Chapter Text
Standing before the tree and watching the petals fall made the memories of past dreams return. He closed his eyes and heard the booming flash of lightning and the screams of people. He heard the ground cracking and splitting open, the anger of the planet as it closed in on the helpless. He remembered pulling someone towards the tree, albeit one larger and grander than this one.
Quiche opened his eyes and palm, catching a petal in it. Why did standing before the tree feel so familiar? Those dreams were just that, they could not be memories. Or rather, his memories. He had mentioned them in passing to Pie, but his teammate shrugged them off and told him to focus on his mission.
Yes, his mission. He crushed the petal in his hand, letting its pieces scatter to the wind.
“It’s this way!” he heard a distant voice say behind him. Humans were coming. He circled around the tree and pressed his back against the trunk, listening as the voices came closer. “Isn’t it beautiful?”
“Wow, I can’t believe it…” Ichigo? Quiche turned his ear to hear her better — who was this guy that she was with? “It’s amazing.” The adoration in her voice made him realize he never heard her that way before. She certainly never talked to him like that.
“This is my favorite place.” Quiche waited, listening to them chat about the tree. The boy did nothing but bombard her with facts, how incredibly dull. Judging from the way she spoke, no doubt about it, she liked this guy. Quiche’s finger pressed against his lips, his heart racing. When they finished their conversation and walked away, he peeked from around the tree to see that he was alone again.
“So, your favorite place, huh?” He looked up, his eyes tracing the branches that extend outwards from the trunk. It was a beautiful tree, he would give him that. Once again, the images from his dreams flashed in his mind’s eye, the grandeur of that tree, the sky in all of its darkness.
And these dreams only began after the night he told her his name.
So it was decided then and there. This was not that boy’s tree anymore: this was his and Ichigo’s.
The heart monitor beeped at a moderate pace, stable and enduring. Mint bounced her knee as she sat by Zakuro, still fast asleep on the examination table. Ryou and Keiichiro had patched up her injuries and given her an IV that they said would calm her DH-waves. She was supposed to awaken soon.
Ryou sat a dozen feet away, typing away at his computer. Occasionally, he would groan and rapidly backspace before continuing. Whenever Mint glanced at the screen, she could see that he was writing something in Hymmnos, verses of it. He spoke to her without looking away from the screen: “Are you sure you don’t want to help upstairs?”
“I’m needed down here.” Mint focused again on Zakuro, even though she knew her condition hadn’t changed for the past few hours. Then again, it was slightly hard to concentrate when Ryou’s keyboard clacking filled the room. Fine, she would ask. “What are you doing?”
“Writing.” Mint rolled her eyes at the one-word response. She figured that Ryou would explain it later — and when the time came, he would be unable to shut up about it.
A few minutes passed. Mint immediately noticed Zakuro take a deeper, audible breath. She made a small noise in her throat and her eyes fluttered open. “Hm…?”
“Zakuro!” Mint scooted to the edge of her chair, her hand going to hers. “Zakuro, are you alright?”
She pinched her eyes before blinking, readjusting the focus in her blue eyes. When she did not recognize her surroundings, she sat up with a gasp. “Wh-where am I?” Ryou turned and stood up, walking over to her.
“Don’t be alarmed, Miss Fujiwara. You’re safe. We’ve stabilized your DH-Waves—”
Mint swatted at him. “Don’t overload her with your tech babble! Zakuro? My name is Mint. I don’t know if you remember me, but I helped you.”
“You…” Zakuro rubbed her temple. “Wait, I remember now. The monster, the song… it’s all stopped. The song that was driving me crazy is quiet… did you do this?”
Ryou crossed his arms. “I’ll let you explain this,” he said to Mint. “I’m going to get your teammates.”
Mint nodded, letting him leave before she spoke again. Before she explained anything, she had to make sure Zakuro was fine. “How are you feeling?”
Zakuro ran a hand through her hair. “I… yes, I think I’m fine.” She scanned the room, taking it all in. Strangely enough, she felt calm. A few days ago, the song in her head festered and drove her to madness, but it was gone completely now. Finally, she could hear herself think. Holding a hand to her heart, she remembered the song that pierced through the protective wall she put around herself. “You saved me. You and some other girls, right?”
Mint smiled. “Yes, we did. They’re coming down right now.”
Hurried footsteps clanked against the metal stairs as the three girls rushed down. Their faces lit up with relief and elation upon seeing that Zakuro was awake, crowding around her and expressing their joy. Zakuro focused on the girl with the green hair and glasses, remembering her voice. “It was you,” she said. “You sang the song.”
