Night on the Blood Liar


Encounter and Second Coming

Enter


Atlas Institute


"Sion Eltnam Sokaris.

Hereby decreed as candidate for Academy Director."


The grim face of the university president reading the edict.

The students and the teachers look at each other, wide-eyed.

Unhushed whispers rise and hundreds of eyes face me.

Surprise. I'm astonished, I never would have thought it.

Blame. Unforgivable.

Denial. I can't believe it.

Other words I can't make out, blending together into sounds as arcane as the syllables of a spell.


"Henceforth, Sion Eltnam will be Sion Eltnam Atlasia.

She will be accorded the privileges and respect of an instructor and have the same status as ambassador-at-large."


The words of the university president are absolute.

Not just because of the authority of his position, but because the words make it clear it is a command.

There is no protest from the audience, only more glares directed at me.


"────"

It's not as though I've suddenly changed.

Of all those gathered in the great hall, only the university president and I seem calm.

As for everyone else──the students and even the teachers are dumbfounded with surprise.

I suppose it is natural.

I am now Sion Eltnam Atlasia.

Those given the name of Atlas are chosen to represent this Academy.

No one guessed that out of all the students and faculty, it would be an Eltnam.


"────────"

Of course, I was calm.

Not that I was informed beforehand I would be given the name Atlasia.

Simply that among the Atlas Association, I was the only one with the requisite power.

Instead of being surprised, it was rather natural to be bored.


...... Just what has changed in my life since then?

I do not look any different in the mirror.

Since I was an Eltnam, a once-noble house, the others treated me with contempt.

I excelled as a student to erase the sin of my ancestor.

The others wanted only to have me removed.

As long as I was the top student in the class, all they could do was ignore me.

Once I became Atlasia, I had the power to remove them.


They were afraid of my retribution.

They probably believed I would treat them in the same manner they treated me.

They did not want to receive any contempt.

I am a noble.

The blood of the sinner Eltnam runs through me, but I am not ruled by my emotions.

In the first place, I do not feel any emotions towards them anyway.


If they wished to distance me, then I will keep them distant.

That will not change from before.

I do not need anyone, so I do not need to associate with them.

I already had the needed laboratory, so I just continued to excel in my studies.


It was eight years ago.

What was correct? What was mistaken?

────Even now I don't really know for certain.


Misaki at night


Sion: "...... Not good. It's already this late."

I open my eyes.

Was it because I was so exhausted?

I saw a meaningless dream.

No, because I was dreaming, you could say I was not completely exhausted.

If my mind were truly burdened, I would not have seen anything.


Sion: "...... Probably because of overexertion during the day. There is something wrong with this much heat."

I had heard that Japanese summers were hot, but I had not thought it would be this bad.

The heat shining back from this town is too strong even for me, a child of the desert.


I thought I would sleep through the heat of the day, but it seems I could not control the time of my awakening.


Sion: "...... A cold night. I must have slept too long?"

Whatever the case, confusion is for certain.

Not sleeping properly and not ordering all this information is setting myself up for failure.


Sion: "...... But before that, I must confirm where the next incident will occur."

As long as I can move, I must finish the preparations.

Fortunately, I have data on this town I downloaded from Tohno Shiki.

I can find the source of all these incidents without needless roaming.


Sion: "Ah, come to think of it...... Tohno Shiki. Securing him is also a priority."

It is before midnight.

There are three possible routes he will take.

It should be easy enough to determine his current location.


Location changes to the Shrine


Shiki: "...... Then, all that's left is this?"

I come out to an unfamiliar clearing.

A small clearing apart from the office buildings.


Until a short while ago everything was another large city park but it now transitions into private property.

Shiki: "Wow. From down here it really looks impressive."


I look up at the building under construction.

I heard the monumental architecture would be finished next spring.

Nobody seems to be sure exactly what it's going to be, but it's something important.

I've heard everything from a big department store to the corporate office of a powerful electronics company.


Shiki: "The area around it is also being landscaped. Maybe I don't have to go this far."

The land all around the building is perfectly flat like a mirror.

The name of the building, Shrine, may be appropriate... but it's going a little too far.


Shiki: "────Well..."

I hold my breath and scan the area.

No sign of anyone else around.

Of course there are less and less people as night falls, thanks to the rumors of the vampire murders starting up again, but...


I can understand why no one would be in the park, or the back alley, but this place is empty of people for another reason.

Shiki: "...... Well, after all, this is private property. The only people around would be trespassing, so why should I expect to see anybody......?"

───And then,

I suddenly get assailed by nausea.

My fingers are numb and my throat is parched.

My pulse quickens.

A feeling like poison creeping from the back of my brain.

Without even realizing it, my right hand reaches into my pocket and soundlessly takes out my knife.


Shiki: "────This... sensation."

...... I've felt these chills so many times before.

Am I just disposed to this?

Before I meet up with something unworldly, I always get assailed by this sensation.


Shiki: "............"

...... I sense someone.

Someone standing right behind me.

Someone (a human?) on this private property where no one should be.

A faint chill.

And...... the vampire has returned────!


Shiki: "...... But, something is......"

It feels a little different.

Are my reactions weak?

It simply feels "different from usual", a discomfort that indicates the presence of an outsider.


Shiki: "──Well, show yourself......!"


Shiki: "Hello? Is someone there?"

I speak with my knife hidden behind my back.

───And then,

Sion: "Good evening. Do you have business with me?"

Even though it was all so sudden, the girl speaks so calmly.

Shiki: "────"


Seeing her, I was startled.

That distinctive dress and hat.

Definitely a foreign look, and I'm almost afraid to say it, but she looks really cute.

Sion: "What is it?"

Shiki: "Oh, ah... well, no, nothing really."

Shiki: "Um──Sorry, I mistook you for someone else. Sorry to be so rude."

Sion: "You do not have to apologize.

But that is not the way to greet someone, is it?"


Her tone is so smooth.

...... Now that she mentions it, it makes total sense.

Lately, I seem to be off-kilter.


Shiki: "...... You're right. It's a little late, but, good evening."

Sion: "Yes, nice to meet you."

Sion: "So, what are you doing here?

Are you looking for something at this hour?"

Shiki: "Eh? ...... Ah, yeah, something like that.

And what about you? You couldn't have not heard about how dangerous it is at night──"


Oh, right.

If she's a foreigner, she wouldn't have heard the rumors circulating this town.

Since she's probably just sightseeing, she wouldn't know anything about the vampire murders last year, either......


Shiki: "It's nothing...... Um, I don't know why you are here, but it's better to not hang around places where no one is around. You never know what might happen."

Sion: "────"


She just stares at me.

...... It's only natural.

There's no way she can understand me if I keep suddenly blurting out all this stuff.


Sion: "No, you cannot say I don't know what will happen. Whatever shape he takes, the vampire will appear. Even you are patrolling in order to find him, are you not, Tohno Shiki?"

Shiki: "W────what?"

Sion: "You could say we are looking for the same thing, Tohno Shiki. ...... Although our reasons are very different."


She speaks devoid of any expression.

Those chills return.

Pain in my temples like a stabbing needle...

Sion: "An irregularity like you throws the equation out of balance. Unless I move quickly to root out any problems, the results this time will also be undesirable."

Her arms swings forth and I hear an unfamiliar click.

She holds a black gun in her hand.

Sion: "────Please, resist if you wish. My name is Sion Eltnam Atlasia. Your freedom now belongs to me."

And with that, she jumps towards me.

This foreign girl I'd never met before attacks me with almost unspeakable speed.


Shiki vs Sion

Shiki wins


Sion: "Ahh......"

Shiki: "That's enough. I don't know what you're trying to do, but it's meaningless to continue."

Sion: "Yes. I admit defeat. Even though I collected all your data I could not finish reading it. ...... Even if everything was walking on a tightrope I can't believe I'm finished before even had a chance to start."

Shiki: "..............."


Sion: "What's the matter? I have no strength to resist. This may be a selfish request, but please end it as cleanly as possible."

Shiki: "...... Cleanly as possible? Look...... You seem to know something about me, but aren't you making a big mistake here? I'm no killer out for blood. Even if you asked me I wouldn't kill you."

Sion: "Not... a killer?"

Shiki: "Yeah. I'm not going to hit someone while they're down. I don't have a quarrel with you so there's no need to take it all the way. If you promise you won't attack me I'll let you go. ──You don't look like a vampire anyway."

Sion: "...... This is troubling. I may keep quiet, but I will not lie. Therefore I can't promise not to attack you again."

Shiki: "Eh? ...... You can't... then you mean... um..."

Sion: "That's right. Once my wounds heal, I will bind you."

Shiki: "────"


Sion: "If you don't like it, then you just have to kill me. For someone like you it would be very easy."

Shiki: "......... Idiot, what do you mean, easy?"

Sion: "Eh? Did you say something, Tohno Shiki?"

Shiki: "Yeah, I said something. I was complaining about being involved in something weird again! ...... For crying out loud, if it's not one thing it's another────"


Sion: "────I cannot understand. This seems to be causing you pain."

Shiki: "You're the one who isn't understandable. But you don't look like you'll go back on your word."

Sion: "Yes. As long as I am not mistaken, I will not change."

Shiki: "I see. Your expression speaks for you. (Why do I only meet these kinds of people?)"


Shiki: "Well, anyway...... Um, can you tell me about your situation? You've been telling me what to do, so maybe you can at least tell me why?"

Sion: "...... My situation ... You mean my purpose here?"

Shiki: "Yeah. For some reason, you don't seem like a bad person. If you could tell me about your situation, I'll listen... Um, I'm also kind of curious why you attacked me."

Sion: "...... I understand. I was told you were not a bad person, and this confirms it. I should have explained the circumstances from the very start, Tohno Shiki."

Shiki: "?"


Sion: "My goal is to find a cure for vampirism. I have been researching a way to return humans bitten by a vampire back to normal."

Shiki: "A cure for vampirism......?"

Sion: "Yes. As you know someone who became no longer human after being bitten by a vampire, you can understand, right? The result of someone being desecrated by a vampire is death. Of course, we know how a human could become a vampire, but we don't know if a vampire could return to being a human. Many magi have attempted to research this problem and failed, but I do not intend to. I will make the impossible possible. That is what Atlasia means."

Shiki: "..............."

Sion: "Tohno Shiki, I believe you can understand how I feel. Like me, you have seen a friend become a vampire before your eyes."

Shiki: "───────You seem to know a lot about that."

Sion: "Ah...... That was inconsiderate of me. This is upsetting you."

Shiki: "...... No, it's okay. I'm just being childish."


Shiki: "I understand what you're saying. You want to find a cure for vampirism──I can't hate you for something like that."

Shiki: "But why did you attack me? I'm not turning into a vampire, and I don't know a lot about them, either."

Sion: "Of course. I did not come here to make you a research specimen. I came to this country to ask the cooperation of the True Ancestor."

Shiki: "Eh───True Ancestor, as in Arcueid?"

Sion: "Yes. If I want to find a cure for vampirism I have to study the source of Dead Apostles, a True Ancestor. If I merely needed data on the Dead Apostles, The Church has compiled much of that. However, that is insufficient. I need to investigate an unaltered True Ancestor."


Shiki: "...... I see. But I'm not sure Arcueid would go for that. She's kind of fickle that way.

Sion: "I know that. A noble True Ancestor would not grant the request of a mere mortal. I need you to negotiate for me."

Shiki: "Me? Negotiate?"

Sion: "(Nod)"

Shiki: "Idio-That's not going to work! You think she'd listen to me? Where'd you get an idea like that!?"

Sion: "W-well, you... the True Ancestor... aren't the two of you... l-l-lovers?"

Shiki: "────"


Sion: "With you as a mediator, perhaps I could speak with her a little. That is why I wanted to secure you first...... This is all the result of my carelessness."

Shiki: "Wha...... carelessness? You mean before?"

Sion: "Yes. I drew in all your data. The numbers indicated we were evenly matched, but my thorough knowledge meant my chances of winning were high. However, my loss means my abilities were the slightest fraction lower."

Shiki: "......? Um, then that isn't being careless...... doesn't that just mean your fighting ability is───"

Sion: "Wha, what are you sayinggg! I only lost because of carelessness! Excessive carelessness! My performance was far below my standard! I admit I miscalculated your power, but under normal circumstances, I would be the victor! You see, an hour ago, I calculated every single one of your maneuvers. Doesn't this just mean my evasion rate data was off by less than 0.5%!? If not for that one small mistake, our positions would have been completely reversed! Can you not understand such a simple thing!?"

Shiki: "Eh───right. Sorry I doubted you."


Sion: "Ah...... no, I was being a little rude. I would appreciate it if we just changed the subject."

Shiki: "(......Hmm. She seems totally different from before.)

Shiki: "To get back to your problem, you really just want me to bring Arcueid to you?"

Sion: "Yes. My intent was to formally request the True Ancestor's cooperation."

Shiki: "I see. So you won't give up even now? ...... Okay...... if that's the case, oh well."

Sion: "? Oh well? What do you mean?"

Shiki: "I mean, I can act as a middle man between you and Arcueid. ...... In all likelihood she's going to say no, but you wouldn't give up unless we tried, right?"

Sion: "(Nod)"

Shiki: "C'mon, it's just asking for cooperation, right? So, I'll lend you a hand. To be honest, I'd like to cheer on someone doing your kind of research."

Sion: "Eh......... cheer... on......?"

Shiki: "Yeah. Suddenly attacking me out of nowhere was surprising, but we can call it even. ...... If your research is successful, I feel like───I could finally help her."


Sion: ".................."

Shiki: "I'll do something about Arcueid. Actually, I'm looking for her right now. I figured she would know something about these disturbances happening. I went to her place, but───"

Sion: "So she has concealed her location."

Shiki: "Yeah. And by patrolling the town, I thought I'd find the rumored vampire, or at least Her Highness the fickle princess."

Sion: "...... I understand. Then I can lend you a hand in your purpose. If you're tracking down the rumors, I can find the vampire more quickly than you can."

Shiki: "Eh? Really?"

Sion: "Yes, if the rumored vampire does exist. Data gathering is my specialty. If I have at least a backup, I can scan the minds of everyone in this town in one day."

Shiki: "───Hmm, I don't really quite understand, but you don't have to go that far, do you?" (...... She has a scary look in her eyes.)


Shiki: "But, yeah. I'd appreciate any help. I was feeling kind of hopeless by myself."

Sion: "Then I will chase down these rumors. And you?"

Shiki: "It's alright if I look for Arcueid and bring her to you isn't it? But, there's one other thing before that."

Sion: "Before that?"


