Chapter Text
If Ichigo’s heart could beat any louder, then everyone at the exhibit would hear it. The sweat forming on her palms and fingertips dampened the edges of her pamphlet and her knees wobbled with every step. With every second that passed, she expected to be rudely awakened by an alarm clock, despite the fluttering in her stomach telling her that this was indeed real. Masaya Aoyama stood before the display of plastic turtles, their beady eyes shining under the dim lights of the show building. He stared at those eyes, pensive and focused, his hand resting below his chin. She shuffled next to him, hiding her hands behind her back. “They’re so cute, aren’t they?” she asked him.
“Yeah…” his voice trailed off, then he snapped back. “Oh, I’m sorry, Momomiya. I think I was lost in thought there.”
“That’s totally okay! What … I mean, if I’m allowed to ask …what were you thinking about?”
Masaya exhaled slowly. “I know these are just displays, but out there, there’s a real family of turtles that look just like this one, suffering because of us.” Ichigo’s brows turned up in worry, as if she were the one directly responsible. He must have noticed, for he quickly lightened his voice. “Oh, I-I wasn’t referring to you, Momomiya,”
“Huh? Oh! I know!” She waved her hands. “You must really know a lot about this sort of stuff, huh?” Ichigo fidgeted in place, her eyes glancing back at the display.
“Y-yeah!” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Ever since I was young, I’ve been into environmentalism and conservation. What about you?”
“Huh?”
“When did you get into it?”
Ichigo felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She asked herself if she should tell him it was only recently or that she had only picked the exhibit because she knew he would like it. Would that make her seem shallow? No — if she lied, then she would only back herself into a corner. “I must confess…” Her fingers wanted to tear the pamphlet between them. “I-I don’t know a lot about this stuff. This is my first time that I’ve gone to an exhibit like this.” She forced a smile. “Is… is that okay?”
Masaya grinned. “Of course it is. The fact that you’re here means you want to learn, right?”
Ichigo lit up, her back straightening. “Absolutely! I’d love to learn more.”
“Then that’s a great first step. I could explain things, but…” He chuckled, a dash of red on his cheeks. “I’m afraid that I’d blabber on. You’d grow tired of the sound of my voice—”
“Never!” she declared, her voice loud enough that it stopped some nearby people for a second. Her ears turned red and her stomach twisted. “E-Er—I mean—hehehe, I-I don’t mind listening to you talk. I mean, it’s probably better if you talk because sometimes I can’t stop talking—” She clamped a hand over her own mouth, covering her anxiety with a laugh. Great, he’s going to think I’m a total freak now. Way to go, Ichigo!
Expecting him to stare in confusion, Masaya instead gestured for her to follow with a welcoming smile. “This way, Momomiya. Let’s start over here.” She let out a sigh of relief, feeling as though her feet barely touched the ground as she walked with him. Ichigo listened to him talk about the different species, laughing when he impersonated them, taking mental notes when he explained the human actions that directly affected them.
Wandering into the main room, she noticed how many people were at this exhibit, everyone from elders to small children with their family. A blonde-haired girl read the placard for her five younger siblings, teaching them to read along with her. Another teenager took pictures of her friends in front of the aquatic exhibit. For whatever reason, seeing people from all walks of life at this place gave her a little bit of hope that something could be done.
After a couple of hours wandering about, Ichigo decided her feet needed some rest. They found a nice spot in the grass in the park outside where many of the other exhibit-goers were spending time as well, walking or having picnics. “I’ll be right back,” said Masaya as Ichigo sat down. “I’m going to go get a drink,”
“Okay! I’ll be here.” She waved to him and watched as he wandered to the vending machine, hands in his jacket pockets. Ichigo sighed wistfully, extending her arms and lying down in the grass. She took a deep breath, letting the fresh air fill her lungs. “What a day…” There was no way she retained every bit of information Masaya had, but hearing him speak so passionately was a gift in itself.
