Chapter 22: Me, Myself, and Her

Inside this dark world, I walked, but strangely, no images appeared. I thought it would be like with Tsubasa and Chris, where their insecurities manifested, but nothing happened.

"That is because you forgot a lot of things."

Hearing that voice, I turned around and saw myself. It was me, but somehow, I felt like he was different. I couldn't pinpoint what it was, but he was undeniably different.

"Well, this place is the emotion plane, where Dáinsleif is supposed to show you your insecurities. But we only have a few, and we don't really care about such things. What's more, with your memories incomplete, it's rather useless to think about it. But what a surprise to see that it wasn't just me alone in here with you."

The moment he said that, a figure appeared from the darkness. It was my Symphogear form, but something was different. The suit's pattern and color had changed from violet to yellow gold, and her eyes were red.

"Why are there two of you, Mamoru?"

"You're Morgan, right? Why are you here?"

"You silly, I am one with you. When you enter a mental plane, of course I will come with you. But you're ignoring my question. Why are there two of you?"

"Oh, that's because he forgot what happened in the past. The result of that is me—thought it was because of what you two did."

"I see. Well, that was a gamble, but it was fine if he turned out okay."

"Yup, but a problem appeared when he tried to remember."

My other self and Morgan started talking. What did he mean that there was a problem when I tried to remember?

"Well, you're entering a berserk state."

"What?"

"Yeah, usually a complete merge of human and relic is very resistant to berserk compared to a half-state like Hibiki was. But because of what you and she did in the past, some complications appeared. So now, whenever you try to access your memories of that world, you will enter the berserk state."

"That was..."

"Yeah, I know. But there is nothing we can do about it besides focus on how to send you back. Since, while a moment here lasts longer than in the real world, it's only a matter of time before you enter a berserk state."

My other self and Morgan started to whisper silently before Morgan and he started to smirk. Then, Morgan suddenly hugged me as my other self just smiled.

"Alright, off you go, and don't try to remember your past, okay?"

"That just makes me more curious about it."

"Shush, it's okay. I'll answer your questions when you have them, but don't try to remember."

"Fine then, Morgan, and how are you going to send me back?"

"With this."

He kicked both me and Morgan, which made me wake up as the relic started to spawn a black aura that covered my body. I entered the Ignite Module transformation, but then something weird happened. Usually, the black aura and a color from my gear start to show up as eyes before wrapping my suit, but the eyes had a yellow tint this time.

Then, I somehow felt something on my back, and a voice appeared in my head.

'It's a success.'

"Morgan?"

'Yup, we're trying to use the Ignite Module so that I can communicate with you, and it worked! What's more, it gives you more access to my relic, so now it's almost become a duo relic transformation. Plus, those wings look really cool.'

'Oh, and you can speak directly to your mind if you want a private conversation with me.'

"You, that form..."

Oh, I forgot Carol was here. But wait, Morgan said I have wings. I wonder what they're made of, but then I feel like I can control them.

"How do you like it, Carol? Well, for now, I'll show you some of its power."

My wings were made from shields that were basically stewed together, which surprised me, but that's probably because of the almost-transformed duo relic thing Morgan mentioned. I can basically control each individual shield, and what's more, they can shoot beams.

Basically, they're turning into some sort of funnel from Gundam, and I see Maria getting reckless, so I tried a technique I know from Gundam to test if it works. Yes! I basically made RX-93, or Nu Gundam, funnel shields that used beams to connect the funnels together and form a light shield.

This opens up some incredible possibilities, but now I send all the shields onto my back. They're flying faster than my surfing shield and start killing all the flying Alca-Noise, small and big, which drop some Alca-Noise. Still, the firepower of the laser is amazing.

"Tch... you're more powerful than I thought, but you can't defe—"

"With the cursed melody, right? Besides, I already know that even if I kill you here, you'll just revive, so let's end this."

The moment I said that, all of my shields were already aimed at her. She just glared at me as she tried to attack me with alchemy again, but I blasted her with the full power of my laser. Hibiki would probably be angry at me for this, but I would just explain it to her later.

Then, I looked at the others. They were finishing off the rest of the Alca-Noise. As expected, with so many Symphogear users, we managed to keep this place in much better shape compared to the anime. At least with this, Fine would have an easier time finishing the new generation generator from the alchemy she learned from Elfnein. It was a pity, though, that Elfnein didn't have full knowledge of alchemy, only the knowledge that helped Carol plan. But well, at least there was nothing wrong with it.

Still, the green flame that appeared was just like in the anime, as Carol's body turned into ashes. Tsubasa, Maria, and Chris approached me.

"So that brat finally died?"

"CHRIS."

"What? She is a brat."

"Not really. While she is indeed dead, as long as she still has memory she can just be reborn again."

"What was that? That's clearly cheating."

"Are you sure about that, Mei?"

"Yes, I'm pretty sure about it, Maria. As she is an alchemist, besides making her subordinates run, why would she come alone? She's not that stupid."

"Maybe she got arrogant?"

"Nope, Tsubasa, you clearly don't understand alchemy. For them, death is just an option. So as long as they want to revive, there are plenty of ways. One of them is using memories, but basically, it comes with a cost, and all of them involve a human sacrifice, that's for sure."

I said that as I slowly walked back to the submarine, ignoring the three of them who were still staring at the green flame. I thought I would have a lot to talk about soon.

"Mei, can you explain?"

"Explain what, Genjuro?"

"About everything that's going to happen. You know what's going to happen, right?"

