Distortions

Strolling slowly through the cold Residential district of Sattokotta, Kagero attempted to find any link of conversation that'll lead him to find any clues for the investigation, it was surprising to see so much activity in a terrorized village in the night. He lowered his head with his eyes being covered by his hat, his palms rested upon his belt. He then thought about Faolan's katana, the black blade reappeared into his mind in a quick flash. Ever since he laid eyes upon the blade, Kagero's spirit had become as gloomy as the people of Sattokotta, the cold reality of the blade made him feel extremely sorry for the boy he just met.

'I'm gonna go find somewhere to sit down, and make some mental notes for myself,' Kagero thought that sitting down would help his nerves.

Kagero stopped near a public bench, he proceeded to sit, extending his legs forward, making himself very comfortable. More residents continued past him, no conversation or sign of any new evidence seemed to show itself.

'I guess I'll think about the situation that we've found out so far,' Kagero crosses his arms.

Kagero thinks back to the investigation site, 'The two sheds… very similar—,' Kagero suddenly cuts himself off, and lifts his head towards two young girls suddenly speaking to his left, there was a girl with darkly shaded hair, the other had a more lighlty ambered hair, they also seemed to be around his youthful age.

"Did you see that there's already a new building made here in the residential homes?" The darkly girl said.

"Yes yes, I've heard about it from my mother, it seems like the village is progressing very quickly here now," The amber girl replied.

Kagero returns to his thoughts, 'That sounds pretty normal, but I'm getting this weird feeling for some reason….. wow that's pretty lucky to hear now,' Kagero stands to his feet, with the intention to approach the girls for questioning. He swept towards the girls, essentially gaining their attention very quickly.

"Hello, I'm sorry to bother you ladies, but I'm new around here and I just happened to overhear you girls talk about how there's such quick construction happening in Sattokotta." Kagero bowed and slightly tilted his hat towards the girls, who just looked at him awkwardly, nearly laughing , a feeling they haven't felt for a long time without realizing.

"Uhhhh," The darkly girl was now stunned at his manner of speech.

"Hello, uhh, I suppose so, yes, is there something you want to know?" the amber girl replied with a suspicious bow.

"You said that the village is really progressing now?" Kagero restates with a more serious look that convinces the amber girl.

"Well, for the past couple years, the village has been growing pretty rapidly, there would be buildings just appearing the very next day, but we assume it's the government laborers working in the night and we don't notice it you know?" The amber girl slowly grew into an unsure state.

"So buildings are just appearing, you don't think that's not normal?" Kagero questioned.

"Yea….. and the missing people that have been disappearing," the amber girl is reminded of the cold reality.

The darkly girl finally butts herself into the conversation, "Hey, we shouldn't talk for too long, especially about that, I'm sorry, I don't want to make things worse for you and us," she gestures with her eyes, signifying to the amber girl to depart from the conversation.

"She's right, it's not good to talk about that…. sorry, let's try to look on the bright side right?" The amber girl bows. The darkly girl also bows without saying much more, Kagero had finally noticed that both of the girl's eyes didn't have a shine to them.

Kagero watched as the girls continued into the frigid cold, his mind pondered heavily at the last words the amber girl had told him, his mind then returned to the black blade of Faolan until finally, he envisions the massive amount of brothers and sisters that are in fear in front of him, walking away from him.

'Look on the bright side? What is so bright about what's going here? There's isn't anything bright to look to in that direction,'

The friends were heading into a completely frozen life.

'I need to set—' Kagero reached his palm towards the girls.

"HEEEY!" Kagero raises warmth with his call, making the two girls turn to him to witness a hopeful smile that shined brightly, a smile like the spring sun.

The girls were stunned.

"Can I know your names so I can know some of the people I will save?" Kagero smiled happily, the girls were magnetized to his smile.

The girls did not hesitate and quickly answered:

The girl with the amber hair answered, "Kawamura Kohaku!"

The girl with the darkly hair answered,

"Uno Yoshi!"

They both smiled, leaving a fragrance of joy that gave more confidence to Kagero.

"That was actually pretty good," Kagero wipes his forehead of too much worry and returns to his thoughts on the investigation.

'So practically, there's something just creating buildings in an instant…. perhaps that has something to do with the Demon that has been terrorizing the people here. However, the one thing I don't understand is why is this demon creating just random buildings?' Kagero leaves his thoughts by making a humming sound expressing his confusion.

He now whispers to himself while lifting his eyes up and crossing his arms, "Yet with so little evidence around, besides…. that mark on the two sheds…. Hmmmmm, guess I'm not that lucky," Kagero cannot put his finger quite on the clues he's gotten just.

"AAAAAAAHHH!"

Suddenly there was people running from the direction of where Kagero came from,

He stood to his feet at an instant, more and more people were rushing past him. Yet he could not see what was happening ahead of him.

'The people, they're coming from the direction of where the others were!'

"I don't even know what's going on?! There's so much happening now!" Kagero sprinted to whatever may be coming from ahead.