Shiki: "It's Sion, right? If we're going to be partners, we should call each other by our first names, shouldn't we?"

Sion: "─────────────────────"

Sion: "You have a point. Very well. You may call me Sion. And you───"

Shiki: "Ah, Shiki's fine."

Sion: "────────"

Sion: "...... Shi-Shiki."

Shiki: "Yeah. That's much better, isn't it?"

Sion: "...... Shiki..."

Shiki: "Yeah."

Sion: "Shiki."

Shiki: "Yeah, I said that's fine."

Sion: ".........................................."


Sion: "............... Then I will go start gathering information on the vampire. Please prepare for the negotiations with the True Ancestor, Shiki."

Shiki: "Yeah. But we don't have to go right away, you know."

Sion: "That would be the best, I think. We'll both need some time. Let's meet again tomorrow night right here, in front of this building."

Shiki: "Okay. I think I can manage something by then."


Sion: "Shiki. Can you... hold on for a minute?"

Shiki: "Eh......? Did I have something on my head?"

Sion: "...... Something like that. Well then, see you tomorrow night."


Shiki: "Yeah, see you tomorrow───Hm. This seems a little familiar. It reminds me of a year ago."

Sion: "?"

Shiki: "It's nothing. See you tomorrow night, Sion!"

Sion: "...... Yes. See you tomorrow night, Shiki."


The Daughter of Atlas

Sion Eltnam Atlasia


───That night, the air was maddeningly hot.


"Water......"

I run, seeking any moisture I could find.

I run through the dark forest.

I run through the hell of the steep mountain pass.

Compared to walking through the familiar deserts of my youth, the mountain path flooded with trees is like walking on needles.

All the knights who had accompanied me are dead.

No one is left alive.

I go back to the village.

All the villagers are dead.

The well is dried up.

The river is filled with corpses.

Still, I crawl my way to it, hoping to find water.


"Ah... hah... ah!"

Choking, I drink and drink.

As if I'm brought back to life.

Something feels intertwined.

Like a large cloth, endlessly intertwined.

It's in my way, so I pull at it over and over.

I tear and pull but the cloth still gets in the way.


Each time I bend to drink, I get wrapped further inside.

I pull again and the rustling cloth entangles in my fingers.

Again and again.

Rustle.

Rustle. Rustle.

Rustle. Rustle. Rustle.

Rustle. Rustle. Rustle. Rustle.

Rustle. Rustle. Rustle. Rustle. Rustle. Rustle. Rustle.

Rustle............!

Skin. The human corpses shaped into a large sheet. Dead bodies. Empty shells drained of everything inside. The skin of all the hundreds of people pushed in and piled up until the dark and the damp rotted away their skin and it all oozed together into one hideous sheet sheet sheet sheet sheet sheet sheet............!!!!


"Ha... ah!"

────Even seeing that, I need water, so I continue to drink.

They get in my way, but I drink anyway.

The cartoon-like faces are actually comical.

Yes, mutilated, fleshless, organ-less.

The seemingly clothed corpses were piled up here.

Everyone was drained.

That vampire drank every last drop of their blood.

───What a nightmare. As if it was a curse.


"Atlasia. Even if you're the only one, you have to survive."

The speaker was one of the Knights, the only one I knew.

A Knight of the Shield. A woman.

Just like me. That is why I survived.

Allowed to escape.

She is... definitely────


I run along the mountain path.

            I run until dawn.   
              
    But there is no way out.  

           The curse rebounded on itself.   
             
Cursing myself, I cannot escape from myself.  

               And before my eyes   
                 
───Something appears, black as night.  

It drinks and drinks.

Filled to the brim, the blood leaks from its eyes.

It is not enough.

However much it drinks, it cannot be sated.

"H... ha... hahahahaha!"

Crying tears of blood, it begins to laugh.

The fluttering of black wings.

The black eyes draw near.

Drip, drip. The rich red blood continues to flow.


────Dawn approaches.

At my crawling ankles trying to escape,   
      
    Something wet and slippery.  

 The crying, laughing, blood drinking monster────  

Tatari


Alley


And then I wake up.

...... It is still daytime.

Like in my dream, today is stiflingly hot.


I think I am not suited for walking around during the day.

In the first place, I spend most of my time indoors as an alchemist.

My skin isn't used to being in the burning sun.


All the same, I made a promise.

To him──to Shiki. A promise to gather information on the vampire in his place.


Misaya at day


Longitude unmeasurable. The laws of time do not apply. Yet it appears in a predesignated space. It is not born, but is very troublesome. It is somewhat random so it cannot be expected. All the pieces are assembled. Knowing what actions will take place, the future is simple.

The appearance of the town has not changed. The streets are still empty. The heat radiates off them like smoke.

All the pieces are assembled. Knowing what actions will take place, the future is simple.

Why did I volunteer? It occurred in a mountain village in Western Europe. If they needed alchemists, they should have requested the ones from Prague. All the same, The Church requested help from us, the Atlas Academy.

Even though people pass me by, if I look behind me, no one is there... only a strange emptiness.

First, limit the conditions. The place where it will occur easily, the culture, the population. Furthermore, simulate world affairs. Consider the random appearances of aces. 2000 patterns is acceptable. Begin after all variables are assigned value. Values with only some possibility are

"────────"

I raised my hand. They said they needed calculations, so I thought I would calculate. Yes, we need to calculate. That is the all-encompassing fundamental of the alchemists of Atlas.

It's just so hot. Too hot for even a desert dweller.

not needed; filter for optimal candidacy. 12,500 corresponding sectors on the Earth. Only those places are where it can occur. Measuring atmospheric pressure results in predicting the time and place of a typhoon. It is the same. Then, grasping its general progression is

I hurriedly enter a large building in order to download data simultaneously from the gathered minds there.

With only poor Magic Circuits, we cannot rely upon magical means for the realization of the occult. Therefore, we use only our minds to do so. We read the stars, the wind, people, the

This is why they call me the Spiritron Hacker Sion Eltnam. This filament, Etherlite, is able to compel and coerce the human nervous system.

possible. The problem. The problem is, The problem is, yes, guessing what its prime condition is. What was the original cause of the phenomenon. What does it desire? Eternity? It cannot be. Such foolishness, why would it desire that? Is there

Because the intent is not to destroy the mind, you cannot call it cracking.

world. Collecting information to diagram the root ancestry of events. Our brains are possessed by the demon of Laplace. We interfere with limitless possibilities to set up limited formulas for "reading the future".

...... I really don't need to do that. In the first place, I...

a meaning to living forever? Perhaps there is? Wishing to make the impossible possible? Yes, in the first place, why do you cling to being human?

──Stop it. Stop it. Stop it.

──Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop.

────Utter chaos. I want silence. Cut. No I have to tell myself not to cut! I'm still being influenced from that nightmare. Calmly. Calmly. Cut. Cut. I have to block these thoughts from my mind.


──Third thought process halted.

──Seventh thought process halted.

──Second thought process halted.

──Sixth thought process halted.


"............ Ah..."

Suddenly, I'm very tired.

My throat is parched and sore, and my tired body collapses in on itself.

"Ha──ah."


I expel the air from my lungs.

It's like breathing fire.


"Can't...... breathe..."

My vision blurs. If I don't rest... if I don't sleep properly, I won't be able to keep going.

I may only have two or three days left.


"But, I can still move."

If I can move, I'm still alive.

I'm still injured from last night's battle, but it won't slow me down.


Sion: "Ah... I really was careless yesterday, wasn't I?"

I knew about Shiki's abilities.

But I was never clear on his fighting experience.


Maybe he only fought on a few occasions, but those were against members of the 27 Ancestors and an agent of The Church.

If he was strong enough to stand against creatures like them, he could hardly consider me to be a real enemy.


Sion: "It is a little... regrettable."

......? What was that outburst?

Shiki has already agreed to help me.

There can't be any problem, so what is regrettable?


Sion: "My Etherlite is connected to him. If he tries to back out of our agreement, I can calculate his location easily enough."

After we agreed to cooperate, I touched his head and attached my Etherlite.


Not remote control, but direct contact with my Etherlite burrowing into his nervous system.

Therefore────


Sion: "But, that's just in case."

...... I start to feel less and less well.

...... I should stop thinking these extra thoughts.

Anyway, I have to fulfill the promise I made with him.


Information collection ended easily enough.

It does seem that most of the citizens have heard of the second coming of the "vampire".


But it is only thin rumor, not too different from the information that Shiki knows.

Sion: "All the same, no one denies the rumor. Even if the credibility is nonexistent, it is a rumor accepted naturally."

Everyone seems to feel something bad is going to happen.

The emptiness of the town has crept into their hearts.


The town will bake in the heat today, and probably tomorrow as well.

The stage is set, a town under attack by fierce heat of record high temperatures.

The spawning of strange paradoxes of unknown origin.

Terrible ideas, ill omens, visits to the temple portending bad luck.


Coincidence? The dark night where "uneasiness" fed by anxiety becomes reality.

Even though not one murder has occurred, everyone says it "happened", and the vampire has returned.


And.

During the deep night in the empty town, a lurking shadow which wanders the streets.


Sion: "...... Soon the moon will form a perfect circle in the sweltering night, which seems itself to be in agony. Until then, I..."

I must guide this loose "rumor" into a definite shape.


Shrine


Sion arrives according to schedule.

Sion: "Good evening. You are right on time, Shiki."

Shiki: "Same for you. A big difference from someone I know."

...... Actually, she would come extremely early and then go hide.


Sion: "Shiki. How did things turn out with the True Ancestor?"

Shiki: "Well, it can be pretty hard to get hold of her sometimes. But I left a note in her room. Maybe tomorrow will be different..."

Sion: "Is that so? So she covers her tracks well. This won't be easy."

Shiki: "Right, right. As fickle as she is, she might just have decided to go off and play around for a while without even knowing what's going on."

Sion: "Perhaps. Do you not think she left you intentionally, Shiki?"

Shiki: "───Intentionally? What do you mean, Sion?"

Sion: "I mean that the returned vampire could possibly be the True Ancestor."

Shiki:"That's impossible. Arcueid would never do the kinds of things they're talking about."

Sion: "...... Never? You really are a wonderful person, denying it so completely like that, Shiki."

Shiki: "Er, well, thanks..."

I stammer a reply.

For some reason, her words don't seem sarcastic, and almost have a ring of admiration to them.


Shiki: "A-anyway, Arcueid doesn't drink human blood. You might not know that, Sion, but she───"

Sion: "She isn't the vampire in the rumors, right? If you say so."

Sion: "However, if the vampire has returned to this town, then isn't it strange that there is no other vampire around besides the True Ancestor? There has to be something which was a model for all these rumors."

Shiki: "A model for the rumors......? Wouldn't that be the incident from a year ago?"

Sion: "That isn't the model, but the source. The rumors have been very clear about that. No one has actually seen or heard anything themselves. Putting aside what is true or false, does there not have to be some 'shadowy figure wandering the night' on which to base these rumors?"

Shiki: "......?"

Sion is a little hard to follow. No, in the first place───


Shiki: "Sion, I've been wondering. You talk about research and studying vampires... who exactly are you?"

Sion: "I am an alchemist. You know about magi, do you not? The one named Ciel belongs to The Church, but there is another organization called the Mage's Association."

Sion: "I am a member of the Mage's Association. There are three separate branches. I belong to Atlas."

Sion: "The Church views vampires as their enemy, but they have an agreement with us, the Mage's Association. ...... You could say we're a military force that isn't black, but not white either."

Shiki: "...... Mage's Association......"

...... Hmm. If that's the case then maybe Sensei is also in this Association.

Maybe Sion even knows her.

Sion: "I do not. Your Sensei is London's problem child, so it is natural for a member of Atlas like me to not have met her."

Shiki: "W-what did you say, Sion? How did you..."

Sion: "I can tell what you're thinking. You're someone whose face is easily read."

...... Hmph.

I'm used to Akiha and the others saying that, but it is a bit of a shock to hear it from Sion, whom I've just met.


Shiki: "...... Whatever. Then what do we do from here? It isn't fair if you don't tell me the results on all the information you gathered before."

Sion: "I don't mind. But what I gathered was not really any different than the rumors you heard. So I have nothing to tell you."

Shiki: "My. That's a little troubling."

Sion: "Isn't it? So now we will just have to confirm it with our own eyes after all. If we're going to find the rumored vampire and the source behind it, we have to search the city at night."

...... So we're back to that. I didn't expect anything better.

This reminds me more and more of what happened last year.


Sion: "So...... This is my plan, Shiki. Why don't we look together? I don't know this town very well. I would be wasting my time without a guide.

Shiki: "Eh? ...... Well, they say two heads are better than one but is it alright? Your purpose is to research vampires, so......"

Sion: "We cannot declare for certain the source of these rumors isn't the True Ancestor, correct? Reason stands that if we fulfill your goal, it would be easier to find the True Ancestor. It would be meaningless if only I found the True Ancestor, and you would become free much quicker. I think that goes without saying."

Shiki: "────"

I see, that's what she's thinking.

Well, we'll see, I guess.


Shiki: "Alright. Give-and-take, then."

Sion: "Yes. As much as I can, I will help you with your agenda."


Park


Shiki: "We've walked so far and still we haven't found anything. The town is strangely quiet, but there's no odd feeling to the air."

Sion: "We haven't gone into the areas mentioned in the rumors. I hate to say this, but more victims will appear as time passes."

Shiki: "Huh? Sion, what do────"

Shiki: "Whoa!"

???: "Halt!"

Shiki: "Who────!?"

Shiki: "Se...... Sen, pai......?"

Ciel: "Tohno-kun......!? Wh-why are you with her──"

Ciel: "──Sion Eltnam. Don't tell me, you..."

Sion: "I think you misunderstand, agent. I asked for Shiki's help, so he accompanied me."

Sion: "No one forced him. As for what you're thinking about, no."

Ciel: "...... Is that so? So he has nothing to do with you, then. So you won't ask for his help when we fight."

Sion: "────"


Shiki: "Se, Senpai, hold on! This may look like something is going on, but you don't have to bring out your Black Keys like that all of a sudden."

Ciel: "Tohno-kun please be quiet! ...... Goodness, why do you always show up in these bothersome situations? Or is it that you can't resist the request of a cute girl?"

Shiki: "T-that's definitely not it!"

Ciel: "At any rate, stand aside, Tohno-kun. I will not listen any longer. If you get in my way, prepare to be punished."

Ciel: "Sion Eltnam Atlasia. An order has been issued by The Church to take you into protective custody, or failing that, to capture you by any means necessary. A similar request has been issued by the Atlas Institute. Do you have anything to say in your defense?"

