a moment, he didn't see a ferret, but a tiny, bespectacled professor in a comically oversized lab coat, gesturing with a pointer. The image was so vivid he had to suppress a snort.

"You see, depending on the situation," Yuuno started, moving his lifted paw around like a hand. "I will put up a barrier to hide the manifestations from the public and to contain the damage. After all, it would be dangerous if whatever appears causes irreversible damage to the public."

"Hee~," Makoto said, impressed. "So that's why there's not much cases about strange monsters from the news?"

"Exactly," Yuuno agreed, nodding at his answer, before having a thoughtful expression, looking at the side with a few regrets. "But really, I really should have made it myself instead just now. What a mistake I made…"

"That said, having the Jewel Seed creation make the barrier themselves is unusual," Yuuno wondered, crossing his front paws together, while his tail twitched in response to his thoughts. "I wonder if that's due to the host's desires…"

"...Maybe," Makoto muttered, seemingly distracted and massaging his template. This was not because his mind was elsewhere, mind you, but because of a sudden painful headache he's currently feeling; an anger and helplessness that did not belong to him.

Nanoha noticed his condition, especially when his face twitched suddenly without warning. She gripped her left arm with her right hand, before seemingly resolving herself. She asked him with a concerned tone. "Senpai… why did you do that?"

Seeing the look of confusion on Makoto's face, she decided to elaborate. "Why did you run ahead? You got hurt when near it. You could've been even more hurt if we weren't there. Even now, you're obviously in pain. Why didn't you wait for us first? Why…." Nanoha's hands were clenched into small fists at her sides, her knuckles white. She stared at him, her voice trembling on the edge of breaking, and her eyes shone with a fear that was entirely for him. "Why did you do it?"

…It seems Nanoha felt really responsible for what happened to him, even though he was the one who charged ahead alone. He realized she bottled her feelings more than he realized, and only now, she let it all out. Yuuno was staring at the magical girl sadly, before staring at him.

Somehow, he felt like he shouldn't lie or even try to downplay it, but that was to be expected. The people in front of him, like Suzuka and Farin, were kind people that wanted to help people in trouble. So even though he wasn't planning to lie, he should answer her resolve with his belief.

"Because I can." That answer startled the two, but Makoto continued unabated. "Because if I don't, who will?"

In the end, that was the truth of it. At his core, he was the same kind as the girl in front of him. When he sees someone in trouble, he couldn't help but to choose to help them. If he has the power to assist, why shouldn't he? Maybe this was his own ego talking, but that's what he believes, at least.

Nanoha opened her eyes wide, as if realizing what kind of person the blue-haired was. Yuuno was looking at him with a grimace, or at least that's how Makoto sees it. "But then, when you were absorbing it, those black lines and yellow eyes appeared for a moment, similar to the victim's. You were taking it to yourself when you did it. Is it worth such a risk?"

Makoto did not know the yellow eyes, but even so, his answer was the same. "Even then, it's worth it. That man was saved because of what we did," Makoto said, before continuing. "Besides, I didn't just drain the corruption from him. I also took in some of his feelings from the corruption; his rage and helplessness."

Seeing the confused look from Nanoha and Yuuno, he decided to explain. When he took in the distortion, he also felt what the worker was also feeling at that time, the helplessness at work, the anger of what's happening to him, and a few other things, with the former two being the strongest feelings he could sense.

"And also," Makoto trailed off. He realized there was another feeling, something that did not belong to him or the office worker. "I saw a vision, consisting of a group of people working on something I did not understand about, and a few blurry words, although I could hear something about it being 'dangerous' and 'irreversible'. I also heard a clear voice from… I guess the me of that vision? Anyway, it was something… for al-Hazard?"

The two were listening with attention to his words. When he said the last sentence, while Nanoha seemed confused, Yuuno was standing straight as a pillar, his eyes widening at what was heard. "Al-Hazard? Are you sure that's what you heard?" The ferret asked in a hard no-nonsense voice.

"Yuuno-kun?" Nanoha questioned in surprise. Makoto nodded, but he too was surprised at how serious the ferret looked. It was as if he found something shocking. Nanoha asked the ferret. "What's Al-Hazard? You know it?"

"...Al-Hazard is said to be an advanced and powerful empire that existed in the distant past, so advanced that it ultimately destroyed itself from it." Yuuno began explaining, his face completely serious. "The Jewel Seed was said to be from this civilization, but it itself was a legend shrouded in myth and full of mystery…"

Yuuno was looking down, causing Nanoha and Makoto to look at each other in worry. Perhaps they touched upon a sore subject? Yuuno suddenly looked up, feeling excited. "To think there would be dialogue proof of it actually existing!"

…Never mind, he was just excited. His tail was waving wildly now. Yuuno seemed to be touching his sides with his paw, seemingly looking for something, before his head bowed down in regret. "I knew I should've brought at least a notepad for recording!"

…Do they even sell ferret sized notepads and utensils? How's he going to write anyway? Makoto decided to point out a way. "Why don't you just ask Raising Heart to help in recording? Can you, Raising Heart?"

[...Understood.] Raising Heart said after a beat. Was it sighing?

"Ahaha…" Nanoha let out a strained laugh. "Yuuno-kun, how about we focus more on Makoto-senpai's health…?"

"Ah right," Yuuno seemed to realize his actions, and was now acting sheepish. "Sorry you two…"

"It's fine," Makoto could understand his friend to a certain extent. When one meets something thought impossible and you have a passion for it, how could one not be excited about it? Unlike him, who merely repairs broken things just to show proof to the world and fill the gap in him…

Makoto continued his story about the vision. On how the vision and the feelings of the office worker felt the same to him. On how fanatical and dogmatic their belief was, or at least, that's how he felt.

"The same?" Yuuno voiced his confusion out loud. "Are you saying the emotions of the two were identical?"

Seeing Makoto nodded, Yuuno made a grave look, before muttering to himself once again, but this time, both Nanoha and the blue-haired boy managed to hear them. "No way, were the victims of the Jewel Seed not chosen at random? Did they seek their victims? No, it can't be…"

"Yuuno?" Makoto asked the ferret, who was thinking deeply, but he then raised his head, as if realizing something.

Yuuno turned to look at the blue-haired boy, closing his eyes as if trying to concentrate on something. After a while, he seems to have found it, nodding to himself with a grim expression. "As expected, some of the layers are filled."

"Eh?" Nanoha expressed her surprise and confusion. She then realized what her small friend meant, and, similar to him, began closing her eyes, trying to sense the deep sea she now usually felt from him.

She could feel it, a small yet noticeable corrupted feeling of despair, anger and helplessness, bundled together in a small part of the sea, seemingly stitched there. At the same time, she also recognized a familiar sensation nearby, a calming tone that came from an instrument, surrounding and calming the darkness inside. And yet, far deeper still, she could feel herself shiver in terror. She didn't know what it was, and it felt like it was chained somewhat, but somehow, she felt like running away from it.

Nanoha opened her eyes, and looked at her senior. She said in worry. "Senpai, the corruption you absorbed, they…"

"They're stuck inside you." Yuuno finished her sentences. "Perhaps when you drained the corruption to yourself, you didn't just take in the feelings of the man before, you also tapped into the 'memories' of the Jewel Seed themselves."

"Is it dangerous, the act of draining?" Makoto couldn't help but ask.

"...To be honest, I'm not sure," Yuuno confessed, as if he regretted his lack of knowledge to help the blue-haired boy. "This is the first time I've seen a case like this. So anything I say would only be guesswork at best."

The silence felt heavier, and the mood became somewhat somber. Even the atmosphere felt a little cold now. Trying to change the topic, Nanoha asked Makoto, her tone being a pitch higher. "A-anyway, how about Orpheus?"

"R-right," Yuuno's tone was also a bit higher, but he shook his head to calm himself down. "You managed to call out your… Persona was it? Did you perhaps know the term before?"

"No," Makoto shook his head at the ferret's question, before explaining. "I didn't know the word, or anything. But somehow… it felt right."

It was a similar feeling of a bird finally able to fly freely into the sky and not caged in a closed area, or perhaps, of an orchestra player who managed to play their score correctly without fail.

"Can you summon it again?" Yuuno asked, his eyes filled with the curiosity of an archeologist.

Makoto looked around just to make sure no one was watching them (thankfully they were none), before he closed his eyes, trying to remember the feeling of before. The breaking of the metaphysical glass wall, the calling out of his mask. He opened his eyes, his grey irises now flowed in glowing velvet blue. "Persona." the blue-haired boy muttered out.

The sound of the smashing of broken glass, and beside the trio, in front of the bench, stood the Master of Strings, floating before giving a small curtsy, his left arm and open palm held onto his chest and right hand behind him. Somehow, the actions remind him of a noble man of the past, or mayhaps a butler. Did he learn it from either Alisa or Suzuka's butler?

"Incredible... The magical signature is so dense." Yuuno was looking at Orpheus with wonder. Nanoha too, though she also felt an innate feeling of gentleness from it, despite its actions during the fight. Perhaps this one was part of Makoto's true nature?

Makoto's head suddenly felt a heavy strain, and Orpheus took out and held a lyre in his arms, and strummed a set of notes. Immediately afterwards, Makoto, Yuuno and Nanoha felt a little more refreshed, as if they rested well enough. The blue-haired boy's cheek wound even closed itself up. The mechanical poet gave a nod, before disappearing, dissolving into ethereal shards of light and being absorbed into Makoto.

