Death's Grim Reaper

by Cypher0120

Summary:

Hated and unwanted by the world, all Nier wanted was to find love and acceptance for her and the Arcarum Primal, Death. But even in a world that isn't even her home, a new encounter has opened up possibilities she never thought possible. Along with enemies that intend to use their power for more insidious gains.

Chapter 1: Deus Machina

“It is true, we shall be monsters, cut off from all the world; but on that account we shall be more attached to one another.”

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Chapter 1 – Deus Machina

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Banished forever. That must be the only explanation. Nothing was familiar anymore. Not the skies, not the cities, nothing about this world made sense. She had been wandering for what felt like forever now, through the choking fog down below, the underground ruin of what once must have been a great city, and now… a dark sewer system that was surprisingly much easier to breath at compared to outside.

And yet everything about this place disoriented her. Her eyes were wide and she headed this way and that, a mix of fear and confusion as she tried to piece together the events that happened. She knew her name, Nier, an existence that had been denied at every turn. And the one being that was still at her side all this time.

Whenever she felt like she was about to break, her eyes wandered over to the card in her hands. A card with the image of the only being who had ever understood her. The Arcarum Primal Beast, Death. But she felt distant right now; as if weakened greatly by the cataclysmic events that brought them here.

“Oh Death… I wish you were here right now…” the girl whispered as she trudged through the darkness. There was a wide space ahead that continued to lead further up, ladder handles connected to various open pipes, but there was light coming through from above at times.

But she didn’t really know where to go. She was lost and confused, and when she found herself unable to suddenly move her left foot forward, she nearly tripped and looked behind her. She had stepped on something… a substance that seemed to tug at her. And then… she heard the voice.

“….mpty….. Tr….pped….in m…..ir.”

She felt a chill in her spine as she turned to look forward again, only to meet face to face with…. Something. She didn’t know how to describe it. Much of it was a featureless, shifting, blob-like substance. Yet it moved about as if it was an ethereal thing with little mass or weight. And atop its head, a white circular mask with three holes. At least, she thought it was a head.

It closed the distance already and she was paralyzed already in a mix of fear and uncertainty. What was this…?

“N….t…..the Azure…..but….sc…nt be….y…nd the…. Bo…..dry. Devour… Mus…. De…our.”

The wiggling mass sprouted multiple pairs of insect-like arms, tipped with sharp talons that reared up around her like a cage. Was this to be her end…?

“Move it!” a gruff voice called out from behind her.

And at that moment, something collided with the creature in front of her, sending it tumbling away with a screech.

Someone landed in front of her. A young man in a red coat and silver hair that stood up like a flame. In his hand was a sword much bigger than had any right to be wielded by any normal person.

“Hey, can you free yourself? I suggest you do so and find a way to safety, I got this.” He said, not even looking back at her before he lunged at the creature again.

She was mesmerized at first, seeing the pair battle. Already they were getting further and further away, as if threatening to leave her behind.

“!” Nier shuddered and moved down to tug on her trapped foot, casting a spell that burnt away the substance and freed her. Run away and find a safe place… that was what he said, right? But she didn’t know of any safe place. Which meant all she could do was run ahead, following the sounds of their combat… though staying a ‘safe’ distance away just in case she’d be detected.

The clashing subsided soon after and from the corner, Nier peeked around. The white-haired man had won, but now there was a woman preventing him from finishing that creature off. She listened to their conversation, trying to gather information… any kind of information about this place.

“…..The Boundary…Ragna the Bloodedge…. The Azure Grimoire….Aren’t you that wanted vicious criminal?”

 Nier didn’t know some of the terminology but she wasn’t stupid. This was dangerous and she shouldn’t get involved. But if there was a bounty on that man, then maybe she could make use of it somehow?

Surprisingly enough, there was no further conflict to be found. The man, Ragna, had already started walking away and the woman soon moved towards a different direction dragging that amorphous mass with her.

That was when Nier stepped out of hiding and headed down the same path as that man. She had a few conflicting thoughts right now. Gratefulness at having saved her from that creature earlier, and the desire to see if she could kill him and take the bounty on his head. As nice as he seemed, surely a wanted criminal had done many terrible things to warrant such an action, right?

“My beloved… do yoo seek his end?”

Nier heard the voice of her one true companion and sighed in relief. “I believe so. Thank you, Death. I hope you’re all better now?”

“I apologize for not being able to defend yoo. Should we meet that creature again, I shall grant it the end it so righteously deserves for daring to harm thee.”

“I know. We can take that as unfinished business.” Nier replied almost gleefully and began tracking their quarry.

They were out of the Sewers soon and it was so much easier to breathe now. Tracking down their quarry wasn’t too difficult at least, but the man kept heading on higher up a tall building, as if to avoid the streets down below with more people in them.

That made sense. If he was going to do something heinous worthy of his criminal stature, he probably wasn’t going to be mingling about. He’d want to stay away from others. She paused however. A realization dawned upon her, though she didn’t have time to linger on it for long. Because there was someone else in the area.

The man was further up above, but there was someone behind her heading up as well. Either tracking her footsteps, or tracking her quarry.

Her eyes darkened, facing the steps that lead up to this floor. Sure enough, there was someone who emerged from the entrance. A boy, much younger than her. Not a threat as far as she could tell, but it was the boy’s companion that annoyed her.

It wasn’t human. It was tall and moved mechanically, but she could sense something from it. Something that her instincts warned her as dangerous.

“Ah… my hunch was correct.” The boy said, “…someone is already on the way to our bounty. While you may be a fellow vigilante, I can’t allow you to take my prize.” He continued, the purple machine-puppet beside him suddenly getting into a fighting stance. Its elongated arms raised as if ready to grab and pummel.

“That’s no excuse…” Nier said, her card becoming engulfed in a purple flame before coalescing into the familiar shape of Death standing right beside her. “If you get in our way… I’ll kill you.”

“How odd, this sensation. This is not kin and yet… be on your guard, my beloved.” Said Death before rushing forward in a tempest of cutting slices from the sickles about her head.

The boy’s puppet responded in turn, blocking and defending its master with its own body before retaliating in kind with surprising speed and agility for a metallic creature of its size.

And while the puppet and the Arcarum Beast fought each other, sending clanging echoes throughout the building, the boy began walking towards Nier. Something still felt wrong though. Death moved well enough as she should, flitting in and out of the puppet’s strikes, but there was power that was lacking in Death’s own strikes. Surely the puppet couldn’t be more durable than expected can it? Was Death still not performing at her full capacity?

“Are you new to this vigilante business, I wonder?” the boy smirked, and adjusted his glasses. He raised a hand up along with his cape and in an instant, something from within the cape extended like a rod, striking Nier directly in the chest before she had a chance to react. The wind was knocked out of her and she fell back, eyes wide as she crumpled over in pain.

A shriek of rage reverberated from Death as she disappeared, standing defensively over the fallen Nier.

“Unforgiveable! Absolutely unforgiveable!” the Arcarum Beast screeched, slicing tendrils aimed at the boy who dared injure Nier. But the boy’s puppet was there, blocking and defending him from the worst of the onslaught even as Nier recovered and stood back up.

From behind Death, she glared at the boy and held out a hand. A ball of purple flame shot out, only to be deflected with a wave of the boy’s cape.

“Oh? That’s a curious type of magic. It doesn’t seem like Ars Magus either.” The boy observed. “Still, did you think learning a few spells and having access to whatever that thing is makes you good enough to be a vigilante?” he looked at Death. “I bet you thought it would be so easy didn’t you? Well allow me to prove you wrong…”

The boy turned towards the puppet. “Sis, let’s show her what we can really do.”

No, something was definitely wrong. Death should be more than capable of handling an opponent like this. She had done so many times in the past. But something about this place was limiting her abilities. As if she wasn’t attuned at all to the souls of anything here…

Some kind of glyph flashed behind the boy, and then his puppet attacked with far more ferocity than before. Death was struck, overpowered by the puppet’s barrage of attacks. Again and again, with more force than before.

“No… stop it!” Nier shouted, watching in horror as Death simply seemed to reel back, disappearing in a flash of purple flames, returned to her card. The Arcarum Beast would recover eventually, that much was certain. But now Nier was left alone, against a more dangerous threat than she expected.

“What was it you said again? ‘If you get in my way, I’ll kill you?’ Well, I think it’s time you’re on the receiving end.” The boy said and then snapped his fingers. “Ada, kill her.”

The puppet loomed menacingly in front of her. Much like that amorphous mass from earlier, she felt the same kind of paralyzing fear. Things weren’t supposed to end this way.

The puppet reared an arm back, and then thrust forward. The tips of its claws extending into a drill that would have ran her through… If not for the ceiling suddenly being sliced open from above and a shape dropping down, clashing against the puppet and causing the mechanical monstrosity to stumble back in a defensive stance.

“Ah…!” Nier stared ahead. It was that red-coated man again, dropping down to save her once again. Intentionally or otherwise, this can’t be a coincidence. She dropped to her knees, hands on her face as the man did battle with the boy and his puppet. He was holding his own. No, the man was doing far better than she did.

“Death… please…” she whispered, closing her eyes as she wished for her beloved Death to recover as swift as possible. Nier looked up again as the boy was knocked back against a pillar, seemingly unconscious and that accursed puppet becoming suddenly immobile as a result.

The man sighed, and then turned and approached her.

“You again?” he wondered and scratched the back of his head. “You alright?”

She blinked once. “Y-you… you remembered me? I’m not… no, I’m alright. But Death...” she murmured, averting her gaze from the man for a moment. She looked up again, only to see one outstretched arm towards her as if to help her up.

“Come on. Unfortunately, I don’t think this is a good place to hide.”

“You were… hiding?” Nier asked, and reached her own hand up. She hesitated for a moment, before taking hold of his hand.

Her face was suddenly stained by blood.

Four sharp shapes had impaled Ragna from behind, piercing right through his chest before retracting back into the mechanical arms of the boy’s puppet. They were still active!

“Got him…” the boy said as he wearily got up, pointing at the two. “I’m not letting the Azure Grimoire get away.”

Nier’s eyes watched with horror as Ragna fell forward. It happened so fast. He just saved her and yet… he had fallen? No, no, no!

The puppet had moved again, a different angle of attack this time. The claws extended again, this time aimed at her and again, despite his grievous injury, Ragna forced himself to move and deflect the attack with a swing of his blade.

Nier screamed. Death manifested, her scythe-like weapons lashed out again at the mechanical puppet. Not just the puppet but everywhere. The scythes cut through the pillars supporting the building, more of the ceiling and even portions of the floor.

The puppet’s chest opened up, almost as if in response, before something simply detonated. The blast’s shockwave knocked everyone away, along with the rest of the building above them.

They fell. She didn’t even know how far she was falling but it was far past the streets they had passed earlier. Ragna still held her close just before the impact caused everything to black out.

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Far in the distance, overlooking the site of the explosion, a masked man turned around followed by a large, floating crimson puppet.

Chapter 2: A Nier-Death Experience

Summary:

The players gather and learn a little more about each other. A healthy amount of suspicion exists, but one can't deny that their fates are now intertwined with each other.

“I shall commit my thoughts to paper, it is true; but that is a poor medium for the communication of feeling. I desire the company of a man who could sympathize with me, whose eyes would reply to mine.”

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Chapter 2 – A Nier-Death Experience

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It was a pain in the ass but he should probably get up now, even if it hurt all over. Lost in a dream about his past and how he eventually made his way to this place. It took a surprising amount of effort, but Ragna finally managed to open his eyes only to be met by the crimson gaze of a girl looking down at him.

He knew her, barely. The girl who was doing battle with the vigilante from some time ago. She probably woke up earlier than him and now that he could focus on her features a little more, he took notice of the fluffy ears above her head. A beastkin then?

“Y-you’re finally awake…” the girl said in a whisper. “I was worried my healing wasn’t good enough.”

He breathed out a sigh of relief and closed his eyes again. The response from the Azure Grimoire in his arm was weak at best. The Nox Nyctores had wounded him pretty badly but at least the girl was trying her best to heal him. Though he wasn’t about to tell her that regular forms of healing wouldn’t be of much use.

“Adept at many things aren’t you?” he chuckled before coughing a little. Yep, the recovery wasn’t complete yet. Looking back on it now, there was something curious about her too. Especially when it came to…

“For one whose heart is shrouded in darkness, thou art more curious than every other inhabitant of this realm. Who are yoo?”

There it was. Ragna opened his eyes again and looked up at the taller figure standing behind the girl. That one had gone berserk last time he remembered before he eventually lost consciousness. Right now though, it radiated an otherworldly calmness.

“That’s a dangerous question to answer,” Ragna frowned and forced himself to sit up to get a better view. “I should be asking you the same thing,” he looked up at the being. It wasn’t a mechanical monstrosity like the Nox Nyctores that had attacked them. But while it had a humanoid figure, it was definitely beyond any such notion of humanity. Any normal person would have been intimidated but then again, none here had much sense of normalcy anyways.

“I…” the girl murmured looking from Ragna and then to the being. “Promise you won’t get upset?” she asked him.

He shrugged. “I don’t really know you or anyone else. Trust me when I say there isn’t much you can say that would upset me. Besides, I can’t exactly get mad at someone who’s trying to save my life.” Ragna continued.

The girl’s eyes seemed to light up, ears twitching at his words as she composed herself. “Call me, Nier. And this…” she gestured at the taller being standing over them, “…is Death. And, I wasn’t really trying to save your life. Not originally at least…” she trailed off.

“Yeah, I figured as much.” He shrugged, “Still, when you say Death…” he looked up at the taller figure. “You don’t mean it literally do you? Metaphorically? Poetically maybe?”

“I am the Primal Beast, Death. No more, no less. The safety and happiness of my beloved is paramount. So if yoo would think of harming her in any way…” the figure leaned forward, its masked face directly in front of Ragna now, “Then I shall grant thee ten times the pain yoo would think of inflicting.”

“Death, please…” Nier murmured, the Arcarum Primal returning to stand behind her once more.

“Good to know…” Ragna said, shuddering inwardly at the Primal’s threat. It had its own will, that much was certain and he had never encountered anything quite like it before. “So what now? You don’t have a place to head home to do you?”

Nier shook her head.

“No place in this entire Hierarchical City? At all?” Ragna continued.

Still a shake of her head. “I was hoping… m-maybe… I could travel with you for a bit? If you’d let me?”

In the back of his mind, something screamed at him to reject the offer. This was too weird, even for him. He didn’t sense much malice coming from Nier, but there was also the fact that what he was about to do in this city wasn’t suitable to have a travelling companion with in the first place.

“…Why?” he asked, “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’m involved in dangerous things. Really dangerous things.”

“Oh, that’s okay! I’ve seen through your memories when I was healing you. I’m involved with plenty of murders too.” she smiled at him.

“….!” What the hell? The way she said it so casually was so unnerving and the more she stared at him, the more he could see the hint of madness in her eyes. And now he was nervous about how exactly he should respond to that.

He gulped in nervously and breathed in deep. Tell her ‘no,’ and then get as far away as possible. Easy enough, right? He winced in a bit of pain, wait… still injured. Damn that Nox!

“Hold on, what do you mean looking through my memories? Wait, how much did you see?” he frowned.

“Enough to find intrigue. Sorrow to last a lifetime and the desire to take back what is owed from the world…” Death spoke up. “Thy dreams… and the lives you took. Exquisite! Wonderful!”

“My dreams, huh?” Ragna sighed and shook his head. If she had been looking through his dreams, then that just meant it was mostly just his recurring nightmares of that dark time in his life. The burning church and how his arm was removed. “Can’t say you’re totally wrong. But ask permission next time if you’re going to look into someone’s mind! That is a really invasive action.”

“S-sorry! I promise I won’t next time!” Nier replied, waving her hands in front of him.

He grunted putting more effort into standing up though he couldn’t quite manage it just yet as he found himself on his back once more. At least it’s safe here, relatively speaking. Wherever ‘here’ is.

“Meow…”

Ragna turned his head. From the corner of his eyes, he spotted movement and a pair of ears. Different from those of Nier but still meant one thing. Beastkin down here in the lower levels of the Hierarchical City.

“You can come out. I don’t want to be stalked yet again, especially not when I’m like this.” He called out.

Almost immediately the being revealed itself. Attired in a bright, beige-colored outfit with a hood that seemed to completely cover much of the beastkin’s face. The only thing that could be seen were a pair of red, beady eyes and a tooth filled grin. A contrast to the gloomier-looking Nier, but similar in some regards. Mostly due to the ears atop the newcomer’s hood.

“You’re in my napping spot for so long, meow. I’m not even sure if you’re moving anytime soon.” The beastkin said, sniffing the air. “You smell familiar though. But you…” she moved over to Nier, the girl stumbling back in surprise while Death looked on, “…you don’t smell like you’re from around here, meow.”

