Blood Archive (Bloodborne/Blue Archive)

[mgman]

Hello friends, I come with a story, specifically a blue archive and bloodborne crossover story.

As is probably obvious, this is a cross post of my already existing blue archive crossover story that I have been working on for some time now, originally it was hosted on space battles however with my subsequent ban from that website, I instead moved it over permanently to fanfiction.net. But considering how well my other story which is a Monster girl encyclopedia and bloodborne crossover is going currently, I thought why not bring my other popular story to this website and see what people think about it.

I will say though if anyone is coming from my other story expecting lots of bloodshed and violence, then you will sadly be disappointed (or possibly relieved considering not everyone seems to like my portrayal of the hunter in that story) considering that despite the fact that bloodborne is a very messy and violent game, I've tried and will continue to try my absolute best to tone down some of the darker aspects of the game, specifically the blood and violence to fit more in line with the slightly more cheery atmosphere of blue archive.

However, that doesn't mean that some of the more cosmic and lovecraftian aspects of bloodborne won't make their way into blue archive because after all, it wouldn't be a bloodborne story if there weren't a lot of cosmic shenanigans and a mind melting amount of insight.

Anyway I think that's enough of me rambling for now, much like was my other story I am still working on the latest chapter as I write this but in the meantime I will upload all of the previous chapters I have posted. So without any further ado, may I present you what I personally think is my best work, Blood Archive.

The night had been long, yet much like it was always, the darkness of night was quickly banished by the sun's rising. The black veil of the night quickly retreated as the bright and radiant sun began to peak over the horizon, the numerous skyscrapers that dotted the landscape casting long retreating shadows over the sprawling metropolis of Kivotos.

It was a beautiful sight, one that could easily take the breath away. It also had a calming effect on those who saw it, the pale sky the sparkling of the distant towers, and the ethereal glow that the rising sun gave the entire City.

The breathtaking, panoramic vista was so captivating that it could soothe even the most agitated soul. The harmonious convergence of elements created a visual symphony that quelled the frenzied mind, bringing a sense of tranquillity and serenity.

However.

Today's stunning view did absolutely nothing to calm the raging and turbulent mind of a certain general student council member. In fact, unlike every other day, the now de facto leader of the general student council wouldn't even acknowledge the spectacular view.

Letting out a tired and frustrated sigh. Rin Nanagami, the current acting head of the general student council, slumped down into her chair. Massaging one of her temples with her gloved hand, as the consistent throbbing pain in her head continued to give her grief.

Pulling off her glasses and placing them on the table, Rin pinched the bridge of her nose, the stress of everything she had been dealing with up until now finally getting the better of her.

Everything was falling apart, both in the literal and metaphorical sense. The city was in turmoil, all of its services breaking down, gangs and other criminals were running rampant, practically treating the city as their own personal playground. And all the while the general student council was completely powerless to stop it.

She and everyone else in the general student council were trying to keep everything together, but it was simply just too much. Without the Sanctum Tower, they were practically powerless to do anything, which was only made worse by the fact that they couldn't even access the tower ever since...

Rin felt a horrible aching in her chest, as her train of thought came to a dead stop. She had been putting off thinking about it ever since it happened, using the amount of work as an excuse to not think about it.

But it was ultimately fruitless, considering that... her disappearance, was the catalyst for all of this.

Feeling the pain in her heart only grow the more she thought about it, Rin's gaze unconsciously came to rest, on a particular picture frame, its wooden frame was horribly out of place on her neat and overly tidy desk.

Staring back at her from the picture, was a younger version of herself looking quite unused, Yet the person next to her younger self was the exact opposite. Her face so vibrant and full of life, that even though she felt an incredible pain in her heart, Rin couldn't help but smile just a little bit looking at the picture.

However, the brief smile on her face quickly vanished as the full reality seeped in once again, her friend... her only friend. The general student council president...

Was gone.

Rin, when she found out, had mobilised all available resources to try and find her, both for the sake of Kivotos, and selfishly because the thought of losing her, was something that the dark-haired girl was not willing to accept.

Yet all the searches and investigations have been completely fruitless. The general student council president had seemingly completely vanished into thin air, with not a single trace of her left behind. Her complete and utter disappearance made it almost seem like she never existed, to begin with.

But that was not possible, considering that it defied all logical explanation, and also considering that despite the size of Kivotos. Actually fully vanishing in the mega-metropolis was exceedingly difficult, if not completely impossible.

And of course, this led to only one explanation. One that Rin didn't want to accept or even consider, despite it being the only one that made any sense or logical reason.

The pit and her stomach only grew as she continued to stare at the photo frame on her desk, the horrific thought swirling around in her brain before despite her protests cementing itself at the front of her mind.

The student council president hadn't just gone missing. It was far worse than that.

She was... kidnapped.

It was the worst possible explanation, but ultimately it was the only one that to Rin's logical mind made any sense whatsoever. Although even though it was the only explanation left that made any kind of sense to her, there was still the question of how exactly somebody could have kidnapped her. Considering that the student council president was, without doubt, the most guarded and well-protected person in all of Kivotos.

Straightening herself in her chair. Rin pinch the bridge of her nose once again, letting out a quiet but frustrated-sounding sigh, quickly retrieving her glasses from her desk and placing them back on her face.

Despite the aching in her heart persisted for her missing friend. She knew more than anyone that just sitting around and feeling sorry for herself wasn't going to get anything done, especially considering that the city was basically collapsing around the general student council.

As such, after taking a deep breath to try and compose herself, she finally began to work. The sun had now fully risen over the Horizon, basking her office in a warm glow that was refreshing, even though it didn't exactly make her feel any better.

Yet, as she began to work on the backlog of documents on her desk, a strange thought came to her mind. More precisely, it was a... Memory.

The memory of a dream, that was fuzzy and indistinct in her mind

However, as she continued to scribble away at the document in front of. The memory of the dream became more pronounced, more of it gradually coming back to her as she quickly went on to the next document.

…​

Rin's eyes jolted open, her body propelled upright from its prone position with such rapidity that her head spun. As she drew in a sharp breath, her chest seemed to be pierced by innumerable daggers. The ensuing violent coughing fit caused her to sputter and spray her surroundings.

Her head felt light and empty, the spinning of the world around her only continuing to intensify as she quickly lost her balance falling back onto her back, as she tried to force as much oxygen into her lungs as possible.

She wasn't sure how long she lay there, it could have been minutes, days or even years for all she knew. But the fogginess in her mind combined with the heaving of her chest rendered any kind of perception of time almost completely non-existent.

However, thankfully, Rin's the light headedness began to subside, along with the slowing of her rapid heart rate and the studying of her breathing. But as her mind regained clarity, that's when she became fully aware that something was deeply wrong.

As she pushed herself to a sitting position, Rin noticed that the surrounding area was completely unfamiliar, in fact, the surrounding environment was so strange and bizarre that it didn't look like anything she had ever seen in her life.

She was surrounded on all sides by the most beautiful pale white flowers that she had ever seen. The whiteness of their petals was so pure and vibrant that they almost didn't look real. Yet experimentally running her hands through the flowers next to her confirmed that they were in fact real despite their almost unnatural beauty.

Suddenly, something amidst the beautiful flowers caught her eye. Large, strange wooden cross-like structures, covered in moss and vines, protruded from the ground. Their distinct shape made her think of the religious motifs of trinity almost immediately.

To Rin's eye, they almost look like scarecrows, but without any kind of decoration that scarecrows usually employ to ward off potential birds and other pests. Yet, as she slowly got to her feet she noticed, that the wooden crosses were not the only thing scattered amongst the beautiful flowers.

Cautiously approaching it, a pit began to form in her stomach as she registered what exactly the mysterious object was. It was a...

Greystone

A cracked and weathered headstone, that looked entirely out of place amongst the pale white flowers. And casting her gaze around herself made it abundantly clear that it was not the only one of its kind scattered about.

