Break Your Mind I (Shatterpoint Paradox Part 5)

Year 1025, 11th of November

Time: 8:00 AM

 How long has it been now? How long has it been since the anomaly struck this world? That question above all others now lingered inside the mind of a certain red-eyed female as she elegantly rested her back against the wooden walls of a sizeable cargo hold. A strong headache bothered the assassin and kept her from falling asleep; the sound of personnel working on the upper deck of the ship was also quite bothersome. Akame was the name of this lonesome young woman, and right now she couldn't help but bite her lower lip while displaying an annoyed expression due to the situation she found herself in.   The memories in her head—memories from other worlds and memories that told her all about the countless battles along with strange situations her other selves experienced.

"Why are you playing along with this, Akame?" she questioned herself. Lying down on the dusty wooden ground below her feet, the girl decided to rest her head on a nearby pile of hay.

The SS-Garrison—the ship the red-eyed girl found herself in—was a delivery ship known to transport supplies such as hay, food, and whatnot to faraway lands. Closing her crimson eyes, the mysterious killer renowned throughout the land she called home as a fearsome murderer finally allowed herself to relax her muscles and rest. After being ordered to investigate the situation in Neveir, Akame didn't rest at all. The thought of something more threatening than Hestia's tyrannical rule being out there was just too enticing.

What had the world come to? What was the point of enduring this lie of a reality if it all turned out to be far worse? Staring at the darkness of her own subconscious, Akame's mind floated above a dark void. However that scenario soon faded away on a whim, almost as if it was nothing more than a mirage. The once dimly lit void changed into something else, a scene from long ago. Down the green hill Akame now stood on, a younger version of herself slowly emerged out of a dense forest with her younger sister, Kurome, on her back. This place, this dangerously unpredictable forest was known as the Gifonola forest.

"What was the point of you surviving that hell? You couldn't even bring down the one person that you had to defeat in the end, could you? You're far too bored with your own existence to ultimately achieve anything," Akame muttered under her breath. This memory, the painful and unbearable remembrance of the hell she went through, it was all far too hurtful to recall. No matter how much she tried, that inescapable myriad of emotions just continued to haunt her dreams.

"Was it all a pointless crusade in the name of nothing?"

Her questions echoed in the wind as she watched her younger self continue down her fateful path. That defiant look in her eyes, a look capable of bringing down even the most courageous of opponents, a powerful look that in spite of all the pain and suffering, showed that the red-eyed female would never give up. But was that glimpse of the past even her own or was it just another one of the many lives that she now shared a mind with? Akame just couldn't tell anymore.

"Congratulations on making it. You passed the test. You can now receive medical attention if you so wish," the bald imperial who awaited for the survivors of his maniacal test spoke as soon as the young Akame got close. To his side, the man who would train Akame for the majority of her life—Gozuki—observed the unfolding situation with a subtle grim. A few minutes later when both the youthful Akame and Kurome prepared to get themselves treated back to health, the swordsman made a request to his bald comrade.

"I can't let any sibling teams into my seven. It'd only make trouble if they had someone relying on them."

Those were the words that ultimately separated Akame and Kurome, or were they? In this shattered lie of a reality the world was not the same place Akame once knew. Something was different, something haunted her dreams—images and visions from other timelines and other realities. It all culminated in an urge to face whatever awaited her in this mysterious continent she now found herself traveling to. She did not know what to expect but it was so very enticing.  As the assassin opened her eyes once more after a few hours of sleep, Akame's overwhelmed mind couldn't help but wander back to a memory that originally belonged to one of her other selves.

"I...Where were you, Akaro? With your power on our side, bringing down the empire and defeating the Sapphire Phoenix would be as simple as breathing. So why? We're your family, aren't we? Do you really care so little about…?"

"I care about you guys more than you can possibly imagine, especially you Akame. It doesn't matter what universe I'm in, you'll always be the one person I can always trust no matter the situation. However, that doesn't mean I can always be here. If I were to fix all of your problems all the time, you and the others would become dependent on me. And if that happened, Night Raid would never grow and you would never become the nigh invincible legendary assassin I know you can become."

Akaro...

How could Akame ever describe what he meant to her? As an assassin and a ruthless killer her training taught her that emotions were something that gets in the way, something that must be buried and all but forgotten. But there he was—an unbeatable harbinger of justice—a knight who could see through Akame's facade and suppressed emotions.  He was the only one her heart couldn't instantly deny. In a way, he was the only one she could open up to without as much as thinking twice. Now, however, that love was a memory carried over from the world before the drastic makeover it received.

"I said I wouldn't put blame or resentment on you but you're making that rather challenging aren't you, Raizo?" Akame mumbled to herself as she stood back up on her feet and brushed the hay off of her long hair.

