POV: Hikaru
"What do you want from me?"
Hikaru studied the girl standing across from them. She was beautiful in a sharp, almost feral way, with long hair that blended black and dark pink into a striking cascade down her back, and dark pink eyes that never stopped moving. She did not look older than fourteen, yet her body was far more developed than any girl her apparent age had the right to be, especially her chest, which was disproportionately full in a way that suggested outside influence. Magic, or more likely a Sacred Gear, Hikaru concluded.
She briefly glanced at the companions assigned to this mission, each representing one of the Seven. Zhuge Liang stood quietly to her left, a descendant of the famed strategist and far too young in Hikaru's opinion to be involved in something like the Hero Faction. Perseus, spirit inheritor of the legendary demigod, was present on Georg's behalf, his posture relaxed but his eyes observant. Momono Kibitsuhiko, inheritor of Momotarou's soul, represented Leonardo. The Orders of Samson, Daedalus, and Arthur had sent no one. That made sense. This was not meant to be dangerous, only a recruitment effort for someone with a potentially powerful Sacred Gear.
"Let me ask you a question, Zekka Miyamoto. What is it that you truly desire?"
The voice was intense, deliberate.
Charlemagne stood at the front of their group, platinum hair gleaming under the streetlights, porcelain skin flawless, her presence commanding. She bore her ancestor's name as an alias and served as second in command to Cao Cao within the Order of the Eternal Flame. To Hikaru, she was undeniably beautiful and deeply unsettling. There was something rigid in her devotion to Cao Cao that bordered on fanaticism.
"How do you know my name?" Zekka Miyamoto asked, her body tensing as though she might strike at any moment. There was caution in her stance, yet also lazy confidence, as if she believed she could cut them down if necessary.
"You did not answer my question," Charlemagne replied coolly, frowning faintly. She was accustomed to obedience.
"Neither did you," Miyamoto shot back. "Now give me an answer. How do you know my name and what do you want from me?"
"We know everything about you, Zekka Miyamato," Charlemagne replied with a strange smile. "We know of your gift and of your exploits, of your desire to become the strongest swordsman there ever was and will ever be."
"So stalkers. Got it."
A sword materialized in Miyamoto's hand without warning. "If you are not going to answer my question, then we are done here. I have a strict policy against stalkers."
Hikaru suppressed a sigh. Charlemagne's habit of speaking in riddles and ignoring whatever others said in favor of delivering her own lines clearly had not impressed Miyamoto. Which, in hindsight, should not have been surprising.
Who could have guessed that appearing aloof and evasive would not inspire trust in a potential recruit.
Still, Hikaru had no intention of arguing with Charlemagne's methods. It would be pointless. Charlemagne outranked her within the small elite team created by Cao Cao, and if Hikaru tried to voice her opinion, the woman would simply ignore it.
Hikaru had no interest in arguing with a wall.
Normally she would remain silent in situations like this. For reasons that remained a mystery to her, Charlemagne seemed to genuinely despise her. The hostility had only grown worse after Cao Cao himself selected Hikaru to join his elite squad. Sometimes Hikaru wondered what exactly she had done to deserve such animosity.
Ultimately, she did not care.
Whether Charlemagne liked her or not was irrelevant. Hikaru had far more important matters to worry about than trying to decipher whatever nonsensical grievance the woman held against her. Most of the time, she simply allowed Charlemagne to take the lead and do as she pleased.
But there was a limit.
And driving away a potentially valuable ally crossed it.
Before the situation could deteriorate any further, Hikaru decided to step in.
"Please excuse my friend Charlemagne," Hikaru said with a gentle smile. She noticed the subtle twitch in the other woman's expression. "She has a fondness for dramatics, even in serious situations. Allow us to introduce ourselves properly. I am Hikaru Yamashiro. This is Charlemagne, Zhuge Liang, Perseus, and Momono Kibitsuhiko. We mean you no harm. On the contrary, we come as potential allies and bearing gifts."
The gift had not been planned, but Hikaru would improvise.
