They had been marching for days, and their supplies were running dangerously low. The cold bit deeper with every step. Of course, Nya didn't seem to feel it at all. They couldn't just leave her alone in enemy territory, so they had no choice but to bring her along. She hadn't been told anything about the mission's true nature; instead, she stayed cheerful, doing her best to lift their spirits.
Finally, they arrived at Blanc, a sprawling city blanketed in snow. The houses here were grander and more numerous than those in Sira, and everyone wore heavy clothing to fend off the biting cold.
Gilbert had mentioned that a big festival was held in the city around this time of year, which made it easier to stay unnoticed.
Their target was Kana, and the plan was to assassinate her at night in her own palace — they didn't want to put any innocent lives at risk. Her residence stood atop a hill overlooking the city. More than a palace, it was a fortress. On its own, it was as large as a quarter of the capital. A snow-covered driveway led up to it, surrounded by towering walls. Crowning the fortress were about a dozen massive turrets and countless smaller towers.
"The people starve, and all this wealth belongs to just one person," Yuu muttered with disgust.
"The meeting was yesterday, at the old Kurusu's inn," Gilbert added. "Maybe the others are still there."
Inside the inn, they finally found warmth.
An old, hunched man, bald and stooped, greeted them at the entrance. "Welcome, travelers. Please, choose a table."
Yuu glanced around the dimly lit inn, crowded with people. Some turned to look at them, but quickly returned to their own conversations.
Gilbert made a strange gesture in the air — a star, perhaps — and the old man's face turned serious. He nodded toward a girl sitting near the fireplace. When she approached, the man whispered in her ear.
She then turned to them. "Follow me."
She led them to the back of the inn, outside. With a broom, she brushed aside some snow to reveal a trapdoor. Lifting it, she ushered them inside.
"I'll stay out here," she said.
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
They found the others waiting for them downstairs, already prepared.
"You sure took your time," Geist grumbled.
"Is everyone alright?" Shinya asked immediately.
Keiji also came forward. "Thank goodness you're here. We feared the worst."
"We've got bad news," Gilbert said.
As soon as they sat down, the Esios team leader recounted the ambush, how the android knew their movements, and finally, about Nya.
"Do we have a spy?" Riko asked, surprised.
"It's certain," Yuu confirmed.
"Maybe it's that little brat you brought with you," Kido said.
Yuu hadn't given it much thought. Nya had appeared out of nowhere, and all of them had believed every word she said. She seemed like a simple-minded girl, but maybe she wasn't.
"I don't remember ever seeing her in Astalia," Kido added.
"No," Ralph said. "I've seen her many times with the Captain. She was one of us, but I can't say if she's a spy."
Geist cut into the conversation. "One thing is certain: only we present and the Captains know about this mission."
"So either one of us or one of the Captains is a traitor," Toru concluded.
"Don't forget the pilots," Gilbert added.
Yuu thought back to his meeting with Khala just before departure. He'd talked to her about the mission, though not in detail, but he couldn't imagine she was the traitor.
Erich dropped to his knees before Mira.
"Oh, sweet Mira, I swear I'm not the traitor," he said, almost begging for mercy.
"You're very convincing," she replied, laughing.
"I'd say it's more likely someone arrogant and rude like you, Kido," Toru shot back.
"What proof do you have?" Kido retorted.
"Enough!" Gilbert said. "Arguing among ourselves won't get us anywhere — it'll just play into their hands."
"We should cancel the operation; this could be a trap," Shinya warned.
"It's as much a trap as I'm a man!" Ralph declared.
"Yes, yes, we know," Riko said.
"The operation will proceed!" Gilbert stated firmly. "If the spy is among us, they'll try to sabotage us tonight, so we'll split into teams and each keep an eye on a small number of people."
Suddenly, the trapdoor burst open and a group of Kingdom soldiers stormed in.
"We've already been betrayed!" Kaito shouted.
Keiji immediately unleashed a lightning bolt at the first soldier to rush inside. From how quickly he died, Keiji knew he wasn't an Esper.
"I've got this," Geist said, stepping forward.