Tightening up the red tie she wore, the ominous red-eyed female once more rose up her spirits before casually stretching her arms. Running her fingers across the sleep dust on her eyes, Akame quickly reached for her teigu that was leaning against a nearby container before making her way to the wooden staircase that led to the upper deck of the ship. Once up there, Akame was almost immediately greeted by a cold breeze that sent a shiver down her spine.

"Up early today are ya Miss?" the youthful captain of the ship spoke with a playful tone as soon as he got glimpse of her. His long, messy red hair that extended down to his shoulders now danced in the harsh, cold winds alongside his pocketed, brown trench coat and black cape. The young man's happy attitude was typical of someone of his age, but Akame couldn't really judge him. After all, her beloved was quite the excited adventurer himself.

"Couldn't help it, I want to get a good look at Neveir before we arrive, Captain Garnet," Akame casually remarked as her and the captain walked over to the frontal end of the old ship.

Far off in the horizon a cluster of large icebergs could be seen peeking out of the sea around a mountainous region that extended for what seemed like miles. Each mountain was covered by hailing snow; the small villages located at the summits were also victims of the white rain. At the heart of it all below the mountains stood a larger village, or rather a village almost as big as a fully developed city. There were no walls, instead the pseudo city allowed itself and the populace to be fully visible to ships that dared set sail into these icy lands. They were indeed a kingdom still in its infancy, but nonetheless their confidence was put at full display even in something as simple as the way it greets those looking to enter the territory.

"Quite the confident peeps aren't they?" Garnet commented as both him and Akame observed the destination ahead, "You should've seen how it all was just eight months ago."

"Oh? Why's that?" Akame played along with the small talk.

"Well some time ago...this little rich girl—Hikari Hanate—came to this continent after those Phantom Siege assassins murdered her parents. She was only around fourteen years of age back then. I dunno what she did, but in just under eight months this place went from a simple underdeveloped third-world country full of people trying to survive in this godforsaken world to a militaristic country ruled over by a tyrannical little girl."

"So you're saying a fourteen year old took over a nation in just a few months?" Akame inquired, "That sounds ridiculous."

"I know it does, but that's not all," Garnet added, "Rumors say she took over the ruins of Alexandria and turned that into another branch of her global empire.  Other continents have also been quickly allying themselves with Hikari and in the end Neveir has become the heart of her tyranny. I'm telling ya lady the Devil Queen is planning something big.  Without a shadow of a doubt that gigolo crown bitch prince Raizo Arashi and his family of pretentious fucks won't like what's coming to them."

"How come Hestia hasn't caught wind of any of this by now?" Akame questioned, she definitely didn't expect the situation to be this worrisome.

"That ol'bitch is too caught up with what's going on in that empire of hers to even notice what happens right under her noose," the youthful captain spoke without a worry in the world, "Honestly...I'm not sure why that hypocritical Red Knight and his idiotic Counter Force allowed any of this to happen."

Akame's eyes widened with surprise as she immediately turned to face Garnet while reaching for her blade. Seeing this, the captain responded by putting up both of his hands.

"Wow calm down lady!" He spoke with a hint of fear in his voice, "I'm not your enemy here, Akame."

"How do you know my name?!" She coldly inquired before bringing her blade mere inches away from Garnet's neck, "Never mind that first question, how do you even know about Akaro and the Counter Force? No one other than me is supposed to remember that."

"Okay! Okay! My boss told me everything about you and about the world from before the big change. He gave me a lot, and I mean a lot of money to convince you to go to him, no harm intended," the man quickly remarked, now clearly fearful of what might happen, "I can't tell you his name but...I can give you a location."

"Then do it before I cut your head off and get the information I need from your freezing corpse," Akame gave her ultimatum. Immediately reaching for his trench coat's pocket, the youthful redheaded male pulled out a small map of the town that eagerly waited for the arrival of the woman renowned throughout the world as a ruthless ripper.

"Let me see that."

Grabbing the piece of folded up paper; Akame quickly took in the information contained within the map. From where every individual street and alleyway was located to the names of all the stores and where she was supposed to go. An assassin's photo-accurate memory and ability to recall even the smallest details was already quite the impressive skill to have, but Akame made that notion seem trivial. Her ability to effortlessly process any and all information in the smallest spaces of time could only ever be rivaled by supercomputers that would only be invented hundreds of years from now. Due to this, Akame's perception and reaction speeds were in a class very few, if any at all, could ever hope to match.

"How do I know this isn't a trap?" Akame questioned, her eyes now dead set on Garnet.

"Well...if I wanted you dead I could've just ended ya while you were in sleepy land," the young man spoke with an ever present sense of fear contained in his tone of voice, "Soo...calm down lady, I'd prefer it if ya didn't kill me now."

