The silence that followed was heavy, broken only by the whisper of the wind through the shattered buildings.
Ten seconds.
Then, the hold on Yoshino broke. Ti rushed back into her small body. She went limp, slumping forward and tumbling from the back of the fading ice rabbit.
She fell toward the ground where Shido stood.
All the fury, all the righteous anger, vanished from his mind, replaced by a single, desperate need. He had to catch her.
He had to hold her one last ti. But his body betrayed him. His legs were jelly; he could barely stand, let alone lunge forward.
Tohka understood. Without a word, she moved for him, half-dragging his broken body forward. They stumbled together, arms outstretched, and caught Yoshino's small, still form just before she hit the rubble.
As the last motes of Zadkiel dissolved into the air, I lost my perch and floated gently to the ground, my feet making no sound as they touched the earth.
….
"Shido, you idiot! Get a hold of yourself!"
Kotori slamd her fist on the armrest of her command chair, her eyes glued to the main screen.
She had been on the verge of a panic attack watching him confront the machine.
They had all seen what the Spirit Hunter did. They had watched in awe and horror as it manifested a weapon that fused technology with Nightmare's power. They had seen the golden beam strike Yoshino.
But their sensors told a different story.
"Commander, look at her vitals!" an analyst shouted. "They're stabilizing!"
"The wounds... they're reversing," another added, his voice filled with disbelief.
On their screens, a real-ti dical scan showed the impossible. The ugly scrapes on her arms faded.
The deep cut on her cheek sealed itself, leaving behind smooth, unmarked skin. It was as if soone were turning back a clock just for her.
Kotori knew the truth. I hadn't killed her. But Shido didn't know that. From his point of view on the ground, he was facing down a murderer.
"Get through to him!" she ordered. "Tell him what's happening!"
The comms officer shook his head. "I can't, Commander! The channel is full of static. It's either jamd or his earpiece is broken!"
Either way, Shido was alone.
….
On the ground, Shido looked up from the peacefully sleeping girl in his arms. He looked at .
The machine just… watched him. Those strange, golden eyes glowed with a soft, analytical light. Was it studying him?
The fire of his anger, having burned so brightly, now cooled into ash.
What was he doing? He had been shouting at a weapon.
A tool. Its actions weren't its own. The bla belonged to whoever had built it, whoever was pulling its strings.
I lost my head, he thought, a wave of sha washing over him. Yelling at a machine…
My interest faded. The data stream of his rage had ceased. The variable had beco a constant. Observation complete.
I had planned to leave without a word, but a clarification seed necessary to prevent future miscalculations on their part.
"Statent," my synthesized voice cut through the quiet. "This unit did not terminate 'Hermit.' The previous action was a therapeutic asure."
"Huh?"
Shido stared, his mind struggling to connect the words to what he had seen. A laser through the head… as therapy? He looked down at Yoshino. She was completely unhard. Healed, even. But how was that possible?
My persona was that of an unfeeling machine. I had delivered my report. There was nothing more to say.
A golden gateway opened behind . I turned and stepped through it, vanishing without a trace.
The silence returned, heavier than before. Shido looked from the empty space where I had been to the perfectly healthy girl in his arms. The machine had told the truth.
Suddenly, a voice, shrill and furious, exploded in his ear.
"Shido! Can you hear now?!"
"Ah! Yes, Kotori! I can hear you," he stamred, startled.
"What's wrong?"
"WHAT'S WRONG?!" she shrieked, her voice making his head ring. "Get back to the ship, now! You and I are going to have a very, very long talk!"
"...Right."
Shido could only agree, his voice heavy with resignation. He knew he had been reckless, and he was ready to face whatever punishnt Kotori had in store.
After ending the call, Kotori leaned back in her chair, the tension finally leaving her shoulders. The Spirit Hunter hadn't hard Shido. The crisis was averted.
But one detail still bothered her.
Just before the machine had stepped into its portal, it had glanced up. On the main screen, it felt as though its cold, chanical eyes had looked directly through the cara, past the cloaking field of the Fraxinus, and t her own.
It knew they were there. Of course it did. A being with its level of technology would have no trouble detecting a cloaked airship.
But it felt like more than that. It felt... personal.
For a reason she couldn't explain, Kotori felt a strange, unnerving chill run down her spine. The machine wasn't just observing. It was watching her.
….
Control over water and ice. That was the essence of Yoshino's Angel. It was no wonder her appearances were always accompanied by rain; she was a walking weather system. And her mastery over ice allowed her to construct shields of incredible durability.
For , whose own defensive armants were nearly absolute, Zadkiel was not a significant upgrade. The ability to manipulate water and cold was a minor addition to my arsenal.
But that didn't matter.
I was a collector. Like a gar determined to achieve 100% completion, I was driven by an innate need to acquire every piece. I was already here. The power was available. Why not take it? It cost nothing.
My primary mission in this world was to analyze and replicate the powers of the Spirits. It was only logical to be as thorough as possible.
And so, with Yoshino's Angel now fully cataloged, my list grew shorter.
All that remained were Efreet, Zodiac, and tatron.
….
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