Some of them looked ancient, their surfaces cracked and weathered, to the point where any text that would have been etched into them had long been eroded away by the unyielding march of time.

Others, by complete contrast, were practically brand-new looking, to the point where even from a distance, she could make out legible text etched into the stony faces of the headstones.

Despite the strangeness of the situation, Rin felt herself beginning to move towards the nearest headstone, her feet almost moving by themselves as she quickly came to a stop in front of one of the newer looking gravestones.

Etched into the face of stone, was nothing, except for a singular word. One that surprisingly she was able to understand considering that it was written in global, and even though she was not the most fluent in the language, she was able to read aloud what was written.

"Liliana"

The unfamiliar name roller for tongue, her voice having a strange echoey otherworldly quality to it that made it sound like not even her own.

Rin turned on her heels, looking around at all the strange crosses and gravestones that were scattered amongst the flowers, it was an incredibly bizarre site, one that almost felt like something that would be seen in a dream. Yet it also had a strange and eerie beauty to it, the likes of which she wasn't quite sure how to put into words.

However, the strangeness of the entire scene, was only made more apparent when she finally noticed something that she didn't understand how she couldn't have noticed before.

In front of her, a massive tree stood majestically atop a small hill. Its colossal size, unlike anything she had ever encountered, left her in awe. The tree's gnarled and twisted trunk soared high into the sky, culminating in a sweeping canopy that nearly enveloped the entire heavens.

At Its base was a collection of more gravestones, so close together that they almost looked to be stacked on top of each other. Many of them looked so old and ancient that they were practically crumbling apart.

Cautiously approaching the tree, Rin immediately notice something that made her stop. It was perhaps the strangest object she had seen so far, and certainly one that didn't look like it belonged where it currently was.

A singular old-fashioned wheelchair sat on the crest of the hill, poison Ivy vines and flowers growing through the spokes and gaps of the wheels.

Rin wanted to approach, her curiosity getting the better of her. Yet before she could even think about stepping forward, she felt an almost sickly feeling of shame overtake her. It was so sudden and quick that she felt herself stumble backwards several steps, as if she had been repelled by some kind of invisible force.

Quickly recovering from whatever had repelled her, she looked at the wheelchair questioningly, trying to figure out if it was somehow responsible for what it just happened. Yet it didn't give any indication as such, continuing to calmly sit there at the base of the massive tree amongst the beautiful flowers.

Giving the wheelchair one last cautious side-eyed glance, Rin turned to attention back to the massive flower field, her gaze immediately resting upon a small muddy path that curled out of sight around some of the headstones.

Something in the back of her mind compelled her to walk over to the path, which she did after a moment of hesitation. The path was barely even that, simply just a clearing in the flowers, allowing one to step through them without trampling them.

Walking down the path, she came to a large and very elaborate wrought iron gate, one that looked absolutely ancient yet very well cared for despite its age.

Approaching the gate she noticed that it was slightly a jar, and without a second thought she gently pushed it open, the hinges squeaking slightly as the gate was opened.

Beyond the gate, Rin discovered a cobblestone path, weathered and worn from the passage of time and frequent use. Pausing briefly, she stepped across the threshold, feeling the cool, damp stone beneath her bare feet—a pleasant contrast to the wet mud she had been treading through.

Looking around, she began to make her way down the cobblestone path, admiring the beauty of the flowers arranged alongside the path. However, as she cast her gaze to the other side of the path, she noticed a site that immediately caused her to stop dead in her tracks.

Beyond the wrought iron fence lay a sight that she could scarcely comprehend. Instead of more land, there was an endless expanse of white fog that reached to the distant horizon. The only visible objects were strange, impossibly large gray pillars that rose high into the night sky, seemingly reaching for the stars.

The strangeness of a worldly vista caused Rin's mind to misfire for a moment, it was so strange and alien, yet somehow held an eerie calming beauty that was almost impossible to put into words.

She couldn't draw her gaze away from the strange and otherworldly vista, it looked like something plucked straight out of a dream... or maybe even a nightmare.

Rin continue to stare, yet as she did, she felt something beginning to pull at the back of her mind, urging her to continue despite the otherworldly site in front of her. After a moment, her feet began to move by themselves, her body seemingly on autopilot as she continued down the cobblestone path.

After an unknown amount of time, she rounded a corner, the flowers which had been blocking her view before, now giving way to a site that was strange but not as otherworldly as the previous one.

Nestled on a hill was a strange-looking structure, the architecture being of a much older and ancient looking style, with a stylistic flare to it that was completely alien to her and nothing like the ultra modern and sleek architecture she was used to seeing.

In fact, the closest comparison that she could think of at this moment was some of the oldest and most sacred buildings located in Trinity. But even then, the comparison was only passing, considering that this structure was even more elegant and elaborately decorated than any of the buildings in Trinity.

She wasn't sure what came over her, but something compelled her to walk forward, to approach the structure. And despite trying to resist the urge, she couldn't help but comply with the Silent request. Each step bringing her closer to the strange abode.

Looking around, she could see that there were more graves, each one of them looking much more individual and even personalised than the ones that she had seen previously in the flower field,

The building itself was located on a small hill with two paths that lead up to it, the one directly in front of her was a set of cobblestone stairs that curled to the left, a series of five elaborate gravestones flanking the right side as they curled with the steps

In contrast, the path to her left was significantly longer. It consisted of a cobblestone pathway covered in moss, leading to an additional entrance. Between the two paths, there was a small, secluded spot where the same exquisite, light-coloured flowers she had encountered earlier grew in clusters. Curiously, she noticed a miniature birdbath nestled against one of the rocky walls that supported the building.

Feeling the pull in her mind intensifies, Rin gently approaches the stairs that lead up to the entrance of the strange building, pausing for just a singular moment to look at the intimidating structure before she began to ascend the steps. Now that she was closer she noticed that the gravestones were indeed very different from each other, each one of them having a completely different and distinct design.

The very last one was of particular strangeness considering that it looked like it was almost alive with the sticky fleshy tendrils that seemingly kept broken and lumpy stone in the rough shape of a headstone.

Pushing the thought aside, Rin finally reached the top of the stairs, standing before a large set of closed oak doors, their surfaces holding elaborate engravings and trimming that gave them an almost regal look.

Reaching out with her hand, she gently grabbed a hold of the latch, being surprised to find that the door itself was unlocked, allowing her to simply pull it open with relatively little force despite its size.

Almost immediately her ears picked up on a strange sound, wonder was unusual yet gave her a strange sense of comfort. It was the crackling of a fireplace.

Rin looked into the open doorway, the inside of the abode being just as strange yet majestic as the outside. Immediately to her left was a large strange chest, large metal padlocks keeping whatever contents were inside safe from potential prying eyes or thieves.

Directly opposite the chest was a large collection of books, many of them collected in two large bookshelves but also haphazardly strewn across the floor in unorganised piles and towers.

Stepping into the strange abode, she felt the texture beneath her feet become almost as soft as velvet, and looking down confirmed that it was a luxuriously soft fur rug that encompassed most of the floor.

Looking around, she noticed many strange and unfamiliar objects, many of which were contained within a large cabinet located further into the strange abode. Containers of all kinds filled with strange liquids and even objects that were unable to be made out due to the tinted glass of the containers they were contained in.

However, as she stepped further in, Rin came to a complete stop. Her eyes coming to rest on a site that confirmed that she wasn't in fact alone.

At the far end of the abode, and located up a small set of stairs, was a person... a woman in fact. Her skin and complexion were unnaturally pale, to the point where her skin almost looked like it was made of pure porcelain.

Her clothes were incredibly antiquated, being comprised of a brown shaw that hung around her shoulders, a dark red corset and an ankle length skirt that hid the majority of her figure, with the entire entirety of her outfit being topped off by a simple dark red bonnet.

Rin wasn't sure what to make of the woman, her unnatural appearance and strange sense of dress certainly set off quite a few alarm bells in her mind, in fact for a moment she considered not even approaching the woman whatsoever.