"Kill me in my sleep? Heh now that would be an anticlimactic ending," the killer with eyes as red as the crimson moonlight casually spoke without as much as thinking twice about the consequences her death would bring to the entire world. Returning her poisoned blade to its appropriate sheath, Akame let go of that serious attitude before finishing her train of thought.

"For you though, after all, the force that governs our reality wouldn't be happy about that. Not that you would've succeeded either way."

"That much I know...As foretold in ancient, forgotten tales, the killer who rose up from darkness and battled evil for centuries shall ultimately be the one to spark the flame that'll guide the Red-Eyed Hero's destiny...quite a sad prophecy is it not? Your life lady—in the end—is no more than a conduit for a message that dwarfs our understanding," Garnet mumbled before bringing his hands back down, "If your destiny is in any way interrupted, the world ends...how can you carry yourself with such confidence when a single misstep could mean the end of all that is?"

"A misstep could cost everything huh? Well...as far as I'm aware, and trust me when I say I know quite a lot, there is no living creature in this world of ours who could force me into using my trump card abilities much less what lies beyond that. Even if such a foe existed, Murasame isn't the only teigu protecting me," Akame coldly responded.

 "To tell you the truth, the only reason a war still rages on in the empire I once fought for is...well I had to let a certain idiot live in his beautiful lie till he learns his lesson...and most importantly, because I was bored enough."

"Eh...then I'm sure you'll love fighting against the Devil Queen," said Garnet as he finally sighed away the tension built between him and Akame, "But I have a question for you lady."

"Ask away."

"Regardless of your actions you'll die when you pass on the Murasame to your successor won't you?" Garnet inquired, his tone of voice had now shifted to a more troubled one, "I mean if that's ultimately the case then...why even bother taking another step when fate is already set in stone?"

Taking in a deep breath before exhaling, Akame pondered that question for a few moments before turning her ruby gaze back to the destination that she ever so slowly approached. She could now catch glimpse of a new, spiral-like structure located at the farthest reaches of her vision. Previously concealed by a dense fog, this strange castle was almost like a huge fortress overlooking the sizeable city that it ruled over. Its main tower appeared to be surrounded by a strange, shining grey metal contorted to look like a double helix that alongside the tower itself ascended upwards into the heavens, almost reaching into the clouds themselves.

Akame didn't need to think twice before reaching a conclusion.  It was obvious even at first glance that this ominous palace served as the home to one of history's greatest tyrannical rulers; the unstoppable Devil Queen she had heard so much about—Hikari Hanate.  Could a small girl like her really be that much of a threat to someone who was trained to be one of history's greatest killers? Akame couldn't help but question such things as the SS-Garrison finally, after a long journey, arrived at its destination.

Closing her eyes as a cold gust of wind ran around her sleeveless set of upper clothing and short skirt, the mysterious killer allowed herself to put on a soft, heartwarming smile. While ultimately true that in the end her death is all but set in stone and that her life was little more than a conduit for another's grander, far more important legend for days to come, Akame still felt like it was all worth it regardless of what fate had in store for her.

"I was alone for the longest time...from the very beginning all I had was a younger sister and the weight of responsibility on my shoulders, but then there he was. In my dreams I saw a vision of days to come, days that have already passed, worlds different from our own; however, no matter what world or reality I saw he was always there for me. Akaro was his name, a name that still haunts my dreams to this day." Akame reminisced as her jet black hair elegantly danced in the wind.

"For as long as I can remember those dreams gave me the strength and knowledge required to always be ahead, without them...I wouldn't be who I am today. In the end, I'm fighting to bring those dreams into reality. That peaceful world brought upon by someone far greater than us, the utopia I saw in my dreams, and one day it will be a reality even for this world. It doesn't matter that I won't live to see it.  If my destiny is to die for my beloved and his world then I accept that fate with open arms."

"I see, I see. You really are amazing, Akame," Garnet kindly said, "I wish I could help you more, but I'm a mere fisherman turned captain."

"You already helped me immensely, Captain Garnet. Before today the possibility of those visions of mine being little more than just dreams of an insane mind was always a very real concern, but now that I've finally met someone other than myself who's aware of everything that goes on behind the curtains of this false reality...I know I'm not mad."

Those were the last words Akame shared with the youthful captain before disappearing from his watchful sight in the literal blink of an eye. One moment she was there, the other she was gone like a ghost.

"Best of luck to you, Akame...or should I say... Black Death."