“I’m…not…” Nier replied as the beastkin moved back towards Ragna.

“Well, you don’t seem like bad guys like the squiggly so I guess it’s okay. But you don’t look so good, not-so-bad-guy!” she exclaimed, looking Ragna over.

“No, really? I haven’t noticed.” He replied dryly.

“Well, you know what they say. When you’re like that, you should head to the doctor’s!”

“There’s a doctor even down here?” Ragna wondered.

“What’s a doctor?”

“You just said it! Argh…” Ragna grunted. Raising his voice definitely made him feel a sharp, stinging sensation in his chest.

“Doctor, doctor… oh! Boobie Lady!” the beastkin exclaimed. “We should take you there! Gloomy lady, help me carry him!”

“Eh?” Nier blinked, looking from the Beastkin and then to Death. “But I’m not strong enough to… w-wait! Don’t just drag him like that!” she called out as the beastkin began pulling on Ragna’s foot.

Death moved towards Ragna, picking him up as if to cradle him in her arms instead. “How sad. So sad. My beloved has taken a fancy to yoo. Happy. So happy. But also sad. So sad.”

What an odd sensation, being picked up and carried off like this. Still hurts a bit, but Death’s movement as they travelled were surprisingly graceful and elegant. He could only hope she didn’t just drop him by accident. Whether he survived or not, it would be really inconvenient and painful.

Still… taken a fancy, eh? His eyes briefly moved over to Nier as she followed her Primal companion, all being lead by that Beastkin who apparently knew where a Doctor was located. What an odd bunch they all were.

“Well, I won’t hold my breath.” Ragna shrugged and closed his eyes again. Seems the schedule he had intended to follow would be delayed for a bit as he drifted off into slumber once more.

Chapter 3: Observing Eyes

Summary:

Secrets revealed, though not all. The players venture out and either find themselves... or find themselves lacking.

“But her's was the misery of innocence, which, like a cloud that passes over the fair moon, for a while hides, but cannot tarnish its brightness.”

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Chapter 3 – Observing Eyes

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For the house of a Beastkin living down here, it was surprisingly well-maintained. Almost as surprising as the appearance of the same woman whom she saw earlier at the sewers. She hadn’t recognized Nier though, and while surprised at first, she was quick to ask Death to lay Ragna down upon a bed so she could treat him.

Nier watched in silence as Ragna was bandaged up and a blanket placed over his sleeping form. She sat at a chair with Death standing silently behind her before the Doctor made her way over to sit at the opposite end of the table.

“He is stable now. But he needs a lot of rest if he’s to make a full recovery.” The woman said, elbows on the table as she rested her chin on the palm of her hands. “I didn’t expect Tao to bring in a patient who fell from the upper levels. Especially not a wanted criminal.”

Nier said nothing. What could she say, really? Unlike the cat beastkin from earlier, this woman seemed shrewder. She had to be careful about how much she should reveal.

“Permit me to ask, but what is your relationship with that man? I’ve encountered him only once before and he was all alone. But to think I’d see him again with a young woman like yourself in the same day? That doesn’t seem to be the norm,” asked the doctor.

She sighed, looking up at Death and then towards the doctor. “He…I was following him after he saved me down at the sewers. And then he saved me again after I was attacked by the boy who gave him those injuries.”

“Injuries inflicted by a Nox Nyctores. You two were lucky to escape alive,” she explained.

“Nox Nyctores?” Nier wondered.

“Just know that they are weapons not to be tampered with. Only those of exceptional aptitude and skill are known to use them, though I hear there are side-effects…” the doctor nodded, her eyes now staring up at Death. “…which does make me wonder. Your companion, is she a special kind of weapon as well?”

“She’s not a weapon!” Nier stood up, her fists balled up onto the table before she forced herself to calm down. “Death was… the only one who ever understood me. Isn’t that right?”

Death seemed to nod its head, looming over Nier almost protectively. “My beloved is my pact bearer. Do not slander her intentions.”

“Death?” the doctor responded, definitely looking intimidated. Nier was quick to apologize, however.

“I’m sorry…” Nier murmured, “Death can be quite persistent if she perceives the wrong thought from someone.”

The doctor sighed, “Well, whatever the case, be more careful out there. It may not look like it, but the city is on high alert. I’m sure you already know the reason why, yes?”

Nier nodded her head before Death vanished in a burst of dark flames, transformed into a smaller card that reappeared in her hands.

“I’ll go check on our patient later. There are a few things I have to ask the two of you when he’s finally awake but until then, try to get some rest yourself. Tao should be back soon with food as well if you would like some.”

“Wait, where are you going?” asked Nier.

“Well, I am a doctor,” she replied, “I do have patients in the upper levels as well. My visit down here was a little extra, you could say. Maybe I’ll get a few drinks after too…” she trailed off and moved towards the door. “Remember though, rest and food.”

Nier nodded her head and watched as the woman made her exit. All alone in the beastkin’s house, yet without that Tao individual who apparently owned this place. She’d head out herself and explore the little village but, leaving Ragna alone here didn’t feel right.

She shrugged, pulling her chair over towards where Ragna lay sleeping and watched him. It didn’t take long before she herself found herself dozing off, her head resting atop the blankets.

---

When Ragna opened his eyes, Nier was still sleeping. He noticed her presence quickly enough, her head resting close to his own even as she lay sitting on that chair.

“Awkward way to sleep…” he said quietly and sat up. His coat had been removed and he was bandaged all over but otherwise, everything about him seemed fine. Had he made a full recovery? No, but this should be enough to do what he came here to do. Then again… probably too late to do anything. Maybe he could wait until the next day?

He sighed and looked down at Nier’s sleeping figure. What was he supposed to do with her?

“Hey, you awake?” he asked silently, though received no response. He didn’t want to shake her awake either.

“What about the other one? Death was it? Are you keeping watch?”

He didn’t really expect a response but the Primal manifested, materializing like a haze just behind Nier. Its masked face stared at him, one of its hands up with a single raised finger as if to tell him to be quiet.

“I don’t think she’s waking up anytime soon. Seems to be in really deep sleep,” he said, turning his gaze down. “Look, I’m still not sure if it’s a good idea to have her travelling with me. I know you can probably defend her just fine… maybe… but I can’t just have random people following me around.”

“Yoo… do yoo reject her love then?”

“Not what I said.” Ragna replied. It might be better to speak of things indirectly here instead of confirming or denying what was being asked of him. It felt as if things could easily escalate and he was in no shape to fight back if the worst were to occur. Not yet at least. “I don’t know anything about you two, simple as that. You saw what happened in that last fight, it’s not exactly safe out there.”

“Knowledge then?” Death glided and seemed to float above him. She leaned forward as if studying his features. The real worry right now would be if she can truly read minds. “Shall I give yoo the knowledge you ask as recompense for peering into thy memories?”

He shrugged. “Sure, why not? It’s something I guess…”

Regret was next on his mind though as a dark mass of energy coalesced in Death’s hand. And then she grabbed his head with said hand.

He lost consciousness yet again, the third time in the same day! He didn’t even have time to dwell on it before the images invaded his mind. A torrent or a flood of things he could barely understand until his mind was forced to piece it together in the correct order.

A past that defined ‘her.’ The start of the memories was there, from a mansion. And parents who thought little of a girl desperately trying her best.

He could look at most things with an impassive, almost impartial gaze. Many things he didn’t want to involve himself in, so focused was he on other things if it didn’t concern him. Yet something about this particular memory tugged at him. As if forcing him to acknowledge and rage against its true horror.

A memory not unlike looking at someone’s diary. But this showed in detail the sort of life she lived in this house. And the excruciating emotional hardships she suffered through every day.

Awful, just awful. How could anyone live a life like this?

And he was seeing it all. Not just the abuse suffered at the hands of her own family and their servants, but even what she did to try to stifle the pain just to find acceptance. The bodies of those she had a relationship with, being locked up and coming so close to dying. And her contract with Death.

The murder of everyone around her when she couldn’t take it anymore. A drifting wraith who was constantly on the move, rejected by all.

It wasn’t just the murders that drew his attention. It’s true that what Nier did was wrong, but she turned out that way because of an inconsolable grief. A grief he understood too well. Had his master and Rachel not been there for him, who knows what kind of life he’d have obtained?

Considering all she had gone through, he didn’t even fault her for wanting to destroy the world. The world… yes, she wanted to destroy it. Such was the depths of her despair it was hard to believe she was acting the way she did now. And through it all, Death watched and guided her actions. The kindred spirit she had formed her bond with.

He woke with a gasp, clutching his chest with his right hand. The memories that entered his mind felt like it had been in there forever. And while it felt like he had the whole day wandering around there, it had only been a few minutes since Death grabbed his head.

He wasn’t sleeping. This wasn’t a dream anymore. And when he turned to his left, he could see Nier looking at him with an almost vacant expression.

“You saw… didn’t you? Death showed you…?” she asked quietly.

He nodded his head, breathing slowing down as he entered a state of relaxation. It was… something alright. And he didn’t have a reason to believe that it was fake. No, there was a genuine desire to be understood there, a frightening desire that scared even him. Still…

“That’s not an easy life to go through…” he said quietly.

Nier’s ears perked up, her gaze up at him again. “Then, you don’t hate me? You won’t deny my existence?”

“I’d be a damned hypocrite if I were to do so,” he replied and sighed. “Look, I’m still not sure if letting you travelling with me is the best idea. But it’s not the worst idea either. Assuming you’ve looked through enough of my memories, we both did things we aren’t proud of. Or at least, things that the world would never forgive us for. The way I see it, we may as well stick together and see how things go from there.”

Nier was quiet, but a small smile could be seen on her face. “…Thank you… thank you…” she repeated as if on the verge of tears. She reached towards him and gave him a hug.

“Argh…! Too tight! That still hurts!” Ragna squirmed at the touch.  

“S-sorry! I’ll let you keep resting…” Nier replied and let go.

He nodded his head and slipped back into the blankets. Shouldn’t be too long now before he fully recovered. He could make the recovery process faster too, but there was no way he was going to do that in Nier’s presence.

“Guess I should probably tell you that I’m going to hit a Government building tomorrow. Probably at night so there might be people who will try to stop me. If you’re going to travel with me, stick close, alright?” he said, his eyes closed.

“No worries,” Nier whispered, “I’m never leaving your side.”

Worrying, but not totally unwanted. He never had a travelling companion before either and from the way she talked, it seemed like she wanted more too.

It was only a few more hours before the doctor returned. Ragna was up and awake, speaking with Nier when the door opened again.

“Did Tao not come back?” she wondered, standing in front of the pair.

“You…” Ragna said. He remembered her, back down at the sewers. So she’s the doctor that beastkin was talking about?

She stood over Ragna, her gaze seemed to be judging him as she leaned over to touch his right arm. He twitched, pulling his arm away.

“Why aren’t you trying to siphon my soul?” asked the doctor, “You’d heal up much more quickly if you did. After all, that is the Azure Grimoire is it not?”

“Not exactly common for a Doctor to know this much information,” said Ragna. “Besides, I don’t need it to just walk around.”

“Oh?” the doctor stepped back, looking from Ragna and then to Nier. “Then I guess your treatment is over. Still, don’t be too careless out there.”

“So we’re free to go?” he asked.

“I suppose. But… I’m still worried. Tao hasn’t returned yet. I’m not sure if she got distracted or something happened to her, but might I ask you to bring her back here if you find her? Just to make sure.” She replied.

“If we find her,” Ragna said and stood up from his spot. He grabbed his coat and sword and passed by the doctor. “Any idea where she’d have headed?”

“Your best bet would be somewhere above. Maybe in Orient Town in the area around my clinic.” The Doctor replied.

Nier followed soon after and quickly bowed to the doctor before she too was gone.

---

After some time, Litchi sighed and began arranging the bed. She didn’t really need to ask any more questions from those two. Just to confirm the nature of the Azure Grimoire.

She had spoken to an acquaintance of Professor Kokonoe on the way here though. So the girl claimed at least. A twin-tailed girl who seemed most intrigued by the mention of the Grim Reaper’s new companion. Something strange was going on in the city, that’s for sure.

Chapter 4: Tender Moments

Summary:

Crime does not pay. Though he wasn't even paid at all in the first place. But a few comforts can still be found when fighting the world together.

“When falsehood can look so like the truth, who can assure themselves of certain happiness?”

---

Chapter 4 – Tender Moments

---

“So… I may have been mistaken,” said Ragna. Currently they are standing within an alleyway, eyes on the road just outside where people of all sorts moved about with a busy schedule. It was the issue, really. The sun was still up. From the look of things, just past noon too.

“I’m going to assume you’re not in the habit of attacking places during the day?” Nier looked at him as she drew in close.

He shrugged, “Of course not. Still, you saw that Wanted Poster right? I don’t want to take my chances.”

 She chuckled, bringing the little parchment out as she looked from the portrait on it and then towards Ragna. “If you squint, it can look a little bit like you…”

“What the-!” Ragna turned back towards her, “…you kept it?”

He sighed. It’s not that uncommon for Vigilantes to do that, but when did she have time to tear it from the wall they passed by? Such an unflattering look too. At least they didn’t have to worry too much about standing out considering the types of people walking about.

“Orient Town she said…” Ragna murmured and signalled for Nier to follow as he stepped out into the streets and blended in with the ground. He felt Nier’s hands on his own, making sure they didn’t get separated from the hustle and bustle of this place. Besides, the NOL headquarters can wait and they didn’t have much of a lead on anything. What he didn’t expect was how easy it was to spot who they were looking for.

“Is she… sleeping in the middle of the road?” Nier pointed out.

They had reached another district, less busy but still with a fair number of people passing by. And pass by they did as there in the middle of the road was the cat beastkin that had found them earlier. And people were really just walking around on either side of her.

“What are we, babysitters?” Ragna mumbled as they approached. Yep, she was sleeping without a care in the world alright. Part of him wanted to just ignore her and let her be but well, they did tell that doctor they’d do something about it if they found her.

“Hey, you alright there?” he bent down, nudging the cat beastkin.

“Meow…” she mumbled, seemingly twitching before standin up and sniffing the air. “Oh, it’s you! Not-so-bad guy and gloomy lady! What are you doing here?”

“Your friend down at your place was worried you hadn’t come back home yet. Did you get lost?” Ragna wondered and scratched the back of his head.

“Lost? No, not lost. There was a big red guy here earlier though. I played with him a lot but it really tired Tao out.” She replied.

“Tao…” Nier murmured.

“Oh that’s right! I didn’t int…inter…introduce myself yet! I’m Taokaka! Nice to meet you again, gloomy lady!” she continued, taking Nier’s hands in an odd handshake before doing the same to Ragna.

*grumble*

“Meow…” Tao’s head drooped down though, her stomach making an odd noise. “So much to do… can’t move… too hungry…”

“Seriously?” Ragna sighed, looking from Tao and then to Nier. Then again, it’s been a while since he had any kind of prepared food. And it’s not like he was in a rush to go anywhere anymore. “What do you think?” he looked at Nier, “Interested in eating somewhere?”

“Ah…I don’t mind.” Nier replied with a nod, her eyes glancing over as others passed them by.

“Then I know just the place! Meow!” Taokaka perked up, as if energy returned to those tired limbs. “Follow me!”

“Well, I’m not going to say no to free food.” He raised his shoulders and followed their companion.

An Oriental establishment. Fancy, but with quite a lot of people from all walks of life eating and conversing with each other. Not the typical company he’d keep but well, it’s fine with just Nier and Tao.

They were presented a booth at one of the back corners along with a menu that lists a good variety of dishes.

“Not bad…” Ragna said.

“I don’t even know half of what all this says…” Nier said quietly.

It didn’t take long before the small group had a few plates on their table. Multiple plates and cuisines, a mix of meat and vegetables, and bowls of noodles. Nier was slow and methodical in her eating, eyes always wandering over from Ragna and then to Taokaka but at least she seemed to be enjoying it just fine.

“Meoow, meoooow! This meat, it’s so tender and full of juice!” said Tao, being the biggest eater of the group.

“Hey, slow down. Tao was it? You eat way too much! You’ve been inhaling everything this whole time!” Ragna pointed out.

“Shut up, good guy! Food is meant to be enjoyed, peacefully,” The beastkin replied, “Eat good food, and you can forget about all the bad things that happen. The cat person told me.”

“May as well, I guess. Nothing wrong with eating as much as we can.” Ragna said and focused on his meal.

After a few minutes of just enjoying their meals, there was a lull in the frenzy.

“This bun’s not bad…” Nier mumbled, taking a bite out of a steamed bun while the other two paused their meals.

“Oh… so you understand the taste of good food…!” Tao said, her grinning face on Nier before she turned around. “Meow… it is getting late though. I should let Boobie Lady know where I’ve been. I’ll let her know I was with you, good guy!”