Sion: "──I have nothing to say. But I will not let you capture me. If you try, you will be destroyed."

Shiki: "Yeah, saying that all of a sudden is a little── W-wait, Sion... What did you just say!?"

Ciel: "You will not comply with The Church's orders? Very well, then. As an agent of The Church, I am placing you under arrest."

Ciel: "I will make you reflect on your actions. Your partner will also have quite the painful experience."

Shiki: "Uwaaa! Senpai, why are you getting so serious!?"


Sion/Shiki vs Ciel

Sion/Shiki win


Ciel: "Tch!"

Sion: "That is enough. This battle is ours, agent."

Ciel: "...... I see. Your abilities have certainly improved. Fighting you now would be a bad idea. Furthermore, since he is helping you, it would be best to let sleeping dogs lie."

Ciel: "Sion Eltnam Atlasia, I entrust your monitoring to him now. Your involvement in this is disturbing, but it is foolish for me to be distracted from my main task."

Sion: "That's a strange thing to say. Shiki and I are partners. He doesn't mind my involvement."

Ciel: "Yes, you may be right, you may be right. He is nice to everyone, so I will not get in the way. But no matter what, you will not be able to do anything bad when you are with him. You'd best keep that in mind."

Sion: "?"


Ciel: "────Tohno−kun."

Shiki: "Y−yes! ...... What is it, Senpai?"

Ciel: "You don't have to be so apprehensive. Since you chose to associate with her, you will have to supervise her until the very end. You can't leave her alone half−way through."

Shiki: "Me, supervise Sion?"

Ciel: "Yes. Since she is investigating vampires, she will need your protection. I will not be able to help you until I have killed the Dead Apostle, so you have to protect her until then."

Shiki: "Until you kill the Dead Apostle...... wait, are you looking for the vampire from the rumors, too?"

Ciel: "Of course. I am on formal orders from The Church and a powerful Dead Apostle is hiding somewhere in town. So I ask you to not do anything foolish, Tohno−kun."

Sion: "...... If The Church is involved...... then, that──must have already begun......"

Ciel: "Just as you say, Sion Eltnam. I understand you feelings, but hunting Dead Apostles is the business of The Church. You should stay out of it."


Ciel: "...... And as for apprehending you, that is the duty of the Mage's Association. For me, everything else is secondary to the hunt for Dead Apostles."

Sion: "I am... being overlooked?"

Ciel: "Of course not. Because as soon as the Dead Apostle hiding in this town is disposed of, you will definitely be of top priority."

Sion: "You are saying I should leave Japan then, agent? ...... I'm surprised you would be so soft. I heard from the Knights that the Burial Agency was one of the most bloodthirsty groups of killers around. Was that information wrong?"

Ciel: "No, they were right. I just don't feel good tonight."

Ciel: "Even if I am part of the Burial Agency, I am still human. ...... Um, It seems there is at least one person trying to play innocent."

Ciel: "After everything is over you can tell me all about it, Tohno−kun."


Fierce Heat, With Scattered Lies

Alice's anxiety


Shiki: "............"

Sion: "Thank goodness. The fact that she found us is a big minus, but the fact that she can be pushed back is an unexpected development. I expected that if I encountered her, I would be forced either to flee or to be destroyed. It seems that an external factor tipped the scales in my favor − you, Shiki."

Shiki: ".................."

Sion: "She certainly is cautious when it comes to you. An agent of the Burial Agency saying, 'Stay out of trouble, don't get in the way of my duties.' I never would have thought it."

Shiki: ".................."

Sion: "Still, this could help remove the biggest obstacle to our plan. If this─── Shiki, are you even listening to me?"

Shiki: "Huh? I'm sorry, Sion, what is it?"


Sion: "Not, 'what is it?' Didn't we just turn back an agent of The Church? Is this not traditionally the part where the victors celebrate?"

Shiki: "Yeah, something like that, I guess......" (...... All we did was simply push back dealing with the problem until later in the future. And Sion... we really did just make Senpai really angry......)

Shiki: "Hm, let's not think about the unpleasant future right now. More importantly, what was that thing Senpai was saying earlier?"

Sion: "Thing? What do you mean, 'thing'?"

Shiki: "The thing about the order to arrest you! And then protective custody and...... well, maybe that's not so bad, but the 'capture by any means' part is a little much, isn't it? You told me you were a Mage from Atlas, but you never said you were on some wanted list."

Sion: "Of course not. I felt no need to speak of it."


Shiki: "Y−you felt no need? You don't just hide something like that!"

Sion: "Shiki, please stop yelling so much. You are drawing attention."

Sion: "But, it certainly was a mistake on my part. I did not think even The Church was searching for me. It seems the Mage's Association is really intent on returning me."

Shiki: "...... Alright, I can accept that. But what in the world did you do? For Senpai to really attack someone like that is rare──"

Shiki: "──Um, I mean it doesn't happen often. Are you sure you didn't do something to make her angry, Sion? If so, it would be troublesome if you didn't tell me, you know."

Sion: "Troublesome......? Shiki, why?"

Shiki: "If we're going to work together, we have to have an understanding between us. ...... We've got to be able to rely on each other. There can't be any more secrets."


Sion: "Is that... part of being a partner?"

Shiki: "Yeah. That's really important between partners."

Sion: "───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────"

Shiki: "Sion?"


Sion: "...... Shiki. Atlas is hunting me because I turned my back on their doctrine. Objectively, I have not done anything wrong. You are not an accomplice, so there is no need to worry."

Shiki: "Eh? Uh, no, I wasn't asking if you did something wrong. I was just wondering why Senpai was after you?"

Sion: "Please believe me. I didn't do anything for you to despise me."

Shiki: "Yeah, I believe you."

Sion: "... Thank you. I appreciate that."


Sion: "Let me explain the rest. The Mage's Association I come from is the Atlas Academy. There is one overall Mage's Association, but different places have different academies."

Shiki: "I know. The largest Mage's Association is in London. Senpai said that earlier."

Sion: "That is the 'Clock Tower', hidden within the very famous British Museum. They are one of the most respected associations. Many magi try to imitate their stances."

Sion: "But I am from a place far away from there, an alchemist of Atlas in Egypt. Other academies encourage learning and experimentation in a wide variety of disciplines. In Atlas, there is only one path, and those who venture off it are severely punished."

Shiki: "Severely punished... Sion, don't tell me−"

Sion: "Yes. I broke their one commandment. Atlas strictly forbids the dissemination of knowledge, but I traveled to other academies and exchanged information with their researchers."

Shiki: "You mean, you traded away secrets from this place Atlas?"

Sion: "No. I would never reveal Atlas's own secrets. The information I traded was the fruits of my own personal research."

Shiki: "Well, they shouldn't have gotten angry about it if it was just your own work."


Sion: "Atlas does not see it that way. They believe that the results of one's own work should be revealed only to oneself. That is their absolute law, and consequently, they view my actions as a serious transgression."

Sion: "Perhaps it is very unbecoming for an alchemist. But getting answers to my questions was more important to me than Atlas's restrictions."

Shiki: "Answers to your questions about a cure for vampirism?"

Sion: "...... Yes, exactly. Questions about the Dead Apostles, the thought process of those humans who sought immortality, the underlying fate of those humans avoiding such a contradiction... what drives them...... why I carry such doubt within me... those are my chains."

Shiki: "? Um, sorry, but could you be a little more clear? Your explanation is a little (extremely) hard to follow."

Sion: "......! Well excuse me, your inability to comprehend things is really something! Just dumbing down my words to meet your vocabulary takes forever, now you want me to somehow match everything to your limited intelligence!? No, in the first place, my explanation was not lacking. The only thing lacking here is your ability to understand anything!"

Shiki: "─────"


Sion: "A−anyway, the point of my crimes was to find a cure for vampirism! Don't you want that, too!?"

Shiki: "Well sure, that would be great. But Sion, you..."

Sion: "What, what is it Shiki?"

Shiki: "It's not a question of your motives. Didn't Senpai say you had a connection to this vampire mess?"

Sion: "Of course, I am entrusted to gathering information for you."

Shiki: "....................."

Shiki: Stares


Sion: "I−I don't know. I don't have any connection to it! Why is it so hard to believe that I don't have any connection to this trivial, inconsequential vampire affair in such a Far East country like this!?"

Shiki: "Wow. 'Trivial' is pretty harsh, isn't it?"

Sion: "Ah, no, that isn't what I meant. I mean at its current stage it is trivial! These rumors have not been verified, nor have there been any victims, right? In other words, it will be serious once real victims turn up."

Shiki: "Hm, uh−huh. Just some rumors, it really is pretty trivial. Haha, maybe I was a little stupid to investigate it just because it seemed interesting─"

Sion: "You've got it all wrong! 'Trivial' isn't the right word. We will be lucky to end this before victims do appear. Look, Shiki, you can't just ignore the rumors that a vampire has reappeared in town──"

Shiki: "Don't ignore the rumors, Sion? I thought you came here to see Arcueid, not because of those rumors."

Sion: "......! D−didn't I say that before? I−I came to this town to meet with the True Ancestor. And then a totally unrelated Dead Apostle just started to appear here!"


Shiki: "..................................................Well, whatever."

Sion: "What do you mean by 'whatever', Shiki?"

Shiki: "You have your secrets, but I can see you're not really a bad person."

Sion: "...... You can't understand anything at all. As a matter of fact, you really get on my nerves. Shiki, I really do want to explain it all to you, but─"

Shiki: "No, it's alright. I think I understand your situation better now, so we can just end it here."

Shiki: "More importantly, it's almost sunrise. The sun will be up soon. The vampire only comes out at night, you know."

Sion: "Shiki, your family will be up soon, right? It would be meaningless to continue our search any longer."

Shiki: "...... Hey, Sion. How do you know that much about me?"


Sion: "Because your thoughts are very strong. 'I don't want Akiha to find out about my night patrols,' is your highest priority."

Sion: "Akiha is very important to you, but you're a little scared of her, aren't you? You seem to think about her a lot. If you think about her so much, I wonder what kind of person she is?"

Shiki: "Um, let's just stop here." (Please, stop)

Shiki: "At any rate, let's go our separate ways for now. We can meet again tomorrow night at the same place. We might be able to catch Arcueid next time."

Sion: "────Eh?"

Shiki: "And it would be better if you hid yourself in daytime. Despite what Senpai said, she may just come looking for you if you are alone."

Sion: "────I was, going to do that, um..."

Shiki: "See you later then! Meet you at the usual place tomorrow night!"

Sion: "──────── ...... Troubling. How can he just trust me so completely like that?"


...... I'm dreaming.

For me it is a waste of time...

Even if sleep is necessary for resting the brain, to have to see these pointless thoughts...

Probably because my body is weakening.

I can't control it.

...... Isn't this a contradiction?

If I am so exhausted, I should be too tired for dreams.

All the same, why is it that I bring up these meaningless thoughts?


The name Eltnam. Something of a scar on the face of Atlas.

Awe. Loathing. Avoidance. Criminal.

No one said that, but that's how I was viewed.

A family known for their long devotion to alchemy.

Once considered distinguished nobility, respected figures who commanded great influence.

When did that all change?


I shared information.

My father did the same. And his father, and his father before him.

That is how we increase our knowledge.

Those of Eltnam do not take their knowledge from books, but from other humans.


That is the result of a rational pursuit of knowledge.

If you want to know something, you don't necessarily have to study just that one thing.

It is more efficient to copy the knowledge of someone who has studied it and more. Then you will have the whole of his knowledge, not just one piece of it.

So thought our ancestors, who created the means by which we can read data directly from the human mind.

Using the Etherlite, the artificial nervous system constructed of ether, hacking into the soul is possible.


When the Etherlite touches another human being, it merges with their nervous system and links their mind with that of the user.

You might say it takes over that person's hardware.

Thought directs the body; and ordinarily, the brain is its only control center.

The Etherlite hacks into this process and becomes a second control center, sabotaging the original. It hacks orders to the body, which believes they came from its own brain.

The Etherlite penetrates to the deepest level.

From the brain, it takes information.

It creates a blueprint of the soul from which thought processes are derived.


Of course, to completely seize someone requires the breach of reason, instinct...... thousands of barriers.

It truly is a talent.

With this ability to invade the information of others, the House of Eltnam can overcome any obstacle with ease.

The target has no choice but to yield their knowledge.

Other powerful methods of collecting a person's knowledge; drugs, the hypnotic gaze of a vampire... those methods can damage the information so that perfect playback is impossible.

Certainly, they damage the target itself.


But our method is different.

Our way does not leave a scar in the mind. Thoughts are invaded, downloaded, and even rewritten without the person being aware.

Even morally bankrupt alchemists consider this heresy.

So Eltnam kept its great power a close secret.


...... But even close secrets inevitably become open ones.

By the time I was born, the Eltnam name was no longer a distinguished one.

Three generations ago our secret was discovered, and we were estranged from Atlas for violating its rules.

I suspect the other alchemists were also afraid of our methods.


In that way, people distanced themselves from the Eltnam.

But that is not necessarily a bad thing.

My grandfather, my father, and I did not receive the kind of persecution that might otherwise have been expected.

Our methods are rational ones, no matter how feared and disliked they may be right now.

No alchemist could deny our accomplishments or our power, nor could they surpass us.

So instead they attempted to ignore us.

We could not be penalized.

So we were treated as if we did not exist.

In the pit that was the Atlas Academy.

The House of Eltnam resided in the deepest darkness.


But even that was not a problem.

Others may view us as fallen, but the pride of Eltnam never wavered.

I worked hard as a proud daughter of Eltnam.

Truly.

I was superior.

Despite my past, I would soon return and demonstrate my abilities.


...... No, not a problem at all.

All those who could not oppose me, could only ignore me.

And I, who possessed abilities worthy of the name Eltnam.

There were no doubts about my future.

None at all.

No reason for doubt anywhere.


But...

I was a slave to my doubts.

What kind of doubts? What was I looking for?

I do not even know the answers to that myself.

The gap between me and everyone else increased moment by moment.

And I didn't notice how heavy my burden had become.


Misaya at night


...... It is time. The sun has set and the town silently turned to night.

Sion: "...... Not good...... already this late?"

I can barely speak through my painfully dry throat.

...... I knew sleeping in a proper room would have been better.

The heat of the day dried my skin so much it crackles as I move.


Sion: "Shiki... already coming. ...... But he's ten minutes early...... Right, I have to keep up so I can warn him."

My connection with Shiki through the Etherlite gives me the occasional glimpse into his thoughts.

It seems he kept busy, spending all day searching for the True Ancestor and for the rumored killer.