The trio looked at themselves in wonder. "Somehow, I feel a little better now." Nanoha admitted, surprised by the change. Her tiredness from the earlier battle was lesser now, and she could even feel energized. She looked at her senior and asked. "How about you, senpai?"

"A little stained and winded," Makoto admitted, but even he was surprised by the lack of stinging pain in his face. "But other than that, I felt better."

Yuuno was staring at him with curiosity, his whiskers twitching. "Impressive, so it can heal. But from how you said it, it seems that summoning him creates a burden on your mind. Perhaps it's tied to your emotional state."

Makoto nodded, it was exactly what his friend said, it's more due to what Orpheus did to them earlier. Both Yuuno and Nanoha seemed to be deep in thought, perhaps thinking of what Orpheus was to him.

"Hey, Makoto," Yuuno suddenly spoke out, surprising the other two. "Shall we work together?"

"Yuuno-kun!?" Nanoha turned to look at her small furry friend, her expression betraying the surprise she felt.

Yuuno, however, was calm. He reminded the girl. "Twice the corruption happened. The first time, we were too far to actually tackle it. The second time, we were nearby as a coincidence. But the fact is that it happened twice, and both times Makoto was near… I feel like a third time would be completely possible, and we may not be even near it."

The ferret looked at the two, who were staring at the tiny archeologist. "Either way, we weren't prepared enough. This is becoming something big, and we need a strategy to tackle it." Yuuno then looked squarely at Makoto. "At the very least, we need to first understand your abilities. Is that okay?"

The boy's answer was already set the moment he properly summoned Orpheus. "Yeah."

As it was getting dark already, after a small discussion, they decided to train tomorrow after school, promising to meet up at the park again. Yuuno went to Nanoha's shoulder again, and after they arrived at the park entrance, Nanoha and Makoto walked their separate ways.

Meanwhile, in the distance, Alisa Bannings just got back from her cram school, and was going home with her car, her elbow resting on the window and her hands on her cheek. She sighed, feeling tired from her activity and was staring blankly, looking outside expecting nothing interesting, when she saw her friend Nanoha with the ferret Yuuno on her shoulder.

Such a thing would brighten her day, and she would normally call her out, but instead, she was surprised. Because the one walking next to her was someone she knows well. A familiar blue-haired boy that she nicknamed Sphinx due to how stoic he was. Somehow, the two of them were a bit more tired than usual, Makoto was being a bit paler, and Nanoha was looking at him with worry.

…What's going on with those two? The Sphinx looks like death warmed over, and Nanoha's looking at him like he's about to shatter. Did something happen? She was concerned that her friends were involved in something heavy and dangerous. Alisa made a mental note to herself to call Suzuka tonight to talk about it. If anyone knows what's going on with Sphinx, it was her.

+++

[Uminari City]

Makoto was walking down the busy road of Uminari City, seemingly lively despite the night. Or was it because it's night, the activity is high? He could hear some people chatting about the office, the sadness of losing their love lives and the regrets of choosing their current careers amongst other things.

He let the talk pass through his ears without much care, his own mind deep in thought on what had occurred earlier. His mind was trying to process the events, and his walk, though solitary, was slow in its steps, but he still was focused enough to avoid the pedestrians of the streets.

What am I becoming? His mind repeated Yuuno's question, filling his thoughts, yet they never found the answer to it, yet he could also feel the clawing of a rage, a deep-seated feeling nested at the far corner of his mind that he could not touch.

When Makoto turned into a corner, still deep in thought, he then heard it, a soft, quiet hum. Looking up while walking, he saw a lone figure walking towards him— a girl with long, blonde, beautiful hair, holding onto a small grocery bag even as they passed by each other.

Somehow, the hum felt familiar to him, even though this is the first time he heard it, but he didn't know why. And yet, for some reason, he was sure that the lullaby he heard from her felt…incompleted. It felt like it always stopped short, like a sentence without an end. Somehow, it felt… hollow to his ears.

As they passed by each other, Makoto was giving a curious glimpse at the girl. His eyes noticed what was reflected on the window, and he nearly stopped himself since, for a short moment, her reflection was somehow different than what she looks like; a half-mask with a sad expression superimposed on her face, and her eyes were not red, but a sickly yellow.

At the same time, in that same fleeting moment, a torrent of emotion that was not his own slammed into him: a crushing, profound loneliness that stole his breath, and beneath it, a desperate, silent scream for a mother's love that was so raw and profound it left a phantom ache in his own chest, an echo of a loneliness that mirrored his own in a terrifyingly different key.

When he blinked however, the image was gone, and the girl already went into the corner, now out of his sight. She didn't seem to notice the changes in herself. Perhaps he was just more tired than he realized, he assumed.

Makoto shook his head, and continued his walk towards the Tsukimura Mansion, the moon and its light covered by the clouds above.

+++

[Fate's POV]

The young mage was walking the road, carrying the food she brought from home towards the place she was supposed to stay, as arranged by her mother. She hummed a tune she remembered her mother usually sang in the past to calm herself, she wasn't used to the city yet. It's when she went through a corner, she noticed a blue-haired boy, seemingly deep in thought.

When they passed by each other though, she felt a strange sensation–a calm, gentle warmth, a peaceful, soothing feeling that seemed to fill the icy void that was her duty. It was like a fleeting, peaceful melody in her soul, one she had forgotten ever since Linith disappeared from her life almost a year ago.

Fate stopped herself, and tried to look back, but she already passed through the corner, and the feeling was already gone. She shook her head. This was not the time. Right now, she was asked by her mother for help, to collect the Lost Logia-the Jewel Seeds, in hopes to do what her mother wants.

The girl did not ask, she merely chose to help her kind mother, who was only strict to her. Perhaps, when she gathered them all and gave it to her mother, they could be family again, eating at a dinner, and her mother smiling.

That was what Fate Testarossa believed.

+++

[Tsukimura Mansion | Makoto POV]

Somehow, he, Makoto, managed to arrive safely at his destination without further complications. He half-expects a massive incident to occur by now.

…He didn't jinx it, did he?

Makoto looked around with wariness, maybe expecting an explosion to come on the city or a meteorite somehow falling from space and into here. Seeing that nothing happened, he sighed in relief.

Makoto entered the front entrance, and walked towards his room. He saw Suzuka seemed to be reading a book from the living room. She saw him and greeted the boy with a smile. "Ah, good evening, Makoto-kun. How was your day?"

"Evening," he greeted back, though it was a bit lethargic. "It was..fine, I guess."

Suzuka frowned a bit at his answer, before noticing his deep fatigue in his eyes. She stood up, and approached him with worry. "Are you alright? You looked tired."

Guess it was noticeable, huh. Still, he can't really explain what happened without sounding strange. Even he himself won't believe it if he did not experience it personally. But still, he didn't want to lie to the girl who helped him when he first arrived here, so at the very least, he won't tell a complete lie.

"It's just… a long day today," Makoto told her, before stifling out a yawn. He must be more tired than he realized. "Sorry, Suzuka. Do you mind if I skipped dinner? I'm feeling too tired and want to sleep already…"

Without even hearing her reply, Makoto walked towards his room. Suzuka could see his walk was wobbly, and he could barely stand straight. She was concerned for the boy. What happened earlier that could make him like that?

Her phone suddenly rang, and when Suzuka checked, she realized it was from her friend, Alisa. She answers her phone. "Ah, yes, Alisa-chan, it's me. Eh? Yeah, Makoto-kun just got back home. …Eh? You saw him with Nanaho-chan? Ah, sure, where should we meet tomorrow?"

Even as Suzuka answered her friend, her glance kept looking at where the boy was currently staying. She wanted to know what happened to him.

+++

[Tsukimura Mansion - Makoto's room | 11.59 PM]

Makoto was sleeping on his bed, lying on his back. His clothes were his usual sleepwear, courtesy of Farin telling him to change, reminding the boy like every time he focused himself in repairing broken objects until he even forgot the time.

He was sleeping soundly without a care in the world, his bag laid beside the door and his tools and books were lying on their usual spots. When the clock strikes midnight…

-Shatters-

…Then everything changes.

The world was cloaked in shadows and sickly green, the moon glowed a shade of pale yellow, and the water became a bloody red. A distant, echoing rumble, like the groan of a dying star, vibrated through the stagnant air. It was the only sound in the oppressive silence.

Electronics failed to be generated, and only the glow from the moon allows one to see the world outside.

On two different corners of Uminari City, where coffins laid around the place, a few distances away from people, it started glowing a silvery blue. They were the Jewel Seeds, seemingly calling out towards the world, their Roman numerals being shown.

Then, one of them was covered. By multiple hands of the same shape and size; black and filled with suppressed selves that people wished to ignore. They did not manage to grab the Jewel Seed, for it had covered itself with a blue sphere, and yet, the colour soon darkened to a much deeper shade of red.

The seed now glowed a blue-black colour, and the shadowed hands stopped and retracted themselves, as if they succeeded in fulfilling their mission. The two Jewel Seeds stopped glowing, seemingly resting and inactive now, waiting for a person to answer their call to the person's wish, as they once again sank into the dimensional sea.

The blue haired boy continued sleeping without a care, only the moon being the witness of the events.

As for the magical girls? They too didn't notice the activation of the Jewel Seeds. How could they? For they too lie inside the coffins on where they were, away from the world only available to the few who had potential.

[To be Continued]

 

[CloakGear]

Once again, two chapters.

Chapter 6: Broken Masquerade (Part 1)

---

[Seishou Elementary School]

""Hm? Ah."" Makoto and Suzuka's voices overlapped, as they met each other in the hallway of the school and stopped walking in their tracks. The other students were either chatting with their friends or classmates as they passed by the two in the sun-bright hallway.