---

LATER THAT SAME DAY…

Standing atop one of Neveir's larger household structures, Akame calmly mapped out the area in her mind and memorized pathways and shortcuts that would allow her to swiftly move from one district to another in little to no time. She also took the time to come up with a mental analysis of patrol patterns utilized by groups of guards.  Most were fairly predictable and unorganized but the notable exception to this was the Devil Queen's elite squadrons. Unlike their weaker comrades, the members of Hikari's elite guards were far more organized and significantly more aware of everything that took place around them.

The most noticeable difference between them and the average guards was the fact that they wore whitish silver full body armor with a design akin to that of medieval knights. On their chest plates, one oddly strange emblem took full prominence—the image of a large, crimson double helix surrounded by a larger, black infinity symbol.  This was quite different from the black armor with no symbols used by individuals of lower rank. Armed to the teeth with the best and most modern tools and weaponry, these Devil Knights oozed with a fearsome malevolent aura comprised of limitless murderous intent. Akame however didn't care enough to engage them; right now she had a far more important meeting to attend.

Quickly yet silently free-running her way from rooftop to rooftop, the Black Death casually leapt through the air like an impossibly skilled parkour expert. A single jump she took was more than enough to cover huge distances in one go, sometimes skipping over entire city blocks before swiftly landing on another side of town. In a matter of minutes, Akame arrived at her destination—an ominous, dark and abandoned street that reeked with the smells of a typical cesspool of human waste.

It was a dead-end, one-way street; a place where you'd expect yourself to be robbed and possibly killed at any moment. That said, to Akame the one and only suspicious thing to behold was the crimson neon sign next to a conspicuous looking alleyway and the entrance to something akin in size and appearance to a tavern. The shining neon words displayed on the sign were; Amadeus' Hope. It was an odd name for a place best known for serving those who've lost their way only to then give into a sometimes lifelong addiction to alcohol.

Slowly journeying her way into the inside of this tavern, Akame recalled the detailed map of Neveir given to her by Captain Garnet. This abandoned locale was supposedly the headquarters of the one who hired the former fisherman in the first place. As she stepped into the dimly lit insides of this lifeless place, the Red-Eyed Killer caught glimpse of someone sitting on a small wooden chair while resting his stretched legs on a fairly sizeable rectangular, business table located in front of himself. The lights then suddenly flashed on revealing the dusty, broken furniture and broken glass from old bottles spread around the place.

Appearing beside the mysterious red-eyed man who now stared Akame down, a white blur surrounded by lightning came to a halt before taking the gorgeous appearance of a tall, elegant female with long, snow white hair that was contained in a ponytail. Her eyes, those powerful and defiant primrose irises reminded Akame all too well of a certain empress who now ruled over the empire.  Although equally as tall and imposing, this female speedster was definitely younger than Hestia just not as developed physically.  Regardless Akame couldn't help but be impressed at this female's extraordinarily potent presence.

"It has been a while hasn't it, Akame?" the female spoke with a quiet, almost subtly melancholic tone, "Last time we met was before that wonderful celebratory night at the Sapphire Phoenix encampment."

"Indeed...although that version of me you remember isn't really the one you see now, Vesta," Akame responded before lowering her gaze down to the man who casually watched this ongoing reintroduction between old enemies who later turned into allies. The man now wore a tighter and streamlined, black imperial uniform with a metal insignia of a Cerberus carefully placed on the left side of his chest, likely a symbol used as homage to the group he once commanded.

"Rin Hanate...now who would've thought I'd see you again after Adena turned you and your entire existence to ash in the Pandora Crisis."

"Oho? How fortunate that you still remember me, Akame. I must say, the Bleeding Effect created by Akaro's influence has made this version of you into quite the powerhouse...I could sense your enormous presence from a long ways away," Rin casually remarked at a clearly confused Akame.

"Bleeding Effect? What are you talking about?" she coldly questioned.

"Oh you don't know? Well that's rich...how typical of Akaro to keep you of all people in the dark.  Hell I doubt he even cares enough to protect a fake sponge of knowledge like yourself," the former imperial spoke with a mocking tone, his disdainful attitude showing his hatred towards the famous legend, "But regardless I can see you're still very interested in obtaining information from me."

Meeting Rin's words with a moment of silence, Akame locked her eyes against his, in a way trying to read his true intentions as the conversation went on.

"How is it possible for you and Vesta to be here? If my memories and dreams were correct then...how can you two be here if Raizo changed time?" Akame inquired. Taking a step forward, Vesta smiled softly before separating her lips to speak.

"Akame...Raizo didn't change time whatsoever; he merely added a layer to it, a mirage to block his own pain."

"I'm sorry, but what?" Akame asked, confusing thoughts quickly settling in her mind.

"One cannot create true change in time. Paradoxes in general are not possible.  If you go back in time and assassinate your grandfather, you'd only be creating an entirely new timeline, or as they are accurately called by divine beings, World Lines.  They exist separate from each other thus both versions of our world's story continue at the same time. So you see, Raizo didn't change the world, he merely created a new one when he changed history," Vesta elaborated.