Sion: "Is that just part of his personality, I wonder? He really is honest...... Completely different from the genius act which I play."

...... I don't get it.

For some reason I'm not very good at making conversation with Shiki.

It is not painful or unpleasant, but I'm just not very good at it.


Sion: "But now that I think about it... Actually, I've never spoken to someone my age who was of the opposite sex."

So, this is the first time for me.

Well, back then in Atlas, it was unthinkable.

No, that isn't it, I simply did not think about it────

Sion: "Ah......!"

I feel sick.

Everything before me turns red and I feel like I might collapse.

Sion: "───Stop it. Don't think about your circumstances."

Eliminate all thoughts.

Excess thoughts are dangerous.

There is but one thing I need to do.

Negotiate with the True Ancestor and restrain her.

Then, separate her from Tatari, and this time the vampire will───


Shrine


This time I arrived ahead of our agreed meeting time by ten minutes. But just as before, Sion was already there waiting.

Sion: "Good evening, Shiki."

Shiki: "Hey. Just like I thought, you're right on time, Sion."

Sion: "Of course. ...... I didn't expect you to be..."

Shiki: "Eh? What was that, Sion?"

Sion: "Nothing. I don't normally talk to myself, so let's just continue with our patrol."

...... Hmph. For some reason, her face seems pale.

Is she in a bad mood? She seems kind of run down.


Shiki: "Sion, are you okay? You look like you've overdone it..."

Sion: "No need to worry. Management of one's own body is a basic skill for alchemists. More importantly, how about the True Ancestor, Shiki?"

Shiki: "Ah, about that. I couldn't catch her today, either. I think she may be deliberately avoiding me."

Sion: "You may be right. Maybe she is trying to act like some kind of a perfect honor student, just like that agent yesterday."

Shiki: "Heh. No way, that's not Arcueid at all. She is probably just concerned about me."

Sion: "...... Indeed. The workings of the heart are truly foolish, aren't they?"

Sion: "Just as well. So no results today, either."

Shiki: "Well, I wouldn't go that far. I did leave a note in her room. 'I have something important to tell you. You know what I've been doing, so come to the park after midnight. If you don't come, I won't make breakfast for you anymore!'"

Sion: "...... Shiki. Do you really think the True Ancestor will take that seriously?"

Shiki: "Oh, she will. A while ago she and Akiha got in a big fight. However it looked, Arcueid was the one at fault and I told her to apologize."

Shiki: "Of course Arcueid said there was no reason to, but as soon as I threatened to stop cooking her breakfast, she apologized to Akiha properly. That is the best bargaining tactic with her."


I puff my chest out confidently.

Sion stares at me in amazement.

Sion: "I see. I must modify my assumptions about the True Ancestor."

She nods to herself.

Shiki: "Shall we go to the park? Maybe we'll meet her this time, Sion."


Park


The moment we reach the park, I feel something wrong already.

The smell of blood is overpowering.

We run into the depths of the park, fighting our way through the thick night air, to find────


Shiki: "Wh..."

Sion: "────────"

Arcueid: "────"

Under the pale moon.

Above the countless corpses, above the ground dyed with blood, Arcueid stands before us.


Arcueid: "...... Hm. Despite being a failure, this could almost pass as the real thing."

Glancing at the moon overhead, Arcueid laughs amusedly.

There's something strange in the air.

Without a doubt, that is Arcueid.

But there's something slightly different, something not quite right with her.

Arcueid: "At last, you're here. Shiki, you call someone and you don't even meet them on time. Not to mention when you finally arrive, you're with some other woman. Now I'm starting to get ticked off."

She giggles.

The pressure builds in the air around us, the abnormality almost overwhelming.

I start to lose my self−control, just like Akiha does when she is drunk.


Shiki: "Wait... Are you real?"

Arcueid: "Oh? If you have to ask that, then I have to wonder about you."

Arcueid: "Well, we'll find out soon enough───you there, magus. You have some business with me?"

Sion: "Yes. My name is Sion Eltnam Atlasia. As an alchemist, I seek your cooperation for a great undertaking, Princess of the True Ancestors."

Arcueid: "Cooperate with me? How rare for someone outside The Church to say that. ...... Fine, let's hear it. I'll listen if you don't bore me."

Sion: "...... Yes. I am researching the process of vampirism. Those who had their blood drank by True Ancestors and became Dead Apostles. Against this one−way process I−"

Arcueid: "Hmm? Then, you mean..."


Sion: "Yes, nothing short of curing vampirism. There is some abnormality in your kind's blood that causes humans to change. If so, then there has to be something which could cause them to turn back. For that, I need the blood of an original True Ancestor────"

Arcueid: "Oh, that? No, no way. That's boring, so we'll just stop here."

Sion: "......! You can't just dismiss that as boring. When you get down to it, isn't it just a disease you are all spreading? You can't just ignore the Dead Apostles like that......!"

Arcueid: "Oh, I didn't say the Dead Apostles were boring. I'm saying that you're boring."

Sion: "────What... do you mean by that?"

Arcueid: "I mean, that is impossible. Once humans become vampires, they can never go back. You can't turn back time, Sion Eltnam Atlasia."

Arcueid: "And isn't your purpose different? Curing vampirism? That's a lie. You know yourself that is impossible."

Sion: "────"


Arcueid: "Isn't that right? Because you've already long since───"

Sion: "Quiet────!"

Sion: "It was foolish of me to ask for your help. Humans and True Ancestors can never work together willingly. I will force you to cooperate!"

Sion dips slightly.

In an instant, her gun is out, and she charges at Arcueid.

Shiki: "Wha───Sion, wait......!"

My voice of reason doesn't make it on time.

Sion rushes to attack the composedly lounging Arcueid.


Sion vs Arcueid

Sion wins


Sion: "I've read your moves───Victory is mine, Arcueid Brunestud......!"

Arcueid: "...... Using your speed of thought in order to predict your opponent's movements...... Analyzing the probability of all fluctuations and choosing the most suitable attack, Alchemist of Atlas?"

Arcueid: "But, even if you can know the future, you can not resist it. Humans in a sinking ship who know their final hour can gain no benefit from such knowledge."

Sion: "............"

Arcueid: "But that is the destined outcome of a fight between you and I. You may predict my movements and try to counter, but you can't really oppose me. You can't change a gun's lethality. Even if you know the bullet's path, you lack the ability to dodge it."

Sion: "...... It is as you say. The alchemists of Atlas will not go through with an experiment if they do not have all the ingredients for success. ...... Indeed, no matter how I approached the problem, I lacked the elements to defeat you in a fight."

Arcueid: "You understand, then. But you did keep up with me. If you can do at least that much, then why do you even bother with alchemy in the first place?"

Sion: "..............."


Arcueid: "But that doesn't really concern me. I'm less curious about you than I am about why Shiki is spacing out over there."

Arcueid: "So, Shiki. Why the heck did you call me and then show up with that woman? ...... Don't tell me you're actually the fake?"

Shiki: "Fake... Isn't that my line? What's that mountain of dead bodies then? What about you, are you really Arcueid?"

Arcueid: "That wasn't me. You did it before you came here."

Shiki: "Eh......? I, I did it......?"


Arcueid: "Yeah. Although when I watched it, you looked a little fake. ...... In any case, it seems like we all have been influenced by that thing. If you don't watch out, you just might turn into a true killer."

Shiki: "Turn into a true killer? ...... You mean, um...... what do you mean?"

Arcueid: "The realization of anxiety. You were the one who stacked this pile of dead bodies. Isn't Ciel looking for you right now? ...... Although in the first place, you can't really call this murder."

Shiki: "Stup──what are you doing, Arcueid! It's already too late, stop kicking those bodies around like that!"

Arcueid: "Oh Shiki, you're still tricked. Just take a closer look at all this, won't you?"

Shiki: "A closer look, you...... huh? What is this? ...... Just some scraps of food and trash?"


Shiki: "Huh? Huhhhhh!? What is this!? I swear there were bloody corpses right here......!?"

Arcueid: "See? You were deceived. Shiki, you've had some very bad experiences so you are more likely to make this stuff real."

Shiki: "......... Is it okay if I ask a question, Arcueid?"

Arcueid: "Yeah, sure."

Shiki: "...... Um, what's going on?"

Arcueid: "Isn't it obvious? A pile of trash you mistook for a mountain of bodies. The work of a killer───no, a vampire."


Shiki: "A vampire? The model for all of these rumors around town? Ciel−Senpai was looking, but I should've known you would be too."

Arcueid: "What's this? You already spoke with Ciel? ...... That's strange, then even if it does appear it may not be a bad time......"

Arcueid: "Oh, I see. Because I'm here it hasn't decided on a form yet. ...... That idiot. So greedy, yet it can only end in self−destruction."

Shiki: "...... Arcueid. You're the only one understanding everything... can't you just help me out a little?"

Arcueid: "That girl over there has all the details. I can't really explain about the Dead Apostle this time, and isn't better to hear from somebody involved in all this?"

Shiki: "Involved... you mean Sion?"


Sion: ".................."

Arcueid: "Exactly. You know, I really want to kill her, but you would probably get in the way, right?"

Shiki: "Are you stupid? Of course I would. What's with this crazy merciless attitude all of a sudden?"

Arcueid: "Hey. I said I'm letting you go, Alchemist. Until I've confirmed the strength of this vampire, I won't be wasting any of my power."

Shiki: "Ah───"

Sion: "She left before we could stop her. Since we cannot keep up, pursuing her would be useless."

Sion: "Furthermore, it is dangerous to stay here. I don't think there will be anyone else around on a sweltering night like this, but even if there was just one, you might be branded as a criminal."

Shiki: "...... Criminal? I didn't kill anyone or anything."

Sion: "Perception is reality. Anyway, it is a good idea to move somewhere else. More trivial matters are likely to occur if we stay here."

Shiki: "...... Got it. Well, I really don't get what you're saying, but let's just leave here."


Distant Farewell

Stardust


Shiki: "About what Arcueid said earlier..."

Sion: "............"

Shiki: "When Arcueid said you were involved, what was she talking about?"

Sion: ".................."

Shiki: "Sion, you said you didn't know much about what was happening, but you really do, don't you? I don't know why you were hiding it, but......"

Sion: "I was not hiding it. It was the truth that I only knew as much as you did about the rumors."


Sion: "...... But, yes. I do know more than you do about the Dead Apostle hiding in this town."

Shiki: "I knew you'd be difficult. If you knew about it how come you kept quiet?"

Sion: "Because you were just looking for the rumored vampire. For example, it would be like just buying medicine whenever you were sick. You didn't buy the medicine because you wanted to find out what was in it, right? So it was meaningless to explain everything about that Dead Apostle."

Shiki: "...... Hey, there IS a meaning to it. If you don't know your opponent, you won't know how to counter him. He's just a rumor after all, so we don't know if he's really that bad. And if we can resolve this by talking it'll be much better."

Sion: "How laid back. If you think you can talk with it then you are so wrong it gives me the chills."


Sion: "...... This is against my better judgment, but consider it a reward for agreeing to help me. Right now you seem to simply want peace with that vampire. But if you die on me because of it, my ability to finish this may be in question."

Sion: "Shiki. The source of the rumors in town, the Dead Apostle that the True Ancestor and the agent of The Church are searching for is the one called 'Tatari'."

Shiki: "Tatari......? You mean, like a curse?"

Sion: "Yes, the etymology derives from this country's word for 'curse'. The Dead Apostle Tatari is a vampire lacking independent individuality. It pieces together anxiety from the bits of rumors to appear real and feeds in cycles."

Shiki: "A rumor that appears real and feeds in cycles?"

Sion: "Yes. A criminal that revels in the reactions of others to its deeds. Dead Apostles are normally not content with simply drinking blood as the years pass. They make their own rules and take pleasure not only in drinking blood, but in protecting those rules."


Sion: "To make matters worse, Tatari has the ability to gather up rumors. Similar to the True Ancestor's Marble Phantasm, Tatari is able to materialize the imagination of humans. So the more uneasy humans are and the more bad rumors spread, the more its power grows."

Shiki: "...... Hey. Then... you mean in the absence of bad rumors he can't exist?"

Sion: "Yes, a curse's strength is extreme anxiety, and operating on this principle, it can transform general rumors into reality. That which is called Tatari truly does have the ability to materialize rumors. It is one kind of what we call a Reality Marble. Strong Dead Apostles are able to create within themselves a differing reality from the outside world. This Reality Marble is a separate world created from one's imagination. Usually its form is constantly fixed, but Tatari's Reality Marble is something which 'takes form from nearby humans'. Because of that, the contents of the Reality Marble are separate from that of the world around it."


Sion: "Reality Marbles are also very short−lived. No matter how strong a Dead Apostle is, he can not maintain one for more than a single night."

Shiki: "...... A single night is the limit...... Is that why the rumors of the killer are only at night?"

Sion: "No, Tatari has not yet occurred. In order to take form, the rumors must spread through town in order to increase their probability. Right now, Tatari is only a rumor. But just rumors cannot kill anyone in reality, right?"

Sion: "Tatari is spreading roots through this town, permeating it with unpleasant rumors. As time passes, the rumors start to turn to reality and it can occur due to the bizarre circumstances. ...... That means the likelihood of a true killer or vampire serving as a model is high. In any case, thanks to all of those incidents which occurred before, I think it is only natural for the people of this town to feel uneasy about it."

Shiki: "──Oh? In other words, this Dead Apostle named Tatari hasn't drunk blood in this town yet and he has to wait until the rumors become closer to reality before he can?"


Sion: "To put it succinctly, yes. For Tatari, the town in which he appears is only one stage and the audience has just arrived. Their imaginations fuel the play, and when the seats are filled──"

Shiki: "Tatari appears. ────The curtain rises?"

Sion: "Yes, for one night. In the past, Tatari would claim victim after victim in the town in which he occurred until it was morning. At times, it would be given to preying on everyone in the whole town. At any rate, he was the "unpleasant rumor" everyone in town believed in. Humans cannot fight back against their own nightmares, their worst fears given shape. Because they cannot fight back, it truly is a nightmare. And────"

Shiki: "...... Once the curse begins, there's no stopping it?"

Sion: "Correct. And you are also part of the audience. No, you might just be the guest of honor. There is a high possibility whatever unpleasantness you think of will become Tatari."

Shiki: "Eh? Wh−why me?"


Sion: "You are the human most tied to the True Ancestor. You are the one receiving the True Ancestor's...... favor, so this town is considered quite desirable for an appearance."

Shiki: "The True Ancestor's favor......? If, if that's what you think, you're a little mistaken... but why would that make me such a desirable target?"