"So what are you?" Miyamoto asked with a smirk. "A bunch of nerds cosplaying historical figures? Some kind of circus act? And what gift?"
"As my companion mentioned," Hikaru continued calmly, gesturing lightly, "we are aware of your ambition to become the greatest swordsman. We can help make that goal a reality. As a token of goodwill and an apology for our approach, please accept this."
She summoned a tall rectangular box from one of her storage rings and tossed it toward Miyamoto. The case was crafted from polished dark wood reinforced with silver bands, long enough to house a full length blade. Subtle runes were etched along its surface for preservation and protection.
Miyamoto caught it easily, her gaze shifting between the box and Hikaru's composed expression. After a moment, she opened it.
Inside lay a European style longsword resting upon deep red velvet. Its blade was pristine, double edged and perfectly balanced, with a faint silver sheen that hinted at enchantment. Golden insignia adorned the crossguard and pommel, intricate designs that spoke of noble craftsmanship rather than mass production.
"You want to become the greatest swordsman, correct?" Hikaru asked gently.
Miyamoto nodded, eyes still fixed on the weapon.
"Then mastering only one style would limit you. A true master understands every tradition of the blade. You cannot rely solely on a katana and claim absolute supremacy."
Miyamoto's expression shifted, interest warring with suspicion. "And what do you want in return? I am not naïve enough to accept gifts from strangers without conditions."
Hikaru doubted that. The girl didn't seem like she interacted with other people much often, judging by how guarded and wary she was of them.
"All I ask from you is to listen to our offer. Whether you reject us or accept our offer afterwards, the sword is yours, deal?" Hikaru said calmly.
"First tell me how you found me?" Miyamoto asked, eyes narrowing again.
"Our organization has developed a system to detect sacred gear users worldwide and yours was giving a bright flare in our systems," Hikaru answered truthfully.
That was how they had found her so quickly back when she awakened her sacred gear. It had not taken them long to teleport to her location as soon as they detected the awakening, and Hikaru remembered being amazed when she learned the system had been created by the greatest engineer of human history, Daedalus, father of Icarus.
The tale of Icarus and Daedalus was a story her brother used to tell her often to help her sleep back when she had nightmares, and the idea that Daedalus had truly existed had stayed with her ever since as something hard to fully accept.
The system was ingenious, yet it was not omniscient. It could only detect the frequencies of non-Longinus level sacred gears, though the researchers were working on overcoming that limitation, and Hikaru suspected that whatever Miyamoto carried was precisely the kind of power the faction wanted before someone else claimed it first.
Miyamoto was starting to calm down and sighed a deep breath. "Go on, make your offer. I will refuse it if I don't like it!" she said finally defensively.
"Thank you," Hikaru said. "But before I make my offer, how much do you know about the supernatural?"
"I know all myths are real and things like yokai and devils exist. What does that have to do with anything?"
Before Hikaru could continue, Charlemagne stepped forward.
"Everything," she said, her voice sharpening. "It has everything to do with it."
Her composure fractured, and something raw surfaced beneath. Hikaru groaned internally at the approaching 'woe is humanity' speech.
"You know they exist," Charlemagne continued, "but do you understand what that truly means? It means humanity shares this world with beings who see us as resources. Vampires treat our kind as livestock. Devils manipulate, tempt, and enslave our brightest minds for their own agendas. Angels and fallen alike wage their wars while we bleed in the shadows. Yokai hunt the weak, gods demand worship under threat of annihilation. And we are expected to accept it. To coexist. To bow our heads and call it balance."
Her eyes burned with fury. "Humans built civilizations from nothing. We carved meaning into a world that offered us none. Yet every legend, every so-called higher being, stands above us as though we are insects. When a dragon grows bored, a city burns. When a vampire hungers, a family disappears. And we are told this is simply the way of things."
She stepped closer to Miyamoto. "Tell me, Zekka Miyamoto, when you sharpen your blade and dream of surpassing every swordsman in history, do you intend to measure yourself only against other humans? Or do you wish to prove that humanity does not kneel? That we are not prey. That we are not tools. That we are not stepping stones for immortal tyrants who treat our world as their playground."