While it was true that the two of them lived in the same house (or mansion, in Suzuka's case), they were of different grades, with Suzuka being a 3rd grader and Makoto being a 5th grader. That is to say, even if they go to school together, they usually go home at different times. It's due to such a reason that the case that the two go home together at the same time was considered a rare time.

Moreover, normally Suzuka usually had cram schools after class, and was usually with her friends Nanoha and Alisa accompanying her when she did so. Makoto himself, at least during the early years when he first stayed at the Tsukimura family, either chose to draw the sceneries and surroundings of Uminari City, or immediately went home without bonding much with his classmates, trapping himself in self-loathing and apathy, mending broken objects as a futile metaphor for a self he believed was beyond repair.

Of course, even if they rarely meet during school time due to their different schedule of different grades, that did not mean they avoided each other; it's just that it was quite rare for them to actually meet. He himself did not dislike the girl. After all, she was one of the few that tried to communicate with him and open the wall of his heart for the last couple of years.

"Hello, Suzuka-san," Makoto greeted, as the two easily go into their routine of walking side-by-side similar to their morning walk, travelling at a steady pace, even as they went with how they address the other at school. His school backpack was hung on his back, with the right strap covered by his arm and held with his right hand, while his headphones were in his bag, tucked away safely. "Are you going home already? Or do you have cram school later?"

"Hello, Makoto-k-senpai," the long-haired girl answered with a smile, nearly stumbling her words, while carrying her school bag in a two-handed grip that was held in front of her, keeping it level with her thighs. Her next words, however, were a tone filled with worry. "No, not exactly, and to both questions, actually. Alisa-chan called me yesterday, she said she wanted to have a discussion about something." About you and Nanoha-chan, she didn't continue those words. Instead, she decided to ask instead. "How about you?"

"Me?" Makoto gave a deep thought of it, trying to remember anything he forgot before he went with Nanoha and Yuuno. "I have… a prior engagement with someone later. I think I'll be late."

"Oh," Suzuka voiced out, but inside of her, she was both curious and worried. Curious, because the boy in front of her rarely meets with someone. Worried, because of how he acted yesterday, and how tired he looked. Considering what Alisa said yesterday, it was highly likely the one he's meeting is Nanoha-chan. The question is, what kind of things were the two involved in that could make him that tired, and Nanoha being worried about him?

She wanted to ask. She was worried for her friends, she really wanted to ask. However, for someone like her to act like that, being so free and casual… she wasn't like her friends, Alisa, whose's both straight-forward and free-spirited that it's blinding, she wasn't like Nanoha, who could be friends with anyone due to her innate kindness and friendliness, she wasn't like the blue-haired boy, who helps her and her family even when troubled.

She was afraid, afraid that asking would change what was normal, she was afraid that she'd be left behind if she asked. So she endures, quiet down, and accepts it. That's what is expected of her by everyone, after all.

"Suzuka?" Makoto's voice startled her from her thoughts, before looking at the boy, who was actually close to her now, staring at the girl with a deep worry. Even now, even though he was involved in something with her friend, he was still worried for her.

Suzuka, taking a step back, merely shook her head. "No, it's nothing."

The duo arrived at the school entrance, the sky a bit cloudy blocking the sun rays, creating cool weather, and the students moved out of the school. In front of them on the road, parked by the side of the school, the two noticed a black car in front of the school gate with the window moved all the way down.

They saw a familiar hair and a hand waving from inside the vehicle, with words calling for a certain heiress. "Suzuka, over here!" Alisa called out, though Makoto noticed her giving a harder stare than usual at him.

"Alright, Makoto-kun," Suzuka called out to the blue-haired boy. "I'll be going with Alisa-chan."

"Yeah," Makoto nodded. But inside of him, he had a bad feeling, an unpleasant twinge inside of him that was warning him of something. He squashed it down, but couldn't help but say the next words. "...Stay safe, okay?"

Suzuka blinked, before looking at him in surprise and her mouth slightly open. The boy just looked to the side, scratching his cheek in embarrassment. Even he knows that he was acting unusual when compared to how he acts usually.

Even then, the girl showed a bright smile, before saying, "You too, Makoto-kun, stay safe." She then walked inside the car, the door opened by Alisa's car driver/butler. The car then drove off towards where they were planning to go, though he did not know where.

Makoto saw the car turned into a corner and disappeared, before he himself walked towards the place where he promised to meet the magical girl and her ferret, the park yesterday.

+++

[The Park]

The park had a bit more people than yesterday, but it was still gentle and quiet. Most of the people here are the elderly or some people, resting on the grassland or sitting on the bench, watching other kids play games with their friends. The cool weather, unchanged from the time when he left the school, was perfect for it.

Makoto was travelling to where he, Nanoha and Yuuno fought the Jewel Seed victim, the deepest part of the park. The path he travelled was like yesterday, devoid of people. In fact, the more he walked towards there, the less people he saw around him, with the majority being near the middle or the entrance of the park, though since it's still some days away before the weekend, it was understandable for the blue-haired boy.

When he finally arrived at a familiar corner, from the side, he saw them; the magical girl, Takamachi Nanoha, and the ferret, Yuuno. The latter was on the bench, giving instructions to the girl, who was seemingly focused on something, holding Raising Heart in its staff form.

Just below her feet was a cherry-blossom pink glyph, a magic circle perhaps, and on her legs were a pair of wings, the same color as the glyph, and said girl was floating a small centimeter off the ground, her eyes closed and her concentration deep. Makoto guessed that she was learning how to fly.

…Wonder if he could learn it too?

The scene was so normal, so peaceful, it almost made Makoto forget the feelings that did not belong to him but were now attached to him, the rage and helplessness of the working adult and the loneliness of someone who was missing a part of themselves. Even at school, even as he was walking, he could feel them, miniscule they may be, from the back of his mind, like that one itch you know existed but cannot reach, though he could ignore them for now as they didn't bother him with his everyday life.

When Makoto approached, Yuuno gave him a nod of acknowledgement, and Nanoha gently landed on the ground, letting out a breath to relax herself. She offered the approaching friend with a warm, soft smile.

"Ah, Makoto-senpai, you're here!" Nanoha called out to her senior, who was walking with his hands in his pockets. Her clothes glowed, and it returns to her school uniform, though Makoto could barely tell the difference.

"Hm," the boy gave a nod, his voice a bit dull. Nanoha was used to it though, after meeting him a few times on the bus. She knew he wasn't really unenthusiastic, merely that's how he was, and she knew he had a warmth in him. "Sorry, was I late?"

"No, you've arrived on time, we're just getting started," Yuuno said, before turning to Nanoha and giving a nod of approval. "You're improving, Nanoha. It's much better than before."

"It's thanks to your teaching, Yuuno-kun!" Nanoha replied with a determined smile. She then turned to look at the blue-haired boy, her eyes had a tinge of curiosity in it. "So, senpai, how was your day?"

"It was fine," Makoto said as he looked around. The park area was clean, without any signs of damage, and he could not see any other soul insight, except for the three of them. "So, should we get started with the training?"

"Before we do, we need to first understand what you did," Yuuno pointed out, looking at him with the gaze of a scholar. "Let's call it 'draining', for simplicity's sake. Just so we're on the same page, what you did, you didn't just make the corruption disappear from the host, you took it into yourself, correct?"

Seeing that Makoto nodded in confirmation, the ferret continued his words. "The problem isn't just the fact you drain. It's how complex the corruption was." He explained, and both Nanoha and Makoto were giving the ferret their full attention. "Yesterday's monster, from the worker, was different compared to the others we've sealed. It's not just because it came from the corrupted Jewel Seed, but how the monster came to be. The Jewel Seed twisted the desire, and a specific negative desire at that. It's like the Seed themselves were amplifying and targeting said desire. It somehow felt organized."

This time, both Makoto and Nanoha nodded, understanding where their friend was coming from. It's quite hard to imagine anyone would wish or desire something self-destructive to themselves, instead of something better. None of them would be surprised if the person somehow wishes for money to rain so they could quit their job, becoming a better person so they could somehow survive, or something else. And yet, they chose the one thing that represented the most cynical side?

Makoto leaned against a tree, trying to put the feeling he felt from the office worker's rage and helplessness. He said, "True, even though I drain, I felt the feelings were… purposeful."

"Hm," Yuuno nodded, taking note of what the boy said with… a small notepad and utensil floating in front of the ferret? Makoto had to blink and rub his eyes just to make sure he's not seeing things. Even after doing it a few times, he still can't believe it. A floating, ferret-sized notepad. Right. Of course. He decided to just accept it and move on. Questioning the logistics of such stationery and how or why it exists was a path to madness.

Yuuno continued saying, unknown to Makoto's train of thought. "It's very likely that the black lines and yellow eyes are the side effects due to your draining. A momentary feedback. For now, we should-"

His next words were cut off, as Makoto suddenly held his face on his right palm, arching forward. Nanoha screamed the boy's name in worry, but the blue-haired boy didn't have the time to think about it.

A familiar wrongness that hit him like a tidal wave, bringing a fresh wave of nausea that made him sick, tearing through his mind. He both felt and heard it, the scream. It was coming in some buildings away. Somehow, compared to yesterday, it was different. It wasn't the suffocating despair of the office worker; this was a sharper, more frantic pain, like the sound of something beautiful being violently cracked open.

"Did you sense another one?" Yuuno was calm, asking the boy with a no-nonsense tone.

