CHAPTER ONE- DISAPPEARANCES

The first Saturday in February, and the gates of Hell just had to open, right? I wish I knew what was happening on that day like I do now, but sadly, all I can do is reflect at the moment. I suppose I should have caught on to the strange events around school earlier than I did, but I had other things occupying me- Other things that saved my life, too. But this story begins much farther back than February- We must go back to the day the evil began to leak into our world. A leech that stuck itself firmly on every student and teacher alike across campus, except for a select few- Myself included.

We must go back to the first encounter with the Damned.

I remember it pretty well, actually. I had just woken up from a pretty bad nightmare. I was a child again, and I was face to face with a man who was adorned in bones and leather, with hair a deep scarlet that reached just below his ears, and seemed very dirty- Like it hadn't been washed in days or longer. He seemed straight out of a fantasy novel, as I recall. I remember he was about five heads taller than me, and he wore a steel mask over his mouth. It covered his entire face up to his nose, leaving me only to gaze into those eyes of his... Those blackened, tarred eyes. The nightmare was just that- Him staring back at me. I didn't know why it scared me so badly at the time, but looking back, I am impressed with how much willpower I actually had. Things only became worse from there.

As I woke up though, I noted that I was warm- Very warm. This wouldn't have bothered me if it wasn't December. I thought at first that somebody cranked the heat- Who wouldn't think that, right? Until I saw my thermostat was reading the temperature at 50 degrees Fahrenheit. I have no idea what that measures out to in Celsius, but I assume it isn't as burning hot as I was that morning. Still, my room mate was acting perfectly normal. I asked her if it felt hot, and she gave a pretty convincing "nope" and went about finishing her morning routine.

I tried to do the same but had many moments where I felt unsafe. I couldn't quite explain it, but something kept telling me I was going to need to watch my back at all times- or that I was in pain, or in danger, or any combination. Something was just off, and it was definitely affecting my day.

"Hey, do you think we can spend a bit of time at church today?" my room mate asked me.

"I suppose so. The one on campus right?" I didn't know of any others in the area, so I was unsure of where else we would go, but my paranoia was getting the better of me, and I felt like I had to ask. She confirmed with a nod, told me to meet her there at noon, and went out for the day right after. Being a Saturday, there was no class for us, so I assumed she was going out to go shopping or something, or maybe to meet up with her friends. So, following her example, I concluded my routine and headed out. It was still before Christmas and I needed to get a few more gifts for the family.

Oh, my name is June by the way. I should have told you sooner, but I was so wrapped up in telling you what happened that it slipped my mind. Anyway, I was close to Miator by the time I realized that I had forgotten my money, and so I had a little internal debate on if I had the time now. I did have to catch my room mate soon, and I underestimated my time span to get things done. Not to mention forgetting my money meant a second trip back, which would take at least another half an hour. Eventually, I decided not to go- Rather, I went ahead and got a lead on meeting her at the church. I decided to head in and pray for a bit beforehand- Good luck and good will and all the other prayers you'd expect to hear.

Imagine my surprise to see her there as well.

All it took was to see her there for me to think something was wrong with this picture. After all, I was told to meet her here, yes, but... She seemed off. Her usually delicate motions were not present- I was watching her move across the other side of the place as if she were some kind of animal. Her strides were much wider than usual, and she seemed too busy to be aware of my presence. Now, a lot of the time people ask me why I would even notice these small details. The simple answer is, you'd notice things like that about your room mate too, if they started happening. When you're around a person long enough, their tiniest quirks and their mannerisms become commonplace. Disturb even one of those things, and the formula is no longer routine; You can identify a problem with the person. Another answer is, I've been trained in Russian martial arts a good portion of my childhood before moving to Japan- Anybody with even the first degree in a martial art watches how people move pretty closely.

But it wasn't just that. I decided I should probably not be seen, so I made myself a small spot behind the door and began listening in. Whatever was going on had me on edge by quite the margin, and I was closed off to the idea of casual conversation with her at the moment. I believe what I heard was some form or another of Latin, but I could be mistaken. It was a chant of some kind as well, and definitely sounded angry. Her voice was usually a lot softer and more well mannered than this, but all I could break out of this chanting or whatever was that she had sharper enunciation, a deeper tone, and she had an inflection to her voice that told me if I had interrupted, I would get an ear-full. Or maybe she would just punch me, I wasn't sure which and didn't plan on finding out.

After about five minutes of my trial-and-failure and translating what she was saying, I decided I needed to leave. Something felt wrong here, and I couldn't put my finger on it, but it felt similar to this morning. Like I was being watched. And sure enough, I turned around to see an old cousin of mine. She was eying me like some piece of meat or something. God, I hated it when she did that; I have a bit of a history with her, but that's for another day. The point is, we didn't talk much. And yet, there she was, looking like she had been seeking me out herself. How curious, I thought, and made good of the situation.

"June." she said, an expression on her face I didn't know she could make- Concern.

"What can I do for you, oh high and mighty former Etoile?" I asked, taking a sarcastic bow; You can cope with stress in many ways. I just did it with one liners and sarcasm.

"Cut the nonsense for a second. Listen, I know you were invited here for later today. You can not go."

"And you know my social life how? Sleeping in my closet or something?"

"Do you remember the incident a few years back, when Ryoko went missing?"

I blinked. "Well, sure." I said, sarcasm dropping at the mention of my departed relative. "It was hard to miss. I was worried sick. But what does that--"

"Your room mate went missing two days before that."

"... Say what now?"

"Here." she handed me some kind of paper. It was clearly something she printed offline, and it had a lot of text to it. Only one picture- Of my room mate. I opted to read it later, but for now I would humor her as best I could.

"Okay, but she's here now right? So what's the issue?"

"The issue is, that can't be her."

"How so?"

"I think you've already got your answer on how little she resembles the girl you know. Something has been going on here for a while now- Something nasty. I've had my eye on it for a long time. Having eyes in high places really helped with my research, but there's still a lot I don't know as well. Like how many students this has affected."

At that I just had to shake a little. This was already creeping me out, but Arcy was never serious around me. We were ex lovers, and ex friends- Nearly every time we met up ended with either a snark contest or a full on fight. But she never approached me, and certainly she had never given me this kind of news before.

"So... Why are you telling me this? Wouldn't going to the church at noon hold some answers?"

"Possibly at the cost of your life. Please, June, just... Don't go."

So, I went. No way I could listen to somebody like Arceia, huh? Terrible idea.

"Glad you came." my room mate said. "Take a seat, please."

I sat down in the front row, right on the edge. I figure some caution should be taken into effect here, and I gave myself just enough room to slip out and bolt should something go wrong. Arceia's warning was enough to make me paranoid again, but my pride wouldn't let me obey her. That, and I simply wanted to find out what had happened to my room mate around the same time Ryoko vanished. Thankfully, my answers came quickly. Not so thankfully, they were bad answers.

About ten girls in black robes came out of seemingly nowhere, one of them being Ryoko.

"No way..."

"A pleasure, June." she said to me, smiling. "I'm so relieved to see you join us."

"Wait, what? Let's back up to the whole 'you're alive' thing first, okay?" I snapped.

"Oh, but I am so very alive." she replied, her smile never faded. What I noticed next was that my room mate had begun to hand everyone a red candle. During this time, Ryoko spoke again. "I've had my world changed. I simply had to join them."

"Join who?"

"The Damned."

"The... What now?"

She giggled. "It's a group only the select chosen can join. We are told the truths of the universe, and given an immortal shell around our mortal tethers."

That sounded cool, but something told me this was less wise and more cult. So, what I had gathered from that simple explanation was that Ryoko was taken by this group, and probably so was my room mate. What wasn't connecting is how the school media hadn't gone crazy over two girls vanishing almost simultaneously. Granted, the recorded Ryoko, but... Not Lucya.

