Chapter Text
“Now...Can you tell me more about that dream you had, Miku-san?”
“I don’t know what else to say about it. I’ve been telling you. All I remember from it is fighting someone for... something . I think we were in...A concert hall?”
“A concert hall?”
“Yes. I think. It was...Destroyed if I remember right. There was rubble everywhere...And a burning smell.”
“I see...Anything else in particular you noticed? Or is that about it?”
“Nothing in particular,” Miku crossed her arms, throwing up her hood in a huff, “So? Why are you making me recount this dream, again?”
“Well, Miku-san,” the woman sitting across from her set down her pen, “Dreams can tell us a lot about someone’s psyche. Many times there are subconscious worries or events that manifest in them.”
“So?” Miku asked sardonically, obviously not very interested in this. She seemed to be more interested in the shelf of books that lined the wall behind the woman, “What do you surmise from this dream of mine?”
The woman paused, thinking about what Miku just asked for a second, before responding, “Have you been in any fights recently? Or rather, have you been hurt by bullies again lately?”
“How’d you fricking guess,” Miku rolled her eyes.
“Would you be willing to tell me when this happened?”
“Well,” Miku yawned, “It happened recently, when…”
The sound of raindrops echoed all around her. Miku stood waiting at the bus stop, her thin fingers tapping the rhythm of the raindrops against her arm. It was a constant beat of one two one two. She had a gift, one for a friend. A bouquet of white flowers.
The expression she wore would look neutral to an outsider, though there was an air of melancholy to it if one examined it more closely. Miku hated that fact. She hated showing people weakness. Hated when she had to chase people’s backs.
The bus arrived. Finally.
Miku got on the bus. She was absolutely drenched, water droplets fell from her stringy black hair to the floor. Seems like her hood didn’t keep all of the water out. She quickly moved to the back of the bus, sat down and listened to the hum of the engine.
The trip wasn’t too long. It didn’t feel that way at least. She’d been on it enough for the travel time to feel almost non-existent. Almost . She still had to sit in this bus for what felt like a few suffocating minutes.
They arrived at the destination. Miku got off of the bus, and walked to where her friend was. She could hear the singing of crickets as she approached.
The graveyard was relatively peaceful. It seemed that way at least. There wasn’t a single person here. The souls of the dead loomed above her. Rows and rows and rows of them, surrounding her. Trapping her. A reminder that this was the place where the dead remained. That this was no place for those still living.
Miku walked over to a grave.
She placed down the bouquet of flowers and stood for a few moments.
All around her the sounds melted into a single somber melody.
“I hope you’re doing well, Hibiki,” She said, her voice breaking as she spoke. A warm liquid dripped down her face. Too warm to be mistaken for rain. Miku tried to laugh, “Seriously had to get back at me for getting you killed, huh?”
The girl was dead. She had been for two years. And it was her fault. She was the one who asked her to come to the Zwei Wing concert with her. That infamous concert with only a single survivor.
And it wasn’t Hibiki. Nor was it Miku. Miku hadn’t even been to that concert.
Miku stood up, rubbing the tears from her eyes. And she began to walk back to the bus stop.
—Shit.
It was one of them. Miku put up her hood, trying to make her presence as small as possible. She just needed to walk home, that’s all. It didn’t matter if she didn’t take the bus this time. She just needed to walk home without being noticed.
She passed the bus stop, taking a glance behind her. She wasn’t following. Miku continued to walk. Just walk. Ignore that girl. Pretend you aren’t here.
—Sounds. Footsteps. Miku sped up. Don’t look back. Pretend you didn’t notice.
“Well,” came a voice. Miku continued walking. Don’t pay attention to the jeers, “If it isn’t little Miss Murderer .”
Miku heard the sound of footsteps speed up.
“Hey. I’m talking to you!” The voice yelled, “What do you think you’re doing...Visiting a graveyard of people you killed?”
She was quite close now. Miku felt a hand touch her back.
— And she was shoved to the ground.
Miku hit the hard pavement. A bit of blood pooled from a scrape on her face.
“I can’t believe I used to hang out with you...Would you have invited me to my death if she had turned you down?” The girl landed a kick on Miku’s ribs.
‘Shut up,’ Miku grit her teeth. She tried to stand up.
—Another shove. Miku hit the ground. It was harder this time.
“Don’t tell me you actually feel bad about it,” The girl jeered.
“Shut up!” Miku yelled, kicking the girl in the shin.
She ran.
