Sousei no Onmyouji: Reborn.

Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Sousei no Onmyōuji (Twin Star Exorcist), all rights belong to the goat Sukeno, not everything I write is canon and true to the original.

Additionally: Read Author's Thoughts at the end.

5:00 AM.

It was very early in the morning, the surroundings still set in black, when Ayato opened his eyes, his expression already set in a scowl.

Why?

Because a hand, one that didn't belong to him, had just smacked him right across the face. 

Not lightly, either. His cheek still tingled from the impact. He exhaled sharply, resisting the urge to groan.

Without even looking, he knew who the culprit was. There was only one person it could be.

Rokuro.

The guy slept like he was fighting Impurities in his dreams, tumbling, rolling, limbs flailing, he had absolutely no control. 

And now, as expected, he had somehow ended up sprawled halfway across Ayato's futon, one arm thrown over him like they been in this situation for long.

"This sucks."

He muttered, shoving Rokuro aside, firmly enough to make a point but not enough to actually wake him, he sat up, running a hand through his already-messy hair. 

His fingers raked through the strands, tugging slightly as he tried to shake off the remnants of sleep.

Then, his mind drifted back to last night.

Apparently, the excuse was that there weren't enough rooms available for him, so they had paired him up with Rokuro.

And naturally, it had been awkward as hell.

"Haah."

With a quiet sigh, he swung his legs over the futon, raking a hand through his hair before standing up. 

His movements were somewhat sluggish, but his mind had already begun piecing itself together. He needed air.

Padding barefoot across the wooden floor, he made his way to the door, grasped the handle, and slid it open—Only to freeze.

Because right in front of his room, sitting seiza-style on the ground, was a girl.

Not just sitting, but also glaring, at his shared room, as though she had some kind of personal vendetta against the door itself.

"Hmmmm Rghhh!!!!!"

Ayato blinked.

Without a second thought, he slid the door shut again.

Nope. Not dealing with that.

For a brief second, he seriously considered crawling back into his futon and pretending he never saw anything. 

Maybe he was still half-asleep. Maybe this was some bizarre morning hallucination.

But curiosity happened, and before he could stop himself, he cracked the door open just enough to peek out.

The girl was still there. Still glaring.

"...?"

Several long, silent seconds passed as he weighed his options. 

Then, finally, with a sigh of resignation, he slid the door open all the way and stepped forward, facing her directly.

"It's five in the morning. What are you doing here?"

Ayato asked, his voice barely above a whisper, his eyes narrowing at her.

"...Drag him."

"I came to drag him… to Magano… to determine who is stronger."

Hearing her say that with conviction and resolution in her eyes, Ayato scratched his head as he listened to her explanation.

Did Rokuro fight in Magano?

That didn't make sense. From what he had heard, the guy was supposed to be done with all that. 

Ryogo told him so last night before Ayato had gone to bed—Rokuro wasn't an exorcist anymore.

Yet, he was also curious as to why.

"Why?"

Ayato asked, and at his words, the female clenched her fists before looking straight into his eyes.

"He was strong. Abnormally strong. A Kegare of that size—a Ja. He exorcised it with a single attack."

"And so… he hurt my pride."

She had started out serious, like she was delivering the results of a battle report, but by the time she finished, her lips had pressed into a small pout. 

A faint, almost childish sulk that didn't quite match the intensity in her eyes. And yet, it wasn't an exaggeration. 

She really did feel like her pride had been wounded. He could see it written all over her face.

But that was not the case here, Benio aside, Ayato almost choked on his saliva, his eyes widening in disbelief.

For a solid second, he was speechless. Was that even humanly possible?

He had no idea what kind of "Cursed Power" Rokuro possessed. Not even Ryogo, it seems.

As far as they knew, Rokuro had abandoned exorcism entirely. 

So the idea of him taking down a Ja-ranked Kegare, something that normally required an entire squad of trained exorcists, by himself, in a single blow?

"That's absurd."

Ayato mumbled, placing a palm over his mouth. His face paler than before in surprise.

He could only imagined Rokuro equipping a [Saigan Shishi] talisman and obliterating a Ja-ranked Kegare.

Still standing at the front of the room, he turned to glance back at Rokuro, who seemed to be peacefully napping, completely unbothered.

From what he had gathered from Ryogo yesterday, Rokuro had quit exorcism a long time ago.

And yet. Now he was hearing that Rokuro had killed a Ja with a single attack.

His temples ached just thinking about it.

What if Rokuro had continued training? What if he had never quit being an exorcist?

'He'd have turned into a monster of an exorcist by now.'

Ayato genuinely thought it over, but eventually digressed.

"With all that said," Ayato began, turning his attention back to Benio, "I doubt that blockhead would simply say, 'Yes, I'm in,' and follow you there."

Rokuro wasn't the type to be easily convinced. 

Even if Benio did manage to wake him up, the chances of him just agreeing to a fight seemed slim.

"But—" Ayato continued, slipping his hands into his pockets, "if you don't find me lacking, how about I follow you instead?"

It was an offer made without much fanfare, but there was a certain weight behind it.

He had already gotten a general idea of how strong Rokuro was.

