Arc VIII Chapter 1
<strong>VIII</strong>
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<strong>Arc V</strong><strong>III</strong><strong> Chapter</strong><strong> 1
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Amegakure offered a truly majesticsight. The forces of naturecloaked the city ina veil of rain, amonsight in the case ofAme. Thescenery pleased her senses.Dark spires, silent monuments of forged ck stend humanwill, ascended from earth. Their imposing heightchallengedheaven itself.Shrouded in shadow, their cold silhouettes hid secrets forever untold. They were spires of destion, of sorrow, of lost hope, of tragedy. Their soul resonated with her.The ck towersinvitedher, weed her, and sheeptedtheir invitation.
Apanied by her umbre, a lone girlcrossedthe misty bridge leading into the vige.This was Ame. This was the vige hidden by the rain. This was her new home. The ce where she was supposed to meet Akatsuki''s leader. Pain was his name, a selfproimed god.How pretentiousof him. Somenameless provincial upstart with delusions of grandeur dered himselfa godin her presence.Suchimpertinence.
Pain led Akatsukiand his goalwas nothing short of world domination. An ambitious project for an equally ambitious man.Whether he would achieve his goal was different altogether. So far, every great conqueror in history had ultimately failed. Would he be another one? Only time would tell.
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“Eh ...”Takuya yawned. Sleepiness overcame his drowsy eyes. Guard duty was such a pain in the ass. The very definition of mind-numbingand boring.
“Tired, aren''t we?”Shizuughed about his predicament.
“Notreally.Just the usual.Nothing makes you sleep better than guard duty.”Takuya was rubbing his eyes to fight hisdrowsiness, but to no avail.Serving Amegakure was an honour, but ... guard duty sucked big time. Standing watch day in day out was a tedious affair. Nothing ever happened.
They guarded the vige gate, checkingmerchants and other travelling folk, but he didn''tin. He had a family to feed and awife waiting for him. His post was safe. Minimal risk ...
Footsteps resounded through the air. The rest of the checkpoint shared his reaction and snapped to attention, their drowsiness gone. Steps echoed across the empty bridge. They approached their position. The steps stopped and amidst the fog a lone girl appeard, armed with an umbre.
“...”Takuya spotted herpetitefigure.Her ck kimono bore a familiar pattern.Her pale skin granted the girl aghostly appearance.Hersheerpresencesufficed tointimidatehim. Acold, chilling, darkaura surrounded her.
“...”Takuya gulped, resistingthecreeping sensationof dread.
Hersharine smilegreeted them. “Salutations, friends, I was invited to visit the beautiful vige of Amegakure. I have arrivedand now seek permission to enter.”
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“... ... ...” Silence followed, and the guards exchanged looks of disbelief. They didn''t trust her. The girl exuded an otherworldly, a dangerous aura. Her smile didn''t ease the tension.
“...”Takuyaunholsteredhiskunai. He remained cautious. The girl was suspicious.
Shizue narrowed his eyes. “Who are you? What business do you have with Ame?”
The girl tilted her head and yed with her umbre. “As said, an old friend invited me.”
Shizue gritted his teeth. “Don''t y with us. State your identity and purpose, or ...”
The girl giggled. “Or what? What are you going to do?”
Shizue''s blood froze. A lightning bolt illuminated the bridge and revealed her figure. Her eyes glimmered purple in the dark, exuding a cold, demonic aura.
“...” Takuya held his breath, his hand gripping his kunai. The girl ... wasn''t normal. “Don''t move! Try anything funny, and we will attack!”
“I strongly advise against such rash actions, my friends.”The mysterious girl merelysmiled. Toying with them filledher girlish heart with joy.Their fear, their angst, theirraw emotionspleased her sadistic streak. Their misfortune and misery lifted her mood.
The girl grippedher umbre and marchedpast them, advancingthrough the ghastly fog,hardly bothered by their presence.The incessant rain didn''t stop.
Shizue blocked her way. “Stop! I said stop!Not a step further!”
The girlignored his orders,strollingpast a petrified Shizue. He didn''t dare to defy her in the slightest.
The girl giggled, amused. “Thought so. Listen,my friends, time is precious, socould you do me a little favour?I am new here, and I amsearching for a friend of mine.Thus, I need your help.”Her gaze swept across the ranks until setting on him.
“...” Takuyagulped. Her dark eyes ... were staring at him. “And who is this ... friend of yours?”
The girl tilted her head, grinning. “I am sure you know him. The entirety of Ame knows him. I am searching for Pain-sama.”
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Guided by her newest underling, Asami reached her destination. Pain resided in the tallest tower.
Awoman withvender hairawaited her arrival. Konan was her name.Herwhite angelic wings made her floatin the air.Her expression betrayed no emotions. “You arete.”
Asami bowed in respect. “My apologies, but locatingKami-sama proveddifficult.In his infinite wisdom, he provided me with no directions.I was thus forced to recruitlocals for help.”
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“We know.” Konan maintained her emotionless mask. “Your little show of force displeased Pain-sama.”
Asami responded with a smile. “Once again, my sincerest apologies, I never intended tooffendKami-sama.I didn''t knowthat I was watched, but now I do. Of course, I will refrainfrom such unbing behaviourin the future.”Her stare metKonan''s, neither of them prepared to yield.
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“...”Konanstudyied her, scrutinising her.“Follow me. Pain-sama is already awaitingyou.”
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“What''s up, Takuya? You look pale. Have you seen a ghost, or what?” Shujijokedthe moment he entered his bar. His old friend sounded worried.
Takuya waspletely soaked. His entire body shivered. Even his hands still trembled. It was obvious that hehad clearly seen better days.
Hetook a chair and rested. “Shuji, give me a drink ... No, make it two ... No, better three ... Give me the strongest stuff you havegot.”He needed alcohol. Heneeded to forget.Amegakure gained a new angel, and her wings were ckerthan thenight.
<strong>Amegakure</strong>
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Viiness, noble girl, princess.
Reincarnation is a fickle matter, unpredictable and capricious, uncaring and unforgiving in nature. Stranded in unknownnds, in a different time and age by the mysterious forces of magic, Aurora is reborn as the sole heiress of the ancient noble House von Schwarz, destined to enter the game of kings and queens, armed with pride, deceit, and an adorable doll.