Paragon of Hope

Wake Up
The dusk had settled; draping the land in the dark of night.

Winds rustled through the town; hot wind blowing leaving jagged lines across the sand left little to the imagination; and most of all, a certain young woman was wandering across the half-deserted city—the crumbling buildings were that all that stood....Clouds loomed overhead.

Through the darkness, the blueness of water cut through the night. Dozens and dozens of Rune Knights had managed to corner this blob of aquatic nature, driving it into the town square. Holding tough despite the merciless slaughter, the knights declared, "Surrender now! You are completely surrounded!"

The aquatic lifeform let out a strange, piercing cry as watery tentacles shot out from the demon's body and proceeded to rap around one of the Rune Knights, who became paralyzed in fear. Without a moment to allow its target to experience true fear, it dragged him screaming like a child into the nightmare that was it's amorphous body. A moment and quite a few screams later, the demon threw up a mangled and twitching body.

"Lock on target men! Ready? Fire!" The commander cried out—despite such a gruesome display; the helpless mooks fired their magical pistols at the watery blob...only for it to have absolutely zero effect; the magical bullets merely phased through its amorphous body.

"...Retreat! All personnel, fall back this instant!" The commander screamed at the top of his lungs as what was left of his little group began to flee...but the aquatic being extended its vicious tendrils, aiming to off them in a single attack.

However.

That fated attack did not land.

As the tentacle sped forward, a pulsating barrier deflected the water; which harmlessly bounded off of the shield in a manner akin to that of precipitation.

"...What magic is this...?"

Standing before them, a figure cleaved through the darkness, bringing light and hope to them. Their purple hair was splayed out in all directions at the ends, reaching down to their waist. Several large clumps of hair stuck out, some curling away horizontally. Their bangs framed their face, though they had two 'layers', with the behind layers falling to rest upon their chest. There were a few locks of hair kept in the middle of their forehead; there was a slim curled forelock of hair at the top of their head. The wind gently blowed their hair, while everyone was watching her.

Small hips, white long legs and thighs, and a nice curved rear; there were several impossibly attractive women in the universe, though this person's body was far more beautiful than all of those, from past, present, and future, absolutely stunning. It could be classified as art; a body with perfect shape. Clad in a tight black jumpsuit with red linings that clung to her body and a white scarf that reached down to her knees; her hair was tied back was a butterfly shaped hair accessory.

"...Who are you!? What's your mission objective and ID!? A mere mage isn't authorized to trespass through Bevelle!" The commander howled at the woman.

Giving the commander a brief aside glance, the woman made her words clear to him, "Justice. Tsuruko Sejren."

The aquatic menace took upon its true form—humanoid, five feet tall with bright red eyes. Its brain was visible through its watery exterior. A pulsating aura of blue surrounded the demon as it prepared to fight Tsuruko. Just as the fight was about to start, it began to rain on the combatants, as if the tension in the air had wrung the moisture out of it.

As if via calling upon it through a mental command amplified by the ring on her pointer finger, a unique weapon that was the fusion of a sword and a gun appeared within her left hand in a flash of light. Tsuruko flashed a smile of audacity—it had a certain edge of malice and aggressiveness to it as she boomed, "Ah, yeah! This should be fun! Now, it's showtime!"

The Ringed Magician
Tsuruko began to run. Her speed was incredible, despite the pooling water and violent wind. It didn't take more than three seconds to reduce the distance between her and the water demon from ten meters to zero.

WHAM!

Tsuruko's right leg slammed straight into her foe—blasting them away with a single sweep. Once more, the distance was lengthened as Tsuruko immediately performed a one-handed flip, leaping away momentarily. As the watery demon reformed itself, its flowing right hand shot forth, transforming into a vertical pillar of gushing liquid that spewed towards Tsuruko, aiming to impale her as the tip transfigured into a sharp blade of compressed water....

"...Heh!" Tsuruko smirked, as the ring on her middle finger on her right hand shone momentarily. Punching forward, she declared proudly, "Laser Ring, activate!" The moment that Tsuruko's fist and the demon's water pillar made contact, the Laser Ring unleashed a swift discharge of light in the form of a piercing laser, tearing through the demon's left arm and obliterating the amorphous appendage. Before the aquatic being could attempt to regenerate, Tsuruko leapt towards the demon, spinning around with a powerful hurricane kick that tore the demon's head off in a single sweep.