"And now, we have all chosen you." the sentence itself seemed like she was happy, but there was the faintest hint that she didn't really give a damn.I guess that would make sense, given her name and all.

"So tell me, why was Lucya's disappearance not spread all over campus, but yours was?"

That was when Lucya spoke up.

"How do you know about that?!" she screamed the words. It was only slightly off-putting for the usually calm girl, but it was very unexpected. I presented the papers I had.

"I found this online," I lied, "It doesn't say much, but it definitely says you went missing for a few days."

"Seems Lucya slipped up a tad. Well, you do know the rules..." Ryoko then did-- I can't even think about this clearly. It was brutal. The, uh, least gruesome way I can put it is, Ryoko assisted Lucya in a form of Seppuku that involved her eyes. I would very much like to leave it at that.

"I'm sorry Lucya. But at least now you can join me." said Ryoko. That was when I noticed... Ryoko was wearing a veil over her eyes that entire time. I guess I was too distracted by the fact that a freaking cult wanted me to join them to notice some of the smaller details that I mentioned being so keen at noticing earlier. Funny, what stress can do to you. Though what I next saw may have fallen into the category of 'stressed-out illusion' it was far from fiction. Lucya... Stood up, with her eyes gone. Then, it seemed she had the same smile as Ryoko. The same exact facial expression despite them having two different facial structures. It was creepy, to say the least.

"What in the..."

"June, it would seem we had an accident during your initiation. I apologize. We may begin now." said Lucya. There were so many things I anted to do right then and there; Scream and run out, call for help, close my eyes and pretend I wasn't there... But all of it was muted. All those natural reactions seemed to be hiding behind my desire to figure this out, which I have to admit even I was surprised by the strength of that. This was really happening, though- Lucya was definitely just... Turned into something. Nobody would survive what I just saw her stand up and shake off. What's worse, her wounds seemed to go into stasis- Not healing, but not pooling blood at her feet as expected. She seemed to not even feel it anymore.

"You advertise your club to me by making zombies? Sorry, but I'm not into that." I said, trying me best to sound as convincingly calm as possible. It was more for myself than them, but all the same.

"Oh? That's a shame. If you don't join now we can't let you leave this room."

"And what does that imply exactly?"

"I'm sorry June. We must insist that you join us and bring the truth to the Hill. " was all I got in response.

"You know, this is pretty poor advertisement. No details at all?" I was trying, so hard, not to just run away without more information than I had. I wanted to be able to get as much detail as I possibly could, so that whatever Arceia was researching had some fruit. I could have guessed easily enough that Ryoko wasn't herself, from the fact that she veiled her eyes. And considering what I just saw happens to people who are found out, her eyes were probably long gone under the same circumstance.

"June, all that you wish to know will be revealed if you join."

I took a deep breath, said a prayer, and nodded.

"Fine." I could believe I was doing this. "Sign me up and then start talking."

CHAPTER THREE-SCHOOL OF WAR

"So, where can we go that may be safe?" I asked, holding the doorknob as if to seal us inside the room until we had an attack plan. I pretty much was doing that, though; Arceia was smart, if not one of the most cunning people I knew. She would figure something out, probably something that I wasn't expecting, or considering viable either. She had a knack for that though, which is why I rarely wanted to actually fight her- She wasn't strong, but she could out think me in a heartbeat. We were a good example of brain versus brawn, I suppose- Which meant that working together we were going to fair pretty well. At least, as long as there was no weaponry involved. Even I can't stop a bullet or catch a blade bare handed- No martial artist is that good. Not the ones that teach their trade to others, anyway- Those people are masters that not only learned a Martial Art, but perfected it, and then invented their own spin on it. The kind of thing I want to do.

"How do you feel about walking straight at them?" she asked.

"Um, horrible?" I shook my head. "They want us both- Presumably alive, but if what you say is true, this group is a two-percenter."

"A what?"

"98% of human beings cannot kill with zero hesitation. Even hired killers are in that category sometimes. The only people that can are either in a desperate, life or death situation, or they get off on cutting people to pieces. There's really not an in-between. Not to say that the average joe won't kill if he has to- He'll just think about it first. Something tells me these people won't even hesitate."

"And with me being a former Etoile..."

"Yeah. You're already on their bad side for saving my bottom. Lord knows whatever it is they want me for puts me on that list too."

"Then, what June? They wouldn't kill us on the spot if we were in public- They'd risk blowing their cover. They only just today became apparent to us, and I've been studying them for over a year. There's no way they'd just up and murder students, let alone one who has such a high reputation on campus, without being provoked."

"I suppose... Still don't like it, but it's a valid point."

"Just stick to crowded areas. If we get caught by ourselves in a hallway or something, it could get ugly."

Arceia was the kind of girl that even if you hated, you had to respect. She commanded a certain level of that from all of us, though, in the way that she handled the schools. During her time on Student Council, she not only got a lot of new things to happen, but she kept everybody on at least the Lulim side organized, possibly more. Not to mention she did all of that after a vein in her head burst. She was elected Etoile probably because the schools know that she's a natural leader. Knowing what the Etoile actually does now, though... I can see why she became so much more serious when she took the position. Hard to think about when you grow up hating somebody that you're not given a choice on respecting, you know. So, we opened the door, and headed out. My baggage was light, and she offered to carry it for me- I'm guessing so that she would have a makeshift weapon in case of emergency and so that I had my full fighting potential, not being encumbered by some silly bags in the way. We got to the bell walkway, and determined it not a safe route- Too few people used those any more. So, we opted to take the long way around and simply look for her dorm. Arceia and Chiyo and I were in the same school, so our dorms were not that far apart. Thankfully, in any case, we arrived safely.

"When we grab her, we should really think about somewhere to stay off campus." I suggested. She shook her head.

"We would lose all our good advantages. Like being protected because of reputation, or always being surrounded. If we got a personal apartment or something, we would leave ourselves vulnerable, and we wouldn't be able to keep tabs on them."

"Right..." I sighed. "I just want to get out of here. I know I've been holding it in, but this is all starting to get to me, and bad."

"I know. You can take all the time you need to mourn, clean up, or whatever else now. We're here."

A click of the door indicated that they had been allowed in. Inside, they found Chiyo, same as she always was. She greeted Arceia, and asked about me, to which we both gave her a kind of look as if there was a lot to discuss. But before I felt safe in talking, I immediately threw myself down on Arceia's bed, and pretended to go to sleep. In reality, face planting the pillow gave me a good mask to cry. I know I may have seemed like I didn't care, but this Ryoko business got to me- So much so that I wasn't really myself. Lucya was a friend, too. And to hear that she was long dead, and that... Whatever it was replaced her? Were these even humans anymore? How did my friend and my cousin die? Was death painful for them? Did we even bury the right body when we buried Ryoko? So many questions that I knew I would never get the answers to- And as the adrenaline from the walk here wore off, I lost it. I would never know the answers... I would never see them again. I've never felt so helpless and ashamed in my life. Lucya was IN MY ROOM all the time! Why wasn't I enough to protect her from this? How did I not notice she had gone missing?

I couldn't even hear the others, but I understand that Arceia was probably telling Chiyo all about it. And then I heard the door open again. I had to look up- Had to make sure this wasn't one of them.

"Arcy..." I managed, looking at the figure that had entered the room. It was short, probably the same size as a kid. It had short red hair, and it looked to be smiling brightly. There was no way this thing was human though- I could see pretty clearly that there were some flaws in the human form, like the eyes for example. One of the eyes was a deep yellow, and the other was an unusual green. But the whites of its eyes were gone, replaced by that same black, tarred void of the Damned.

"I know." replied Arceia. "Chiyo, stay there."

"Found ya~!" the child said. "Master's been wanting a word with you two. Is that okay?"

"I'm afraid it's not, kid. Unless your master wants to speak to us himself."

"But he is~" she replied. "He sees it all through the blinded."

"I see. Then why can't he speak to us himself?" I threw in, standing. "He afraid or something?"