Her voice grew colder. "We seek a future where humans decide the fate of this world. Not devils. Not gods. Not ancient monsters who believe their power entitles them to rule. You possess strength. The potential to cut down beings who believe themselves untouchable. The question is whether you will use that power for yourself alone, or for the species that stands perpetually beneath the heel of the supernatural."
"So you're some kind of supernatural border patrol?" Miyamoto asked with an eyebrow raised.
"We are the champions of humanity," Charlemagne proclaimed, her voice ringing out across the clearing with unwavering conviction. "Protectors of the defenseless and saviors of the innocent. We are the shield that stands between mankind and the horrors that stalk it from the shadows. We swear upon our names and the legacies we carry that no monster shall prey upon our people without facing our blades.
"We vow to answer blood with steel, tyranny with defiance, and terror with righteous wrath. So long as we draw breath, humanity will not kneel before devils, nor be hunted by vampires, nor be toyed with by so-called gods who see us as lesser beings. We stand as the sword of mankind, and we will carve out a future where humans rule their own fate."
Charlemagne stepped forward, her posture straight and confident.
"We are the heroes of humanity," she declared. "And we ask you, Zekka Miyamoto, to raise your blade beside ours and join our cause. Stand with us and use your strength for something greater. Help us protect those who cannot protect themselves, just as someone with your talent was always meant to."
Miyamoto listened in silence, her expression thoughtful as she considered the offer.
"You want to become the strongest, right?" Perseus added with an easy grin. "Well, you won't be bored with us. Our group is full of swordsmen chasing the same goal. If you join, you'll have more sparring partners than you know what to do with and plenty of monsters to test your blade against. You'll be surrounded by people who understand what you're striving for. People who won't look at you strangely for it."
He gestured casually toward the rest of the group. "You'll be among your own kind. Equals. Friends."
That last word seemed to catch Miyamoto's attention.
"Friends?" she murmured quietly. "…I would like that."
The girl's loneliness was easy to see once one looked past her confident exterior. She carried herself with strength, but there was a distance in her eyes that suggested she had spent most of her life standing alone. Charlemagne seemed to notice it as well and moved immediately to press the advantage.
"Then join us, Zekka," Charlemagne said firmly. "With us, you will find comrades who will not fear your strength. You will find people who will stand beside you without hesitation and accept you exactly as you are."
[This is everything you've ever wanted, Zekka. Friends. And the chance to become the strongest swordsman while fighting powerful opponents.]
The deep voice appeared suddenly, echoing from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Hikaru immediately realized it had come from the girl herself. Her Sacred Gear, most likely.
After that, it did not take long to convince the already lonely girl. Miyamoto eventually agreed to join the Hero Faction. She asked them to wait while she packed her belongings and prepared to leave with them, and Charlemagne assured her that the matter of a middle school student suddenly disappearing would be handled.
Once everything was ready, they gathered together again. Miyamoto stood with two large suitcases at her side. Hikaru made a mental note to get her one of the storage rings developed by the research team later, since carrying luggage around like that would quickly become inconvenient.
When everyone was ready, they moved closer together as Charlemagne began casting her teleportation magic.
It would seem this is yet another mission fulfilled with flying colors.
…
They stepped out of the magic circle and Hikaru looked confused at her surroundings, the faint shimmer of teleportation fading from the air around them as the circle's light died away. She had expected stone walls, wards, a guarded compound, some sign of their headquarters.
Instead there was damp ground beneath their boots, the smell of trees and salt on the wind, and a canopy of leaves that filtered the light in broken patches.
"I didn't expect your headquarters to be….." Zekka said, searching for a specific word to describe it, her sword still half raised as she scanned the treeline. "…a forest."
"It's not." Charlemagne said curtly, high alert, her body already angled as if she were preparing to move. "The teleportation spell was hijacked. Be ready for battle, we're dealing with a high level entity."
Of course we are, Hikaru thought with quiet irritation. And here I thought this mission would actually be simple.