The soldiers aimed their rifles at him and fired, but Geist's ability sent the bullets flying right back at them.
"Move out!"
Everyone ran, blocking or dodging bullets however they could.
As Yuu climbed over the back wall, he saw the lifeless body of the innkeeper's daughter near the entrance — a bullet hole in her forehead and eyes wide open in terror. Inside the building lay the bodies of the patrons, Kurusu included.
Rage coursed through Yuu's veins like boiling blood. He took a deep breath and unleashed a massive blast of flame from his mouth onto the inn. Fire engulfed the building instantly, consuming both the dead and the living.
"Rest in peace," he whispered to the innocent victims.
More soldiers poured in from the streets.
"Split up and hide. Tonight, we attack the palace separately," Gilbert ordered.
"Wait for me!" Nya shouted, nearly caught by the soldiers.
Yuu turned back and raised a wall of fire.
"Climb up!" He hoisted Nya onto his shoulders and ran, while bullets flew through the flames. Nya was very light, which let him sprint without tiring.
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
They managed to shake off the soldiers after ten minutes of running, taking refuge outside the city.
"You okay, Nya?" he asked as he set her down.
She nodded.
Yuu's mind swirled with what had just happened. The spy was definitely among them — whoever it was had told Kana's men where they'd meet. Too many innocents had been slaughtered without mercy. He felt no pity left for Kana.
He had no way to contact the others. He looked at the girl leaning against a snow-blanketed tree.
"Nya," he called.
She turned slowly.
"I have to carry out the mission, even without the rest of them. You stay here tonight. If I'm not back by tomorrow, head southeast until you reach Harthland."
She shook her head. "Nya will come with Yuu."
"I can't let anything happen to you. The plan's already gone wrong — I don't know what'll happen if you come with me," Yuu replied.
"Don't worry, Yuu. Nya can take care of herself," she said.
"Promise me that as soon as we reach the palace you'll hide somewhere and not show yourself," he insisted.
"Of course," she answered with a smile.
Already, Yuu was starting to regret what he'd done.
⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘
As soon as night fell, they made their way back into the city.
Not a living soul was in sight; the curfew was strictly enforced across all the major cities of the Kingdom. But this would end soon. Once Kana was taken out, her soldiers wouldn't be much of a threat.
"Wait," said Nya. The girl moved her hands, and in an instant, their tracks in the snow vanished."No one will be able to follow our footprints now." "Great work, Nya — thank you," Yuu said. Maybe bringing her with them hadn't been a bad idea after all — though he couldn't shake the thought that she might really be the spy.
Snow began to fall as they neared the palace.
Only two guards stood watch outside the driveway leading up to Kana's fortress.
"They don't look like Espers. I'll handle this," Yuu whispered.
He could hear the two guards laughing, mocking what they'd done at the inn. Yuu stepped out into the open. The guards raised their rifles, but when Yuu's fists burst into flames, their voices trembled. Before they could react, two fireballs incinerated them.
He stared at their charred bodies. "This is for what you did today," he said, his voice heavy with disdain.
Yuu and Nya scaled the wall and slipped into Kana's snow-filled garden. The guards were far off, but would surely return soon — and when they will see the burnt corpses, alarm would be raised.
"Nya, stay here. Hide somewhere and don't come out! I have to move on," Yuu told her.
The girl crouched behind a snow-laden bush and watched him depart. Yuu hoped he'd distract the guards enough to avoid Nya being noticed.
Alone, standing before the immense gate, Yuu activated his Vitalis. He had to move fast. He thought of all the atrocities that witch had committed, and his anger flared.
"Kana!" he shouted, using every ounce of his voice.
A scorching blaze erupted from his mouth, powerful enough to tear down the gate almost without resistance. Some guards inside were caught off guard.
Yuu stormed in, torrents of flame sweeping through them. He didn't care if they lived or died — they were complicit — but his real target lay deeper. He rushed up toward the upper floors, still chanting the Governor's name.
He paused beside a soldier slumped against the wall, coughing. The armor had saved him partially from the fire.
"Where is the Governor?"