She giggled. What bothered me was the low tone in which it came out. It reminded me so much of...

"No way." I said. "There is absolutely no way."

"Oh, but it's there~" she said, leaning against the wall. "I didn't come for a fight. Just to warn you."

"About what?" Arceia threw back.

"That we've got eyes all over the school. That until Atlantis gives herself to us, we won't stop chasing you, even if you leave campus. That Ryoko misses you both dearly~" this last one, she threw at us with that giggle again. "But more on that, IF you survive the night!"

"One last question." Arceia approached the little girl figure. It seemed to be unphased by her approach. "Why do you look so much like me?"

It started to walk away, waving the question off lazily. When I got a look at its back, I saw it clear as day- This creature had something growing on the back of its neck. An eyeball or something, I wasn't sure what to call it. It DID make me lose my lunch though- It was like some living, cancerous tumor that was watching us. When the creature rounded the corner, Arceia slammed the door. No sense in giving chase when it very easily could be setting us up for an ambush or something. At least she had the common sense for that. Thank God Arceia wasn't as curious as me.

'That girl... Thing..." she sighed. "Well, it confirmed what we were worried about. The school has a lot of them. And if the Damned weren't bad enough, it looks like we've got something else on our hands-- Something not human."

"About that..." I couldn't keep this information secret. "When she giggled, and the pitch changed... I know that voice."

"Let's hear it."

I sighed.

"It was the voice of this monstrous man who came to me in my dream last night, just before all of this started. I didn't think anything of it, but..."

"Wait. Describe the man." she urged.

"Wha-Okay... He was tall. Really tall. I could have mistaken him for ten feet if I had to guess. He had a lot of bones covering himself, and he had short... red..." she filled in what I wanted to say.

"Dammit."

"Okay, so they look similar. That proves nothing!"

"June, don't be stupid. That thing knew how to find us, knew what we were up to... It probably could have killed us right here. You're telling me you didn't notice that we were being toyed with?"

"I noticed, but..." I sighed. Chiyo was probably scared senseless already- To be fair, so was I.

"He said Atlantis. What does that have to do with anything?" Arceia asked. "He also said it as if it were a name. And judging by the way he was talking, he was calling one of US that."

"Are we sure it was the man?"

"It was either him, or there's more than one of whatever he is. I'd like to be optimistic here." she retorted. "At any rate, we need to talk to a professional. I suggest Minigawa sensei. As one of the only previous single Etoile, she might have more insight on this- She probably did more reading than I."

"Not to mention, she is Japanese, and probably lived here her whole life. She's sure to have picked something up that we haven't, having just moved here for school." I added in. "See? I'm not totally lost."

"But she may not know anything at all. Until we know what he meant by calling one of us Atlantis, we should never be alone. Who knows what else is out there waiting for us now?"

"The thought of anything else being out there is enough to make me sick. You saw that eye thing..."

"Right. Well, at any rate, your things are safe in this room, so the three of us should head to Minigawa sensei."

"T-three of us?" Chiyo spoke up. "A-arcy... This is crazy talk. It's cool and all, but..." Ah, right, I keep forgetting Chiyo was into the darker stuff. Wasn't she the one who loved bats and all that? No surprise she'd find this cool, even if it was deadly.

"You'll be safer with us than alone love. Besides, June's one Hell of a fighter. I'm sure she has our backs." Arceia turned to me with a wink. My God, it's like her entire personality changes when she's talking to Chiyo.

"Y-yeah. Besides, if all we have to worry about are other students and that... Thing, I think we'll be okay. Just from sizing them up just now, if there ARE more of those, I wouldn't worry too much about them. And I could probably hold my own against a few of the students here. But if they're all as, er, 'zombified' as Lucya and Ryoko, they won't put up much of a fight."

"Then I think we have our plan." Arceia took Chiyo's hand, and the two of them grouped toward me. We opened the door, all of us simultaneously inhaling deeply in fear of what might wait on the other side.

CHAPTER FIVE- NIGHTFALL

There was no sense in not following her, because if Arcy was right, we were surrounded as it was anyway. They had us in quite the manipulated position, where we obeyed their path of choice, or we suffered- At least, I'm sure they wouldn't mind making us suffer. Still, I couldn't help but notice Arceia was remarkably calm. it was calming, yet unnerving at the same time. Chiyo, too, probably picked up on it. It was hard to miss that face she gave when crushing the eye. And harder to miss that she was laughing at really inappropriate times. Either she was losing it, or this was her way of keeping us calm. I really hoped for the latter, but I know her past- I know about the Ripper. I was a victim of it, and I know that Arcy is a two-percenter; She would kill without a second thought if it meant she got what she wanted. I've seen her at her worst-- CAUSED her worst. I never want to see her like that again, and I want to apologize for it.

"Arcy, we got a plan?" I asked.

"Nope. We don't have enough options to make one. Let's just... Appease their host for now. See what he wants us alive for in the first place-- if it is a man. Which if your dream is a vision, then it is."

"Well, still. We should at least keep our eyes out."

"I know. I will."

We said nothing further- Chiyo clung to Arcy in front of me, and I paced myself, checking out every room I could to ensure we were safe. Every so often when I would peek into rooms, I would see them- Not the creatures, but the Damned. They had blindfolds, but they were still following my every move. One even waved to me. I pleasantly waved back, and hoped it would mask how freaking terrified I was that these blind... Whatever they were now could see me. My nerves were getting the better of me, and I was starting to shake- Nowhere near as strongly as Chiyo though. Poor girl got dragged into this...

We eventually made it outside, and the greenhouse came into view. What we could see of it made it look relatively empty. The plants, yes, but other than that, only a few girls were in there- one of which being the one that was leading us. She had a wide smile- The kind you wanted to punch off of somebody for being a smug jackass. Still, I had to give them one thing. if terror was their business, the business was booming. I was worried I might not have the guts to fight my way out if we needed to. By the time I reasoned with myself that I could do it, another scare would get me- Some cultist giving me a smile, or one of those eyeball things crawling around- something like that.

I was about ready to run, but we were at the door.

"Welcome."

A male voice. On Astraea Hill.

"Quite the party you're throwing here." Arcy started in. "No food, poor valet parking, and the only other guests must be blind, because they can't see beauty when it's walking right by them."

The man's laugh echoed, but not out in the air-- It was in the back of my head. I could just tell... He was laughing directly into my head.

"Quite the mouth on you, mrs. Ripper."

"Beg pardon?" she snapped. "It sounds like you've done your homework."

"A-arcy?" Chiyo managed, quiet as a mouse.

"Arceia Aeducan. Born to the Allistair family, spent three years in an orphanage. Tragic." the voice came again. "Blood type B, height 5'7", weight 137 pounds, and, oh, what have we here?"

"Well, if you wanted to know me so well, you could have just asked." she shot back, stepping further in. I don't know what got into her from the moment she entered the greenhouse, but this was not the Arcy I knew. She also didn't care if Chiyo was clinging to her or not- She marched straight ahead, which forced Chiyo to detach from her arm.

"A criminal record? How curious... Assault with a deadly weapon?"

"What's it to you?!" She shouted back.

"A-arcy, no..." Chiyo was still just standing there, looking like she'd seen a ghost. I figured I should comfort her.

"I didn't want to tell you before she did so herself, but, our past is rocky for a reason." I sighed, and started to rub the makeup off of my face. My scar was pretty obvious- Well, multiple that looked like a single one. It was dominating my entire right cheek, almost. But, it was out there now, and there was no taking it back.

"Arcy... Gave me this." I said. "It was after we... Well, you're not her first lover."

"I don't get it..."

"Seems you were pardoned and shipped off to Astraea Hill to be away from your relatives. The school was a prison, yes?"

"And?"

"What?" Okay, even I didn't know that part.

"June..."