Her eyes moved quickly across the landscape, taking in the uneven ground and the way the terrain dipped toward what looked like a shoreline. From what she could see, they had been transported onto a small island somewhere in the middle of the ocean.
Each of her companions drew out their weapons and formed a wall around her. Zekka followed their suit with a quick adjustment of stance, positioning herself near them, and Hikaru noted the decision with quiet relief because it meant the girl had not decided to treat them as immediate enemies.
Hikaru was the summoner type, and while she was not terrible by herself, she was not a physical powerhouse and relied on her sacred gear: Tetrakleaver, the Butcher Saint, which allowed her to summon three powerful figures who wielded chainsaws.
As a result, her teammates made it a priority to protect her while she summoned them, because the moments between initiating the summon and the figures appearing were moments where she was most vulnerable.
"At ease, I'm not an enemy," a soft voice said, and they all turned toward the source at once.
There stood a beautiful girl with a slim body, shoulder length blond hair and blue eyes, dressed in witch-like attire with a huge blue hat adorned with a black bow and yellow stars, and a matching cape patterned with pink flowers and a white interior.
The outfit looked whimsical at first glance, and Hikaru knew better than to let that deceive her, because in this world presentation was often an intentional misdirection.
Hikaru recognized the girl at once, the second in command of the once and future king, Le Fay Pendragon. Hikaru did not know her personally and had not interacted with her much, yet she knew Le Fay was highly respected in the Hero Faction and highly influential.
"Le Fay, what's the meaning of this?" Charlemagne asked with narrowed eyes, her voice sharp and distrustful.
"I am here to fulfill my end of the deal," Le Fay answered, and strangely enough she was looking directly at Hikaru, her gaze steady and tired in a way that made Hikaru's stomach tighten.
"What are you talking about?"
"I made a deal with a devil and he will have his due," Le Fay spoke, sounding tired, as if the words themselves weighed on her tongue.
"That better be metaphorical, Le Fay." Charlemagne spoke harshly. "You know more than anyone that we don't make deals with…devil or their kind."
"I'm afraid I am being as literal as can be." Le Fay said, sounding remorseful. "I have made a mistake of catastrophic proportions and I need…" Le Fay pointed her finger at Hikaru. "..her to have any hope of making this right."
"Me?" Hikaru said bewildered, wondering what she would have to do with a deal with the devil gone wrong, and why Le Fay, of all people, would be speaking to her as though she were a key.
"Ah..you mean that." Charlemagne said in realization, her expression hardening. "..I see, you're still attempting to play the savior. But you already know the stance of my master Cao Cao on that and I will give you the same answer he gave you. We don't trade with human lives. You should have listened to him back then, none of this would have happened if you had."
Hikaru did not know what they were talking about and she was positive that the others did not as well, which was almost absurd given how confidently the conversation was being conducted as if everyone were already informed.
It was funny in a bitter way, because it seemed to heavily involve her, and yet she was standing there with no context, expected to react to something she did not understand.
"I'm trying to right my wrongs." Le Fay snapped. "I'm trying to save you idiots from incurring his wrath which you are all so determined to earn. Let me take Hikaru and all will be well."
"Hey," Hikaru said sharply, finally losing patience. "What the hell are you talking about? Stop speaking about me like I'm not standing right here."
Her voice came out sharper than she intended, and she felt Zhuge Liang shift slightly nearer to her, a protective reflex.
"Your brother," Le Fay answered curtly.
…What?
Hikaru froze.
Her mind went completely blank.
"My brother?" she repeated slowly.
For a moment she could not even process the words.
Le Fay continued calmly. "Your brother is aware of the supernatural. And he is waiting for me to bring you to him."
Hikaru stared at her.
Her brother… knew?
That was impossible.
How could he know?
And why was Le Fay speaking about him with that strange tension in her voice?
How did Le Fay and Charlemagne even know about him in the first place?
More importantly… how could someone like her brother inspire terror in Le Fay? A witch far more powerful than Hikaru herself?
Did this mean Cao Cao knew as well?