Makoto nodded, then pointed in the direction he felt with his trembling fingers. "Over there, the hum… was screaming again." He was holding onto the tree he was leaning on for stability for a bit, but now he was already standing tall. Yet for some reason, he also felt a gentle voice crying out.

Nanoha's expression turned sharp and serious, her hands instinctively tightening the jewel, Raising Heart, that was held close to her chest. Yuuno bristled, his fur standing on their end, also sensing what the boy felt. "That signature... it's closer, and it's volatile. But wait..." He closed his eyes, concentrating. "I'm sensing another Jewel Seed, too. Quite far from here. It's dormant and uncorrupted though, but still present."

Makoto didn't need to hear Yuuno's full thoughts. The pain in his head told him everything. "The scream is getting worse. We have to go, now."

"Agreed," Yuuno declared, his usual tone replaced by urgency, immediately jumping onto Nanoha's shoulder. "The corrupted Jewel Seed poses an immediate, catastrophic threat. Let's hope we can seal it quickly before the host is fully lost."
Nanoha nodded, already running alongside Makoto. "Lead the way, Senpai!"

They burst out from the park, and ran onto the city streets, weaving through the few pedestrians that nearly collided with them. Both Nanoha and Makoto gave out apologies during the near collisions, but neither of them stopped running. Makto himself was ahead, moving at a punishing yet manageable pace, the scream acting as a beacon for them to go to.

For some reason, the boy remembered that the direction they're heading from was the same path the car that had Alisa and Suzuka inside was travelling. He remembered the twinge of unpleasantness earlier, and his stomach turned. Nanoha saw his expression even as they continued running, and called out his name in worry. He did not answer.

Please, not them. Anybody but them!

+++

[Few minutes earlier - At a courtyard somewhere in Uminari City]

Alisa and Suzuka went shopping first to get some food and drinks for their chat, their school bags in the car, though it was mostly snacks. It was mostly Alisa, but Suzuka also bought a book that mentioned Arcana readings. She was curious about it, ever since she watched a show about it with Makoto in the past.

Alisa wanted to talk in a nearby area, and chose a courtyard near the road that took them to the cram school. Whether it was by luck or coincidence, there was a noticeably lack of people in the area, and the two could have their private chat. The butler accompanying the two understood his master's intentions, and went to the car to give them space, while also checking the place around the area, making sure no scoundrels came to kidnap the two young ladies.

The two found a seat near a circular table at the corner of the courtyard, put the items they bought on the table and started their chat. As Suzuka was drinking from her packed drink using a straw, Alisa began first, crossing her arms while staring at her friend, her eyes sharp. "So? Spill it. You notice it too, right?"

Suzuka slowly and carefully put the drink on the table, her hands still holding onto the drink, before replying. "Notice what, Alisa-chan?"

"Don't play dumb!" Alisa slammed her hands on the table, her expression turned serious. It was thankful that not a living soul was in sight, or Alisa would be stared at by everyone, but it's not like the girl will care for something like that. "Yesterday, Makoto-senpai looked way more tired than usual, and Nanoha was looking like… he'll break at any moment if she doesn't look! And they were together at that."

Alisa leaned forward, her voice was almost a whisper compared to just now. "What's going on with them? Are they doing something without us knowing?" Her eyes narrowed as if realizing a possibility. "Do you know?"

Suzuka gave a placid, well-practiced mask that she usually used against other people, her words calm, despite her inner turmoil. "I'm sure it's nothing, Alisa-chan. Makoto-kun has always been... quiet. And Nanoha-chan is very kind. Perhaps she was just checking on him. Maybe it's nothing serious." Without telling me. Her inner voice called out.

Alisa did not buy it, tearing open a packet containing bread, and tore it off with her mouth with a rough force. Biting and swallowing the cereal food, she looked at the side, saying her complaints. "I don't like it. It's obvious that they're in some kind of trouble." Alisa looked down, her hands tightening the grip that held the food with her hand. "At least if they told us, we can worry and find a solution together. I hate being left out."

Suzuka's gaze dropped to her lap, her fingers tightening slightly on her drink. Left out. The words echoed her own fears. But voicing them felt like a betrayal of the fragile normalcy she was clinging to. "I... I'm sure they would tell us if it was important," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, though she herself did not believe it.

Alisa seemed to share her sentiment, looking at the side with an angry expression and one hand holding her chin, the evening sky shining through the courtyard. Alisa muttered out, without meaning. "Sphinx didn't get into something shady and dangerous without telling anyone, ri-"

-Crunch!-

Alisa nearly jumped, startled by the sudden noise near her. Turning her head, the girl realized that Suzuka, usually calm and demure on things except sports, was crushing her drink with a powerful vice-grip, trembling while she did so. Said girl was also looking down, hiding her expression. She muttered, though it more towards herself, as if trying to convince that fact as the truth. "Makoto-kun won't do that. He's not that type of person. He's not…"

Alisa could barely hear what her friend was muttering, but she knew she herself said something she was not supposed to say. She called out Suzuka in a hesitant manner. "S-Suzuka?"

"Ah," Suzuka blinked, just realizing what she had done. Looking down on her hands, she put too much much force on her grip after hearing what Alisa said. Thankfully the contents did not explode from her action, but it still expelled the liquid inside and wetted her hands. Suzuka slowly stood up, before bowing. "S-sorry, Alisa-chan. I'll wash my hands first."

Without waiting for her friend's reply, she immediately walked towards the nearest outdoor sink, a few distances away from them and near the entrance. Alisa looked down on her lap, guilt evident on her face. "Sorry…" she muttered out, only heard by the blowing winds.

Suzuka, on her part, wasn't really angry at her friend for saying such words, she somewhat understood it. Makoto, even from her point of view, wasn't what you called a social person. He rarely interacts with other people, rarely joining in extracurricular activities, and was a somewhat recluse person. Alisa knew him usually from the school bus and at school, where he rarely opened up to another.

But she knew, back at home, he was a quiet, yet kind and attentive person. He was one of her few close friends, and treated her as herself, as Suzuka, not as an heir of Tsukimura's. He would usually go near her and help her when she was in trouble with something, and listen to her talk or complain without being annoyed by them, only listening quietly, and giving wisdom in his words despite being young.

Suzuka did not know Makoto's past, not truly, just understanding that he was a child of her parent's friends, but she knew, after living in the same house for almost five years, he wasn't a bad person. It wasn't a lie per se that she was annoyed by what her friend said, but Makoto doesn't really care for such a label to him.

…Suzuka also understood that Nanoha was a kind, friendly person, who knows how to make friends. So she can understand that Nanoha could even make friends with Makoto. But somewhere in her heart, she was somewhat jealous of her friends, for easily breaking the walls in his heart for a short time compared to herself. Maybe, if she was as free as her two friends, she could…

Suzuka sighed, shaking her head after she finished washing her hands and wiping her hand with a napkin. What was she thinking? She's not like her friends, Nanoha and Alisa. She was herself, for now, she should-

-be free?

The purple-haired girl stopped in her tracks, hearing a voice in her mind. She looked around, but there wasn't anyone in sight.

Do you desire freedom?

A silver-blue glow was seen on the bushes beside her, and Suzuka turned, seeing a blue hexagonal shaped object hanging on one of the branches, glowing with the Roman Number III on them.

You wish to be like them, don't you? Free. To help. To not be left behind. Come here. I can make you strong. I can make you needed.

Suzuka was certain, the voice, husky, high-pitched and filled with false promise, was the one calling out to her. The girl took a step back in fear, at the unknown and something beyond her understanding.

Do not fear me. Come, and your wish will come true.

She was scared, she felt like if she accepted those words, then everything she knew about the world would collapse, and she would be forced to be involved in something she cannot handle.

…But, if she goes, won't she be able to help? Helping Nanoha? Helping Makoto? She would not be alone anymore?

…YeS. COme…

Suzuka did not realize her eyes were now dull, her heart was yearning for her desire to come true. She didn't even realize the voice she heard was now twisted. Her hand was slowly reaching out to the object, Jewel Seed III.

Alisa, by her part, suddenly had a bad feeling. Immediately standing up, she went to where Suzuka was heading, her steps in a hurry. When she saw her friend, her eyes didn't seem to concentrate on anything and was lost, and her hand seemed to be reaching out towards something in the bush. Alisa hurriedly called out to her friend, but it was too late.

Suzuka touched the Jewel Seed, her fingers brushing on its cool surface.

The world screamed.

The sound wasn't physical, but more of a vibration, a sensation that was felt through the very air. The Jewel Seed immediately glowed blue-black, creating a red sphere— a dome of distorted energy, covering the purple-haired girl, before it quickly expanded and engulfed everything else in the courtyard, even Alisa.

The courtyard changed a bit, still with tables and chairs and grass. Now, it had ice. On the patch of grass, on some chairs, and even the tables, frost covered parts of it, and the closer they are to the source (Jewel Seed and Suzuka), the more one could see the frozen world, even seeing crystallized frozen pillars surrounding the centre of its power that would look beautiful to be viewed if it were of any other time. The air inside was even colder than outside, the feeling of self-doubt evident with the incomplete shape and formation of the ice formed.

Alisa did not care about that, she did not even notice the change in her surroundings. Instead, she screamed for her friend's name, calling for her name, even as her breathing became visibly white for each she let out. She wanted to reach out and take her friend away, but the pillars were blocking her way, a wall that stopped all in its way. Worse, when she tried to climb above it, the pillars seemed to reject her touch, cooling her hands down enough that it became too cold to even touch. All Alisa could do was see her friend and what's happening to her.

