Third Person POV

 

“There it is,” a short figure stepped out from the shadows. She had long hair tied in a ponytail and was wearing a white robe.

 

Along with her was a much taller girl with long black hair and a similar robe.

 

“Do you think she’s here?”

 

“I’m certain.”

 

“Then let’s go.”

 

The two walked up the stone path and arrived in front of the door. The shorter girl knocked, waking the short haired girl who was sleeping with her dear friend not too far away.

 

She woke up from her slumber and quietly got up from the bed so her sleeping partner wouldn’t wake up.

 

She walked over to the door and opened it, seeing the two girls.

 

“Takamina-san, Mayu-san,” she hugged the two. When she parted from them, she asked, “What are you two doing here?”

 

“We came to check on Rena.”

 

“Is her seal still stable?”

 

“Of course. I’ve been protecting her, so don’t worry.”

 

“We know...” Takamina took the girl’s hands. “But, it’s not just that.”

 

“Eh?”

 

“There’s something going on, specifically in the village next door.”

 

“We wanted to make sure nothing happened. That… she didn’t awaken.”

 

The girl shook her head. “I won’t let that happen.”

 

Mayu smiled. “That’s why we trusted you with this task. Because you’re so worthy of protecting Rena.”

 

Takamina nodded in agreement.

 

“Thank you.”

 

“Well, we’ll be off then,” Takamina then said, and she and Mayu said one last goodbye and hugged the girl before walking away.

 

As she closed the door, the girl then heard a slight creak on the wood floor. She saw Rena had woken up and was looking at her.

 

“Who was at the door?”

 

“Oh, no one. It must’ve been a dream.”

 

Rena giggled. “Dreams sure are strange, huh?”

 

“Un.”

 

She went back over to the bed with Rena, until the other girl popped the question, “Speaking of, do your dreams have color?”

 

“Eh?”

 

“My dreams don’t have color. And I can’t see people’s faces or hear their voices when they speak… they feel empty.”

 

The short haired girl then smiled. “Then, I’ll cast a spell that will make you have colorful, happy dreams tonight.”

 

“Really?” Rena’s eyes sparkled.

 

“Un.” The girl placed a finger on Rena’s forehead. “Abracadabra~ Poof!”

 

Rena giggled. “Cute~”

 

“Yosh! The spell’s been cast.”

 

“I’ll go to sleep now so it doesn’t wear off,” she said, pulling up the covers and hugging the girl. “Good night~”

 

The next second, she was out like a light, a smile still painted on her face.

 

The girl smiled as well and patted her head.

 

“Sweet dreams. I’ll be here to protect you from the nightmares.”

 

------------------------------------

 

Meanwhile…

 

Airi’s POV

 

I woke up in a daze and found myself in a field somewhere. This field felt familiar as the light of the sun shined down on me.

 

Where is this..? It feels so nostalgic…

 

“Airi-chan!” A voice called. I looked up and saw a younger version of Jurina. She had a wide smile on her face as she looked at me.

 

“Jurina..?”

 

“Hey, Rena, Airi-chan’s up!”

 

Rena..?

 

That word left a strange feeling in my heart. Soon, another girl came over and looked at me, smiling.

 

“Good morning, Airin.”

 

This is Rena… she’s so pretty…

 

She held my hand and helped me sit up.

 

“Did you have a good dream?”

 

“Uh…. Yeah, I guess….”

 

“What kind of dream?”

 

“Well… it was.. Indescribable to me…”

 

Jurina smiled. “What color was it?”

 

“Eh?”

 

“Dreams have colors, right? Tell me what color it was!”

 

Eh? Has Jurina ever said that when she was younger..?

 

“Um… I guess.. Blue…”

 

Jurina’s smile faded a bit. “Blue… What are blue dreams like..?”

 

“W-what do you mean?”

 

“You’ve never had blue dreams before… You would say you always have yellow or orange dreams.”

 

Rena placed a hand on my shoulder. When I looked at her, she just gave me a smile and turned to Jurina.

 

“Jurina, do you know what emotion the color blue stands for?”

 

She shook her head.

 

“It stands for sadness or loneliness.”

 

“Eh? So, is Airi-chan sad..?”

 

“I… I don’t really know… Airin?” she looked at me. “Is something wrong?”

 

“It’s complicated, really,” I said, “I don’t want to talk about it right now...”

 

She sat next to me and took my hand. I felt a rush go through me as I felt her warm hand.

 

“You can tell me,” she said in a kind voice.

 

“I don’t know what’s going on.. I’m… I’m..”