“Y-You remember?” Lettuce blushed. “I-I’m flattered! I’m so happy you remember.”
“Thank you. And thank you all for saving me. I’m…” She lowered her head. “Sorry for causing so much trouble.”
Mint squeezed her hand. “You don’t need to apologize. This wasn’t your fault.” She gave Ryou a pointed side-eye.
“What do you mean?” Zakuro asked. “I… I’m still not sure what’s happening. I had heard of the monster attacks as of late, but that’s it.”
Ryou cleared his throat. “I can clear that up. If you could direct your attention towards the screen.” He walked back to his desk chair and brought up images of the Chimera Animals that the girls had fought so far. “Earth is under attack by aliens that are creating these monsters to attack innocent people. In response, I built a tower using this cafe as a disguise. The tower awakened the Will of the Planet, Ar Ciel, who then chose five maidens to serve as her Reyvateils.” He turned to face them. “You all are her Reyvateils and are gifted with the ability of Song Magic.”
“Song Magic,” Zakuro repeated. “So whenever I sing, it will… do that?”
Ryou shook his head. “Unfortunately, your last mishap with Song Magic came because your emotions were spiking and dropping too fast, building pressure before it all came to blows.”
Lettuce nodded. “Something similar almost happened to me, but Ichigo and Mint saved me before that happened.”
Ah, so that’s why she understood why I was so scared, Zakuro thought. “But I’m okay now?”
“Yes,” Ryou answered. “Your emotions are stable. But, there is one thing I must ask of you, Miss Fujiwara.” His expression turned grave. “You have the potential for great power — that much is obvious. But with it, comes the potential for great danger. You have two paths: you can learn how to control it and join up with the other Reyvateils to fight evil. Or… I can attempt to remove your Reyvateil powers. I cannot guarantee it, but I can certainly try.”
“You’re asking me?” All eyes turned to Zakuro. She wouldn’t lie, the thought of refusing was tempting. Power meant nothing to her and she didn’t want to put any more innocent people in danger or have to be rescued. It could just be a bad memory and nothing more. Or. Her heart yearned for that feeling again, of connection and understanding. She remembered how at the end, they all sang for her. They all wanted her to show herself as she really was, no masks or lies about it.
It does not matter if you are ugly or beautiful … I will love you the way you are.
Those were the lyrics of that magic song, they were not lies.
Even so, the thought of her Song Magic going haywire again frightened her. The thought of trying to sing made her throat shut and her tongue dry.
Zakuro closed her eyes to think. “I will fight,” she said. The girls gasped in delight, but she held up her finger. “Wait. Don’t misunderstand me.” She aimed her words at Ryou. “I must atone for all the damage I caused, so I will fight, but I will not sing. Put me on the frontlines and let me protect the ones who are singing. That is all I will do.”
Ryou crossed his arms, weighing her decision. Though, one pout from Mint was all it took to remind him that he was outnumbered. “It’s interesting that you brought that up,” he said, going back to his computer. “In what we’ve studied about Reyvateils, it seems that many of them in the mythology had guardians that they called Vanguards. These Vanguards would protect them and give them ample time to cast their magic. Now that we have a full team, we can designate Vanguards as part of our strategy.”
“Great.” Zakuro took her time in standing up, pulling the blanket over herself. “Then keep me as a Vanguard. That’s my condition.”
Ryou nodded. “Very well.” Behind him, the monitor flashed red, signaling another Chimera Animal attack. He pulled up the map of Tokyo to trace its location, assessing what he could. “Perfect timing. With Zakuro, I want Pudding and Ichigo on Vanguard duty. Protect Mint and Lettuce — now go!”
The girls responded with affirmation, running up the stairs. Just before they all left, Mint stayed behind for a split second, nodding a word of thanks to Ryou before she joined them. A few minutes after they left, Keiichiro came back downstairs with two mugs of tea, still steaming hot. “We have all of them now,” he said, handing a mug to Ryou.
“Which means we have to pick up the pace on our end.” Ryou sat back at his computer, pulling up the song that he had been coding earlier. On the other monitors, he pulled up pictures of old tablets, of their notes on the old myths, and of their Hymmnos codex. Keiichiro took a moment to read over the lines, deciphering the glyphs in his head.
“This is…”
Ryou continued to type away. “This is the second version. We still have the prototype but…” He shook his head, reaching for his mug. “Well, pull up a chair. These hymns won’t write themselves.”