But she ignored her worries because this woman, even though she looked strange, was the only clue she had to figure out why she was here.

After swallowing a lump in her throat, Rin began to approach the woman, taking care not to make too much noise as to frighten her.

As Rin approached, she was struck by the woman's unnatural appearance but also her extraordinary beauty. The woman's hair was a pale white, reminiscent of the flowers in the strange place, and her skin was flawless and blemish-free. Rin was reminded of the porcelain dolls that were so popular among the youngest students on the Trinity campus.

Rin parted her lips, about to speak, but any questions she had instantly vanished, replaced by a shock that froze her in her tracks and chilled her blood.

The woman was not alone.

In her lap rested a hauntingly familiar figure, someone Rin had yearned to see for an eternity, ever since she had disappeared. Yet, even though she was now right before her, Rin found herself unable to take another step.

"P-president?"

In a whisper so soft that it was almost drowned by the sound of the wind, Rin spoke. Yet the strange woman with silver hair seemed to hear her anyway. The woman lifted her head and turned her gaze to meet Rin's, as if locking onto her.

When Rin looked into the woman's eyes, she saw they were a beautiful pale blue colour. However, she felt a shiver when she saw how empty and lifeless they really were.

Managing to tear her gaze away from the woman's, Rin looked back to the general student council president who was resting in the woman's lap, only just now noticing the condition she was in.

The pristine whiteness of her uniform had been marred by an unknown red substance. At first, it was just a splatter of colour, but as the realization dawned on her, a chill of horror shot through her veins.

Blood…

Her uniform was stained in blood.

Rin couldn't tear her eyes away from the blood that adorned the president's uniform, yet the longer she looked, the more horrific chill began to creep up her spine when it became apparent that the president was not moving whatsoever.

Her face usually so full of life and energy was completely still, the expression on her face being a completely neutral one.

Before she could stop herself, Rin took a step forward, the mysterious doll-like woman's gaze noticeably hardening as she approached. The horrific feeling in her body did not leave as it became horrifyingly apparent exactly what condition the president was in.

Yet despite that, she didn't want to acknowledge it. She didn't want to acknowledge the fact that the president was seemingly...

Dead

Rin felt tears beginning to form in her eyes, a sob uncontrollably escaping her lips as the true fate of her friend became apparent, her legs went weak causing her to fall to the ground, the soft carpet beneath her cushioning her fall as all the strength left her body.

It was a nightmare, a true waking nightmare. Her friend, the only person that was dear to her, was... Dead.

The dam that held back Rin's tears finally shattered, releasing a cry of anguish as the true extent of her friend's disappearance and fate crashed upon her.

Even in her sorrow, she could feel the mysterious woman's intense gaze burning into her, as if trying to pierce through her soul. But Rin could not find it within herself to care, consumed by the emotional turmoil caused by the revelation of her friend's destiny.

Despite her crying, Rin suddenly became aware of a strange, almost oppressive feeling washing over her, one that was accompanied by the woman's gaze moving away from her and focusing on something else.

"Ah. Welcome home, good Hunter"

Rin felt the blood in her veins turn to ice, which was accompanied by a chill running down her spine. The voice that emanated from the strange woman, had an almost otherworldly quality to it, one that was almost impossible to put into words.

Yet before she could comprehend the woman's strange voice even further, the horrific oppressive feeling that had settled on her shoulders only grew in intensity, the distinct sound of gentle but deliberate footsteps being audible in her ear.

She couldn't bring herself to turn around, something in the deepest recesses of her mind screaming at her to stay as perfectly still as possible. She felt incredibly small and tiny, as if her very existence was nothing but a mere speck compared to whoever... Or whatever was behind her.

Ỳ̴̹͙̜͕̲͖̜̾̔́͂ͅ'̸̡̝̤̲̹̫͛͒̏͆́̊́̿̍͋̑͋̐͠ͅ ̷̧̦̳̭̹͓̙͉̪͇̭̓̍̂̊̀̕m̷̮͌̑̈́̈̇̾̿͌̿̓̍́̒͘g̵̨̨͕̹̪͇̘͍̬̗͖̮͈̭̖͈̅̎̉̃̄̚e̴̢̨̺̦̮̠̭̯̩̤̹͍̦̤͒̑̿̎̾̃͑̽͆͊̕͘͝ṗ̷̛̹͈̻̯̫͍͓̙̙̾̌̈́̉̈͌̕ ̴̡̨͔̪̪̺̝̟̰͎͈̑̈́͂͂͆̔́̊m̵̡͇̝̪̫̳̫̠̼̲̆̎͗͗̈́̔̓̔͛̽͘̕g̴̗̹̀͋̊́͑͘͝e̶͍͍͓̲̺̞̭͍̟̦͓̍̉̈́̍̾̃̀̅͗͒̑̕͜p̵̢̢͕͍͇̘͎͚̻̜̮̐̃͊͐̔͒̊̎̎̎̏n̷̥̯̫͎͉̪͎̮͂̈́͊̾͜͜ͅȍ̵̤̱̄̀̕͝ḡ̴̲͓̮̥͓͉͓̖̀͆̔͑͘é̶̢͈̙̘͇͇͌̽ͅṗ̷̨̢̬̜̬̤̦͔̠̓́͑̒̈́̉́̒͌̀͆͠͝͝ͅh̸̳̲̙̞͙̜̲̹̜̽͊̊́̀͐͛̎́͝͝á̶̧̪̼̦̰̖̦̦́̾͆̀̉̓͗͛̈͌̏̎̀̚i̷̧̅̿́͒͊͑͆̽͒̈́̓̈́̈̈́̾̕͝i̵̛̮͉̙̻͉͍̎́̏̇̑̍̓̍͘͝͠,̸̱̣̿̉͝ ̷̠̲̍ḽ̴̨̨̡̛̫̙̟̭̼̥̹̻̆̀͒̀͐̅͌́̽̚̚͜ͅͅu̵̧͚̳͍͇͓͙̫͈̝͒̍̈͒͐͂͝ͅń̷͇̖̝̼̝̭̹͙̬̤̦̪́̽͋̂͜ͅä̸̛̖͉͊̋͒̔̏̈.̶̄͂̈́̍̎̎̌͗͐̿͘͠ͅ ̵̨̱̤̜͙͙͛̑͐̈̅͊̈́̐̑͊͝ͅ ̷̺͍̘̰̖̄̀̉͋͂̏̇̎̿̈́̈͘͝͝Ä̴̰̳̗̞̘͚͎̼͚̣̼̩̥́͐͆͒̈́͛̅̿̀́͝ͅh̶̢̧̹̤̞̠̦͇͕̝̳͖̖̘̣̽̈͜f̷̨̩̯̄̈́̉͊̉̆̋'̴̛̖͍̤̣͕͈̾̈́̊͌͊̓̑͐͑̇̕͘͝͝ͅ ̵̢̧̺̤̫̠̯̝̗͛͂̋̊a̷̠͙̖̖͓͂͛̀h̸̟̗͚͗̿͂́̕ ̶̡̨̼̭̙̟̳͕̜͇̟̙̙̜͋͊́̇̎́͝c̵̢̨͚̞͎̲͔̜̞͍̻̪͍̹̩̊̃͆̇̏̐̒̈́ä̵̟̠̻̍̈́h̷̠͇͇̼̽̕ḟ̷̧̲̤͙̗̺̠̜͇̘̟̣̺͊̊̋̅̐̾̄̉̓̾̀̐̚ ̶̨̹̥̼͙̙̹͓̝̻̃̀̿͒̃͊̄̑̋̋̎͆͑̈́͝l̸̨̟͓̳͚͇̻̣̼̝̿̎̈́̿͝ͅļ̸͚̱̈́ļ̶̛̼̫̺̥̩͈̺͓̦̥͆͑̾̎͋̐̂̇͜͠l̴̳̳̗̳̟̺̺̠̋̅̂̄̑̔́͗͂̅͐͘͝͝ͅ ̵͇͇̞̅̇ẏ̵̙̟̭̼̫̫̱̱͚͎̭͈̞͇͔̇̈͂̆͌̐̇̿̈́͜ͅm̶̨̜̞͎̖͕͐̍̄̐̀͛͑͂͋͜ǵ̴̬̰̰̦͉͓̣͔̱͇̟̰͚̐͊̌̈́̍͑͐͆͂͊̚̕͜'̴̛̖͆̑̈́̐̈̏́́̈̃͠͝,̸̭̣̯̟͚̺̂̐̾̄͌ ̷̛̖̣̹̩̝̞͉͎̥͉̿͌͐͛̓̔̉͗̅̽̏͂̓̋̉͠Y̸̨̱̩͕̦͕̦͈̾'̸̣̬̞̭͙͍̰̖̪̗̩̇̏̇͌̇̾͌̈́͐̂́̽̌͝ ̶̧̬̳͚̹̭̠̖̟͓̎̓ͅa̶̘̜̓̀͛̉h̵̝̓̊͐̉͋̿̄͋n̷̡̬̙̝̘̞̘̫̿ỵ̵͈̓̂̏͆̒̓̑̅̈́́̚͜t̷̨̙̝̳̯̗̠͈̹͂͊̉́h̵̢͍̙̞̲̘͓̙͎̭͈͉̬͉̤̻̃̃̐͛͛͛̀̽̒͘o̸̝̗͕̥̒̓̚ȓ̵̨͕̝̟̱̱̻̹̹̝̆̄̑̿͑͆͂̍̆ ̴̧̢͍̦͎̬̗̹͇̙̼̫͔̠̥̒̅̉̃̈́́̿̈͐͘͜ͅä̸̮͔͚̭͇̖͉̦͕̺̤́͂́͠h̷̡̪̗͍̟̼̭͎͔͇͍̏̇̌̽̈̄͒̾̓̚͠'̴̼͒̏k̶̛̞̥̼̻̫̝̎͌̐̄͋̽̾́̀̈́̓͒̀͘͠ͅͅñ̸̫̺̀͛͆̀͗̊̏͜͝'̴̢̨̥̹͙̜̩̼͈͑̿̿̏̽̒́̂̂͘͝ậ̵͎̈̾̅̓͂̎̇̅̎́̍̊̈́͗?̷̨̧̢̜̼̤̰̥̞̼͎̬̄̀̉͗̍̎͋̈́̒̎͗͛̓̕͝ͅ​