 

“It’s okay, just tell me.”

 

“I...Rena...” I looked in her eyes. “Do you.. do you ever feel lonely, even when you’re around people..?”

 

“Eh?”

 

I leaned forward and held her cheeks as I kissed her lips. It felt like a dream coming true. I parted from her and saw her eyes were sparkling.

 

“Airin...”

 

“Rena, I...”

 

“Hehehe...”

 

I felt a sharp pain in my head, causing me to hold my temple. I shut my eyes as the pain overwhelmed me for a moment.

 

When I opened my eyes again, I was somewhere else. The bright color was gone and now everything was dark and dismal.

 

“W-What’s going on….?”

 

I took notice of a strange sound. It was a small clicking sound, followed by a creepy giggle.

 

I slowly walked over to the source of those noises.

 

“W-Who’s there…?”

 

The same giggle echoed into my ears, sending shivers down my spine. What I eventually saw was terrifying. I looked down to see a puddle of blood below my feet and shards of glass in front of me.

 

“Hehehehe… hehehe… hahahaha...”

 

My eyes widened when I saw Rena, but she was like a completely different person. She had blood on her hands and splattered all over her body. She had a wild look in her eyes as she giggled and bit her nails.

 

“Nee…okotteru?”

 

“Rena..?” I stepped back, terrified. “What’s going on..? Why are you like this..?”

 

She didn’t answer me and just kept giggling insanely. She slowly walked over to me, but then stopped and turned her head as something caught her eye.

 

In the far side of the room was Jurina, curled in a ball and crying. She was shaking with fear as she looked at Rena.

 

“Jurina…”

 

Rena smiled a scary smile and walked over to the frightened girl. Jurina’s lips were quivering as she couldn’t even speak at the sight of this Rena.

 

I couldn’t let her do this to Jurina, especially when Rena was in this psychotic state.

 

She picked up a large shard of glass and giggled. She raised it up, about to stab her.

 

“No!” I ran over and covered Jurina with my body, taking the blow of the glass shard.

 

Jurina screamed. I felt Rena drive the shard deeper into me as her laughs grew louder. Tears fell down my eyes as I held Jurina.

 

“Airi-chan…!”

 

“D-Don’t...worry about… me, Jurina….”

 

“No… I don’t want this..! Why is this happening..?!”

 

I could feel a warm liquid run down my torso. I only assumed that it was my blood as my vision blurred.

 

“No… No..! Airi-chan, don’t die..!”

 

“.... I’ll… try…..”

 

Rena pushed me away and I fell to the ground. In my blurry vision, I saw her approach Jurina and start to strangle her.

 

I wanted to do something, but my body couldn’t move. Eventually, I was too weak to even think and my world went dark…

 

“Rena…..”

 

“Rena!” My eyes shot open as I sat up. I saw I was in my bed, with Akane watching over me.

 

“You okay?”

 

I took in all that I just saw. Everything entered my mind and I could feel tears still running down my cheeks.

 

“I remember...”

 

“Eh…?”

 

“I remember everything clearly now… About Rena...”

 

“Ah~ That’s what Miyuki did...”

 

I held my head. “W-What did she do to me….?”

 

“Don’t ask me,” she said. “You should just ask her.”

 

I gulped.

 

“Yeah...”

 

“You should rest. I’ll get her.” She said as she left.

 

I looked up at the ceiling thinking about what I had seen. All the thoughts were racing through my head.

 

Why did this happen….?

 

A while later, Miyuki came in. She shut the door and looked at me silently.

 

“I’m guessing the seal was removed without any problems,” she said. “You remember everything, don’t you?”

 

“Yes...”

 

“That’s good to hear.”

 

“But what seal? Why did I forget everything?”

 

“It was a seal cast by us. This was in agreement with the demons for you two to forget everything about her, in case anything happened.”

 

“Jurina, too?”

 

“Yes. I haven’t removed her seal yet. At that time, she was most traumatized by the event. I’m not sure she’s ready to relive that again.”

 

“We forgot Rena! You made us forget her, and now… she could be...”

 

“No, she’s still alive, and stable now. We used the same seal to suppress that psychotic side of her. However, she is being protected by the Mages, so it will be a difficult task to get to her.”

 

“Eh..?”

 

“That’s the reason we had to separate you and seal your memories. Matsui Rena has a demon inside her. A ruthless, mad demon who only wants blood. A demon named Gekikara.”

 

“What about the mages? Why are they protecting her…?”

 

“To make sure her seal does not grow weak and break. If that happens, Gekikara will be released again.”