I only wish there was something we could do … something more than just recycling cans and using less plastic.
Ichigo closed her eyes and listened to the birds sing. Suddenly, she felt a wobble, despite lying completely still. The shaking intensified and the sounds of the people around her made her eyes fly open. “Earthquake?” As far as safety went, she was outside and nowhere near any tall skyscrapers, so she had little to worry about. “Aoyama—!”
As the earthquake intensified, the park filled with screams and yelps as people fell towards the ground. Ichigo desperately scanned the area for Masaya, but before she could see him, a flash of white light blinded her. She held up her arms to shield herself, looking away from the brightness before peeling her eyes open.
Ichigo was floating; she couldn’t feel any ground below her. When she opened her eyes, she found herself overlooking Earth, as if she were on the moon in the vacuum of space. Every part of her tingled as she heard a voice ring in her head. The voice was rich and feminine, nurturing like a mother’s. It spoke—no, sang —to her in a language that was definitely not Japanese. It sounded ancient, the voice barely touching the consonants like they were stepping stones to the next sound. Every ‘R’ rolled off the tongue, every vowel was open and clear.
Yasra manaf innna Ar ciel
Yet, as she listened to the lyrics, Ichigo could understand their meaning deep in her heart, feeling the love and warmth.
Oh, my beloved children…
Presia…
Please…
Wearequewie rre her syeary meycray.
Allow my prayer to reach you.
Ichigo could feel warmth on her cheek, as if someone were cupping her face. The voice filled with love had a hint of sorrow that pulled at her heart strings. As they begged for her to listen, to reach out to her, Ichigo could feel desperation clinging to her words.
“What is it that you want from me?” Ichigo asked, not an ounce of fear in her voice.
Hymme en mea.
Sing for me.
“Sing?” The warmth suddenly reached her lips and traveled down, filling her throat and chest with fire. Her body surged with energy and her eyes filled with images. Grassy fields with blue skies rotted, the plants turning a foul brown before decaying completely as the sky filled with dark gray smog. The trees were sapped of their leaves, their branches becoming thinner and thinner, snapping off until nothing was left. Thunder boomed, lightning stirring up the ocean as the waves churned and flurried. With a sickening crack, the earth beneath the sea split, magma burning the water and engulfing it. The wind howled in pain, in fright. Deep inside, she could hear something of a faint shriek from that voice, as if they were the very lands that burned.
It hurts… Was guwo gaya. It hurts.
Sorrow, grief, fear, all of these negative emotions shuddered through her. The voice continued to sing, the pain stinging in Ichigo’s ears. Were these visions of the past or premonitions of things to come? Either implication made her shudder and tugged on her heart strings.
Presia , the voice asked again. Presia…
Ichigo’s eyes fluttered awake, her head heavy and dizzy. As her eyes adjusted to the daylight, she heard someone calling her name over and over. “Momomiya? Momomiya!”
“Hmm?” Blinking away the rest of the fog, she could now see that Masaya was kneeling over her, slight panic in his eyes. “A-Aoyama?”
“Oh, thank goodness! I felt the earthquake and came as quickly as I could. Are you okay? Did you pass out?”
“Did I—?” She sat up, holding her head. Now that she thought about it, she had to have. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have had those strange visions and dreams. “I guess I did… b-but, I wasn’t feel bad when I left the house.”
Masaya handed her a bottle of water, its cap already unscrewed. “Here. You might be dehydrated then.” As she took the water, he rested his hand on his thigh. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t paying attention…”
“H-Huh?” She shook her head. “What? No! It’s fine! I promise.” Inside, her heart fluttered with joy. Did he really worry about her this much? Seeing him so concerned made her toes curl. While she did feel bad for worrying him, she couldn’t help but fall in love with his expression. “I really don’t know what happened. But I’m fine, I swear.”
