Young Magic Knight: Chapter 11 (Azul)

Am I doing something wrong? Am I the only one who could see it? Is it just my imagination? No. I'm sure of it. Trace and Cleo are hiding something. I don't know what, but they're hiding something, but what? Why? We're friends, aren't we? It's true that even friends don't tell each other everything, and I myself have my secrets, but what's going on here isn't normal. Whatever it is that they're trying to hide, it's scaring me... I have even more reason to believe it, now...

Trace is the girl I was dreaming about.

I ride the bus home without saying anything else to either Trace or Cleo. For the first time since I befriended them, there is doubt in my heart... I don't feel like I can trust them anymore... If the red eyes I saw have anything to do with the secrets they're hiding, I just feel like I'd been betrayed. So, I'll fight alongside them, and try to at least act friendly, for now. As I walk home, this is all I have on my mind.

“Hi, Azul! How was... school?” I walk past Miko without even looking at her, too lost in my own thoughts to respond. “What's wrong?”

“Azul? Is something the matter?” Gramps says from the kitchen. I start walking to my room. He follows me. “Have you gone deaf, my boy?”

I look at him. “I'm sorry. I... I just need to be alone...” I open the door to my room, go inside, and close it behind me.

“Azul? Azul, can I talk to you?”

Azure? “I don't want to talk.”

“Azul, you can't keep these things bottled up inside you. I'm trying to help.”

“I might as well listen to what she has to say...”

“Hm?”

I didn't mean to send that... “I'll... I'll speak with you.” I just can't help but feel this conversation is going to get really uncomfortable, but I'll just go along with it. After all, Azure's only trying to help.

“Look, there's something I don't really tell you. It's about the contents of my dreams...”

“Yes?”

“Well... It's nighttime, and I'm on the third floor of a school... probably my middle school. When I start to leave, I get stabbed from behind... After I fall to the ground, I look up at who stabbed me. It's a black haired girl with sky blue eyes. Then, her eyes turn red... and she kills me.” There's silence over the link. Azure has not “said” anything for a while, now.

“I know what it is that you're thinking.” Azure dives right into the issue that disturbs me. “You think the girl is Trace.”

“...yes.”

“...and you've been having this nightmare even before you'd met her?”

“Yes.”

“I have heard of people having prophetic dreams, but it doesn't seem like one... you don't seem to have that kind of power.”

“So is it just a dream?”

“I hope so. I say go on living normally unless it comes up again. If you see this happen again, the red eyes... confront her about it. I get the feeling she'll talk to you.” I'm not sure how to feel about that...

“Okay.”

“The telepathic link must be stressful for you. I'm going to cut the link and let you rest.”

With that, it's completely quiet. I can't even hear Azure's voice anymore...

I go through the rest of the day trying not to think about it. I eat dinner, then preoccupy myself with one of Gramps' books. It's about a “Dragon River”, where a weapon blessed by the dragon spirits could be found... The strange thing is that this Dragon River isn't “real”, but it exists only in the “spirit realm”, which can only be accessed with a secret, forbidden technique... Seems like the kind of thing Gramps would be interested in. For what feels like hours I just sort of look through that book... Now I'm feeling sleepy, so I'll go to bed early.

...I hear the ringing of a phone. I'm too tired to get up. Let the answering machine get it...

“Um, hello? Is this the Ryukawa Residence?” Wait a second... That's Primo! “I, uh... I'm one of Azul's friends from school...” I run down the stairs and into the living room, where the phone is. “I just wanted to talk to him about--”

“Yes, what is it?” I pick up the phone and answer.

“Oh, Blue! How are you doing?”

“Primo, it's like 9:30, I was trying to sleep...” For a short while, there's silence over the phone.

“Oh, sorry. Geez, you go to bed pretty early for a teenager.” He's going off topic.

“I was tired today...”

“Well, when do you usually hit the hay? Around ten?”

“What did you call me for?” I say, rubbing my forehead.

“Wh—O-oh, you mean that! Yeah, the interrogation was a partial success. The person we captured called himself the Knight of Shadowhand.”

Shadowhand... “I guess that's the name of the criminal group we're dealing with?”

“I think so. Unfortunately, that's all we can get out of him so far.”

“Oh.” More silence.

“So, I'll see you at school tomorrow.” Primo hangs up.

This makes me feel a lot more comfortable and relived. With Primo and the other Armis helping to fight those guys, the whole Magic Knight thing won't be as hard as I'd thought it would be. Otro handled that guy well enough, not to mention he seems stable and trustworthy. Once the rest of them have finished creation and evaluation, this city will be a whole lot safer. It's a good feeling, knowing you have more people that will help you lift such a weight. I go to sleep...

