Akira sat down reluctantly. Her eyes were now solely focused on the thing in front of her, grinning and seemingly satisfied with her cooperation.
Rinta only turned around, said nothing for a long moment as she drew out the energy from the walls until the color had been sucked clean out of them. Her eyes, vibrant and golden, met Akira's as she spoke:
"Alrighty, so now, I'm gonna show you just what a Hybrid Fusion really is."
"Is it gonna hurt?" Akira murmured, watching the woman move closer.
"Only a little..." Her fingers hovered above Akira's forehead for just a brief moment before...
Her voice split into two distorted tones.
One a deeper, muted voice, mature and far much older than the higher pitched one that Akira had grown used to...
"Oh, and for the record. I'm not a little girl."
And just before Akira's body could react, mere moments before she could even gasp at the distorted voice, she felt a sickening pain jolt throughout her whole body as her eyes slam shut.
And in that moment, as they were being led away to a different place, when they passed by that closed door, the three of them felt it.
Hina's eyes narrowed.
Yano's eyes slid to the door.
Yoshida's initial grin faltered.
Something Happened.
Something happened to Akira.
{ Meanwhile }
Akira gasped for air as she bolted out of her seat.
Her eyes widened a little as she...stared at her own body. Still and motionless. She looked around the room, her eyes landing on the only other thing in that room, two glowing lights. One, red and blazing, by the left corner and the other, golden and warm, by the right corner.
She looked at her hands, they were transparent. Her mind was reeling with millions of questions, thousands of thoughts flooded her mind until she heard, a very faint shimmer.
It was like a bell, one that could only fit in the palm of the hand. She turned around—or was rather pulled around by her own thoughts—and met her again, Rinta, except now...one eye was red and the other was the same sunset yellow.
"Welcome." Rinta's distorted voice said, "This is my way other power. Manipulation—"
"What the hell did you do to me!?—"
"Calm down, Akira. I have no intention to harm you. Only to show what we truly are."
"What? What are you talking about? What is this place?"
Rinta chuckled softly, her voice surprisingly calm and relaxed, like she'd done this over a thousand lifetimes—and maybe she had.
"This, as I had initially said, is another part of my abilities. Mind Weaver."
"Mind...Weaver?"
Rinta snapped her finger once and the room collapsed into nothingness. The room filled to the brim with nothing but stardust, constellations of stars she'd never even seen before and formations of galaxies beyond her wildest imagination:
"This place, or rather, dimension, is part of who I am. My name is Rinta Tokitoshi..."
Akira's eyes widened immediately. She knew that surname, "Tokitoshi? Wait... don't tell me you're..."
"Yes. I am. I am a descendant of the Tokito clan. I am Kirinta Tokito, the girl whom you've been speaking to all this time..." Her voice froze and the shifted into a deep, all encompassing coldness that could only be described as bone chilling, except, here Akira didn't have any bones.
In fact, she didn't have any sort of physical beingness, and yet despite that, she could feel her skin shudder as her hairs stood on end:
"But the one who speaks to you now is Rin Tokitoshi. One of the 12 ancestors of the Tokito Clan." This voice, which resembled that of an older woman, was dark and low, the kind that made Akira's floating soul stop and respect her presence.
Akira didn't know much about Essentials, but she did know her history. And she knew, as well as any student would've in her shoes.
She was in the presence...of an almost godlike creature.
Almost.
"R-Rinta?" She whispered, her voice being carried by the billions of dust like glowing motes that circulated around this...almost holy interaction.
"There is no Rinta here. That is who we are when we are one. Right now, we are separate. And right now, you stand before Rin Tokitoshi, one of the elders of The Tokito clan." She bellowed low and throaty.
"Why...why the hell are you—"
"Language, child."
Akira's heart almost shot through her chest as she felt the reprimand almost force the space around her to remind her of whom she was in the presence of.
And yet, despite that, there was this flicker of pride within her that refused to bow down so quickly:
"Sorry, it's just... it's not everyday I get to talk to ancient godlike ghosts."
For a moment, the apparition of Rinta (Kirinta) didn't say nor move at all. A moment longer passed until the ancient's eyes narrowed slightly:
"Bold. That is commendable."
Akira let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding in, "Thanks... I guess? But...you didn't answer my question, Miss Rin. Why am I here?"
Rin's eyes glimmered with what looked like intrigue before she smiled, "Kirinta was indeed right about you. You are a special case indeed."
Akira chuckled, "Uhm, thanks?"
"I did not say that was a good thing."
That shut her up.
Just for a moment, golden hues of sparkles drifted lazily in front of Akira's gaze, reminding her that whatever this Place was, it was outside time. Possibly outside reality itself.
Then, Rin spoke:
"You are a Hybrid, child. You are part of the few thousands of beings whose fate has been woven by The Womb of Fate. Such an honor is beyond even the greatest of titles. And yet..."
"...your fate..."
"...is one that only leads to Death."