"Please—don't hurt me!" the man cried, panic making his words tumble out.
"Tell me where she is!" Yuu repeated.
"The last time I saw her… she was going down to her underground laboratory," the soldier stammered.
Yuu released him and went back down.
At the ruined gate stood Kana, wrapped in an elegant purple dress, while a few surviving soldiers lay sprawled at her feet.
"You're useless!" she said coldly. In an instant the soldiers clutched their heads as if something inside them was about to explode.
"Stop!" Yuu shouted.
The men, driven mad, turned their weapons on themselves and fired.
"You'll pay for all of this!" Yuu roared, fury burning in his chest.
"You lot from Libertas again. I thought the lesson the other day would have been enough — that you'd scurry back to that sewer of Harthland like frightened mice," she sneered. "You've done too much damage to my palace. Now I'll have some fun destroying your mind."
Yuu hurled a fireball at the Governor. Flames wrapped around her — and then vanished; Kana didn't even bear a scorch mark.
"You can't beat me. This is my perfect barrier: it surrounds my body and shields me from any attack, magical or physical. Nothing can get through," she trilled, a cruel laugh in her voice. For a moment a violet force field shimmered into view, then went invisible again.
Yuu kept raining fire upon her, but she only laughed. He hadn't expected such a high-level defense from a girl who looked so fragile.
Kana drew a scepter from beneath her robes; a purple crystal sparkled at its tip. "This is the Scepter of Dreams. I've trapped part of my energy inside this crystal so I can weave any illusion I desire and make it real. Basically, I'm invincible — ahahaha," she crowed.
Yuu felt his power ebbing. His Vitalis was nearly spent. He charged one last fireball and readied himself to throw it.
Suddenly Kaito appeared behind Kana. The boy touched the Governor's arm with his hand, then stepped aside. "Hit her now, Yuu! I've nullified the shield!"
Yuu threw the fireball. It exploded on contact.
Kaito stood a few meters away, unharmed.
"How did you find me?" Yuu asked.
"I was down on the street with Misuto when we met Nya, who asked us to come help. I left Misuto with her — Kana's name still terrifies him," Kaito replied.
"Curses!" the Governor screamed.
She had just managed to move aside in time, but the blast had scorched part of her dress and tousled her hair. "You'll pay for this!"
Kana fired a psychic beam from the scepter at Yuu, but Kaito intercepted it with his hand.
And then... Yuu's Vitalis ran out!
"I feel exhausted, but I won't leave you to face her alone," he told his friend.
Kana's communicator vibrated and she answered. Her expression shifted; she only said, "As you command, General."
Yuu and Kaito braced for the next attack, but Kana smirked. "It seems I can't enjoy killing you right now! The General has ordered my retreat — but don't despair. I won't leave you empty-handed. I'll leave you with fine company… in fact, I'll leave the whole city in good company! Ahahah."
The floor beneath them cracked open and, in an instant, a vast chasm yawned wide. Dozens of hybrid beasts poured out.
"Go, my little ones — kill anyone you meet in this city!" Kana commanded. The hybrids went past her and spilled out of the palace, heading toward the capital.
"You're insane!" Yuu shouted.
A sudden tremor shook the palace.
"What the—" Kaito started.
Another quake cut him off.
"Behold Misuto Mk3, born from the remains of Misuto Mk2 and further enhanced. Now every step he takes causes an earthquake."
The new Misuto emerged from the underground laboratory. As Kana had announced, every footfall sent seismic shocks through the ground.
"Misuto Mk3, eliminate these rats," Kana ordered, throwing herself into the chasm and vanishing from sight.
"If she went down there without teleporting, she must be after something she needs," Yuu said, trying to follow, but Misuto Mk3 kept walking, triggering more quakes. Part of the ceiling collapsed, sealing the chasm.
"He's identical to Misuto — maybe even stronger," Kaito observed.
"I was created to replace that useless fool at Governor Kana's side," the clone said. "Created from his blood and his power, and built from the data of old Misuto Mk2 — I am the perfect Misuto."