With five Reyvateils on the team, Chimera Animal purification had never been smoother. Zakuro was a fierce combatant with her magic whip, able to subdue an enemy with ease. If that was how powerful she was with just her weapon, then Ryou wasn’t kidding when he said her Song Magic had the potential to be lethal. Ichigo thought it was a shame they would never see it, but she understood that Zakuro’s comfort came first.
Even work at the cafe was smoother. Sure, Zakuro had a cold and standoffish personality, but the customers didn’t seem to mind — some even seemed to like it. Ichigo glanced around the cafe as she paused to sweep a corner, surveying the area. Mint still sat at her table, sampling teas and pastries. Lettuce tripped again, but the plate landed on the customer’s table without a spill. Pudding delivered her pastries while balancing on a ball, earning some impressed applause. Zakuro set down a plate of cake and walked away without a word as the girl at the table sighed wistfully, watching her go.
Yes, this felt right. Ichigo smiled and carried the lightness in her heart with her until closing.
As they cleaned up, wiping down tables and sweeping the floor, a darkness loomed over the cafe. One moment, the sun was shining brilliantly, and the next it was covered as if it were an eclipse. Mint poked her head out the door to see if it was just a cloud, but her gasp signaled that it wasn’t. “What in the world?”
They filed out the door, craning their necks up towards the sky. The once blue, summer sky was now a heavy, inky plum. A dark haze blocked out the sun, casting chiling shadows over Tokyo. “Girls!” Ryou shouted from inside the cafe. “Come quick!”
In the lab, Keiichiro was already trying to triangulate where the source of the fog came from, using live footage from wherever he could. Zakuro spoke first. “Where is the Chimera Animal?”
“That’s the problem,” Keiichiro said. “It seems that there are multiple ones scattered throughout the city. But that’s just part of it.” He enlarged a picture, showing a large cherry blossom tree from where the smog was coming from. Ichigo recognized it. She knew that park, the walkways, the smaller trees around it, and the grandeur of that particular cherry blossom tree. That was Masaya’s tree, tainted and withering.
“No…”
“The tree is spreading polluted air that, if not taken care of, will choke every citizen of Tokyo in a matter of hours,” he said.
“That’s terrible!” said Lettuce. “But then, why the Chimera Animal?”
“My guess,” said Zakuro, “is that the enemy wants us to divide our efforts between the monsters and the tree.”
“Precisely,” said Ryou.
“Then we split into two teams.” Zakuro faced her teammates. “One singer each. Take care of the monsters then converge on the tree.”
“I’m afraid it won’t be that easy.” Ryou watched the footage of the tree. “According to the readings coming from the tree, the toxins that took root are powerful and just keep spreading. Your ordinary Song Magic won’t work.” He looked at Keiichiro, worry in his blue eyes.
Keiichiro responded with a look of deep concern. “We only have the prototype. It’s untested.”
“It’s all we have. We can’t finish version two in this amount of time.”
“Ryou— ”
“Um.” Mint held up her hand. “Excuse me, but do you care to fill us in? What prototype?”
Ryou ignored the look from Keiichiro and hacked away at his keyboard. After inputting a long series of passwords, a whirring sound came from a nearby machine. He walked over to a machine with a glass dome in the center that promptly filled with some sort of smoke. Bits of light converged as a terminal on the computer rapidly executed a program. In the center of the dome, all the smoke vanished and there laid a purple crystal floating on its own. Taking it out of the dome, the crystal hovered over Ryou’s palm, capturing the attention of the Reyvateils. “This is a Hymn Crystal,” he explained, bringing it closer. “The Song Magic you sing comes from your emotions and your personal convictions. But, you are capable of tapping into far stronger magic than that.”
Keiichiro continued. “It was said that Reyvateils could perform feats like create entire continents of land with special songs made of Hymmnos commands and strong feelings. Of course, we’re nowhere near that capability, but this is a start. This is the first Hymn Crystal we’ve restored: Metafalica.”
Lettuce tilted her head. “So, there’s a song inside the crystal? What does it do?”
“Purify,” Ryou answered. “It will cleanse all unnatural substances, heal the sick and wounded, and rejuvenate the earth.”
“Then,” said Ichigo, “we can save the tree!”
“In theory.” Keiichiro crossed his arms. “These songs are on another level than your Song Magic, girls. They contain emotions that were strong enough to survive thousands and thousands of years. They extract a great toll on your body to perform miracles. In short: whomever will sing Metafalica, I cannot guarantee your safety.”