Rin's crying came to an abrupt halt, a sharp and unexpected pain quickly exploding in her brain, causing her to grab her head with both hands. It felt like something was wriggling inside her brain desperately trying to explode outwards.

She felt the strength leave her body, quickly falling onto her back as she continued to roll around in abject agony, the pain was unbearable it felt like her skull was about to be cracked open from the inside.

Amidst the torment, Rin mustered the strength to seek a moment of clarity. Her eyes lifted, coming to rest on something that—

Ring Ring! Ring Ring!

Rin jumped nearly ten feet in the air at the sudden sound, the sharp and sudden jerking motion she made sent quite a few of the documents on her desk flying across the room.

With her heart in her throat, she looked around for the source of the noise, quickly finding that it was the intercom PA system currently buzzing on her desk, indicating that somebody was trying to contact her.

Putting a hand on her chest, she tried to take a calming breath, the feeling of her heart beating hard in her chest beginning to subside as the momentary shock left her system. And after quickly brushing away some stray hairs from her eyes, she pressed the answer button on the PA system.

"Yes, what is it?" Rin didn't mean for her response to come across as harsh and snappy, silently apologising to whoever was on the other end of the line as she waited for a response.

"Umm... vice presid- I mean acting president, Rin. The Academy representatives are here... I T-T-tried telling them that you were busy, but they wouldn't have any of it" Rin let out a weary sigh, the voice on the other end of the line was none other than her secretary and the head of the Arbitration office, Ayumu Iwabitsu.

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Rin already knew that she wasn't in the mood to deal with the Academy representatives, especially considering all the work she had to do to just try and keep the City from completely imploding on itself.

This certainly wasn't helped academies like Trinity and Gehenna, outright refusing to get along on the best of days and often trying to stoke the fires of all-out war on the worst.

But after letting out of exasperated sigh, Rin resigned herself to the fact that she couldn't avoid the Academy representatives forever even though she desperately wanted to, simply to save her any more aggravation.

"It's fine, Ayumu, tell them I will be down soon. Also, send Aoi to my office while I'm away, these documents aren't going to sign themselves" Rin spoke into the intercom, silently apologising for the increased workload she was about to put the general student council's chief financial through.

"O-of course, I'll S-send her up right away" Ayumu's timid and fragile voice came from the other end of the intercom.

"Thank you Ayumu" Rin pressed the disconnect button, uncharacteristically slumping back in her chair as another sigh escaped her lips.

With a hand already pressed against her throbbing temples, she could sense an intense migraine brewing within her skull. Despite the pain, she stood up, determined to power through it as she had countless times before.

Retreating from her desk, she quickly scooped up her coat, which was resting on a sofa nearby. Looking in the stand-up mirror, Rin wasn't shocked to see her dishevelled and frankly worn-out vintage looking back at her, but pushing those concerns aside, adjusting her coat as she made for the exit of her office.

On her way out of the office, a memory resurfaced in her mind. It was something the president had briefly mentioned to her before she had mysteriously vanished.

"Rinny... I'm scared... I'm scared that soon all of Kivotos will fall into darkness... a darkness that none of us can escape from and the likes of which we can't even begin to understand…"

"But there is Hope... there is one person that could lead us through this... an individual who could guide and teach... a sensei, Someone that could maybe even save Kivotos from its ghastly fate"

Originally, Rin was at a loss for understanding the president's message. However, after her disappearance and the peculiar dream she had, she began to develop a growing sense of unease, suspecting that the president's words held deeper significance than she had perceived initially.

As the elevator descended toward the ground floor, Rin trembled uncontrollably, her spine tingling with apprehension about what lay ahead in Kivotos' near future.

 

[mgman]

"It was all my fault... My decisions and everything they caused."

"I didn't want to understand at the time... Yet after everything came to ruin, only then did I finally understand you were right all along"

"I spoke of responsibility, of knowing what it truly meant... but I was wrong I never understood it then, but now I do."

"Adulthood, responsibility, obligation and the choices that come along with it... Only now do I understand the implications and the weight that those concepts carry…"

"I put on a brave face, but I was lying to those around me... And even myself

"I was scared…"

"I was deathly afraid of growing up... terrified of adulthood and the responsibility that came with it... but that wasn't all."

"Not only that, but I was also scared of the unknown... The unknowable future that came with adulthood, it left me awake at night sweating in my bed as I tried not to think of all the unknown futures that could lie ahead."

"I was afraid of making the wrong choice, of casting everything Into darkness through my own actions."

"Even now... the fear of the unknown, of making the wrong choice... still makes me tremble with fear."

"Yet, it's ironic in a way. I feared making a wrong decision, of making a wrong choice when it mattered most."

"But that was what led us to ruin, my inability to make any decisions because of my own fear...

"Was the very thing that doomed us."

"Therefore, I'm sorry that I have to ask this of you…"

"But you're the only one I can trust now."

"Only you have the power to free us from this twisted, distorted fate…"

"And find the choices that will lead us to a new reality."

"I don't even know if you will remember these words... But I know... you will make the right decisions."

"So, please... liberate us from this horrible nightmare…"

"Good Hunter."

..........................................

"What do you mean we can't see the president!"

Rin let out a sigh, only seeming to aggravate the student in front of her, as she cleared her throat before repeating herself.

"As I said previously... the general student council president is currently... unavailable at the moment" she tried to keep her voice even and level,

Yet, going by the facial expression of the Academy representative in front of her, it seems that she wasn't fully able to get rid of the condescending tone in her voice.