“Okay…” He calmed down, nodding his head. “I believe you.” Masaya smiled, but his eyes darted to the side. “I’m sorry if I’m being too much. I just… I had a wonderful time. But, are you sure I didn’t talk too much?”
“Not at all. I learned so much.” She smiled. “Thank you for sharing it all with me.”
Masaya returned the gesture. “Thank you for listening. Please, take your time. Whenever you’re feeling better, I’ll walk you home.”
Ichigo finished the water bottle and once she felt less dizzy, she stood up with him. The sun dipped low in the sky now, turning it orange and pink as the walkways around the park cleared up with less people. Ichigo noticed that it was just the two of them, but even as they made small talk, she thought about the visions she had.
The warmth and despair all felt so real and vivid. Furthermore, there was that language with the odd words that she could suddenly translate. The images of the desolated Earth brought another shiver down her spine. I bet it’s because of the exhibit. It would make the most sense. I felt bad for all the animals and everything we’ve been doing to the environment that I had that dream. Hm. That explained what the vision was, but not why she had it in the first place. Was it because of the earthquake?
Ichigo heard a deep thud nearby, startling her and making her jump. She clung to Masaya’s arm as he whipped around, a second thud following shortly. “What the—” From the shadows, a towering figure emerged, its long, large feet making the thumps with each step. It was covered in sickly gray fur and its arms had long, sharp claws. A jewel rested on the crest of its rat face and it shrieked in half-anger, half-agony, baring its elongated teeth. A monster?!
Ichigo screamed, yanking on his arm. “What is that?!”
“I-I don’t know! Let’s get out of here, Momomiya!” As the creature crept closer, Masaya pulled on her arm and broke into a sprint towards the trees. Ichigo followed to the best of her ability, too frightened to look back even as the footsteps grew louder. She knew, knew it was gaining on them despite their best efforts. This isn’t real. None of this can be real. This is some nightmare–wake up, Ichigo!
The rat monster lifted its claws and swiped between them, tearing the duo apart. It sent Masaya flying, his body slamming into a nearby tree. As the wind knocked out of him and a pained cry escaped him, Ichigo stopped dead in her tracks. “Aoyama!” She saw him slump against the tree, a streak of red trailing down his cheek. As the horror robbed her of her voice, she stood paralyzed in fear, watching the monster turn its attention towards her. It snarled with its agonizing roar again, lunging forward to claw her. Ichigo knew she had to get out of the way, but her feet would not move. She couldn’t run; she couldn’t even scream, only able to watch and wait for the pain to come.
Before the claw made contact with her, two strong arms wrapped around her tightly and yanked her upwards. She yelped as her feet made contact with a tree’s branch, her weight completely on the person who rescued her. “H-Huh?” Ichigo looked up and met the electric blue eyes of a tanned-skin man.
“Are you alright, Ichigo Momomiya?” He let go of her, letting her regain her balance on the tree’s trunk. “Sheesh, you’re heavy.”
“Wh-what? No I’m—wh-who are you?!”
He patted down his clothes, looking over at the rat monster that eyed them from the ground. “No time for that now. You see that monster?” He pointed at it. “You need to defeat it before it eats your friend.”
Ichigo blinked in bewilderment, processing that sentence a few times in her head. “Hold on. Defeat it? Eat?! Wait, why me?”
“The Earth chose you,” he said, kneeling down. “I’ll explain everything when it’s defeated. Right now, I need you to repeat after me,”
“And why would I do that?!”
“Look, it’s going for your friend.” Ichigo paled, looking over the tan man’s shoulder to see that he was right. “You want him to live? Then do as I say,”
“But…” It looked like she didn’t have a choice. “O-Okay, what do I say?”
“Ready? The words are: was yea ra chsee grandee mea. Say them with vigor!”
Ichigo knew exactly what those words meant: I will gladly transform myself into a protector. It was that language again and that sensation of unscrambling the translation flashed in her mind. She immediately wanted to ask a dozen questions, but the rat monster lifted its paw, ready to strike Masaya once more. No, she couldn’t take that chance.
