Fall of the First Midnight

All it took was a little train ride. The train station we used was located on the outskirts of Bluegate and was apparently self-operating. It was quite peculiar, though at the same time, I could somewhat grasp at understanding how it came to be. Had it not been for whiny complaints from a few oddball citizens, the station would most likely have been shut down entirely, but instead it was modified so that those people who needed to travel back and forth between Bluegate and other cities could still do so.

The train tracks stretched for miles and at some point ran parallel to another set of tracks—more than likely those from a nearby city's station—eventually branching out into all different directions. By using these tracks, one could even travel to the immensely distant Hannawake, Gyrahem's most remote city from Bluegate—truly a prime example of how impressive our nation's infrastructure could be.

The trip lasted a mere ten minutes. Our destination? A small town known as Dezeri, where there just so happened to be a Founder's Day festival underway...

Upon arriving at the festival's location, we were greeted by a large, rectangular sign proudly displaying the words Happy Founder's Day in bold and gorgeous calligraphy, blots of ink mottling the otherwise blank space. Among many things, the vibrancy of red and gold stood out as the recognizable colors of Gyrahem's flag, making up the entirety of virtually everything to be seen, from banners to streamers, to the shimmering sky lanterns which illuminated the atmosphere. I could see little children running about, no limitations to the amount of energy they released as they jumped and laughed and cupped their hands. They were trying to catch fireflies.

How...nostalgic...

The scene of pure innocence and joy tore me away from reality for a time, and I loved every second of it. I recalled the days when I, too, had been filled with such glee, the beautiful tranquility of carefreeness that often placated my fearfully growing mind.

O how I wished to turn back the clock...

By the time the children were summoned by their parents and had no choice but to abandon the fireflies, my eyes had somehow found something new to focus on, and oddly enough, this discovery of mine instantly had me hooked on the thought that perhaps this festival were a good idea after all; it was a ring toss booth. It was almost mystifying how the mere sight of it temporarily pushed out of my memory the fact that I was here with two other demons and Jeremy, who I knew would stick out like a sore thumb—then again, a great number of people here were joining in on the holiday tradition of dressing up in costumes, so I was sure I had no reason to worry about him.

"Hey, man, nice cyborg costume!" I heard a voice cry. The barefaced gritting of Jeremy's teeth implicated his strong disapproval to the kind stranger's compliment. I couldn't help but laugh in spite of him. Our eyes didn't meet then, but I had a feeling that a portion of his anger were directed at me. If I continued to laugh, it would have been more likely than not for me to receive a beating from him, but something something about Jeremy changed in the blink of an eye. With just one deep breath through his nostrils, the cyborg managed to calm himself, whispering a few soft words I couldn't quite make out, though I knew they weren't meant for me anyway. That was when he looked at me, disposition now more relaxed than I have ever seen it. "You wanna do something while we're here?" He asked me.

Strange... "Uh, actually, yes. I do," I replied, and with no pause of any kind, a certain male demon carelessly shoved Jeremy aside and began staring at me with those wide, curious eyes of his.

"What is it that the master desires to do?" He inquired of me eagerly. "I shall follow Master and mirror his every movement."

"Please don't..."

I spun around with a quick turn of my foot and made my way silently over to the ring toss booth. The longer I gazed at it, the deeper a smile settled into my expression; it wasn't that playing the silly little game brought was something I wholly loved to do, but rather because it evoked memories...fond memories I spent with my father...in the short eight years he had been around. Even then, he always seemed to be busy with work and whatnot, and sometimes it felt like the only occasions on which I truly was able to spend time with him were the days he took Morgan and I to a special event like this.

If only I hadn't taken those days for granted.

Gently setting the memory aside, I reached into my pocket, took out my wallet, then placed a couple of coins on the table in front of me. The man who was in charge of the booth happily accepted the money and explained to me the rules of the game. I already knew them, of course, but I figured listening would be the polite thing to do. Soon he handed me a stack of five red rings and pointed at a row of bowling pins beside him.

