Archangels of War

The aura of the headmaster couldn't be explained. The best I could do was make a comparison. It felt like the prince's aura, only less sinister, and more overwhelmingly powerful. Any thoughts that I had to actually describe the feeling that was placed into my body vanished completely as I stood beneath him. His long black coat was flowing in the wind, and he was standing right in next to me and Yuri, near seconds away from killing each other. 

Immediately, I dropped to my knees, and Yuri did the same, our weapons clattering to the ground. I could feel the headmaster glaring down at me. Right now, he seemed nothing like that goofy man that Erika had played a prank on during the opening ceremony. 

His presence was overbearing and everywhere, just like the princes. However, unlike the princes, his commanded respect, not worship. It also felt just as strong. 

Behind us, I could hear footsteps rushing over. Glancing behind me, I could see the others arriving unto the scene, anxious, wands at the ready. 

As they noticed what was happening, a few breathed in relief. 

"Thank god there's no intruder. After everything that Shindo had said, I was sure..." Hikaru said, as she stopped to catch her breath. 

Ichijo took a seat on the ground, breathing out a sigh of relief. "All of those explosions were really worrying." Genji shared his reaction, wiping her brow. 

One worry was out of the way, but A new one presented itself. 

"Headmaster, what..." Suijin seemed completely shocked to see the headmaster of Theta magic academy standing before her. 

Above me, I could see the headmaster raise his arms in greeting. "Ahh, what a wonder it is to see you all again. A week of staring into the eyes of people as old as me can really do damage to the brain!" 

He exclaimed in an over-the-top attitude. 

"You were supposed to be out until Sunday, meeting with the council of the grand magic academies." Suijin supplemented, still in disbelief. 

The headmaster waved his hand impatiently. "It went how it always does. Europe and America's grand magic academy leaders were going at it, Africa remained uninvolved, and I ended up just drinking with the headmaster of South America's grand magic academy. That meeting has always been a farce, an attempt to deceive the public into believing their can ever be peace between the magic academies." 

I was a bit shocked to see him call something supposed to be sacred, a farce, so openly at that. The meeting between the 7 headmasters of the 7 grand magic academies. It was something that happened twice every year and was supposed to symbolize the peace between the previously warring continents. However, according to the grandmaster, that symbol of peace was always an illusion. 

"So, you skipped the meeting?" Suijin asked. 

"Don't worry about that, more importantly," He turned his gaze down to me and Yuri, and I shivered. It felt like millions of different things, were crawling around my body. I couldn't even look him in the eyes. 

"Were you guys running combat trials to test the structure of the school or something? I can assure you that this entire plot is filled with some of the sturdiest material possible. All though....." 

He directed his gaze towards the massive craters along the outer rings of the barrier, and the one in front of us. "You guys really did a number to it, eh?" 

"No, we weren't." Suijin replied, snapped out of her daze, and her attention having been directed towards the two of us. However, she wasn't angry, instead, she seemed frustrated and annoyed. As if another thing had been added unto her already incomprehensibly large plate. 

Which It had. I realized in horror. I had just added to Suijin's nonstop growing list of problems.

"Makes sense." The headmaster said. His tone turned completley serious. "Considering the two of you were trying to kill each other." 

"....." 

The onlookers were left in silence at the reveal made by the headmaster. 

Suijin and Kami's eyes both widened, and Hikaru and the others were looking on in disbelief. 

"Wha-...." Suijin was the most hurt of all. Not only because of the fact that someone she was so close with, that she thought she knew so well, had done something out of her reach of understanding, but also because that person had done something directly against what she believed in. 

I remembered my conversation with her. How she said the reason she felt so strongly about Shindo's situation was because it went against everything she stood for. 

The look in her eyes told me that she was beyond hurt. Beyond confused. Beyond betrayed. 

Kami was staring at me with pure confusion in her eyes. She didn't understand my motives, and in truth nearly did I. 

I was just angry. I had let anger be in control of my actions. It was something that had never happened before. For as long as I can remember, that was one of the first things that Takeru had drilled into my head. Stay calm and composed. The moment you let anger dictate your actions, is the moment you lose. However, hearing the way Yuri spoke about Kami, I could not let that fly by me. 

"hk!-" 

Yuri reacted physically to the look in Suijin's eyes. In our fight, I had learned more about him than I had expected. I had learned about how similar we were. However, there was a key difference, one that Yuri himself highlighted. 

"Is it from your heart? Or is it mindlessly following a mission you were given, like a slave?" 

Yuri was motivated by his love for Suijin. That's why he was capable of looking so hurt when he saw Suijin hurt. 

Thats why when I had seen Kami hurt, my reaction was of shock, of disbelief, of anger. Because I was just a slave to a mission I had been given. 

