"Grey, blue, grey, blue… nah, it has to be grey after all. After all, it matches Tokiya's hair color~"
"Certainly, miss." The store clerk smiled knowingly and swapped the package Nia held with a new one. "¥114,244, please."
Nia fumbled around in her wallet before bringing out a card and presenting it. And with this, today's haul was a success! I can't wait to get back and unbox all of these… I wonder what Kyo's face will look like when he sees-
A massive surge of Reiryoku from somewhere in the sky sent a sudden chill down her spine. Looking out a nearby window, she saw a mass of storm clouds suddenly gathering together above a tiny figure, violet lightning tracing arcs across the sky. Uwaah, that doesn't look good… wait, isn't that Kyo up there? What's he raising a fuss about?
"Excuse me? Miss?"
"Ah. Yes, bag please." Nia looked back, only to see that the box had already been bagged.
The clerk cleared her throat. "Er, I asked if you wanted to join our store membership…"
"...uh, no thanks," Nia replied, laughing away her awkwardness. "Although… do you mind holding onto it for a little while?"
"...eh?" This time, it was the clerk's turn to smile awkwardly.
——————I am the dividing line that shifts perspectives——————
Upon seeing a grey-clad figure begin to ascend from a mall entrance on the ground, Kyo sighed in relief and lowered [Naught], dispersing the storm clouds. However, he kept a hand clenched around the blade handle, maintaining vigilance. Good, she wasn't attacked… unless, of course, this is an imposter.
"Yo," he called out with a little wave of his hand as the figure, who he could now identify as a familiar face clad in her nun-like Astral Dress, finally ascended to his elevation. "What exactly did you ask me to buy you today?"
"Eh?" Nia's eyes widened, and she put a hand on her hip. "You did all that just because you forgot what to buy?"
"Just answer the question, please. Can't be too careful nowadays," Kyo replied airily. Given everything that's been deviating from the anime lately, it really wouldn't surprise me if some random shapeshifting Spirit popped out of the woodwork, he added to himself as he scrutinized Nia's face. Speaking of random Spirits… how likely is it that this entire debacle is entirely that "Rinne" person's fault?
"Sure, sure…" Nia put a hand on her chin and closed her eyes, emulating a detective deducting the identity of a suspect. "I believe I told you… eh, wait, isn't that… oh." Slowly opening her eyes to meet Kyo's, she smiled awkwardly. "I forgot to tell you, didn't I?"
"...yeah, you did." Kyo sighed and rubbed his hair. But that's probably not that great of an identification question…
Noticing Kyo's somewhat-sour expression, Nia knocked on her head, letting it tilt to the side as she stuck out her tongue and winked. "Teheperinko!"
…nevermind, that's definitely her. Kyo's face furrowed even harder. "Nia, listen. Something or someone just sucked me into a pocket dimension and attacked me."
"What?" The smile on Nia's face faltered. "Are you ok?"
"They couldn't touch me," Kyo assured while patting the handle of [Naught]. "Problem is, I also couldn't touch them. Every time I cut them down, they would respawn."
Nia's eyes narrowed. "A time-looper? Or maybe a cloning ability… [Raziel]!" Holding out her hand, the ornate tome quickly manifested and opened to a blank page. "Who's…"
Her voice trailed off, her eyes glazing over with an unnatural vacancy as [Raziel] automatically shut itself. Kyo grit his teeth. That's the third time… this isn't a coincidence. Could it be that using [Raziel] isn't the cause of her losing her train of thought, but the enemy's influence?
Come to think of it, the fact that everyone knows what Neo Tengu Tower is except me could also be because their minds were altered… muddlefudger, I think I'm on to something here. Kyo glanced down at [Naught], then at Nia's clouded stupor. In that case, there's a simple solution to shield her from manipulation… but given the fact that she has half a decade of traumatic memories sealed away, exposing her to Nihility will definitely cause whatever is holding back the memories to weaken as well. Tch.
Taking a deep breath, Kyo closed his eyes and focused on [Naught], quickly breezing through the countless years of experience that the Emanator of Nihility had imparted to him. Surely there is some way to utilize Nihility in a safe manner…
——————I am the dividing line that flashbacks——————
A wave of scenes showing withering and destruction flashed within his mind.
