DATE A LIVE: Prelude

Chapter IV: The First Spirit

The day came faster than anyone thought. Ike, Elliot, and Ellen worked tirelessly to prepare everything, with Karen eventually putting in so little effort that Ike and Ellen decided to not involve her directly. However, her knowledge still aided them in the preparations.

At last, everything was set. The four young magi slept for long, waking up quite late. But it didn't matter, since all that was left was for the Spirit Formula to be performed. Karen woke up first, leaving to get breakfast. It was already sunny outside, with birds singing and bees buzzing. They were in a remote location not close to any city or town, with only nature in sight for many miles around them.

Elliot woke up next, also getting up to get breakfast. When he entered the living room, he saw Karen looking out of one of the windows while smiling.

"Good morning, Karen," said Elliot after making his presence known.

"Good morning, Elliot," responded Karen.

"It's nice outside today, isn't it?" asked Elliot, walking up to the window.

"Yeah. You three are going to perform the Spirit Formula today, right?" said Karen.

"After so long... Today's the day," said Elliot. Silence encroached the room for a moment.

"Do you think after today, it'll ever be so serene and peaceful again?" asked Karen out of the blue.

"What do you mean, Karen?" asked Elliot.

"If the Spirit Formula succeeds and Ike's plan goes accordingly... He's going to wage a war on humanity, isn't he?" asked Karen.

"Eh? I doubt that honestly, he probably just wants to get revenge on the people who hurt us in the past," responded Elliot.

"Does he? Then why does he need a spell so powerful to achieve it? It's been so long that many of the people we promised revenge upon are either gone or even dead," said Karen. Elliot was dumbstruck.

"True, but you heard him, right? He doesn't wish death on everyone, just acknowledgement," said Elliot. Karen sighed.

"You don't believe in that, do you? I read the tome many times and can safely say we're dealing with powers far beyond us. At best, everything will stay as it is now. At worst... I don't even want to think about the worst. Anything could happen. So, I ask, why even go through with it?" asked Karen. Elliot struggled to reach for an answer. He looked at Karen.

"You are right that the hatred alone is not enough anymore to fuel all this. At first, I did it to avenge everyone we lost. When that flame died, I did it for you guys, my friends, and especially Ike. He watched his family die, yet he had the strength to save us from the same fate. I always admired that about him, pushing forward even when everything was against him, following his heart's desire. And now... Well, we owe it to him, don't we? Or at the very least, I feel like I do. And I want to believe that Ike will deliver on his promise to make this world a better place for people like us. Outcasts," responded Elliot. His eyes lit up, as for the first time in years, he took a moment to do an inflection on why he does what he does. Karen smiled at Elliot, also looking at him.

"As long as you too follow your heart's desires, Elliot... I will believe. In you, in a better world..." said Karen before once again looking out of the window.
"It's beautiful, isn't it? The sunshine, the songs sung..."

"Yeah... I think I couldn't agree more."

***

Ellen and Ike woke up a bit later. They too went to get breakfast, arriving after Elliot and Karen already had eaten theirs.