With vigor, he said. Ichigo inhaled deeply and shut her eyes. “ Was yea ra chsee grandee mea! ” Her voice echoed with power and warmth engulfed her body. A chorus of beautiful voices filled her mind, singing of joyful transformation. Music with exciting drums and exotic strings filled her ears and heart as her clothes faded away. Beautiful fabrics of bright pink and purple wrapped around her body, giving her furisode sleeves and a short dress that bared her shoulders. White stockings and pink ribbons covered her legs and a pair of high-heeled shoes appeared on her feet. Two accessories resembling cat ears with a silver bow popped onto her head as a silver bell jingled around her neck.
When she opened her eyes again, she was standing on the ground in front of the rat monster, bathed in pink light as the music faded out. “Yes!” she heard the man above say. “It worked!”
“Wha…?” She looked down at her outfit, her eyes bugging out. “What?!” Her bell jingled as she lifted her arms and tapped on the ground with her shoes. “What are these clothes?!”
“Look out!”
Without looking up, she jumped to the side, feeling the agility in her legs take her further than what she expected. “H-Hey!” she called to the mystery man as she dodged another attack. “What am I supposed to do now!? How do I fight this?!”
“Sing!” he shouted back.
“S-Sing?”
Sing for me.
Ichigo’s vision flashed before her eyes in a second, including the plead by the mysterious voice. She wanted me to sing then too. “Sing? But I’m a lousy singer!
“That’s not important! Just sing the song that you feel in your heart! It’s the only thing that will purify the Chimera Anima!”
“That—!” She leapt out of the way again, landing on her feet. “—Is not helpful!”
“Will you just try?”
Ichigo groaned, putting distance between herself and the monster. It was true that she wasn’t much of a singer in the first place, only able to carry simple tunes with little refinement to them. Whatever she was going to sing, she had to do it fast, for the rat was ganging up on her. “What do I do? Okay, okay, um.. ‘The stars tonight are’... no, that’s a bad–yaaah!” She broke into a quick sprint to run from the monster.
“Not in Japanese! In the other language!”
“Stop bossing me around! Why don’t you do it if you know how to do it so well?”
The man grumbled. He jumped down nearby. “I can’t. But I’ll do this: I’ll distract it long enough until you can sing. It is imperative that you take this seriously and try, got it?” His eyes pierced Ichigo’s, the severity of the situation dawning on her. She stole a glance at Masaya, still unconscious next to the tree, her heart twisting. Before he could gain a response, the man kicked up a rock and tossed it at the rat. “Hey!” He waved the stick and ran away from her. “It’s me you want, look over here!”
Ichigo watched as the rat swiped at him, making him lose his footing and tripping. Her heart raced and she clasped her hands together tightly in front of her chest. No, no, no! I can’t do it! I can’t sing! There’s no way. But if I don’t—
She shut her eyes. This man needs me. Aoyama needs me. I have to do whatever I can to protect them.
The inspiration sparked within her. She parted her lips and a gorgeous voice emerged from her vocal chords. Ichigo sang — not in Japanese, but in the other language where she so easily took her earnest feelings and put them into words.
For you, I will craft this song. I will happily sing if it means protecting you, Aoyama. Her voice stood alone in the silence for just a moment.
An aura surrounded her as grand drums heralded the music that boomed around them. With a grandiose intro, her voice echoed and heightened as magic surged through her body. She heard a harp’s string being plucked up and down, castanets clicking in rhythm with a tambourine, flutes and other woodwinds whistling a melody. The aura gathered into a ball of red energy above her head, increasing with each note. “Yes!” The man looked upon her with awe. “That’s it! Keep singing!”