He watched a machine suddenly gain intelligence at the end of the world, seeking the Nihility to wash away their newfound intelligence to interpret emotion… as well as their newfound despair. Between seas of broken machinery and mountains formed of flesh and sinew, they walked upon a lonely path paved with bone, never stopping their movement until thought ceased to be.
This memory doesn't help at all.
He watched the leader of a proud nation kneel before a sickbed, his wails sounding louder than even his daughter who lay upon the silken cloths. A "doctor" appeared in the doorway, his lips filled with promises of solace. The king watched on as the "doctor" applied a black paste upon her skin, finally silencing her laboured breath and bringing her an eternal peace.
"Absolute Self-Destruction Paste…" what a terrifying invention.
He witnessed a self-annihilator embarking on a new path, clear gel on his forehead and sucking on a leaf. His mind cleared, and his sadness dissipated. Yet that was not the end - as a blissful happiness set in, he could not help but wish for more. So once again, he applied that gel and sucked that leaf, and once again he felt that surge of euphoria. That cycle thus continued until a laughing fool was born, left without the capacity to do anything more than cackle away at their slowly deteriorating body.
None of these memories are helpful, dammit!
Hundreds upon thousands of more scenes filled his head, each one depicting one who had stepped into the shadow of Nihility. Each one was filled with a unique death, proving nothing beyond the inevitability of nothingness. Each one was promised that the only use of Nihility was to bring about one's own end - until he finally stumbled upon a certain scene.
He witnessed an artist plagued by the voice of their muse, a being which both tormented and sustained his craft. The artist's work became renowned across his world, yet he only saw them as the ugly product of a higher being's will being projected upon him. One day, however, by fate or by chance, he happened upon an ancient pair of earrings once belonging to an artist plagued by the very same muse a millennium in the past. In his Nihilous self-hatred, the predecessor surrendered his life to oblivion, his death tainting his earrings with Nihility ever so slightly. This taint was only enough to bring a chill to the artist's spine when worn, yet enough to block out the voice of his muse. And although the artist was now fated to fade into obscurity, he only ever described his final days as "blissfully silent."
—————I am the dividing line that flashes forward—————
Kyo took a long breath before shaking his head in an attempt to clear his mind. An accessory that has been exposed to traces of Nihility - there's one object that perfectly fits those requirements. As for whether it will work or not…
*Snap* *Snap*
Nia blinked in surprise as Kyo snapped his fingers in front of her face. "Eh? What? Did I find out where the attacker is yet?"
"...no, you blanked out again," Kyo replied uneasily, a complicated expression on his face as he unclasped the necklace chain that [Naught] was usually attached to. Theoretically, this should work. But just in case… "Nia, do you mind attaching this to your headdress? And make sure it doesn't make direct contact with you."
"Oh my. A necklace? Don't tell me…" Nia smiled teasingly. "Are you trying to set up a romance flag right now?"
"I said to affix it to your Astral Dress, not to remember me by it when I'm gone!" Kyo facepalmed as Nia laughed and attached the chain to the pen on her headdress. There's an extra layer of Reiryoku between her and the chain now, so everything should be fine...
"So, why did you give me your sword-necklace-chain-thingy again?" Nia asked curiously while adjusting her headdress. "Is there some sort of special enchantment you cast on it?"
"...close enough," Kyo agreed. "Try locating the assailant again, please."
"Wait, really?" Nia looked baffled, but opened [Raziel] to a blank page once again. "Mm… I see, I see. Our foe awaits us…" She paused for a moment before dramatically pointing towards a certain incredibly suspicious plant-like tower in the distance. "In Neo Tengu Tower!"
…in hindsight, I probably should've guessed that, Kyo groaned internally.
——————I am the dividing line that shifts perspectives——————
"...they know." A pink-haired girl cloaked in a lavish purple dress and matching veil opened her eyes. "They circumvented my ability to control the user of [Raziel]'s mind…"
But it doesn't matter. From his fight with my Guardians, I have comprehended the nature of how to counter that man's unnatural power. Once I draw them into [Paradise Lost]… there is nothing that can stop me from erasing the both of them from my utopia.