Sion: "You know the True Ancestor very well, right? If you think about it, it is very obvious. The absolute worst 'nightmare' in this town would be a True Ancestor gone mad."

Shiki: "Eh──Then, um...... if I get worried about Arcueid indiscriminately drinking blood, or think that Ciel−senpai and Akiha getting in a fight would be bad, then......"


Sion: "Then the chances of that becoming reality is high. Curses work more on the principle of changing things which exist rather than creating something out of nothing. Please think of Tatari as a sort of Dead Apostle who uses 'curses' as familiars. In this case, wouldn't it simply be easier for Tatari to take possession of the True Ancestor and start rampaging rather than truly becoming a rampaging True Ancestor? Consequently, your image of unpleasantness is much more clearly defined than anyone else's. Having seen so many real vampires, you provide a far more vivid image from which to construct a false one."

Shiki: "──────────────────────────────────────────────Hey, wait a minute."

Shiki: "Then, if I imagine that guy, for instance..."

Nrvnqsr

Shiki: "If I get troubled thinking about that..."

Nanatsu Yoru


Sion: "────!"

Shiki: "Sion......?"

Sion: "Ah...... oh, ghh────!"

Shiki: "Sion, what's wrong!? Are you hurt from your fight with Arcueid......!?"

Sion: "No────that is not, it."

Sion: "I just suddenly became nauseous, no need for concern. More importantly, Shiki, what are you going to do now?"

Shiki: "......? Why do you ask that?"


Sion: "Our efforts to negotiate with the True Ancestor failed. But there still remains the possibility. Her top priority is dealing with Tatari, so we may still use it as a bargaining chip."

Sion: "In other words, there is no need for you to act as a mediator. You can just go back to──"

Shiki: "Hm? Ah, in that case, then let's do it together. I'm looking for the vampire anyway, and you have to do something about Tatari before you can talk with Arcueid."

Shiki: "And we are partners after all. You're a help to me too."

Sion: "───I am surprised. Shiki, you still intend to help me?"

Shiki: "?"


Sion: "Well, I...... I do not have any more information for you. And───I'm still hiding so much."

Shiki: "Haven't you answered whatever I asked? If I don't understand anything, all I have to do is ask, right?"

Sion: "────────"

Shiki: "Anyway, let's just roam around for a while. We still need to do something about this Tatari Dead Apostle before his curse becomes real."


Misaya at night


───With that, Shiki and I began to search together.


...... I wonder why.

There is no need since the True Ancestor has refused to cooperate.

And he still doesn't understand what Tatari is if he thinks he can just run into it while we walk around like this.

────It is meaningless.

If it was so easy to run across Tatari like that, it would have already been sealed by The Church long ago.

Understanding the futility, I still continue to search with Shiki.


In other words, the reason is unknown.

...... I can't believe it.

Things I do not understand discomfort me.

So why am I...?

This lack of understanding is probably getting on my nerves.


"Sion, maybe this direction is better?"

"There is nothing in that direction. Traces would be found not in the center of town but at its edges."

"...... Its edges... let's see, the park, my family's mansion, the industrial sector, the brand new construction site...... oh, the school? That's where the vampire's lair was before."

"It is of no importance if you exclude the school. During this holiday there will be no one there, correct? Tatari will not appear where no rumors will start, in other words, a place where no people gather."

"Oh. Then let's head off to the construction site."


...... My choice of words was not correct.

Tatari does not like crowded places.

Instead, places where one can view signs of life are desired.

Then, elevated places such as the school or the Tohno Mansion are desired.


...... We hurry to the construction site.

The place where Shiki had to experience a parting.

His thoughts flow into me through the Etherlite.

Despite appearing calm, his thoughts are full of his classmate that became a vampire.


".................."

Those thoughts become painful.

A deeper look at Shiki's true state shows him to be an austere monk treading across a mountain of needles.

But unconsciously,

He repeatedly tells himself to ignore the path so he can continue walking forward.

"............ sst."

Should I just cut the connection with the Etherlite?

If I do that, his thoughts will no longer flow towards me.

That is where the nausea came from earlier.

Shiki was imaging the thought of "blood" so freshly I practically became drunk on it.


"Sion, be careful. The steps are crumbling and it isn't very bright, so watch your step."

"I know. I can see that much by the moonlight."

"Yeah, it's almost a full moon. I guess it is bright tonight."


After he says that I look up to the sky.

The golden moon hangs overhead.

...... The dark, chaotic ruins remind me of that night.

The night three years ago.

That one night in the mountain village.

The village destroyed by Tatari.

I was the only one who survived.

...... No, I was allowed to escape.

I shamefully escaped from that thing, from which it is impossible to live after having your blood drank by it────


"...... Shiki. Can I ask you a question? Do you hate vampires?"

"That's a pretty tough question, Sion."

In the darkness, Shiki takes a step forward.

Right behind him.

"───I hate them. There's no doubt about it."

For a brief second, I sense an icy intent to kill.


"But my hatred isn't directed towards them. Only humans have a conception of good and evil."

"I see. I..."

There is no good or evil when it comes to vampires.

Just displeasure at drinking blood.


A monster that drinks human blood.

A usurper who steals human blood.

That monster let me alone escape.

I asked it why it let me go.

"What do you mean? I feel sorry for my own kind."

Saying that as it smiled, it disappeared.

To think that is one of my relatives makes me so angry I could go crazy.

One in whom the blood of Eltnam flows.

The same blood of Eltnam within me.

This body which can no longer turn back.


"It looks like this way is a bust. I was thinking maybe the center of town seemed suspicious..."

...... Red. I don't like the color red.

"Shall we go back for now? Next time we'll try that."

...... Blood. I don't like to remember blood.

"...... Sion."

...... To need something like that, who────

"Sion, hey. Are you okay? Sion......!"


          ...... So, I won't allow it.   
            
          The one who let only me escape,   
            
          Myself, who escaped,   
            
          And this weak flesh of mine.  

...... Yes.

This time, in order to lower the curtain on the midsummer night's dream────


Park


Shiki: "...... Oof. I've managed to carry her this far."

I place Sion gently down on the bench.

Unconscious, she lies there breathing painfully.

...... Sion may have some sort of chronic disease.

She looks worse than when I met her and she did just collapse after all.

Shiki: "...... Well then, what do I do now? I don't know where she sleeps, and it would be a problem if I just left her here......"

Of course, I'll stay with her until she wakes up, but I want to take her somewhere else.

Why────

Shiki: "...... Taking her here in the dead of night wasn't a good idea. There was even that trouble with Arcueid just a little earlier......"


But there really is no other place I can take her.

My place is of course out of the question.

Just what would Akiha, Hisui and Kohaku−san think about me then?

Senpai's room and Arcueid's place are the same.

In that case, I just have to tend to her until morning......


???: "I understand your fear, human. Staying in a place like that, you must fear the memory of that night you spent here."

Shiki: "────!?"

I whirl around to face that voice.

I see────


Nrvnqsr: "The fear saturating you is impossible to erase. It is difficult to banish it into oblivion when it spawns from the darkness within you."

Shiki: "You────why are you here?"

Nrvnqsr: "There is no why; no right or wrong. I simply exist here as myself. I must be a fake, not reality. I may be an impossible existence... a decaying corpse, but if allowed to exist, I will turn myself into reality."

The vampire in the black overcoat.

Chaos.

The enemy I once defeated, the one who clothed himself with 666 familiars draws closer to me.


Shiki: "────You wish, to fight?"

Nrvnqsr: "Naturally. You were the one yearning for annihilation. A curse is no more than one's sin returning to them. Therefore───this curse is the fruit of your own wandering thoughts of your self−destruction."

Shiki: "kk────!"

His black coat flutters.

From that darkness flow countless beasts.

Sion: "Run away, Shiki......!"

Sion: "Ergh......!"


Nrvnqsr: "Oh? Another one? But a magus. Not many circuits, but of fine quality."

Nrvnqsr: "It has been a long time since I last fed on a magus. But be assured. I will inherit your intellect; it will not be wasted."

Sion: "Shiki, you───of all things, you had to think of THAT here......!?"

Shiki: "Uwaa! Then it's my fault he came after all!?"

Sion: "Did I not say Tatari was something which could not exist unless it received the influence of others? A monster which could not normally exist, one which gives rise from the fears of others. To you, Nrvnqsr Chaos is a curse which embodies both of those things. It is exactly the kind of form that Tatari impatiently waits for during the full moon!"

Shiki: "Wha───you mean, he......?"

Sion: "Yes, that is the Dead Apostle called Tatari. ...... Things are moving faster than planned, but it can not be helped."

Sion gets in a fighting stance.

...... The vampire which made his appearance raises his hand towards us in perfect composure, just like that time before.

Shiki: "───Excellent. I defeated you once before, and if you insist, I will defeat you as many times as it takes......!"

I ready my knife and advance toward the vampire.

My knife, and Sion's thread.

They mingle with his roar underneath the full moon────


Shiki/Sion vs Nrvnqsr

Shiki/Sion win


Shiki: "Gah......!"

Nrvnqsr: "Not bad. As to be expected from Number 10. It exceeds even my former potential."

Nrvnqsr: "But───in these circumstances, it will not be enough────"

Shiki: "What's going on? ...... He's, fading......?"

Sion: "──Too early. After all, you are the only one for whom Nrvnqsr Chaos is a strongly held fear. There is not enough strength of rumor for full conceptualization. In that state, anyone could kill Tatari───"

Shiki: "An opening............!"

Nrvnqsr: "Ah─"

Sion: "────"

Nrvnqsr: "I am to be killed by you a second time?"

Nrvnqsr: "I see. Myself or even our Ancestors are but frail beings before an exception like you. Perhaps an irregularity like you can even summon the Princess and bestow upon me that form."

Nrvnqsr: "Very well. Being one of the 27 Dead Apostle Ancestors has lost its flavor. ───Being an original would be much more appropriate for my final form."


Sion: "───I can't believe it."

Even if it is pointless, that statement escapes my lips.

The eyes of Tohno Shiki see Death.

Not the death of substance, but the death of meaning, of existence itself.

I knew that from reading his data.

But I didn't understand it.


He truly is a God of Death.


Sion: "...... Tatari's incomplete form is information. To be able to attack and eliminate it like a tangible object is──"

What a wild card.

For him───he can probably kill concepts beyond human comprehension.

Shiki: "Gone...... did I defeat it?"

Shiki says this in half−disbelief.

...... It isn't because it was simple compared to the long−gone Dead Apostle.

In the first place, if Tatari is composed only of information, he cannot be a challenge.

Shiki, being well−tuned to the life and death of an opponent he defeated before, is simply able to perceive the passing once more.


Shiki: "Sion, just now..."

Sion: "...... Yes, it is finished. You have destroyed the vampire you were looking for, Shiki."

Shiki: "──For real?"

Sion: "Yes. Well done, Shiki. You destroyed Tatari before there were any victims."

Shiki: "────────"


...... I lied.

With such an obvious lie, he might be able to tell.

But, he really has no way of denying it.


I am his only source of information regarding Tatari.

If I say "it is finished", then all he can do is nod.

Shiki: "I see. Got it."

Shiki: "Well then, what are you going to do, Sion? That Dead Apostle Tatari... he's gone now."

Sion: "As the True Ancestor will not cooperate with me, I have no need for this town, or for you. I will soon be leaving."

Shiki: "? Is it really okay? About Arcueid?"

Sion: "Yes. In the first place, I knew my chances of gaining her cooperation were low. Our negotiations failed, so there is no second time. Rather than waste time negotiating, it would be better for me to return to my research. That has always been my goal."


Shiki: "Oh. That's fine, but in that case,"

It would be better to just go back, he says in a perfectly natural tone as he stops.

Sion: "────────"

His words,

they are correct.

For me, it is meaningless to search for Tatari tonight.

I understood it was meaningless for me to try to use Tatari in the negotiations with the True Ancestor.

So,

that is why I agreed to search for the vampire with Shiki, even though it promised only a small chance of success.


Shiki: "Sion? What's wrong? You don't look too well again."

Sion: "No, there is no need to worry."

In other words, even if it was just briefly, I worked with Shiki unselfishly.

The reason is so simple, it almost does not come to mind.

────What is this? Does this mean... I have a liking for him?


Sion: "────────"

Shiki: "Wha−what is it, Sion? Suddenly staring at my face like that..."

Sion: "────────"

Shiki is flustered.

Probably because my behavior is different than usual.

Yeah, I feel the same way.

Until now, I never really spoke with someone of the opposite gender close to my own age.

Until now, I never held a strong interest in that.

I never knew it was this easy for people to start liking one another.


It is troubling.

My chest starts to get tighter, and my face starts to get hotter.

It is a failure of the fundamental control all alchemists learn.

But, just as well.

It does not appear to be a negative sensation.

Perhaps a dog running on the ground that suddenly became able to fly would feel this same exaltation.

Thinking that, I suddenly feel a strange happiness.


Sion: "Sst............!!!!!"

───I'm suddenly overwhelmed by nausea.

Shiki: "Sion? You've been acting a little strange for a while now. Isn't it better to just rest after all?"

Sion: "...... I am feeling poorly, so I will return. Because the vampire causing disturbances in this town is now gone, our cooperative relationship is now finished."

Shiki: "Yeah, that's true."

Sion: "Then, we will part here. Farewell, Shiki."


...... I withdraw my Etherlite from Shiki.

The thread connecting us is now broken.

The contract between us also reaches its end.


I turn away from him.

My nausea vanishes, as does my feeling of exaltation.

──With that, the type of miracle occurring until now becomes elucidated.


Because I never liked anyone, I could only feel unhappy about myself.


So, I endured it.

I endured it by my dry, empty, and meaningless actions.


What moved me was emotions that I never truly felt before.

These emotions...

No, the emotion of liking something was barely a part of my life.

So these past three years, I just endured it.

But, even that is at an end.

Whether I like someone or not, this body has reached its limit.


This body has reached a level where I can no longer maintain it without drinking blood.

...... But, maybe there is a plus side.

A human before it transforms into a vampire.

Being bitten by a vampire, a human that can only become a vampire is brought down by one thing.

"Wanting someone else."

Just that simple emotion.

I know that now.


Hologram Summer, Lord of Lies

Night ON THE BLOOD LIAR


...... Hot.

My throat is parched.

How long has it been since my thirst has been quenched?


My body is harmed by the rising sun.

In exchange, these abilities far surpass my previous ones.

That is only natural.

If your momentum increases, you must increase your intake of nutrients.

Regular food will not suffice.

It will not satisfy.

This thirst will not leave me.


Red, blood, screaming from anguish.

This body which can only be healed by corruption.

Always.