Ran as fast as she could. She ran and ran and ran. It started as a rumor. A rumor from people who were grieving. Grieving parents, grieving friends. A rumor that turned her into a scapegoat. A disease that spread, turning everyone against her. A disease that told people that she had been the one behind the incident. A disease that made her life hell.
Hell. Hell. Hell. Hell.
Every time she left home, every single time, she had to cling to the shadows just to attempt to be safe. People barely talked to her since then, the most they’d do was call her murderer, before pushing her down the stairs, or chasing her through the street. It wasn’t even just strangers, her own parents did the same thing.
It’s not like they ever called her murderer, but over the two years they began to stop talking to her. Stopped associating with her. Until they just disappeared, leaving her without anyone other than her aunt.
And then there was more. And more. And more.
But she deserved it. She had committed a sin that could never be forgiven. She was the one who killed her friend. Murdered her. Killed her. Killed her. Why? Why? Why? Why? Why did this happen this way?
“Why…” Miku fell to her knees. Her voice broke into sobs, sobs that echoed throughout the rain filled sky.
“Tell me again about that dream you had, Miku-san.”
“I don’t really know what else to tell you...Concert hall. Rubble. People dying. Screams. Someone protecting us. Fighting someone...Losing,” Miku sighed, “Every time we talk you always ask me this.”
“I promise you I will bring up something different next time,” the woman said, “It’s just this type of repeating dream usually has some kind of meaning. For example, you always mention the concert hall.”
“Yes, because that’s always the main location,” Miku said, laying back on the soft floor as she looked at the blond lady.
They were in the backroom of a small bookshop. The lady worked here. They met when Miku hid here when she was being chased by some bullies. She hid here because she thought it was empty...That there was nobody in here. And yet it turned out that it was not only this woman’s workplace but her home as well.
It was warm. The lights were soft and gold...Very different from the harsh light of the sun. The shop itself had a nice smell, lavender maybe, that put her heart at ease. There wasn’t much here but that was part of its charm. It was humble and kind, much different than the world outside.
The lady had been kind enough to let Miku come by here whenever she needed to...Though usually the conversations they used to pass the time ended up being like this...This lady sure liked to talk about feelings.
The woman continued, “That concert hall...Do you regret anything involving a place like that.”
Miku tensed up. Of course she did, she knew that. She took a deep breath, “Yes. Though I never went to it.”
A nod. The woman wrote that down, “I see. If I may...What do you regret?”
“That I wasn’t able to be there when my friend died,” Miku said, before shaking her head.
“I see…” The woman nodded, “And you say you always remember fighting someone for something? Could you go into that?”
“No.”
“Alright then,” The woman cleared her throat, “If...If you went to that concert...What do you think would’ve happened?”
“Maybe I would have saved her…” Miku laughed. A self-deprecating laugh, but a laugh nonetheless, “Just kidding...What would happen would be that I’d die too.”
“I see…”
Miku left the bookstore in a huff. Making smalltalk with that lady could get so frustrating sometimes. Though, talking with her was usually better than whatever happened to her outside. The conversation had ended there that time; Miku spent the rest of the time reading some of the books there until it was time to close.
The buildings cast long shadows in the light of the setting sun...Shadows that seemed to stretch on and on, looking almost like the bars of a jail cell, trapping whoever walked in them, until they overtook the rest of the scenery.
Miku clung to the shadows like a bug, her hood up as she kept her head down. Hopefully she’d get home without too much of a fuss.
The crowds of people out in the streets talked without a care in the world. Laughing, joking around, complaining about their day, talking about dreams of the future as if it was the most important thing in the world.
Just gotta hope none of them noticed her.
Miku flinched. Someone tapped her shoulder. She quickly whipped around.
Standing in front of her was a girl she didn’t recognize. She looked around Miku’s age, being only slightly taller than her. She had long auburn hair and teal eyes that stared curiously at her, not regarding her as a criminal, but something peculiar.
“Uhm…” She said, her voice having a very clear accent...Miku couldn’t place where from, “Do you know where to get to Tokyo?”
“Tokyo?” Miku looked at her, puzzled. They were all the way in Chiba. She sighed, “Just take the train.”
“Thank you,” the girl nodded, “Sorry for bothering you.”
Miku didn’t say anything in return, continuing to walk back to her house. Being sure to never leave the safety of the shadows.
And the foreigner strode in the other direction. The light reflected off her white clothes in an almost blinding way.
The bookshop was different today. The shelves were unusually barren and empty. The books were in stacks, wrapped in plastic, and most of the technology wasn’t there anymore.