"We- She and I, that is- We were lovers once. Intimately so. When it went badly, she..." I had to hold myself back. This hurt to say. "She cut my face open with a broken stick. It never healed properly."

"A-arcy, no, she wouldn't... Do that..."

"Oh, but she would, Chiyo." The man spoke to her now. "Just like she wants to kill me now. Just like she's always hungering for the kill." that laugh again. God, I wanted to block that out! "Does it hurt to know, you've loved a monster?"

"She's... Arcy, no..."

"Chiyo!" Arceia snapped. "I was hoping to tell you someday. But if this loudmouth is going to spoil all of the story, I might as well just finish it for him; Yes, I attacked June. Wanted to rip that pretty little mouth right off her face. Wanted to see the life slip out of her eyes." she giggled. "And you know what? I could repress it while I was here. I could hide the monster, but who am I kidding? I was born to kill!"

"Arceia... You were born to do much more than kill. You, and that snow haired woman behind you." the man said.

"What does the slut have to do with this? It's you and me now, mr. Voice in the sky. Now stop hiding so I can tear that annoying voice box out!"... ouch. Right in the pride, Arcy.

"Atlantis is a key, just like you- A key that I need. Won't you be so kind as to open some doors for me?"

"Heh." she smiled, and then started to laugh. It was sort of slow, not like how I was used to hearing her. Quiet, too. But it was a laugh... Was that her real laugh? "Hehe..." she was getting louder. Until it was full-on laughing at the top of her lungs. It was pretty deep laughter too- Like she was overjoyed. A mix of pleasure and rage, I'd say. I never wanted to hear her do that again. "And why would I open any doors for a f**cking vulture, watching and waiting for us to rot away? You want me to open something for you? Get down her and make me!"

Chiyo and I were hiding by now. I had to hold her to keep her from running out there- But I think it was starting to sink in. "I thought she could control this... That's why I--"

"June, what is wrong with her? This isn't the Arcy I know! T-they must be messing with her head! We have to he--" I had to cover her mouth.

"No, Chiyo. This isn't the Arcy you know... It's the real Arcy." Those words pained me more than when Arceia had cut me open. To know that I loved that woman at one point... And now, here we were, Arceia the Ripper once again on the prowl.

"As you wish." the man's voice came again. From his voice cam the hint of a laugh as well. And just like that, the man in my dreams was right in front of her, clutching her neck and picking her up off the ground. Chiyo broke free of my grip and ran out there- Clearly, this hadn't sank in that her Arcy was the mask, not this one. The man just backhanded her away, and she froze. I assume she was knocked out, but I can't be certain. I followed her out, and kneeled by her. She was breathing, but it was hard to determine if she was unconscious or awake, so I let her be. Arcy tried to kick free, but the man's grip only tightened. He threw her then, right at me- And I fell over, breaking her fall.

"I was expecting better from the Ripper." he said, his eyes starting to focus on me. "As for you, Atlantis..."

"Why do you keep saying that?! My name is June!" I shot back.

He shook his head.

"Atlantis, my dear... You have been lied to. Tell me, are you familiar with the story of Thoth, the king of the lost continent?"

Arcy got up off of me, and ran at him again. he stopped her fist mid-punch with one hand, and threw her aside again.

"The Hell? No!" I shouted.

"Ahh... Then allow me to suggest you ask your friend, that cur Minigawa." he reached a hand to his mask, and began to pull it down. I... Will never have anything but nightmares for the rest of my life. Half of his flesh was rotting away, and yet the internal systems underneath it were cycling, and very visibly. His lower jaw was almost entirely rotted away, and bone was visible. But worse than that, he still had a tongue, which moved in perfect order with his words. I have no idea how he was talking-- Or living.

"You will find her in the church. I will not halt you on your way, because I feel you should know everything before you choose what is the truth."

"N-now I see..." I said, trying my best to stand and not scream. "You're the one controlling the creatures. And the students of the Damned? What are they?"

"Replicas, of my own blood. The real thing was far too... Free spirited. And delicious."

You sick son of a-

"I see..." I took a step back. "Then, I will take Chiyo with me. Are we clear?"

"The human? Do as you wish with her- She is of no use to me."

I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry. I wanted to get Arcy back to normal-- Well, her safe normal. But I knew none of those were options. And apparently, neither was leaving the same way we came, because the door was sealed tight and blocked by several of the Damned.

"Should have guessed... You drive a hard bargain, mr..."

"You may call me Skade."

"Right... Well, I'll be off now." I said, a deep breath before I hurdled myself at the glass of the greenhouse. it shattered, and cut me pretty badly when I landed, but I knew what I was doing here. I guarded my face with my arms, and rolled as I landed.

"Chiyo, come on!" I called back. Then I remembered, she was unconscious, or frozen in fear, or... Well, she was alive, and that's all I could say about her. I ran back in, grabbed her, and ran back out before the Damned could patch the hole with more of their disgusting ranks.

It was a long walk, but we made it to the church-- Rather, I made it back. night had fallen. I have no idea what happened to Arceia during all of this, but I do know that the school was eerily quiet. No teachers, no students, nothing. Just me, holding Chiyo, walking a lonely road to the church. The door was sealed shut, and seemed to be reinforced on the inside.

"Has the campus really gone to Hell?" I asked the air.

"Not yet. It will soon, if you don't hurry." the air answered back. A taunting laugh with it, to boot. It was the man again, that Skade individual. I could establish that he wasn't human- That much was clear. He was... Inside my head, though. At least, it felt that way. he was speaking to me from somewhere, and it sounded like inside my head.

"Heh. Challenge accepted."

CHAPTER SEVEN- ATLANTIS

"Curse?" I asked. She seemed to be calming down, but not by a significant margin. What I was noticing most in her wasn't fear, or worry, or anything of the sort- She was hurting. Infinitely. It was written all over her eyes, and the only way I could honestly foresee her pain easing away would be to see Arceia back to what she considered normal. The Arceia that wasn't my fault. Still, as I thought during the time between my question and her answer, it did make sense that she would believe in curses at this point- Though apparently from her tone this was a long standing belief. I had to think back on why, and it wasn't hard to piece this together. Arceia was never the most... Reliable partner, if memory served. She had caused Chiyo a lot of pain since day one, and I'm still contemplating why she put up with it. I also can't help but feel slightly responsible for the Ripper's existence... but that's a long story, and I'll spare you the details for right now.

"The Etoile curse." she sniffled out. "One of the girls... Will always die."

"We don't know for sure if Arcy is..." I sighed. "She's crazy, but she's not stupid. She'll live."

Minigawa sensei was present, as was miss Iris. Both of them seemed to understand Chiyo's worry to a degree- How, I will never understand.

"Ah, I thought you seemed familiar. Etoile-sama." Minigawa sensei bowed. Her title was that of somebody superior to Chiyo, but she still addressed Chiyo in the superiority light. "Condolences on Arceia."

"Arcy... That wasn't her. It can't have been." Chiyo was still holding herself to that. It was probably what kept her going right now- In an asymmetric battlefield like the one outside, it was hard to keep it together, even for people like the Etoile. Violence breeds violence, I suppose. But we couldn't just sit back and wait. I think Minigawa sensei understood the urgency, because she quickly changed topics.

"June, you managed well. However, you're not clear of the battlefield just yet. I'm afraid I must ask you to return to the surface shortly, to collect an item for me."

"Fetch quests, yeah!" Iris enthusiastically declared. Heh, if nothing else, it got a smirk out of me.

"Sure. But, won't I be in a bit too deep if I'm out there alone?'

"Whoever said we would send you unprepared?" Minigawa sensei smiled, and began to walk toward another corridor- It was hard to believe we were still in the catacombs, or that they existed. Still, I could see down that corridor only as far as she was- It was bleak and dark, and probably expanded for a very long time- They did have 300 years and up worth of Etoiles to bury here, if memory serves. I was assuming I was meant to follow her, and I did so. Chiyo would be safe with Iris, I was sure- Iris is ex military, and it was common knowledge on campus. Mostly because she makes a point of reminding people a lot, especially when she gets in sick students that can't leave for a while. She tells them all kind of stories about her campaign in Iraq. How do I know?