For these past three years, I have always resisted the temptation.

───That night.

Ever since that summer when I was bitten by Tatari.


...... Hot. Hot. Hot.

The walls of my throat stick together, as if to block off my head from the rest of my body.

My head floats above my body, as if not even attached.

There is only one way to bring everything together.

There are no nerves connecting the limbs of a vampire.

What connects a vampire is just red, red blood.

Moreover, the blood of others.

Vampires cannot survive without stealing the blood of others.

...... I won't do it. I will never do it.

I never want to be the same as that one.

Because, an existence like mine that cannot survive without stealing from others is a mistake.


...... But at the same time, I know.

It is only natural to require a greater intake of energy in order to maintain such a desired existence, an existence where such a supreme level of life force exists.

The race of vampires is an existence far beyond that of humans.

So a human diet could not compare to that of a vampire's.

In other words... red. Blood. Anguish. Despair.

Of course, you cannot say that is normal.

But, the energy it provides is immense.


I know that. I understand.

As an alchemist, what makes sense is justified.

So, does that make the race of vampires justified?

For them, as living organisms, they are not doing anything wrong.

Drinking blood is a totally natural phenomenon, without any shame.


...... But, I continue my refusal to do it.

I don't understand.

Why do I keep clinging to my "humanity"?


...... It does not add up.

Some numerical value must be incorrect.

Otherwise, I would not still have these doubts.

I can think of this all calmly.

But just where, when, and what is mistaken?───


Sion: "...... What is mistaken?"

......

Mumbling that, I awaken.

Sion: "...... Night. It is finally a full moon."

That is the time limit.

All the ripening rumors will become Tatari tonight.

My true goal.

Bringing vengeance to the one who initiated me into the race of vampires.

Attacking the enemy of Eltnam.


Sion: "It will end here. No matter what, by tomorrow..."

I think I am finished.

...... These past three years.

Never returning to Atlas, continuing my flight from The Church, and my relentless pursuit.

All in these past three years.


During that time, all I have gained is just an understanding that my vampiric impulse may cause me to develop a liking for others?

Sion: "...... In the end, I didn't even discover what was wrong."

Not that I wanted an answer.

All I wanted to know was where I, Sion Eltnam, went wrong.

I didn't need an answer.

Because, that was...


Sion: "───After all, Even if I found an answer, the dullness of my existence would not change."


...... It isn't that what is wrong is right. Just, I only wanted to know what was wrong.

...... All the same, I couldn't even fulfill that simple desire.


Sion: "───Time to go. Tonight, will be the last night."

I emerge from the back alley.

There is only one place to go.

That shrine where the whole town can be seen.

Where he and I first met───


Shrine


The tall, partially constructed skyscraper.

This place, by some strange twist of fate called "Shrine", will be my final stop tonight.

I knew from the very beginning where Tatari would converge.

I didn't come to this city because I could sense his presence like an agent or a hunter.

I reached my conclusions through my calculations.

They projected a location, and this city matched it.

Sion: "Almost time? This time, I will..."

Even if I am alone, I will defeat Tatari.


Sion: "────────"

My entire body freezes.

Just thinking that I am unable to combat that monster causes my thoughts to halt.

That is only natural.

Not knowing what shape it will take, I do not know if I can hold my own against it.

An enemy who has not taken form cannot be analyzed for data.

Alchemists are those who fight using information.

Yet, I do not even have that to draw on.

Sion: "────I must go. It is almost midnight."


With shaking legs, I advance forward with my mind still encased in ice.

And then,


Shiki: "Ah, you finally came."

In the entrance to the building,

Shiki: "Hey. You're an hour late, Sion."

He's there, raising his hand in easy greeting.


Sion: "...................................... Shiki?"

Shiki: "Yeah...... but what's with that expression? You look like you've seen a ghost.

Sion: "Because────you, why?"

Shiki: "Why not? Didn't we promise? Until we both met our objectives, that we would cooperate? So, it's not quite over yet. You haven't found what you were looking for, Sion."

Sion: "────"


...... I see.

In short, he saw through everything and was playing dumb.

I am a little surprised.

My Etherlite is detached, so I don't know what he is thinking.

But I truly know just how good of a person he is.

Because he knew he didn't destroy the vampire, and that I was hiding something from him.

Yet he still waited for Sion Eltnam just like before.


Sion: "...... Certainly, there still remains one of my objectives, but that is my problem. Your objective was met last night, so I do not think there is any reason for you to wait for me."

Shiki: "Oh, yeah. Sorry, but please don't worry about it. After all, I couldn't quite rest easy unless it was completely confirmed. If the vampire was still here, it would be bad."

Shiki: "I'm not finished yet so there's no reason for me to go back. ...... Well, since our goals are pretty similar, can't we just team up like before? So, let's stay together a little longer."

Sion: "I do not mind, but I cannot bear responsibility for what happens. It will get deadly, and I will look out for myself more than for you. Are you still okay with that?"

Shiki: "Sure. I do the same thing, so I won't mind one bit."

Sion: "Hm, I wonder."


Shiki: "Hm? Did you say something, Sion?"

Sion: "I cannot believe what you just said, but I do not mind."

Sion: "Because, I can believe in you, Shiki."

Shiki: "────"


And, the two of us enter the building.

My legs which were shaking so hard earlier slip into an easy gait as if my trembling from before never happened.

Probably because I am happy.

To not fool myself and say it bluntly, I am overjoyed.

...... I am less embarrassed than I thought I would be.

Moreover, I feel splendid.


───Now, time to switch off my emotions.

I have to try as hard as I can to hide my feelings from Shiki and act like the way I was before──


Elevator in the Shrine


The elevator rises.

There wasn't any electricity, but after a little fiddling by Sion, our trip to the rooftop began.

Shiki: "Hey, Sion. Yesterday, we defeated the Tatari that became Nrvnqsr. Yet he's still here. ...... Does that mean we have to defeat the true Tatari?"

Sion: "No. When it comes to Tatari, there is no such thing as 'true Tatari' or 'fake Tatari'. ...... Yes, not even you can completely kill Tatari. It is special among all the 27 Ancestors of th Dead Apostles."

Shiki: "Huh?"

Sion: "Tatari can exist forever through others. The same as Roa, the Infinite Reincarnator."

Shiki: "Wait, wait a minute, Sion......! What did you say just now......!?"

Sion: "Hm? Ah, about Roa. You were connected to him, weren't you?"

Shiki: "Yeah, I was...... wait, that's not it! What you said before! Um, what did you say exactly about Tatari!?"

Sion: "Tatari is one of the 27 Ancestors of the Dead Apostles. ...... Hm, come to think of it, I never did tell you."


Shiki: "No, you didn't!───Those 27 Ancestors of the Dead Apostles are the strongest, aren't they!? I never knew he was one of those!"

Sion: "That was an omission on my part. I will explain everything, so please do not be angry."

Sion: "Simply put, Tatari is an unprecedented vampire. The Dead Apostles are only humans who became vampires. They are second generation vampires who are their own breed of vampires apart from the True Ancestors. The highest among these are called the 27 Ancestors."

Sion: "Among these 27, there are those whose true form is unknown. Even other Dead Apostles do not know of them, and not even The Church pursues them. Because they are Ancestors, the others of the 27 do not face them either. Their existence is strange even among vampires. Enigmas which stray from the norms of the 27. That is Tatari───Number 13. The vampire called 'The Night of Wallachia'."


Shiki: "The Night of Wallachia? ...... I've heard something about that from Senpai. The Church knows where the lairs of the 27 Ancestors are, with the exception of one of them......"

Sion: "Yes. Tatari──No, 'The Night of Wallachia' does not have a lair. In the first place, it is something that does not even exist in this world."

Shiki: "...... Something that doesn't even exist in this world......? You mean, he's dead?"

Sion: "No. There are those among the Ancestors that exist even though their bodies have been destroyed. Simply, you cannot destroy the 27 Ancestors by destroying just their bodies. But that is not what I meant. 'The Night of Wallachia' truly does not exist. A Dead Apostle that cannot exist unless certain conditions are met. But as long as they are met, it is a Dead Apostle that can live forever. That is the form of the immortality possessed by 'The Night of Wallachia'."


Shiki: "Immortality? ...... Not even Dead Apostles last forever, yet they still yearn for eternity...... right?"

Sion: "Those are the words of the Infinite Reincarnator Roa. Yes, 'The Night of Wallachia' resembles him terribly. It does not independently exist eternally, only by others."

Sion: "Dead Apostles are immortal, but not eternal. An immortality which requires them to drink the blood of others means they will not age, but does not mean they will not die. Most Ancestors work to perfect that incomplete immortality, but they all fall short. Among them, there are those who seek eternity not from themselves, but from others. One was Michael Roa Valdamjong. A Dead Apostle who reincarnated into those with ability. Another is 'The Night of Wallachia', Zepia Eltnam Oberon. He took another approach from Roa, but still obtains eternity through others."


Shiki: "Zepia Eltnam Oberon...... Wait, his name is the same as......!"

Sion: "The Night of Wallachia's original, the vampire Zepia, is my ancestor. More precisely, the admired and unparalleled head of the Eltnam House three generations ago."

Shiki: "───Then, you wanting to defeat Tatari...... uh, The Night of Wallachia is, um..."

Sion: "Certainly Zepia dirtied the name of Eltnam. He violated the precepts of Atlas by conducting research in the outside world and becoming a vampire. As a result, the Eltnams lost all influence within Atlas. You can say that sin is a permanent scar on the name of Eltnam."

Shiki: "...... Then, you wanting to defeat The Night of Wallachia is a matter of erasing that sin?"

Sion: "No. It is simply a matter of self−preservation to do so. ...... Three years ago, The Night of Wallachia occurred in a remote, country village in Italy. Of course, even The Church that normally lets The Night of Wallachia run free wouldn't want a slaughter happening in their backyard. As a countermeasure, they requested the help of the Atlas Academy. The Night of Wallachia was originally an alchemist. They thought those from the Atlas Academy would be helpful."

Sion: "I volunteered to provide that aid. It wasn't that I had any interest in The Night of Wallachia. I merely wanted to gain data from the outside world. ...... And that is how both I and The Night of Wallachia...... Tatari encountered one another. The detachment of Knights sent to the mountain village to combat Tatari was entirely destroyed. The people of the village were drained of their blood and died. Even I───"

Shiki: "...... Sorry. You don't have to tell me any more. I feel bad for forcing you to tell me so much."


Sion: "No, if you are to fight The Night of Wallachia, you must hear everything. I was bitten by The Night of Wallachia. ...... Half of the body of Sion Eltnam became that of a vampire. Yet The Night of Wallachia's existence as a vampire is imperfect. It can only appear as a vampire for one night and only after a number of years. Thanks to that, I did not fully transform into a vampire. These past three years, I did not receive any influence from The Night of Wallachia, my parent vampire."

Shiki: "...... I see. Humans bit by a Dead Apostle must obey the orders of their parent vampire and drink blood, gradually gaining independence. Since you haven't received any of the vampiric impulse from The Night of Wallachia, you don't have to drink any blood."

Sion: "...... No, I do have the vampiric impulse inside me. Little by little, I am turning into a vampire. As a result, I need blood. And if I did drink blood, the transformation process would accelerate greatly."

Sion: "...... So before I become a vampire, I have to find a cure for vampirism. At the same time, I have to defeat The Night of Wallachia, before he can command me. ...... If I do not, I will be unable to resist his urge to drink blood. ───Shiki. That is the reason I pursue Tatari. I am one who was bitten by The Night of Wallachia. I am sure you know what that means."

Shiki: "───In the worst case, you would have to do everything Wallachia tells you to?"

Sion: "Yes, if that happens, I ask you to please kill me without delay. It probably really is possible for you to kill The Night of Wallachia. It would be better for you to remain than I."

Shiki: "...... I just have one question. Sion, you don't intend to lose, do you?"

Sion: "───Of course not. If that was the case, I would not even be here. For an alchemist of Atlas, fighting is only done when victory is the outcome. I do not fight battles I am sure to lose."

Shiki: "Alright, understood. If you ever seem to be succumbing to him, I will finish you right away."

Sion: "...... Yes. If that ever happens, please do."


Shiki: "We're here at the rooftop."

Sion: "───Let's go, Shiki. At midnight, The Night of Wallachia will begin. Whatever form it takes, The Night of Wallachia can only be defeated when it becomes Tatari. So──"

Shiki: "This is our first and last chance, right? I got it...... After all, I don't feel like meeting up with someone who has such sick tastes any more than I have to."

Sion pushes the control panel.

The not−quite finished elevator groans as the door opens.


Shrine Rooftop


ball

Ruins devoid of human life.

The darkness pools here, with only the moon andstars for illumination.

Shiki: "! Sion, that's────"

Sion: "...... The Night of Wallachia. It seems it could not wait to become Tatari───"

───Thump.

The sound of a heartbeat.

It feels like my veins are bursting.

Saying, "die".

Kill your reason.

Does stealing blood from people bring so much pleasure?

It seems to appeal not to my mind, but to my body.


Sion: "────Ah."

Shiki: "Look lively now, Sion. Your enemy is right in front of us."

...... I can hear Shiki's reprimand.

A warning truly a mix between a light remark and an angry one.

Probably because of that...

Sion: "...... I understand. Against this, I can..."

I can hold onto myself against Wallachia.

Sion: "How long do you plan on being quiet, Wallachia? If you are almost close to taking form, then you should be aware. Because it's your last time, I'll listen to your last words."


???: "────────How tasteless."

A voice like dark magic echoing from nowhere.

Shiki: "────────"

Shiki quietly removes his glasses.

To prevent Wallachia from advancing further, I point my gun at him.

???: "Coming backstage before a performance... You haven't grown at all since that one night, have you, Eltnam? It seems after hundreds of years the members of Atlas have yet to gain any refinement."

Sion: "A────ah............!"

The pulsing inside me increases.

With the sound of that voice, it throbs stronger, threatening to overwhelm────


Shiki: "Sion, it is dangerous for you to face him. If you plan on defeating him, you must not hesitate."

Sion: "....................."

His point of view is reasonable.

As Wallachia's "child", trying to merely confront him would result in him taking control.

Then it is only logical that I have to defeat Wallachia before that happens.

Sion: "────"

Shiki: "Sion! If you can't fight, then I───"

???: "Another thing lacking in taste. Do you not understand, guest? This girl has something she must ask of me. Is that not so, Sion Eltnam Atlasia?"

Sion: "...... As you say, Wallachia. I have something to ask you."

Shiki: "Very well, I will listen. No matter what you say, you are my offspring. As your patron god, it is my duty to dispel your earthly desires."