It felt sterile. Unwelcoming. Cold. It was almost as if there was a disease that had attached itself to all of the wares at the store...One that needed to be put down without mercy.
As usual, Miku sat in the backroom lying on the cold, hard floor. The owner sat in her chair, as always, with her notebook in hand.
“Tell me about that pendant you always wear, did you get it from a friend?”
“I keep telling you, it’s always—,” Miku paused. The question registering in her head, “Huh?”
The woman laughed, “I told you last time, I wasn’t going to ask you about that dream again.”
“I-I see…” Miku cleared her throat. She held her red pendant in her hand, holding it out in front of the two of them, “Honestly, I don’t really remember.”
“Really? But you always wear it,” The woman said, giving Miku a quizzical look, “I thought it was important to you.”
“It's a habit, really,” Miku yawned, placing it back on her neck where it belonged, “I have no idea when I got it...I just wear it.”
The woman nodded, she looked like she was about to say something. Miku cut her off though.
“Hey, so...What’s up with the new look of the shop?” She asked, “Moving places or something?”
“Exactly right,” The woman hummed, “I got a new place in Tokyo...So I’m moving my stuff there.”
—Something hurt. Miku tried not to let it show.
“Hooh…” Miku’s hum of interest shook ever so slightly, “Got some obligations over there?”
“Yes...I’m very sorry about this.”
“I see, I see,” Her voice sounded more sarcastic than she intended. Her heart hurt.
The woman smiled, “I’ve had a lot of fun here, though...These conversations with you were always something I looked forward to.”
“...Same here,” Miku said, rolling so she didn’t face the woman, “...So this is goodbye?”
“I mean...For now at least.”
Miku stood up, walking over to the door, “Well...I won’t bother you so that it won’t be any more painful than it has to be.” She said, her voice more bitter than she intended.
“Right…”
“Bye...Carol,” Miku said, closing the door behind her.
Miku wandered the streets aimlessly, not sure where to go. Frankly, she didn’t care. She just wanted to walk. Because she was doing fine. That’s why she felt like walking.
She just felt like it. That was all there was to it. She wasn’t upset. Not at all.
It was too bright for its own good. Every street reflected the chalk white light back at her...There were no shadows anywhere...Just harsh light exposing everyone that walked
A group of people passed her. Miku tensed up as they did. She heard whispering from them. Whispering about her like she was some kind of monster they needed to stay away from.
They didn’t do anything. It was almost like they didn’t notice her. Like she didn’t exist.
The buildings towered around her like giants. Not a single place was safe or welcome.
—Her heart ached again.
It wasn’t like that place meant anything to her. So it didn’t matter that it was gone now.
—It didn’t matter that that safe place was gone.
Her nails dug into her hand. It didn’t matter. It didn’t matter that she might not be able to find another place where she could just talk with someone. It didn’t matter that she didn’t have that place to hide from her bullies. She had a house still. She could just stay there.
—She was running now.
She was always running. She was quite good at it. Being on the track team made it so she wouldn’t lose to anyone when running. She was fast.
Fast enough so she didn’t have to look at anyone’s backs. Fast enough so they wouldn’t see her. Fast enough to run from them. Fast enough so they wouldn’t ever catch up.
—Fast enough that she could’ve saved her if she was there.
The city blurred around her. She passed many buildings as she ran. The scenery changed. Green.
She slowed down. Where was she now?
She wiped the tears from her eyes. She looked around her.
She was in a forest now. Surrounded by trees that felt as tall as the buildings back in the city, with even longer shadows. That was just fantastic, wasn’t it. Well, all she needed to do was run back so it wouldn’t be too much of a hassle.
Miku sighed. But that still took time. Oh well…
—A familiar smell entered her nostrils.
Dust. Carbon. Noise.
Before she knew it she was running again. Running towards that smell. Towards? Why was she running towards? She should be running away.
And yet she continued to run.
And was promptly tackled to the ground by a girl running in the other direction.
“Shit!” The new girl cursed. She stood up quickly dragging Miku to her feet, “What the hell are you doing here!”
Miku didn’t respond. She was focused on the things behind the girl. Noise. Without thinking her body moved. She ran at full speed, dragging the girl behind her.
“What are Noise doing here?!” Miku yelled, telling her body to go faster.
The girl struggled against Miku’s grip, “They’re only after me, let go!”
“No!” Miku tightened her grip, “I’m not leaving someone else to die!”
“You have a death wish or something?!” The girl snapped back. She looked at Miku in disbelief.