While he knew that both of them had a larger volume of Spell Power than himself, he couldn't exactly estimate by how much.

Seeing her in battle, however, would help him gauge her strength compared to himself and Rokuro.

"....Then, if you wouldn't mind."

Benio replied, still somewhat dazed. But now, she was looking forward to it as well.

She didn't know the full details of their past, but she did know that the two were childhood friends.

If Rokuro was strong, then Ayato should also be strong. She wanted to compare how strong this person the same age like them is.

To an outsider, her expression might have seemed indifferent—passive, even. 

But beneath that composed exterior, her focus was razor-sharp. When it came to exorcism, her drive was unwavering. 

It didn't always show on her face, but inside, her resolve burned stronger than anything else.

A minute or two passed before Ayato finally emerged, slinging his weapon case over his shoulder with an easy, practiced motion.

"I'm ready. What about you?"

Benio nodded first, then—"...Yes."

They were about to head out, already at the hallway to the door that lead outside, not until the sound of slow, dragging footsteps interrupted them.

Descending from the stairs, yawning and rubbing the back of his head, Ryogo came into view. 

His half-lidded eyes lazily scanned the two of them, taking in their gear.

"Uh? Where are you two heading off to so early in the morning?"

"Ryogo-san, morning."

"...We are… going to Magano."

Ryogo blinked, his hands froze in midair, then, he clenched his fists. Oh, how he wished Rokuro was one of them.

Perhaps, if Rokuro hadn't given up, he'd be just like them, grinding through Magano this early in the morning.

It was their job as exorcists, so he had no reason to stop them.

"Alright then, both of you should take care. If you're in trouble, come back quickly."

"Sure thing."

Ayato was the only one who answered.

Benio said nothing.

Not because she didn't appreciate the words, but because she couldn't—not when she still had unfinished business in Magano. 

Especially if she encountered that Impurity again.

But she didn't need to say anything.

Ryogo glanced at Ayato. He had only met him yesterday. He didn't know much about him yet—but he did know that Ayato and Rokuro were childhood friends.

That was enough.

Because he had seen the way Ayato had looked at Rokuro last night. 

The way his face had barely concealed the disappointment upon hearing that Rokuro had given up on being an exorcist.

He was a good kid.

But for some reason, watching the two of them sortie out so early in the morning, it made him proud.

{Mysteriously within this reality, I earnestly seek the great gate of Ookami. Discreetly and with respect. I beseech thee in this manner.}

{Please hear my plea with tranquility and serenity. Humbly, humbly I speak.}

"{Magano gate. Come forth at once.}"

Stepping outside the Seika Dorm, Benio opened the gate directly to Magano.

The moment they stepped in, their entire worldview shifted. Dark skies. Dark, mushy ground. Dilapidated, destroyed buildings scattered around.

In the midst of this eerie landscape, Benio turned to Ayato.

"…How many charms… can you equip…?"

"Three. At best, four, I guess."

Hearing that, Benio lifted her head smugly, a look of pride flashing across her face. Ayato tilted his head to the side.

"I can… equip six."

Ayato's lips twitched. Especially at how proud she was acting about it. Well—

With six enchantments, she was likely distributing her spell power equally among them.

'Wait… isn't that actually super reckless?'

As mentioned earlier, he could only equip four, but even then, it would drain his spell power quickly.

Not so fast that he'd be drained in under three minutes, but still, considering other spells would also be activated mid-fight, it was extremely dangerous.

But if she could sustain six enchantments for long, while sharing her spell power equally among her enchantments…

'She's a freak…'

Ayato thought.

"Exorcism Enchanted Gear."

"Saigan Shishi. Gaiho Gora. Hiten Shunkyaku. Raisai Senkan."

Bringing his attention back, Ayato saw that Benio was already fully equipped with her enchantments.

At the same time, she had donned a mask that completely covered her face which led Ayato to a quick conclusion.

'Speed type, huh? Guess I should follow suit.'

Reaching into the pouch strapped to his leg, he pulled out two talismans.

"Exorcism Enchanted Gear: Hiten Shunkyaku. Gaiho Gora."

For the third, he removed the weapon case from his back, pulling out an additional talisman to release his purification blade.

"Kaijin-fu (Dust-Banishing Charm): Shiryū Kekkazan."

From the charm, two swords were released, one, a long katana-like odachi. The other, a shorter kodachi.

"...."

As he finished, he noticed stares from the side.

"That gear… it isn't considered two…?"

Ayato blinked, then shook his head.

"Oh, Kazamachi? No. Kazamachi is considered one entity split into two. So, I only need one enchantment to sustain them."

"Is that so…."

Benio said that, yet she couldn't help but keep her eyes fixed on the sword for a moment.

Besides, she had noticed that a different talisman was used for the weapon, one that wasn't like the usual {Banish All Evils} talisman she always relied on.

However, it was at that moment–

"Gihihihihi~"

"Hehehehe~"

"Hihihihih~"

Across the dilapidated buildings, several Kegare began popping up, one after the other.

Their twisted forms shifting as they let out eerie, bone-chilling sounds.

"Well then—looks like we have work to do."