Still in the air, Tsuruko twirled around; the gemstone on the Laser Ring shining brilliantly as she punched downwards right into the demon's regenerating head—unleashing a powerful laser blast that obliterated the top portion of its body in a single move. Now landing on her two feet, Tsuruko flipped backwards once more.

Charging her magical energy within her gunblade, Tsuruko charged forward, plowing her sword straight through any defenses that the aquatic demon hoped to muster—impaling the fiend straight through the brain. Once her blade was lodged within the demon's main "core", a miraculous transformation occurred. The sword of Tsuruko Sejren performed a strange function; switching to a blade-like form to something akin to a firearm. "We're done here!" Tsuruko exclaimed, as she pressed the trigger of her weapon, unleashing a payload of silver bullets into the brain, decimating it utterly.

At last, the aquatic demon that had terrorized the Rune Knights in Bevelle was vanquished. The brain that allowed the fiend to function had exploded into a gory mess, and the water that composed its body slinked away in shame. Tsuruko did nothing but watch this sight, snarking, "Aww, come on, ya big drip! Where ya goin'?"

The Rune Knights who Tsuruko had defended crowded around her as her weapon disappeared into light—in the same manner that it had appeared in the first place. The commander was quick to ask her, "...How on earth did you do such amazing magic...it stems from your rings, right? But that isn't any ordinary Ring Magic...something far beyond that. Like the magic of olden times, where all magic was channeled through rings..."

Tsuruko swirled around and held up her ring-equipped hand. "The magic rings from the past shine on both hands of the chosen one as they change despair into hope."

A subordinate demanded, "But, what the hell is that water thing?! Our attacks just phased through it like we were shooting blanks!"

Tsuruko explained, "My, my. Not a reader, eh? Well, know how only ten percent of Earth Land are imbued with magical potential? There's an actual way to gain the ability to use magic without resorting to Lacrima or Body Crystal."

"...Eh?"

"A dark magical ritual is held on the night of a solar eclipse every ten years, summoning a horde of evil spirits known as symbiotes into this world. These monsters manifest themselves through humans who have been pushed through imaginable hells, and seek to create more of their kind by destroying the hope of innocent people." Tsuruko continued, "That demon you faced? It's a symbiote born from somebody who fell into despair."

"....Why have I never heard of that!?" The commander exclaimed.

"Probably because the Magic Council covers stuff like that up. Either way, let me tell you my story. I was one of the few who managed to survive the dark ritual. On his deathbed, my grandfather told me, to never lose hope and always believe in friendship. Those are words I took to heart, and through that resolve, I was able to contain my symbiote, and that caused my demon partner to bestow upon me the ability to use magic. Naturally, magic granted through this method isn't normally useable, so I was given a magical belt; one that allows me to use my magic." Tsuruko tapped on the belt affixed around her waist.

As Tsuruko began to walk off, the commander grabbed her hand. "Hey! Hold up a minute here, missy! You've got a symbiote inside of you too, that means that you're a potential threat to the Magic World as well! You know what that means, right?"

Tsuruko rolled her eyes. "Yes, officer."

"You, Tsuruko Sejren, are under arrest!"

Hero
At the Magic Council headquarters in Six; the town closest to Bevelle, Tsuruko sat in a prison cell. Needless to say, a jail cell did not accommodate to her tastes. It was barbaric looking and extremely cold; Tsuruko was freezing her arse off as the commander and his lackeys paced back and forth, thinking of what to do with her. Tsuruko was thankful that these guys didn't seem to be corrupt in regards to their dealings with supernatural beings and the like.

"...I am sorry for the inconvenience, missy. We're awaiting a call from Magic Council chairman Guran Doma, so please keep your ears out." The commander was at least nice about his job.

Tsuruko asked, "...Are you aware about how corrupt the Magic Council is, right? They keep a lot of secrets from their hired goons, and just use them as muscle so that they don't have to dirty their hands?"

The commander looked back at her with a sigh. "At the same time as... hmph... at the same time as trying to lead a good life, I have to reconcile myself with the fact that, yes, I have killed people in the pursuit of order. Not many people. Most of them were not very nice people. Listen here little missy; most of us are kind-hearted law-abiding human beings who would never dream of committing murder in private life. We're just...people. It's the only way to keep the money rolling in so that we keep a roof over our heads and eat every night. It's just, a job. Nothing personal."