Well, Naomi was one of her best friends. I was pretty accustomed to hearing all of Naomi's life story, because again, she didn't give me much choice in the matter.

"Here, Etoile who pass away on campus are buried. It may seem a tad on the full side for that reason, but I must reveal something silly." she turned back, and it was only then that I caught a glimpse of her face in its entirety- She had been crying- It was clear as day, but I felt I would be prodding to ask why.

"Most of these catacombs are empty. Only seven Etoile are buried here at current."

"So... Why is it so big?" I had to keep the conversation going. There was no way I could let things grow silent, out of respect for the place, I guess. i had to know more about it.

"To accomodate for future Etoile. The campus itself is no mere school, mind you."

"It's three, I know." I joked, dismissively waving it off. "But, in seriousness, I'm kinda noticing that. Shot in the dark here, but the Damned weren't just a group of Satanists back in the day huh>"

"Your cousin's wit is rubbing off." she giggled a little. I took a small victory in that, as I've heard stories of how... Frozen she can be. Not in an ice queen kind of way, but in an emotional sort of way. I guess that happens when your lover passes on.

Speaking of...

"Chibiru is buried here as well, isn't she?"

"Ah, and quicker still." she nooded. "The deepest part of these paths is where the true burials are."

"So... is that where we're going?"

"Yes."

Dammit. Okay, little known June fact here, but I do not do well in the dark. Or in unfamiliar places. Or in graveyards. This was kind of all three. It wasn't a fear or anything- I just hadn't been able to visit Kaiti since she passed on, and it bugged me to ever visit a grave in general. It made it all too real for me. Sure, I know the person is dead, but... Seeing their resting place makes it seem so final, you know?

"So, you come here a lot? I can see why the staff had such a hard time finding you." I joked. Another giggle- Two for two. On a roll!

"I come here to do many things. Mourn, pray, pay respects, and to prepare for... Well, it seems preparation wasn't enough."

"How did you prepare for this?" I asked. "I mean, I knew the Damned were an old cult, but... The creatures too?"

"The creatures came first."

"... Oh." that would explain how a random group of idiot kids turned Satanist, for sure.

"Skade, and those creatures- They are collectively associated with something called the Archetype."

"Fancy title."

"It's a surge of raw energy- straight from primal human nature. They exist as a personification of sin- Something this campus is no stranger to."

"Wait." Okay, back that train up. "WE created Skade?"

"In a sense."

"I see... Dare I ask how?"

"The very answer ties into your fate, Atlantis."

I don't know if I made it clear, but we were walking down a LOT of winding pathways while discussing this. And by a lot, I mean I had no idea where we were anymore- I couldn't hear anything but our footsteps and our voices. Have you ever experienced true silence? Not the '5AM' type, where there's no cars on the road or something. I'm talking, so quiet that your ears aren't even ringing. So quiet that there's not even the sound of your own breathing. That reminds me...

"How are we even breathing right now? There's no way this place was built recently enough to have air vents."

"Do you believe in the supernatural?" she asked, as if I totally wasn't convinced by this morning's oddity and then watching school go to literal Hell. "Some things, just happen. Like how we are not born with the choice of who our parents are- Or when we die. Such things are beyond our comprehension." she said this with a new tone- Or rather, her normal tone from what I remember hearing during ceremonies and all. The Minigawa sensei that was grief stricken.

"I see." I sighed. "I'm assuming this Atlantis thing ties into that too?"

"Yes."

"What does it mean? When people call me Atlantis?"

She smiled. "Wait until we reach the Etoile chamber."

That took a little less than ten minutes. I know, because she told me so. I trusted her knowledge of the tomb, and said nothing to object to her whatsoever. There was a faint light ahead, which confused me until we reached it- A feat which took a lot of willpower, by the way. I don't know too many people who walk directly at ominous lights in the distance of a maze of caskets underneath a school that is supposedly so innocent. but, at the end of the path, there was a large room- Probably the size of the greenhouse itself. It was... Beautiful, actually. Somehow, there were blue, glowing fungi on the ceiling of the dome, and the ground was coated in mossy stones- Except for a singular path that lead to a central island. I say island because there was also water down here, surrounding the land. On top of that island, which is I assume is where we were heading, was a large cross that took up the middle entirely. Surrounding that were six smaller crosses, aligned on the perimeter of the island.

It wasn't hard to put two and two together there. Minigawa sensei turned off the lantern she had, and placed it at the door, then urged me to follow her.

"This is..."

"Amazing, no? The legend says that the purity and love of the Etoile keeps this place alive, even without sunlight."

"I believe it! This place is incredible! All this in only 300 years?"

"This chamber is much older than that, Atlantis. Please, I know you dislike the name, but it is only proper in such a place."

"I... Fine. I'll be Atlantis for a while." I sighed. I didn't want to disgrace the place by not obeying the custom- As strange as it was.

"Come. We have several people to meet." she spoke as if the Etoiles would just come right out and hang out with us. I was kind of hoping they would, too- It would give Minigawa sensei a way to remain with her lover, but it would also be interesting to hear of the history of the school directly from those who created that history- It'd be like meeting Nikolai Tesla! But I digress-- We approached every grave marker, and she listed the name of the inhabitant.

"Chibiru..." she gave no last name, but she did give a shaken voice.

"Suki." again, no last name.

"Nabiki." As last-nameless as the previous. We skipped one, for some reason.

"Deadra." That was the first one who wasn't Japanese.

"Lucy Tovarich." Aha! A last name! We stopped at the large cross in the center, and she kneeled down to pray. I was urged to follow.

"And Sybil Etoile."

We kneeled there, praying for only about half a minute. I didn't get to finish mine, but I did at least get to ask for forgiveness for not dressing appropriately to meet them-- No, I'm serious. You have no idea how much i felt like I should have been wearing an outfit like Minigawa sensei- A fairly decorative parody on the classic nun's uniform, in Miator colors. Here I was in my silly Lulim seifuku. I felt so out of place. When she stood, I followed.

"Who was the one we skipped?" and please, do not answer with what I fear you might.

"I don't believe I need to say it." she replied. I wanted to damn that statement, but it seems wholly inappropriate here.

"She was a good woman."

No. Stop right there.

"I don't get it... Why? Why all of a sudden is all of this coming together? And what can I do to not disappoint?"

"Surely you understand your legacy bears weight. A heavy burden was cast to you, Atlantis."

"What does that really mean? Aside from, you know..."

"Atlantis was the last name. It is also the bloodline. Within that bloodline, there is a destiny."

"And that is?"

She sighed.

"I wish it were not so gruesome. However, you must know. Your Arceia, as she is... Is not human."

"You... No way." I stopped there. "I've heard and seen a lot, but that is just crazy. Everything I've seen from her is human, and I've seen... All of her."

"Except her soul. Her spirit. A physical body is not what makes us human, dear. It is what defines humans as a species, but not as a consciousness. We are human only in name- All of us. What, then, is a name to a soul?"

"I..." this was making no sense.

"We are not bound to this world by our physicality- None of us are. The common man and the Etoile alike. However, there is something... Different with Arceia."

"Don't tell me..."

"She is also a personification- A human sin in physical form. She has no soul."

"So, she's... Like Skade?"

"In more ways than you know."

"And Skade called her a key... Me, too. What does that have to do with this?"

"I assume he means to use Arceia to enter this chamber. After all, this place embodies those that locked him away."

"And... You knew, this whole time?"

"Yes."

"Yet she still managed to become Etoile?"