"Well, make her available then!" Rin felt a vein beginning to bulge on her forehead, as a student, a purple-haired girl by the name of Yuuka again demanded to see the president.

Rin was beginning to lose her patience, she didn't want to outright tell anyone that the president had gone missing, after all it would only make the situation even worse than it already was. But at the same time, it was becoming even more apparent that the student representatives were not going to leave until they got some kind of answer.

"Unfortunately, I can't just do that... T-The president is a very busy person, and I can't just disturb her work for something so meaningless" Rin said to Yuuka and all the other representatives present.

She didn't take any pride or pleasure in lying to their faces like this, but ultimately it felt like the only way to keep the situation from growing even worse. Considering that if news about the president's disappearance got out before the council was ready to make a statement, then who knows what could happen?

"Even if the president cannot see us, can you at least address the rumours that several students under the custody of the federal corrections Bureau have escaped?" Another representative step forward, this one being a student named Chinatsu, a member of the disciplinary committee, who adjusted her black-framed glasses as she waited for a response.

Rin felt her headache only grow. She had completely forgotten about the escaped convicts, yet even though they were perhaps some of the most dangerous criminals currently alive, in terms of overall priority, their catcher and incarceration was a bit low on her list of priorities.

"Unfortunately, the rumours are true, several incredibly dangerous criminals have escaped-" Rin didn't get a chance to finish her words as somebody interrupted her.

"There has been a sharp increase in the number of Thugs attacking students on their way to school. I find it completely deplorable that is a general student council is not doing enough to ensure public safety"

A Trinity student by the name of Suzumi said abruptly. Being one of the most well-known members of Trinity's Vigilante Crew, the issue of public safety was a very hot-button issue for her and her group.

"That is not all. Illegal distribution of Tanks, helicopters and other contraband weapons has increased by over 2000 percent. At this rate, ordinary school life in Kivotos will be a thing of the past."

Another student stepped forward following up Suzumi's comment. Her long black hair flowing behind her as she brushed away some stray hairs from her eyes.

Hasumi, the vice-captain of the Justice Realization Committee, was no stranger to Rin. After all, the black-haired girl was known all across Kivotos both for her beauty and her sense of Justice.

In fact, out of all the Academy representatives gathered before her, Rin went as far as to say that the tall and beautiful vice-captain of The Justice committee, was the one she respected the most, because of her professional attitude despite the situation.
Feeling her migraine from earlier that day beginning to return, Rin pinched the bridge of her nose, letting out a frustrated sigh that certainly caused a few angry gazes to be directed her way. But quite frankly, she had long since passed the point where she cared about what the representatives thought of her.

"I understand... But I'm afraid there's nothing more we can do, the general student council's resources are already stretched thin as it is" Before the words even left her mouth, Rin knew that the answer wouldn't go down well for Academy representatives.

But it was simply the truth, the general student council simply had no more resources to spare, with them being locked out of Sanctum Tower, their power to actually govern the city was extremely limited.

"What!? Are you telling me there's nothing you can do, thousands of academies are in panic! Our wind generator shut down just a few days ago!" Yuuka's reaction was explosive, stomping her foot and disapproval at what the acting general student council president had just told her.

Rin for her part simply nodded her head, finding the purple-haired girl's adverse reaction to her words extremely irritating

"That is most unfortunate to hear... Chairwoman Hina isn't going to be happy about this" Chinatsu said with a sigh, her pointed ears wiggling in disappointment at the thought of the disciplinary committee's head having even more work dumped onto her.

Hasumi looking incredibly disappointed by the statement crossed her arms over her chest, which had the side effect of propping up her ample bosom as her wings flat disapprovingly behind her.

"This entire situation is utterly ridiculous. If the general student council is unable to do anything, then all of Kivotos will become just as lawless as Gehenna" Hasumi said off handily, seemingly not even considering her words as Chinatsu turned to look at her incredulously.

The rivalry between Trinity and Gehenna ran extremely deep, to the point where it wasn't uncommon for groups of students from both academies to actively seek out each other and fight.

And even though Chinatsu was not usually one to let the bad blood between her school and Trinity factor into her decisions, she simply couldn't let this unnecessary slight against her Academy go unmediated.

As such, adjusting her glasses, Chinatsu responded, "You say that like Trinity is any better with regard to supposed lawlessness... In fact, the last time that I checked, I was under the impression that Trinity had experienced a notable increase in unlawful activity under your tenure"

Her words cut deep and Chinatsu knew it, considering that Hasumi almost instantly snapped her head to look at her. An incredulous look on her face, which was filled with both anger and surprise.

"H-how dare you! I'm unsure where you got your information but it is completely wrong! Besides isn't a Gehenna student calling Trinity's supposed rise in crime, the pot calling the kettle black?"

Hasumi's calm and exposed exterior was completely shattered, her elegant and beautiful face taking on an almost animalistic snarl as she accusingly jabbed a finger in Chinatsu's direction. Which the blonde-haired girl didn't particularly appreciate, but kept her cool as she adjusted her glasses once again.

"I wouldn't consider it as such. While the students of Gehenna can be rumbustious and free-spirited, the public safety of our Academy and the district has always been excellent, and I would go as far to say a step above Trinity's"

Chinatsu didn't even try to hide the condescending tone in her voice, which had the desired effect as be black haired Justice committee vice president's face went as red as a tomato, with steam practically flying out of her ears due to how angry she now was.

"Ha! now I find that hard to believe! Gehenna's sorry excuse for a justice system is nowhere even in the same league as trinity's. Especially with that sorry excuse for a chairwoman of yours!" Hasumi quickly closed the gap, aggressively jabbing a finger into Chinatsu's just as the fiery hot words left her mouth.

"T-the nerve! Chairwoman Hina's competency and ability to keep the peace is unmatched, especially compared to that mad dog of a president that your committee has!" Chinatsu's mouth moved before her mind, the fact that this black-haired sow in front of her dared to insult the disciplinary committee's president directed to her face, made the usually calm and collected girl lose all sense of reason.

The atmosphere between the two girls was palpable, to the point where after looking at each other for a moment, Yuuka and Suzumi, both quickly stepped away from the feuding students. Not wanting to get involved in their completely unnecessary argument, which wasn't too far away from escalating into an outright battle.

And even though Suzumi, didn't exactly appreciate Chinatsu's comments about her school, she wasn't stupid enough to go and start an argument over something so trivial.

Rin felt her lips curling to a strained smile, the urge to now smash her head into the nearest wall, increasing to the point where she wasn't sure she could control herself anymore.

However just as Chinatsu and Hasumi drew their weapons, the front doors of the office quickly slammed open, catching everyone by surprise as all of their gazes onto the new individual standing between the now open doors.

"Vice presi- I mean acting president!" the mysterious interrupter, was a young girl of small statue with white hair, her uniform and equipment making it extremely apparent that she was a member of the Valkyrie Police Academy, Kivotos's de facto law enforcement agency.

'Thanks, I'm saved!' Rin screamed mentally, trying to not let her relief show on her face as the young girl quickly ran up to her, doubling over as she tried to recover her breath from seemingly running halfway across the city.

"A-acting P-P-president... I H-have... S-something important to tell you!" The young girl managed to splatter out, between her ragged breaths, her voice noticeably horse and strained.

"I understand, but first, calm down and take a deep breath" Rin gently patted the back of the young girl, urging her to get her breath back before she relied whatever message she had.

And finally managing to catch a breath, the young girl stood up, her eyes completely obscured by her dishevelled hair, with the redness in her cheeks still prominent.

"Acting president! Director Ogata has requested that she needs to speak with you, with regard to somebody that was taken into custody earlier today! She said it's of the utmost urgency!"

The young girl finished her ramble of words with a swift salute, the sudden action causing the hair in front of her eyes to momentarily lift, revealing steel grey eyes.

Rin didn't quite know how to respond at first, both of because of how sudden and strange it was. Kanna Ogata, the director of the Public Peace Bureau, reported directly to Kaya, considering that she was currently the general student council defence chief.