"So you're telling you two are..."

"That's right, we're the original Rin and Vesta from the world before Raizo changed things for the worse," the malicious male commented with a smile on his face, "however Akame there's more to it than that...these laws of World Line creation only hold true to Gods of Time and the Counter Force itself.  If a mortal like Raizo were to change time he'd only be creating a 'False World Line' that temporarily acts as a fake world overlaid on top of the original one, halting its progress."

"Why are you telling me this?" Akame couldn't help but question.

"It's quite simple, old friend. Messing with time is strictly forbidden for us mortals and sooner or later the Counter Force will act erasing everything and everyone in this fake world," Rin calmly explained, "After Adena killed me, my essence was destroyed, however my phoenix powers somehow grew strong enough to fully restore me from nonexistence. When I came to, I found myself in this brand new world the Stormbringer made up for us.  Speaking of which what should we call it? I was thinking something along the lines of...Shatterpoint."

Akame froze in place; her eyes widened as sweat began running down her forehead. Her reason for walking, her reason for living, the days of a future where her and Akaro could be together...were they all just memories that she herself would never get to experience?

"Rin...how long do we have before the Counter Force's erasure effect wipes us all out?" she questioned.

"Not long, in fact given how much has changed already, I'd wager it could happen any minute now. First the so called Devil Queen killed the Vesta of this world the moment she appeared months ago, then months later she singlehandedly stopped the Pandora conflict by effortlessly slaughtering my counterpart alongside this world's versions of Rias and Deus," he thoroughly explained.

"W-What about you, Vesta? How did you end up here?" Akame continued with the seemingly never-ending barrage of questions and doubts.  In all actuality she was merely trying to process all the information being given to her without having a breakdown. A few days ago the Red-Eyed Killer had to always subconsciously question whether or not the memories and dreams of other lives she experienced were real, but now…  Well turns out it was all real; the problem now was those memories and dreams would in the end never be real for her.

"How I ended up here? Well, after spending that celebratory night in Raizo's tent where we...talked a lot, I felt that there was no point in me staying there any longer.  So I left in the morning without even saying my goodbyes to anyone. After that I ran my way to other universes just so I could be alone for a little while.  It's ultimately what I always do...run away from my problems," Vesta remarked, her tone of voice now devoid of any sense of happiness.

"When I returned to this world...it was as is now, a changed shell of its imperfect former self. Rin quickly contacted me, and well...I unfortunately followed after him without thinking twice."

"Unfortunately?" Akame asked.

"Rin lured me over to Neveir with the promise of answers, but in truth, he was merely guaranteeing that I wouldn't be able to leave," she continued before sighing deeply, "Those who venture into Neveir are permanently put in check by Hikari's Kingdom Gate. This barrier makes it so absolutely no one who steps onto this icy land can attempt to leave it without being forced to obtain the Devil Queen's consent."

"So...this is a trap then," Akame concluded.

"Bingo, Akame!" Rin immediately spoke before quickly standing up on his feet, "I first built up a resistance of individuals who craved for the Devil Queen's downfall.  Gotta be honest, tricking them with false promises was quite the entertaining task...heh heh.  I then used the many resources and contacts I eventually amassed to contact Vesta and get her here, and as you know she's now stuck with me. Afterwards all it took was a few gold coins to buy the services of the right people and a little bit of rumor spreading to get you here, Akame. With your unmatched skill in combat and Vesta's infinite speed on my side...Operation Shattered;Gate can finally begin."

Reaching for the handle of her Murasame, Akame pondered what her next move should be as she was now by all intents and purposes stuck in enemy territory due to the doings of a former enemy. Rintaro Hanate was by no means a trustworthy leader.  Joining forces with such an infamous psychopath would be something the Red-Eyed Killer would never even at all consider under any circumstances; however, this time things were all but completely different. Akame could barely keep a straight face.  If it wasn't for her ability to restrain her emotions she'd be laughing and crying at the same time.

"So in the end you really were just another dream of mine...Akaro," she mumbled under her breath at a low, almost inaudible tone that was wrought with a profound sense of complete sadness.

"Alright Rin...I will humor you, what is this operation you speak of?"

"Heh figured you would be interested in it...after all, it is in part advantageous to you," he calmly remarked as he crossed his arms, "Ever wondered what that Bleeding Effect of yours is truly capable of at its full potential?"

"H-How do you even--?"

"How do I even know about it? Well it's quite obvious, is it not? By going through your long history of battles it became quite clear that there's no way you could've learned the secrets of Kamui without help from these visions in your mind," the former imperial quickly spoke over Akame.  He sure liked to hear the sound of his own voice. Nonetheless, Akame continued paying attention to everything being said.