With the joy fluttering in her chest and her emotions overflowing, there was no way that she was going to stop. Ichigo lifted her arms, channeling the magic to grow stronger. The energy launched at the rat monster, bursting into shimmers of light around it. It attacked it from all sides, reaching deep within its body and pulling out a small, floating jellyfish. The terrible monster shrunk back into a common street rat. Though the monster had vanished, she zeroed in on the floating jellyfish, not finished with her song. The instruments continued with her voice as pink streaks of light surrounded the creature, binding it. Coming to a decrescendo and slowing down, she whispered her lyrics like a final lullaby for the jellyfish’s eternal rest, making it vanish with the last of her words. With the threat diminished, Ichigo exhaled and put her hand over her chest. The adrenaline that came from singing ebbed. Just as she took a deep breath, she gasped and rushed over to Masaya. “Aoyama!” She knelt down, holding his cheek. “H-He’s hurt!”
“Not a problem. You can sing to heal him,” said the man walking over. “But do it quickly. You have questions, right?”
“I can?” she asked, facing him. Seeing him in pain tugged at her chest, but knowing that she could ease his suffering made it swell with hope. “Don’t worry, Aoyama,” she said in a low voice, kneeling beside him. The beating of her heart banged in her ears as she eased a shy hand towards him. Her two fingers pushed a strand of dark hair away from his face, her palm resting on the cut on his cheek. Summoning air deep into her lungs, Ichigo sang in a tender voice, like a prayer.
“Wee ki ra selena sarla sos yor…” For you, I will play a song. She wanted nothing more than to wash away his pain, take it on if she needed to. Instead of a grand orchestra, the only instrument that accompanied her was a heavenly harp and strings. A gentle green light appeared in the palm of her hand, extending out to him. She poured her wishes into the light, watching the bruises and cuts close up before her. His eyes that were pinching in pain softened and he exhaled, still exhausted, but safe. “Thank goodness.” As she pulled her hand away, her vision blurred. Pain flooded her head and she grew dizzy, unable to feel her limbs. “O-Oh—”
“Ichigo!” She heard the other man’s voice as her body wobbled back. “Hey, don’t go passing out on me now!” He caught her before she landed on her back.
“Ugh… my head hurts,”
“You’re exhausted from the Song Magic. C’mon.” Without asking further, he hooked his arm under her back and legs and scooped her up as he stood.
“Wh-whoa!” Before she could fight it more, another wave of discomfort washed over her. Just before he was about to take her away, she grabbed at his shirt. “W-Wait, wait! What about…” She trailed off, looking towards Masaya, who was stirring awake.
“You want to explain to him all of this?”
“N-No,”
“Alright. I’ll answer your questions back at the Cafe. C’mon.” Cafe?
The man dragged her away from the park to a stylish sports car parked nearby. He set her in the passenger seat, reaching for the seat belt before she swatted his hand away. “H-Hey! I can do that myself, get off me!” Though her head throbbed, she wouldn’t let that stop her from defending herself.
“Ow, geeze!” He shook out his hand. “You don’t have to bite my head off, Ichigo,”
“I don’t know you! Just because I need answers from you, I’m going with you, but you can’t just touch me!” She crossed her arms. “Also, how do you know my name when I don’t know yours?”
He paused. “Ryou Shirogane,”
“Huh?”
“That’s my name. As for your name, the computer told me. Now, can you please fasten your seat belt so we can leave?” She pouted, taking her time to fulfill his request. Ryou rolled his and circled around the car, hopping in to drive away. Ichigo could hear her father’s nagging words in the back of her head about getting into cars with strange men, making her stomach twist. Should she try to bail out before something horrible happened? Then again, this was something of a weird situation. It wasn’t every day that she encountered a monster that was weak to singing of all things.
Was that voice me? she thought to herself on the drive over. The Song Magic from earlier sounded like her voice, but enhanced to a degree she never thought possible. It was so beautiful, like a fairy singing, the very opposite of what she thought her voice was like. “We’re here,” said Ryou as they pulled into the parking lot. Ichigo lifted her head and snapped out of her daze.