"Yes and no. Well, the moment I bring Kanade and Serena back, I already don't know what's going to happen. Besides, Miku has a Symphogear as well, so I don't think anything will be the same. As for who the enemy is and what they can do, I can guess the rough outline, but what's the fun in that?"

"Mei."

"Then, Genjuro, answer me this: which do you save, a thousand strangers or the one you love the most?"

I glanced at Genjuro. From what I heard of Morgan, I can roughly guess what happened in the previous world, and if that's true, then I need them to become stronger. And I need them to get the Lapis Philosophorum. The only way to achieve that is by absorbing the power of Saint-Germain. Though, if Fine can remake the Philosopher's Stone, maybe I don't need that extreme measure. But just in case, I'm prepared to sacrifice billions if that's what it takes to protect them.

I noticed Genjuro was starting to sweat. Am I even that scary to him? For now, I just slowly looked at the video, which is what Morgan recorded when she was taking my body. Still, it was a shock how much potential I could use in my Symphogear.

"For me, I will gladly choose to sacrifice those strangers if it's what's needed to keep my loved ones safe, even if those loved ones will someday come to kill me."

After saying that, I slowly left the room, but I noticed a hologram-like figure of Morgan appeared, though it was only visible to me since apparently my synchro with my relic has increased, which is the reason we can speak to each other again like we used to, it seems.

'That is my Mamoru.'

'Morgan, not now. Besides, can I access Duo Relic form now?'

'If it's when you're using Ignite module and X-form, yes, you can, though it will be partly and not a complete one because the load is too much for the current you.'

'That is fine.'

'You're being reckless again. You're planning to even sacrifice yourself if it's to save them, won't you?'

Morgan stopped in front of me, but I just went silent as I walked straight through her.

"Don't worry, I won't deny your choice, since I know you're going to go through with it. But are you sure? That would mean I'll die as well."

The moment she said that, I stopped walking. While I was prepared to sacrifice myself if needed to help them grow, I wasn't prepared to sacrifice Morgan as well. But I would just have to find a way to separate her from me.

"If you think you can just separate me, remember that my relic is my main body. Even if you used another method, it would just create a body I would inhabit, but my core will still be with you. So if you die, I die as well."

Wasn't this already a checkmate for me? Now I needed to think of a way to make sure Morgan was okay with my actions, no matter the cost. This was giving me a headache, as I'm not really good at making plans. Still, for now, I needed to focus on what was going on.

"Morgan, can I use your relic to transform?"

Morgan stared at me, and I noticed her eyes were turning from red to yellow. She then closed her eyes, as she was thinking.

"You technically can, but it will be for a limited time, around one minute, I guess? While I think you can push it further, I don't recommend it, since that will decrease your synchronization. That means I can't speak with you or come out like this."

"I see. What happens after one minute?"

"The gear will start to disappear, and you will be stunned."

"As a last option, then. Got it."

I slowly entered the training room to try it out, but then Genjuro called us all, so I headed toward the command room.

Now that all of your relics have been upgraded with the help of Elfnein and Fine, we will be holding a training session.

"Training?" x9

Somehow, I'm not surprised. Genjuro then proceeded to talk about the training, which would take place on a beach where we would train our minds and skills. He also retrieved some important documents that Dr. Nas had left behind while she was still in a coma. This wasn't surprising, considering how long it took to retrieve her, and frankly, I'm more surprised she's still alive after arriving on Earth the way she did.

Well, they can't wait for her to wake up, so all they can do is investigate the research she left behind. It's kind of funny, though, how she's technically still alive, but the world has put her in a coma to move the plot along. I guess this works out for me, since Genjuro and Fine were planning to retrieve Dr. Nas anyway.

As I was thinking this, Genjuro patted Elfnein's head, which meant she had already told them about something, and they accepted her, just like in the anime. I noticed Hibiki was glancing my way, and I think she wants to talk.

"Why did you kill her, Mei?"

"If you're talking about Carol, she isn't dead, Hibiki."

"What do you mean? I saw her body engulfed in flames."

"You underestimate the power of alchemy. She sacrificed so many people to achieve near-immortality, Hibiki. If she wants to revive, she can. The only way for her to truly die is if she wishes it. And with the path she's on, she won't be dead until she manages to destroy this world."

My words silenced Hibiki, and she clenched her fist.

"I know you don't like hurting people, but sometimes people just want to hurt others because they don't understand their ideology. It's as simple as that. Do you know why Carol wants to destroy the world in the first place?"

Hearing my question, she slowly looked at me.

"She said it was what her father left behind..."

"Nope, not even close. If you ask Elfnein, she'll know too, since she possesses Carol's knowledge from when her father was still alive. Basically, Carol wants to see what would happen if her pure self could withstand her evil self."

Hearing my explanation, Hibiki stared directly into my eyes.

"Then we'll just help Elfnein show Carol that we can understand each other, and that the world can become a brighter place."

Hibiki was about to leave, her spirit renewed, but I stopped her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"As for you, I'll tell you this: your father did leave you with something. As for what it is, I won't tell you until you discover it yourself."

My words shocked Hibiki, but then she smiled and patted my shoulder.

"I see. Thanks, Mei. I'll go prepare with the others to go to the beach now. Make sure you prepare as well, Mei."

"Sure."

Then Hibiki left me alone, and I gazed out the window. Still, since I'd forgotten about that world, that question now appeared in my mind. But remembering who Enki was, it was probably about helping humanity or protecting them, or something like that.

Well, I suppose I should start preparing my clothes as well. Now that I remember, there was the swimsuit I got from that show. I probably should use it.