"Ten bucks says you'll miss every one."

I shot Jeremy a nettled glance, which he quickly responded to by sticking out his tongue.

"I just might take you up on that challenge," I said with a smirk.

"Stubborn brat..."

You'd think this man had never experienced fun in his life...

Without my realizing it, my gaze had drifted over to Jeremy's eyepatch, just as a faint click could be heard. That thing would make the oddest and most irritating noises at the most random times; although, I could only imagine how much it irritated him.

"This darn thing keeps me awake every night. It feels like my eye is full of needles, and I can't stand it. But if I take it off..."

"Hey, kid, if you're not gonna play, then I suggest you get outta line," the ring toss man snapped, his pleasant, welcoming mood abruptly diminishing.

"Oh, right, sorry," I shook my head and pushed the thought aside. That's a question for another day. I took one ring and aimed it at the bottle at the front of the bowling pin line-up, which would most likely prove to be the most difficult to capture. I drew in a deep breath through my nostrils and closed one eye to enhance my sense of accuracy. Then, I tossed the ring.

Chink!

"Well done, kid. Four rings to go."

The sensation of a small victory washed over me as I looked back at Jeremy and shot him a cocky grin. To my dissatisfaction, he showed no reaction. I once again faced the bottles and threw the last 4 rings consecutively. The game ended with all 5 rings in a stack around the front pin.

"Congratulations," the ring toss man said flatly. "You win this fabulous prize." He lifted his arm and unhooked a giant, stuffed bear from a hanger. I humbly accepted it and spun around with a kick of my foot.

"How'd you like that performance?" I said arrogantly.

"Hmm..." Jeremy huffed.

Niall approached me and took my hand in his, squeezing it tightly with excitement. "As I suspected! Master is far more amazing than I could have ever imagined!" He grinned happily.

"Here." I held out the stuffed bear to him, which he snatched from my hand and held close to his chest. "You can...uh...have...that..." I stared questioningly at him, but he didn't seem to notice.

"Master has given me this wonderful gift, which means he must acknowledge me. I am truly blessed to have the privilege of following him!"

"Whatever makes you happy..."

I continued walking along the sides of the booths, searching for something else to do. To my surprise, most of the attractions were crowded, and in front of nearly every booth stood a group of smiling, energetic visitors. Although I was slightly disappointed at first, I didn't let it bother me for long. After all, I was simply happy to be here. Leisurely strolling around in the bright, welcoming atmosphere made me feel at ease.

Without realizing it, I had wandered away from the crowds, and far away from Jeremy, Niall, and Reiha. It was much darker where I had ended up, and a single, sparkling fountain sat in the midst of a circle of benches. I was lured in by the beauty of the fountain, and soon I took a seat on one of the benches. It wasn't a particularly comfortable bench, but the peaceful sound of the fountain's flowing waters made it tolerable. "This is nice," I thought aloud. "Peace and relaxation-"

"Excuse me, sir?"

My eyes widened at the sound of an unfamiliar voice addressing me. Or at least, I assumed that it was addressing me. My assumption proved to be correct as I looked up and found a tall man with sand-colored hair gazing down at me. His round, green eyes appeared to be filled with kindness as he stared at me, and soon a smile stretched across his young-looking face. "I suppose you had the same idea as me," he said. "Coming out here to get away from all the people and commotion..." He pointed at the empty seat beside me, as if asking permission. I nodded once in reply, and he immediately sat down.

"I do like the quietness," I confessed, "but the reason I'm here is because I wandered away from my f-..." I had to stop myself before allowing a lie to slip out of my mouth. I guess I wouldn't really call them my friends...I didn't choose to go along with them. "...my group. I wandered away from my group."

The man hummed softly, seeming to understand me clearly. "It's not all that bad, though, even if you did get a little lost. At least you ended up in such a wonderful place."