Suzuka wasn't completely unconscious, but her head lolled back, letting out a strangled gasp as black lines began crawling out from where she touched the gem, and slowly moving towards her body and onto her face. Her eyes steadily turned a sickly yellow, and her hand that touched the Jewel Seed was covered in ice, preventing her from even letting go. She was slowly floating up, even as her feet started freezing and covered in a crystallized shell.

"W-What is this?! What's happening" Alisa stumbled forward, her heart hammering against her ribs. This wasn't just strange; it was wrong. It felt like the world itself was breaking.

+++

[Present Time - Nanoha, Yuuno and Makoto | Uminari City]

The trio, Makoto, Nanoha and Yuuno, did not even need to feel it; the horrible, nauseatic, ill-feeling, yet with a feeling of doubt, crawling to their skins. They already saw their target area, a large semi-spherical icy-blue translucent barrier outside that covered the entirety of a courtyard of Uminari City.

What was strange was the fact, not one person or animal in the general area reacted to it, not even a stare or a scream. Creepily enough, not a single bystander even walked towards the sticking barrier just outside the courtyard area, most of them unconsciously moved their bodies to avoid it in any way, friends suddenly closing in to avoid or a couple walking on the line instead of the safer road. Even the avians flying on the sky didn't move at the area, merely flying higher and giving a wide berth to the hurdle.

For the three of them though, it felt like a physical pressure pushing them down, telling them to stay away. And even worse, from their point of view, the barrier was slowly expanding in size.

'This is…!' Yuuno widened his eyes, his body tense. 'It's not just a barrier, it's a containment field!?' The ferret looked around, before he saw a good place for them, a far alley of a corner near the courtyard and was hidden by buildings and the barrier itself. 'Over there! We should be able to avoid being seen there!'

'Can you break it?' Makoto's telepathic voice was a panic he rarely showed, as he asked. Nanoha was already gripping Raising Heart, equipping her Barrier Jacket.

'I can! But'll it take time! If it fully manifested before…' Yuuno trailed off, but unspoken horror that will happen hanging in the air like a guillotine.

Makoto's thoughts grew cold. Time was a luxury they did not have. Yet, his mind was sharp and full of clarity. He stepped forward, his right hand in front of his face and his right knuckle was near his left cheek, and his eyes glowing blue. If there was a wall in their way…

"Makoto-senpai?" Nanoha questioned, sensing the change within the boy.

…Then all he had to do was make a way to get in, right?

"Persona." A voice low and resonant, giving a command that book no arguments.

The sound of shattering glass filled the evening air, and surrounding the boy was once again shards of energy glass. Orpheus was formed from the gathering power, moving forward and its right hand was in the same stance as his other self, holding the barrier and digging into it, the fingers going through. His other hand also digs in, in a mirrored stance as his right, but is slight above the right hand's location.

With a grunt of effort, Makoto swung his hand open, akin to opening a curtain. Orpheus followed his command, and with a monumental heave, it began to pull. The two could hear the breaking sound of glass from the effort, the energy was crackling and splitting, trying to reform its broken parts, but Makoto would not be denied. It was an inelegant act, but a hole was formed from the action, enough for them to pass through.

"Let's go," Makoto said, already moving inside, before he was joined by the other two. When the trio entered the momentary gap, Orpheus disappeared, once again dissolving and being absorbed back into Makoto. The barrier, now free of obstructions, immediately reforms its shell back, fixing its broken parts and closing in the barrier once more.

+++

[Nanoha POV]

When Nanoha first went inside, she first felt how cold the surroundings were. It was far colder than when she was outside, she could even see her breath forming a white fog. At the same time she felt it, the feelings of the surroundings.

Mixed with despair, self-doubt, repression and resignation, she also felt something intimately familiar to her—loneliness. The feeling of being alone, while others were busy, she had experienced it before. It was the sadness of being alone, being left behind while others move forward. But why was she sensing such a thing, and why does it seem to be familiar?

Nanoha looked around the ice-covered area, looking for any signs of life, before she opened her eyes, as she stumbled upon the one person she never expected to see, who seemed to try and keep pounding the blockade of crystal in front of her, her hands red and raw from the cold. She exclaimed her shock. "Alisa-chan!?"

Hearing a familiar voice coming from behind her, Alisa turned her head to look behind quickly in shock. "Nanoha!? What are you doing here!? What's with that get-up!?" Alisa shouted, her panic and confusion evident with her voice.

"Why are you here!?" Nanoha shouted back in panic. Her mind was whirling in panic. Her friends were involved in the Jewel Seed, and worse, it's a corrupted Jewel Seed. It'll be all her fault if her friend were to get her, because she didn't seal it fast enough. People will be sad, Suzuka will feel bad-

Nanoha's mind stopped at that thought. Come to think of it, didn't Alisa go with Suzuka earlier somewhere? Where was the latter? Why was she not here?

The magical girl also realized her senior was quiet, dreadfully so, especially in such a situation. And to her, the silence was deafening to her, yet it felt it answered a question that she hopefully, hopefully believed was wrong. She slowly turned her head to the side to see what Makoto was doing.

He had an expression she had never seen him sporting before. His eyes were wide open, shivering in disbelief. His knuckles were gripped so hard it became white. He was even shaking his head, as if trying to reject the reality in front of him.

Thump, thump! Nanoha could feel her heart beating out loudly, as she slowly turned to look at what her senior was looking, hoping that he was merely seeing things, and what she would see would be different. Wrong. She truly wishes that it wasn't who she thought it was.

…Alas, her wishes did not come true, and heart fell down in horror and panic. What she saw, a half-masked individual, with the blue-black glow of the jewel seed attached to her chest as she floated high above a pillar in the centre of the courtyard and hugging her knees, was her other best friend. Black lines were seen on her arms and body, seemingly starting from the Jewel Seed itself. Suzuka's eyes were dull, sickly yellow now, and she seemed listless, her bottom half now fully crystallized and slowly expanding to her top.

"I just…want to be… free…"

Nanoha tightened her grip on Raising Heart knuckles so hard that they were bone-white, as her mind narrowed to the horrifying sight of her friend. The staff felt impossibly heavy, a tool of violence in a situation that demanded a miracle. Her mind, usually so bright and determined, filled with a static of pure, undiluted panic. She wasn't even hearing Yuuno's words at her shoulder, too shocked at the scene in front of her. Makoto, seemingly out of his shock, stepped forward.

"SUZUKAAAAAAAA!"

It was the first time she heard such a raw, terrified voice coming from him.

+++

"No!" Yuuno cried out, realizing what was going on. "The Jewel Seed is trying to anchor itself to her! And it's draining her emotional state! If we don't remove it from her now, she won't be able to wake up, and we'll lose her forever!"

Alisa's brain, overloaded with terror for Suzuka, could only file away the fact that the ferret had just spoken in a boy's voice under 'Problems for Later, If We Survive'.

"Kh!" Nanoha raised her staff, Raising Heart, and tried aiming it at her friend, but she wavered. "N-no, if I don't…!?"

It was expected. While she has sealed the Jewel Seeds a few times in the past, before it was not someone she's particularly close to, and moreover, all the Jewel Seeds she had sealed in the past were untainted by the corruption she felt.

Suzuka's case was far different, she is held by the corrupted Jewel Seed, and she was also one of her best friends. She especially did not know what would happen if she tried to seal the Jewel Seed while it was acting like that. It felt like the Jewel Seed itself was taking her friend hostage, and that made her panic and freeze in her movements.

As for Makoto, he could guess why Nanoha wasn't taking actions yet, he himself was hesitant to hurt the girl, and the only way for Nanoha to be able to seal it safely was him draining the corruption from the Jewel Seed first. If they compared it to what happened yesterday, it would be able to remove the darkness from Suzuka and save her.

There was just one problem with that idea. Suzuka right now was floating up high, away from everyone, and the blockades were preventing them from advancing further. He could send Orpheus alone to drain, but something inside was telling him that it won't be possible without Makoto himself being there.

Nanoha might be able to fly, but he doubted she could carry him that easily unless he transformed into something light and small. And if he tried to climb the wall, it might be too late by the time they reach the top, and time as a luxury they did not have.

So close, and yet still out of reach….! He needed to do something, at the very least, he needed to fly…!

Makoto suddenly saw a familiar velvet blue butterfly floating at the back of his mind, before he felt something else, something unlocking from inside him. And at the same moment, Orpheus appeared behind him in a pure blue flash.

Seemingly knowing what to do, Orpheus began to flicker, the form becoming barely visible, before the silhouette covered the boy in an unstable, flickering aura. His blue hair gained a shade of white, and a red scarf was attached to his neck, his arms and body having patches of armor on it, a large lyre on his back and the boy itself was releasing a calming hum of blue-velvet energy.

"Impossible! Unstable it may be, but a Unison!?" Yuuno shouted out, while Alisa and Nanoha looked at his new form in surprise. Yuuno's mind raced, centuries of magical theory clashing with the unstable, flickering aura before him. "But that's a technique of Belka... is he a Knight!?"

Makoto did not know what those words meant, his mind and body was in pain, and his mind felt heavy from the strain. It felt less than whatever Yuuno meant (he assumed a combination or fusion of sorts) and more like wearing a second armored skin made of music, and it was phasing in and out of reality.

Even so, somehow, he knew, like it was part of him, of what this form can do, what he can now do. And at that moment, there was one important thing he knew, what he could now do.

To fly, and reach for his first friend.