They were standing in front of an adorable building with white towers adorned with pink tops, ribbons, and the like. “Oh! It’s so cute!” she gushed, getting out of the car.
“Follow me.” When Ryou mentioned a cafe, he wasn’t kidding. Inside, it looked exactly like a trendy spot to come have tea and cakes, its round tables neatly placed throughout the room and its chairs stacked on them. Ryou walked past all of them, going to the kitchen where a tall man with long, neatly pushed back brown hair hunched over a cake with a piping bag. He instantly noticed the two walk in, friendly eyes gleaming as soon as he noticed Ichigo.
“Ah! Ryou, you’ve returned. And this is…?”
“Ichigo,” he answered. “This is my partner and the pastry chef here at the Cafe.”
The chef put his piping bag down to give her a proper introduction. “My name is Keiichiro Akasaka. I’m very pleased to meet you, Miss…?”
“Ichigo,” she answered, giving him a nod. “Ichigo Momomiya,”
“Miss Momomiya, I see.” He smiled. “You seem quite tired from singing. Perhaps you would be interested in something to eat?”
“Would I!” She perked up just from the mention of having something sweet. So far, she was liking Keiichiro far more than Ryou; at least he knew how to be polite.
“Splendid. I’ll prepare a small plate and meet you in the lab in just a few minutes,”
“Lab?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Ryou answered, already walking off. “It’s this way. C’mon.” He opened a door towards the back that led to a stairway descending deeper into the cafe. Ichigo gulped at how dark it was, but followed, her heels clicking against the metal grates. When they reached the bottom, Ichigo winced at the numerous bright screens at the back of the room, as well as the giant control console below them. Blinking to adjust, she peered at a few of the screens, tilting her head. Instead of any character system she was used to, she saw glyphs made of circles and neat, curled lines like something on a circuit board. Her eyes focused on them and as they glided left-to-right, she could decipher them with clarity. Ryou sat down in an office chair. “Alright. You have questions, so—”
“Yes! Several!” she said, balling her hands into fists. “Start talking! Why am I dressed like this?! What is this language?! How can I suddenly sing!?”
Ryou winced, sticking a finger in his ear. “Ow, geeze! Save your energy for the aliens! Just because you’re a Reyvateil now, it doesn’t mean you have to be so loud,”
“Reyva—what?”
Keiichiro descended from the stairs, approaching with a tray of hot tea and some one-bite sweets that Ichigo immediately eyed. “Allow me to explain,” he said, putting the tray down. “Ah, feel free to help yourself while I do.” She didn’t have to be told twice. Ichigo popped a mini-tart in her mouth, giving a small squeal of delight as she sipped at her tea and focused on Keiichiro. “The planet chose you to be its voice,” he said, walking to stand beside Ryou. “You are now a Reyvateil, a being capable of creating magic through song. That language is called Hymmnos. When you became a Reyvateil, it was downloaded into your mind. It will help channel your emotions into Song Magic. Following me so far?”
Ichigo stared blankly as she ceased her chewing for a good minute. She resumed, quickly swallowing the small cake and putting the teacup down for a second. “I’m a Reyva… How did you say it? Rey…va…teil?” Keiichiro nodded. “Reyvateil…Since when?”
“Since that earthquake,” Ryou said, crossing his arms. “You remember it, right?”
“Of course I do! I passed out and then I had a really, really weird vision—” Ichigo gasped. “Wait, was that—that was you!”
“Not quite,” Keiichiro said. “Tell us, Miss Momomiya, what did you see in your vision?”
She folded her hands in her lap. “It was a little… scary, to be honest. I saw… I saw the world. Our world. And I heard a voice.” Ryou’s eyes focused on her. “It sounded like a woman, like she was super sad. Or angry? Hurt? And then I saw the lands all ruined. Forests razed. Oceans turning to lava. That sort of thing. And that voice, she asked me to sing.”
