Chapter 28A: Reconciliation – Flashback Of The Past (Perspective: Alma)
How did this happen? This assignment was meant to be a simple one. So how did we get into this mess?
"Gahhh!" A man with red dreadlocks yelps as a fist is pushed directly into his face.
"SHUREN!" I scream, I can't move my body. My voice is the only thing left in me that has any strength.
Before us is a girl who is no older than me with long dark hair, red eyes and is wearing a white one piece dress that reaches to her knees with matching boots that cover almost the rest of her legs.
"Hand over Voynich-Caduceus," She demands.
"Ha ha ha," Shuren is breathing heavily, I was careless and got myself hit with a surprise attack that has left me in a half paralysed state. Shuren has been doing his best to protect me whilst fighting this girl at the same time. "NEVER!" He screams as he rushes at the girl.
"SHUREN!" I scream once more, there is no way he can beat her alone. And yet he still charges at her from the front.
Several anomalies of varying appearances appear at the call of Shuren's soul slayer. They each attack the girl together.
However, "Worthless," she says as a huge flame pillar shoots out from her hand as if it has a life of it's own. All the anomalies are engulfed within it. Shuren has to dive to one side to avoid it himself.
"Shit!" He curses as he grinds his back teeth to try and put himself back onto his feet, "GUHHH!" In a flash, from within the smoke of the flames, the girl had rushed at Shuren and pinned him down to the ground via his neck.
"No," Using Gungnir-Mjölnir as a walking stick I force myself back up and slowly edge forward. I have already lost my sister to an anomaly, I refuse to lose Shuren as well.
"Gahhh!" Shuren looks at me as if to ask what am I doing. The girl too seems to notice me. Then suddenly, another anomaly appears, it looks like something akin to a two headed griffin. The griffin uses one of it's heads and grabs Shuren's soul slayer Voynich-Caduceus "What the!?" The girl exclaims as the griffin turns around and runs towards me. "Huh!? Hey what are you!?" The griffin uses it's other head and takes a firm hold of me as it begins to flap it's wings.
"Gah, you think I'll let you just escape!" The girl suddenly forces herself off of Shuren and redirects her attention to me. "URGH! Let go!" Shuren quickly grabs her wrist and holds her in place. I then realise what it is he intends to do as the griffin takes flight.
"NOOOOO SHUREN!" I squirm from within the griffin's mouth. The red headed youth simply smiles without saying a word.
"I said let go!" She exclaims as static flows through her fist, "URGHHHH!" She forces her fist right into the centre of Shuren's chest, blood gurgles out of his mouth and his body slowly falls limp onto the hard ground.
"No..." I cannot stop the heavy droplets of water from escaping my eyes, "NOOOOOO!" My scream echoes through the silent night as the griffin flies away further leaving behind the one who summoned it.
The next day the church retrieved the body of the man who was like a brother to me, and a lover to my deceased sister. I had lost another important person, to another anomaly. I was too helpless to do anything but watch.
Nor was I able to do anything for the girl who was Shuren's biological sister whom I had to personally break the bad news to. It may have been just a way for me to let it go, but I wanted her to blame me for what happened. But she never did, she didn't display any emotion whatsoever regarding her brothers death.
My life has only been one failure after another, yet I always continued to live. But why?
I cannot help but ponder this as my mind's conscience slowly fades.
"ARGGHH Hu hu hu," Where am I? A bed? It was just a dream then. A dream of something that happened just last year. I analyse as I wipe the cold sweat off my face.
"Are you awake, Alma?" I turn to the concerned voice, it's Alicia.
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Chapter 28B: Reconciliation – Heart To Heart (Perspective: Alicia)
"How do you feel?" I ask, unlike me and Elizabeth who are reapers and thus have a quick recovery rate, Alma is a regular human even if she does wield a soul slayer.
After the battle we were taken to the infirmary, luckily the nurse wasn't in. Yuichi had proclaimed that if she was, that he was going try his hand at being a hypnotist.
The scary thing is, I can really see him doing something like that.
"It's nothing I can't put up with." She replies.
"I see..." I'm relieved to hear that
"..." An awkward silence. Come on Alicia just work up your courage and say what you have wanted to say since way back then. "Alma..." She turns to face me.
"I'm so truly sorry. About back then, I know words cannot make anything better but," I can't hold back my tears, "I never meant for that to happen. After all these years I know that whatever I may say will only come over as an excuse but. I truly do regret what I did."
"..." Another awkward silence Alma has kept her eyes closed throughout my confession, she finally opens them. "I know Alicia, I've known for a long time. You never wanted that to happen and it wasn't your fault that it happened."
"Eh?"
"When I first teamed up with Shiori she told me about a certain kouhai of hers whom was usually nothing but a narcissistic trouble maker that cheered her up in the most unorthodox way possible. He forced her into a situation where she vented all here negative feelings onto him." Alma explains, that kouhai, could it have been? "When I heard this, I knew that was what I did to you. I couldn't fully express my grief in sadness, so I lashed out at you in anger. Rather than offer each other a shoulder, I forced everything onto my friend." Tears flow down Alma's face, the girl who has had a serious expression since we met again is now crying her heart out. "The one who should be sorry...is me, Alicia."
I cannot believe the words I just heard. All of a sudden it just feels like a huge weight has been taken off of my shoulders. I know there is no longer any need to hold back, so I wrap my arms around my old friend and let my feelings take hold of me.
The guilt that has held me for the past seven years has finally withered away.