A great deal of time passes... 

It is now the middle of December, but not much has happened. The rest of the Tredecim had been awakened around the beginning of the month. We hadn't found more of Shadowhand during that time, we just spent time training and searching for more clues, only to really find nothing. I kept having that same nightmare, but not once after that day in September did Trace's eyes turn red again. About three months passed without incident...

The dismissal bell rings, and we start heading towards the bus stop.

“I'm headed Downtown.” I look toward the direction I heard the voice from. It's Trace. “The newest volume of MajitsuShiro came out today. I'm gonna buy it.”

“I'll come with you,” I say, immediately. I've been doing this for a while, waiting for the day I'll see it happen... Emerald looks at me, and I notice that it's if she had read my mind. I'm willing to bet we were thinking the same thing.

“I'll come, too. Alright?”

Trace laughs when Emerald says this. “Since when do you feel like hanging with me? Feeling friendly?”

“Oh, shut up.” After all this time, Trace and Emerald's relationship hasn't improved. Maybe it's even gotten a little worse...

“Oh, calm down, you two,” Cleo says, interrupting.

Primo says, “Come on, let's all go.”

The mood got a little less heavy and all of us got on the bus Downtown. However, the entire time I didn't really let myself relax. It was nice to hang out and all that, but I was there to watch Trace. I tried to keep my eyes on her, but without letting on that I was trying to see if her eyes would change again.

Right now, we head towards Page's, I feel a burst of mana, and I swear I heard an explosion right after.

“Everyone! It came from this direction! Let's go!”

I shout, then run. I ran as fast as my feet can carry me, neglecting to call on Azure to give me some kind of boost. When I arrive on the scene in the alley... I'm not happy with what I see... Two of the Armis are fighting.

“What's going on!?” I scream, in my shock. Upon closer inspection, I see a woman.

This person, dressed similarly to the person Primo called the Knight... is lying on the ground... the walls of the building are splattered with blood, and she has wounds all over her body... Her chest doesn't rise and fall, and I sense nothing from her. 

The woman I'm looking at is dead...

I fall to my knees and start to panic... “What's going on!?!?” The smell of blood is in the air... I feel sick... “WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?!?!?” I think I'm going to throw up...

“Blue! A-are you alright!?” Cleo comes over to me, I can hear her worry in her voice... “Blue, stay with us! Blue!” I try to regain myself... I've never seen a dead body before... but I can't freak out. I've got to pull it together...

“I'll tell you what happened,” says the sixth, Sesto, who I think is supposed to be a woman.  “Septimo killed the person I was chasing!”

Septimo, who also appears to be female, now says: “Don't get mad at me! What was I supposed to do!?”

“You killed the only lead we had!” Large amounts of mana is in the air... I don't like where this was going...

“Both of you stop!” Primo shouts, stepping in front of the rest of us. “Septimo, you're in the wrong. We need to gather information from these people and now we're stuck back where we were.” I can see Septimo was getting angrier...

Primo scratches his head, saying, “It's...it's okay, everyone calm down.”

“But--”

Primo raises his hand in Sesto's direction, and she is silent. “Septimo, return home. I don't trust you to act on your own anymore.”

“...no.”

“What!?”

“NO! I refuse to listen to you! Who are you to order me!?”

“Back down, Septimo. Don't do this...” Primo is holding it in, but he's getting irritated... I can tell.

Suddenly, I hear a loud bang from behind me. Septimo falls backwards, bleeding... Trace then runs forward without saying a word. As she runs past me... I feel the intent to kill.

“Trace, stop!!!”

It's me who shouts that. Those bad feelings I've had are getting worse...

“Don't stop me, Blue. This is what Strife wants,” Trace says, sounding calm, but there's a hidden... disgusting feeling behind her words. It's making me feel even more sick...

“Trace, that's enough!” Emerald comes from behind me, saying this. “Do you really think there's a point in hurting them, anymore!? Or do you just want to!?”

“I'd think someone who's already killed a ton for the church would have less reservations about this...” I don't know what they're talking about at this point, but I can tell Trace is trying to upset Emerald, right now...

...and it seems to have worked.

Bang! I look in the direction of the sound of gunfire... Emerald was carrying a gun, as well?

“Strife asked us to kill the angels if they turn out to be dangerous, but I don't see the problem with doing the same thing with a dangerous Magic Knight.”