"The title has... Lost much of its meaning over the years. It has become a popularity contest. There was nothing I could do. However, Chiyo was most fitting for the position- Pure, and yet walking her own path. She is far from a typical religious woman- as I recall, she was into witchcraft? The point is, she was suited well- A young woman with a pure soul, who was not bound by what the physical world desired."

"Yeah, she's really something... But Arceia? She hasn't, you know, corrupted the title or anything has she?"

"No. She has, however, learned much of the office. However, I don't believe she is aware of her nature. She believes herself human- And maybe it is because of that belief that she has remained dormant for so long. However, Skade and she are alike- his aura would naturally pull out her true nature."

"That explains why she completely snapped, then. But... And I know you probably wouldn't want me to... is there a way to bring back the humanity in her? Maybe, you know, make her human?"

She sighed.

"Sorry... No."

CHAPTER NINE- MISSION

It was an uninterrupted walk back up, as I should have expected it to be. After all, the walk back was inside a hallway that was still technically inside sacred ground. Asken and Bug Man were likely the first males to ever set foot here, and they honestly didn't seem even remotely phased by that fact- Disrespectful guys they though they were, they seemed to be useful- At least in the sense that they seemed well prepared. I had to wonder why all of this gear was required though, and more importantly, who funded them enough to afford that gear. After all, nobody just showed up to the Hill decked out in military wear packing three suitcases that I assume had weaponry inside of them off of a single text message. Not to mention, how did they even find me based on a single text from underground? They were good, and they meant business- of this I could be certain right here and right now. The only thing that confused me is how they became so good- But I suppose that really wasn't my business right?

Once we reached the church, we began our briefing and questions- Heh, it sort of felt like we were special ops, on some kind of extra dangerous mission. Well, aside from the special ops thing it was mostly true.

"Alright, since we have no bloody idea what's happening here, we brought a lot of gear for you. Ace told us that you were a martial artist so we assumed you wouldn't want a gun." said Asken. He opened one of his suitcases, and dropped it, kicking the opened thing into a slide which ended at my feet. "That'll probably do."

He wasn't kidding- this thing was pretty well balanced. It was a smaller suitcase, maybe about the size of one of those travel ones for short plane and bus rides, but it had something cool in it. A wrist mounted glove that had a blade sticking out from the top. There was one of those, and then another one that had clawlike appendages that wrapped around more like a glove than the previous weapon. It also went a ways up my arm when I put it on, and as I noted, it had some other little additions along that- Like some blades trailing up it which I assumed was for defensive countering. They were small and looked more suited to scraping than cutting, especially given the position running up the arm like scales. And it felt heavier than expected- Like kevlar or something.

"Not exactly personal use stuff is it?" I joked. "You guys must have one Hell of a bank."

"And for good reason, if you know anything about who keeps this bloody city in line." Asken replied.

"We prefer the term 'Hidden Security' but we're also called mercenaries." Bug Man cut in.

"And somehow, Ji--Ace got involved. I'm not surprised." I shrugged. "Anyway, about what's happening?"

"About bloody time we got to that!" Asked growled. I shrugged it off, assuming that was just who he was.

"Alright, I dunno how much of this you'll get, but there's a guy on campus who is basically mind controlling everyone on it, except those of us here. He also... Ate some of them, I'm gathering. On top of that, he's built like a tank. Also on site- My cousin Arceia, who is in a state of mind that she wants to just kill everything. I'm about to run an errand for the official looking woman you saw me first with, and I'll need to know where by asking her, but that's basically it. We need to get rid of the guy, and possibly my cousin, without killing students."

"Well s**t, girl." Asken laughed. "You sound like you need an army, not our little ragtag. Why haven't you called anyone in yet?"

"They wouldn't be able to do anything about it. This is kind of out of their league, not to mention my own. I just know that something even worse would happen if they came in."

"Yeah, yeah." this Asken guy was getting on my nerves, but I couldn't do anything about it. After all, he was offering his help. "But whatever, your funeral. We done here?"

"I guess, unless you have more to offer." I shrugged. "I guess you're not gonna fight?"

"There's nothing TO fight, except for what sounds like a family feud. Not my bloody department." he snapped. Bug Man dropped his suitcase and the two of them began to leave. I certainly wasn't complaining, but I can't help wondering what was in the second one Asken had. Maybe it was his personal gear, who knows? Either way, it seems like we had a second set of gear to use, so we might as well use it. The two of them were long gone, so whatever it was had to be useful- Jill had gotten us some great help. Without another thought, I opened the case.

Headsets, and a lot of batteries. Well, at least we could stay in touch outside the building now. But was anybody else equipped enough to come with me? I turned to Chiyo, to give her a run down while setting my headset to on and handing her one. There were six of them, it seemed. Slowly, Iris, Minigawa sensei, Jill, and Chiyo all fixed theirs on too.

"Chiyo... Arceia might be alive right now. That much is true. But, if she tries to take me down... I will do what I have to." I had to force myself to believe I could do it too. Kill Arceia? It sounded wrong- Like I should be saving her, not killing her. But if Minigawa sensei was right, then she wasn't even human- And couldn't be saved either way.

"I..." she stammered a second, until Jill approached her. A comforting hand from family, by blood or not, was always helpful. Chiyo nodded, albeit very forcefully, and Jill sat her down.

"Jill... Your sister. I think you know about her issues already."

She nodded. "I found out pretty fast while I was looking for her. I hope I'm not going to, you know... Snap."

"You won't. Arceia is different." I couldn't dare call her not human. Not in front of them. I would wait until I was gone- And could contact them personally. They'd all be holding the fort here, and I assume that they'd go through various jobs as well. Stuff I wouldn't get involved in, for sure.

"I hope so..." Jill sighed. "Whatever. Go get'em, hero." she giggled, nudging me to the door. "We'll all set ourselves to frequency 13 for you. Just tune into that when you need us."

"Why 13?" I asked.

"It's not 1 or 2- The most common frequencies."

"Alright then. Well, I'm off. Minigawa sensei-"

"Call me Rin, please. I appreciate the title, but time will be of the essence out there."

"--Right... What exactly will I be looking for?"

"Well, it will be much easier to find now that I can describe the item to you as you search. But, we are looking for a book."

"A... Book? I'm risking my bottom for some paper?"

"It's the book on the Etoile history. With it, we can learn the exact means that Atlantis sealed Skade away, and replicate it."

"... Okay, so it's pretty important. Got it." I shrugged. "I think I'll be okay with this stuff though. These guys weren't here to mess around-- They were gonna kill. At least now I have some self defense, if nothing else."

I took a few more hours to rest though, before heading out. I was not about to try rushing this on the relatively zero sleep I had gotten after all. Sure, Skade would have more control over the campus by the time I woke up. Sure, I was risking a lot. But you know what? If I was too tired to fight properly, we'd all be screwed anyway. I don't care what the media tells you- You can't just blitzkrieg real world danger like some video game protagonist and expect to come out alive. You need to rely on real skills, real health, and keep yourself in real good shape both mentally and physically.

We'll see how well I handle the mental aspect, I guess.

After I woke up, I started to feel hungry- As expected. I hadn't eaten all day and the adrenaline was the only thing keeping me from noticing how exhausted I really was. I mean, let's seriously look at how standing for a second, shall we? My body had already taken a pretty nasty blow from the greenhouse, not to mention I was shaky and unsure of myself. I was hungry, just now got what could amount to an incredibly miniscule amount of sleep, and if we're accounting the info I just took in all at once, I was really not fit to do this as I was right now. Somebody had to though, and no offense to the others with me, but aside from Iris I was the only one of us that was built for combat at all. I would ask Iris to come with me, but they needed her there- She was the only medical staff we had, and they needed her more than I would.

Knowing my own body and its limits was one of the first things I learned how to do when I began my training in Russia. I knew I was in bad shape to handle this stuff. Thankfully, nobody else seemed to know- Except probably Iris, who understood the importance of morale and said nothing. The more confident and prepared I looked, the more hope it would give the others, and in turn the better they would hold out. Combat 101.