Mint narrowed her eyes. “What are you saying? Are you saying we could… get hurt?” The air in the room changed, feeling colder and heavier. They looked expectantly at Ryou, waiting for him to confirm their fears.
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “Like we said, it’s untested. But it’s the only choice we have.”
Ichigo was scared. Her heart pounded so fast that it drummed in her ears. She felt her throat dry up. But she looked at that tree. She remembered how Masaya looked upon it with such fondness that it made her heart soar. If no one did anything, then it would die, taking Tokyo with it. “Let me sing it,” she said, taking a step forward. “That tree means a lot to me, and I’ll do anything to save it.”
“Are you sure?” Ryou asked.
“Absolutely. The others can take care of the monsters, and I’ll go to the tree. I’ll sing Metafalica.” Mint put a hand on her shoulder, giving her a concerned look. Wordlessly, she asked if this is what Ichigo really wanted. Ichigo responded with a firm nod.
“Thank you, Ichigo,” said Ryou. “Transform and I’ll begin the ritual.”
Ichigo transformed, the furisode sleeves flowing around her. Ryou held the crystal in front of her and spoke the incantations.
“Was yea ra chs hymmnos yor, en chsee fwal fwal yor.” I am happy to turn you into a Song and to clad you into the wings you will carry. The Hymn Crystal in his hand hummed with a pink light, floating out of his palm. “Exec drone hymmnos_METAFALICA.” Execute the download of the Hymn METAFALICA. The crystal floated towards Ichigo, landing in the cup of her palms. “Enter_ICHIGO! ” The crystal burst into pieces of light, enveloping Ichigo in its warm aura. Its words and data flushed through her as images flashed before her mind.
Lightning, fire, and destruction. Her dreams. Clear as day, she saw them all replay in her mind with stark clarity. She heard the Hymmnos words that would make up the lyrics of the song. But these memories, they were not hers. Whose were they?
The erratic nature of the memories stopped and she saw a girl, garbed in an elaborate, ancient dress of red. She saw before her a giant tree whose trunk was overrun with cracks; it would give out at any second. Ichigo could hear her thoughts. I have to save everyone. I must save everyone. I will give my life to do it. The girl in red placed her hands on the tree, whispering a spell.
M ARRSEFXIL
E FAHECDOY
T ITSSSYE
A ZIYVRS
F OGQUW
A ABIM
L XAE
I YX
C I
A
Ichigo gasped, returning to the laboratory. She collapsed to her knees, holding her chest and taking deep breaths. All of the emotions from that girl flooded her — conviction, happiness, clarity. It was overwhelming. “Ichigo!” Ryou knelt down, holding her arms. “Breathe, that’s it. Are you okay?”
“I…” She nodded. “I’m fine.” She stood up, showing everyone that she was alright. With the song in her heart, she faced her team. “Take care of the monsters. I have to go to the tree. Now.”
Ichigo caught the scent of the sharp, foul air before she laid eyes on the tree. When she saw its beautiful petals, once a vibrant pink, had been turned to a barren purple, she felt her heart drop. Petals withered and scattered — and the one responsible for it stood before the tree.
Quiche had his back turned to her as he looked up at the tree. “Quiche!” she called out, bracing herself for a fight. But he did not turn back.
“Is this… familiar?” he asked, his usual playful tone absent. Ichigo blinked, balling her fists. “Is it the same for you? There’s always a disaster, there’s always a person, and there’s always a tree.” He turned slowly and when Ichigo met his amber eyes, she heard the roar of lightning from her dreams.
Fragments of memories flashed before her eyes. Instead of Tokyo as she knew it, she saw a wasteland, houses burning, towers toppling, and people fleeing for their lives away from the fires and lightning. They all converged here at a giant tree.
For the first time, the scene was clear. The someone that was tugging her along, trying to rescue her was a man garbed in green. The someone that he dragged was a woman garbed in red.
It was her and Quiche.
“Come, Rhaplanca! The tree is starting to collapse! We must flee now!”
But she did not go. She pulled her hand away, watching the people climb the tree’s trunk. If they fled now, the tree would surely collapse and leave thousands of people behind to die.
She shook her head, and went up to the tree, placing her hands on the cracks that had formed. “Oh divine tree Implanta, I will turn my body into a rock and support you forever.”
She prayed to the gods to grant her this final miracle. Ichigo watched as Rhaplanca’s body slowly formed to stone, starting with her feet. Maoh yelled and begged, using all his force to pull her, but he could not. Before she turned to stone completely, she held his crying face one last time.