"Let's take this thing down fast," Yuu said. He hurled spheres of flame at the clone, but the clone made the earth rise and blocked them without moving.
"My flames are too weak," Yuu muttered.
"I'll try," Kaito said, charging the enemy.
The clone simply stomped the ground several times, throwing Kaito off balance. More debris rained down from the upper floors, but Kaito avoided it by rolling along the ground.
"This is impossible — I can't get close," Kaito said as he pushed himself up.
"The city's being overrun by those monsters, Kana's escaped, and this clone is stopping us from doing anything," Yuu said, clutching at his thoughts. "If only I hadn't wasted my Vitalis…"
The clone stared at them with an expressionless face. "Now you will die in my storm," he said.
He lifted his hands from the ground and a violent wind roared. The entire palace began to crumble as debris whirled up into a tornado. Inevitably, the two boys were sucked into it. Dust and rubble blinded them and battered their bodies as they spun through the air.
Something heavy slammed into Yuu's left shoulder.
"He's trying to crush us midair with the debris!" Yuu shouted, struggling to be heard over the roar of the storm.
No reply came from Kaito. The wind was too loud.
Yuu shielded his eyes with his arms and forced them open just enough to see. A massive wall of stone was spinning straight toward him. There was no escape. He was going to be flattened.
Just when he thought the end had come, the storm suddenly vanished. The whirlwind dissipated, and all the debris from the ruined palace rained down to the ground—along with the two boys.
Coughing, bruised, but alive, Yuu and Kaito got back on their feet.
Misuto Mk3 was still standing with both hands raised toward the sky... and then, his upper body slid clean off and crashed to the floor.
Standing behind him—sword in hand—was the real Misuto.
Yuu staggered upright.
"I didn't... calculate for an anomaly... like you..." the clone gasped, his voice glitching. "You shouldn't... have been able... to hurt me..."
"Even the strongs can fall to the weaks," the real Misuto replied coldly.
"You've betrayed... Governor Kana..."
"I've made my choice. I won't be brainwashed by that witch any longer." He stepped forward, eyes blazing. "I am the real Misuto. And you... a thing that should never have existed... you'll vanish here and now."
The clone wasn't finished. "Even if you defeat me... you'll never escape... your past..."
"The past is over," Misuto said firmly. "Time to bury it for good!"
He grabbed a massive chunk of wall that had fallen nearby, then brought it crashing down on the broken body of the clone, crushing it beyond repair.
"…You actually surprised me," Kaito admitted, impressed.
"I thought long and hard about everything you told me. I finally figured out what I need to do."
"In a way, you faced yourself and won," Kaito said with a smirk.
Misuto's gaze hardened. "Even if I've won this battle... there will be no peace for me as long as Kana lives. So long as she draws breath, she'll keep coming back to poison my mind."
Yuu said nothing.
His thoughts were already racing—toward the underground lab Kana had vanished into. Now it was completely destroyed. Whatever she had hidden down there... it was lost.
Then it hit him.
The beasts!
He jumped to his feet and sprinted down the snowy path back toward the city. But halfway through the garden, he nearly crashed into someone.
"Nya, move! Kana's monsters are headed for the city—they'll slaughter everyone!"
Nya smiled softly. "Don't worry. Nya already took care of it."
Yuu blinked. He looked past her.
Down at the end of the snowy path, just before the gates... all of Kana's hybrid beasts were frozen solid, statues of ice.
They stared in stunned silence.
"Whoa… Nya, that's incredible. I had no idea you were this strong. Now we just have to destroy them."
Nya smiled again. With a snap of her fingers, all the frozen monsters shattered into shards of ice.
Yuu stared at her, speechless. "You're seriously strong… even without a Vitalis. I can't believe you're just Ryou's maid."
Then he turned—only to spot a stranger.
A man, watching the ruins of the palace from a short distance away. Their eyes met for the briefest moment before the man turned and vanished into the rubble.
"Wait—!" Yuu called out, but the man was gone.
He rushed to the spot the man had been staring at.
Among the broken stones and collapsed walls, a single sign stood half-buried in the snow: Despair.