Step Back

Year X998

A Simple Bout
Nozomi stood up. "So...we simply beat this thing...and you're return us the book and take us back to the library?"

"That is correct."

"And there's no catch to this? Nothing else after this?"

"Not at all."

"Then this might be just what I need." She was a bit eager. This owl, his questions, everything seemed to be distracting her from the memories inside her head. She was eager to let that continue. "Seika, let's break it like we did grandfather's cleaver when we were kids."

Seika nodded. "Yeah. Snap it like a twig." A faint aura of cyan surrounded her body; her feet left the ground as she began levitating. "...This is a power unlike any other. Not magic. Not natural. It's a power born from exposure to the dimensions. This is the power of a psychic. Prepare yourself, 'cause now, I'm gonna save this world!"

The beast lunged at them with blinding speed, moving before they could really react, it's claws extended as if to rip out their soft young throats. Nozomi's glasses shone in a rather disturbing manner. "It's moving!"

Seika clicked her tongue in exasperation- as the cyan aura focused around her hands- releasing a powerful pulse of concussive force; with more than enough power to knock the demon away. "...Psychosmasher!" She stomped on the ground; causing several spikes of pure energy to erupt, aiming to pierce the beast at the same time.

Acrobatically, the demon-creature leaped into the air, spiraling over the spikes and lunging for Nozomi. The girl took a stance, swinging her arm in the air, creating a large gust of wind from her own strength which set if off course. "Get it now!"

Seika utilized her psychic power to let loose a blast of concussive force which shot forward in the form of a cyan wave, smacking into the demon at full strength, sending it crashing straight to the ground. "...This is easy. Almost TOO easy. Like, suspiciously easy."

She was right, though. A blurring crimson aura shrouded the demon- as it entered a state similar to what the squirrel demons could utilize. Black wings erupted from its back as it suddenly became more animalistic; its eyes pulsating emerald.

Whoosh.

Before Seika could blink, the beast charged forward and socked her in the gut, sending her flying. "...When did it get so strong...!"

The owl continued to watch as the children struggled. The demon was pushing them back easily, and they weren't managing to regain a real foothold. Were these two really the new promised children? Where had all their bravado gone?

"It's fast!" Nozomi's eyes tried to track it as it moved, but she could barely see anything but a blur. This wasn't good. Without proper focus, her main abilities was her insane brute strength. If she couldn't see it...if she couldn't get close...what the hell was she supposed to do!?

Seika could do naught but be pushed on the defensive; while the beast hacked away at her; slicing wildly as she could do nothing but form a barrier with her flames, held by her psychokinetic energy. in a vain effort to protect herself from the demon's vicious onslaught. "...Hey, Nozomi! Do something! You know it's friggin' hard for me to take hits, dammit!"

"Well, so long as you have it distracted!" Nozomi launched forward, coating her fist in powerful magical energy. As soon as she got close, she ducked, sliding along the ground (such as it was), and thrusting her fist upwards towards the distracted beasts side.

WHAM! The beast was knocked a few centimeters back as Seika's aura flared up, taking the form of a swirly-tailed beast with ears. It was active only momentarily; but it did cause the beast to freeze. Now held in place, Seika condensed magical energy within her palm; declaring, "Psychocrusher!" A blast of pure energy was released from her palm, crashing into the demon as it was blown away.

Nozomi pursued it. She didn't have anything half as flashy as what Seika could do, and was actually starting to feel outclassed, but she grabbed the beast by it's arm, spinning in place before letting it fly back towards Seika. "Can't you cut it!?"

"...I don't have a bladed weapon, remember?" However...Seika extended her hand, as psychokinetic energy formed around it- shaping itself in the form of a cyan blade. "I do have this!" Darting forward with a pulse of psychic energy released from her feet, Seika immediately slashed its arm off as she rushed past.

"It's arm? Really!?" Nozomi was getting visibly irritated. She needed to be able to pull off something flashy. Well, there was always that. "Seika, distract it! I think I have something!"

The beast, registering Seika as the strongest combatant, turned towards her, releasing a large volley of dark energy from it's mouth.

"Hyaa!" Seika raised her hand, emitting a barrier of psychokinetic energy from her hand, stopping the blast in its tracks. Teleporting forward, she unleashed a powerful overhead slash towards the demon.

The demon, instead of dodging, caught the blade in it's claws hands. Whatever Seika was bringing to the table, this wasn't going to cut it. Literally. With Seika caught, the demon opened it's mouth, letting loose a cannon blast of energy at point blank range.

Nozomi, meanwhile, had already taken a stance, her arm at her side, and magical energy was coating it. What was she doing?

Seika was blown away by the demon's attack; quickly catching herself, she couldn't help but feel a certain amount of knockback as she tumbled along the ground, "Nozomi. now!" She called frantically to her little cousin; ready for her to settle it with a single blow.

"On it!" Nozomi called out, and she began to glow softly with a golden light. "Heavenly Body Magic - Kōkagai." She cocked her arm back as it was enguled in a starry light. She charged forward, slamming her fist into the beast as soon as she got near. The end result was a fantastic display of lights with a drilling effect that left the monster without the majority of it's torso and legs.

"Let's end it!" Psychic energy coursed throughout Seika's body as the cyan aura blazed fervently; erupting violently as it illuminated the area. "Finishing Move!" Seika charged her right hand with psychic power, then surrounded herself with psychic energy. "Final Psycho Missile!" Now fully surrounded by the mystical energy, she shot forward like a powerful bullet; the kick-off point unleashed a sonic boom as the blasted towards the demon, spinning like a torpedo.

WHOOSH! Seika blasted straight through the demon with supersonic speed; the psychic energy that enveloped her eradicated what was left of the beast by pure density; the flaming psychic energy burnt it to ashes as she shot through it, like a bolt of lightning before landing on the ground.

The owl fluttered in their direction, silently as a ghost. "You two are truly impressive. The stars spoke true when I was told of your arrival." He swept a wing over them, and they found themselves back within the library, the owl vanished, and the book back on the table. "Good luck."

As the two returned, Seika picked the book up. "Alright, we've got it. Let's read. But then...how do we change the past, that's the big damn question!" She pulled her hair, frustrated.

"I would think the first step is getting to know what happened." Nozomi replied, trying to calm her cousin down. "It's why we went through all of that to get this book. It has to contain valuable information."

Seika set the book upon the table, flipping it open. "...Hmm, let's see...table of contents...Oooh!  Rips in Time. Supposedly, the heroes used some sort of ring to travel through time." She slumped. "...That just raises further questions. Like how do we get this damn ring. ...Eh, let's actually read the damn thing."

They persisted in turning a few pages, and noticed a very vague subject. "What's this....Ragnarok...the book doesn't really go into detail." Her eyes rolled down the page. "End of times....the coming of the red sky...cries of humans bleed out into the night....everything described here sounds so disturbingly close to what we're experiencing now....but there's nothing on the rings...."

"Would you like to know more?" A carrying voice whispered throughout the library. "Are you curious, children?"

"Go on." Seika said bluntly, not even facinated nor freaked out about the eerie voice. "I know you're some mystic person not from this time or something; it's what they all say."

Materialising in front of them was a man in a striped bucket hat, loose green shirt and pant, as well as a dark overcoat. He was staring at them with a rather satisfied expression. "I swear, this family never does disappoint me."

Seika wasn't surprised. "...Ah, dammit...you look suspicious as all get-out. But if you want something, explain." The fact that she was so unfazed was the freakiest part of it all.