“I hope my earnest wishes can speak to your heart, my beloved Maoh.”
He shouted Rhaplanca’s name one more time, yelling with such force that Ichigo’s heart broke in two. Rhaplanca had wanted to save everyone but Maoh only wanted to save her. Her bottom lip trembled as she watched Rhaplanca turn to stone, shedding only one final tear before the dream’s images ended.
It was just them: the girl, the boy, and the tree.
Quiche took a step towards her. “Ichigo. Do you realize what this means?” he asked, a wicked grin forming on his face. “I understand now. No wonder we are so drawn to each other! This was always meant to be!”
Ichigo shook her head, taking steps back. “Wh-What are you talking about?”
He kept stalking her. “I get it now. I finally know why I’m so obsessed. Ichigo.” He spoke her name so sweetly. “Don’t you see? I’ve been searching for you throughout the eons. And now that I’ve finally found you…” He stopped. “I’ve been given a second chance to save you, my Ichigo. Or should I say, my Rhaplanca?”
Ichigo glared, feeling a fire stoking in her chest. “I’m not Rhaplanca. And you’re not Maoh either!” There had to be a reason why they resembled them in the dreams, but it couldn’t be because they were actually Rhaplanca and Maoh, right? No, it had to be a metaphor, a warning from Ar Ciel. It had to have been Rhaplanca’s spirit trying to convey her message in a more meaningful way so Ichigo could sing Metafalica.
“Why not? It makes sense. That disaster in the dream? My people speak about it to this day — I would recognize it anywhere. Rhaplanca stayed on Earth while Maoh led his people to a new world. And now, we’re reunited.” He held out his hand for her. “Let me save you this time, Ichigo. I’ll ask for your life to be spared so we can finally be together after all this time. Come. Please.”
He was delusional, clinging to this myth as a way to make sense of his obsession. No way was she going to buy into it. She didn’t answer him, instead clasping her hands together in prayer. Rhaplanca, I know why you showed me these memories. I know how much Implanta means to you. This tree is important to me too. So please… help me.
Quiche’s brows narrowed. “You’re going to sing? Don’t be stupid, Ichigo.” With his extended hand, he snapped his fingers. Just then, purple pollen burst from the tree’s petals, covering the sky with thick, dark fog. Just one breath from it burned her lungs, forcing her into a coughing fit. “You need clean air to sing! How do you think you’ll do that with the air like this?”
Ichigo coughed into her hands, unable to stop and breathe. She wheezed, her eyes watering with tears. He’s right! I can barely breathe.
“One last time, my Reyvateil. Come with me,” he urged. “Just take my hand and I’ll save you.”
Ichigo clamped over her mouth, taking short and quick breaths as she straightened her back. She met Quiche’s triumphant smile with a determined look so focused that his smile dropped. Staring right at him, she clasped her hands again.
Rhaplanca did not take Maoh’s hand and neither would Ichigo.
The sound of drums boomed around them, startling him. A faraway flute followed with low strings, summoning power from the tower. “ Awake by the bright daybreak,” she began. “I will turn into the song that gives life to you. ”
Quiche’s eyes widened, panic in his voice. “No… no! Don’t sing!” He reached for her. “You’ll die!”
“Ar dor… Ar dor…” Oh, divine land…This one and only earth. As the organ sustained long notes, she continued. “Urr dius dor ee…” Come into being, divine great earth. Everything went quiet. Just as Quiche’s hand was about to touch her shoulder, a great light shone all around her, pushing him back forcefully.
Music of bells and drums in a rapid dance surrounded them, reverberating throughout the entire area. Though Ichigo could still feel the burning in her throat, she knew that Rhaplanca’s spirit was with her, guiding her, protecting her while she sang.
“Rrha ki ra echerra jouee, rrha ki ra chs hymmnos mea.” Power of god, descend upon me. I will turn into the song.
Ichigo had never felt such power emanating from her — this greatly outclassed her regular Song Magic. Rapidly, she sang Hymmnos commands as festive music resounded around her. This was the power of the Hymn Crystals, drawing from emotions that persisted over thousands of years. It was incredible, spreading power all the way from her heart to her fingertips and feet. Her chest swelled with joy, her lips curling into a smile as she continued, singing loud enough for everyone in Tokyo to hear.
Rrha ki ra echrra li 0, rrha ki ra chs maxim. I am the zero and maximum, the beginning and end.