“Don’t get lost now, alright?” Ragna said and leaned back. Just eat and forget all about the bad things. Wise words from a wise man… probably. He had an inkling of who that mysterious ‘cat person’ was that Tao mentioned.

“Alrighty! Thanks for the free food, good guy!” Tao said before dashing off out the exit.

“She’s an odd one, ain’t she?” Ragna said, “Guess we should also… Wait…” the implication of what Tao said just before she left was not lost on him. She thanked him, true, but he was thinking of something else now, something much more serious.

He reached into a pocket and gulped. It would have been better than nothing if he had his wallet with him. But he had forgotten it back down where that Doctor was. Too late to head back there now and when he finally realized it, Ragna took a gulp and scooted over closer to Nier.

“Hey uhhh, Nier?” he started, his voice now a hushed whisper, “You don’t happen to have any kind of money with you, do you?”

Nier’s eyes widened. “Wait, you mean you don’t have any…”

“Shhh-! I didn’t think she’d leave us with the bill…!”

Nier took out a small pouch and opened it, counting a few coins within.

“I’ve a few Rupies… would that cover it?” she whispered back.

That… wasn’t a currency in circulation here. He shook his head and looked around.

“Alright, listen up,” he said in a whisper, “I don’t have a penny on me and your coin’s probably not going to be any good here. You know what that means?”

Nier nodded her head rapidly, “You truly are a criminal and might be a bad influence?”

“Well yes… and no. We just need to sneak out and pretend like we left the money on the table. We should be able to make a clean exit then. That’s doable, I think.”

“Wouldn’t it be easier if we killed everyone who sees?” she asked.

“What? No-! That would bring down the wrath of everyone outside and the rest of the Librarium. We don’t need that much attention.” He replied and then sighed, “Follow my lead.”

Heading to the exit felt like forever as they tried not to draw too much attention to themselves. It’s just a few paces and it already felt like everyone was watching them. Right before they were at the doors however…

“Sir… would you like to pay the bill now?” a woman popped up from behind the counter.

“Well…umm…y’know…” his grip tightened on Nier’s hand.

The woman narrowed her gaze, “You’re not planning on leaving without paying are you?”

Other customers were definitely being drawn by the attention now.

“Hey… isn’t that the bounty?”

“Are you serious? Now that I think about it… he looks a little different from the poster, but I can see the resemblance.”

“Is he seriously going to dine and dash?”

“Let’s get him! If we all attack, we might be able to take him down!”

“We can split the bounty!”

“Yeah uh….” Ragna gulped as customers rose up from their seats, many of which branded many different, and cruel-looking weapons. “Run for it!”

He dashed out, hoisting Nier over his shoulder followed by an angry mob of bounty-hunters.

“I don’t even wanna think about what’ll happen if they catch us. Ah, that’s not even funny…” he told himself.

“They’re mostly just after you, right?” Nier said, not as concerned as he was even as she watched the mob running after them. Ragna was surprisingly agile as they lost sight of a fair number of them, but he wasn’t going to slow down any time soon.

“After all I’ve done, I’ll be a laughing stock for the rest of my life if I get caught for dine and dashing! I’m not going down!”

And so he ran, going through twists and turns of the city. Past labyrinthian streets, past construction sites, and even close to the edge where it would be yet another long trip down should they fall.

Still, they finally slowed and stopped as Ragna lowered Nier. His breathing was rapid as he tried to catch his breath, still wary of their surroundings as he looked around. Out of the main section of the city proper, but there was a drawbridge that led to the outskirts if they were to keep on going.

“I think we lost them.” Ragna said, breathing in deep as he relaxed his nerves.

“You’re quite experienced in running… aren’t you?” Nier chuckled, holding up the Wanted Poster in front of her, her gaze switching from it before she peeked out half her face to look at Ragna in comparison.

“Comes with the territory, I guess. Didn’t scare you off, did I?” he asked.

She shook her head. “Not at all. It’s quite… exciting. It’s been a while since I’ve felt a rush like that.”

“Heh, guess that Tao person can’t keep calling you gloomy lady anymore then.” He replied, sitting beside her on one of the benches. It was still a few hours before sunset so in terms of what they could do, there isn’t much. He wasn’t even sure if he wanted to immediately head towards the NOL branch tonight given all that’s happened. And it wouldn’t feel right endangering Nier’s life, even if the girl herself seemed eager to participate.

He felt her move closer to him, resting the side of her head against his left shoulder. Honestly, he had never met anyone who would act this way towards him. And he could feel this wasn’t some kind of feigned attempt to get closer to him for an ulterior motive.

No, from what that her Primal Beast Death showed him, she truly was in genuine search of acceptance. Even if her methods left much to be desired. Part of him was concerned of course, but part of him was glad there was someone out there who didn’t seem to think any less of him. Having any kind of positive relationship with anyone was hard to come by on his end. Helps that she’s pretty cute too.

She looked up, her red eyes staring back at his own. And while he was drawn to them, he found his gaze moving up along with his left hand, patting the top of her head and fluffing her cat-like ears.

“What are you doing?” she asked him.

He paused and lowered his hand. “Err, sorry. Just found it cute is all.”

“I didn’t say to stop…” she murmured, pressing her head closer to his shoulder.

He smiled, but before he could continue, a large dog passed by in front of them. It barked at them multiple times, enough to startle Nier before it suddenly ran off.

“What was that all about?” Ragna wondered before something heavy fell from the sky to land in front of them.

Immediately Ragna stood up, eyes narrowed as the dust from the crater cleared. He unlatched his sword out as well, holding it defensively in front of Nier as a massive, red giant of a man emerged from the crater.

“…Can I help you?” he asked dryly.

The giant said nothing at first, eyes behind spectacles which made it difficult to figure out where exactly he was looking at. Granted, he already knew who this was.

“Are you Ragna the Bloodedge?” the giant asked him.

“…No, you have the wrong person.”

“I am from Sector Seven,” the red giant continued, “Ragna the Bloodedge, I have orders to restrain you. I’d prefer it if you came quietly. If you don’t resist, I won’t have to hurt you.”

“You didn’t hear a word I said did you?” Ragna replied.

“You’ve got the Azure Grimoire with you. You must have known you’d show up on our EADAP. I do hope you’re not mistaking Sector Seven for that subpar Librarium.”

He sighed. “So, what are you going to do Mr. Red Devil?”

“You know of me, then? I suppose I can dispense with the formalities. I’d hoped I wouldn’t have to force you, but you’ve given me no choice.” the Red Devil answered, raising his massive gauntleted fists up in a fighting stance.

“…You… you interrupted our moment together…” Nier said and stood just slightly behind Ragna. “I just wanted some time alone with him and you’re already trying to take him away…” she brought out her card, the form vanishing before the Arcarum Primal materialized beside Ragna.

“What?” the Red Devil said in surprise. “Kokonoe, are you reading this? This isn’t Ars Magus? Nor a Nox Nyctores?”

“Death, get rid of it.” Nier said.

A cackling laughter from the Primal, “As yoo wish, my beloved…” she turned towards the Red Devil, “Absolute Death comes upon you…!”

The confrontation was initiated then as Death rushed straight towards the Red Devil. She spun about like a dancer, the scythed tips attached to her head swung about elegantly and slashed at the Red Devil’s gauntlets as he attempted to block the attacks.

The clash of scythes against metal sent sparks up into the air before Ragna joined in the offense. He leaped up and swung his blade down atop the Red Devil’s head. But their opponent’s size belied surprising agility as he weaved his massive body about with surprising speed and caused Ragna to miss, carving a gash down on the ground where he once stood.

The response was immediate and the Red Devil clapped his gauntleted arms together with such force that the shockwave even briefly knocked both Ragna and Death back away from him.

Portions of the Red Devil’s gauntlet opened up and electricity surged within. A spark suddenly shot out like a bolt of lightning, striking Ragna directly and sent him flying back.

Death resumed her assault though the Red Devil raised one of his gauntlets in response and Ragna came flying back, being dragged by the electromagnetic pull of the weapon.  He unintentionally struck Death from behind, knocking the Primal off balance before he found himself in the iron grip of their opponent.

With his free left hand, he punched the Red Devil’s face again and again, grunting only to be suddenly slammed down into the ground.

Thankfully, the grip loosened as Death resumed her assault, the scything blades of her weaponry chipping away at the Red Devil’s own.

“Goddammit. That was like hitting a rock.” Ragna coughed out as he got up, Nier immediately walking over to his side. Already she was beginning to heal his injury without any prompting. He appreciated it, truly.

“I don’t know what he’s made of, but no more being the good guy here. I don’t want Sector Seven getting involved with my business,” Ragna muttered and rejoined the fight.

His sword transformed, splitting and rearranging itself as another blade of red energy emerged to form a scythe.

If Death’s scythes were quick and elegant, then Ragna’s one scythe was all about pure power. The two worked in tandem, driving the Red Devil back again and again with no effort spared to give him an opening. Even as a barrier formed to push them back, the continuous strikes alternated between the two as Death and the Grim Reaper chipped away and eventually succeeded in breaking the barrier.

With another swing of his scythe, one of the Red Devil’s gauntlets simply shattered at the impact, bringing the giant down onto his knees.

“Guh…! This was not within parameters. From the man who carries the Azure Grimoire… a fatal… miscalculation…” the Red Devil grunted.

“Finally giving up then?” Ragna said, pointing the tip of his scythe at the Red Devil. “I don’t care what Sector Seven wants, just stay out of my way.”

“We shood finish him off then…” Death leaned in close to whisper into his ear. “Then it will never come after yoo again.”

“Tempting offer, but no. This should at least give Sector Seven second thoughts about trying this stunt again.” Ragna answered and reverted his weapon back to its usual form. “You hear that, Mr. Red Devil? I’m letting you go. Tell your superiors to stay away from us.”

The Red Devil was silent for a bit, maybe not even listening to his words. “Understood… there’s enough data…”

And then he vanished in an orb of darkness and electricity. Teleportation magic?

“…He wasn’t even listening to me,” said Ragna

“I told yoo….” Death whispered and floated back to Nier’s side, reverting back to the form of a card.

Ragna sighed and relaxed once more. They can’t stay here for long again. The commotion would have attracted more disreputable people and he’d rather not stick around and find out.

“That could have gone better,” he murmured and then frowned. There was a familiar scent in the air. Sweet… too sweet. Nier could smell it too before she suddenly vanished in front of his eyes.

“Oh, come on rabbit!” Ragna called out as he was left alone.

Chapter 5: Rose Queen

Summary:

The Wheel of Fate is turning. At the earliest drawings of the curve, few clues to the structure will be seen. Warnings will be given out by the Lady of the Castle, but it's up to Nier to heed them.

“I want to cut off her head and take out her heart.”

---

Chapter 5 – Rose Queen

---

Darkness surrounded her, completely obscuring her vision as Ragna disappeared. It was so sudden she just had one arm held out towards him before she found herself in a new area while still in the same pose.

She was in a garden of white roses and the fragrance of those flowers permeated everywhere. Nier lowered her hand and turned. There was a large castle that loomed in the distance, different from the city she had been at just previously. Though awe-inspiring, that isn’t what’s on her mind. It was the irritation of having been pulled away against her will from someone she deeply cherished.

“Out of all the permutations, I don’t think I’ve ever come across you once in that entire city. And to be so quickly acquainted with the Grim Reaper… now this is something worth looking into.” A voice called out to her.

Nier turned around. Before her stood a young girl holding a strange umbrella. There are two ribbons holding her hair in place while a small, red bat-like creature floated beside her. Whoever she is… Nier didn’t like her.

“Everyone seems to be after Ragna…” Nier whispered, clutching Death’s card tightly. “…But I won’t let another bounty hunter like you have him…”

The girl smiled, though with a look of feigned shock. “A bounty hunter? You mean me? Oh child, perish the thought. I’m simply a bystander who likes to watch, nothing more.”

“I don’t care…” Nier continued, circling the other girl warily.

“Why the venom, girl? Have I interrupted something?”

“You and everyone else…” Nier continued, pausing to observe her reactions. She wasn’t foolish enough to underestimate someone like this if she could just teleport her this quickly without much effort.

“Do mind your manners. Though I see you are no mere commoner, perhaps you need a little lesson before we can engage in a more civilized manner.” The girl replied before a sudden blast of lightning shot out towards Nier.

But she was expecting something like that as a small wave of flame followed her hand, enough to block the lightning strike as she swiped it away and glared at the other girl.

“Sorcery…? Now that’s truly intriguing. You’re not even using Ars Magus are you?” the girl continued and sent out another bolt of lightning at Nier’s way. “Though it’s not a very powerful one…”

Nier dodged to the side this time, wary of her words. Was she being mocked? She had never really mastered the types of magic that had been expected from her, but to think even her abilities were being insulted again… the thought was truly making things even more infuriating.

And that was when Death reappeared with a rush, materializing in between the two fighters as she spun about to slice and bifurcate the other girl. That had been the intention at least, but a fell wind picked up that seemed to carry the other girl safely away from danger as she leaped.

Death followed and sliced down with her scythe-like hair, to which the other girl avoided yet again with a twirl to the right of the Primal. No response this time as the girl glanced at Death, appraising and studying her.

Death wheeled about and was about to attack again, though leaped back at the last second as a more powerful bolt of lightning descended from the empty sky, wreathing the other girl in its electrifying embrace.

When it ended however, Death resumed the attack without even missing a beat. Fuelled by Nier’s own desire, Death became even more relentless, her attacks getting faster and faster. And also much more focused than during her battle with the Red Devil or the mechanical puppet.

Still, the issue will always be the other girl’s mastery over the distance between them, always able to avoid an attack or float away with otherworldly grace. The constant attempts to close the distance always ended the same way; the gap widening or narrowing at the whim of their opponent.

But that only assumes that Death made all the moves by herself. Nier moved as well to get closer to the other girl. She used what limited magic she had to push or blast the other girl with her own deathly flames, even if she was having no luck with striking a correct target.

The cycle kept on going yet Nier was so focused that she didn’t even realize how tired she was getting. She didn’t even want to engage in banter with the girl. As far as she could tell, this was a mockery that she didn’t want to leave alone. She truly was tiring herself out and eventually, she couldn’t even chase after the girl anymore and fell down to her knees. The spikes of the rose stems within the garden cutting into her own legs.

Too weak. She was still too weak. If only she had more power.

She held herself close even as the other girl looked at her with pity in her eyes.

Death’s attacks became more frenzied however, and she slashed at the other girl with continued ferocity, always placing herself in between Nier and the other girl.

“You show promise, but I fear your actions could only make things worse…” the other girl said before focusing her attention on Death. “I admire your loyalty, but are you sure it’s wise to…?!”

The breath caught in her throat as Death made another slice upwards. This time the girl was forced to block as the wicked appendage sliced deep into the front of her cat-Umbrella, a screech filling the air as it was torn in two.

“Nago!” the red, bat-like creature cried out as it stared at Death with genuine fear.

But Death was soon unresponsive and returned to Nier’s side. She would recuperate again to resume the conflict once more if she had to. It didn’t feel like a long fight at all, but the exchange of blows were done with such intent that it used up most of Nier’s energy.

And yet…

The other girl looked at them, still with that same pitiable gaze. But she soon reached up for something.

Something wet and warm flowed down from the top of her head. A dark, red liquid that marred her perfectly pale features.

The girl’s eyes widened as she brought her hand back down to look at where her fingers touched. Blood… her own blood. And at the moment, it wasn’t healing as fast as it could be.

“You…” the girl said and took a single step back from Nier.

Nier stared back at her, her gaze empty but at the same time spiteful as if daring her to keep trying.

The roses around her had begun wilting as well, Death’s magic siphoning their life energies and transferring them to Nier for a rapid recovery. All this as the other girl watched with morbid fascination. But one can’t deny there was a hint of fear there, faint as it was.

“You have been burdened with a frightening power, I see.” The girl sighed and raised both hands, as if to signal a cessation of hostilities. “I may very well have acted in haste, bringing you here without so much as a warning. For that, you have…” she hesitated, “…my apologies,” she ended with a curtsy.

“I just want to go back…” Nier replied.

“And I will let you do so,” the girl nodded her head, “Keep the Grim Reaper close if that is your wish. But do be careful. There are many eyes beyond my own. Many of which will not be content with just observing…”

Darkness swallowed up Nier again as she and her Primal disappeared from the vampire’s gaze.

Moments passed before Rachel walked over to the two, tattered remnants of her umbrella. She sighed and snapped her fingers.

Immediately, Valkenhayn appeared at her side.

“You are injured, Madame Rachel.” The old werewolf pointed out.