I now look at Trace, who is bleeding from being shot in the shoulder. “...heh, so that's what this is all about.” She grins, despite herself. A grin, with hints of malice and bloodlust hidden behind it. “Is it me? Is this all about killing me, for you?” She walks away from the angel, which is still lying there, towards Emerald, who continues to aim her pistol at her. “Then, don't make up excuses. Don't try to justify it with words. If you think I deserve to die, then make it happen!” Trace runs. “That's what you were taught to do, anyway, right!?”

Faster than my eye can follow, Emerald draws a short sword to parry the oncoming attack from Trace's kodachi, which appeared just as quickly. Trace being the superhuman here, clearly has the advantage, though, as she quickly recovers and tries to slash Emerald in the ribs. Emerald almost dodges it completely, but is caught by the edge of the blade, and she starts to bleed.

Hey, hey, this isn't a joke, you know? Why are you two trying to kill each other? We're supposed to be on the same side, right? Why are two fighting each other? I don't understand...

However, these words do not escape my lips. While my mind screams out, my body remains confused and frozen, while they go on trying to kill each other. Stabbing, slashing, fighting...

Stabbing... pain... blood... I feel sick... Trace... is enjoying this... This Trace... this isn't my friend, Trace. It can't be... this Trace's eyes... are red.

No...

I can't believe it...

I feel like it's a dream, but I know it's real.

NO!

It's just a bad dream!

It's just a bad dream... It's just a bad dream... It's just a bad dream... It's just a bad dream... It's just...!

“STOP IIIIIIIIIT!!!” Darkness. I must have finally passed out...

“Blue?” I wake up to Cleo's face hanging over me. She's sitting on a bench, and I'm laying there, my head resting on her lap. I sit up and see Trace, standing there. She's covered in blood... 

“Trace... it's okay.”

“Fine...” she sighs. “I'm sorry, Blue. This...” She stood in front of me, arms out, like she was showing me something. “...is the secret I was hiding...”

I remain silent. She walks over and sits on the bench with us. “I might as well tell you everything. Alright, Blue. I'll tell you the whole truth about me...” She looked over at Cleo... “...about us...”

Young Magic Knight: Chapter 10 (Cleo)

I wake up to a beautiful morning. The skies are clear, and the sun is rising... that's what I see from my window.

“Good morning,” I "hear" Flèche say.

“How are you today, Flèche?”

“I'm well. You might want to start getting ready for school. It's almost 6:30.”

I look at the clock and realize I'd slept a little longer than usual. “Thank you.” I shower, get dressed, and leave, skipping breakfast today. I don't have the time. As I wait for the bus, I take some time to think about yesterday...

'The Tredecim Armis et Salvator have free will. When released, they are just as likely to do good as they are to bring ruin... If any of the Tredecim Armis et Salvator turn out to be evil, me and Ms. Strife want you all to kill them...'

I'm worried. Will I really have to kill them? Will I be able to, or will they be too strong for me? Will Trace suffer from having to do this? Will Blue survive...

Suddenly, the loud sound of the bus interrupts my thinking. As the doors open, I decide I'll worry about it all later. I get on, pay, and go to sit with Blue and Trace.

“So, it's not good to just let Azure float around me freely?”

“Yeah, man, that's a terrible idea! Concealing your Magic Knight Force by having them possess an object you carry around makes them harder to sense. If they're out in the open, a good Magic Knight can probably feel them from miles away! You gotta hide your power level!”

I interrupt. “What are you two talking about?”

Trace looks at me, then points at Blue. “I was just explaining to him that having his Force out in the open air without knowing how to suppress mana is dangerous.”

I nod. “Yeah, she's right, Blue. I can feel Azure's mana filling up this whole bus right now.”

He starts scratching his head... “Uh... alright, I got it. I'll think of something.”

We ride the bus to school, and to my surprise, Primo, Baek, and Crux were there.

I raise an eyebrow. “I didn't know you went to this school!”

Primo smiles. “This is my first day. I wanted to stay with you guys in case something bad happens. Plus, I thought it'd be nice to see what your school is like. Ms. Strife said it was okay.”

“Okay... and you two?” I say, referring to Baek and Crux.

They answer, at the same time, “I've always gone to this school.” How did I not notice...

The day passes by like lightning. Aside from the little surprise earlier, school has been pretty unremarkable today. Just more “getting started”. We didn't really do much. Now, we're all in downtown.

As soon as we get there...

"!!!"

I can hear fighting, and feel mana being used. “E-everyone, come this way!”