A worthless big brother. That was the essence of my own existence. 

The brand burned even hotter. The rest of my body felt even colder. 

"Do you two have anything to say for yourselves?" Suijin asked, the hurt evident in her voice. 

Suijin's question, everyone's expectant gazes, all of the conversations I had had, everything, it all swirled into a burning point. A single question remained at the center of that exploding point, at the accumulation of everything. 

"What was the true identity behind Raiden Chisaki?" 

A brother? 

No. Takeru had said it himself. I had seen it myself. 

A son? 

No. Absolutely not. My mom couldn't even look me in the eyes. The entire Chisaki household feared me. My father was disgusted by me. I had killed people who served directly under the family, directly for me. 

A protector? 

No. That had been shot down by Yuri, by his questions, by what he represented. He was a truer definition of the word than I could ever be. It left only one option. 

A tool? 

But even that was being called into question. However, it was the best option. The only one that fit. The only one that could describe the existence of Raiden Chisaki. 

"Raiden, say something." Kami said, her voice shaking. 

"Worthless piece of shit." Those were the words that came from my mouth. They were directed at none other than myself, and everyone could hear me. 

I grabbed my blade, standing up. 

The headmaster stared at me, not saying anything. 

I turned towards Suijin, before bowing deeply. Doing the one thing that went against what she believed in. But it wasn't out of spite. It was.... the exact same thing that I had done after I had seen the hurt look on Kami's face. I had resigned to make her hate me, to make everyone hate me. That was the answer I had come up with. 

I could already feel Yuri seething at my actions, as he understood the true meaning behind them. 

"Sorry Suijin. All of the blame is mine." 

"Raiden..." Suijin was also speechless. She was in mental turmoil. 

"Raiden, this again?" Kami's pained shout broke through the cloud of silence. 

However, I turned my gaze away from her. Yuri noticed my actions and his anger reached a boiling point. 

"See, this is exactly what I was talking about." Suijin snapped her eyes towards Yuri. 

"You, Raiden Chisaki, are irredeemable scum." 

I already knew that. I knew it better than anyone. 

"Yuri!" Suijin shouted out, in anger. The temperatures also dropped by a few degrees. When I turned, I noticed it was Kami. Her expression had darkened, but I could also see doubt in her eyes. I remembered when she had cried to me, about her own insecurities. Her lack of confidence. And I could do nothing. 

As all of this went down, the headmaster did not utter a single word. He just looked from face to face closely. 

"Is this really the choice you've made, son of Takeru?" 

I was frozen by the headmaster's statement. How did he know my father? I shook my head. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered. It had never mattered. At least where I was concerned. All of my attempts were pointless. It always led back here. It always would. 

It was a cycle. It was a cycle that I would never escape. 

I would try to pathetically crawl back, pathetically crawl away from the truth behind my identity, from the reality behind my existence. And it would always hurt the people around me. Make them suffer. 

Over and over and over. 

I would repeat the same mistakes, over and over and over. 

I would reach out for that flame, for the warmth, for a heart. 

And I would lose it all again and again. 

Again, and again. 

Envy of others. Of those who weren't trapped. 

Greed, for wanting more than I should ever deserve. 

Sloth, for never being able to the right thing, the action that truly helped someone. 

Pride, for never being able to let go of my own pitiful worth. 

Wrath, for always being the one to bring pain upon others. 

Lust, for enjoying that feeling of warmth that I experienced, despite knowing the truth behind it. 

Gluttony, for seemingly never being able to get enough of that cycle. 

The truth behind Raiden Chisaki's existence had been laid bare. 

A man who lost his heart. no-. 

The scar on my chest burned. 

The man born without one.  

I turned to Suijin. 

"I have the answer." She looked at me in shock. 

"To that question you asked me, on the first day of school." 

"This is the path my heart chose." I lied to her. I lied to everyone. I knew it was bullshit; they knew it was bullshit, but no one said anything. 

"All actions have consequences." The headmaster said cryptically. 

"A man must truly die, before they can be truly reborn." 

I turned my back away from everyone, towards the darkness. 

 ※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※　※  

The situation was as so.

Raiden Chisaki, the one without an identity. 

Suijin Hajimoto, who believed that she was responsible for the weight of the world. 

Kami Chisaki, the hypocrite.

Yuri Hamani, cursed by the visage of his own past. 

Shindo Miyamoto, the monster born in isolation. 

Hikaru Hina, the saint who couldn't lead him into the light. 

Looking upon them, the young girl, dressed in a white dress, smiled. 

Her dress, no, cloth that covered her body, was blowing in the wind. Watching. Lusting. Searching. 

The witch of Vainglory. 

She had found him. 

The one to be loved by the witch. 

Volume 1- Forever Cycle. End.