“Hm.” Keiichiro stroked his chin. “Fascinating. Ryou, do you think…?”
“It’s the best possibility. You said the voice was that of a woman that asked you to sing?” She nodded. “I see. What other questions do you have?”
Ichigo rolled her eyes. “Are you kidding? I have so many! First of all, how did I become a Reyvateil. Second of all, how does singing suddenly create magic? N-Not that I’m really complaining about that last part, haha.” She gave a sheepish laugh. “I’m just curious is all,”
“I believe,” said Keiichiro, walking to the computer, “that the answer to both of those questions are similar. You see, we did not invent the language you are singing.” He pulled up pictures of tablets depicting the glyph symbols that she had seen before, albeit crude and faded. They had to have been the Hymmnos language that Keiichiro mentioned. “For years, we studied the language and many times, in the old hymns and poems, they referred to the planet as Ar Ciel and with feminine pronouns, as seen here.” Clicking through the slides, he stopped on a collage of tablets and parchments with simple drawings of a person with a feminine and wide figure, long hair streaming down. Next to the figure, she read the Hymmnos glyphs. Ar Ciel.
“Ar Ciel…” Ichigo repeated it to herself.
“Mhmm. That voice that came to you in the vision gave you your Reyvateil powers. We think it is extremely likely that the voice was Ar Ciel Herself—the planet—chose you,”
“Oh…” That was quite the steep order. “Then, the earthquake… what was…?”
“That,” said Ryou, “was us turning on the tower.” He pointed upward, spinning his finger. “This cafe hides it, but we had to construct a tower for your Reyvateil powers to work. Without getting too deep into the science of it all…” He pulled up a chart that depicted a girl standing next to the cafe. “You, the Reyvateil, will sing.” He pointed to the cafe. “Your song will reach the tower hidden in the cafe, and it will process your song almost like an order. If your request is for offensive magic, it’ll grant that. If it’s for healing or support, it’ll grant that too.”
“Hm. Oh, I get it! That’s why you made it a cafe!”
“...sure,” Ryou said. “Let’s go with that.”
Keiichiro chuckled. “When we turned on the tower, we enabled Ar Ciel’s magic to channel back into the world, giving Her the chance to select you as Her voice.” He pulled up a picture of other mutated animals. “You encountered a Chimera Anima, a monster made by aliens.”
“Aliens? Y-You weren’t kidding about the aliens earlier?”
“Unfortunately not,” Ryou said. “They’ve come for one reason or another, threatening our Earth — meaning they threaten Ar Ciel as well. We took a gamble on whether or not She would hear our call for help if we set up the tower, but she did. So…” he stood before her, his voice gaining momentum. “Ichigo Momomiya. Ar Ciel chose you. Are you prepared to sing and save Her?”
Ichigo’s shoulders slumped. At face value, it was far too much responsibility for someone like her. Hell, she would often forget to do her homework, and now she was expected to protect the Earth from aliens? Her gut wanted to scream “no” and run, but her heart thought otherwise. She recalled the vision with new clarity knowing that it was Ar Ciel—the Earth Herself—asking her to take on this task. Masaya had told her plenty of how much the Earth had suffered and now to face an alien invasion…
Presia. Presia… Please!
She took a deep breath, putting her hand over her heart. “For the sake of this world and everyone in it, I will gladly be of service!”
I will make you proud, Ar Ciel! I won’t let you down!
Keiichiro bowed his head. “Thank you, Miss Momomiya, from the bottom of our hearts.”
Even Ryou cracked a little smile. “Mm. First thing’s first, you’re not the only Reyvateil Ar Ciel chose. According to our records, there are four other girls that She bestowed powers upon. Your first assignment will be to find all of them and assemble a team to fight the aliens.”