"I'm not lost...necessarily," I told him. "I just.....wanted to get away from them for a little while."

"Ah, I see. Are Reiha and Niall a bit too much for you to handle?"

"Kind of..." I said, forcing a laugh. It took me a minute to fully process the words he had spoken to me, but once I did, I pulled back my head and stared at him with an alarmed expression. The look of kindness once apparent on his face had been replaced with a devilishly creepy smile, instantly reminding me of Reiha. I leapt to my feet and took a step backward, mentally refusing to take my eyes off this man, fearing that if I did, I would have to pay the consequences for having ever trusted him in the first place.

"H-...how did you know who I was with...?"

"Well, that's a silly question," he chuckled, slowly rising to his feet. "How would I not know the names of my own siblings?"

I narrowed my eyes at him accusingly. "You're.....a member of the Midnight Legion...aren't you?"

"Ignis is the name." He offered his hand to me, but I refused to shake it. "Aw, come on, Shadow Keeper, I won't hurt you. That is, unless you refuse to come along with me."

"Hanako?!"

I could hear Jeremy's voice calling me from a distance, so I boldly said, "I'm not coming along with you."

Ignis's eye twitched. "So you want me to use force, eh? Fine with me." He rose his hand into the air and snapped his fingers, creating a loud sound that seemed to resonate around me. Not a moment later, several people began to approach from among the festival's many visitors. They seemed to have been hypnotized. It was almost as if—just by snapping his fingers—Ignis had gained control of these people's minds and bodies.

I watched in horror as Ignis's 'minions' grew closer to me. In a panic, I rushed back into the crowds of people that were once happily enjoying the festival's attractions. I soon realized that I had made a huge mistake, for the moment I thought I had escaped Ignis's line of sight, more people began to follow me. I panted heavily, eyes growing wide, sweat running down my face as I found myself growing weary. My running was becoming slower and slower by the second, and before I knew it, I had collapsed. My eyes started to close, but I forced them open upon seeing Jeremy and the others running towards me. I reached out my hand to him, and he grabbed it, then lifted me to my feet. I was still breathing heavily, and I felt ready to faint. Yet somehow, I managed to let out a cry of help. Jeremy lifted his head and watched as a large crowd of hypnotized people began to form a circle around us. He looked down at me, his visible eye flooded with sympathy. There was a moment of silence before he threw his arms around me, firmly gripping the handle of a certain sword I had forgotten was still strapped to my back. I heard a sharp scraping of metal, followed by Jeremy's low whisper:

"I'm sorry, Hanako."

Then everything went black.

+++

What is this strange feeling I have right now? My chest is in serious pain. My blood...it's rushing fast through my body...I can practically feel the veins on my head and arms bursting...there is something on my head...two things, actually...and I feel one last thing, if only I could get a grip on it...

The thing I had grabbed was long, smooth, and had a spade-like tip. My breathed hitched as I reached up and felt two, solid, sharp pieces of what felt like bone sticking out of my head. I placed one hand over my left eye and felt something strange there as well.

Is this...an eyepatch?! But wait...I can feel a cross pattern on it...just like Jeremy's...what's going on here?! No...

I'm just imagining things...none of this is real...

"Hanako. Open your eye, Hanako."

Eye. He said eye. Not plural. Singular. As in one eye.

What the heck happened? I slowly opened my right eye and found myself staring into the sympathetic gaze of a familiar face. But something was different about this face. "Jeremy...your face...is..."

He looked like a zombie. There were bits of peeling skin on the right side of his pale gray face, leaving a disgusting trail all the way up to and around his eye. It was rather horrifying to look at, to be honest.

"It's a bit messed up at the time, but I'll manage," he said. "How're you feeling? Can you stand up?" He threw out his hand to me and beckoned me to accept it. I did, and he carefully brought me to my feet. That's when I finally got a good look of my surroundings.