“Not as injured as Nago. Though I’ve encountered… something…” Rachel answered as her butler picked up the two pieces of her familiar. “…I’m not quite certain how to describe her. One who could unwrite the carefully choreographed history of this world I suppose.”

Valkenhayn frowned, applying an ointment to the wound on the vampire’s forehead. “They will see only an irritant though.”

“And it is the irritant that is expelled if she does too much.” Rachel said and closed her eyes. “They will try to find the path of least resistance and admit few alterations. I suspect she only has one chance before everything is reshuffled. And all I can do is watch…”

“As is your duty. Today has already taken much of a toll on you.”

“To be fair, it’s not every day that I’m faced with my own mortality. That creature who stands with her… undying means nothing to it.” Rachel chuckled. “Oh Ragna, what troubles will you face now with her at your side?”

---

Nier found herself on her knees, back at the same location by the drawbridge. Death had her arms wrapped around her from behind, whispering sweet comforts into her ear even as she heard the sounds of footsteps.

She looked up, relieved as Ragna ran over to her, leaning down himself to embrace her.

“There you are. I was worried Rachel would keep you for much longer.” He said as she rested her head on his shoulder.

Her features took on a grim tone though, even as her hands wrapped around him. “You know that girl?” she asked.

Ragna nodded his head. “She’s arrogant and looks down on everyone but she means well, I think. She didn’t hurt you or anything did she?” he asked and pulled back to look at her.

“Maybe a little,” Nier replied, relaxing her arms as Ragna helped her stand up. “Thank you though… for not abandoning me, even when I was gone.” She looked up at him. “I don’t know what I’d have done if you disappeared.”

“…I have a general idea…” Ragna said nervously, his eyes stared up at Death before he shook his head. “What matters is now though. You can tell me about everything once we’re at a less public location, alright?”

Nier nodded her head as Death reverted back to the form of her card. She held on to Ragna’s hand as he led them away, back into the city proper.

Chapter 6: Plastic Nights

Summary:

Secrets are kept and puppetmasters begin showing their hand.

He means to succeed, and a man who has centuries before him can afford to wait and to go slow.

---

Chapter 6 – Plastic Nights

---

Down was really the only place they could go at this point. Avoid the main areas of the city and find a way back to the Kaka village and maybe find his missing wallet. Not that he could use it to pay for food back at that restaurant given the presence of the bounty hunters and his face being well-known there now. But even now, they found themselves still hiding on occasion.

He had recognized the groups of bounty hunters searching about and he can’t know for sure if they were the same as the ones from the restaurant. Best to stay clear, even if he could probably take them in a fight.

They were close to one of the old elevators that lead down when the pair had to hide within an alley once more. His back was to the wall as he peeked over to the side, looking behind to observe the three individuals waiting by the elevators. Nier pressed herself close against him as she too, looked at the obstacles barring their path.

A man and a woman, but they didn’t look like the typical bounty hunters from earlier. One dressed in the typical blue garb of an NOL officer complete with a berret while the other wore a darker, black suit and a matching fedora. The latter was giving orders though he was too far away to hear or observe properly.

Minutes passed before the two NOL officers left the area, both Ragna and Nier finally stepping out to cautiously make their way towards the elevator.

“Can you believe it? We lost the bounty…”

“Just imagine what we could buy had we turned him in…”

Ragna’s eyes widened and he dove behind a stack of crates with Nier kneeling down beside him, her head peeking out to get a glimpse. These were bounty hunters alright, similar to the ones at the restaurant.

“If it isn’t the Sector Seven, it’s the NOL. And if it isn’t them, it’s these guys.” Ragna whispered, moving a hand up to press down atop Nier’s head. “Your ears…” he continued, signalling that they would be easily noticeable from the crates as she peeked out.

“Sorry…” Nier replied, sitting down on her knees as they waited for the bounty hunters to move away. “Those bounty hunters are really inconvenient aren’t they?” she whispered a question.

“Bounty hunters, vigilantes, thrill-seekers… can’t resist the highest bounty ever, I guess.” Ragna replied, sighing as the two turned around and walked away. Give it a few more minutes and the elevator should be free to use. It was in a remote enough area and even those passing it by weren’t using it.

“How do you do it?” Nier asked him.

“Eh?”

“How do you keep on going when everyone’s against you? Don’t you feel so much hate and resentment for all those trying to get in your way?”

He shrugged. “Sure, I guess? I’m annoyed by them, but I don’t hate them. I only really truly hate one person. The one who did this to me.” He held up his right arm for her to see as he got up to lead the way once more.

“That doctor called your arm an Azure Grimoire,” said Nier, “…said it could devour souls.”

“She’s not wrong,” replied Ragna, “Which is why we’re heading back to where we met her. I’ve got a few questions to ask about why she knows so much. And… we kind of need a place to stay so…”

“It was a cozy place.” Nier smiled as they stepped onto the elevator, Death’s card vanishing from sight. The descent was smooth as they took it all the way to the lowest level. From there, it should be easy to retrace their steps back to the Kaka village.

---

The Warehouse was empty of personnel but there was plenty of equipment that lay unused. NOL junk, but the two bounty hunters were resourceful at least. If the NOL weren’t going to use these discarded weapons, then they can retrofit it into something more useable.

“I don’t think the Grim Reaper’s targeting any of these places.” Said the taller one.

“More for us to use at least. These places are a goldmine of forbidden technology. Hell, even discarded cores for Grimoires can sometimes be found here.”

“Still, you think they can be used against the Grim Reaper?”

“A scary guy, but still just a man. We can always outsmart or outmanoeuvre those that may be stronger than us. Now hand me that chainsword there.” He pointed to one that stuck out of a metal box behind them while he worked on unlocking this other one.

Usually, important things have a magic seal around them making them more difficult to unlock. But in this warehouse, a lot of the seals had degraded and became nothing more than warning lights making it easy pickings to lockpick in the conventional manner. They can’t stay too long though as an open warehouse door usually meant an NOL guard eventually detecting a break-in. One or two shouldn’t matter and at this remote a location? Probably not even worth it to send one in.

“Hey, what’s taking so long? It’s not that difficult to carry.” He stood up and turned around. The sight that awaited him chilled him to the bone.

His friend was being lifted up into the air by scythe-like blades from a tall figure in a mask and an elegant dress. He didn’t know what to say and an instant later, the figure’s scythes sliced apart the stuck bounty-hunter into many chunks.

He screamed, pointing his arm-mounted weapon at the figure and fired ball after ball of explosives that detonated everywhere. He didn’t care about being heard by the NOL, he just wanted that thing dead.

The dust and debris cleared, though that thing just turned its head towards him now.

“Hush now… embrace the sweet release of death…” the creature spoke, floating ever so slowly towards him. He turned to run and then paused… one of the entrances above opened. A door followed by two people… NOL officers!

He was about to wave at them before he found himself sailing through the air. No pain, just a sense of vertigo as he flew, and then he saw the lower half of his body collapsing on its knees. A moment later, his vision split into many different chunks as Death granted a parting gift here, there, and everywhere.

Two down… Death floated above a shipping container and paused; head turned towards the two newcomers. They watched in full view what just happened and Death immediately recognized them from her beloved’s sight. Whatever they were talking about now, they had become targets as well.

The woman leaped down, two firearms appearing in her hands as if reacting on instinct. Shot after shot was fired at Death and the Primal began to block and parry each and every one of them. These were far more powerful than the explosive devices of the bounty hunter though and this opponent’s aura was far more robust.

Death glided forward atop the shipping containers, closing the distance between the two as she spun about with her scythes, one above and one below, though the woman twirled and twisted in mid-air, spinning in between them to shoot at Death straight in the face.

The impact reverberated throughout the warehouse as Death briefly staggered back before renewing her assault without missing a bit. Downward slices with the scything talons tore through the shipping containers and boxes arrayed about the warehouse, making footing more difficult for her opponent.

This did not mean she ignored the other one though. Even as the woman leaped away atop a third container, Death flew up directly in front of the dark-clad man and sliced diagonally, tearing apart the platform he had been standing on. But the man zipped away, pulled towards the roof by a glowing chain before he made an exit above. A slithering, cowardly snake that hoped to keep on watching without placing himself in any danger.

Death simply cut upwards and moved atop the roof, spotting the man who seemed to stare at her with surprise. She glided atop the warehouse’s roof, the twin scythe-like blades surrounding her as they moved like serpents, slicing horizontally in an attempt to cut the man in two.

But the attempt was parried by the two knives, expertly spun to deflect the blows and each subsequent slice. But he was still on the defensive as Death moved forward ominously, the scythed blades slashing with increasing speed and intensity. Yet, the man continued to smile.

Death directed him towards the edge of the roof, trying to cover any attempts to escape. And then finally, a gash across his chest, tearing diagonally through his clothing.

But something felt off. The feeling of slicing into mortal flesh was different. Even as the man fell backwards, a new sight awaited her as something hovered at the edge of the rooftop.

A puppet reminiscent of the one she and Nier had encountered earlier on. But while that one was purple-coloured, this one was a deep shade of crimson. Death feared nothing, but she was immediately cautious and floated back from the puppet, reassessing the next plan of attack.

“What’s this? Are you afraid?” a voice called out to her as a masked man appeared right beside the crimson puppet. “You’re doing better now compared to my previous observation. Is Ignis that much more imposing than Nirvana?”

Death said nothing as she circled the puppet, who in turn began circling her. Both floated slightly above the roof, each waiting on the first move.

“Not a truly physical existence… marvelous…” the man said.

His voice was the signal as Death lunged with both her scythes, only to clash with the crimson puppet’s arms. Arms with a clawed grip that took hold of the scythes before proceeding to then slam her down against the rooftop, sending both crashing down to the ground floor.

Death’s shrieks echoed about as she thrashed against the crimson puppet, twisting out of its grip before making another frenzied assault. Unpredictable, slashing everywhere in wide arcs that carved deep gashes into the floors and walls of the building. She had even succeeded in striking the crimson puppet undefended, but it was strong and durable, far different from everything else she had killed. And even from just the feeling of slashing at it, this was much more durable than the purple one as well.

The crimson puppet reared back, arms transforming into drills as she rushed forward to pierce right through Death’s chest. Driven back by the shock, Death found herself floating back just to get away, only for the crimson puppet to extend one arm forward, a ball of energy colliding Death. It did not blow away the Primal as expected however as layer upon layer of magical wards began to enclose her. A sphere of magic that surrounded, compressed, and readied itself to seal her away.

“An intriguing specimen, that one.” The masked man said, leaping down from the roof to land by his puppet. “Good job, Ignis. This will be a useful research project.”

The girl from earlier walked cautiously forward, her weapons lowered and then disappeared. “Is it over?” she wondered, her eyes gazing up at the Primal.

“Perhaps. Its companion observed earlier is nowhere to be found though.” The masked man continued, staring ahead at the captured Primal. “Lieutenant Vermillion, you have other business to attend to, do you not? Why are you still here?”

“Sir!” the girl stood up and gave a quick bow before running off.

“As for Hazama… that vessel will require a fair bit of recovery. I wonder if ‘he’ was injured as well?” the man wondered.

Just as he turned around, a cracking sound could be heard from the magical prison. His masked face stared at the orb before it simply shattered like glass, the Primal breaking free with a horrendous screech as the energies that served as its prison ran amok, scorching the inner walls of the warehouse in a blast that tore through the sheets of metal.

The man was protected from the blast by his crimson puppet and when everything cleared, Death was gone.

“That is plenty of data I suppose. How disappointing that we’d have to search for it once more. Come, Ignis.” The man said, walking away from the incident site.

---

Nier felt weak and dizzy as Death’s card reappeared in her hands. Death must have used a tremendous amount of energy for her to feel this way. Sustaining the Primal with her own life force took a toll and unless she could find someone else’s life force to enhance her own, she would need rest to recuperate.

Thankfully, no one noticed a thing. They had returned to Tao’s house, though the doctor wasn’t there yet. Tao herself was quick to invite them in, excited even, to have company.

Food was prepared again though the quality this time was… questionable. Ragna seemed to eat just fine at least, though it took some coaxing to get him to even try the lizard on a stick.

Nier smiled. This place at least, was fun. Tao was an odd one, sure, but she accepted them just fine without even any questions asked. And it was safe here. That’s all she could really ask for right now.

Nier found herself drifting off into unconsciousness, falling from her chair as Ragna stood up and ran over to her. She didn’t even hear his words, but at least she saw the door open. Ah… the doctor was here too…

Her vision went dark, and she dreamt of pleasant memories.

Chapter 7: Death Magic

Summary:

Is this romance? Or something else entirely? Something much more sinister....?

“Sweet it was in one sense, honey-sweet, and sent the same tingling through the nerves as her voice, but with a bitter underlying the sweet, a bitter offensiveness, as one smells in blood.”

---

Chapter 7 – Death Magic

---

“Tch…” Ragna was annoyed. Forced to wait outside while that Doctor treated Nier and requested his leave of the area. It’s not like he was going to do anything. And why was Tao allowed to stay? Surely she’s not exactly good at medical treatment either?

He waited at the edge of a small lake, surprisingly pure despite being this far below the upper areas of the city. Kaka kittens passed him by, some cautious though a couple few were more daring in their approach. There was a familiarity to all of this, a memory of his old Master talking to one of their clan about something back when he was younger.

One of the kittens approached again and he watched silently before it suddenly scurried away. The presence behind him was the cause of it, intimidating as always yet somehow he felt himself getting used to her.

“A little far from- whoa! What the heck happened to you?” he exclaimed. Death was injured, even if she herself wasn’t showing signs of it affecting her. But this wasn’t any plain injury either. Two massive holes that seemed to have torn into her chest though there was no bleeding, at least in the traditional sense.

“A battle with a formidable foe. We fought one like it, before we met yoo…” Death replied, looking down at her own hands. “Weak, we are still too weak. Why? Do yoo know why…?” she asked him.

Ragna scratched the back of his head. “Don’t really think I have a good answer for that. I’ve seen a lot of strange things but nothing really quite like what I’ve encountered in this city so far. You and Nier, that Red Devil, the Nox Nyctores that kid had…” he shrugged, “At this point I’m glad the two of you are on my side… I think.”

“Doo yoo doubt our intentions still?” Death tilted her head. “My beloved has done plenty already. And I dare not risk drawing on more of her life.”

Ragna frowned, looking from Death and then back towards the direction of Taokaka’s house. “Drawing on someone’s life, huh? Wait… I think I get it,” he looked back at her, “You can heal yourself by taking some of her life force can’t you? It’s not that different from what my arm does sometimes.”

Death nodded her head. “Indeed I can. Perhaps that is why yoor presence is soothing too…” she replied and floated towards him in an almost ethereal fashion. She reached down, suddenly taking hold of his right arm and he flinched at her touch. He wanted to pull away, but there was a compulsion not to do so now that his hand was clasped in her own.

“It is a strange feeling. We of the Arcarum were made from the cores of Fallen Primal Beasts in a war long, long ago. But with yoo... I feel a kindred. Won’t yoo… accept… and love me as well…?”

 “…Huh?” Ragna didn’t know how to respond. What was going on and why wasn’t he immediately rejecting this? It’s the same thing with Nier, though he suppose that’s expected given how close she and this Primal apparently was. Still…

He breathed in deep, calming himself down as Death placed his hand on her chest. Drawing on life force… she was doing it now and he had to admit, he could only watch with fascination as she drew energy from the Azure Grimoire, healing the massive injuries she had sustained.

Granted, this fascination was born from trying to distract his mind from what Death just confessed to him.

“…Won’t this go against what Nier wants…?” he said nervously.

“My beloved’s desires are also my own. As she accepts and loves you, then so too shall I…” Death replied.

“Let me get back to you on that. I’ll wait until Nier’s recovered first.” He nodded his head. Was he creeped out by this? Just a little… maybe. Honestly, it didn’t feel that bad having someone like Death be this direct with him. Still… this was beyond anything normal that he ever expected.

“My, oh my… you’re certainly developing quite a collection aren’t you?”

Ragna turned, his features immediately curling up into a frown. “Again, huh? You sure like to interfere a lot today. Is that your job now, rabbit?” he asked, staring up at Rachel who chose to grace their presence standing atop a pole.

“You jest, but there are a few people here who fall outside of any decent sense of normalcy. And my interest has been kindled.”

“Shall I kill her?” Death whispered into his ear.

He shook his head and held one arm out to bar Death’s path to the vampire. “Not her, no.”

“So bloodthirsty. I can see why the Grim Reaper has taken a liking to this one. But Ragna, do you think it wise?”

“What do you want, rabbit? You didn’t appear here just to insult and commentate. Something about this entire ordeal is important enough that you felt the need to show up. I just need to figure out why.” He replied.

“I see your mind has matured just a little bit since our last encounter. You are correct in that regard, I admit.” Chuckled Rachel as she gently floated down in front of them.