—Protect her. Get her out of here.
Those were the only thoughts filling Miku’s head as she ran. This time, she’d save someone. This time she wouldn’t lose. This time she could protect someone.
There wasn’t anything else she could think about. Just run. And so she did. Deeper and deeper into the woods, she ran.
She felt a tug on her hand, “Look ou—”
She didn’t hear the rest. She ran straight into a tree. She fell. She fell straight into the ground. She staggered back onto her feet. They were surrounded by Noise. Nowhere left to run.
The girl sighed, “Fucking fantastic...Now I dragged someone into my mess. That’s why I told you to leave me...Now we’re both going to die.”
—No. Miku couldn’t accept that. There was no way.
A feeling welled up in her heart. She had to protect that girl. Had to save her.
—She had to make sure she didn’t fail again.
Words. Words bubbled into her brain. Her heart compelled her to say them.
And so, she sang.
“Koleshi Excalibur Tron”
The scenery around her exploded into a bright purple light.
“That’s—!” The girl looked at her in bewilderment, “How the hell...Why do you have a Symphogear?!”
The light faded. Miku stood, clad in mechanical purple, white, and black armor. In her hand she held the hilt of a sword. A second passed, a bright purple blade of light extended from it.
“...Hey, you,” The white-haired girl smiled, “You might be able to save me afterall.”
Miku stood, her back facing the girl. She held her sword out in front of her, “What do you mean?”
Before the girl could answer, a Noise lunged at them. Instinctively Miku swung her sword defensively.
And the Noise turned to dust.
—Just like they had back then.
Miku’s eyes widened, a feeling of shock shook her core. She couldn’t believe it.
She could fight them.
“That answer your question?”
Miku nodded. Her shocked expression melted into a smile. She could fight them—!
—‘This kind of repeating dream usually has some kind of meaning.’
Miku’s grip on her blade tightened.
And she ran towards the Noise.
One by one she slashed them apart with her sword. Her technique was unrefined, more like wild bashes than slashes, but they got the job done. As she destroyed them, she noticed something strange. She was singing. Sing to an electronic rhythm generated by her armor.
And the words she sang came straight from her heart.
She heard a scream and she flipped around. A group of Noise were rushing at the girl.
—She had to protect her.
As if responding to her feelings a golden barrier appeared around the girl.
[Round Table]
The Noise slammed helplessly against the barrier, bouncing back harmlessly. The blade of the sword flared to a massive size and with a single swing she effortlessly cut them all down. Big and small, the Noise disappeared.
[Dragon Slash]
The sword’s blade then shifted down back to its original size. She ran back to the white-haired girl, grabbing her hand. Unexpectedly, she was bonier than Miku had thought from looking at her. Her knuckles especially felt hard.
Miku shook her head. There was no time for that now. Just because she had cleared out most of the Noise she could see, there might be more on the way.
“We’re getting out of here. Now,” Miku said, slashing at a Noise that just appeared.
“Couldn’t agree with you more,” the white-haired girl laughed. And the two girls began running.
“Kohinata Miku,” Miku said after a bit of running.
“What?”
“My name.”
“Oh,” A pause. Then the girl responded, “Yukine Chris.”
And the girls continued running in silence.
There was nothing silent about the command room. The loud clicking of fingers on every keyboard in there filled the room with a chaotic level of noise.
The reason for this was on the screen at the back of the room. There was an unknown signal displayed and everyone at the room seemed to be trying to analyze it as fast as they could.
A man with red-hair was standing at the podium in the middle of the room, overlooking their progress. Behind him, the door opened and in walked a tall girl with blue-hair.
“Commander, why did you call me?” she asked, crossing her arms as she did.
The commander responded, “We picked up signals from Noise in another area...”
“Right, I’ll see to it right away,” said the blue-haired girl, she turned around to leave the room.
“Wait. Tsubasa, that isn’t what I called you for.”
Tsubasa stopped. She turned around to face the man and waited for him to continue.
“I called you here because something unexpected happened.”
“Cut to the important details, Commander,” Tsubasa said, looking mildly annoyed.
“These Noise disappeared a little after their signal came up,” the man paused, before he gestured toward the screen, “This showed up before they disappeared.”
“An Aufwachen pattern,” Tsubasa whispered, staring at it, “Which relic is it?”
“That’s the thing,” the man said, pulling up many similar symbols, “We don’t know. There is no match.”
“So...You called me here too…”
“Yes,” the man said, looking at her with a serious look, “There is an unknown Relic user...And we’re sending you to investigate.”