And so he did, crouching down his legs, before rocketing forward up high, though he himself was surprised by his own current leg strength. The world tilted, gravity a forgotten suggestion. The sensation was less like flying and more like the ground had politely decided to stop existing for him. He could hear some shouts of surprise from below, but Makoto's mind focused on Suzuka right now.

He did not fall. Instead, he hung in the air, defying gravity, before pushing forward towards Suzuka's floating form. Thankfully, there were no attacks coming towards him, and the Jewel Seed was strangely non-hostile. He once again tried draining the corruption; his own hands trying to clasp the Jewel Seed near her chest, but was once again stopped by a red sphere coming from the Jewel Seed and covering it. This time, no strings manifested from his hands. Instead, the drain began instantly, a direct conduit from the Seed to his soul. Behind him, the large lyre on his back resonated, its strings plucked by invisible hands as the corruption flowed into him.

What he felt from the drain, the feedback was immediate and agonizing. It was not rage, but a profound, crushing loneliness, the desire to be someone else and the immense pressure of what she's expected to be. He feels his friend Suzuka's quiet despair. The strings from the lyre started to snap, one by one, causing him to shudder from the sheer pressure, as he felt how the girl felt when he was tired yesterday.

Makoto gritted his teeth, and made a vow to apologize to the girl and make her worry about him. After this was done, he decided to tell her everything that was happening until now. She deserves to know that much at least.

…Of course, even as he continued his drain, somehow it was not allowed to be that easy. Five large pairs of hands, made of bound, pressurized anxiety, suddenly appeared at the corners of the transformed courtyard, with a black blob slithering on the ground, and half of a top of a body on it, each wearing a blue sad masked face, moving in a faint, collective whimpering sound towards the defenseless pair to attack Makoto for his transgressions.

[To be Continued]

---

Spoiler: The Unison

A Unison in canon Nanoha is when a A Unison Device merges with a mage's Linker Core to dramatically amplify and manage their power. The mage provides the mana; the Device provides the processing power and additional features.

A Persona isn't an external device, it is the person themselves, their mask, their other selves, given form. A manifestation of the user's inner self. In short, something like an Intelligent Device. So from my belief, since it is the user themselves, they can, thereotically fuse with their persona. Their inner self surfaces and is worn like armor, and gaining the Persona's skills.

It's not something that is permanent though, because even though it's a Unison, it also the fact that the person summons a persona without making it disappear, and that's taxing to the user's mind, especially during a fight.

 

[CloakGear]

Chapter 7: Broken Masquerade (Part 2)

---

Other than Makoto, who was too focused on draining the corruption away from the barely conscious Suzuka, everyone was surprised by the sudden arrival of the other beings that came out of nowhere. Both Nanoha and Yuuno did not sense their presence until now; they really appeared from the corners of the transformed courtyard, and from thin air at that. In other words, they came from the shadows.

"What the…!?" Yuuno shouted, his fur bristling at their wrongness to reality, his head swirling around to see their five, new, unwelcomed guests. "Where did they come from!? I didn't even sense them coming!? What are they!?"

The 'creatures' were not something that could make sense to him, physically or biologically. In fact, he was not even sure that they were even alive, seeing as they twitched randomly every few seconds. Their hands were larger than their own body that he even wondered how they could even move it.

However, it was correct to categorize them as enemies. Despite the blue mask with Roman Number I covering the head (if it even was the head), they ooze malice that is unmistakable to anyone. The creatures were not moving at a quick pace, but they were definitely closing in on Makoto. Their hands were large enough to overcome and ignore the barricade to strike at him, who was defenseless and ignorant of the coming danger.

One managed to get near enough to pull its arm before punching Makoto…!

"I won't let you!" [Restrict Lock]

…Or at least, it tried to.

Pink, circular rings appeared at the incoming limb, binding them and freezing it in place mid-action, before the monster was rained down with four pink spherical magical energy from above, hurting it. All five of them stop, seemingly confused. Then, the tapping sound of feet landing on solid ground was heard. Alisa and Yuuno looked up to see the source.

At the top of one of the barricades, Takamachi Nanoha stood tall, her staff pointing downwards at the stunned foes, while on her feet, pink wings of light were formed at the side, now disappearing into molds of lights. Yuuno was surprised that she was talented enough to manage to master flying at such a short period of time.

…Except for the fact that she had not. She just learned the Flier Fin spell today, and just practiced it in such a short period of time that she only managed to float above the ground. Despite how it was, flying in practice, and flying in combat are too different things, and Nanoha believed it was too dangerous to fly in such a situation.

That did not mean that the spell had no use though. The girl realized, when practicing, the spell could lower her mass, allowing her to be lighter and reach greater heights when jumping from the ground. To put it simply, no, she couldn't fly yet. She could, however, jump good, well enough to reach the upper platforms easily. When she saw the incoming attack, Nanoha did not hesitate to retaliate, binding the enemy and firing Divine Shooters while still in the air.

Nanoha, poised on the barricade, was anything but calm, even as she gazed at the boy's profile, Makoto now having black lines forming on his face and arms, and one of the strings of the lyre behind him snapping again, his face tense yet fully concentrated on his duty.

It was obvious to anyone he was suffering, even as he poured his entire being into saving Suzuka. A cold, sharp feeling crystallized in her chest, burning away the last vestiges of her panic.

She was angry, no the word does not fit what she was currently feeling. It wasn't just that. She was furious. At herself, for even hesitating. For the situation, for ensnaring her friends.

But more importantly, Nanoha tightened her grip on Raising Heart, her hands shaking in a barely suppressed rage at these…things that tried to hurt the people she cared about. I can't forgive you for trying to hurt them.

Even as the monsters rage and break down the barricade with pure strength, making them fall to the ground and break in half upon impact, even as she floated down, her legs once again having wings, courtesy of Raising Heart, even as Alisa retreated to a safe distance and away from the combat zone, Nanoha never stopped her glare.

She pointed the staff at the creatures, a judge, jury and executioner to the incoming monsters that dared to harm her friends. "You will not hurt them while I'm here." Nanoha declared, holding Raising Heart with both hands while pink energy was formed on the tip of the staff that transformed into its Shooting Mode. "Takamachi Nanoha, here I come!"

[Divine Buster.]

+++

[Alisa POV]

What…is this?

That was the first thought that went to Alisa Banning's mind, hiding behind a frost-rimed bench, as she saw a pink beam of light striking at the monsters directly at the chest, causing it to let out a cry of disgruntled pain, before it stabilized itself and attacked Nanoha.

It all started with how distant Nanoha seemed to be now, though at first, Alisa thought she was merely seeing things and being overly emotional. But when she saw her friend being together with the Sphinx, especially with how tired and pale he looked, her suspicions returned, now with a small conviction that something had happened.

She then asked the one person that may know Makoto-senpai more than her, Suzuka, and they began a chat the next day after school, which then led to this after school.

Alisa wanted to deny it. At what she's looking and experiencing to be nothing more than a dream, a hayfever that created a vivid, detailed imagination in her mind.

But she cannot. The thermal feeling of coldness invading her body and solidifying her breath, her numb hands after pounding on the barricade to reach Suzuka, even the fact there were monsters that are further from her understanding of everyday life. The masquerade has been broken, and this is now her new reality.

When did my life start becoming strange and complicated? Alisa mused despite the horror and surprise of what she's currently seeing.

Nanoha, her sweet kind and sometimes naive friend, was moving around to avoid the attacks of the masked creatures, sometimes dodging an attack, sometimes creating (or at least, that's what Alisa assumed) a ring to lock the limbs temporarily in place, or even block an attack when neither options were available.

Every time a monster paused in its movement, Nanoha began creating multiple pink spheres of light surrounding her, the attack announced by her staff with a red jewel glowed, and the attack was delivered with a frightening force. She also sometimes fired a fast, quick beam of light from her staff, whose yellow 'head' was more pointy and modern than she expected. What surprises her more, however, was actually the ferret they initially found at the off-side shortcut road in the park.

She imagined the ferret, the talking magical animal that she believed gave her friend her powers, would be beside Nanoha, advising on where the enemy was, giving advice and helping her somewhat weakly in combat. And while it did help, she completely underestimated how much it helped.

It did not just give advice, it created a large green magic circle (compared to its size anyway), declaring "Chain Bind!" before summoning green magical chains that came out from said circle, tying a few monsters and stopping it in its place. Then it called out to Nanoha, telling her to attack its core, the mask on its face.

Nanoha is all too happy to oblige, pointing the staff at the chained monster's mask, her staff saying [Divine Buster], before Nanoha shouted her words. "Shoot!"

Once again, a large pink beam hits the monster's face, but this time, it also vaporizes the mask, creating a noticeable large gaping hole on it. The monster did not even let out a scream, before dissolving itself into black particles from the point of impact, disappearing into nothingness.

Alisa had to admit, despite how terrifying the fight was, despite how deafening the sound of the battle… she was in awe. Her friend Nanoha, the gentle girl she thought she knew, was fighting them like a warrior, or perhaps a veteran magical girl, entering combat without flinching. Yuuno, the cute ferret that was found, was much stronger and smarter than she expected, being able to fight the enemies despite its small size, even if she ignores the fact that it can talk.

…Was there a magical society of talking ferrets that can grant magical powers? Could she ask one?