Blue seems confused. “What's wrong?”

“Don't you feel that, Blue? Two sources of mana... I think it's a fight!” We run... sure enough, there's two people fighting. One of them is wearing a dark Mystic Coat. The other is a tall man in white, who looks similar to Primo...

“Otro!?” I hear Primo shout from behind me.

“Huh?”

“Yeah, he was just released from the lab, today.” Most likely not even noticing us, Primo's “brother” continues to fight...

His hands start to glow... from them a beam of light is shot. The man in black barely dodges it and rushed in for close ranged combat. He pulls out a blade and swings it at Otro, who quickly draws his sword, blocking the strike. Surprised, the man backs off and looks for an opportunity to strike again, but he isn't given the chance.

Otro moves in fast and starts attacking. I see that the other person is barely defending against him...

...then I hear a loud bang. That person... he has a gun! The shot is strong enough to knock the blade out of Otro's hands. While he is trying to regain himself, Otro's foe gave him vicious haymaker, knocking him to the ground.

“Flèche!”

“Wait.” Primo holds me back.

“But...”

“He can handle this. Trust me.”

The person in black stands over Otro... not expecting to have the gun kicked out of his hand. Otro starts spinning as if he were break dancing, kicking the guy several times in the process. He's back on his feet, and has his sword back. His opponent readies his blade, but it's not enough. Bringing the blade down with all his force, Otro breaks the blade with a loud CRASH! 

Then with his right hand, he punches him so hard you could clearly hear the impact from here. He is knocked out.

“See? I told you he could handle it.” Primo goes over to Otro, and greets him. “Otro!”

“Good afternoon, Primo.”

“What just happened?”

“I chased this man who was hiding... he seems suspicious.”

“Suspicious, huh?”

Otro picks the man up, then he asks a question. “Who are they? Are those your friends?”

“Oh. This is Cleo, Trace, Blue, Baek, and Crux,” Primo says, pointing to us. “They, uh...”

“We're his friends, yes.” Trace speaks up when she sees him hesitating.

“Well, good afternoon to all of you, too.”

“We're going home to interrogate this man. You guys can do what you want. We'll handle this.” 

With that, Primo and Otro walk away...

After that, we just sort of hung out... Me, Blue, and Trace are now on a bus home. Trace falls asleep in the back of the bus, which doesn't surprise me, since she didn't get much sleep.

“Something the matter, Blue?” It seems like something's bothering him.

“Cleo... nah, forget it.”

“No. Tell me what it is.”

An awkward silence starts to creep in. “This is gonna sound silly, but... have you ever seen Trace's eyes change colors?”

"Wh-what...? No, Blue, I'm sure you're imagining things."

He shakes his head. “No, I wouldn't dream this up. I know I've seen her red eyes before. It's bothering me...”

“Red eyes!?” Wait a second. Could that mean... "J-just forget about it. There's nothing to worry about."

“What scares me most is that I don't know what I should or shouldn't be afraid of. You're not hiding something from me, are you? I mean, can't you just tell me what it is? I'd feel fine if I knew you weren't keeping secrets. What is it about Trace that you can't tell me?”

“I keep telling you it's nothing to worry about, dammit! Just... forget it, Blue.”

After I shout, he becomes quiet, but I can tell he isn't satisfied... If he's on to what I think he is, the Swordsmen and Savior project going wrong might end up being the least of our problems... I can't let you know what it is. I'm sorry, Blue...

Young Magic Knight: Chapter 9 (Trace)

Blue, Cleo, and I walk to the bus stop and wait quietly. No one says anything... The mood is so awkward and uncomfortable you can almost “taste” it, and I know it's kind of my fault... I feel like I had to say something. Anything. Maybe I should try and change the subject and get it out of our minds. 

“What buses are you waiting for?”

They look at me. Blue's the first to answer. “I was just going to take a bus home. Same bus I came on.”

“Me, too. What, Trace? Are you going somewhere?” I can see the curious look on Cleo's face.

“I was gonna go shopping Downtown. You coming?”

Blue seems a little nervous... “I dunno, I don't think my family even knows where I've gone... they're probably worried. I should go back.”

“I'll come.” I look at Cleo after she says that. “I'll come with you, Trace.”

“You sure you're not comin', Blue?” I ask just to be sure.

“Nah, it's alright. Just... don't have too much fun without me, okay?” He smiles.