Tsuruko nodded. "Fair enough. I can understand where you're coming from. You're all just normal people, with families, friends, and aspirations. Tell me, though...What was your dream as a kid?"

The commander relaxed momentarily; stating bluntly, "When I was a kid? I wanted to be a superhero. Like, run around, beat the bad guys, save people kind of heroics. Hehe, wasn't that every kid's dream? You guys can do all this awesome stuff, like punching demons to death, and flying around, and making other stuff fly around... I can't fly around, okay?" His tone became filled of self-loathing. "I can't do anything...I wanted to be a hero, and now I'm stuck as a member of the damn goon squad."

Tsuruko felt immense pity for this man. "...Say, what's your name?"

"...Deen. Deen Lhant." The commander, known as Deen, answered her.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Deen." Tsuruko smiled gently.

-BRRRRRRRRRRING!-

The sound of the phone resounded throughout the office, as a voice spoke, "...We're dropping the case. You can't handle the threat. Let the girl go."

Deen was utterly shocked by these words; stuttering, "A-Are you sure?"

"Positive. I shall come and pick her up." The connection was suddenly cut as Deen sighed, relenting and opening the door to Tsuruko's jail-cell.

"Well, you're free now." He...didn't have anything else to say, surprisingly.

As Tsuruko began to leave, she turned to him. "Hey, Deen?" Tsuruko placed a mysterious golden ring in his palm. "Don't give up on your dream, okay? Maybe we'll cross paths again."

Deen was utterly flabbergasted as the purple-haired woman left his sights, disappearing like a mirage.

Atoner
A woman that she didn't recognize was close to her, pushing her face against Tsuruko's. "Finally, I have you to myself." The woman with a strangely sleepy face said, with an indifferent and spaced out voice. Tsuruko could smell a faint fragrance, probably the smell of her shampoo.

"W, Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-WHO ARE YOU?"

"...Nn, aah." The woman, still in an absent-minded state, raised her body up, drearily sweeping her bangs to the side. As a certain amount of distance was put between them, it became possible to see the full view of the woman. She wore what was like a military uniform, and was around 20 years old. Her messy hair, eyes decorated with thick dark circles, and the stuffed bear covered with scars whose face was for some reason peeking out of the pocket of the military uniform, were her special characteristics.

"...I am the former Magic Council Head Scientist, Giselle Mercury. I was the one who called you—they think I'm still a part of the council, those idiots."

"..." Tsuruko couldn't help but worry; because, this woman called Giselle seemed obviously less healthy than Tsuruko herself. In fact, since earlier, as if drawing a small circle with her head, her body had been swaying unsteadily.

"...Um, uhm, can I ask a few questions? Too many things that I don't understand happened..." Tsuruko said while scratching her head. However, Giselle did not respond, silently turning away from Tsuruko. "Ah—Please wait..."

"...Follow me. There's someone I want to introduce you to. ...I know you have a lot of questions, but I'm bad at explaining. If you want any specifics you should ask that person." Saying this, she teleported the two into a spacy-looking bedroom; and she opened the curtains. Outside the curtains was a slightly larger space. Around six beds were lined up, and in the back of the room sat some unfamiliar medical tools.

Giselle turned towards what was apparently the entrance of the room, and wobbled towards it. She immediately stumbled, and with a bang, hit her head on the wall. Tsuruko immediately ran to her side; even though she hadn't fallen. Giselle, moaning, was leaning on the wall.

"...Aah, sorry. Recently I haven't been getting enough sleep."

"H-How long has it been since you last slept?" Tsuruko asked, and Giselle, after thinking for a bit, raised hen entire hand. "Five days. Then of course you'd be sleepy."

"...Maybe around fifty years?"

"....Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!?" Tsuruko's eyes went white with shock.

"Are you serious!?" Tsuruko exclaimed. She had even prepared for an answer of around a week, but this answer was completely unexpected.

And it obviously exceeded the age that she appeared to be at. "...Well, it's true that I can't remember the last time I slept. I have something like extreme insomnia."

"Is-Is that so..." Tsuruko was utterly perplexed.

"...Oh. Ahh, excuse me, it's time for my medicine." Giselle suddenly searched in her pockets, and pulled out a case of tablets. She then opened the case, and poured the tablets into her mouth as if she were drinking them.

"Hey!"