-SNAP!-

The sound of a broken string was akin to a gunshot to the young girl, making her flinch. Alisa looked up to see Makoto, now transformed and now having white hair, seemingly taking something from the transformed Suzuka. She could see the black lines from the girl receding, but the lines from the boy are expanding, getting slowly longer for each agonizing seconds. The strings of the lyre on the back were slowly being tainted black, and one of them completely snapped when it became almost darker than black itself. He was even bleeding from his nose, even being tense yet fully concentrated in his actions. He was putting all his being into saving Suzuka.

Alisa looked down, gripping her knuckles strongly in realization. The boy was likely hurting himself to save her friend, and it picked her heart at that thought. No, not only that. Nanoha was not playing dress-up; she and Yuuno were fighting desperately to save her friend. They have been doing this…without her, without anyone knowing. Her anger at them in the past seems laughable now in hindsight. She felt powerless to do anything.

I'm just… a spectator. Useless. Alisa shook her head, before making a vow in her mind. But... no. Not anymore. This wasn't a game. This was her life, her friends. If she survived this, she was getting answers. All of them. And if anyone tried to stop her, they'd learn why you didn't cross Alisa Bannings. …They're not gonna wipe my memories after this fight, right?

"ALISA-CHAN!"

Her train of thought was interrupted by Nanoha's shout, startling the girl from her musings. She looked up, to see a large blue-masked monster towering form very close to her.

And it was looking at her.

+++

Despite being outnumbered, he, Yuuno, and Nanoha fought well, preventing these strange 'shadowy' creatures, whose origin he did not know where they came from, but he guessed that they were created from the Jewel Seed themselves. The ferret was confused why the Roman Number was a bit different than the one on the Jewel Seed though.

Their movements, despite their twitching, were surprisingly simple and straightforward. They moved less like a strange amalgamation of monster parts and more of a machine following a set of orders; moving forward when attacking or moving to the sides to avoid attacks. It's one of the reasons he used the Chain Bind spell. If one knows where the opponent moves, then it's easy to plan on how to trap them. He also managed to sense where their source of power was, allowing Nanoha to destroy one of them.

However, after they managed to defeat one of the monsters, their reactions… changed. It was less of them becoming smarter and moving in a complicated way, but they were now more aggressive in their offense. If before could be considered to be those creatures playing around, now they were taking the fight more seriously, their actions more antagonistic and forcing Nanoha's world to be narrowed to the dance of evasion. The wide, sweeping beams of Divine Buster were a luxury she could no longer afford. Now it was quick, precise Divine Shooters, snap-cast barriers, and desperate, gravity-defying leaps. She was on the back foot, reacting, not acting.

Even when he binds them, they react in an aggressive manner, forcefully moving in greater strength than before, cracking the binds by the sheer pull. He realized to his growing horror, the creatures were now adapting.

Yet, what surprised Yuuno the most wasn't the fact that they became more aggressive. It was the fact that he sensed the change in magic energy—the mana from the creatures, and it casted an ice spell on Nanoha, shooting two shards of ice on her, even as Raising Heart protected the girl with a declaration of the spell, [Protection.]

Even as he ran to the side to dodge the attacks, the fact that they could somehow cast a spell that came not from Mid-Childan was a shock to the ferret. It was the first time he saw a creature from this planet (that he did not know if it even came from the Jewel Seed) managed to cast a spell. Does that mean this planet actually has their own magic systems that were unrecorded?

"ALISA-CHAN!"

The shout made Yuuno turn his head, looking at the civilian—Nanoha's friend, now near one of the monsters. She was staring at the monster towering over her in a wide-eyed stare, seemingly stunned by its sheer size and presence. The creature's head—if the blob of darkness with a mask could be called a head—tilted. Its blank, blue-painted gaze was fixed on Alisa, who was frozen, a deer caught in the headlights of something that defied all known physics.

Yuuno ran towards the frozen girl as the monster lifted one of its large hands into the air, clenched into fist. It was obvious what it was planning to do.

Nanoha screamed, and tried to go towards her friend, but the other three monsters were attacking her and forcing her to be stopped in her tracks. She wasn't even given an opening to breathe, their assault as relentless as their size.

Time seemed to slow down. Alisa could see the intricate, impossible details of the hand, the way the darkness seemed to swirl within its form. She could hear Nanoha's distant, frantic shout of her telling Alisa to run away, the hum of Makoto's form, and the sickening snap of another string on the lyre. But she couldn't move. Her body had locked solid with a primal, paralyzing fear.

The hand descended like an incoming storm.

"I WON'T LET YOU DO THAT!"

A boy's voice, that Alisa belatedly realized coming from the ferret, except now, he was glowing green light that temporarily blinded both Alisa and Nanoha, and also the attracting the attention of the other monsters. The ferret grew bigger as he arrived in front of her. The ferret in front of her was now replaced by a young boy around her age, wearing a large brown cloak that covered his entire body, and his two hands had their palms facing the incoming fist.

A loud Bang sound was heard, a large green round, circular shield appeared in front of the boy, stopping the attack in its tracks, though he was gritting his teeth as the fist kept pushing, trying to break the shield through sheer force. Nanoha, while dodging the attacks, widened her eyes as she recognized the boy from the dream she had before finding Yuuno. So that wasn't a dream...! she thought, before immediately refocusing on trying to defeat the annoyances surrounding her.

Alisa stares, wide-eyed, at the boy who just replaced the ferret. "Y-You...?" She questioned as the attacking monster lifted its other limb.

"No time!" Yuuno shouted, his voice uncharacteristically sharp with strain, letting his left hand hold the Round Shield spell as he moved his right hand to the side, the palm forming a small magic circle. Immediately afterwards, a large green magic circle appeared behind the masked creature, and emerald green chains appeared from it, tying and holding the monster's body and limbs at bay. "Just stay behind me and stay down!"

His right hand was moved and lifted to be in front of him and a bit at the side, mimicking a claw-like motion of trying to hold a ball with his entire hand, the fingers passing through the small green circle. With a heave, the hand then pulled, and in response, with a rattling sound, the emerald chains binding the attacker were also pulled towards the large magic circle, pulling the creature away from Yuuno and Alisa.

Now that there was no attack aiming at them, Yuuno dispelled the Round Shield magic from his left hand, and, with a green Mid-Childa circle forming on the free hand and on his feet, he cast Chain Bind once again, now targeting the enemies that were surrounding Nanoha, temporarily binding them. Unlike his right hand's bindings, the amount of shackles targeting the enemies were smaller in quantity, allowing them to escape a few seconds later with pure strength.

However, those few seconds of no movement were enough for Nanoha. No words were needed for the correct course of action to take, and she did not waste the chance given to her by her friend and teacher of magic. Pointing Raising Heart at the monster that attacked her friend Alisa, she did not hesitate to target the enemy's core— their mask, the tip of the Shooting Mode staff gathering cherry-pink magical energy.

[Divine Buster] "Shoot!"

A single clean hit on the mask and head, creating a visible hole, before the rest of the body dissolves to the void, the green shackles falling to the ground with a loud thud, before they too disappear, breaking down into particles.

From then on, even though it took time, the fight was more or less over. Yuuno would protect Alisa from any attacks that came to her like a knight guarding a princess, while simultaneously binding any enemies in place or protecting Nanoha with a quick, remote spherical barrier from his location, he himself not moving an inch just in case there are more sneak attacks incoming.

Nanoha would take advantage of the openings Yuuno created for her, and tried to finish the enemy off as quickly as possible, while also locking them in place with her partner's help and the spell, Restrict Lock. Even though during the beginning, there were a few missed shots, mostly due to the head moving to the side to barely dodge the attacks, she could now predict where the enemy tried to move to avoid the attacks. She didn't even need to create a defense spell to protect herself anymore, she knew how fast and how far the attacks were now.

While both Nanoha and Yuuno were battling, Makoto continued his task—absorbing the corruption from Suzuka uninterrupted. They knew he was progressing and almost finishing, even when not being watched by the duo who were in combat. Because just like the time at the park against the office worker, and now this time against Suzuka, they could feel it; the reduction of the feelings of oppression, self-doubt and loneliness. Makoto was steadily moving towards completion, though the sound of lyre snapping was akin to a sudden tremor to them, a small doubt in their heart thinking he might fail.

The blue-haired boy did not know what the others' thought was, and even if he knew, currently, he did not have the capacity to care for such a thing. Not that he will care about that. Right now, at the current moment, he only concentrated on saving Suzuka, whose crystallized form from the body shattering and disappearing to the sides blown by an unblown wind before melting away, revealed the undamaged, pristine body of Suzuka underneath.

The process was agonizingly slow for him, and he could feel Suzuka's burden encroaching his mind, the black lines on his arms seemed to be pulsing now, and the lyre on his back seemingly representing his state of mind; barely holding on for dear life. But he did not stop, he chose not to. For the sake of his friend, he can carry this burden.

Eventually, and coincidentally, at the same time as Nanoha and Yuuno finally finished off the last of the masked creatures, the last vestige of the corruption was removed from the body Of Suzuka Tsukimura, reverting her form to her normal self.

The Jewel Seed floated and separated herself from her, now glowing silvery blue instead of black-blue. The body of Suzuka, now away from the Seed, began falling down due to gravity, forcing Makoto to chase after her.

+++

[Suzuka Mindscape]

She, Suzuka, had a dream.

A dream where she was acting as the heiress of a rich company, just merely a nine-year old girl laughing with her friends. She did not have to act as an heiress, she can move without a care in the world, without people judging her, she can hang out with anyone without ulterior motives.

But, was that right? Was it actually a dream?

IT's… reaL. YoU cAN… Be FRee…

Was it? Was she dreaming the whole time, and this was the true reality?

