Chapter 12: Self-Annihilation 2: Electric Boogaloo

"...and because of the taint of Nihility, I lost my sense of taste. Or so I thought," Kyo explained to a despondent Nia and disturbed Kurumi. "Fortunately, it seems I can still taste raspberries!"

"What about the texture?!" Nia cried, clearly still distraught.

"Sure, raspberry-flavored clumps of powder in jelly isn't exactly a five-star experience, but I can improve that later. I was too busy enjoying the first bit of flavor I've had in nine days to care," Kyo responded nonchalantly as he stowed away his blender. 

Nia held back a gag as she pondered the significance behind Kyo's so-called "taint" and the results she was able to glean about him from [Raziel].

——————I am the dividing line that flashbacks——————

"You want me to investigate Kyo? I thought he was your friend?" Nia asked in confusion.

"A friend? I suppose you could call him that, though 'temporary partner' would probably be more accurate." Kurumi put her finger to her cheek in a thinking position. "You see, I only met him a day or two before we conducted the raid on Neryl Island together. He claims to be from the future, but my [Zafkiel] alone governs the laws of time. Thus, although all signs point to him being a fraud, his information has continually been accurate."

"But you still don't think he's telling the truth," Nia continued. "Could it be that you think he's-"

"Naturally. After all, the Spirit of Origin has approached me before under disguise. It's not impossible that this 'Kyo' is simply her newest identity."

"Hm..." Nia pondered. "Indeed, his story is suspicious, but isn't it too much of a logical leap to assume such a thing? Besides, according to you yourself, he's the one who led my rescue."

"As long as the possibility exists," Kurumi declared with a dark flame burning in her eyes, "I must know. Because the reason I even bothered to help you out was to find out how to kill the Spirit of Origin." The room went silent for a moment before Nia sighed.

"Fine, fine. [Raziel], tell me about the Spirit of Origin." The ornate tome in Nia's hands flipped to a seemingly random page before characters began to appear on it. "Let's see here... wait, what is this?" 

Instead of complying with Nia's wishes and revealing information on the Spirit of Origin, the words written in [Raziel] were complete nonsense. Nia scratched her head, befuddled. "Hm, let's try a different wording. [Raziel], where is the Spirit of Origin?" [Raziel] spewed out more undecipherable letters. "How about... where the Spirit of Origin first appeared?" Finally, [Raziel] outputted a location. 

"This would be the epicenter of the Eurasian Sky Disaster, huh. I'm not all that surprised." Kurumi scoffed. "Now, the question I've been waiting for. How can I kill her?" In response, [Raziel] flashed a blinding white light before settling back into Nia's hands.

"It says here that you would need... power equal to the entirety of all Reiryoku in the world combined." Nia's eyes widened. "You might want to find a new dream here, Kurumin."

Kurumi's eyes flashed with annoyance. "Tch, no matter. Onto Kyo. What is he?" 

[Raziel] brightened for a moment before suddenly dimming. "Whoa, that's never happened before," Nia muttered. Looking at the page, Nia tilted her head, utterly perplexed. "It's... incomplete."

"What?" Kurumi rushed over to Nia and took a look herself. Indeed, although there was definitely information written down, at least 50% of all the characters seemed smudged or erased in some way, leading to the text being fully indecipherable.

"This is really weird," Nia murmured as [Raziel] continuously began to glow and dim immediately after. "[Raziel] can search for anything that has happened or is happening to this world. Theoretically, Kyo should be included in this search. But there's something here, some sort of energy that's distorting and erasing his information, as if the world itself is unsure that he's here. On the bright side, at least this means he can't be the Spirit of Origin. Her information was at least completely present, even if it was completely encoded." 

Kurumi clicked her tongue, obviously not reassured in the slightest. "How fortunate that I didn't consume him back then..." she muttered with a touch of fear. Suddenly realizing that she spoke that out loud, she sent a glare towards Nia. "You heard nothing."

"Alright, alright." Nia put her hands up. "Don't shoot the messenger, please. I still have manga I need to finish."

The room fell silent again, until-

"What's taking Kyo so long? Where did he even go?"

—————I am the dividing line that flashes forward—————

Thus, it would appear that his 'taint' is affecting more than just his body. In fact, his very 'existence' has been eaten away by that weird energy. Pity welled up in Nia's chest, swept away by a warmth when she remembered why he had ended up corrupted in the first place. Alright, that settles it. I'll have to properly thank my benefactor later-

"Nia, is that suitable?" Kyo interrupted her thoughts.

"Hwa? Yeah, sure. Wait, what's happening?" Nia looked up at a bemused Kyo and uninterested Kurumi.

"I said, in order to ensure your continued safety, I'll be living with you for now." Kyo nodded at the sword hanging by his side. His Demon King, huh. Certainly, it's a strong deterrent, but...

"Aren't you looking down on me a little too much, Benefactor?" Nia complained. "Despite my pacifist nature, I'm still a bona-fide Spirit, y'know."

"One that got captured and- hold on, what's with calling me 'Benefactor' now?" Kyo asked with a weird look on his face.

"Oh, did you like being called boy-"

"Benefactor is fine." Kyo interrupted. "But in all seriousness, you have the weakest combat potential," Nia took an imaginary arrow to the chest, "you're the only Spirit to have been captured in four years," Nia fell back heavily on her bed, "and you're on the verge of Inversing at any moment."

"Ahaha... whatever do you mean, Benefactor?" Nia felt a drop of sweat drip from her brow.

"If you're really that curious, you can search it up with [Raziel]," Kyo said casually. "But I'd say that right now, since we can't do anything about it, it's just an unnecessary source of stress. Besides, your ability to hide yourself has already proven to be flawed. However, with [Naught] here, as long as you remain within a certain range, I can cover any and all Reiryoku readings with my concealment technique."

"Uh huh." Nia smiled stiffly. I guess he makes some good points, but... "Still, living with me is a little-"

"Also, I'm currently incredibly homeless," Kyo added. Nia's expression froze. Seriously?

"I'm glad you managed to get this all sorted out, but I believe it is time for me to take my leave," Kurumi interjected with her trademark smile plastered onto her face. "Since you've proven yourself trustworthy, Kyo, I will honor our promise."

"How abrupt of you, Kurumi," Kyo noticed with a raised eyebrow. "I'm guessing you didn't exactly enjoy what [Raziel] told you?"

"Indeed, you could certainly say that. Now, if you would excuse me." As Kurumi disappeared into her shadow, Kyo turned to face Nia, who was still staring into the wall in a daze.

"So, where do you live again?"