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“Phew, it’s good to be almost back at the office after that mission!” Kirin said. “Didn’t expect that Berserk Adept to cause us so much trouble with their powers…”
The founding members of the Dragon Saviors, Gunvolt and Kirin, were returning from their latest clash related to the main reason behind the creation of the division: suppressing and subduing Berserk Adepts to prevent extensive damage to civilians and infrastructure.
“We’ll need to rethink our usual strategies of engaging affected Adepts. You need objects like the Shadow Yakumo issued lanterns or the malfunctioning robots to get around quickly using Arc Chain. I can’t stay on the field for long because you need to reapply the seal on my powers periodically. Very annoying to deal with…” the Azure Striker grumbled.
“Well, at least you can partially extend your timer with our miss butterfly idol. Isn’t that right?”
“If that’s what’s needed, I’m the lady for the job!” Lumen quipped, twirling midair while leaving butterfly particles behind. “Plus I can pick up Kirin’s slack and control GV’s output in his Awakened state.”
Neither the blonde nor the shrine maiden liked that.
“I’d avoid that scenario as much as possible. The one time my powers were reigned in after Kirin’s injuries was more of a stroke of luck. The consequences for a failed attempt would be disastrous and turn all of my confinement time in Sumeragi into a waste.”
“What he said,” Kirin continued. “Besides, even if it wasn’t determined by chance, judging by how you barely lasted a minute while holding back Gunvolt from decimating his surroundings, it’s clear your powers aren’t tailored for limiting excess amounts of Septima.”
“Wow, talk about being mean…”
And so the trio ended their brief strategy discussion and entered the office to greet their teammates.
“Hey hey! Splendid work out there, Kirin!” Black Badge, or BB as his preferred name, exclaimed. “Wanna find some grub to chew on?”
“Yeahhh, I think I’m good, I need to handle the report about the Adept we subdued. Thanks for offering, though, maybe next time.” Her beaming expression as she said that caused a chuckle in everyone except the rejected flirt.
“Ow, another kick to the jewels…”
“You really should’ve tried to start with a different approach…” Shiron, the navigator of the group, said. “Anyway, how about some games to destress from a long mission? Looks like GV’s got a more sour expression than miss Kirin!”
“I’ll have to decline, as well, not feeling up to it right now. Sorry, Shiron,” the Azure Striker replied, heading to the water cooler to moisten his dry throat.
“Ah, unfortunate… I guess the two of you won’t be available for a bit. Oh well, there’s always next time!”
“Once I’m done with the boring part that is paperwork, I’d love to join,” Kirin quipped. “Also, Shiron, stop calling me miss. You’re 14, I’m 17, I feel like a grandma when I’m supposed to be relishing my youthful days…”
“I’ll make sure everyone stays in shape as long as I’m around, you can count on that!” Cayman, the reckless brawler of the team, added.
“We’re certain you will,” Apollo, the logistics expert, replied. “Do you need help with the report, Kirin?”
“Eh, it shouldn't take long. You can focus on that Plasma Legion model you’ve been assembling for a while, hobbies are important, y’know.”
“I see… Then I will utilize your kind gesture and hopefully get to finishing the build today.”
“Can I watch the process?” Lumen asked.
“Of course, I think the two of us might get the job done faster with you procuring the needed pieces for me.”
From a glance, it seemed that the small division was tightly knit, with everyone being comfortable around each other after the passage of several months’ worth of time tested them. However, Gunvolt still felt like an outsider, in no small part thanks to him not seeking out socializing, or not accepting invitations from his teammates most of the time. The blonde felt the most conflicted about the other blonde, that was happily interacting with the others.
“Having my worst fears come true from back then, when it was just me and Joule residing within in spirit, as I aimlessly traveled after Firmament… She may look just like Joule’s idealized self before the two of them merged to save me from Asimov’s shot, she may speak unlike the other Image Pulses, but I can’t accept that… Image Pulse… that’s not Lumen, just a ghost from the past donning her form.”