No. That could not be right.
Cao Cao had told her personally that her brother was a normal human. A talented one, yes, but still human. Someone without the potential for a Sacred Gear and without the ability to use magic.
Hikaru had insisted on seeing him one last time before leaving, and Cao Cao had taken her there personally.
She had seen him with her own eyes.
Haruki had been living his normal life.
So how could he suddenly be spoken of like some kind of boogeyman?
None of it made sense.
An ordinary human could not frighten someone like Le Fay.
Which meant only two possibilities.
Either her brother had never been ordinary and Cao Cao had deliberately hidden the truth from her.
Or her brother had somehow learned magic after she left.
Hikaru dismissed the second option almost immediately.
If Haruki had truly been an ordinary human before she left, there was no realistic way he could become powerful enough to intimidate someone like Le Fay in such a short time.
That left the first possibility.
And that possibility was… had unsettling implications.
You should have listened to him back then. None of this would have happened if you had.
Charlemagne's words echoed in her mind.
That meant this situation, her brother coming after them, could have been avoided if Le Fay had acted differently in the past.
Meaning they had dealt with him before.
Or at least tried to.
And judging by Le Fay's tone… whatever option they had once possessed was no longer possible.
But that only made sense if Le Fay had interacted with Haruki before.
But when would that have happened?
The only time that made sense was when they came to recruit her.
Except that should have been impossible.
Haruki had been hundreds of kilometers away at the time.
Unless…
Unless he had already known about the supernatural back then.
Unless he had already been capable of using magic.
If that were true, he could have reached her easily.
And if he had arrived then, he would have met Cao Cao and the others.
Which meant Cao Cao absolutely should have known about him.
Yet Cao Cao had looked her straight in the eyes and told her Haruki was just a normal human.
He had even taken her to see him.
A quiet voice whispered in the back of her mind.
He lied to you.
For someone of Cao Cao's caliber, placing her under an illusion—or something similar—would be trivial. He could easily have made her believe Haruki was just an ordinary person.
Which raised an even more troubling question.
Why?
Why would Cao Cao go to such lengths to deceive her?
Her mind raced.
If Haruki truly had magical ability… if he had somehow arrived in time to find her after she killed their parents…
Then there was no way, absolutely no way, he would have allowed anyone to take her away.
She knew her brother.
Haruki would let the world burn before letting anyone take her from him.
He would never have let her leave with Cao Cao without speaking to her first, without making absolutely certain that it was what she truly wanted.
Unless…
Unless he hadn't been able to stop them.
Unless Cao Cao had taken her by force.
Kidnapped her.
That would also explain the fear in Le Fay and Charlemagne's voices when they spoke about him.
Their mistake must have been either taking her… or failing to kill Haruki when they had the chance, when he had still been weak.
And now…
Now he was powerful.
Powerful enough that they were afraid.
Powerful enough that Le Fay was trying to appease him by bringing Hikaru back.
No.
Hikaru forced herself to stop.
That line of thinking was becoming ridiculous. She was stacking assumptions on top of assumptions.
She needed answers.
Her summoned guardians moved closer around her protectively as she stepped forward.
"Le Fay," Hikaru said carefully. "Explain this clearly. What does my brother have to do with any of this? And where is he?"
"I can explain it to you on the way." Le Fay said. "We don't have much time right now, there is only a small window of time before Cao Cao notices your delay. Come with me, Hikaru."
Nothing was making sense, yet Hikaru's instinct told her to go with Le Fay, and that frightened her because her instincts were usually tied to survival, not trust, and she could not tell which one was guiding her now.
"I'm afraid that won't be possible, Le Fay." A new commanding voice spoke, belonging to a man. Hikaru recognized it instantly, and she saw Cao Cao descend from the heavens.
Le Fay's face twisted as though she had tasted something sour, the expression brief yet intense enough to break the calm she had maintained until that moment. Her shoulders stiffened and her fingers curled slightly at her sides, a reaction that Hikaru had never seen from her before.