Sion: "────Three years ago, Wallachia. You annihilated us three years ago as Tatari. That is fine. As one who could not explain you to The Church, and as the ones who could not understand you, we bear responsibility. But───you were illogical. Why? Back then, why did you────"

???: "Let you go? Carrying that with you all this time as the reason for your seeking vengeance is a little..."

Sion: "Quiet......! Back then, you had no need to let me go. As one who can only exist for one night, you don't need anything. For The Night of Wallachia, there was no reason at all to let Sion Eltnam escape. You bastard, you still......!"

???: "Hmph. Your memory of that night three years ago should suffice for your answer. ...... Hah. I gave you your answer. 'Why, because I felt sympathy for my own kind'."

Sion: "That isn't a reason. You are The Night of Wallachia. You cut all ties with the name Eltnam. You, a vampire, let me go because I am a descendant? For one who dragged the name Eltnam to the lowest depths to cite such a reason is────!"

???: "────────────────────Ha. Haha, hahaha, hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! How thrilling! You mean to say that you find it so unbearable that I, the one who dirtied the name of Eltnam, let you go because you were an Eltnam!? How hard it is to throw away your pride in your family. To follow me so far, to go through so much pain because of your mistaken humiliation!"

Sion: "────Mistaken humiliation?"

???: "Goodness. Letting you go because you were an Eltnam? You should reconsider that, Sion. Did you really believe that was why I let you go?"

Sion: "Wha────"


???: "You turned away from the truth so you would not realize it. Even though you knew it long ago, you appear before me oblivious? In the first place, why did you leave Atlas? It was not for the reason that you asked me. Do you still not understand it yet? Your mistake, it is what your doubts truly are!"

Sion: "My, mistake......?"

───That is.

In the end, my doubts that I could not grasp.

???: "Exactly. That which you gained... knowledge, laws, ideas, thoughts. None of them were created by you. They were only things borrowed from others."

Sion: "────────"

What is this?

I don't need to hear it from that bastard───

???: "Atlas logically never accused Eltnam of a crime. But, Sion Eltnam. You were clever to read the knowledge of other people. Tapping into the information center of others is the same as immersing oneself in the collective common sense of other people. Therefore, the more you develop 'your world', your intelligence and wisdom, the harder it is to tap into other people. A fully matured sense of self would rip completely through another's ideas!"

Sion: "........................"

That's right.

That's why I was always so neutral.

Casting off all intent of my own, I was just gathering information from others───


???: "What you absorbed from the minds of others was common sense. In order to protect the name of Eltnam, the girl named Sion Eltnam only specialized in the Eltnam technique. Therefore, your actions were not surprising. Without causing any resistance or feeling of inconsistency, you drew information from others."

Sion: "........................"

But, there was a sense of inconsistency.

I didn't know what it was.

No matter how many calculations I made, I could not understand.

So if I went outside───if I could read the data of others, I may be able to shed some light on my questions.

???: "You surely have realized it by now, daughter. Recognition of that contradiction would bring the destruction of the one named Sion Eltnam. As long as you are human, those doubts and questions will remain. Immorality, masochism, good intentions, benevolence. Humans are just monkeys who became attached to these functions. And so───I gave you blood, and turned you into a vampire. I did not want one of my own kind to lose any more capability."

Sion: "........................"

Same kind. Same kind. Same kind. Same kind.

That is...


???: "Now, I will ask a question. You use the body of a vampire, yet you actually resist your vampirification. So why is it? Does the search for truth require a human body? Is it not natural to replace a lesser component with a better one? Daughter of Eltnam, You logically obtained information from others. Then───is it not logical to become a vampire? What reason do you have to refuse a better component? Why do you──── Go so far to remain human?"

The reason I resist becoming a vampire.

The reason I will not drink blood.

It is rather obvious.

I just...

I just don't want to have a body where I must steal from others.

But, that's just...


???: "Yes. There is a contradiction, is there not, Eltnam? You do not feel guilt about stealing information from others, but you are repelled by the idea of stealing blood from others. A ludicrous tale. Even though you detest vampires, you have been doing the same thing since the moment you were born───!"

So,

 Even when I realized it was wrong,  

      "There's no other choice."  

No matter how much I regret it,

No matter how much I hate it,

I cannot change the way I live.

So───even if I realized my way of living was flawed,

because I am such a trivial person────

Sion: "............ Stop... it..."

???: "Yes. You finally realized your mistake, Sion Eltnam? You could not even understand that simple emotion. But, that is something to boast of. Not even understanding your guilt. Only understanding the thoughts of others. Even though Sion Eltnam existed, you ignored yourself and simply became a transparent body accumulating the knowledge of others. ───I do not need to say anything more, do I? I am manifested from the thoughts of others, and you cannot exist without absorbing the thoughts of others. That is why you and I are of the same kind. Together, we are life forms that cannot exist without information───Is that not delightful? Where else can you find two things so alike......!?"

The darkness is howling.

My throat is parched.

Blood.

I want blood.

Right by me, the heart of Shiki is beating ever so sweetly────


Shiki: "Don't be ridiculous......! Don't listen to him, Sion! There's no need to listen to his lies......!"

────I know.

But, that voice is right.

I cannot help but listen to the truth.

Sion: "............... Ah, Ahhhhh."

My throat hurts, I can't see anything.

I───something, anything, nothing seems to matter anymore───────────for the first time in my life, I think that.

???: "───That is acceptable. Why, from the beginning you only received your morals from the people around you anyway. If you simply cease that kind of thinking, I will give you a far superior manner of acting as a vampire."

Shiki: "Sion......! Hang in there, Sion!"

???: "Now, you can no longer resist. Satisfy your three−year−long thirst with this human who tempts you!"

Shiki: "Sion......! Are you okay with this!?"

─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────.

Zepia: "Haha, hahaha, hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!"


Shiki vs Vampire Sion

*Shiki wins


...... Heavy.

Even though my body is many times superior than before, it feels so many times heavier.

Just moving my arms and lifting my head hurts this much.

Like a machine.

I look like a machine trying to move around without any power.

Actually, I look more like a corpse drained of blood.


                    "────────!"  

My bloodless ears hear something.

Even though I am unable to hear the wind or the distant trees,

I am able to hear the voice of the one in front of me.


            "...... Sion, hang in there......!"  

By listening carefully little by little,

like gathering grains of sand one−by−one,

I am finally able to understand his voice.


"What is wrong, human? Have you not won? You should hurry and end her misery. Whatever the outcome, she will meet her end. No matter how long you may try and stave it off, it will not change the inevitable destruction that awaits."


Black noise.


              "────────Shut up."  

A cold voice.

With his breathing even wilder than mine, he seems to be in a predicament.

...... I see.

I couldn't feel my limbs because they were so heavy, but I must have torn into him with my claws after all.


"You still have sympathy? If you leave it alone, it will soon heal and attack you.

When that happens, you will die. In your state, you cannot defend yourself."


Warped noise.

Laughing.

It definitely is very amused.

Amused at my uselessness and his ridiculousness.

...... He even told me that he understood.

He promised to kill me if I became like this.


"Look, she is starting to recover.

...... Excellent. The nerves you cut were unable to be repaired, so she immediately replaced them with her Etherlite.

They were originally intended as false nerves for use by surgeons. She can easily heal if all you cut is her circuits.

You may wish to defeat me, the one who stole her freedom, but she will not stop. If you want to fight me, you must first kill her completely."


Jarring, grating noise.

But, that noise is correct.

He is mistaken.

At this rate, I───


"You are quite deluded. Do you think that by calming her down you can return her to the way she was? Such lovable optimism is useless.

Boy, if you think anything of her at all, you have no other recourse than to kill her, do you not?"


...... Noise. Like a sandstorm.

An unpleasant sound, leaking into my head, into my thoughts.

────But,


"You, you──────just shut up!! You've been doing nothing but running your mouth you annoying bastard......!!"


But,

That sharp voice cuts through the noise and makes it disappear like magic.


"Well, Sion? Are you okay with being like that?"

His strong voice.

It is enough to make me stop hearing that bothersome noise.

"I know you can't be. You probably want to go on a rampage a little more, don't you? You look like you want to go crazy because you've wanted to drink blood so much. Fine, I'll roll with you until you're fully satisfied.

However────"

The darkness covering my vision lifts.

Blood returns to my dead body.

In my mind which tried to escape by stopping, light starts to idly shine forth.


"However, I'm going to knock you around.

Until you give up, until you realize how much you despise your weakness, I'll keep beating you up."

He says this with his body covered in wounds.

But you cannot win a fight with spirit alone.

If he fights again, he will lose.

If I beat him, I can quench my thirst.


"I see, certainly she is weak. That is why she gave in to me─── but she may also have a weakness to you.

Her being weak to me means that she is weak to the vampiric impulse.

And you are also weak to the vampire Sion Eltnam."  

The noise sneers at him.

He ignores the noise, acting like he can't hear it.


The noise is now barely audible.

...... Smile.

Just now, Wallachia released his hold over me.


             "──────What is mistaken, is──"  

My weakness was just against myself.

I wanted to run away from myself.

I didn't want to realize that I depended on the information I obtained from others, just like Wallachia.

Because even once I realized my mistake, I would not be able to change it.

That is how I was born, how I was raised, how I lived.

I felt I couldn't change the way I lived. If I realized my mistake, I would have to acknowledge it and continue moving forward.


So, I ran.

From Atlas, from myself, from Wallachia.

That was my weakness.

Because the path Wallachia offered me was easy, I fled onto it.

But, he is wrong.

His words are exceedingly difficult.

If I fight, I will be utterly defeated.

Because───it is his strong words that are difficult.

They are what I cannot beat.


             "──────But, I will take that challenge."  

Wallachia is wrong.

Even though it was just noise, it was correct, so it made me empty.

But, incorrect noise is really just noise.

I am not so weak as to be controlled by that.

─────Right, I am not weak.

I understand my doubts.

I don't need his help.

I've known I was weak for a long, long time.

However, all the same...


"───I do not need help, Shiki.

I will not lose to anything outside of my self."  

I am strong.

I fight to tear away from my weak self.

Of course, my opponent is not Wallachia.

My opponent is that man.

Telling me to walk a difficult path...

That's just fighting so you can rub it in your irresponsible partner's face────


Sion: "I do not need help, Shiki. I will not lose to anything outside of my self."

???: "Wha────t?"

Shiki: "Sion......! You've returned to sanity!?"

Sion: "Please correct yourself, Shiki. I have always been sane. Even if I was being controlled by the vampiric impulse, I never lost my sanity."

Shiki: "Oh, I see. Yeah, since it's you, that's probably right."

Sion: "...... I do not know why you are so happy...... Well, I will not ask right now. There are more important matters to attend to."

Shiki: "───(Gulp)"

Sion: "It is already past midnight, Night of Wallachia. Instead of staying in that useless state, how about taking form as Tatari?"

???: "───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────"

Sion: "As you are now, you cannot do anything. I will not stop you if you decide to disappear without becoming Tatari tonight."

???: "───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────"

Sion: "How long do you plan on staying like that, Wallachia!? Tonight is the appointed time. You have no time to do anything but become Tatari. So────"

???: "───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────Cut!"

Shiki: "!?"

Sion: "!?"


???:"Cut, Cut, Cut, Cut, Cut, Cut, Cut, Cut, Cut, Cut, Cut, Cut, Cut, Cut, Cut, Cut, Cut, Cut, Cut, Cut,Cut, Cut, Cut, Cut──────!!!!"

???:"It is entertaining no longer. I spent this time trying to get my daughter to submit, but for it to end up meaningless is just......! Ah, how truly boring. All that's left is to destroy everything with my own hands. It is a mess that I have to clean up as fast as possible! Until dawn, I will feed off the people of this town and seek out The Sixth once more. Now where can I amuse myself!?"

Castle

Surroundings change to the Millennium Castle Brunestud

Shiki: "Wha−this is Arcueid's......!?"

Arcueid(Tatari): "Yeah. This is my world. The place where the one connected to you, Arcueid Brunestud, can use her powers without any constraint."

Shiki: "Arcueid───No, you───"

Sion: "Exactly, Shiki. Wallachia took the shape of the True Ancestor. While not the real True Ancestor, it does not make much difference in terms of existence. It is a fake, but do not take it lightly."

Shiki: "────────"

Arcueid(Tatari): "How unexpected, Sion. It's not a matter of taking anything lightly. Between you and me, you can't even call it a fight."

Sion: "────"

Arcueid(Tatari): "What is going to happen is the extermination of pests. You can't fight me, you'll be crushed like a bunch of bugs. Thanks to the power of this fake moon────!"


Sion/Shiki vs Arcueid(Tatari)

Sion/Shiki win


Surroundings change back to normal

Arcueid(Tatari): "───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────"

Sion: "It is over, Wallachia. It is not so easy to tie down Arcueid Brunestud...... The Princess of the True Ancestors using 'Tatari'. For you, using her body is impossible."

Arcueid(Tatari): "...... I agree. After becoming Arcueid Brunestud, I finally understand. This body is limitless. I probably only drew upon thirty percent of her potential. For you to defeat me, it must be my failure."

Arcueid(Tatari): "But, this is only tonight's sideshow. As regrettable as it is, I will have to use it during my next opportunity."

Sion: "!? Once a form of Tatari is defeated, it disappears......! How────"

???: "Simple. Are you not the ones who call me The Night of Wallachia? Once Tatari occurs, it exists for the entire night. Even if its form is defeated, Tatari will not pass away. The only time Tatari has disappeared before morning was when there was no one left to drink from. The only way for Tatari to leave is for everyone to be drained of blood."

Sion: "────"

Shiki: "Oh, then all we have to do is defeat you!"

???: "It is useless. No longer Tatari, I am just a phenomenon. Even if you perceive death, you cannot defeat what doesn't exist. The only thing which can force me to exit the stage is dawn. That is in quite a long time. Now, let the night of drinking blood begin!"

Shiki: "Damn────Sion, what do we do......!?"

Sion: "───Nothing. If The Night of Wallachia is not formed as Tatari, then we cannot destroy it.

Sion: "Without form, Wallachia does not exist. That is why The Church has been unable to even catch him these past centuries────"

???: "Correct, Sion Eltnam. Normally, 'fighters' like you are best left till the end, but that goes against my whole existence. No matter who, I will not allow anyone who dirties my stage to survive."

Shiki: "...............!"

???: "I will drink every last drop you have. Hurry and fall into the abyss below my stage and forever behold my curse───!"


"No. Your curse will end tonight."


End of the World


???: "Who are you────!?"

Arcueid: "The arbiter of this game. Shall I use the name Crimson Moon?"