Something felt off though. He was used to seeing Rachel before, but not her carrying… well, nothing of import.

“Hey, did you forget something? Or someone? Your stuffed toys aren’t with you tonight. Something happen?” asked Ragna.

“Why don’t you ask your new companion?” Rachel responded as Ragna looked towards Death.

“She was in our way. And my beloved was quite upset during our last encounter…” Death told him.

“She does have that effect on people,” Ragna nodded his head, “What’d you do, rabbit? Get on her bad side?”

“In more ways than one actually. Poor Nago is undergoing repairs thanks to her actions. But you see the issue do you not? A being like her, who calls herself Death, with the ability to threaten even my existence. It would not go unnoticed.”

“I figured that much. So what are you going to do about it?” Ragna asked.

“Not much for now. Watch and wait to see what drama unfolds completely I suppose. Though I’m not certain having it wandering about trying to kill whenever it feels the need to is a good idea. It has already attracted the attention of certain unsavory individuals…”

Ragna sighed. “Is that where you got that injury of yours?” he looked up at Death.

“From a masked man with a crimson puppet. It is… dangerous…” Death replied.

“And the two NOL officers that are likely on your case as well.” Rachel added. “You’ve caused quite the… commotion some time ago, aha…” she chuckled.

“Well, we’ll deal with the NOL when we get there.” Ragna replied with a frown. Doing all this with Nier not even around… it would be hard to keep track or even keep them protected either way. “Any other advice you’re willing to give us then?”

“You are taking all this surprisingly well. I would have expected more surprise or something of the sort.” Rachel answered, resting the top of her right hand atop her chin. “I suppose if there’s any advice I can give, it would be to keep your new friends close. Loathe as I am to admit it, they are your best chance at defeating the Librarium. Provided you can help them with their issues.”

“Tch, that was the plan anyway,” Ragna shrugged, “You sure it isn’t jealousy that motivates you?”

“Whatever gave you that idea?” Rachel smiled as Ragna passed her by. Death followed close behind him, turning her masked face to look at Rachel as if to glare only for the briefest of moments.

“Sector Seven is also, not your enemy. So try not to antagonize them, even if they act like they are deserving of it.” Rachel added.

“That’s on them. They’re not exactly making a good impression on us so no promises on that.” Ragna answered, raising one arm up as if to wave good-bye without even turning towards her.

“You would be the type to do that…” Rachel said, a gust of wind picking up before she disappeared entirely from view.

When the smell of roses vanished, Ragna let out yet another sigh. “Keep this up and both of you will start having bounties that rival mine in reward. Not sure if that’s something Nier would want. Be more subdued. You don’t see me killing every single Librarium soldier out in the streets.” He glanced up at Death.

“No promises…” Death replied.

“Walked right into that one…” Ragna chuckled.

Death detected Nier’s consciousness returning first, leading Ragna back towards the house just as the Doctor made her exit out the door.

“That girl needs plenty of rest,” She greeted Ragna as he approached, “And no stressful activities. But I’m guessing that’s not going to be followed anytime soon.”

“I’d prefer otherwise,” Ragna said, watching as Tao headed out the door as well.

“Meow… gloomy lady’s awfully quiet but she still seems happy. I think.” Tao said, “Well anyways, I’m off to go hunting! Take care good guy and tall lady!”

She waved a good-bye before dashing off with tremendous speed.

“A word of advice as well, Mr. Grim Reaper?” the Doctor looked at him.

“Seems everyone’s going to give advice the last little while. Shoot. I’m listening.” He shrugged.

“Let’s just say that if you find a voice suddenly speaking directly inside your head? Don’t be alarmed. Someone I know may be very interested in speaking with either one of you.”

Ragna frowned. “Not sure that’s the best idea with Nier right now. If they have something to say, say it directly to me. I don’t need her worrying about more things.”

“Fair enough. You actually seem to genuinely care about her, don’t you?”

“You were doubting that?”

“Just a little bit. Given the list of crimes the Grim Reaper allegedly has, I almost expected worse.” The doctor chuckled.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Ragna raised a brow.

“Nothing important,” the Doctor said, “Well, I should leave you to your own devices. I’ll check up again tomorrow if you are all still around.”

“We’ll probably remain here for the next little while.” Ragna watched as the Doctor took her leave. He sighed again and headed in through the door, eyes falling on Nier as she sat up on the bed. She turned towards him, features immediately lightening up before Death materialized right beside her.

“I missed you both…” Nier said, feeling Death’s arms drape over her shoulders while Ragna sat next to her. She clung to his right arm immediately and pulled almost protectively.

Ragna let out a small chuckle. “Glad to see you’re alright at least. Death told me everything so you don’t need to explain much. Plus she’s healed too, I think?” he looked up at the Primal, who nodded her head in response.

“You’re getting along then?” Nier smiled.

“For the most part, yeah.” He replied, his left hand patting the top of her head.

“Mmmm… have you pondered Death’s offer then?” Nier asked quietly while looking up at him.

Ragna gulped and then sighed. He looked from Death and then back to Nier’s longing gaze. She and Death shared memories after all, of course she’d know about their conversations.

“You should really focus on clearing your head,” said Ragna, “I’ve known you for a day at most and you’ve already made things really… interesting. Screw it, why not? It’s not every day a guy can claim they can enter a relationship like this. Just… be careful, alright?”

“No promises…” Nier replied with an almost sinister laughter of her own.

He felt her pull him close, reaching up with her hands to touch his face.

For a moment, Ragna reared back and looked around.

“Something wrong?” Nier asked.

“…Just making sure no one’s around. At this point, I’m wary of interruptions.” He said nervously.

“That’s fair. Still, no time like the present.” Nier replied and pulled him in once more.

He felt her press her lips against his own. Eager, hungry, and demanding the attention that she showed beforehand. His heart beat faster and faster, almost out of tune as he realized he was out of his depth on this one. He felt her tug on his lips with her own, demanding entrance while all he could do was acquiesce to her desire.

Ragna closed his eyes and allowed her to take the lead, his arms wrapping around her as the minutes passed. When she finally pulled away, he was out of breath and flushed all over. But honestly, it wasn’t a bad experience…

“You haven’t done anything like it before, have you?” Nier asked him, her eyes continued to stare up at him.

“….” Ragna paused, and then opened his eyes again. “Huh? Y-yeah… haven’t had the time really. First time kissing a pretty girl and all that…” he replied.

“I can tell...” Nier chuckled, nuzzling in close to him. “Well, you’ll have plenty of practice, I hope.”

Ragna nodded his head, wrapping an arm around her as they sat there. And then his eyes stared up at Death once more. “Are you also wanting to…”

“…My affection is shown in different ways. Love us, cherish us, accept us… that’s all yoo need to do for now…” she replied, both her arms stretched out to wrap around both of the two. “We are… content.”

Chapter 8: Fog

Summary:

More ripples have begun to interrupt carefully laid out plans.

“I pity your poor bleeding heart; and I love you the more because it does so bleed.”

----

Chapter 8 – Fog

---

“…A break and vacation?” Nier briefly looked up at Ragna. Morning had already arrived but they were staying here a while longer. This of course meant more time for others to interact with them, foremost being the Kaka kittens who approached with curiosity before eventually demanding some kind of playtime.

Death had reverted back to the form of her card, which meant no worries of accidentally scaring anyone in the area, least of all these kittens. They were… cute, and Nier found herself drawn to them and just how friendly they are.

At the moment, she was on her knees, petting three of them as they leaned back to enjoy the touch of her fingers. Gruff as he was, Ragna was pretty gentle when it came to his turn taking care of these kittens. And it’s not like they can just say no when they’re not going anywhere just yet. Not until night arrived at least which meant they could just relax and be at peace. No bounty hunters, no soldiers, and no puppets of indeterminate origin.

“…Yeah, a vacation. Once I’ve finished my business here in this city, I think taking a long break would be good. Not just for me, you understand? But for you as well.” He nodded.

“What brought this on?” she wondered.

He shrugged. “Having a girlfriend for one. It’s not just myself that I have to worry about, and having you everywhere with me would be dangerous. So I just want to go somewhere where we don’t have to worry about anything.”

“You really shouldn’t worry about me,” Nier smiled, “But that would be nice, regardless.”

Ragna chuckled, waiting until the kittens left before he sat down beside her. Nier was quick to move closer and hold his arm. Neither said anything and she simply relaxed and enjoyed his presence with her. All good things do end but after everything that has happened so far, getting extended moments like this was nice. And that’s before even said vacation that he wanted.

The day passed without much incident and when night fell, they were mentally prepared enough to venture up towards the Librarium branch. Past the city proper, there was a surprising lack of any guards leading up to the area. And even when they finally reached the building… nothing.

Ragna was cautious, hesitating before even daring to enter.

“Something wrong?” asked Nier.

“You sense it too, don’t you? Something ain’t right…” Ragna answered as he stepped out towards the front entrance. “Hello? Pizza Delivery!” he called out. No response.

“…Maybe it’s a Holiday today…?” she wondered, stepping out as well.

“Could be, yeah. Haven’t exactly been keeping up with the dates after all. Still… stay close, alright?” he replied.

Past the main gate and through the massive, empty hallway, both she and Ragna trudged on quietly. Just the sounds of their footsteps echoed about as they made their way further inside. It was eerie, the emptiness of it all. No life other than themselves and inwardly, even Death found this place strange.

It was when they heard voices just ahead that they paused. If there were people here, then their trip on the way was too convenient. An ambush maybe?

“Ready?” he asked her. Nier nodded her head and watched him open the doorway.

What greeted them was a confrontation. A young man in blues and whites with a thin sword drawn and raised against two other people. A girl in a similar uniform and a man clad in black. Nier didn’t know them personally, but she had glimpsed them in Death’s memories during her brief foray a short while ago. Ragna’s eyes were fixated on the swordsman though and the opening of the door meant all three turned their heads towards them now.

A soft chuckle… and then came gleeful laughter from the swordsman. “What the hell is this? I didn’t know Ragna the Bloodedge worked with others.” The man said, turning his body to face Ragna. “It seems there may be some use for you, Lieutenant. I needn’t kill you for getting in my way…”

“Bastard…” Ragna frowned and raised his weapon in a defensive stance. Nier followed suite, her hands clasped together as Death materialized behind her.

The girl ahead of them seemed hesitant for a moment up until Death’s appearance. That was when she materialized her firearms into her hands and got into her own stance. Whatever conflict she had with the swordsman, they both seemed to recognize a greater threat.

“Major Kisaragi, I’ve seen that thing in action. But I thought Colonel Relius managed to contain it…”

“It doesn’t matter. If you’ve seen it before, then you can deal with it. Leave Ragna the Bloodedge to me.”

“There’s three of them and three of us. We can…” the girl glanced back, only to realize that their third companion disappeared. “Captain Hazama?”

“Ignore him. Remember what you trained for.” The swordsman said, his murderous gaze now on Ragna.

Nier frowned as she looked at the pair. She was mentally prepared for a fight this time, and Death would not be so easily bested.

“Why is he here…?” Ragna muttered, the grip on his blade tense with no one willing to make the first move.

Nier waited with baited breaths before a shot rang out. The girl fired her weapon directly at Nier, which was quickly deflected by Death spinning right in front of her. Battle had begun and Death took the opportunity to retaliate with a half-moon slash at the two Librarium Officers.

The swordsman dodged and leaped straight at Ragna. Their weapons clashed and echoed throughout the chamber. Shots were fired at Death as well, the girl keeping her range as she weaved and rolled with incredible agility. Death sliced at her with her scythed hair, cutting into the stone structures while Nier herself followed close behind.

From the corner, the girl appeared and leaped to outflank Nier. She closed the distance and Nier used a defensive magic to create a barrier that formed at the end of her hands. This close, all she had to worry about was where the firearms themselves were. She didn’t need to defend for long either even as the shots rang out so close to her. Three swipes with her hands, deflecting the explosive bursts from the girl before her opponent leaped away in time to avoid a downward swing from Death.

She can’t have been that much older than herself, Nier observed. But the girl had enough formal training to claim an advantage in close combat which meant she had to navigate this battle carefully. More power was needed and she was perfectly fine with giving death more of her life energy for said power.

That surge caused Death to attack with greater strength and more rapidly than before. A sudden burst that threatened to overwhelm the NOL officer as she struggled to block the scythes slashing everywhere around her. The railing was cut down and the girl fell backwards off the edge, Nier peering over… a mistake.

Shots rang out, striking the balcony that Nier had just been standing on and caused it to give way with Nier still on it. But Nier was less than concerned with herself than with the fact that Ragna was left alone against the man above. Death rushed forward to catch her, shielding her body as they fell even as their opponent made shot after shot against Death from behind, dealing minimal damage.

The descent was long and despite all that, the girl landed with surprising grace before leaping backwards away from Death’s falling form. Death didn’t even touch the floor, simply paused and hovered in mid-air with just the bottom of her dress grazing the cold steel before gently setting Nier down.

“Why are you doing this?! Why did you attack those people from before?” the girl spoke up, her weapons pointed at Nier.

“Why?” she replied, “You mean those people who were trying to hunt us down? Why indeed?”

The girl shot at her again, and then closed the distance. Death made a spinning slash, before the girl leaped right over her. An acrobatic manoeuvre that landed her in between Nier and Death.

“Tch!” Nier frowned as the girl attacked her directly, forcing Nier to raise another barrier to stop the assault. A few hits were blocked… and then the girl slid right past her. Nier briefly lost track before the girl’s shoulder collided with her, sending her staggering.

But the girl’s offense stopped, just enough for Death to reach forward and then swing her scythes upward. The girl leaped and spun in mid-air, vaulting over Death yet again. She would have landed too, but Death changed the momentum of her attack midway and twirled about, catching the girl before she landed, forcing her to block the scythed tips in mid-air. The impact sent her flying away, her back crashing against the metal wall.

Nier approached in a slow walk, Death hovering right behind her as she stared at their downed opponent. The Primal raised one of the scythes to finish her off and then paused. The girl stood back up unsteadily, staring at her with an almost pleading look.

It would be so easy now. Kill her and be done with it. Yet still… would this be trouble for Ragna and add on to the list of things that just made things more difficult when travelling? Then again, what difference would it make at this point?

“Is there a way back up?” asked Nier, holding one hand to the side to stop Death’s attack.

The girl blinked, taking a moment to process what was happening. She wasn’t dead yet, and all because of this question.

“Y-yes. There’s always a way back… I think.” The girl replied.

“You think? Don’t you work here?” Nier frowned.

“Well officially, yes. But not at this branch. I haven’t been here before!”

“Huh, you don’t sound like you’re lying,” she lowered her hand and Death paused for a little bit. “Maybe I can use you to get a bit more information here. You agree that you lost to me, yes?”

“I mean the major was being a jerk so I wasn’t as focused….” The girl mumbled.

Death raised her scythe-like appendages.

“Eek! I mean, yes. I don’t like fighting anyway so the win is yours.” The girl nodded her head rapidly. “But… could I ask you something?”

Nier looked on and mouthed of a ‘yes.’

“I know we started off on the wrong foot and all, and she’s really scary…” she looked at Death, “But why are you and the Grim Reaper destroying NOL branches?”

“She’s not a Rea- oh…. Wait. You meant Ragna.” Nier replied and then shook her head. “Honestly, I don’t know. It is his goal so I’m helping him out as much as I can. It’s my duty after all.”

“Your duty? Wait, are you two a couple? The Wanted Posters never mentioned him working with someone else.”

“So I’m told.” Nier frowned, watching as the girl looked around before locating a button. A door opened up and she gestured for Nier to enter.

“You first.” Nier told her.

“Ah, right.” The girl leading the way inside. The hall led somewhere… though the place felt like a maze of corridors. “I think… if you want to go up, there’s an elevator somewhere. Stairs too that spiral all the way up if we can find the start of it all…”

“Wait, maybe I don’t want to go up. Ragna would be heading further down after all, and I’d rather not be apart from him for too long.”

“Heh…” the girl chuckled.

“What’s so funny?”

“No, it’s not that. It’s just… I didn’t take you for a romantic. A little clingy too.”

Nier tilted her head and stared on.

“I know you’re the enemy and all,” the girl said, “But you have so much confidence in what you do. I’m a bit jealous, honestly. Look at me, so quick to give up just to avoid a fight. Aha….” She said nervously.

This girl’s weird, Nier thought. Compared to others though, so much easier to deal with. And Nier herself felt a bit flattered, even if her own show of confidence was an act.

“I just want to be loved and accepted. Is that so much to ask?” Nier replied, looking up at Death as she floated beside her. “It’s difficult to receive that when you’re not from around here.”