"C-Cao Cao, you're here," Le Fay said, her voice strained with fear.
"Why so surprised, little bird?" Cao Cao smiled deceptively softly as he descended, his figure lowering from the sky with controlled ease until his boots touched the ground. His presence carried authority in a way that was almost physical, the air around him seeming to tighten the moment he arrived. "Did you think I wouldn't notice you interfering with my subordinate magic circle? I designed it."
"Look, Cao Cao, I can explain. You have to listen to me," Le Fay pleaded, trembling.
"What is there to explain?" Cao Cao spoke calmly. "You have by your own mouth just admitted to attempting to trade a human life to appease a monster. You have sided with the wolves, Le Fay, and judgement has come."
Le Fay laughed suddenly, the sound sharp and unstable.
"Sometimes I wonder if you even believe the shit that comes out of your mouth," she said madly. "You are so focused on playing your role that you would even turn friends into foes? You and your damned pride will be the death of us all. Why can't you understand that? Do you think the girl will accept staying with us knowing we took her from her brother forcibly and have been keeping her away from him through lies and deceptions?"
I see, so it's as I suspected, Hikaru thought. She had hoped it wasn't, yet Le Fay's words confirmed what her instincts had already begun to assemble.
"Is it true, Cao Cao?" she asked coldly, meeting his eyes.
For the first time since arriving, he looked ashamed.
"I'm sorry, Hikaru," he said quietly. "I did everything I have done for the sake of humanity… For your sake."
"For my sake? How?" she asked, frowning.
"Your brother is a monster," Cao Cao said. "He had sold his soul to a devil and traded his human dignity for power. He is not who you think he is. He is an opportunistic psychopath and a murderer with no qualms about human lives."
"Have care on how you speak about my brother!" she shouted. "He's not to be slandered by the likes of you."
"Oh but it is the truth," Cao Cao said softly. "It pains me to tell you this and I wanted to spare you the pain. Your brother is a devil and was a devil before your accident with your parents. If you don't believe me, ask her." He gestured toward Le Fay. "Go on. Tell her how wrong I am and make yourself a liar, Le Fay."
Hikaru turned toward Le Fay.
The witch said nothing.
Her silence carried more weight than any spoken answer, and Hikaru felt it settle inside her chest like a stone.
"He had joined the peerage of Rias Gremory and made himself a slave," Cao Cao continued. "You once told me that you had called your brother about the nightmares back then, did you not?"
Hikaru remained silent.
"Yet despite being aware of the supernatural," Cao Cao continued, "despite being aware of humanity's potential to awaken a sacred gear, he did not even come to check on you. He was too busy licking his master's feet to do so."
Cao Cao met her eyes and his expression softened into something resembling sympathy.
"Yes, I took you away from him by force. He came to you after you had killed your parents and came to take you with him. Where did you think he wanted to take you? Why do you think he ignored all signs of danger and did not even come once to check on you to make sure you were safe? Why did he only come after you had killed your parents and had no one else to rely on?"
Cao Cao had a special talent for striking where it hurt most. He was a gifted and eloquent speaker, someone capable of stirring emotion in those around him with careful precision.
"He wanted to take you to his master and turn you into his fellow slave and worship devils. So yes, I refused him. I could not in good conscience allow an innocent human to be enslaved and made to serve filthy devils. Even if I had to separate you from the brother you love. He is nothing but a lying race traitor. You may hate me for this and I wouldn't blame you, but I don't regret my actions. I will not apologize for helping an innocent human in danger."
Hikaru listened in silence.
His argument had structure. His reasoning carried enough logic that someone unfamiliar with the situation could easily accept it. Cao Cao spoke with the confidence of a man used to persuading others.
Yet Hikaru knew something he did not.
She knew her brother.
She had known him since she could barely string together sentences. His name had been the first word she ever spoke, a moment that had made their parents laugh as he awkwardly tried to pretend it did not embarrass him.
She knew the brother who played with her until she fell asleep on the living room floor, who carried her to bed when she refused to wake up, who read bedtime stories with exaggerated voices that made her laugh even when she was supposed to be quiet. She knew the boy who sat beside her with patience while she struggled to learn how to write her first letters, guiding her hand until the shapes finally made sense.