Zepia: "......! What!? What is this, my thoughts────"

Zepia: "Gg, ghaaa────!?"

Sion: "...... That is...... Zepia Eltnam Oberon...... Is this, really happening......?"

Shiki: "Eh──? Th−then, that is the Dead Apostle before he became Wallachia?"

Zepia: "────This cannot be. To return this body, to return me to myself────? Such an irrational thing cannot occur. Even if you are a member of the True Ancestor royal family, to return a phenomenon like myself back to existence────!"

Arcueid: "This is ridiculous? Wake up from your dream already, Dead Apostle. You can never gain the miracle you desire. No matter how many thousands of years you try, you will never become The Sixth. Feel free to think you can obtain The Sixth after spending an infinite amount of time. Go ahead and grasp onto that small hope. But, know what happens at the fulfillment of that miracle. Know its shape will be the end of you."

Zepia: "───What did you do?"

Arcueid: "You don't get it yet, you piece of dirt? Then look up at the Crimson Moon shining overhead────!"


Crimson Moon


Zepia: "────Red, moon. This is───the same as the night I became The Night of Wallachia────"

Arcueid: "Do you remember now? The power you received from the red moon that made you a phenomenon───It expires when the red moon appears, doesn't it?"

Zepia: "Indeed. However, the red moon should be in the distant future. My cycle's equation is measured in millennia. The conclusion of my predetermined cycle is after a thousand years. Until then, I should remain as Tatari────"

Arcueid: "But once the cycle ends, you return to your normal self. After the end of your thousand−year long equation, if you cannot obtain even once the answer───The Night of Wallachia may as well return to the Dead Apostle called Zepia. Was that not the contract you made with Altrouge?"

Zepia: "────Wait. Then this is──"

Arcueid: "Yes, the end of your pointless journey, Wallachia. Aren't you happy? I made into reality right here and now your fruitless efforts over a thousand years."

Sion: "I can't believe it────With her Marble Phantasm she created the moon from a thousand years in the future...... !?"


Zepia: "Impossible......! Time travel is on the order of Sorcery, and to bring the moon from a thousand years in the future is just────!"

Arcueid: "This is my world. Although it can only exist for one night like yours, there is no world I cannot make. To put it in your terms, you and I are both rulers of lies that can last only for one night. It's only obvious that an inferior imagination will fall into delusion when faced with a superior one, isn't it?"

Zepia: "────────Then, my wish──"

Arcueid: "Will never come true. The end of your equation's cycle is the end of humanity. You may rule over a desolate land devoid of anyone, but knowing that result already must be painful. I no longer intend to use my power for your absurdity, and more than anything else, your play is rather annoying. Just end your life and existence here, Wallachia. You are nothing more than the rumors of people, anyway. If the world is less a few rumors, it's no loss at all, is it?"

Shiki: "...... (Hey, Sion. What is Arcueid saying?)"

Sion: "──(She is not the True Ancestor that we know, but I understand her words. She is essentially telling Wallachia to die.)"

Shiki: "...... (...... Pretty up front, isn't she......... so, are we able to kill him now!?)"

Sion: "──(Without a doubt. He is Tatari, but not Wallachia. He is the vampire named Zepia before he became a phenomenon. If we defeat him now, the Dead Apostle Tatari will cease to exist───)"

Shiki: "............!"


Zepia: "────────Ha."

Zepia: "Haha, hahaha, hahahahahahahahaha! I see, it is impossible. Are you saying that even if I am Tatari for thousands of years, I won't be able to reach you, Crimson Moon!?"

Arcueid: "────"

Zepia: "But, I will not vanish. I am The Night of Wallachia, a phenomenon immune to destruction......! If you say this night is my end, then that lie will disappear if I kill you here and now. If I can't attain my goal using this method, then this midsummer night's dream is already over. I will drain you here and think of the next step......!"

Shiki: "...... He's coming......! But, he────"

Sion: "...... It appears he is not one we can face...... The True Ancestor is our only hope then......"

Arcueid: "Oh, me? Hmmm. Sorry, but I'm using all of my power to maintain this place. So, I'm counting on you to take Wallachia out, Shiki."

Shiki: "C−counting on me!? What happened to your tough talk!? You made him serious, so stop being so easy−going around and take responsibility!"

Arcueid: "Oh look, look. He's coming. We don't have time to chit−chat, Shiki."

Shiki: "Uwaaa! You're unbelievable!"

Sion: "I agree, but the only way is to fight with everything we have......!"


Shiki/Sion vs Zepia

Shiki/Sion win


The time has come to lower the curtain.

Zepia: "Ki────"

Like a silver stake, Shiki's knife drives into Wallachia's chest.

Wallachia simply stares down at the knife, puzzled.

Zepia: "Kiki, kikiki, ki."

Splat.

He spits forth the blood he gathered over these hundreds of years.

Zepia: "Kiki, kikiki, kikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikikiki!!!!!!!!!!!"

Brimming forth.

With the waves of life so obstinately, so blindly, so uselessly gathered until now.

Zepia: "I see, it was a waste, it was ALL a waste────!! After all, eVEn iF A beAst weaRS shOes, IT WilL STilL bE CasT ASidE aND TramPLED TORN Apart LiKE a BAD Piece of sir foRTuNE by THosE SeEkINg thE EtERNal PRiZe. CRy Out YOu FLiES, FOr ThE WorLD wilL EluDe YoU MagGoTS! Ki, MiSSing, LOSs, VaGuE, iGnoraNt aS exPeCTEd, alreADY ChaNGed, ALReaDy low, AlrEady DeAD! Ki, kiki, kikiki, kikikikikikikiki! Oh! WhaT−wHAt−whAT WAs I sEeKiNg!!?"


Blood pours forth from the sunken caves of the eyes on Wallachia's mask−like face.

Soon, it will no longer even have a human shape.

Just a mask smiling tearfully as an endless pillar of blood flows out.

Zepia: "Blood. Gushing gushing. Blood. Pouring pouring. Blood. Oozing oozing. Blood. Pumping pumping. Blood. Blood? Blood! BLOODーーーーーーーーーー!"

With sickeningly wet sounds, Wallachia becomes smaller and smaller.

All that's left is a mask.

Soon the pillar of blood subsides as well.


Arcueid: "...... The smell of blood is really strong. Shiki, let's go. Wallachia's already gone, and there's nothing more to do here, right?"

Shiki: "────Ah, but before that."

Shiki looks at me.

All I can do is look at Wallachia disappear.

Sion: "......... Wallachia. Why did..."

Those vague, unnecessary words leave my mouth.

"... you become a vampire?"

I couldn't ask why he left Atlas.

Zepia: "────?"

Like a small animal, it turns almost lovingly towards me.


Sion: "...... How foolish of me. To expect Wallachia to answer me in that state────"

Zepia: "───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────Well, Sion, that's because I saw my answer."

From the tearfully smiling mask, comes that exceedingly kind voice.

Sion: "Eh────"

Zepia: "I saw my answer, Sion. I saw my answer. You will probably find it someday as well."

Zepia: "Any highly−skilled alchemist can find the path to it after hard work. We have none of the qualms a Sorcerer would. Anyone could find the answer after knowing everything about this world and making precise calculations. That unchangeable end. Atlas is a warehouse of madmen. Even knowing that there is an inescapable end, they come up with ways to try and resist it. But the more they come up with these ways, the worse the future destruction becomes. There is no salvation. Working to achieve a world of equality, we try to read the future and manage it. But from the very beginning, there was nothing but destruction waiting. I thought. And thought. And thought. And thought. And thought. And thought. And thought. And thought. And thought. And thought. And thought. And thought......!! Yes, I simulated all the different ways! But no matter what method is used, the future is steered only towards a more grotesque fate! I went mad. All alchemists who foresee the impending destruction go mad. Defying the future as if crazed. That is truly going crazy. ───Ah, since you bear the name Atlasia, you will eventually fall into that pit. Successor Atlasia, you will go crazy while falling into hell and calculating new destruction! I───challenged that. Making the impossible possible is what it means to be Atlasia. I became a vampire to increase my own abilities to obtain that miracle."


The tearfully smiling mask says all that.

...... Yes, it truly is crying while smiling.

Even that face has been warped.

Is it because it realized the meaninglessness of our reading the future?

Frantically denying our powerlessness and rushing forward, and going crazy in the end───

Sion: "...... Wallachia, you......"


Zepia: "Ki...... kiki, kikikikiki! Eat EAT EAT EAT EAT, EAT TILL even the BONES are Gone! There IS no SALVation there IS no PLEAsuRe HumAns are Trivial, tRiVIAl TRiviAL! TRIVial TriViAl StruGGLing IN A figHT to THe DeAtH! AnD BriNginG SelF DestRUCtion Self DetruCTION trIVIal TRIvial self DestruCTION! Ki, kiki, kikiki, kikikikikikikikikikikiKikikikiki───kikiki, ki, ki. Hee. Heeheeheee, ahahahahahah! Yes, I, I, Yes───I just, wanted an incalculable future────"

Zepia dies....

Surroundings change back to normal

Arcueid: "How foolish. You were born, so you have an end. Our terminal stop is always destruction. If you cannot accept that, then just accept your self−destruction."

The True Ancestor's words are correct.

I also agree.

Shiki: "...... Yeah. But, he knew. Even though that future existed, there is a way to avoid it. But, he didn't want to admit it. As long as you are looking at your escape route, you can keep testing that route as long as it lasts."

Sion: ".................."

Shiki: "Isn't it hard to always look forward? I don't really sympathize with him, but───maybe the beginning of The Night of Wallachia wasn't started with bad intentions."


Sion: "Shiki, you are naive. No matter how it started, it killed countless people. No amount of punishment can change that."

Shiki: "I know that. But don't you feel the same way? He even called you Sion at the very end."

Sion: "───Hmph. But that doesn't excuse all the people he killed. Zepia, no, The Night of Wallachia was a mass murderer. There's no room for any sentimentality."

That is the certain truth.

Shiki's words are just sentimentalism.

............ But, to be completely honest,

I would like to believe he could have been saved by that one word.


Returning back to ground level, the sun is starting to rise.

As usual, there is no wind and the air is stiflingly hot.

───However,

When I left the building and started walking on the ground, I began to see the world in a different light.

Sion: "Then, this is as far as we will go. I really am grateful for your help, Shiki."

Shiki: "That makes me really happy. I'm glad I could be of help to you even if it was just me being there."

Sion: "Yes. If you were not there, I could not have finished this journey."

And, I look around me.

The place where I first fought with him. And the place where we must part.

Come to think of it, back then───because I lost to Shiki, I am able to stand here like this.

That fight back then was simply the result of him being superior.

I did have greater prospects of victory, but thanks to chance, I was able to pair up with Shiki.


Sion: "............ Chance really isn't a bad thing..."

Shiki: "? Did you say something, Sion?"

Sion: "Yes, I said even losing is okay. Looking at the situation now, I was able to be with you because I wanted to find an opportunity to gloat since you defeated me."

Shiki: "Huh? Gloat? I wasn't rubbing it in though."

Sion: "Yes, you never did look down on me. But I was really offended many times."

Shiki: "Uhh───but it was all a misunderstanding. Weren't you hiding things to keep me ignorant?"

Sion: "Then, a word of advice. Ignorance can be a sword, but never a shield. Please pay more attention to that in the future."

Shiki: "Ah────yeah. I'll do that."


He nods seriously.

That is another one of his good points.

He listens so well to people.

...... Well, that may also be a shortcoming.

Sion: "────────"

Shiki: "? Did you recall some good memory, Sion?"

Sion: "No. I never had anything good to remember until now. I will have to make some good memories after we part, Shiki."

Shiki: "??? ...... Uh, I don't really get it, but whatever. Moving on, Sion, are you okay with your conversation with Arcueid? I think she'd be willing to listen to you right now."


The True Ancestor.

..... Arcueid is waiting about 20 meters away.

Shiki told her he wished to speak to me and walked away from her.

...... From twenty meters away she can probably still hear us, but that doesn't really matter.

Really, I don't have anything to hide.

Sion: "No, that matter is settled. With Wallachia's demise, the vampire in me is no longer getting stronger. My body is still part vampire, but I can resist the vampiric impulse well enough. It should not prevent me from living normally. I will go back to Atlas and research a cure for vampirism. Not alone like before, but by teaming up with the members of Atlas."

Shiki: "──────"

Shiki seems really happy that I said I would team up with others.

...... I feel like maybe I have changed a little since working with him.

But, all the same,

I can't change the fact that I steal information from others.


Sion: "Shiki. A lot happened, but I gained so much. I have made a lot of mistakes, but that's because I wasn't looking for an answer. ...... Yes, knowing my mistakes, I will continue to search. Humans are full of contradictions. Please do not forget the example you just witnessed."

Shiki: "What's that all about? Treating people like study cases still? Sion, you really haven't changed at all."

Sion: "────Thank you, that makes me feel a little more confident."

I reach out my right hand.

Sion: "Shiki, before we go, shall we, ah, shake hands?"

I still haven't expressed my gratitude and friendship.

All I can rely on is my confidence in my memories.

But, doing this,

by making this contact,

I want to remember absolutely everything.


Shiki: "Yeah. Thanks for everything, Sion. I really am grateful."

Shiki takes my hand and shakes it.

I return his handshake, squeezing his hand hard.

Sion: "───You are a true friend. So, I want to make an unrealistic promise. If you ever need me, I will come to help. Can you allow that?"

Shiki: "What do you mean? It's not a matter of allowing or not. And whenever you're in trouble, Sion, just call me. I'll come and help you."

Sion: "────Thank goodness. Then, this is goodbye, Shiki."

Shiki: "Yeah, take care, Sion."

Sion: "I hope you have the best of luck, Shiki."


Shiki runs lightly over to the True Ancestor.

She complains a little to him and he takes it all in stride as they both make their exits.

After watching them until they disappear, I also start walking.

Sion: "────Thank goodness. Then, this is goodbye, Shiki."

I repeat those words of farewell to myself.

Yes, it really was a good thing.

Because our promise still lasts.

Thanks to that, neither of us will stray.

As long as that promise lasts, I will always feel this moment.

My first friend, my first partner.

And, my first────


Sion: "Well then, first I have to return to Atlas and offer repentance to the president there. After that, I will probably have to persuade the faculty as well."

There is a lot to do.

I cannot let myself be carried away by these emotions forever.

───With skillful planning so as not to lose to him, I leave this place.

What I leave behind is the hot summer, and the completely fictitious night made by that alchemist.

Turning away from the night that I will never have to experience again,

I start walking towards a brand new future────


FIN