As such the fact that the Valkyrie police officer wanted to speak to her directly was a very strange turn of events. But if it could get her out of dealing with the Academy representatives, then she honestly couldn't have cared less about what the request actually was.

"If it's urgent as you say then I guess I can't refuse, please return to her and say that I will meet her immediately" Rin could easily hear Yuuka's scoff from somewhere behind her, but chose to pay it no mind.

However, instead of immediately answering her request, the young Valkyrie student was seemingly caught off guard by her words, rubbing the back of her head in obvious embarrassment/

"Well, you see, ma'am... Director Ogata sent me ahead to give you a heads-up she would be coming..." the young student continued to nervously laugh, as Rin processed what she had just said.

If Kanna was already on her way here with whoever she had apprehended, clearly it was incredibly serious. To the point where Rin silently hoped that the police captain had managed to somehow capture one of the seven fugitives who had escaped federal custody.

"I see... well thank you for informing me, you may return to your duties officer..." Rin let herself trail off, realising that she never actually got the name of the young Valkyrie student.

"Oh! My name is Mutsu, Cadet Mutsu Kigawa ma'am" The student now revealed to be Mutsu, said with another energetic salute.

"I see, well officer Mutsu... You may return to your duties" Rin could feel the gazes of the student representatives boring into the back of her head, yet honestly she didn't care.

"Of course! Right away, ma'am" The young student, gave a final energetic salute before turning on her heels and running out of the lobby, the large glass door sliding shut behind her as she disappeared.

Unfortunately, though, leaving Rin to once again to be the centre of attention for the irate student representatives.

"So where were we exactly" Rin didn't mean to say that out loud, but her patience had long since worn thin, to the point where she simply just didn't care any more if she came across as condescending.

Yuuka after looking at all the other representatives was the first to speak. How come that you can make time for the Valkyrie police chief, but not us?!"

The frustration was easily apparent in the purple-haired girl's voice, which combined with the frantic tapping of one of her feet, made it obvious to Rin that she wouldn't be able to keep this charade up for much longer.

"The Millennium of representative makes a very good point, How is it the Valkyrie Peace Bureau's chief is easily able to meet with you when we practically had to break in to do so ourselves?" Suzumi said with a questioning look, crossing her arms over her chest in a disapproving manner.

Chinatsu and Hasumi having put a momentary halt to their feud, both added to Suzumi and Yuuka's point.

"That is a very good question, it seems a bit hypocritical that the chief can meet with you on such short notice while we are unable to do so" Chinatsu adjusted her glasses as she spoke.

"As much as it pains me to agree with a Gehenna student, I must concur with her statement" Hasumi crossed her arms over her chest, her huge elegant wings flapping disapprovingly behind her.

Rin kept silent for a moment, not because she couldn't find the words. Oh, she knew exactly what she wanted to say to the gathered Academy representatives, but the choice of words that she wanted to use would only make the situation worse, so biting her tongue to keep the words from coming out was probably the best option.

"The reason why, it's that while the welfare of the individual academies is important, matters of national security for all of Kivotos, come before the concerns of individual academies"

it was a complete lie, and one that she knew wasn't likely to convince them, especially considering that the job of the general student council was to adhere to the concerns of the academies above anything else.

But she hoped that if she made it sound official enough, it was possible to string them along for just long enough to get them to leave or until Kanna got here with whoever she had captured.

Yet judging from the reactions and facial expressions of each of the representatives, it seems that unfortunately, both options were off the table for her, especially when Yuuka stepped forward, a livid expression on her.

"That's the biggest load of crap I've ever heard! The general student council's job is to look out for the academy's well-being above everything else! Yuuka said with an indignant expression on her face.

Hasumi and Suzumi both nodded in agreement with the Millennium representative, while Chinatsu gave the purple-haired girl a disapproving side-eyed glance, clearly not liking her use of profanity. But ultimately still nodding in agreement with her sentiment.

'Well it was worth a shot' Rin thought to herself as she let out a disappointed sigh, she knew that her Gambit wasn't going to work, but still, nobody could blame her for at least trying and or possibly hoping for some kind of miracle.

Yet before she could say another word, the sound that she had been wanting to hear for the last several minutes finally happened. The sound of the foyer doors opening was practically music to her ears, causing how to instantly turn on the spot as she opened her mouth to speak.

"Director Kanna, I got your message, and I've been patiently expecting-" Whatever she was about to say, instantly died in Rin's throat as her eyes came to rest on the familiar form of Kanna Ogata and more importantly the person standing next to her.

Their appearance was truly alien, in fact, it was so different from anything she had ever seen before in her life that Rin didn't have any frame of reference to actually and accurately describe them.

Atop their head was a strange pointed and crooked hat with a very large brim that curled at strange angles as it radiated out from the centre. The surface of the hat was seemingly made of some thick and stiff material that almost looked like stained leather or some other kind of animal skin.

Their shoulders were draped with a black, tattered shawl, held together with large, braided ropes of a dull yellow hue. Many of the ropes appeared to be very old and worn, due to the passage of time. The shawl gathered around their neck, concealing the lower half of their face, then cascaded down their back in the form of a large, tattered, black cloak that trailed behind them like a dark, lingering presence.

Hanging from one of the ropes around their neck, was a strange necklace or emblem of some kind, which to Rin's eye almost looked like a crudely carved skull, made of some metallic-looking material that she couldn't quite identify.

The cloak they were wearing obscured most of their upper body from view, meaning that she could only catch glimpses of what lay beneath. She could see fabric worn and coarse, that had clearly seen better days, the colour of the fabric was a mottled arrangement of dark browns and blacks, with various dark red stains that she couldn't quite identify, due to them being mostly obscured by the cloak.

The sound of their feet against the hard stone floor of the reception had a very particular sound. It was the sound of metal against stone, which Rin didn't quite understand before she caught a glimpse of the stranger's feet beneath their cloak.

She saw metal.

Glistening silver metal boots that terminated in sharp almost talent like points.

Their arms were a similar story, covered in what looked to be gauntlets made of the same kind of silvery metal, with the ends of the fingers terminating in lethally sharp points that, Rin was positive, could easily carve up steel due to how the light glistened off the razor-sharp points.

Yet as the stranger grew closer and closer, she looked up and noticed something that was missing. Something that caused her blood to momentarily run cold.

This person was lacking something that she knew should have been there.

A halo...

This person, whoever they were, had no halo to speak of.

But the shock of that revelation was not all that she felt.

A strange presence suddenly overtook her, it felt like a tremendous weight pressing down on her shoulders to the point where she felt her legs wobble beneath her. It was hard to describe in words. In fact, the only real way that she could even begin to describe it, was that it felt like she was drowning at the bottom of an immense impossibly deep ocean, all the millions of tons of water pressing down on her and threatening to crusher into sheer nothingness.

And taking a glance behind her, she could see that she wasn't the only one. Hasumi, Suzumi, Chinatsu and Yuuka all had the same reaction as she did. With Chinatsu easily being the most affected, considering that the poor girl was currently holding onto the reception desk for dear life.

Breathing in to try and calm her racing heart, Rin managed to regain her composure as the strangely dressed individual and Kanna finally arrived in front of her and the other representatives.

She immediately noticed that Kanna was seemingly just as on edge of she was, considering that her pointed ears were sticking straight up on high alert, with her hand hovering over the holster where her standard issue pistol was held, obviously preparing for any kind of hostile movement that the stranger would make

looking between Kanna and the stranger that was now standing in front of her, was it only now that Rin realised just how incredibly tall this person truly was. The hat atop their head did somewhat skew her observation, them look taller than they actually were, but by her reckoning the individual in front of her had to be at least 6 ft 5 or possibly more.

Rin suddenly realised that a deafening silence had overtaken the lobby, which was only broken by her clearing her throat and speaking.

"Director Ogata, I'm assuming that this is the individual that you took into custody?"