She remembered how he taught her to draw, how he held her hand when crossing the street, how he stayed awake when she woke from nightmares so he could sing soft lullabies until her breathing calmed. She remembered the times he stood between her and school bullies without hesitation, the way he would glare until they backed away.
She remembered him walking her home from school every day, carrying her bag when she complained it was heavy, pretending to complain about it while secretly making sure she never had to struggle.
He had always been there, a steady presence beside her, someone who never failed her even in small things. When she was sad he would notice before she spoke. When she was afraid he would quietly stay nearby until the fear passed.
Knowing all of that, knowing her brother as well as she did, how could she believe the words coming out of Cao Cao's mouth?
He did not know him. Not as she did.
Her brother would never do anything that would ever put her in danger or hurt her.
"You're wrong, Cao Cao," she said at last. "You know nothing about my brother. He would never do anything like that."
"Oh? Do you think your brother wouldn't let an entire race be genocided for his own agenda as well?" Cao Cao sneered.
"No, he would not," she answered firmly.
"Oh, but he would. It was he who broke the vampire barrier from within and orchestrated their extinction," Cao Cao roared.
Hikaru felt the words strike her, yet she refused to accept them.
She could not believe her brother would ever do something like that. There had to be something else that explained it. Her brother would never do something like this.
"It was he who orchestrated the unprecedented chaos in the Underworld and helped the son of Lucifer, the great serpent, come to power," Cao Cao continued. "Did you think he didn't know that the Old Satan faction would seize the opportunity to take power and destroy countless innocent reincarnated devils? Of course he did. And he did it anyway, all to gain more power. Ask Le Fay if you wish. Ask her if any of what I said was a lie."
Hikaru felt the certainty inside her falter.
Her faith in her brother remained strong, yet Cao Cao's words introduced doubt she could not immediately dismiss. If any of it were true, then the image she carried of Haruki might be incomplete.
But she refused to accept another person's account as the final truth.
She would find her brother and hear the explanation from him directly.
"So now they're innocent reincarnated devils, eh?"
A new voice spoke.
The voice was alluring and playful in a way that no ordinary human voice could achieve. It carried a natural clarity that made it pleasant to hear, the tone gentle yet confident, the kind of voice that reminded Hikaru of peaceful mornings at home when the world was quiet and familiar.
She turned toward the source.
A purple portal had opened nearby and tall silhouettes emerged from it.
"Funny," the voice continued calmly, "I remember you calling them worthless people who sold their souls to the devil."
Hikaru recognized him instantly.
He looked different from how she remembered him. He was taller now and his handsome features had sharpened with age, giving his face a refined beauty that drew attention without effort. His raven black hair remained unchanged, falling in the same familiar way, and his brown eyes still carried that intense gaze she remembered so clearly. She used to say that if someone stared into those eyes for too long it felt as if they would begin to hurt.
There was something else about him now, something difficult to define. His presence felt heavier, more composed, as if the years had layered experience over the person she remembered.
Somehow her brother had become more beautiful, more ethereal. She had never seen a god before, yet she imagined they must look something like him.
"Who are you?" Miyamoto asked, the only one present who lacked the knowledge or familiarity to recognize him.
"Please allow me to introduce myself," he said with a theatrical bow. "I'm a man of wealth and taste. Haruki Yamashiro at your service."
Miyamoto looked confused and glanced toward Hikaru for clarification, yet Hikaru did not notice.
Her entire attention was fixed on the figure standing before her.
Here he was.
Her brother.
"So you've come just as I expected," Cao Cao said with a faint smile. "This makes things easier."
"Hello there, Cao Cao," Haruki replied calmly. "You look well. I aim to change that."
AN: I noticed while writing it that there are a lot of references to acting and theatrics. Enjoy.
If you enjoy my writing, consider supporting me on Patreon. You can read up to four chapters ahead there: patreon.com/abeltargaryen?