Asken and Bug Man would have been great allies, albeit recklessly violent. But what they offered was plenty good enough for me. Being in touch with everyone even outside the church would be more useful than even the weaponry I was given, for sure. And now that I was outside the church and heading on my way to Spica, I was going to need all of the help I could get. The layout of the building was something familiar to Iris, so I imagined I'd be contacting her a lot. The thing was, Spice was jam packed with athletic girls and while that was normally fine, them being controlled by that freak was not. I was bound to run into some problems in here. Spica was about a half an hour walk away anyway though, so I decided to give Iris a buzz.

"On my way to Spica now. Sunrise is kinda pretty despite the crap out here." I said, not interrupting my pace. "Kinda makes me forget what's going on a little."

A muffled Iris replied to me. Probably static or trouble with the signal from that concrete building. "Sunrise on Astraea Hill is famous, you know. Lots of people used to watch it every morning atop Miator's roof, before that part of the building was condemned way back when. Nobody goes up there anymore."

"Sounds pretty nice. The view I mean. Do any pictures exist of that? I replied, making smalltalk."

"This was in the 1700s, June. No, I very much doubt it."

"Ah well. Hey, what about from atop Spica's roof? I've never even been in the building myself, but I imagine it's got a sturdier roof with how new it is."

"That's true. You could theoretically use Spica's roof to get out quickly, but getting down wouldn't be easy. There aren't many fire escapes installed, so you would be a little cornered up there."

"Why so few fire escapes? The safety department forget the school existed?"

"No, no. The school is just made more of brick and iron than wood, so the risk of fire is far smaller than that of Miator or Lulim. The only wooden parts of the school are outer layers on the walls and the main outside framework. In reality, if a fire broke out on Spica's grounds, it wouldn't do much damage anyway. Unless it spread to the woods around it."

"Huh, that's pretty good design I guess. Thanks for the info- Now I know how to get away quick if I need to." I joked.

"Ha ha. Don't go burning down my school for no reason now, okay?"

A small laugh from both of us.

"Gotcha. June out." I said, feeling all official.

SUBCHAPTER- BIRTH

I remember the first thing I was able to comprehend was the idea of feeling. Then the feeling of cold. I wasn't aware of anything but that cold, and how it stung me. I wasn't aware of my body, my life, or even what was as a whole... Just that cold, which I identified as cold only in thought, not in name. Soon after the cold subsided, I began to take notice that reality was forming around me. Strange things such as physicality, mentality, and spirituality all seemed to make sense to me. I was aware, but not alive. Then came the eyes, and I could see the world around me. Then, I could hear my heart beat, and I became aware that I could hear things. Slowly, I began to smell something pleasant in the air- A fragrance as potent as it was delicious to the nose. I couldn't get enough of that scent, so much so that I almost missed noticing I was moving toward it. By God, I could move! It was a miracle! Movement was a possibility of existence, too!

I was moving toward that beautiful scent. As I grew closer, it drew me in more and more. I simply had to find out what was making that scent- I had to know what was causing me to shiver in excitement. I had to know what was getting me off. Not to mention, how I was comprehending that it was doing such things to me- Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine anything like this. Existing was a marvelous feeling, if it was always like this!

"Ripper." a voice said. Voices, my God, they were possible! Did I have one too?

"Hello!" I called back. I had a voice! This amazing discovery lead me to start rambling all of my thoughts out loud.

"This is amazing! What are we doing? Where is here? What is that smell, and why is it turning me on? Why do I know what that means?"

The voice laughed.

"Ah... You are the ever enthusiastic one. I am proud of you, so I will answer you."

The voice faded for a while. I wasn't sure why, but it definitely wasn't gone- Just very low and almost inaudible. I had to truly listen as closely as I could to hear everything this voice had to offer.

"We are conversing in something called a green house. That which you smell... Is blood. It comes out of living things, but at the cost of their life. As for the last two, I am afraid that is your job to discover." he laughed. "However, I will give you a name."

Name? Like a way to identify me? Awesome!

"You are Ripper. Close to my own name, Reaper. We are those that take the blood of others. And we are siblings."

Sibling? Like, a brother?

"I never dreamed I would be so happy! Brother, can I look upon you? Before we go get some blood I mean!"

His figure appeared to me then. He was taller than myself, which I should not have been so surprised by. His hair was scarlet red, as I assumed mine was by this point. He was human in appearance, but I could tell... I could just tell that he was more than human.

"We aren't normal are we brother?" I asked.

"No. We are superior. When humans look in the mirror... They see us. It is why they have a hard time staring into reflections."

"We're mirrors?"

"Yes. You and I... We mirror beings in the mortal world known as Arceia and Mattias. But every person has a mirror. Every person has... Us."

"Can we meet our mirror selves?"

"No. But you may influence them when they look upon you."

"Sweet!"

"Heh... Perhaps we shall discuss this after we gather their blood, yes? Though please, be careful. You contain blood as well. But we don't want yours to leave your body."

"Aww, why not?"

"Because you would cease to exist."

"Good reason..." I shivered. "Okay. I'm ready. Where is this Arceia now?"

"She is just now being born. If you hurry, you may become her inner voice- Echoing in her thoughts and sharing a body. You may more directly influence her this way than with a mirror."

"But... If she's just being born, how do we know that's her name?"

He laughed. "It is destiny. I will meet with you again in years to come, sister. I implore you to keep the two of you alive until we next meet."

"Wait, one more thing!"

"Yes?"

"Where did our names come from? Ripper and Reaper?"

He laughed again.

"Reaper is what the humans call the messenger of death. Ripper is a nickname they gave a killer some generations back. I have observed the humans for very long, wandering their world as Skade."

At that moment, I was in the gloved hands of some stranger, and I was crying. No, more like Arceia was. I was just watching, waiting to influence her. I had to see my brother again, and get my questions answered more thoroughly. If somehow Arceia could help me do that? So be it. I would keep myself from killing and taking blood, so that we would survive. We would meet my brother again, at all costs.

CHAPTER TWELVE- MEMORIES

Umbra and I made a good team, I won't lie. She was kind of flighty but otherwise a good person to watch my back. At one point, we got attacked by three of those... Creatures. She took two of them out no problem, and I was wounded sure, but the third one was easy as well. Still, it hurt to move too much, so I did all that I could to make sure I ended this quickly. I don't feel like exploring the details of that fight, purely because Umbra did most of the work and I didn't see it. She was something else-- But then, I had apparently known her for at least two years now if what she said about switching places with Arcy was true. And that mean, the real Arcy had no idea that she was engaged to chiyo. Which meant she had no idea about the Etoile title, or... Wow. I think Umbra was just giving Arcy everything she wanted, now that I think about it. It also explains the sudden ability to get all that business done and so quickly...

"Umbra, question?" I asked.

"Sure." I saw her kind of spinning a little locket in her hands

"All this work you put in. Etoile, Chiyo, and all that... Was that all for Arcy?"

"Remember? I thought I was Arcy."

Right. Nevermind that entire thought chain then. Still, I had to wonder how the Arceia I grew up with was going to handle this. And for that matter...

"Why is the darker side of Arceia helping us, anyway?"

"Your side is more fun." she shrugged. "I get to kill more when I'm with you."

Good to know she'd turn on me at the drop of a hat... Oh well, she was a good ally for now.

"And, our fight?"

"Let's worry about that later." she snapped, clutching the locket tighter. Where had that thing even come from? "Look, the church. I'll wait out here."

"You're not coming in?"

"I'm one of them, remember? Bad for business if I get tied up with you lot too close."

Right... So, I hobbled back into the church by myself, Umbra standing guard. I had to call Iris to open the door again, but that wasn't too hard. Umbra was out of sight by the time I saw the door open, and Iris gave me the strangest look of worry and excitement.

"You look like death." she declared. Gee, nice to see you too.