“I know that feeling.” the girl replied, her shoulders slumping before reaching up to adjust her cap. “Ummm, I know it’s a bit improper… but, I’m Noel. Noel Vermillion. I hope you don’t hold all of what’s going on against me. The strangest things have been going on in this city.” She said, extending her hand to her.

“…Nier.” She replied and cautiously shook her hand.

Navigating the halls wasn’t exhausting per se, but this place deeper underground was much larger than either of them had expected. Actually, were they underground? This place was built atop a mountain wasn’t it? Wouldn’t that mean they were just descending into the heart of it?

“What is even hidden in this place?” Noel wondered, pausing to catch her breath. “How have we not found an elevator yet?”

“I’m worried.” Nier replied. Ragna wouldn’t just abandon her to pursue his own goal right? He agreed to take her with him. She clenched her fists and then calmed herself as Death draped her hands over her.

“Fear not. I sense his thoughts even far apart. He worries about yoo….” The Primal whispered.

“That puts me at ease. Thank you, Death.”

“Oh! There it is!” Noel pointed and ran towards a button on the wall. The gate opened up and the hum of machinery filled the air. “Just need to wait for the elevator to get here.”

Nier acted instinctively, pulling on Noel’s hand before a sharp claw nearly struck her. A mechanical claw belonging to a crimson puppet that had flown up from below. As the elevator ascended, the familiar image of a masked man stood at its center.

“Colonel Relius?” Noel stammered.

“My apologies, Lieutenant. I thought you were fraternizing with the enemy.” Came the response as he looked the pair over. “Or am I mistaken?”

Nier responded almost immediately in kind, suddenly drawing a knife she had kept hidden and moved behind Noel, the bladed tip at her neck. “Make any sudden moves and your subordinate dies.” Nier replied with venom in her words.

Relius didn’t seem to care and continued to approach, the audacity of which caused Nier to step backwards away with Noel.

“Have a care, girl. I’m not here to fight. Though it would be fascinating to do so after your friend’s last escape.” He smiled.

Death moved in front of Nier, poised to strike in a defensive stance. No love lost in between her and Relius’ puppet.

“No, my purpose is here is observation for now. And I believe… The Imperator requests your presence.” He nodded and stared straight at Nier.

“…Why?” she asked.

“That’s a question you would need to ask her. Accept, and you would be granted a single boon. If you are willing to take it.”

“A boon. Like… a wish?” Noel wondered.

“And if I don’t accept?” asked Nier.

“Then you waste more time. You’ve nothing to lose do you not? And time is ticking.”

She wasn’t satisfied with the answer. Still, a potential boon could be useful… even if she expected things aren’t at all what the man claimed.

“Very well, but if I see something I don’t like, then you know what Death would do.” She replied, letting go of Noel.

Relius smiled. “Of course. I wouldn’t dream of betraying someone as gifted as you.”

Nier frowned. She still didn’t trust this man.

‘Be careful.’ Noel mouthed off to her and then a bright light flashed in a pattern around Nier. No restraining field, she didn’t detect anything of the sort but…. Teleportation?

The elevator and the surrounding area disappeared and she found herself in a spacious chamber. Almost immediately, Death rematerialized beside her. Teleportation or not, the link between she and the Primal was much too strong to keep them apart if that was the man’s intent.

“So we finally meet. Thy presence has been most vexing…” a voice called out.

Nier turned, looking at the only other major object in the chamber. It looked to be some kind of coffin, and there was someone laying within it. Various tubes connected to the small body within and then with a hiss, suddenly fell away.

A chill coursed through Nier as the other girl stepped out of the coffin, an elaborate robe materializing to cover her pale features. This was the Imperator?

“Though this vessel is not quite ready yet, it should be enough for this purpose.” The Imperator continued, hovering just slightly above the ground.

“Who are you…?” Nier wondered, mentally slapping herself. She aready knew of course from what that puppeteer mentioned.

“You were told already, yes? But perhaps a different title suits me better.” She smiled. An instant later, without even making any kind of movement, the Imperator was standing too close to Nier for comfort, her eyes gazing up as she smiled at her. “I am… Death.”

Chapter 9: The Pool of Tribute

Summary:

A New Calamity Trigger

"Despair has its own calms."

---

Chapter 9 – The Pool of Tribute

---

And done. A heavy blow from the back of Ragna's sword brought knocked Jin back against the wall, unable to even continue further. He struggled to even stand but that was it, any minute now and Jin would fall.

"I have tons of questions that I need to ask you so I won't finish you off. Just lie right there." Said Ragna, and then turned to walk away.

He heard Jin's weak laughter behind him, paying him no mind as he made his way down. There were more important things to deal with, and he was worried after watching Nier fall down the edge of that chasm. He wasn't too worried given Death's overprotectiveness of the girl, but she had been fighting a seemingly competent NOL officer, and who knows what else awaited her down here.

"Come on… come on…." He waited for the elevator, stepping on as it descended deeper and deeper. He hadn't encountered Nier on the way here, which meant she'd have to be deeper within the structure. After what seems like an eternity, it finally grinds to a halt. This must be as far as it goes. Other branches have had elevators like this one, but none of them had any that took so long to reach the bottom. Ragna couldn't help wondering just how deep underground he actually is.

The elevator doors open and laid out before him was a tableau he had seen many times before. Yet someone was waiting for him.

The moment Ragna sees him, he freezes. Not out of fear, but as if he's been hypnotized, unable to even lift a finger. Every fiber of his body wants to get out of that room as fast as possible, but no matter how much he struggles, his body refused to respond.

The man's face was a mask, and although there were no eyes to speak of, it still felt as if this creature was staring straight into his soul. Or maybe it was fear. He recognized the danger… this was a foe more dangerous than any he had ever faced.

"Bastard… who are you?" Ragna forced himself to speak, slowly getting into a defensive stance.

"I am the end of you…" the masked being replied, unsheathing a sword as tall as he is. It was a brilliant silver, shining with a cool, hard light. "You seem to be shaking, Ragna the Bloodedge. Is this pitiful child truly the most powerful this world has to offer? The darkness that infects our world springs from you, a font of evil. I shall staunch that flow, and put an end to you!"

He can't give up, he can't let it end here! As much as his body just wanted to turn and run, he knew it would be no use. He had to make a stand here. "Cut the crap and bring it on!" he shouted.

"I am the white void. I am the cold steel. I am the just sword! With blade in hand shall I reap the sins of this world and cleanse it in the fires of destruction! I am Hakumen! The end has come!"

---

She couldn't even land a hit on her. Nier's eyes moved from place to place but before she could even get a good focus on the girl, she was gone or had moved elsewhere. And it didn't even seem like she had performed an action to move anywhere.

The Imperator had gotten close again and Nier raised her hands in an arc of purple flames, but her target was gone midway through her swing and then Nier felt a pain in her side as she was struck by a powerful open-palmed push. It sent her careening before Death leaped up to grab her and held her steady.

She made sure Nier was alright before turning her gaze upon the one who also identified herself as 'Death.' Covered by a glowing, purple ribcage, the Imperator simply floated forward without a care in the world even as Death began attacking. The bladed scythe-like hair thrashed about, engulfing the Imperator's defence but could not pierce through.

"Hmmm…. This is the irregularity that's been interfering with the plans? I expected a lot more…." The Imperator said, raising her hands up while Death floated back to stand in front of Nier.

A ball of purple flame appeared above her head, slowly growing in size and then she suddenly launched it at the pair.

"Death!" Nier called out, the Primal holding both hands to her face as a pillar of purple flame erupted in front of her, engulfing the Imperator's launched projectile, the ensuing explosion knocking the Erune back again.

"So much rage… so much raw emotion. Weak, but rapidly growing in power." The Imperator said, already having closed the distance to Nier and reached out to grip her neck, lifting her up with a smile on her face.

Death whirled around, her sickles moving to slash at the Imperator, who proceeded to hold Nier straight towards her, almost as if daring her to continue attacking. Death didn't fall for such a trick though, curving the sickle blades around Nier to stab at the Imperator from behind.

Nier felt her grip loosen on her neck and squirmed away, turning around to face the Imperator. It was a chilling sight, but the most frightening part was that the girl didn't seem too fazed by her own impalement. With glib ease, she pulled herself free of the scythes before she tugged and pulled Death forward… and then the girl disappeared.

An instant later, it's as if Death had been struck in multiple different places at the same time. The Primal Beast crumpled from the onslaught as the Imperator landed gracefully in front of Nier.

"What are you…?" Nier stepped back.

"Hmmm… he may not know it yet, but I am someone Ragna is dearly acquainted with. He has yet to tell you about his dear, missing sister has he?" she leaned in forward, pushing Nier so she fell on her back, and then was instantly atop her, pinning her down with their faces close.

There was a resemblance. But the girl looked drastically different from the one she saw when looking through Ragna's memories. An insane, hollow look that made it difficult for Nier to even respond. Along with fear, plenty of fear as they looked on eye to eye.

"An irregularity who does not belong in this world, and yet continues to make herself a part of it. But you do not know how things will end, do you? Every little repetition, collected and recorded, with undesirable events just tossed away like garbage. Even our little confrontation now, recorded and yet amounting to nothing in the end." The Imperator said, gently tracing a finger up Nier's cheek. "But you. You would seek to break that dreadful bond, yes? The world is not yet as it should."

"W-what are you talking about?" Nier asked.

A grin. "Shhh…. Watch…"

To the side, a distant haze of a battle materialized almost like that of a mirror. Ragna was in a fight with a white-masked swordsman, and losing.

"Rag…na…." Nier reached a hand out for him, ignoring the girl who was atop her.

"He will survive this battle, as he always had. Keep watching…"

Ragna was on the defensive, but he was holding his right hand up as a mass of dark energy gathered within it.

"To win, he shall use the Azure Grimoire. But after that, he shall face someone who will end him. The same result, again and again." The Imperator explained, the darkness around Ragna increasing as he activated said Azure Grimoire. Yet at the same time…

Death recovered. She was upon the Imperator with more ferocity than before, impaling her with her scythes again before flinging her away from Nier, back towards the edge of the coffin she had been resting at earlier.

"My love, are yoo injured?" asked Death and held out her hand to Nier. She accepted it gladly and pulled herself close to Death's chill embrace.

"Interesting…" the Imperator said, rising up slowly. "You've made a pact… with his Azure Grimoire itself? An unprecedented act…."

"We shall save our beloved. Even if we have to kill the world too doo so!" Death shrieked, holding Nier protectively.

"So you shall. Very well then…" the Imperator chuckled, shedding her robes. Much of her body had been impaled though one could also see that it wasn't a human body either. Almost like that of a doll, with ball joints and unnatural-looking protrusions. "This body was not meant to take much punishment, but I am interested in seeing what ripples you are able to create. And if you truly are capable of creating a world of death."

"A world of death and love…" Nier added, glaring at the Imperator, "…and you will not be a part of it."

"We shall see…" she replied, snapping her fingers. In an instant, Nier and Death were teleported away.

---

Their surroundings have changed yet again, and Nier found herself in the midst of destruction and ruin. Ragna was just here wasn't he? Death materialized beside her once more, looking around herself for signs of Ragna and his opponent.

Before them was a massive hole, and what looks like… a pot? The earth shook, and a bright light was emitted from the strange pot down below. Something else emerged too, but she wasn't quite sure what it was. Like the hilt of a massive weapon and off in the distance, a similar kind of coffin that the Imperator had been resting inside simply opened up. From within, another being floated down from above and hovered just at the edge of the platform that overlooked the cauldron.

A woman with long, braided, silver hair and a cloak that covered a portion of her body. A sleek suit covered the rest of her and one eye was covered by something that looked familiar.

"Loading… loading… loading… loading… complete." The girl repeated.

She was on guard. Nier hadn't even had time to recover from her battle with the Imperator and even then, it didn't feel like a win on her end. "Is this the one Ragna was meant to face…?" she wondered aloud.

The silver-haired girl raised her head immediately.

"You know… Ragna?"

"She knows him… our beloved." Death hissed.

The girl tilted her head. "I thought Ragna was Nu's… that Nu was Ragna's… who are you…?" she asked.

"Nier…" she replied, stepping back from the girl. She couldn't see it, but there was a growing amount of hostility in the air. "You can't have him. He's ours…" she frowned, as Death moved defensively in front of her again.

"No… he's here to destroy me, not you." The girl, Nu, replied as a massive blade crashed down behind her. In a flash, it seemed to have transformed her. Bladed tips aligned with her limbs and more of those swords spread out around her like wings. "Me, the world, everything in it! Once he gets going with that sword of his, he just can't help himself!"

What is she talking about?

"All he has to do is wish for all-encompassing destruction, and I'll make it happen. I'm the only one who can scratch that itch. I'm her girl, not you." The bladed tips moved, pointing forward at Nier before shooting out at her one after another. Death was ready though, blocking and parrying the blades with amazing speed.

But if her slashes were fast, then so too was Nu's agility. She already zipped forward and moved to outflank Death, firing another blade straight at Nier from an exposed gap in her defence. But not a physical blade that floated beside her and returned. Some kind of phantom blade that Nier blasted apart with a magical attack of her own. She didn't like relying on magic, but it is necessary here if she were to survive against this kind of opponent. She had to be stronger, faster than her. Prevent her from meeting Ragna if the Imperator's words rang true.

"You do not compare to our love for him." Nier glared at Nu.

The girl simply laughed and renewed her assault, moving closer and closer in increasingly erratic movements. But Death soon caught her with a sweeping spin of her scythe, cutting into her sides and then slashing at her body in mid-air again and again. Surprisingly durable, all things considered and she couldn't cleanly cut through her.

"Is it over?" Nier sighed in relief… only to pause.

The wounds inflicted were healing rapidly and Nu rose up again, staring at them with her visor. "Oh, that hurts a lot. I've underestimated you…" she said coldly, and then attacked again.

Blades shot out, not at Nier this time but straight towards Death. Not just from one direction but from multiple angles. From behind, from the side… and even the occasional one sent towards Nier forcing Death to expose herself to more attacks in order to protect her.

"Death…!" Nier cried out in alarm.

"You're a naughty girl, aren't you?" Nu said beside her, having slipped in through the confusion to slash at her front. A slash narrowly deflected as Death materialized in front of Nu. She grabbed her wrists and proceeded to impale her twice over in the chest with her scythes. The girl coughed out blood as the Primal Beast tossed her away.

Nier immediately got to work, healing the Primal's injuries and drew upon her own life energies in the process. And yet when she looked at their opponent's fallen figure, a look of despair overcame her features at how quickly Nu recovered and regenerated.

She couldn't even fully make Death recover before Nu attacked again. How many of these people just didn't stay down? More so with this one in particular.

She crashed in between the two as multiple phantom blades descended from above, skewering Death again and again, driving the Primal Beast down into the ground. It was too much. The injuries forced Death to dematerialize, her card appearing in Nier's hand while she raised the other to form a barrier. The next attacks carried on without mercy, blades crashing against the barrier only to eventually shatter it entirely. One, two, three, four… the pain was much greater than she had thought.

Impaled twice in both hands. One in her stomach and another in her thigh. The phantom blades dissipated, leaving Nier only with her injuries as she crumpled onto the floor, bleeding heavily.

"You're all talk then? There's no way you're worthy of Ragna's love." Nu said, the blades around her pointing forward.

She couldn't heal herself, not with these injuries right now. And Death hadn't recovered yet either. Nier shut her eyes, and waited for the final blow… but it never came. There was the sound of something landing in front of her, weapons clanging against the blades fired at her and Nier opened her eyes once more.

Ragna stood in front of her. His clothes are torn and covered in blood. But it didn't matter, he still came for her and tears started streaming down her face.

He steals a glance to look over his shoulder, momentarily surprised but only for a second, his attention back on the danger before them.

"Sorry it took me so long. A certain masked asshole wouldn't take no for an answer. Whatever you do, stay behind me" He told her, and then turned towards Nu.

"Heheh, ahahaha!" laughed the silver-haired girl. "Ragna… oh Ragna… you came for me!"

"Tch, you wish. I'm here to beat the crap out of you so bring it on!"

Nier simply watched as Ragna lunged at their opponent, still in pain as she focused entirely on recovery. She needed to help him. Though she failed in making Ragna meet that monster, she should still be able to do something eventually.

Seconds passed, each one already far too long given how furiously the battle raged. Ragna was keeping up, but also running into the same problem Nier herself had earlier. Nu just did not stay down, no matter how many injuries she received, as if she was immortal.

"I need to…" Nier whispered, crawling forward inch by inch even as she used her magic to heal her injuries. Everything taken from the surrounding air, anything at all. But this place with so little life, it made it difficult to do anything.

"Don't lose… please don't lose…" Nier whispered, eyes widening as multiple blades struck Ragna, paralyzing him. She cried out for him, hand reaching out just as another more massive blade appeared to skewer both he and that insane girl. They hang in the air a moment, before Nu began dragging Ragna back towards the Cauldron.