It almost looked like I had been dropped directly in the middle of a battlefield. A post-war battlefield. There were dead bodies lying everywhere, and the people they belonged to appeared to be the same people at the festival I last recalled being at. Their faces were bloody, their limbs were severed, and their clothes had been torn. "What...happened here...?" I croaked. "Why is everyone...I mean...where's Reiha and Niall?"

"Come with me, Hanako," Jeremy said in a harsh tone, and he began to walk away. I followed him frantically, and soon found myself standing over a pile of singed ashes. Jeremy bent over and began digging through the ash pile, until he eventually got to the bottom of it. There, he slowly and cautiously picked up a large piece of glass. "Here," he said, handing the glass over to me, which I accepted hesitantly. "Take a look at yourself."

Finding myself unable to look away, I peered into the reflection of the glass and saw something I wish I hadn't.

The face staring back at me wasn't my own, but that of a savage beast. It was true, I had an eyepatch that was identical to Jeremy's. Two, pointed black horns stuck out of the top of my head, slightly parting my hair. My ears had changed as well. Now they were a dusted in a light gray color and had become pointed at the upper tip. I tilted the glass slightly to the left, revealing a long, slim, black tail swaying side to side behind me. To top it off, giant, scythe-like wings jutted out from my shoulder blades, blood red and tipped with ink-black.

I looked exactly like the person in the pictures Gabriel had showed me back at his lair.

"No...this can't be..." My body was trembling, and I looked up at Jeremy with a distressing eyes. "Why am I...what...WHAT HAPPENED HERE?!!" I shouted furiously, and I could feel my veins throbbing again.

"You," he said. "You happened here."

"Where are Reiha and Niall?!"

Jeremy raised an eyebrow. "Why do you keep asking that? You actually sound worried." He shot me a sympathetic look. "You barely know them, and besides, Reiha wanted to kill you."

"Doesn't mean I want them to die!!" My arm hurled at Jeremy and seized him by the collar, then hoisted him into the air. "I have a few questions for you, cyborg. Firstly, why do I look like this?"

"Because Destiny's Song was unsheathed," he answered.

"Well, why do I have this eyepatch?!"

"Because I was the one who unsheathed it."

"Explain yourself."

Jeremy sighed deeply, and an empathetic expression soon stretched across his face. "Destiny's Song was only ever meant for you to wield. I drew the sword, and it corrupted its mind's balance. You see, Destiny's Song draws its power from you. That's why it can become the most powerful weapon in all of creation: because of your demonic powers. I unsheathed the sword, and it instinctively thought I was you. Upon realizing its mistake, the power it extracted from me was sent over to you, the sword's true owner. I apologize for the eyepatch, but that's the only way my strength can be contained. No doubt this affected me as well. Now my face has to suffer. Tell me, do you feel any pain? From the eyepatch that is."

I brought my quivering hand up to my left eye and placed it there so it covered the eyepatch. Strangely enough, I felt nothing. "No," I replied. "Not at all."

Jeremy let out a sigh of relief. "That's good to hear. Now could you please release me?"

I loosed my grip on Jeremy's collar and allowed him to once again have both feet on the ground. "On to my second question," I breathed heavily. "Where...are...Reiha...and Niall...?"

"Over there, I believe," Jeremy said, pointing in the direction behind me. I spun around and began sprinting across the field of bodies in search of two specific ones. Luckily, Niall was easy to find because of his peculiar choice of apparel. I fell to my knees and found that he was still breathing, but barely.

"Niall," I sighed. "Thank goodness you're alive. Can you move?"

A crooked smile appeared on the demon's face. "Master Hanako...I am happy..."

"W-why?"

"I was able to see you in your true form...it was amazing...I was truly inspired..." He opened his eyes ever so slightly, just enough so that I could see them.

"Hey...don't say that...please...just get up, okay?" I whispered. "Can you do that for your master?"