"I feel it, too." I sighed. "If not for Umbra I'd probably be it, as well."

"Where is the kid? Wanted to thank her."

"She has other business to take care of." I lied. "She's going to recon for us, I guess."

"Handy girl, then. C'mon, Chiyo and Rin will be worried sick."

And they were.

"June!" Chiyo cried out. She seemed to want to hug me, but I guess seeing my condition, she thought better of it. Granted, some of this was my fault for fighting while already hurt, but still.

"You seem to need rest. Where is--" Rin started, and then I cut her off.

"Umbra's doing recon. She's not gonna get taken by them, I promise." I said, lying down. She couldn't, really, since she already was one.

"I see." was all Rin followed up with. Chiyo and I got into talking, and I had to mask a lot of information- Such as that her Arceia, the one she grew to love, wasn't the same one she was rooming with. Or that their entire engagement was false. Or that the Arceia she knew would likely not even remember their time together. I kept drifting the topic to the school's condition, and she kept drifting it back. It was a pretty futile discussion, until Jill stepped in.

"Aunt Chiyo, I got a call from your coworker a minute ago."

"Oh?" Chiyo turned away. "Which one?"

"Naomi." Jill shrugged. "Seemed pretty freaked out. I guess she's staying off campus for now. I told her there was a killer roaming campus and that all of us were hiding but safe."

You... What? Well, I guess it was better than saying 'Satan's here' which it sure felt like.

"As long as she's safe." Chiyo sighed. "I don't want anybody else getting hurt... We're already suffering so much."

We. Right. I don't see you covered in bruises and bleeding. But then, her suffering was more internal. And I knew more about it than she would like me to, I'm sure.

"You have the book, yes?" Rin came back.

"Yeah. Here." I dropped it at the bed side.

"Splendid. I will read the contents while you recover. Then we can form a new plan from there."

"Alright. Let me know if anything about Thoth pops up." I sighed. "We never got into that talk like I would hope."

"Thoth... Right." Rin sat down next to me. "Thoth was the king of Atlantis, or so the legend says. In reference to the current events, Skade probably meant to call himself Thoth, to shake your resolve. That, or he was referring to something that I know nothing about. I can't be certain."

"Figures... Well, it's a dead lead now then." I turned to Chiyo. "Have you heard anything from the outside? Family, friends, anything?"

"No... I've been resting. Jill, you--"

"All accounted for." she said, a childish salute. "I found contact info for a lot of people from Naomi. Generally speaking, I can tell you at least 10 of us are safe."

By us, she probably meant family.

"That's good." Chiyo layed back down- Thankfully on a bed her own, and not next to me, because that could get awkward- and we decided the conversation was basically over from there. Oh, these beds I assume came from Iris' medical bay back at Spica, since they had Spican colors on the pillowcases. And were generally as uncomfortable as hospital beds could be. Still, the church had been turned intoa little bunker pretty well. We had a fallout shelter of sorts in the catacombs, we had medical provisions, and we had food. I'm going to assume Jill found the food because it wasn't here last time I was in. Either way, we handled this rather well for a ragtag group of students and teachers. Made me wonder how well we would handle a normal disaster.

I knew one thing though, and that was I would never stop trusting these women. They've all earned my respect and my friendship, regardless of age.

I started to hear my headset going off. That was weird.

"Hello?"

"June, it's Umbra."

"How'd you get this number?"

"It's not that hard to cycle through frequencies until you get a response." she sighed. "Just listen. That key you found in the chancellor's office? I think I know what it goes to."

"Really? Awesome. How?"

"I knew the teacher. Good woman. But anyway, it's likely that the key goes to the bell walkway attic. You can get up there just fine, but there's a door in there that's always been locked. Something pretty important must be up there if she had that key on her and was willing to fight so hard to get it to you."

"How did you--"

"I've been following you since the greenhouse, honey. You aren't that hard to find. Look, just meet me back at the dorms when you're rested up. We'll take a look from there."

Click.

"June?" Rin butted in.

"Umbra wants to go explore the attic of the walkway. She seemed pretty serious about it. What's up there?" I asked. Rin did know the school back and forward, after all.

"There are only rumors, but... There is a door up there that nobody can seem to open. It won't budge even against force. Among the staff of the school, the contents are even mystery."

"Sounds like exactly the kind of thing a dying woman would have the key to." I mused. "Alright. I'm going to check it out when I can fight by myself again."

"Be careful." was all I'd gotten in response. Rin was very nose deep in her studies. It was unusual, but not unexpected- She wanted this to end just as badly as the rest of us. And I kind of got the vibe that she felt like a messenger or something, so naturally she'd want to help in a more direct way. Chiyo was talking to Jill, something or another coming up every so often, and probably mostly Jill asking about Arceia. Again, not surprised considering they never met or even knew about each other until last year, anyway.

Umbra, though. I had to think about her for a bit. She thought she was Arceia for all this time. Yet Skade knew who he was? I wasn't sure what to make of that, but then, Umbra was much younger than Skade if I had to guess. Maybe Skade was some ancient mirror, and she was just a new generation? But then, if he was really Mattias' mirror, how old was Mattias? Umbra said not old, which leads to the other question; Where was Mattias' mirror, or why did Skade mirror him? I'd never met the guy before in my life, since he was part of Arceia's biological family which I have never spoken to, but if I had to guess, I'd say he's about the nicest guy in the universe. Especially if THAT was his mirror.

Musing over these questions put me to sleep for a few hours. During that time, I was a bit disturbed to find out that my mirror was waiting there for me, in my dreams. She was staring at me in much the same way Skade was prior to this whole thing, only we were somewhere else entirely- We were in the campsite where Arceia and I... Well, I won't go into detail. But, I remember those sounds vividly, there was no mistaking them. Arceia was enjoying herself, and so was I. When the sound settled down, I felt my mirror's arm wrap around my shoulder. She was politely sitting next to me, as if she wasn't trying to freak me out. Which, by the way, she was.

After several skips in time, I saw myself at a younger age running away from the tent. I remembered that too... And how I got the scar soon after. What I don't remember is what she showed me- Arceia's perspective on things the following morning. I blinked and we were inside the tent. Arceia's eyes opened slowly, and she rose. She had fallen asleep naked, which I knew. But seeing it again brought the memories of how much we both wanted that back. When she saw I was gone, I saw horror in her eyes. Those innocent eyes that I fell in love with. She got dressed quickly, and ran outside- Only to find that I wasn't there. I heard her voice quiver, but I heard no words form. Instead, what I heard was a scream. Hers. And it was not one of fear, either. I wasn't sure what to call it. But she buckled down and fell to the dirt below, and held her knees to her chest.

"Arcy..." I mouthed. Mirror me put a hand to my lips to shush me. Arceia in the vision was crying, rather hard. I knew she was a sensitive kid, but... This was just plain explosive. She stopped after a while, and managed to pack the entire camp herself. I never saw her face during this- I assumed mirror me was blocking it from my vision somehow. When she was entirely packed, she began walking out of the woods. At one point, I saw her trip over herself- Very unusual, considering she wasn't that clumsy a kid, or an adult. She wasn't too old in this though- This was just before she came to Astraea. So, twelve.

We flashed forward. It was a family reunion- The one where I got my scars. I saw kendall happily curled up with Ryoko- They were adorable, and they weren't even sisters. It was warming. I saw Naomi kind of off on her own, reading. Now that was not the Naomi I knew back in the day. But then, I couldn't have noticed her that day anyway- I was with Arceia. It was the first time since the camping trip that we had seen each other.

She challenged me to a sword fight. Not real ones, just sticks. We were at it for a while, just playing like we always would have. But I was forced to focus on her eyes the whole time during this dream- Her eyes were not the playful eyes I remember. She was... Aching. Incredibly so.

The dream ended there, before I got cut. It went black for a few seconds, during which, I heard my own voice- My mirror's voice.

"And you claim to be the hero?"