"No… you can't…!" Nier forced herself to stand in a rush of adrenaline, running forward as the two fell off the edge. Time seemed to slow and Nier leaped forward, right into the maw of the cauldron as she took hold of Ragna's outstretched hand. "You can't take him…!" she cried out.

She would have fallen in as well, were it not for Death materializing right at the edge, tugging on Nier as she held on tight. The sword that pierced Ragna's body slides out of his gut and the girl known only as Nu falls into the cauldron alone, disappointment creasing her brow.

A plume of flames licks up from within the cauldron's stygian depths and the girl is consumed.

Death pulled Ragna and Nier up and over her head as Ragna landed on the floor with a hard thud on his back with Nier right on top of him. The two panted heavily, taking a few moments to calm down.

"You… you saved me…" Ragna said, wincing in pain even as Nier held him tight. Too tight, too painful but… that was better than what could have happened. "Thank you."

"You scared me, so much. I thought I was going to lose you…" Nier cried into his chest. "I didn't want her to take you. I was frightened!" she continued.

"Just let it out…" he reached around with his right hand, patting her back, noticing Death approach from the corner of his eye. "Thank you as well, Death. We wouldn't have gotten out without you." He chuckled weakly.

The Primal Beast bowed gracefully, reverting back to the form of the card and settled in between the two of them.

Chapter 10: What Makes the Sky Blue?

Summary:

A selfish desire leads way to tragedy and opportunity.

“My spirit will sleep in peace; or if it thinks, it will not surely think thus. Farewell.”

---

Chapter 10 – What Makes the Sky Blue?

---

This counts as finishing up with their business here, partially. With the exception of an activated cauldron, things were fine for the most part. Ragna had survived a harrowing encounter with the deranged girl with Nier’s help, though neither of them were currently at their best.

“Can you stand?” asked Nier as she rolled off of him.

He paused a bit, putting a bit of effort into doing just that. He was still exhausted, but he can manage even with those injuries. “I should ask you the same thing. Doesn’t look like you’re fully healed up either,” he replied, helping her up as the two limped away from the edge of the Cauldron.

They’ve only taken a few steps though before they immediately felt someone else’s presence close by. That someone stood ahead of them, and he didn’t look very friendly either.

“Well, well, well… you’re both alive, my little chikadees.” the man chuckled, his narrowed eyes barely hidden underneath his dark hat. “Look at me! Observe me!”

Nier found herself compelled to stare, and then placed a hand on her forehead as for a moment, her left eye glowed a shade of blue.

The familiar scent of roses filled the air as Rachel teleported in front of them. “Don’t do it, girl! Don’t acknowledge him!” the vampire called out.

“Tch.” The man frowned. “Barely even inherited the Azure. A trickle at best, and useless.”

They were in a bad spot and neither of the pair were in a position to continue fighting if it came to it. Confusion reigned too, as the vampire appeared talking about something neither she nor Ragna could even understand.

These people, continued to act as if they were under their control. Treating them like rats constantly doing someone else’s will with no way to figure out what type of end goal they had. It annoyed and sickened her. She clung possessively to Ragna, not daring to give him to either one of them. Words of the Imperator still rang in her ear, about how he was fated to die after that last battle.

“Heh, I can barely even stand…” Ragna chuckled, reaching for the handle of his sword.

“Still have a little bark to you, eh? Doesn’t matter, really.” The green-haired man said, moving his head as if to get a good angle on them. Whatever he had planned, it can’t be anything good.

Nier glared, holding Ragna even closer as if to prevent him from attacking. “Please… no more.” She urged him, as Death rematerialized behind them. She too wasn’t at her best, not without drawing the life of the vampire in front of them. A tempting prospect, but one she didn’t even care to be part of.

“I don’t like this place, this world. Why is everything always against you?” Nier mumbled as she pulled Ragna back with her. “I just wanted to be loved and accepted by you. Is that too much to ask? And yet these people keep getting in the way.”

“H-hey, Nier? Getting a little spooky there,” Ragna said, placing a comforting arm over her.

“She said she was interested in seeing the kind of world I’ll make. Well, I don’t care. They don’t belong in it.” Nier continued, dark energies emanating from Death as they continued to walk backwards.

Rachel felt a chill and then turned around. “Wait, don’t-!”

“He’s the only one I need. You can all just go…” Nier declared as the two fell back over the edge. Even Ragna was shocked at how sudden it was. To fall into the Cauldron like this? He wasn’t even sure what to say. Everything seemed to fall so slowly as he looked above, Rachel calling out to him.

He looked down. Nier clutched him closely, smiling as the chill of Death’s embrace surrounded them both. The Primal’s dark power activating just before they could touch the Cauldron’s depths. And then, they were gone.

---

Rachel’s shocked expression stayed for a few moments before she calmed herself down. She closed her small fists as Hazama walked past her, peering over the edge. There was a swirling darkness that appeared just where the Cauldron was. Thick and impenetrable.

The vampire turned away, not even saying another world before she teleported and vanished.

“Huh, guess that didn’t fit into her plan either. Ah well, not my problem.” Hazama shrugged, stepping back as the world shook around them. “Well, better late than never I guess.”

“You’re leaving it?” Relius emerged from the shadows, Ignis floating beside him.

“Whoever that was, she’s not a worthy successor of the Azure. Besides, the twelfth is still somewhere in the facility, right?” asked Hazama.

“She is. But like you said, it won’t matter. Take-Mikazuchi is readying its firing sequence.”

“Ugh… again and again. I’ll hope the next repetition is better than this one. And- whoa wait… what do you think you’re doing?” he called out as Relius continued on towards the edge of the cauldron.

“Isn’t it obvious? This is a new phenomenon to be studied and observed. Aren’t you interested in seeing what’s on the other side?” Relius asked him.

“Not until all the pieces fall into place. And it’s not like it’s going to be of much use to me personally.” Hazama replied.

“Your loss.” Relius said. “Give my regards to the Imperator. This ‘me’ right now, will be unlikely to meet you again.”

“What else is new?” Hazama shrugged, watching as Ignis took hold of Relius as the two leaped into the dark void above the Cauldron.

---

Something’s wrong.

It wasn’t just hard to breathe. There were so many different forces pulling at him. Despite what happened, he could still feel Nier wrapped around him, trying desperately to hold on. And then, her grip loosened.

Instinctively, he tried to grab hold of her. But the distance suddenly widened. Meters away now and she reached towards him, trying to reach for his hand.

He tried to do the same, reaching for Nier within this void as the distance widened considerably. Again, and again. Worse still… he couldn’t even remember what was going on. Her face.

The girl he was reaching for. Who was she? Why was she important?

And then, a long period of nothingness. How long had he remained like that?

He had to hold on to something, anything to remember. Ragna. His name. That much he can focus on as everything else fell away. Everything disappeared.

When next he awoke, he lay face up on a field of grass. The wind was picking up and the sky… morning already? A bright shade of blue that stretched on as far as his vision allowed him. He was tempted to go back to sleep, dream of something… someone.

He frowned. Every instinct in his body told him not to succumb to indolence and he eventually forced himself up with some difficulty. It should have been easy enough, were it not for the fact that his right hand felt slow and full of lead. Not just slow, but unresponsive.

“That’s not good…” he mumbled to himself, though he found it odd how calm he was about that knowledge. He dragged himself forward and then nearly tripped over a hunk of metal laying on the ground! It was a sword… black, red and white… and it called to him. Not so much called to him but more along the lines of it felt right that it belonged to him. And when he reached down to pick it up, it was surprisingly easy to lift.

No sooner had he done that when he felt a sharp pain on his right arm and something fell out of his sleeve. A curious thing, like a sheet of paper. No, a card. A tarot card?

He didn’t even get to ponder the meaning before panicked sounds caught his ear.

“Help! Help! They’re going to eat me!” the voice grew louder and louder. He turned his head, and his eyes widened. A small flying bird was making a beeline straight for him and as it got closer, he realized it was no bird at all but a small flying lizard. Following after it were many more flying lizards, much larger than any normal person.

He should have dodged out of the way, but too late, the smaller lizard crashed into him and he found himself falling backwards.

“Ack!”

Not good. He picked himself back up and instinctively raised his sword up, the action causing the flying lizards to slow down, keeping their distance as they circled him.

“You’re going to fight those Wyverns yourself?!” the voice called out to him though he didn’t even deign to look back.

“You got a better idea?” he responded, before said Wyverns began their assault. Each one began their sweeping advances, claws attempting to rake across with tremendous speed. Strafing runs intended to wear down their prey. But he was quicker, and his actions instinctive. The first two that passed him were cut down with two swings of his blade. The sheer mass and speed from the heavy metal cutting them apart. Seven more to go.

This felt almost natural, as if he was used to defending himself against hostile creatures. Honestly, he had expected something like wolves but these things? Similar deal if not for their power of flight.

Another made a direct assault and he swung the flat edge of his blade, catching it and sending it flying into another. Five left.

“Momo!”

The howling sound caused them all to pause for a moment, a distraction that made the wyverns suddenly scatter when a massive dog-like creature leaped down from above, attacking the remainder. With no chance to retrieve their prey, the wyverns all flew off, abandoning the hunt and leaving him to stare ahead at the spectral canine.

“Don’t worry, he won’t bite.” Said a blue-haired girl, walking past him. She raised a hand to the dog, who whined before disappearing into a single mote of light. Most notably her ears were like that of a beastkin…

“Thanks, Ferry.” The small flying Lizard flew up to her.

“You know better than to look at their nest without any backup, Vyrn. What would the Captain think?” the girl scolded the small lizard.

“But you guys were taking so long! Besides, I had help.” Said Vyrn, looking back at…

“Whoah, hold on! I wasn’t involved in anything. You crashed into me!” he raised a finger as he continued to grip the handle of his sword.

The girl, Ferry, narrowed her eyes and as she looked at him, a cold chill ran down his spine. Perhaps it was some kind of sixth sense. Or something he had encountered already in the past. But something about her felt off, almost as if she had the aura of someone who… wasn’t really there.

“Something about you feels… off.” Ferry said and walked up to him. “It doesn’t feel like you’re a ghost like me. But…”

“Hold on, did you say ghost?...”

“I think he’s new around these parts.” Said Vyrn. “Heheh… looks like someone has a little phobia….”

“Zip it, bird!” Ragna snapped.

“I’m not a bird! I’m a dragon!”

“There’s more too… the aura of someone familiar…” Ferry said as she circled him.

He began stepping away, though paused and looked down at the ground. The card again. He sighed and reached down to pick it up, drawn to the imagery upon it.

“You’re not familiar with this are you?” he showed her the card.

“That’s….” Ferry started, and paused. So there was recognition, but also a bit of fear in her eyes. So ghosts can get scared too, huh?

She turned her head as two figures ran down the grassy hill to join them.

“Oh, you found Vyrn! That’s good.” Another blue-haired girl called out, catchng her breath as her companion did the same. Though when the two of them looked at the card he was holding up to Ferry, both became silent.

“Gran, that’s…”

“Yeah, I know Lyria. But why would it be here…?” the fair-haired boy wondered.

“Seems to me like all of you have seen this before. And while I can’t say for sure I understand what’s going on, I’d really appreciate it if someone starts giving explanations.” He frowned.

“Ferry who is this?” asked Lyria.

“Good question. He was helping Vyrn out but I didn’t quite catch a name…” they all turned towards him.

“Errr… Ragna. That’s honestly all I know, I swear.” He replied as the four looked on curiously at him.

Vyrn was quick to move in front of his face with a mischievous expression. “Seems awfully suspicious. Maybe he’s a criminal of some kind?”

“You’re pushing your luck, bird….” Ragna glared.

Lyria shook her head. “No, I don’t think he’s a bad person. But… I sense something. A Primal Beast…? Close by…? We came here because I detected the presence of one but right now, he’s the only one around. And if not him then…”

“Yeah, the card. But that’s impossible.” Said Gran.

“Can I at least know what’s impossible?” asked Ragna.

Gran paused and then reached into a travelling pouch.

“The owner of that card… we knew her. But she died some time ago, killed by the very being that card represented. The Arcarum Primal, Death.” Said Gran.

“Doesn’t make sense to me, but alright. Killed by Death. What makes that so impossible now?” Ragna asked, his heart feeling heavy at the revelation. The owner of it was dead? Something within screamed at him to deny that. But he let them continue on.

“Impossible because…” he took out the exact same Tarot card. The same design, the same number. Number XIII, Death, along with the image of the elegant-woman with scythed weapons.

“Nier…” Ragna said, recalling that specific name.

“So you do know her…” Gran said. “But that doesn’t change the fact that we still hold the card that contains the essence of her Primal. Unless yours is a fake…”

“Not a fake…”

A chilling voice. The card in Ragna’s hand floated up and then attached itself to Ragna’s right arm. Darkness coalesced and power surged through him. Dark, intoxicating, and as it filled him… he found himself able to do much more than he can right now. Feeling returned to his right arm and his right eye saw things a lot more clearly.

Along with it, the rapidly coalescing form of a tall woman in an elegant dress beside him. Gone was the card. In its place was… Death.

“No way…” said Lyria as she looked from Gran’s card and then to the Primal standing beside Ragna. Vyrn made a shriek of alarm and floated back to hide behind her.

Ferry was immediately on guard, drawing her whip and Gran gulped in nervously as he found himself in the presence of the Primal.

He hadn’t recovered all of his memories but something about right now felt… natural. Ragna shook his head, looking at the group with no hostility before turning towards Death. “You know where she is, don’t you?” he asked.

“Our beloved’s presence is faint but… I believe…. It is her….” Death replied to him.

“She’s still alive…?” Gran wondered, putting the card away. Tense as it was, Death didn’t seem to hold any ill intent. Not now at least. It could easily change.

“That answers one question, I guess.” Ragna said as Death knelt down to face him.

“Find her… find our beloved…” she told him.

“Our beloved…” Ragna repeated, and then Death vanished again. The card returned and as he grabbed it, he sighed. “Don’t suppose you guys can help out with this?” he asked.

Gran pondered the thought for a moment and then looked around. Lyria nodded at him as did Ferry.

“Things with Nier didn’t have the closure we wanted. If we could see her again, then it might be good for everyone here.” He replied. “Ragna, you don’t seem like a bad guy. But given your relationship with Death… it’s a little questionable. But I think things might be better if you’re around and we find Nier. So I guess… I’ll have you travel with us for a bit. We’ll help you, and you’ll help us. Sound good?”

“Seems fair enough.” Ragna nodded his head, stretching the fingers of his right hand. That part at least seems working properly again.

“Welcome to the crew, I guess?” Ferry said and he shrugged in response.

The wind picked up and cresting just over the hill, a large airship loomed overhead and made its way forward in the direction of the town in the distance.

“Well, the Grancypher will be docking there. Come on, there’s a lot to discuss with everyone.” Gran said.

“Probably have to smooth things out with the captain, right?” Ragna replied.

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that. I’m the Captain.” Gran nodded and lead the way forward. “Might have an issue with some of the others, but as long as you’re pulling your weight.”

“I mean I’ll try…” Ragna shrugged. “Can’t say I honestly have much of a goal right now so I may as well try my hand at this.”

‘Do not forget our beloved.’ Death’s voice called to him from within. Something that he simply nodded his head at in response. Find a way to survive and find Nier. Then hopefully things will start making more sense.

Chapter 11: Two Worlds

Summary:

The Grim Reaper finds small bits of happiness with the crew of the Grandcypher. Nier, however, encounters a plot that could be disastrous for all.

“I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend. Make me happy, and I shall again be virtuous.”

---

Chapter 11 – Two Worlds

---

The Grandcypher was a massive vessel once he was actually on board. The sheer scale of the airship, rivalling even that of a small town in size, would have flabbergasted him though he kept his cool so as not to look too odd in their eyes.

A further quick tour of the ship introduced him to much of the crew, an odd assortment of individuals with various shapes and sizes. He didn’t quite meet all of them, but he was bound to see them all the longer he stayed here.

He was granted his own room and trusting as they are, it felt odd being left on his own like this. Maybe left alone outside would be something he’d be used to but here? It’s like he could hear everything. He needed to make himself useful though and after some prodding, it seemed there were quite a few people who felt like he could do some good work in the kitchen.

He can cook of course. He remembered how to do that much at least. But right now, it seemed like a few of his new companions were more interested in getting a look at him.

“Whoa… so you’re like, from another world right? What was it like?” said one of the three Erune brothers. Cat-like ears twitched as they watched him slice the onions with surprising efficiency. Lowain, Elsam and Tomoi. Part of the kitchen team of the Grandcypher, and now his co-workers… at least for now.