"So...you know what these visions are?" she questioned.

"As a matter of fact, I do. There's this thing called the Group Unconscious that a famous—or infamous depending on how you look at it—psychologist defined. It's a way of thinking that determines the pool deep inside everybody's mind is ultimately the same. It's the storage of all possible selfishness in this awful world. Vesta even told me that in one of the worlds she visited there's this cult known as 'Buddhism' and supposedly they call this collective pool of innermost desires, knowledge, and emotions...the Arayashiki."

"So I see...but how does that apply to me?" Akame voiced her doubts.

"Think about it Akame...the only being in creation who has access to the spiral that connects all life, the pool of all that exists in theory should be Akasha the Goddess-Above-All. Yet here you are...a mere mortal who can access–albeit subconsciously—all the selfishness, knowledge, emotions, skills, and powers from a few of your counterparts due to their involvement with the man known as Akaro Hajime," Rintaro explained while putting some emphasis on every major point he made in that short speech.

"Now imagine what you would become if you took that ability to perceive the Arayashiki or Group Unconscious and amplified it to its utmost degree by not only taking what you need from other versions of yourself, but from everyone and everything else in existence as well..."

A string of mad laughter then invaded the tavern echoing across its structure. Rin couldn't help but laugh at his own mad plan while Akame stared him down with those crimson hues. Vesta herself merely watched as this discussion unfolded, she looked quite curious and somewhat interested on what the outcome of this conversation would be.

"So your plan is for me to become some sort of...emulated aspect of Akasha, a false Goddess-Above-All, in order to save this world from being erased by the Counter Force?" Akame asked showing a hint of curiosity. In response Rin merely smirked while putting on his typical psychopathic glare.

"Now wouldn't that be quite amazing huh? Unfortunately no, that's not the case due to our noticeable lack of time. After all, it would take at least a couple of years to find a way to unlock your Bleeding Effect's hidden potential or whatever you may want to call it," he spoke before letting out an unsatisfied sigh at the end of his sentence.

"Operation Shattered;Gate is a vastly simpler endeavor.  Tomorrow night, the Devil Queen will be presenting one of Neveir's great cultural festivals. Its name is Kataware Doki, known by some as the Twilight Ritual. Akame...if you distract her for long enough or perhaps even assassinate her, Miss Arashi over here will have more than enough time to take us back to the world that me and her call home without Hikari's intervention."

"Huh so what you're telling me is that this is a suicide mission and that you'll abandon me to die in this false world," Akame responded with a blank stare and an all but completely emotionless tone.

In the end not much had changed for Rintaro Hanate; the strategies that flourished in his genius mind were still ultimately designed to benefit him the most. He was still the same selfish tactician with no real limit to his intellectual prowess and potential for virtually limitless improvement due to the resurrecting nature of his teigu. Akame knew without any doubt that he of all people should never be allowed to be freed from this reality of lies and corruption that imprisoned both him and her.

"Now, now, I wouldn't just leave you here to die would I? Oh yeah...I totally would, but not this time kiddo! Last time someone came close to killing you guess who showed up? That's right Akame, I'm counting on my worst enemy to show up and save ya," he quite calmly remarked matching the Red-Eyed Killer's unenthusiastic tone of voice, "Yes it's a huge shot in the dark but at least it will give you a one percent chance of survival and a potential reunion with your beloved Red-Eyed Hero."

Almost in sync with Rin's words, Akame's expression changed from the typical blank emotionless assassin persona she always sported to one more akin to that of a surprised girl who finally got the once in a lifetime chance of reuniting with her true love. After everything this journey into the Devil Queen's kingdom put her through, after finally coming to terms with the idea that her dreams and visions were real only to have that realization squashed by the notion that she herself would never get to experience them, here at last the Red-Eyed Killer received a small glimmer of hope.

"Fine...I'll take my chances, I'll kill the Devil Queen and I'll reunite with my beloved or I'll die trying," she confidently spoke with her crimson eyes dead set on both the Red-Eyed Phoenix and the Rose-Eyed Stormbringer, "Even if I end up falling here, it's better to die honorably and have my soul ascend to the realms of Elysium than to be erased here by forces that are beyond our control."

Cracking a smile at what he saw as a massively cliché statement made by a woman who would be dead or worse in a few hours, Rin looked quite pleased as he extended his open hand out to Akame. The fearsome swordswoman stared at the malicious individual in front of her for a few moments before accepting the handshake that would come to symbolize their pseudo-partnership. Vesta and Akame then traded one last, brief look at each other. Despite her best attempts at masking it, Akame could tell that behind that passive and uninterested look the Godspeed kept her true intentions hidden behind a liar's mask.

