Shattered Skies: The Morning Lights

CHAPTER 27: Reconnaissance

Notes:

WARNING: This chapter contains disturbing content that may be triggering to some, including depictions of abuse and suicide.

Chapter 27: Reconnaissance

Crossroads

The Lighthouse

A cacophony of raised voices filled the Crossroads. The gathering place beneath the Lighthouse's central spire was packed with visitors from four of the five Vertices, all in an uproar, all talking over each other.

"- was sitting right next to Chibi-Usa-chan when she just vanished into thin air-"

"- ship's logs say that Alph was in her room until a few minutes ago, and now-"

"Please, if anyone has seen Erika-"

"Everybody, settle down! It's the MIRROR, she already explained to us-"

"Minako-chan says Rei-chan disappeared too! Right in front of her! You're telling me Chibi-Usa's gone too?!"

"- about 145 centimeters tall, with dark blue eyes and wavy hair. Y-you should be able to find her by her voice, Erika is always quite loud-"

"Hello?! I said we know what's happening! It's Sakura's MIRROR Card, and- Aiya, Toya-san, nobody's listening to me...!"

"Oi, koumusume! Maybe start crackin' some heads together kung-fu style and that'll get their attention!"

"Listen, you little-"

"Everyone, QUIET!" The roar from Fantine's winged avatar shook the Lighthouse. Literally, there was no hyperbole involved: the volume of her voice made the entire crystalline structure tremble down to its foundations. It did the trick; the many people gathered in the Crossroads all fell silent at once.

The winged spark let out the sound of a deep sigh. "I'm sorry for losing control like that, but I need you all to calm down. There is an explanation. Meilin, I believe you were trying to tell us something..."

"Er." Now that all eyes were on her, the Hong Kongese girl blushed and fidgeted with one of her jet-black pigtails. "It... it was Sakura's MIRROR Card. The MIRROR, and a bunch of copies of her," said Meilin Li. "It was the copies that disappeared, and our friends are... well, we don't know."

"They're off doing something incredibly foolish," Fantine cut in. Her avatar's wings fluttered in agitation. "Nine of them decided to take revenge against Dead End by themselves-"

"That's crazy!" Kero bellowed from the vicinity of Meilin's shoulder. "Nine of them against an army of bad guys? What kinda idiot would come up with a plan as stupid as that?!"

The pupil of Fate Testarossa's remaining eye shrank to a pinprick. Her blood ran cold, and her right socket felt a good deal more empty all of a sudden, as if a frigid wind was trapped beneath her closed eyelid. "Oh no," she whispered to herself. "Alph..."

"Are you telling me..." said Toya Kinomoto, slowly and dangerously. "Are you telling me. That someone took my little sister straight into the enemy's base...?"

Usagi Tsukino went pale. Sakura's older brother was terrifying when he got mad. "K-Kinomoto-san, I'm sure she's all right, she's got Rei-chan and Chibi-Usa-chan and Michiru-san with her-"

Toya rounded on her, eyes ablaze, and for an instant Usagi flinched, certain he was about to take a swing at her.

Tsubomi Hanasaki threw up her hands. "Everyone, please! Fighting each other isn't going to solve anything!" She swallowed and pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "F-Fantine-san, it'll be all right, won't it? The Stranger can just open a door for them and bring them back... right...?"