Fayra en kapa, weak en sheak. Fire and water, the moon and the sun.
The skies above rumbled, shifting and spreading around Tokyo.
The seed receives the Lapis Lazuli rain, it awakes. Implanta, stretch your branches and leaves, and cover the sky!
Ichigo lifted her arms towards the sky as the song grew into a swell. With the clap of the drum, rain that shined like small jewels dropped to the earth, creating blue waves of cleansing energy. It blessed the tree with its magic, clearing the fog. The tree’s branches stretched and reached out, its dead petals falling off and giving way to gorgeous, vibrant new ones. The purple washed away from its trunk, leaving it an earthy brown.
From their posts in Tokyo, the Reyvateils gazed up at the beautiful sky. Pudding jumped for joy, cheering loudly as the others sighed in relief, basking in the beauty.
Ichigo had done it.
Just as she wanted to continue singing, her face still smiling, she felt something in her chest. Her throat burned and her breath escaped her. The grand music came to a sudden stop, its once hopeful chords turning desolate and ominous as the instruments dropped one by one. “No…” she gasped for air, holding her throat.
“Ichigo!”
She tried so hard to sing, to keep her song going, but the final crash of the drums spelled the end. Her eyes rolled up, her voice wheezed, and she felt everything going dark. Toppling over, she would have hit the ground had Quiche not caught her. “Ichigo! Ichigo!”
No response. He pressed his ear near her mouth, hearing quiet, yet desperate gasps for air. “No… no, I won’t let this happen!” Quiche supported her back with one arm, her legs with the other, floating away from the tree. “I won’t lose you again!”
In front of the cafe, the Reyvateils arrived one by one, greeting each other and Ryou and Keiichiro with joy. Though, as the minutes waned on and there was no sight of Ichigo, worry set into their chests.
Mint bit her lower lip. “Where is she?”
Ryou’s smile dropped. “She… she has to be okay. The crystal worked. It all worked, it shouldn’t have…” Just as he was about to give the order to search for her, he caught the floating figure approaching them. Ryou grit his teeth. “You!” That made everyone turn.
Quiche floated down, holding Ichigo in his arms. At that, the Reyvateils readied their weapons, expecting a fight, but he did no such thing. He simply carried her towards them, hanging his head. “Save her.”
“Wh-What?” said Ryou.
“Save her. ” Quiche came closer. “You can do that, can’t you? Answer me!”
Ryou was speechless for a second, spurred only when Quiche took a step forward. “Don’t come any closer! Set her down where you stand.”
Quiche bared his teeth, clutching her tighter against him. Did Maoh feel such pain when he left Rhaplanca? He hesitated, taking a moment to look at her face, so beautiful but twisted in pain. “Swear to me that you can save her.”
Ryou nodded. “You have my word. Put her down and step back.” Quiche knelt down on the ground, lowering his head.
“This won’t be like it was back then,” he whispered to her. “I promise.” He set her down on the ground and took three steps back. Before anything else, Zakuro narrowed her eyes. She cracked her whip towards Quiche with a spirited cry, wrapping him and rendering him immobile.
“Now!” she yelled, holding him in place. Mint readied an arrow, aiming right at him while Ryou darted forward, scooping up Ichigo. “Keiichiro! We have to hurry!”
“Right!” As they brought her inside, that left the Reyvateils with him, but Quiche did not struggle. He made no attempt to get out of Zakuro’s whip even though it constricted him. Instead, he just watched Ryou and Keiichiro take her inside the cafe. Zakuro exchanged a look of confusion with Mint and the others.
Mint spoke to him first. “First you poison her, now you save her? What’s your angle here?”
He laughed. “No angle,” he replied. Lifting his head, he met their unfriendly frowns with a sad smile. He took his time thinking of a response as the rain pattered around them, still shining and spreading purity throughout the earth. “Granme has. Na guard en ides, den grandus iem.” I just wanted to protect her. I failed in the past, but I succeeded this time.
The Reyvateils’ jaws dropped and Zakuro slackened the grip of her whip. “You speak Hymmnos?” she asked. Now that she was distracted, Quiche could feel the whip loosen around him, giving him his chance to escape. He teleported away without another word, leaving them speechless.
Mint clicked her tongue in frustration, lowering her bow. “Damn. We could have learned something.”
“Um.” Lettuce tilted her head. “What did he mean by failing in the past?”
Pudding stroked her chin. “Do you think they know each other?”
“No,” said Zakuro, pulling her whip back. “There’s no way. But he knows something that we don’t.”