Without any hesitation, the large number of tablets in Giselle's mouth went crunch crunch crunch gulp, louder than Tsuruko could have expected. "...What is it, you're noisy." Giselle hypocritically growled at her in an antagonistic manner.

"How much did you eat?! And anyways, what medicine was that!?"

"...They were all sleeping pills." Giselle bluntly replied.

"You'd die! That's not a good joke!" Tsuruko was freaking out.

"...But they're not really effective anyways."

"...What!? The heck is up with your body!?" Tsuruko exclaimed, shaking the older woman.

"...Well, it's sweet and delicious; so it's good."

"Shouldn't you go to a doctor!?" Tsuruko was severely worried.

"...I am a doctor." After the bout of shouting, Tsuruko exhaled a deep breath as she realized she couldn't win against her.

"...Why did you quit the Magic Council?" Tsuruko was curious as a monkey.

"...Eh, my job was so fucking unbelievable. I’ll try to sum it up by first telling you about the folks I worked with. First, there was this supermodel wanna-be chick. Yeah, okay, she was pretty hot, but damn was she completely useless. The girl was constantly fixing her hair or putting on makeup. She was extremely self-centered and had never once considered the needs or wants of anyone but herself. She was as dumb as a box of rocks, and I still find it surprising that she had enough brain power to continue to breathe."

Tsuruko nodded. "Go on."

"The next chick was completely the opposite. She might even be one of the smartest people on the planet. Her career opportunities were endless, and yet she was there with us. She was a zero on a scale of 1 to 10. I wasn't sure she even showered, much less shaved her “womanly” parts. I think she might be a lesbian, because every time we drove by the hardware store, she moaned like a cat in heat."

"...Uh-huh."

"But the jewel of the crowd had got to be the fucking stoner. And this guy was more than just your average pothead. In fact, he was baked before he comes to work, during work, and I’m sure after work. He probably hadn't been sober anytime in the last ten years, and he was only 22. He dressed like a beatnik throwback from the 1960’s, and to make things worse, he brought his big fucking dog to work. Every fucking day I had to look at this huge Great Dane walk around half-stoned from the second-hand smoke. Hell, sometimes I even think it was trying to talk with its constant bellowing. Also, both of them were constantly hungry, requiring multiple stops to McDonalds and Burger King, every single fucking day." Giselle finished off.

"...Wait, really?"

"Anyway, I drove these fucktards around in my van and we solved mysteries and shit."

"Are you SERIOUS?"

"...I'm surprised that you believed me for even a second. You're dumb as a stump, but you're honest. I like that." Giselle chuckled. "Either way, I've called you here for a reason."

"...Huhh?"

"So, a little birdie told me, that you're special, Tsuruko Sejren. You're like a gravitational lens—people are drawn towards you. Anyway, here's what I want to ask you. It's a personal favour. If you do it, I'll pay you handily." Giselle stopped for a moment.

Tsuruko waved her hands, denying that she wanted any compensation. "No, no, no! I'll do it for free! Helping people is my payment!"

Giselle chuckled again. "Ah, well. I'll find a way to repay you somehow. Back onto what I want." She held up a picture. "See this kid? A while ago, I was forced to run from the Magic Council. He was, for all intents and purposes, my son. But they separated us. I know you may not do such things...but it'd mean a lot to me if I could see him, one last time."

Tsuruko glanced over the photo. He was a rather...pretty young man who appeared so pure. Black haired; blue-eyed, he was a bishōnen in every sense of the word. "...This guy looks like he'd be in a boy's love novel, you know?"

"Shut up, everyone points that out." Giselle snapped as her muscles suddenly relaxed. All of a sudden, her irritation turned to her pleading with Tsuruko. "Anyway, I want to see him again. I want to be a family, just like I promised. The guilt for being unable to save me...it crushed my soul. It seems that the years away from his mother had warped his personality, so...I don't think I'll be able to take him back by myself...!" Her tears broke through that icy demeanour as she clutched Tsuruko's arms, begging, "Tsuruko Sejren, you're a paragon of love..! I know, you'll somehow be able to let him be the sweet kid he used to be once more...So please...let me see my son again...."

Tsuruko was surprised by the display of emotion shown by the formerly cold Giselle Mercury. All Tsuruko did was brush her hand through Giselle's soft, lavender hair, reassuring her, "I'll become friends with him and bring him back to you, Giselle. That way he sees that people can love even a spikey headed jerk like him."