—————————————————

Moments long before…

Faolan had been escorting Takeda-san in search of Utazo-kun. Faolan believed that with Takeda as a witness to the Demon, he could somehow quickly work from his intuitive abilities of sensing the 'beats' of the environment Utazo described. However, Faolan thought that it would be very difficult for him to communicate with him since their last conversation with each other. Yet he was willing to still find a way to communicate, but the main problem was actually finding him.

Faolan stopped along with Takeda to think of the possibility of where Utazo may be,

'If Utazo-kun was following the demon's presence with his senses, well, just maybe he might be Takeda-san's home.' Faolan wasn't too sure of this idea but he held the hope that it was a possibility.

"Takeda-san, may you take me to your home?" Faolan asked.

"Weren't we looking for someone you work with?" Takeda-san asked.

"Yes, but since I have no way of finding out where he may be, I don't know where he could be in the residential district, but if I trust his particular senses, he might be at your residence." Faolan's eyes beamed a hand holding out to be trusted within Takeda's eyes.

"Well, okay," Takeda now leads Faolan to her home.

"When we are near your home, let me lead the rest of the way," Faolan offered to help face the cold fear that lurks from within the home, Takeda smiled.

The two proceeded past many homes, and many families to reach her residence. The closer they got to her home, Faolan felt a deeper chill invading the presence of the air, the people were shutting themselves with physical gestures and there was even less communication happening from within the families.

"Takeda-san, I'm sorry to ask more of you, but can you recount your experience to me?" Faolan nearly felt guilty for having her restate her experience when her expression faltered, but then she smiled.

"No it's okay, I'll tell you what happened." Takeda readied herself, Faolan still made a guilty expression, that made her feel even more hopeful.

"In my home, I was cleaning after a meal, and I suddenly looked to my right because I felt something was watching me and I saw a very pale arm with the most disastrous look I've ever seen in my life... but then, as soon as I thought I was safe. The arm reached for me instantly, trying to claw me with such ferocity…." Takeda can remember the speed and the amount of cluttering sounds the claws made for her.

"I haven't been home ever since, I've stayed with some friends but I don't want to stay with them for too long, because I believed that I was cursed," Takeda crossed her palms and pulled them closely to her chest.

"You are not cursed, not when I'm around, life is a blessing," Faolan's heart thundered with those words.

'This Demon is able to move through mirror-like images?' Faolan wondered.

Takeda had never felt so much hope for a long time now. She had to wipe her eyes, from the joy that wanted to burst.

'You're a blessing,' she thought.

Finally reaching the outskirts of her home Faolan took the lead from now on. He approached the front door of her home slowly, which Faolan was able to unlock with the home keys that Takeda had lent him before he started leading. Opening the door, he sees the clawed mess of the living space, Faolan was already able to visualize the mess by just her explanation.

He held his hilt ready for any attack that may come from any mirror-like object, finally completely entering the home, Faolan spotted the mirror Takeda spoke of and smashed it while saying 'sorry' from within his mind. The cold glass shattered across the floor, Faolan now switches his gaze to the areas where clawed scratches littered the tables and walls.

'This isn't the same as the sheds at all, but these claw marks are exactly the same…. it's just those sheds don't make any sense to why they both have similar scratches across the wall,' Faolan can clearly picture the images on the walls with just a look, his eyes showed him how similar the scratches were.

Exiting the home Faolan realizes that his hope that Utazo would arrive never actually came to be true, but he believed that was also a good thing because with them being separated they had more chances to stop the Demon.

'I wonder what Yukina-san and Kagero-kun may have found so far. As well as Ketsueki, the one who brought me here… he must've found something that explains the situation of the Demon…. and maybe more clues to what they have to do with my very own home, with me.' The thought shortly struck Faolan with his last memories of home causing him to make a short smirk before speaking to Takeda-san once more.

"Takeda-san, I destroyed the mirror where you saw the limb, but I suggest that you stay with others," Faolan didn't want her to return home all by herself.

"I see, but your friend never came?" Takeda-san asked.

"No, but I suppose I was wrong about what I thought was gonna happen," Faolan crosses his arms and rubs his chin with one hand.

'Okay, I have good information right now, this is really good information, but what about the rest of the village, how could one demon be causing so much trouble unless?'

'GUUUUUGH!'

Faolan's eyes felt an extremely chilly presence, starting to surround his entire body, he looked towards Takeda who was now making a terrified look, the other villagers who were passing by had made a completely shocked expression. A cold presence was directly behind him, freezing the entire environment with its presence, Faolan would unsheathe his blade, but he is too slow. The presence behind him had a long talon behind his neck ready to swipe.

SKKKSKSKKHHH

An abnormal flash of nichirin swiped right behind Faolan, slicing the flesh of the claw into a singular piece, it was Utazo's blade. Utazo unthawed the chill that had frozen Faolan. Once Faolan was able to move , he instinctively rushed to guard Takeda and anyone else from the threat.

"There it is," Utazo flicks his abnormally large blade of the blood. "For a tiny little finger, you bleed a lot," Utazo taunts the Demon.

Seeing that the Demon is actually the size of a child with long talons on each of its hands,'This is the demon?!' Faolan prepares for an attack from this child-like demon!