Satoru sighed with frustration, like he was talking to a stubborn five-year old child. Niji was utterly confused as she had no idea what they were discussing and what kind of person Satoru was. She should have hated him... yet what disturbed her most was that he didn’t resemble a villain at all—at least those who hysterically laugh at their evil plans to enslave humanity. He seemed to be full of unspoken sadness and despair, as well as a pure faith in his own righteousness. She knew that feeling very well. But did his purpose—whatever it was—justify those rivers of blood that were shed because of his actions?

“Don’t you want to bring her back, Dasnor?” Satoru asked. “To atone for your mistake?”

“Shut up.”

“We can do this. I’ve found the way. I thought you won’t believe me, but—”

“I’ve told you already, I don’t have it!” the Amber shouted. “Even if I had, I wouldn’t give it to such a madman!”

“Seems like time has healed your wounds. I could only wish for that blessing.”

This remark pushed Dasnor to the limit of his patience. Niji noticed bitter pain and reluctance within him, but the Amber didn’t yield. “Just shut it!” he commanded. “End this bullshit already or we’ll do it for you. Black and whites will pay a good price for your head, even if there’s a hole in it.”

“Then you leave me no choice...”

Satoru reached out his hand and directed a magical chain at Niji, but her Celestial Shield worked perfectly and reflected the attack. Without a second thought, Dasnor shot at Satoru, but the latter was protected by a blue aura, much brighter and thicker than other enchanters could produce. The aura clearly stated that its caster was a person not to mess with. Dasnor clicked his tongue: he would have taken anti-magic bullets with him if he’d only gotten enough time to prepare. At the same time the enchanter burnt all of Niji’s energy with a single spell—drained out but still conscious, she fell to the floor.

“Niji!”

“Please, no sudden moves,” the Asian man warned Dasnor before he could even make one. “You know you can’t get me that easily. I’m not good at redirecting bullets like your father, but I am still capable of a few tricks. I have no intention of hurting your friend, I just want you to understand that only people matter in this world, nothing else. How much does this girl mean to you, Dasnor?”

“Don’t. Try. Me.”

“A lot, then?”

“I care for each member of my team equally, you dumbass.”

“You’re lying again. I see how you’re looking at her. Aren’t you tired of living a life of constant deception?”

A huge dark force raised straight out of the floor, pulled Niji by her neck into the air and squeezed to strangle her. Dasnor expended all his ammo at once, desperate to break Satoru’s arcane defense, yet not a single crack appeared on the barrier. He lunged at the enemy, but a magic charge threw him back.

“Let her go! She has nothing to do with it! Is it so hard to understand? I don’t have what you need!”

Dasnor felt a breeze that usually accompanied the swing of Aoi’s enchanted sword—the hex released Niji from its grasp and dissipated. Shadow arrived just in time to lock her into a healing sphere, and the girl fell slowly right into his hands while another powerful blow made a devastating breach in the enchanter’s protective aura.

“Surrender, Satoru!” The Commander walked in front of Dasnor.

“Amiana…” he spoke in the most melancholic voice. “You should stay out of this. I’m not willing to fight with you and the boys. Let us settle things right.”

“You are under arrest on charges of multiple crimes. If you resist, we are authorized to use force.”

“Amiana… you of all people should know how I hate violence…”

“What are you if not violent?! So many Children died… and for what?”

After restoring Niji’s powers so she was back on her feet again, the healer shook his head like he wanted to throw unnecessary thoughts out of it. “I can’t forgive the nightmare you brought against Mother’s will!”

Aoi nodded, “Surrender. Four against one. You won’t stand a chance.”

“I am… really sorry that it comes to this.”

One of Satoru’s tattoos glowed purple. The mage cast spikes in each of the mages, but Shadow managed to cover everyone with a massive protective spell.

“You Viol!” Aoi couldn’t hide her shock. “But… how? You looked Celestial on our radars!”

“Thanks to a certain M.A.G.E. member for useful notes on amplifier experiments. I’ve always told you how dangerous these foxes are…”

Satoru gathered energy around him, like a lightning rod attracting charges to itself. The light flickered and the room began shaking as during an earthquake.

“Leave the building!” Aoi cried to her walkie-talkie. “Immediately!”