“We won't. I'll make sure you're not missing anything, Blue.” Cleo smiles back at him. I'm happy seeing them like this. Blue likes Cleo a lot, and I can tell Cleo likes him back, although she's trying to hide it. I wonder why she's hiding that... Nah, it's none of my business. I think can be content with the two of them being happy together.

Time passes and Blue's bus comes. “See you both tomorrow.” He gets on and the bus drives away, leaving just me and Cleo. It's getting quiet again...

“Cleo.”

“Hm?”

How do I say this... “Sorry about what happened a while ago.”

“Why? It wasn't your fault.” I really don't know what to say to that...

“Well, not entirely. I did upset her, though.”

“Don't worry about it. It's not like you did it on purpose, right? You didn't know it'd get weird like that, did you?”

“Not really.” Not the full truth, but not exactly a lie, either.

“Well, come on, Trace forget about it. Our bus is right there. Let's get on.”

“Trace... where exactly are you shopping, anyway?” Cleo asks as we ride the bus. I shrug. “...Oh, come on, you can tell me. It's not like you have some big surprise waiting for me, after all.”

“I'm not hiding it. I'm just in thought.” Actually, I am kind of hiding it... As soon as Cleo sees where I'm shopping and what I want to buy, she'll probably mock me for it. Eventually, the bus arrived close enough to my destination, and we got off.

As soon as my feet hit the concrete pavement, I walk towards Page's, the Books and Literature store nearby. “Trace, wait up. Where are you going?” Can't she walk any faster?

“Don't worry about it. Come on, Cleo, if you don't pick up the pace I'm gonna leave you.” After walking for a second, we were there. I go to the Young Adults section which was to my right...

“Tr-Trace, don't tell me...” I try to block Cleo's voice from my mind as I scan the shelves...

“Here it is!” I see the book I want, and pick it from the top of the first shelf. Abandoned Blue Child.

“Trace, we just saw the movie of that--”

“All the more reason for me to pick it up. so I can see the parts of the story I missed out on. I can read the parts I know a little easier if the film is fresh in my head.” 

Yep. I'm still pissed about that. I always try to experience the source material of any movie, cartoon, or whatever. It's the only way to grasp the true form of the work. I don't care what anybody says... ABC was the first time in a while I ended up breaking this little rule of mine, and I don't think I'll get over it until I read the book. It really is Blue's fault... Y'know, I should have dragged his sorry ass over here with me and Cleo so he could pay for this for me. He wouldn't have said 'no'... Or maybe that's really why he left. He must have seen it in my eyes.

“Oh, for the love of—Trace, you're being silly! I know exactly what's going through your head right now!” I ignore Cleo and head toward the register.

“Wait. What book is this a sequel to?” I ask her, pointing to the book in my other hand.

...

that took longer than expected. Anyway, I left Page's with two books. Abandoned Blue Child, and Precious Blue Child, its prequel. I know what I'm doing tonight... Screw sleeping, sleep is for the weak. It's not like we're going to be doing anything important at school tomorrow, anyway. So, me and Cleo ride the bus home without really saying anything...

After a while, I arrive home. My parents aren't here, as usual. I guess I might as well sit down with my books... I opened up Precious Blue Child first. 

Time passes... and before I know it, I can barely keep my eyes open... It's probably midnight.

“Trace, you look terrible. You should sleep...” It's Grey.

“I'm not tired.”

“You're lying.”

“Did you just come out to tell me to go to bed?”

“Actually, I think I should ask you something, right now... Trace, is something bothering you? You didn't seem like yourself earlier.”

“...I was just thinking.”

“Thinking about what?”

I don't know what to say... “Grey, remember what I was like when you found me? You said I should try to make up for what I'd done, but... You know what I'm trying to tell you, right?”

“Trace, what does that have to do with right now?”

“...I didn't take Strife's request because it was the right thing to do. I took it because... because I wanted to be forgiven.” I stop to think for a second. “Grey, you've helped me become a better person, but I feel like I'm going to end up disappointing you.” I can feel Grey's worry... “If I do kill one of those people... I just feel like I'm going to turn back into who I was three years ago. I just... don't want you to see me like that...”

“Trace, that is not going to happen.” For the first time in a while, I almost feel like crying...

“If it does, can I ask that you forgive me...?”

Grey is silent.

“Grey?”

“Trace, you're just tired. You'll be fine, just... just go to sleep...”

He cuts the link, and I start to feel even more tired. I crawl into my blankets and try to sleep. I'm worried, and scared, but at the same time, curious... Is this how I should feel? It's finally starting to sink in... 

I wonder. Will I be able to kill again?