And so the teen retreated to his room to sleep, all the while wrestling with his emotions.
Everything felt like a haze. He didn’t know what the time was, why he was here, being suddenly spoken to by that Lumen thing, nor could he avoid the discussion like he always did by leaving her to the other Dragon Saviors to deal with.
“Hey, GV… Why… Why are you ignoring me?” the blonde said, edging closer to the teen. “Shouldn’t you be happy we got reunited after everything? And yet here you are, giving me the cold shoulder…”
“That’s–”
What could he say? That it’s not true? But he kept up with the ignoring all this time, simply because the Azure Striker couldn’t calmly process his emotions ever since the moment he was… forcefully recruited by Kirin to aid in her quest of stopping Berserk Adepts. He didn’t know how to react to the duo’s ability to manifest Image Pulses, to manifest the creation that’s trying to press him for answers right now.
“Is it something I’ve said? I’ve never done anything wrong to you, always supported you on your missions, so why… I’m everything you wanted to preserve in the past…”
“Stop…”
“Huh?” 'Lumen' said in surprise, stopping just before the sitting teen. Her confusion was as plain as day. “Could you repeat that?”
“Just stop…!!” In a flash, Gunvolt yelled and knocked the Muse down, holding her upper body with just one hand, the adrenaline heightening his senses. “I never asked for this! The person I cared about, fought endlessly to protect, is gone! And now you have the nerve to pop up and pretend to be her? You’re not real…”
“What’s with you–”
Just as quickly as he lunged at 'Lumen', his hands found their way toward her neck. And as he laid out his long restrained emotions bare, so did his hands slowly squeeze the life out of his victim. “You’re a mere ghost wearing her skin… Your voice is as false as a fairytale… You… don’t deserve… to exist!”
His target tried squirming out of the death hold, but it was to no avail. The words were like glass shards puncturing her everywhere, decreasing the desire to fight back. And so 'Lumen' went limp, with the realization of the deed only registering minutes later in Gunvolt’s mind. The silence in the room was soul crushing, the new solitude weighing down on the teen.
“Oh god, I just… I just…”
The Azure Striker went down to his knees, banged his head hard on the floor, and screamed the loudest he’s ever had in his life. The sound travelled far with no recipient, leaving the blonde all by himself for the rest of time…
“AHHHHHHHH!!!”
Gunvolt exclaimed, launching himself from the bed in anxiety, drenched in sweat and his heart beating like a metronome. His eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness and the teen calmed the panicking body, drawing deep breaths to return to normal.
“A nightmare, huh…”
It wasn’t a new occurrence. The teen couldn’t remember the last time he had a good dream. It was always either a nightmare or emptiness. He couldn’t tell what was worse: experiencing only disasters with no respite or feeling nothing and waking up the next day as if a fast-forward occurred. A glance at his bedside showed him the digital clock displaying that it was a little past 3 AM.
“Great, now to force myself to get a few more hours of sleep after that hell… Hopefully no one heard that.”
The blonde turned on cyan lights that glowed dimly in the pitch-black darkness and sat back down in the bed, coiling his arms around his legs and drawing them closer so he could lower his head in the makeshift space. His shaky breaths were the only thing piercing the silence, until…
“Are you okay?”
His head turned in the direction of the voice, where Lumen… No, her Image Pulse appeared, with lingering butterflies. Her wings introduced extra light into the room, allowing the two to look at each other without problems.
“I’m fine… No big deal.”
“If you say so, then I won’t press any further,” the Muse replied.
“You won’t?” Gunvolt was surprised. He expected prying attempts, but nothing came.
“You look like you’ve had a nightmare just now, so I am concerned, but I don’t want to go against your wishes, either,” she replied. “If you ever express the desire to talk about something, though, know that I’m here to listen.”
Usually the two’s interactions would be as brief and simple as that, but the haunting scene from before compelled GV to initiate for once.