Kanna maintained her sharp and suspicious gaze on the individual beside her, showing no immediate response. After a brief pause, she finally broke away from the staring contest and turned her attention towards Rin, addressing her instead.

"Yeah it is... I was going to take them back to the station for questioning, until he said that he had something important to tell you directly"

As she spoke, Rin noticed that the strange individual didn't give any reaction whatsoever to them being addressed, remaining completely still as if they were a statue.

"I see… If I may ask, what did they say exactly to convince you not to take them back to the police station? Rin was curious now, despite not knowing her on a personal level. She knew enough about Kanna to know that she was not so easily convinced by whatever a suspicious individual had to say to her.

Kanna looked between the acting student council president and the mysterious stranger, much to Rin's confusion. In her eyes she could see uncertainty and perhaps even just a small amount of fear, which was certainly unusual for a tough and hardened police officer like Kanna Ogata.

"Well, acting president, you see... He knows about... That" Rin felt the world around her come to a complete stop, she didn't need to the blonde haired police woman to elaborate on what exactly she meant by 'that'

"I see... well thank you Director Ogata, I can take it from here!" the words flew out of her mouth so fast that she stumbled over them, barely managing to articulate a coherent sentence, much to the surprise of the gathered representatives Kanna. Who after a moments' hesitation simply nodded before turning around.

Yet before she walked away, she turned her head to say something.

"Just be careful acting president. This city will go to hell quicker than we can say shit if something happens to you too""

The blonde head police officer, had genuine concern and her voice, because even though she did not know the acting president on a personal level, she was still deeply concerned both for the safety of her and the general well-being of the city itself. After all, her prime directives as a law enforcement officer were to serve the public trust, protect the innocent and most importantly uphold the law.

Rin felt a chill run down her spine. Something about Kanna's words made a pit form in her stomach, to the point where for just a singular moment she almost reconsidered if she wanted to meet with this unusual individual that was now standing beside her.

But quickly pushing aside her own uncertainty, she gave a quick nod to the Valkyrie police chief. Trying to sound as confidence as possible as she spoke

"I will keep your concerns in mind, Director Ogata" Rin could still see uncertainty and suspicion in Kanna's eyes.

Especially when she turned to look at the mysterious stranger once more, before letting out a sigh and moving on her way, exiting the foyer of the general student council building and disappearing from site.

As the blonde haired police chief left, Rin quickly retrieved her phone from one of the many pockets on her overcoat, how fingers automatically dialling the number she needed before putting the smartphone to her ear.

"Ayumu, I need you to drop whatever you're doing, and come to the foyer immediately, I have some important business to discuss with a... unexpected guest" Rin didn't even wait for the blonde haired girl on the other end of the line to answer before she issued her orders. She saw out of the corner of her eye the mysterious stranger staring at her, or more precisely at the smartphone that was currently pressed against her ear.

"Um, acting president, I'm C-currently in the middle of-"

"It doesn't matter, whatever it is it can wait, I need you down here now, that's an order!" Rin did feel a twinge of guilt for ordering her usually shy co-worker around like this, but she needed to hear whatever this mysterious individual had to say in regard to the disappearance of the president.

"O-Of course A-A-acting president, I'll be down in a moment" Rin abruptly disconnected the line, not even stopping to say thank you to her blonde head co-worker as she turned to look at the mysterious stranger.

"Come with me this instant, we have much... to discuss" whirling around she quickly made for the elevator much to the protests of the representatives gathered around the front desk.

Yet, she suddenly heard something that caused her to stop dead in her tracks, for the mysterious individual uttered something for the first time since arriving.

"As you wish mlady"

A cold shiver coursed down Rin's spine as their voice sent icy shivers through her veins. It carried a distinct, otherworldly quality that defied description; words failed to capture the alien nature of the sound.

Yet pushing the thought aside, she continued towards the elevator pressing one of the many buttons as the doors opened up and allowed her and the stranger to step inside. And after pressing one more button, the door's shut and the elevator began its journey upwards, leaving Rin completely isolated in a metal box with the incredibly tall and mysteriously dressed stranger.

Thankfully, the journey was mercilessly short as the doors quickly opened up, allowing her and the stranger to step out onto the highest level of the general student council building. After a short walk, she and the mysterious stranger finally made it to her office, which after ushering them inside, she quickly locked the door behind her, not wanting any interruptions of any kind.

"What do you know?" It came across as quite accusatory, she was well aware of that, yet at this point Rin didn't really care how she came across any more. This person in front of her, this alien looking stranger, knew something about the president's disappearance, and she wanted to know exactly what they knew of it.

The mysterious individual didn't speak for a moment, instead turning to look around the office, almost marvelling at everything around them as if they had never seen such things in their life.

Yet after a moment of this and Rin gradually growing more inpatient, the mysterious individual spoke once again, their strange and alien voice again sending shivers down her spine.

"If you are referring to the disappearance of your president, then I am afraid that I do not have knowledge on such matters" hearing their voice again, Rin was able to identify the mysterious person as a man, and to make it even more strange he spoke in global.

A very antiquated version of global that she had only ever heard spoken in incredibly old movies from nearly a century before.

His accent was also incredibly hard for her to describe, it almost had a Trinity like quality to it, with his word choice and the way he articulated his sentence, but with it being in global it just made it sound even more strange to her.

"However" Rin felt herself perk up at his sudden continuation, her gaze locking onto his, and only just now realising that he did not have two eyes instead he was wearing some kind of mask that had three pairs of dimly glowing eyes.

"I am here on her behalf" His words left her slightly dumbfounded, if he didn't know anything about the disappearance of the general student council president then how exactly could he be here on her behalf.

"I don't understand... if you don't know what happened to her, then how exactly are you here on her behalf?" Rin wasn't sure exactly how this could be.

Before she could fully grasp the situation, the enigmatic individual gazed at his feet in deep contemplation. After a brief pause, he spoke again.

"I am unsure myself... Everything surrounding her is foggy in my memory, but I do remember her asking me for one thing" Though his words held no comprehensible meaning to her, Rin found herself inexplicably drawn to the confidence that radiated from him, a contagious energy that seemed to permeate her being.

"What exactly did she ask you?" She felt like a bunny rabbit chasing after a carrot on a stick, hanging on to the silence as she waited for him to respond.

Yet instead of immediately answering, only silence greeted her, it was almost the deafening to the point where she could have sworn she heard her own heartbeat in her ears.

The stranger meanwhile was deep in his own thoughts, seemingly trying to recall a long-lost memory but struggling to do so, the only thing that he could remember for certain was…

Somebody, asking. No, pleading for help.

"Please... liberate us from this horrible nightmare…"

"Good Hunter."

It was incredibly foggy and hazy, but it was the only thing that he could truly recall from the long-lost memory.

"She leaded for my help... She... asked me to assist you and all of Kivotos" With conviction and a growing determination, the stranger's voice resonated in the air, carrying the weight of his unwavering resolve.

As Rin absorbed his words, a sense of unease washed over her. His tone, tinged with a peculiar and slightly ominous undertone, sowed seeds of doubt in her mind regarding his true nature. Just when she began to feel uncertain, a sudden realization dawned on her.

It was a memory.

A memory of the last time that she had spoken with the President, before her disappearance.

"There is one person that could lead us through this... an individual who could guide and teach... a sensei, Someone that could maybe even save Kivotos from its ghastly fate"

At last, the significance of the president's words hit Rin like a bolt of lightning, rendering her speechless and causing her jaw to drop to the floor.

She felt herself stepping back, her entire system going into shock as the reality finally dawned on her of who exactly this strange and mysterious individual in front of her was.

"That means... That you are... T-The sensei!"

"Y-you are the sensei she was talking about!"

She felt her legs move before her mind did, quickly running up to the mysterious stranger in front of her and grabbing his shoulders, desperately trying to shake him in shock and seeming disbelief. Of course though due to his very large frame and substantial height her efforts to move him didn't yield match results, yet that was the furthest thing from her mind as tears began to leak from her eyes.