"One last question before we move on with this plan, Rin," Akame suddenly spoke out just as she let go of Rin's hand.

"What is it, Akame?"

"Hikari Hanate...she's your sister isn't she?" Akame inquired. Rin's smirk immediately shifted to a more depressed expression. His younger sister was quite the touchy subject to bring up, so much so that the former imperial had to shake his fists in anger and take a moment to breathe out his bottled up frustrations before speaking once more.

"It's complicated...and I would've preferred if you didn't ask but of course you would, Akame," he said showing some hostility towards the one who brought up the subject of him being related to the almighty Devil Queen that once was an innocent little girl.

"If you must know, my parents were not the type to take kindly to failure. My mother wanted a daughter, not a son, and my father didn't care about anything at all other than making my mother happy by fulfilling her every desire. So you know what they did in the end? They tossed me out of the mansion and sent me to the military.  Alone I had to endure all the pain that recruits go through. Years later when I came back home as the strongest in the empire...there they were with their daughter—Hikari was her name–and I...I was furious."

"Heh I see, Rin. So you used the trauma of being abandoned as an excuse for everything you've done? You blame your parents so you hold them and their actions as the embodiment of all evil in this godforsaken world then use that as the one true excuse for every life you took, all the people you hurt, and everyone you stabbed in the back like a coward."

"I'm not capable of feeling empathy or love for others, Akame.  The closest I ever got to that was in the moment me and Adena fought. Every time we killed each other we understood each other a little bit more.  I wanted to show her that we're not so different; that her and her beloved Red-Eyed Stormbringer was just one bad day away from being me. And guess what now, Akame?! I wasn't wrong in the slightest!"

"Is that so, Rin?" Akame questioned with a sarcastic, deadpan look.

"Fuck you! You hypocritical assholes are the problem here! When I tried to change the world I aimed to create a world where you and everyone else could live a true happily ever after!  Even though I don't actually care about anyone in this world, I still tried for all of you! The end result would've justified all methods used, but nonetheless the so-called legends of Team AKARA stopped me. Now look at what our hero Raizo Arashi-Mercer did to this world all because he had a couple of bad days and a little bit of regret! He changed absolutely everything for the worse yet I, who would've saved this world, am supposed to be the bad guy here? Fuck all of you!"

Rin's anger-filled words echoed around the formerly abandoned tavern as his enraged rant finally came to a stop just as he ran out of breath and energy to properly speak. Both Akame and Vesta remained silent, their heads now lowered and their eyes stuck looking at the ground. The truly sad part in all of this was the fact that in this time of uncertainty and conflict Akame couldn't help but somewhat agree with her former enemy. Shadows of doubt began to weigh in on her thoughts causing Akame's mind to wander back to the words spoken by her other selves.

"As the survivors we carry the feelings of those who've passed away on our shoulders," she spoke with a clear sense of nostalgia present in her voice, "in the end that weight proved too heavy a burden for Raizo to carry, so inevitably...he was crushed. Perhaps Akaro was wrong from the very beginning; perhaps he should've killed Raizo long ago and saved this world from people like Hestia and Hikari."

Widening their eyes in surprise, both Rin and Vesta were baffled at the words being spouted out by Akame. In spite of all the evidence piled up against the Stormbringer, both the Red-Eyed Phoenix and the Godspeed expected Akame to at least argue against the points presented by Rin in his sudden outburst of anger, but no. She ultimately had no words to defend her former comrade. He was a failure, a coward; someone the woman known as the fearsome Black Death couldn't ever call worthy of anything other than drowning in his own blood; however at the same time, Akame couldn't bring herself to ever truly care enough to end the prince's life.

It was all far too uninteresting, boring even. Akame was always her own person, she was always the one and only person in her faction who could singlehandedly make armies retreat with as little as a word. There's no battle she could not win.  She was born with the memories and skills to go above and far beyond her teammates; but in the end all she could conclude was that having an insurmountable force was the most boring thing in the universe. A defensive argument for Raizo would actually be something Akame could come up with in mere attoseconds.  Even though her counterparts saw him as a halfway respectable swordsman, the Akame of this Shattered World couldn't possibly care less.

"Akame...if you love Akaro and stand against the empire's current rulers, then why not kill Hestia, Adena, and Raizo, all on a casual assassination spree? You even work for Raiden...so how come you just...ignored it all and let it happen when you didn't even try to defend Raizo now?" Rin inquired with a perplexed look on his face. Akame on the other hand remained an emotionless deadpan husk when it came to expressing herself. As was expected, her answer was quite cold.