“What… do you desire the most?”
“Hmm? Well, of course it’s making you happy. That’s my raison d’etre.”
“I see… As you said, I had a bad dream just now, an unpleasant one where I hurt… No, that would be lying. I killed you there in a fit of rage. Don’t know why this dream happened now, but I figure it’s because of my… conflicted feelings about your existence. I lost Lumen back when Eden threatened the peace I desired to uphold, this time both in body and spirit. Willingly threw myself at Sumeragi’s knees afterwards so I couldn’t hurt anyone with my uncontrollable powers. And then, Kirin dragged me into the ongoing conflict, and because of her, you exist now.”
No response followed. Admittedly it helped Gunvolt express what’s been on his mind for a while, as he could pretend he was talking to a wall.
“The reason why I asked you that question earlier… I wanted to know for certain whether you were your own being, with desires and beliefs individual to you. I… don’t want you to exist solely to support me, because I couldn’t move on from my losses. You should exist for your own sake. The other Dragon Saviors treat you well and consider you an individual, while I…”
The teen felt his bed shift from the Muse sitting down. “So that’s what’s been bothering you all this time… I get it now. The reason for your aloofness. I’m sorry, GV.”
“For what? If anything, I should be the one apologizing, my treatment of you was inconsiderate, I lashed out at you and–”
“For existing like I’m a replacement of who you lost.” She turned to face the Azure Striker, her jade eyes looking at him with gentleness that struck his soul. “I know I’m not… the Lumen you knew, that you cherished… That I’m just her copy. But even so, my personality, my feelings for you… They are my own.” She touched his cheek with her hand and continued. “I genuinely care about you, so, I’d be happy to stay by your side, not as the Lumen that walked this earth before, but as the Lumen that is an Image Pulse. Of course, if you would allow me to.”
Gunvolt’s body trembled as the Muse revealed her feelings on the matter. “...I’ve been a fool all this time, huh? I wrapped myself up in my own delusions about the reason for your existence, while ignoring the reality of the matter. I’m sorry for how I treated you all this time… You… You exist. You deserve to exist.”
“It’s alright, I understand.” Lumen hugged the Azure Striker in a gentle embrace, combing through his hair slowly. “Let’s stay like this together for as long as you need.”
What he considered as the creator and the creation situation has changed for him. This Lumen might not be the same person Gunvolt fought to protect from harm in the past, but that’s okay. The Lumen that comforted the teen managed to break the uncertainty hanging over his mind for what felt like an eternity, and he received the answer to the one question that mattered. ‘Does she exist?’ Yes, she exists.
The Dragon Saviors office was the liveliest it’s ever been. Cayman was doing his reps with gusto, Apollo and Kirin blitzed through reports and model assembling, and Lumen watched how Gunvolt defeated BB and Shiron in a racing game.
“And that's 1st place for GV!” Lumen beamed. “Any winner commentary, or tips to share with the competitors?”
“Not really… I got a bit lucky near the end with that item that chained Shiron and BB, allowing me to get a narrow victory,” he responded, with a voice lighter than usual.
“Aw man, always have to consider luck in our matches,” Shiron grumbled. “Don’t expect a similar scenario next time!”
“Yeah, Geeves! I’ll make sure you’ll be hanging around our backs the entire match!” BB exclaimed.
“We’ll see about that.”
“Feels like you’ve changed your tune recently, Gunvolt. What gives?” Kirin inquired.
“Lumen and I… We had a talk in private, cleared up misunderstandings on my end, and I apologized. I’ll try to be more useful and responsible in future missions.”
“The two of us will assist you without issue from now on, don’t worry! My songs will pave the way forward!”
“That’s a relief to hear,” Apollo said. “Admittedly, I was getting worried whatever issues you had would keep building up tension in our team, but now everything should be okay.”
“Now this team looks like I wanted it to!” Kirin beamed. “Let’s continue our efforts and secure the world’s future together!”
“Right!!!”