Light bulbs in chic chandeliers burst one after another and panoramic windows mercilessly rattled, sockets sparkled and a fire started behind Satoru’s back. Reinforced by the power of the Tamatebako artifact, the mage stood in the center of the arcane whirlpool, welcoming unbelievable quantities of energy into his body. The catastrophe was inevitable.

“Go away!” the PRISM Unit leader ordered Dasnor and Niji.

“You nuts, Aoi?!” the Amber yelled back. “You can’t take down this monster alone!”

“This won’t be easy, but we’ll try to banish him.” The healer prepared a crystal white magical circle. “When our energies collide, there will be a massive explosion, and I don’t have enough mana to defend so many people. Run.”

“Do I look like a feeble coward to you?!”

“You are no match for him, Dasnor.” Shadow’s eyes were full of serene confidence and a bit of contempt. “And you know that.”

“Shut up.”

Clink.

Aoi pointed her sword at the enforcer’s throat. “Dasnor, listen to me. Well-timed retreat is a part of successful tactics. If you want to keep you and Murasaki both safe… just go. Now.”

The mages exchanged glances only they could understand. This time, Aoi had no desire to demonstrate who was in charge here: all she wanted was to give her second nephew a chance to escape. Dasnor clicked his tongue and ordered his teammates to leave as well. Without any more thinking, he grabbed Niji’s hand and bolted away from the penthouse, leaving the two Celestials behind.

The enforcers returned to the hundredth floor and ran through a long row of hotel rooms. The fire had already spread there, but with a flick of her hand Niji extinguished the flames from the carpet to clear their passage. Accelerating at the end of the corridor, Dasnor leaped out of the broken window with Niji under his arm—just at the moment when an energy explosion of incredible power rumbled in the building.

The shock wave blew them away, but the mighty arcane wings of the Amber allowed him to keep control of gravity. He began soaring down in the direction of the nearest skyscraper. Niji almost lost her ability to breathe as the freezing autumn wind penetrated her to the bone. The Elementalist tightly clung to Dasnor: not that she was afraid of heights, but even the bravest could freak out at such a reckless and dizzying flight.

The walkie-talkie cracked with Dammit’s voice: “Hey, Grumpy! How's it hangin’?”

“We got out. Aoi and Shadow are there to deal with him. Where are you?”

“On our way back; the path is clear. Most Viols were eliminated by the cops. Whoooooa, the whistling on your side is TERRIBLE! Switch this shitty sound off, you make ears bleed.”

Dasnor let out a short laugh, and Niji guessed that the mage smiled. Mesmerized, she looked down: the whole city of New Tokyo was right under her feet, with all its never-ending urban life, the bright lights of the evening illumination, the giant glittering letters of advertising billboards. They hovered over the metropolis, descending lower and lower, and her body trembled either from piercing cold, or from paralyzing fear, or from pure delight. Dasnor tightened his hold on the mage girl so that she wouldn’t slide down.

“What a view, right?” he shouted over the wind.

“That’s… that’s just insane!” she cried back.

Having landed on the rooftop, the mages ran a bit together before slowing down the momentum. But even after they stopped, Dasnor didn’t let the girl go: after a few seconds of hesitation, he pressed her closer to him and gave her a resolute kiss.

Niji tensed with every bit of her body, electrified by the smell of tobacco and the roughness of his lips. In her mind, everything got mixed up in an instant: it was all so bittersweet, just like in that pub song. Then Niji relaxed and began answering him with the same determination. They stood there for some time, ignoring the fire in the building and the noise of a helicopter flying over nearby. The world narrowed down to the two of them, so everything else just lost its meaning.

“It’s so damn cold,” Niji said when Dasnor decided to finally give them a break.

“Eh, we don’t want him to pop up here, do we?”

“I wish you just said ‘let me get you warm’ or something like that.”

They chuckled in unison, and Niji thought she witnessed his sincere laugh for the first time ever. What happened next felt like a kaleidoscope of images: the skyscraper ablaze; rows of multi-colored windows in perfect geometry pattern; the hordes of passers-by who had flocked to gape at the crime scene; the blurry car lights they met on their way. It all blended inside her head, but what she remembered clearly was the breathtaking view from the rainbow bridge of Sora-no-Seki—and how firmly she was pressing against Dasnor’s back in fear of falling off his motorcycle.