"I don't care," she said.  Not a single sign of doubt crossed her dead look that trumped any emotions, "My comrades has always been a bunch of weaklings; my sister is a weakling, the mere fact they didn't win this war even after all this time shows me that there's nothing noteworthy about them whatsoever. Hestia is a self-proclaimed tyrant who might as well be considered insane; Raizo is a pile of human waste sitting around as prince; Adena is nothing but a lonely child who sold her soul to a love that was forced upon her...they're all pathetic. Why would I ever bring myself to care about any of these people? They're nowhere near good enough to deserve my attention."

"Then why?  Why side with Raiden's group if you don't care enough to do what needs to be done?" Vesta finally voiced her thoughts.

"Because why not? I have all these powers and killing people with them sounded like loads of fun," Akame remarked. The atmosphere around this conversation became heavier every passing second.

"In time they've all come to call me a ripper, a killer, a monster on the battlefield...I'm all of those things.  All these titles stand from my need for killing. My only purpose was to get the dirty work done, and I loved it.  The little girl who fought to make this world a better place for her younger sister died a long time ago. Me? I'm just another assassin working for whoever gives me more people to try out my powers on."

Turning to face the exit of this waste of space that was once called a tavern, Akame took a few steps before coming to a halt.  The sound of creaking wood could be heard behind her every step. The daylight emitted from the outside of the exit softly shined down on Akame's figure, it was as if the sun itself focused its efforts on highlighting the red-eyed female. As she looked over her shoulder one more time, for an instant her crimson hues appeared to burn with a brighter shade of flaming red. Both Rin and Vesta almost gasped at the sight of such a powerful mix of beauty, resolve and a lack of empathy.

"You...you are Akame aren't you?" Vesta questioned in disbelief.

"Of course...my name is most certainly Akame, and both physically and mentally I am very similar to the two versions of me you've once fought against. Just like them I carry the same love for Akaro and a deep desire to be with him...a desire to make him mine. However I'm not them.  I'm no war heroine, much less a legendary assassin who stands amongst gods. As it was revealed to me here and now, my existence in this false reality was created by one man's selfish desire to change the world and in the end I'm nothing but yet another soul destined to fade away. Rin Hanate and Vesta Arashi...you two have given me the once in a lifetime chance to reunite with my one and only love and the opportunity to face a worthy opponent at last."

The silence left after Akame's brief speech was almost painful to those who now watched the mysterious female take her leave. Neither Rin nor Vesta expected this; they were shocked at how much the once righteous Akame had changed. So much for saving the world from its corrupt rulers, this new assassin cared not for such things. Instead she only looked for new challenges. Deep down Rintaro Hanate couldn't help but wonder if Akaro would be okay with the ideals that guided this version of the all but unstoppable Red-Eyed Killer...no that name wasn't quite suited for her any longer now was it?

"Akame! Tomorrow, in the wake of twilight's arrival, Hikari will be vulnerable. Strike her then. I promise you my friend, Hikari shall provide you with the battle of a lifetime," Rin shouted as a malicious smile now made its way across his lips. Akame didn't answer verbally; instead she merely nodded before vanishing from everyone's sight in the blink of an eye.

"She's so...different, there's no humanity in there," Vesta finally spoke her mind

"The truth is a person can only murder another once. The act of murder is giving up the humanity that is within oneself, what is left is just emptiness. The act of murder then is simply turned into the act of slaughter. The killer I once knew by the name of Akame understood that perfectly.  She was an individual who accepted her nature as a killer and a murderer and one of the few in a world of crimson who ultimately—without thinking twice or even faltering in her way of thinking—acknowledged that recovering her humanity was impossible. Thus she moved on from her sins without ever trying to forget them.  Instead she accepted the title of Red-Eyed Killer and in the end she was rewarded for all the effort and hardship by meeting someone she could truly love," Rin voiced his many thoughts with a hint of pride contained in his voice.

"This Akame we see now however never once perceived any of her actions as sinful; she's just a Red-Eyed Reaper doing her job."

"We should move out and find a place where we can spend the night.  The Devil Queen's forces will surely find this little hideout during their late night patrols," The Godspeed calmly remarked before looking up at the man who had quite literally put her in an inescapable trap. He was still smiling with a noticeable amount of sweat running down his forehead. Through her more developed five senses, Vesta could quite clearly hear the male's increased heartbeat and the subtle shaking of his hands and legs; it was almost as if the great and immortal phoenix had been taken over by fear.

"Rin...what's wrong?" the Rose-Eyed Stormbringer inquired.

"Nothing my dear Vesta, I'm just glad our new friend didn't decide to cut us down right where we stand," Rin responded with his crimson eyes widened, a clear sense of absolute terror now overshadowing his typically unbreakable mask of absolute indifference, "Black Death huh...I can see why you've received such a title...Akame."