Her mind and surroundings felt cold, and Suzuka crouched, now unsure. The memory of her playing with everyone at the park as an ordinary girl was really vivid, like she had actually experienced it, and yet, the bonds and friendships made with her friends when she was an heiress was real too, right? Her best friends…

…What was their name? Suzuka began holding her head, now began doubting her own memory. If they are her best friends, why can't she remember their name? Or are none of her memories real?

Su-The girl began hyperventilating, falling to her knees and trying to make sure she wasn't remembering things wrong, but her panic made her more unsure of herself.

What was actually real? What was actually fake? She could not tell anymore. She can't even tell if she herself actually existed, or if her memories were real. A cold feeling was felt on her chest, her legs and body began freezing itself solid.

IF You leT GO… You'll be fREe…

Let go? If she let go? Maybe giving up?

If she lets herself fall, will she understand? Maybe she will. If she chooses to give up, she might find the answers she was looking for. And so-

Suddenly, breaking her thoughts, a warm breeze was felt by the surroundings, warming her thoughts, and making the girl lift her head, wondering where it came from.

The next thing she heard was a melody being played, of strings being pulled. It was…gentle, full of kindness, and the girl faintly realized she recognized it. The ice encasing her legs hissed, and the girl stood up, listening to the warm yet lonely tune.

Then she heard it, a voice, a hum, calling for a name. Her name. She recognized the voice.

Yes, she, Tsukimura Suzuka, recognized the voice. It was from a boy, the first male friend she made, and the one living with her at the mansion. Yuuki Makoto.

Suzuka did not realize the distorted voice calling her was now gone, burned away by the hum. She did not notice the cold had completely disappeared, and her memories returned back. She merely felt the call from the hum, the desperation seeking her, and walked towards the source, gentle steps towards the light, and the living.

+++

[Courtyard]

When Suzuka came to, her mind was still groggy, but she felt like she was being held gently by someone, on her body and legs. It's when she opened her eyes, her mind immediately realized what happened to her.

Suzuka was being carried in a bridal-carry, and looking at how far the ground was, she was quite high in the air. The one carrying her seems to be floating down gently, so she should be safe.

Even so, for her, it was embarrassing to be carried this way, even if she dreamed of being done so. Suzuka turned to see who her savior was, and was surprised by who it was.

Even though the hair was in a different colour, even though he was wearing a red scarf, even though the clothes seemed to be armored, she recognized him, Makoto. How could she not? He felt like Makoto, especially since they have been together for the last five years. What she did not expect was his expression.

Makoto, the stoic, dull faced boy, was smiling. A wide, beautiful smile, full of relief of seeing her. He was even looking down and seemed to be shedding tears.

…To be honest, it left her a bit flustered, seeing the boy acting like this.

+++

When the Jewel Seed separated itself from Suzuka, and the latter started falling, Nanoha concentrated on the Jewel Seed. She believed, and it was being validated, that her friend and senior, Makoto, would be catching the girl to safety. That meant she could focus on her task to seal the seed, thus finally ending this case.

[Sealing Mode, Set Up!] Pink ribbons once again surrounded the Jewel Seed, showing the number III. [Standby. Ready.]

"Lyrical Magical! Jewel Seed Serial III!" Nanoha declared. "Seal!"

[Sealing.]

Once more, the Jewel Seed became dormant, and was absorbed by Raising Heart. [Receipt Number III]

Both Nanoha and Yuuno let out a sigh of relief, as the courtyard returned back to its original, iceless form.

Makoto held Suzuka gently, floating down like a leaf falling from a breeze, before gently landing on the ground with nary a sound, before setting the girl down on her feet. Alisa rushed over to her, ignoring the ferret-turned-boy for a moment, and hugged the girl in relief, even shedding tears.

"A-Alisa-chan?" Suzuka was still feeling disorganized, and the physical contact confused her even further.

Alisa did not care on how she acted, because at the moment, she was relieved her friend was safe and sound. "You're alright, you're safe…!" She sobbed out between tears.

Nanoha arrived later, her clothing now returned back to her usual Seishou Elementary School uniform, Raising Heart in gem form safely tucked inside her clothes. She was wobbly, and was tired and breathing heavily, but she was happy that her friends are safe and sound now, wearing a relieved smile. "Suzuka-chan, thank goodness!"

Yuuno, now human, was closing his eyes and began sensing Suzuka—the Jewel Seed victim, to find any leftover contamination left from the corrupted Jewel Seed. He breathed out a sigh of relief when he sensed none. Once again, Makoto managed to take in all the distortion made by the Jewel Seed onto himself. But then he remembered the other Jewel Seed that was activated around the same time as the one they currently sealed and tried sensing it. He was surprised that the signal—the prickling feeling that marks the activation of the Jewel Seed was nowhere to be found. This could only mean one thing. Someone else had sealed the other Seed while they were sealing this. But who? Could it be TSAB…?

His thoughts were interrupted, when Makoto suddenly collapsed to one knee, letting out a ragged breath, surprising everyone. He assured that he was alright and it was nothing, even as his Unison form destabilized itself even more, the armor and the lyre with a single almost black string becoming even more fuzzy.

None of them believed him, more so for Alisa. She shouted, vocalizing her feelings. "You idiot! You absolute...! Don't you dare act like it's nothing! You were... you nearly were...!" She can't even finish, because the image of the black lines forming on his body and face, Suzuka's transformation and Nanoha's fight against the monsters were now burned into her mind. Her anger is laced with the terror of almost losing two friends.

Suzuka, who directly experienced the problems that Nanoha and Makoto were experiencing and solving, took a deep breath, before staring at the magical trio with a steady gaze. They already felt the trial, they cannot choose to escape now to be safe and let their friends be hurt instead. That would be wrong of them. Suzuka quietly but firmly states to the group, now being able to stand up by her own strength. "Both Alisa-chan and I, we're part of this now. Whether you like it or not."

A heavy silence fell, broken only by the distant sounds of the city returning to normal.

The two civilians now knew what kind of burden their friends were carrying, and why they did not explain to them, but they still wished to help them, even if it's merely the mundane of everyday life.

Nanoha looked down and seemed hesitant to answer, but it was Yuuno who convinced her. "Nanoha, it's best if we tell them." The girl turned her head quickly, looking at the boy with surprise. "Now that they know what happened, it's best to be honest with your friends. Besides, you feel bad lying to them, right?"

Yuuno knew the girl was kind to a fault. Even before the tree incident, she was busy helping him, even late at night. From how she trained and conducted herself, he was afraid that she would suddenly break down from overextending herself without realizing. At the very least, he wanted her to realize she wasn't alone.

"Yuuno-kun…" Nanoha looked at the former ferret in front of her, before looking at her friends, Alisa, Suzuka, and Makoto, the former two seemed to be worried yet accepting, and the latter gave a subtle nod, acknowledging and accepting her choice, whatever it may be. "Everyone… Alright."

Seeing that Nanoha seemingly agreed to tell them, Alisa and Suzuka let out a sigh of relief, before the former started, seemingly managing to process everything on what's happening, first pointing at Yuuno. "Alright, spill it. Now. First off, you're the ferret, right? Since when can you become human? How? When?"

"Oh yeah!" Nanoha suddenly shouted, realizing something that bothered her recently. She immediately closed in on the former ferret, looking at him in confusion. "How did you become human, Yuuno-kun? Since when? I didn't even know you could do that!"

Her words confused the others, realizing that even Nanoha did not know. Yuuno himself blinked at the reveal, genuinely surprised by her words. "Wait... you didn't know? Nanoha, when you found me, I was in this form, right? I thought you knew?"

Nanoha quickly shakes her head rapidly side by side, even waving her right hand in front of him. "No, no, no, the first time I found you, you were a ferret, right you two?"

Seeing that Nanoha's other two friends agreed to her words, Yuuno groaned, he didn't even realize she did not know. Nanoha seemed to remember something, slapping her hand to her forehead. "Ah! That dream... that wasn't a dream! I was so out of it that morning, I thought I imagined it!"

Alisa stares up in the sky and sighed, seemingly done with everything. "A talking ferret is a boy. The Sphinx breaks reality. What's next, is the principal an alien?" Alisa let out a hollow laugh at those words, before staring at the school building in the distance with a wary gaze, worried that what she said was actually true.

While Nanoha, Yuuno and Alisa were chatting, Suzuka gazed at Makoto's quiet profile. He was still on one knee, seemingly staring at nothing in particular. He wasn't just quiet, he was being unattentive, which was unusual behavior for the boy. His eyes, usually so distant, were now utterly vacant, staring through the world as if it were a pane of smoked glass.

Not once had he spoken after setting her down. He was just in that position, swaying slightly. She couldn't help but call his name with concern. "Makoto-kun?"

The last string from the lyre snaps, akin to a loud gunshot, causing everyone else to flinch, before looking at the source, the boy. At the same time, the armored form of Makoto shatters, creating the sound of breaking glass, and Makoto reverts back to his blue-haired self.

Yet all of them gasped at what they saw. For a split second, everyone saw it clearly: a web of black lines, like cracks in porcelain, stark against his pale skin, all receding towards his eyes before fading. A single drop of blood traced a path from his nose. He didn't crumple; he simply fell backward as if his strings had been cut, a marionette with no master. The sound of his body hitting the ground was terribly, terribly final; a dull, final thud that silenced all other noise.

For a heartbeat, there was only the sound of the wind and the distant city. Then...

"MAKOTO-KUN!" ""MAKOTO-SENPAI!"" "YOU ALRIGHT!?"

Makoto blacked out.

(To Be Continued)