“So it won’t be just me? Whew!” Ichigo said. “Sounds good to me. Oh… one more question…” She held out her arms. “Why am I wearing this and how do I take it off?”
“Oh. That.” Ryou answered her. “Okay, I’ll try to explain this simply. Remember how we mentioned that your emotions are the key to your Song Magic?” Ichigo nodded. “We can quantize your emotions in Dynamic Hymmno-Waves. Let’s call those DH-Waves. When you’re not in, uh, let’s call it Reyvateil Form, you can still sing Song Magic, but your DH-Waves will be impure and unstable. Potentially dangerous. So, the costume stabilizes and enhances your emotions, your DH-Waves. Did you follow that?” Ichigo stared blankly at him, her lips parting. After so many other things that she had to digest that day, the second Ryou started talking about waves and their stability, her mind checked out.
Ryou saw her empty gaze and rolled his eyes. “The rest word is ‘fowrlle.’ ”
Ichigo had expected the chewing out from her parents when she came home later than usual; it would have been even later if Keiichiro didn’t offer her a ride. She worried about Masaya, telling Keiichiro that she was worried about him. He assured her that after dropping her off that he would make sure Masaya arrived home safe.
She sat in her pajamas at her desk, brushing her hair. Ichigo knew Ryou mentioned something about singing Song Magic outside of Reyvateil-form, which meant that it would work even now without the costume. She set the brush down and looked out the window towards the street, dimly lit by the streetlamps. Out of everything that happened today, one thing that stuck with her was how beautiful her new voice sounded. Was it maybe a little obnoxious to focus on that? Maybe — but for a teenage girl that couldn’t carry a tune before, suddenly having the ability to sing made her heart flutter.
Ichigo waited for her parents to bid her good night before she tiptoed to her balcony. Quiet as a mouse, she stepped out, shivering from the cold air of the night. Inhaling the fresh air, she rested her hands on the balcony and listened to the rustling of the trees against the breeze. She could do it, just a little bit, just for a while, and quietly. Besides, she could argue that she was practicing her Hymmnos.
Wee ki ra murfan near en crushue.
It was the same song that she sang for Masaya earlier, the harp’s strings plucking at a whisper’s volume. The mystical voice that she heard before returned, its harmonious notes and lyrics riding in the wind. I know you wouldn’t understand this song, she thought to herself as she continued to sing, but I want you to know that I’m pouring all of my most warm emotions into it. I’m putting all the words I’m too afraid to say right now, Aoyama. Maybe if I keep singing, one day, this Song will reach you…
The song danced on the wind and would have fallen on no one’s ears if it were not for someone lurking in the shadows.
“I know that voice,” he whispered to himself. “It’s the same one that messed up my beautiful Chimera Anima.” He grit his teeth, following the voice until it became clearer in his ears. When he was close enough, only a few feet away, he stopped and listened. “This language…”
Murfan… thoughts. Near… life. He had trouble translating the other words, but it was too familiar. Impossible, he thought. He floated up towards the tree, drawn by the voice’s mystic quality. The gentle music struck a chord in his chest, filling him with golden warmth. It melted away any animosity he had towards the voice, not through its magic, but simply through the sheer beauty of its earnest feelings. So pure, so truthful, so vulnerable.
His feet landed on the tree branch, albeit with little grace thanks to the distraction. The tree rustled, and the song ceased with a small gasp. “I-Is someone there?” asked the girl. He didn’t get a good look, leaping down immediately to avoid detection and pressing his back against the wall of the house. “Hmm… maybe it was a stray cat or something. Poor thing.” Retreating back into her room, the mysterious singer closed the window and turned off the lights.
He peeled away from the wall, craning his neck up, the wind billowing his clothes and hair. Placing a pale hand on the tree, he focused on her window, golden eyes narrowing.
Such a beautiful voice. But, it won’t work on me. I have no idea who you are or how you know our language, but I can’t let you interfere with our plans.