"No, it is okay, Hanako," he told me. "I have achieved my dying wish. All I want now is for you to be safe. But you do not need my assistance for this, do you? You have Ironmage. He is a mighty warrior, and he is your guardian. What good does a servant do you? Do me a favor and keep your distance from my father. I fear that if you were to ever face him in battle, it would not be a good day for any of us."

Those words...sound familiar...that's right. Gabriel said this as well...

"One day soon you will have to, I'm sorry. And I fear it will not be a good day for any of us."

"You're getting up, Niall," I insisted, taking his arm and draping it over my shoulder. "I'm not letting anyone die on my watch. Demon or no demon."

"It's a bit late for that, now isn't it, Shadow Keeper?"

I jerked my head to the side and found Reiha standing just a few yards away. "Reiha! I'm glad you're alright, but what are you talking about?" I asked.

Reiha scoffed and shot me a look of disgust. "You can't be serious. Have you taken a look around you yet? You do know that this is your doing, correct? Well, now you do."

"Will you shut up and help me with your brother?" I snapped, ignoring what she had said. Reiha turned her head away defiantly. Suddenly, her eyes began to flutter, and she collapsed after letting out a cry of agony. Her arms fell at her sides, revealing a bloody gash that was deeply imbedded in her chest. "Reiha!!" I shouted, then glanced worriedly down at Niall. "Niall, I'll be right back! Stay put!"

"I don't really have many options, Master," he coughed. "But I shall do thy bidding. Please, help my sister."

"Will do." I nodded firmly and carefully laid Niall's head down, then rose to my feet and rushed to Reiha's side. "Reiha. Reiha! Answer me!!"

"All hail the mighty Shadow Keeper, the young demon warrior," she let out a weak, forced laugh, opening her eyes so that I could take in her full expression. "You won't kill a soul, eh? You've slaughtered many, you merciless beast. It's too late to go back."

"Wh-what do you mean?" I croaked. "I didn't...do anything...wrong..."

"It has begun," she said softly. "You cannot go back."

"What has begun?!"

"The first trial is complete," she said. "The first Midnight has fallen to the wrath of Destiny's Song...by its true owner..."

"The first...Midnight...? Wait! D-did I kill Ignis?"

Reiha coughed again, and a thin trail of blood ran down her cheeks from both of her eyes, which were now wide open. "As if. My brother runs freely. He fled south, and will return someday. The first Midnight to fall is lying right in front of you..."

"But you're still alive..." I whispered, my voice shaking.

"Not for very long. I'm dying. And it's all thanks to you." She cackled, but there was a slight break in her voice. "The truth is, I don't want to die. But it's alright, because my wish is coming true. Tell me, Hanako. How does it feel to have these blood stains on your hands?"

My eyes grew wide, and I slowly brought my hands up in front of me. Surely enough, they were stained red. Entirely red. And I knew immediately that it wasn't just one person's blood. "Reiha...I-I'm sorry..."

"...Enjoy your life while it lasts, you monster..."

With that, all light that had been existent in Reiha's eyes had vanished without a trace, and I knew then that the deed was done. She was gone, and there wasn't a thing I could do about it. I remained still even as I felt Jeremy's hand touch my shoulder.

"It's okay. Niall will be alright. We should take him back to the Safe Haven...whenever you're ready."

Jeremy patted my head and turned around, then walked over to Niall. He bent over and lifted him up. Then he just stood there, waiting.

"Reiha..." I wept over her dead body, unable to figure out what was going on with my emotions. My mind was racing and my heart was beating faster than ever. "Reiha...I'm sorry.....I'm so...so sorry....I....I won't...I....won't kill another...I won't kill any more of your brothers and sisters. Instead, I'll make sure to protect them, okay?"

I will. I promise. I won't let what she said get to me. Nor what Gabriel or Jeremy said. Who says that I have to kill them to survive? I'll change my fate, and theirs, too.

"You can count on it...okay, Rei?"