 

“What happens if she does escape…?”

 

“Thousands of innocent lives will be taken and possibly another war...”

 

“War…?”

 

“Yes. A war between the supernaturals or worse a war between us and you humans...”

 

“That would be bad...”

 

“I’ll have some of my unders start a search for where they’re keeping Rena.”

 

“Sure, I’ll do the same. But I might need to go back to the Underworld to consult Nakanishi on the situation.”

 

“Airi, when Jurina wakes up, you’ll have to act as you normally would. You can’t tell her about what happened last night.”

 

“Okay, I’ll try to. But what do I do when she becomes suspicious..?”

 

“Just insist you don’t know anything.”

 

“Alright...”

 

Akane, Tsugumi, and Miyuki all took their leave. I went back into the living room and looked at Jurina, who was still asleep on the couch.

 

I hope she’s alright…

---------------------------------------------------

 

Akane’s POV

 

Me and Tsugumi returned to our rightful home. The indent in the wall signifyed that we can return to our ruler.

 

“Ready to go back?”

 

“Yea. I’ve had a long day.” I said as I touched the indent, revealing a portal. It glowed a dark purple.

 

“You go first, Akane.”

 

“Alright.”

 

I stepped through, only to find that there guards surrounding me.

 

“What the-?”

 

“Takayanagi,” our ruler, Nakanishi, approached me. “I’ve heard of your little adventures with that angel.”

 

“But it was purposeful!”

 

“Still! You know our law on working with angels! And Iwanaga too.”

 

I was speechless. I was wondering how she could have known.

 

“Please, Nakanishi, we can explain.”

 

“There’s no need. I don’t trust that Furukawa. Don’t you EVER go near her again.”

 

“No… I can’t leave her…!” I shouted, causing more commotion.

 

“Why is that?”

 

“Because…. Because I’ve bonded with her.”

 

“Haa?!”

 

“Yes. I don’t care what you say to me about her, I’ll save her no matter what.”

 

“If that’s what you want, Takayanagi… Guards!”

 

I felt the guards grab my arms and pull me up from the ground.

 

“Take her to the dungeon. I’ll sort things from here.”

 

“As you wish.”

 

I struggled as they pulled me, thinking about Airi.

 

“Tsugumi, where are you…?” I asked her telepathically.

 

“I’ve escaped but just barely. My arm’s hurt badly.”

 

“What?! How?”

 

“Them. I really need to get back to Airi and Jurina. I hope you’re safe, Akane.”

 

“Hopefully. Good luck without me...”

 

If they had hurt her, I will never forgive myself. Kicking the guards holding me , they instantly let go of me, causing me to run as fast as I can. Seeing the portal in my sight, I was blocked by a certain figure.

 

“I expected more from you, Takayanagi.”

 

The person who approached me was Nakanishi herself.

 

“Please, just let me explain and you’ll soon understand.” I begged.

 

“Fine. Let’s go somewhere quiet.”

 

As we walked, we discussed all that had happened. From me bonding with Airin, to working with Miyuki in order to figure out what had been lurking in the gates of the two worlds.

 

“Does the Archangel know of yours and Miyuki’s endeavours?”

 

“I don’t think so, if she has… Then I’m in big, big trouble.”

 

“This is serious, Takayanagi. If she finds out, you and Miyuki could start another war.”

 

“I know that’s why we both promised not to tell you and Yamamoto.”

 

She sneered at me.

 

“I’m sorry. But, she asked for my help because there have been strange occurrences in Heaven that’s similar to what’s been going on here.”

 

Her eyes widened a bit. “What..?”

 

“Those figures that we’ve spotted at the Gates, she says similar beings have been appearing in Heaven, as well.”

 

“What…? It cannot be possible…!”

 

“Apparently it is.” I said, with some bluntness in my voice, “We can’t see it for ourselves though.”

 

“That is true...”

 

“But, that’s why she asked for my assistance. She believes it could be the doing of the Maou.”

 

“No one ever says that name in front of me.” she growled angrily.

 

“Nakanishi, don't you understand? If… you-know-who comes back, it’ll be the end for ALL of us!”

 

She gritted her teeth, turning away.

 

“I know...”

 

“Then why aren’t you doing anything about it?! You know what happened to the werewolves and vampires, I don’t want it to happen to us either.”

 

As I said this, I gulped at the thought. This honestly wasn’t a laughing matter.

 

“What should we do?”

 

She looked at me with a serious expression.

 

“We’ll have a meeting with the others and discuss this later.”

“Okay…”