Working With Phantoms

Eternal Rest

Madran stared at Hikawa, the altar, and the odd red substance flowing from it. Madran began to feel slightly dizzy from how the room was moving around, but quickly regained her bearings once Hikawa spoke up.

"Congratulations on finally getting here, my friends. You come here to stop my ritual, no?"

"Yes, in fact, we do."

Hikawa laughed.

"My, even you're scared. Do you feel it? The oncoming advent of my strongest forces?"

Madran looked past Hikawa to see a lady sitting on the steps of the altar with her head hung low.

"Wait, who's that?"

The group and Hikawa momentarily looked over towards the lady.

"Yuko...! What are you... doing here?"

Naoki sounded shocked at the lady's presence. Madran then looked at the lady to see who appeared to be a schoolteacher with black hair that was a little bit longer than Suga's and a sleek white coat that appeared to swirl with odd, ethereal energy.

"N-Naoki?"

Yuko stood up, but didn't step forwards.

"Please, don't think I'm here because Hikawa forced me to. I came here on my own."

Madran looked around in utter confusion as she scanned the area with Dharma.

"Naoki, you didn't tell me that there was another person that we could run into!"

"Wait, who exactly are you?"

Hikawa walked up the altar and looked at Yuko.

"A side-effect of this ritual is that I happened to summon humans from an alternate world to here. It doesn't matter, however. The preparations are complete. Now-"

Yuko jumped up and ran over to Naoki before stopping and turning to face Hikawa.

"N-No! I knew that he would come to help me. I'm done having to work with you!"

Madran felt as if she had moved to another lunch table where two people were arguing about something she had no idea about. Fearing that her many questions were running out of time to be asked, Madran looked to Yuko.

"What are you doing here? Are you, too, an enemy?"

"No, I'm not. I'm the only other human to live, aside from Hikawa, Naoki, and his friends. However, I, like you, couldn't stop Hikawa."

"Don't say that! I've been in here long enough to be very invested in the safety of Naoki, and, by extension, you. Everyone, fill in!"

Madran's group walked up next to her as Hikawa shook his head.

"Yuko, even after how long you've agreed to work with me, even after agreeing to serve as the Maiden, you betray me to offer your withering help to a group of... of..."

Hikawa's face curled into distaste as he viewed Madran's group.

"Yes, I do. You know my Reason, don't you?"

"Wait, you have a Reason? Where's that odd demon thing that Naoki told me about?"

Hikawa laughed as Yuko looked at her feet.

"Aradia... please..."

The group looked at Yuko in awkward silence as Hikawa began to laugh.

"My, how embarrassing! That false Goddess abandoned you, after all that you went through to get her."