"I C-can't b-believe it, She wasn't wrong... You… R-really came" She couldn't stop a sob from escaping her lips, the tears leaking from her eyes continuing to fall as her knees gave out from under her. The weight and responsibility of Kivotos fate finally getting the better of her as it threatened to crush her into nothing.

Yet as she sunk to her knees and continue to cry, she heard the sound of scraping metal and flowing fabric, before she felt something cold and metallic gently push aside her glasses and wipe away some of the tears. Looking up, the tears made it hard to see, but she could see the stranger kneeling down in front of her and wiping away some of her tears with his vicious looking metal gauntlets. The juxtaposition of the viciousness of his gauntlets vs the tenderness of his action was incredibly apparent.

"Come now, there is no need to weep. A young lady such as yourself should not have to bear such a burden" His voice had a calming and gentle tone to it, filling her with an almost strange and calming euphoria that cause the tears in her eyes to dry up.

"Even though I am uncertain of how she wanted me to assist you, I will do everything within my power to help... It is my duty you could say" Rin felt his strong arms quickly grab a hold of her, as much to her surprise she was quickly pulled to her feet, the stranger quickly reaching into his cloak before retrieving a small silk handkerchief and passing it to her.

Wordlessly, she accepted the offer, wiping away the remaining tears and not really caring if her mascara was smudged in the process.

"Thank you... I'm sorry you had to see... that... I've been under a lot of stress recently" Rin finished wiping away the tears from her eyes, looking at the handkerchief for a moment before passing it back to the stranger who wordlessly took it in his gauntleted hand before placing it somewhere inside his cloak.

"You should not apologise... There is no need for it" The stranger said nonchalantly waving one of his metallic hands.

"Sometimes allowing emotions to get the better of oneself... is good for the body and mind, especially when it comes to relieving stress"

His words had an almost otherworldly sage like quality to them, as if he was some kind of Higher being imparting a small piece of cosmic wisdom onto her fragile and immortal mind.

"I suppose you're right, anyway... I... I don't even know where to begin honestly" Rin felt her pale cheeks turn red in embarrassment. She was usually so well-prepared for everything. But even though she had been silently praying for the sensei that the president talked about to come, because of the scenario's unlikelihood she had never actually put anything in place for such an event.

"How about the beginning. Start from the beginning and leave nothing out" the mysterious individual said, crossing his arms over his chest as Rin looked at him confused for a moment, before realisation crossed her face at exactly what he was getting at.

If he was here to help, then he needed to know exactly what her and the rest of Kivotos were currently going through. As such, after a moment she quickly walked over to her desk, slumping down in the comfortable chair, and beginning her tail.

Rin started with the general Cliff notes of Kivotos's history, explaining how the mega Metropolis came to be and how it operated. She told of how the city itself was made up of thousands of different academies, each with their own numbers of students. However, even if she had the time to do so, she would have not been able to have named all the academies so she simply limited it to the main three and biggest ones, that being Gehenna, Trinity and Millennium.

She then moved on to the topic of how the city itself was governed, expanding on what the exact role of the general student council and its main purpose was. Explaining that even though the now missing president was the de facto leader of the student council and by extension Kivotos as a whole, the overall political power of the student council was quite limited which was by design as to allow the individual academies to largely govern their own districts as they saw fit.

She then moved onto the topic of the general student council president's disappearance and how would it plunge the entire city into chaos. The very system that allowed the academies to govern themselves independently was the reason why the city was falling apart, which wasn't made any better by the fact that certain academies such as Gehenna and Trinity openly wanted to go to war with each other over disagreements that extended far back into the midst of time.

"And that's where you come in sensei" Rin finished her exposition, the fact that she had dressed the stranger as sensei being a bit strange at first, but she supposed that she would get used to it.

The stranger for his part looked momentarily confused as a result of being addressed in such a manner, but after a moment he quickly nodded his head seemingly accepting the new alias that was given to him without question.

"An unfamiliar title, but I'm not opposed to it..." The stranger now dubbed sensei said with a shrug of the shoulders, which had the desired effect of lifting Rin's spirits to a level that she had not felt since the president had disappeared.

"Excellent! We can discuss the exact details another time, but there's something I want to show you" Rin quickly got up from her seat, gesturing sensei over to her, which after a small hesitation he did.

Standing by one of the large glass windows that enveloped her office, she took out a small remote from her pocket and pressed a button. The blinds swiftly retracted, unveiling a breathtaking sight.

"Welcome to Kivotos, Sensei"

The site before them was truly magnificent, the metropolis stretching for as far as the eye could see in every direction, the skyscrapers made of glass and metal piercing the heavens like white monoliths.

In the sky were large halo like rings that stretched almost to the horizon, giving the entire skyline a strange and ethereal beauty that was hard to really put into words.

"Truly magnificent... This puts anything in Yharnam to shame" sensei said to himself under his own breath, Rin just managing to catch the word Yharnam which made her raise an eyebrow. The name was completely unfamiliar to her, although the word itself did have a slight Trinity like sound to it, but she shook those thoughts aside because there were more important things to worry about.

"Indeed it is... Kivotos is a place of beauty... and it needs your help, sensei. I don't know why, but the general student council chose you to safeguard our future, I'm uncertain of where you come from or who exactly you are sensei, but I trust the general student council president's choices so... therefore I trust you"

Rin locked her gaze onto the mysterious sensei's staring into the metallic mask that he partially had beneath his tattered shawl. She couldn't see his real eyes, yet the gaze that he gave her was one of understanding and acceptance, one that filled her with...

Hope

Hope for the future

Something that had been completely absent from her for a long time.

"I will do what I can... I am uncertain why I was chosen, but clearly whatever the reason, I cannot turn my back on people in need, it goes against the very thing I stand for as a hunter" He said with conviction turning his gaze outwards to the city that sprawled out to the horizon, seemingly absorbing every detail about its appearance as if familiarising himself with its visage.

Rin felt even more hopeful upon hearing his words, however one thing that he said caught her attention, causing her to feel very confused as she spoke.

"I'm very glad to hear that sensei... But I must ask what did you mean by Hunter" Rin asked tentatively, not wanting to seem like she was crying into his previous life before coming here.

Sensei however simply shook his head.

Tilting his head upward slightly and looking into the sky through the window, his gaze had an almost longing look to it, as if he was remembering a different time and a different place.

"I suppose you could say it was my previous occupation, but it doesn't matter now... That passed along with everything is entails is long deceased... and should remain that way" His voice had a strange tone to it one that she couldn't quite describe, it was as if he was nostalgic, disgusted, mortified, horrified and saddened all at the same time.

It made her truly curious about what kind of past sensei had, and what role is occupation is a hunter played into it. But she supposed that those kinds of personal details could wait for a future time because right now there is more important business to attend to.

"Fair enough, anyway, we have some important business to discuss sensei" In our office chair, Rin settled back, pivoting to face the sensei just as he turned away from the large glass window. Before she could utter a word, he began speaking.

"While I appreciate the title you have given me, I would prefer if you addressed me by my other title" His words caught her off guard somewhat, it was a bit strange to her. But considering that he spoke in global, it was possible that he simply just didn't like the sound of sensei.

"I don't see why not, although when referring to official business, I'm afraid that I must use the title sensei" She saw him nod in agreement as he stepped away from the window, his cloak flowing behind him like a dark waterfall.

As he turned on the spot, his tattered shawl was quickly thrown off his face, momentarily exposing his mask. Rin jumped back in her seat, startled by the sight of the lower half of his mask, which resembled a skeleton. The corners of the mouth were slightly curved upwards, giving the entire mask a slightly malevolent grin.

"That is fine enough, I believe that a proper introduction is in order" In a swift and sweeping motion of his arm, he executed an elaborate bow, his cloak fanning out dramatically around him, resembling a billowing dark explosion.

"The name is good Hunter, and I am at your service, Rin Nanakami"