He shrugged and paused. “Not much to say, really. Could be good, could be bad. Got annoyed a lot by people going after me, but I survived.”

“Cool… like, you must be quite the bigshot where you come from, right?”

“Maybe? Why’d you wanna know?”

“You’re already becoming pretty popular here as soon as the Captain invited you over. I mean, we’re used to taking in strange people, but something about you just screams ‘cool.’ I wouldn’t be surprised if more people wanted to get to know you better.”

“That’s what I’m worried about.” Ragna sighed, glancing down at his right arm. He was used to being alone, that much he knew, so being in the constant presence of others was a different feeling. He wasn’t quite sure how to feel about that just yet.

For now, he did as he was asked without complaining. Cut a piece of meat? Fine, he could do that. Prepare some vegetables? Done. Make tea? Surprisingly well. Though his right eye dimmed somewhat, whatever skills he remembered in cooking remained good enough.

Serving a few meals to some of the crew who headed down also helped keep his mind off of things. Even towards the end of the scheduled shift, it didn’t feel like much time had passed. Huh, maybe he did have one future as a cook somewhere. Beats dine n’ dashing to be sure.

“They say a way to a woman’s heart is through her stomach. And today’s meal was quite excellent.” Said a woman with pale brown hair as she finished a bowl of soup. Clad in armor, she nevertheless made for a gentle-looking figure. Not so for her companion, a blonde woman in a ponytail clad in crimson.

Katalina and Vira, two members of the crew who had been here the longest as far as Ragna knew. He didn’t know either of them too well, though apparently the former had a close bond with that girl with blue hair, Lyria.

“You’ve outdone yourselves. My compliments to the chef. I’d help out, but you know how busy it gets sometimes.” Katalina said.

The air seemed to freeze and a chill seemed to go through the three Erunes for just the briefest of moments.

“Awww, shucks! Always glad to serve up a meal for the lovely Katalina.” Lowain scratched the back of his head, though a glare from Vira seemed to cause him to step out of view from his spot in the kitchen. His features turned frightful as he looked at Ragna. “Yikes! Hard to try wooing anyone with Vira around. Bro, help a guy out would ya?”

Ragna looked around. “Wait, are you talking to me?”

“Yeah. You’re the chef who made that soup bowl right? Compliments to the chef she said, so… you can go talk with them.”

“Wait, what would I even say…?” Ragna found himself pushed by the three brothers out into the open as the pair of women looked at him. He sighed, though said nothing until they spoke themselves.

“You’re the new guy, right? I heard the Captain talking about you quite a bit.” Vira said, red eyes gleaming as she looked him over.

“Really?” Ragna answered with a shrug. “All good, I hope?”

“Strong, he said. Though we didn’t expect someone like you to be sent down here on kitchen duty with them.” Katalina said, glancing over to Lowain and his brothers as they peeked from behind the kitchen.

“Keeps me out of trouble, that’s for sure. But since I’m here, shouldn’t it be the meals you should be talking about? This is hardly the place for discussions on strength.” He replied before a small light seemed to speed towards him from Vira’s direction. A small insect-like creature with many wings flitting around him, seemingly studying him with some focus on his right arm before returning to Vira.

“This isn’t just a place for discussing food,” Katalina said. “It’s a place for the crew to relax and get to know one another. Here or the deck of the Grandcypher. We each have our reasons for being here and besides, the captain’s story about you was quite interesting.”

“Indeed,” Vira said, elbows resting on the table while her chin rested atop her fingers. “A man whose right arm is bonded to a Primal Beast. Though it seems your circumstances are quite different.”

“Yeesh, don’t ask. I’m not fully accustomed to what’s going on with that.” Ragna replied, looking at his right arm again. Still a little difficult to move, but he can sense the presence of Death within ever since her card attached itself to it. A reminder of why he was with the Crew.

“Not willing to confront it?” said another voice and Ragna turned to the side as a man approached. Elegant, and this one he spied earlier on during his way here.

“You’ve taken an interest as well, Lord Sandalphon?” Vira wondered.

“Lord?” Ragna raised a brow as he laid a cup of coffee in front of him. He shrugged and took a sip, wincing at the bitter flavor. Coffee, Tea… not one of his favorites in terms of flavor.

Sandalphon frowned. “I hope you’re not insinuating that the coffee I prepared isn’t very good? It is a peace offering for the newcomer and I wouldn’t want to second-guess this decision.”

“N-no, no, not at all.” Ragna shook his head with a nervous chuckle. “I’m just… nostalgic about something. Bitter drinks don’t really sit well with me but it feels like I knew someone who enjoyed them a lot once…”

“Fair. My apologies for pushing that on you. While I may be a Primal Beast, my knowledge on mortal interactions will always be a work in progress.” Sandalphon said and grabbed a chair.

“Even after all this time with the Crew?” Katalina wondered before she was given a nod in response.

“A Primal Beast… like Death I suppose….” Ragna said, looking down at his arm.

“She doesn’t wish to come out?” Sandalphon asked.

“Something like that,” Ragna answered, “I can’t explain it, but it kinda feels like she doesn’t want to come out in your presence, as if you’re scaring her.”

Vira tapped her fingers on the table, drawing his attention towards the Lord of Albion. “Luminiera, Ares, Death and the Angels... If not for the kindness of Primals, Skydwellers may have gone extinct. That being said...”

“…Ragna, I hope you don’t take this the wrong way but,” Sandalphon said, “Much like how Death is seemingly frightened of me, the same can be said about every Primal here regarding you. You’re not a bad person, Lyria and the Captain can vouch for that, but the things we don’t know about you are concerning. And even I can’t explain why.”

Ragna sighed. “Let me guess, I need to prove my worth to you first before I can be completely trusted?”

“In a manner of speaking…” Sandalphon replied. “What would you say to a friendly sparring match on the deck of the Grandcypher?”

“Huh?” Ragna felt a chill.

Vira clicked her teeth. “Ah, I had hoped to be the one to challenge him. I wanted to test Luminiera and I against he and Death.”

“Huh?!”

“That risks destroying the entire ship if two Primals are to face each other in combat over such a petty reason. No, I believe I have found an eager proxy to act on my behalf at judging his worth.” Sandalphon replied.

“Geez, it’s like you planned all this out already…” Ragna sighed, as if resigned to his fate.

“Zooey and I had a discussion about this beforehand, yes.” Sandalphon admitted, “Though cheer up. I’m sure things will be fine. You shan’t be facing the Arbiter, even if she originally wanted to be the one to try.”

“Fine, Fine. Not like I can just say no to this. If I survive, you owe me though, alright?” Ragna mumbled.

“I’ll grant it within reason.” Sandalphon smiled. “Of course, it needn’t be immediate. Should you be ready to face her, just let me know. Besides, your shift isn’t over yet is it?”

“My shift…? Oh yeah….”  He glanced back behind him at the three Erune brothers who were all giving him a thumbs up. “Guess I’ll let you know then. But if I’m called by the Captain first, then I assume he takes priority.”

He’d rather not keep taking orders like this but if it gets people off his back, then fine. They didn’t seem to want to cause him lasting harm, thankfully, but he knew he still needed to acclimate himself more in this place. A challenge though, that was a way to relearn things he had forgotten about then. He had to admit, the thought was a little thrilling.

“You alright there?” Lowain asked as he returned to the back to the kitchen.

“Better than I thought actually. I wouldn’t say I made a friend but it’s not often people take an interest in what I have to offer. Just hoping it’s all for the better.” Ragna said and watched both Katalina and Vira both leave the area from the corner of his eye. Though he also spotted Sandalphon taking one more look at him before making his exit.

Ragna breathed in deep, practicing in opening and closing his hands. Ever since he arrived here, his only experience in battle was against the group of wyverns trying to go after the small bird. Against another person actually eager to do battle with him though, that’s something else entirely. “Primals though, huh?” he murmured, looking at the back of his hand where Death’s card had placed itself atop the Azure Grimoire and didn’t seem to let go.

He didn’t remember a lot but this at least was consistent. A power that he shouldn’t rely on too much, or so said someone he knew once. And there had to be a good reason as to why Death’s presence limited his very use of it and his arm.

“Well, no use thinking of that now. Come on, let’s get to finishing what we can here.” He told the Erune brothers, who proceeded to give him a high five in consecutive order.

---

Unknown

---

Nier woke up with a gasp, a hand over her eyes as she tried to get everything into focus. It was dark outside, but it still felt too bright until the lights in her vision subsided. Where… was she? The sky was a bloody shade of orange and all around her, jagged rocks mixed with just the slightest hint of vegetation. It was misty too, a cloying fog that hid various cracks and crevasses.

Worse still, Death wasn’t with her. The presence of the Arcarum Primal, gone. Ragna as well, gone. A chill swept through her features as she stood up, ears perking up at the slightest sound. A desolate place and yet, she sensed something far more sinister at work here. There was a looming sense of familiarity too, as if she had been here before.

She kept on walking, losing all sense of time until finally, the sight of someone familiar. But this wasn’t someone she wanted to meet.

The man seemed oblivious to her presence. His cape flowing in the wind as he worked on a strange mechanism sending a pulsing beam of light up towards the sky. And right beside him, floating ominously, that accursed crimson puppet.

A dagger appeared in Nier’s hand as she briefly contemplated running him through before he could attack, but that hope was soon dashed when the puppet turned its head towards her.

“Ah, so you’re finally awake. I assume this is your world?” the man said, not even turning to look at her. Instead, he brought out a stopwatch and tapped the glass. “Hmmmm... temporal values do not align. Fascinating….”

“What did you do….?” Nier glared at him.

The man stopped and stood up straight, the masked face now turned towards her. His eyes were obscured behind it, but it still felt like he’s looking down on her. Different from when she first encountered him.

“Where is Ragna? You did something when we left, it’s the only explanation.” Said Nier, and took a step back.

“Hmph. Ah… your soul looks far more robust than when I last saw it.” He said, looking her up and down, ignoring the question. “Forgive me, but I don’t believe I’ve introduced myself properly yet. Relius Clover, and this is my dear wife, Ignis.” He made a mock bow.

“I don’t care.” Nier said. “If you won’t tell me what you did, then I’ll…”

“…Ragna the Bloodedge, yes?” Relius replied. “A suitably standoffish name for one of his stature. And none of my concern. I have more pressing matters to which I must attend. Though… it seems you are not without that other beast…”

Nier continued to glare as the man mumbled to himself. The other beast, he claimed. How dare he talk about Death that way?! While her presence couldn’t be sensed right now, Death would surely not stand for this insult!

Nier raised a hand, only for the crimson puppet to glide forward and take hold of her wrists. Nier cried out as it lifted her up, the knife falling from her fingers as the puppet made her face Relius.

“Hmmm… so Hazama was correct. Your soul has inherited a small trace of the Azure. Not enough to do much, but perhaps with the ability for phenomena intervention. What little you can do at least…” Relius said, one gloved hand reaching towards her face. “But it was that other beast that could truly leap through time and space, couldn’t it?”

Nier squirmed, but couldn’t pull away from the puppet’s iron grip. “Let… me… go!”

“No way back at the moment. But perhaps I can examine your soul in the meantime. The data could prove useful….” He said quietly. “You are called Nier, yes? What is it that you care for the most in your world?”

“What I… care for…. the most?” Nier repeated, images flashing before her eyes. Death’s loving embrace, and Ragna’s kiss while on that bench….

“The Primal Beast known as Death. And the Grim Reaper. How fascinating….” He began to chuckle.

“W-wait. Don’t look…. Get out of my head…. Please!” Nier started, her words catching in her throat. He was looking through her mind!

“Very promising indeed. Terumi may deem your existence useless, but this… this changes things.” Relius said, staring directly at her through his mask. “A fascinating thing, the soul. While you may be unfocused, yours is still far superior to the common dredges of humanity. A soul that points in multiple directions, with a guiding thought directing its movements. A rarity indeed.”

Nier closed her eyes, but images continued to flow in her mind. “Stop… STOP!”

His hand. It felt as if his hand passed through her skull and began squeezing her brain. It stirred her emotions and memories, plucking out whatever he pleased. Memories that made her happy for once, being watched despite them being hidden away in the depths of her heart.

“Leave them alone…!” she begged.

“Hmmm, so ‘Love’ is at the core of your soul, eh? No, there must be more. Let’s delve… deeper…. Deeeeper…”

“Ah!” Nier cried out again as Relius continued to invade her memories. “It hurts… it hurts…!”

“Why look! Denial… Rejection… Abuse and Betrayal… The love you feel for others is a mere front to what you truly desire isn’t it? Retaliation… Vengeance… and so much more….”

‘Stop! Don’t remind me…! I just wanted….!’ She couldn’t even voice her thoughts out. Nowhere was safe. Not in her own mind. Not outside.

“Oh, there’s more! Fear and resentment… the willingness to destroy the world and remake it in your own selfish image. And yet you’re planning to trick others into doing it for you. Naughty girl…”

‘It hurts, it hurts! Please stop! I had no choice… I didn’t want to but they…! They’ll hate me when they find out! They’ll abandon me again! I’m… I’m….!’

“Pain… violence… loneliness… par for the course… aha, but what’s THIS…?”

‘Don’t… please…. Not that…!’ tears were streaming down Nier’s face as Relius continued his work. She’s face to face with ugly emotions she shoved away, even under Ragna’s presence. She shouldn’t have had to revisit and re-evaluate… and it kept dredging up trauma from her subconscious, leaving nothing behind.

“You may say you get attached to people. That you love them. But you don’t trust them. Not really. Deep down, you’re always waiting for them to turn away from you. You’re just cozying up to those who would control you. Doing as beasts would…” Relius continued as Nier failed to turn her head away.

“N-nooo! Please…. no more…! I don’t want to….!”

“The wielder of the Azure Grimoire… did not arrive in this timeline. Yet you carry memories of him somehow. And now you’re all alone. No friends. No one to care for you. No one to love you. I wonder… is this the necessary fulcrum required to topple your soul? It should be a simple process to rebuild it however I choose… but to what purpose?” Relius wondered.

Nier said nothing, continuing to look on as her tears dried up. If she had anything to say, she made no move to voice it out.

Clapping sounds.

Ignis let go of Nier’s wrists, the girl slumping down to the ground in a heap as the crimson puppet turned to face the approaching intruder.

“That is some seriously scary handiwork. It sent chills even down my spine. But if you’re talking about souls, then I know someone who may be interested in the same things you are.” A man said as he approached the two.

“And you are…?” Relius asked.

“Please, we can easily be on a first name basis if you wish.” He bowed and then rose up again. “Belial. Primal Beast, and Archangel of Cunning. Your little lightshow drew me in like a moth to a flame, but observing what you just did…” he looked at Nier, giving a chuckle at the sight, “…Well that’s not every day that such handiwork can be admired. She’s not going anywhere. What say you ditch her and get more acquainted with me- whoah!” he leaped back, the crimson puppet slashing at him with one clawed hand.

“Apologies, my wife isn’t too fond of letting strangers get too close. And besides, the girl down there was once host to another of your kind. Those so-called, Primal Beasts, you say?” Relius placed a hand on Ignis’ shoulder, the puppet lowering her stance.

“Darn, taken already, huh? But to think you can be such a deviant with that kind of wife? Ha! That just makes me more intrigued.” Belial laughed, looking from Nier and then towards Ignis. “But I wouldn’t lump all of us Primal Beasts in one category. Some of us have a better grasp of our nature than others. And some are much older. And this one…” he glanced back at Nier, “…had contracted with one of the Arcarum. If you wish to study us Primal Beasts, then I may just consent to being a willing subject, with a few conditions.”

“I’m listening…” Relius looked down at his pocketwatch.

“This world will be destroyed soon. Once I bring a certain… friend of mine…. out of an interdimensional rift, he shall begin to work on the Grand Finale and bring about the end of the world. You may not have time to study much, if at all.”

Relius nodded his head. “That is acceptable. The world I come from has been destroyed and restructured again and again. If what you say is true, then I am curious as to the full extent of this ‘Grand Finale.’”

“Oh, you two are going to like each other I can tell…” Belial smiled. “Follow me then. It took some time to get these conditions just right. Your presence here, irregular as it is, may just be the tipping point to ensure the plan goes off without a hitch.”

“I would rather just observe, but this is fine too in its own way. If the Azure’s presence can reach even this world then….” He mumbled something and then gestured for Ignis. The crimson puppet picked Nier up and hoisted the Erune over her shoulders.

“Still going to bring her with you?” Belial wondered.

“She has inherited a small portion of the Azure’s potential. And going through her soul, there may be some use for her yet. Especially if outside variables show up.”

Belial chuckled, “Heh, let’s hope so. This may be a lot of fun when this party gets going.”

Relius nodded and walked on after him. On occasion, he looked again at his pocketwatch as they headed deeper into the mists.