Yuri moved over to the unconscious workers that they'd placed against the wall. He knelt down and touched them one by one to check on their vitals. They were slowly regaining their strength and Yuri understood that having your energy sapped from you was never a good thing and the effects were sometimes different, but what he knew for sure was that had they not stepped in when they did, the workers would be dead. That much was certain when dealing with Pageless. They didn't care about anything or anyone and only wanted to achieve their goal of bringing darkness to the world he and the others fought so hard to protect. He took his job seriously and wouldn't let them achieve their goal.

"The humans are okay for now," Yuri said just as the entire building went dark.

The darkness was heavy, it was like you could breathe it in and out. It was unusual, but his mind was on the alert. The music hit his ears like a shipwreck and his eyes darted around the room as the spotlights smashed against the outside of the building. What was going on outside? He didn't know, he couldn't see out, but he could feel that there had been a change, a shift in the atmosphere. He listened to Scheherazade tell them to be careful, and yet there was something in the way he said it that cause Yuri's curiosity to peek out.

With no effort, Yuri tucked his legs in and sat Indian-style in mid-air next to the humans. Meditating allowed him to clear his mind and focus his senses. It wasn't the best time to do it, but he hoped somehow it would help him help the others. The Monarch Staff levitated in front of him, the beautiful luna moth-shaped crystals hanging on the diamond thread tendrils softly glowed as his mind focused. His inner peace was interrupted when the attack came. Metal rods had shot towards him and Ayaka and the source of the attack moved fast. His butterflies had picked up on the movement, and he wondered just how long the creature could keep moving at this speed and not tire. It was no surprise to him that Ayaka had managed to counter the metal rods that had come close to her. The light of the chains illuminated the first floor if only in quick pulses. The rods that came close to Yuri were cleaved in twain by the diamond tendrils on the Monarch staff as they lunged out at speeds not visible to the naked eye.

He opened his eyes when Ayaka asked a question but at that moment Momo or Flare as they called her had ordered her dog to attack the hidden creature by following its scent. Clever idea, but how quick was Flare's dog to be able to catch the assailant? Yuri used quick hand gestures and clasped his hands together in a praying manner. A portal rippled to life, the same as the one Flare had taken earlier.

Consider it done Merlin. Scheherazade, have a little faith will ya!

One eagle-sized butterfly after the other popped out of the portal and attached to one of the humans until they were all accounted for. They proceeded to carry the humans through the portal and outside of the barrier, creating a dome around them that would protect the humans from harm. Yuri's feet touched the ground and his hand gripped his staff as he looked up.

"Flare, Merlin, can you two handle the one down here? I'll go help Robin. I have a bad feeling about this, but it should be fun."

His attention quickly settled on Flare's dog, Kiba, that had come hurtling back into the first floor, skidding to a halt. The dog had actually managed to find the assailant, but whoever it was had retaliated and shown their strength, if only a portion of it. Yuri's eyes landed on the figure as they moved closer. It was hard to make out much detail due to the current state of darkness in the room, but Yuri quickly tossed up a butterfly that illuminated the entire room. There standing before them was what looked to be a magical girl much like them only different. She had a dark aura that surrounded her and it was odd. This was the first time he'd encountered someone like this. It was impressive.

"Who are you and why are you attacking us?"

Robin, we have an issue.

"Gwahaha, you are done for, meddling humans!" The Jack-in-the-box laughed once the darkness enveloped the building. Its revelry wouldn't last long after Robin continued her assault, a good shot or two would be enough to finish the Pageless Leader now that it had exposed itself in a place without cover.

"Gah! Curse you, curse you!" it spat before exploding in a small puff of smoke and flashing lights leaving behind a few pages of text, containing the life force stolen by its lesser brethren.

Before any of the protectors could sigh a sigh of relief things turned grim, not only inside the building but outside as well.

"Laaadiies and Gentlemen! What do we have here!?" A voice called from high above, reaching everyone inside the tent-like barrier. Anyone outside could see the source was coming from something, or rather someone, balancing at the tightrope. "Lookout! Don't you know it's dangerous to stand under a tightrope? What if something falls on your head, you wouldn't want that, would you?" the voice said right before an abnormally heavy club hit the roof beside Robin, leaving a small crater in the reinforced concrete.

"Oh no! Not again, not in this world too!" Scheherazade said in a shocked voice, almost as if he had seen a ghost, just as Monarch was trying to reassure him about his faith in humanity.

"Why do you have to be here, Darkkeepers!?" Scheherazade said just as the owner of the voice appeared before Robin in a blink, standing between her and the Jack-in-the-box's remains.

"Hello there. You girls have been having a lot of fun lately, aren't you? I hope you don't mind if we...crash the party a little, hehehe!" the girl dressed as a court jester said to Robin while she continued to juggle some clubs not unlike the one that smashed the roof a moment ago.

---

"This finishes it!"

Robin had leapt up into the air to deliver her final shot to the enemy pageless with a flourish, the impact of her arrow pinning it to the floor. "Gah! Curse you, curse you!" it would yell back at her, but Robin paid it no mind. The dome worried her, still, but for now, the danger had passed. She wanted to give a speech about how once more evil had been brought to justice, but a voice from up above interrupted her before she got even a single word out.

"Laaadiies and Gentlemen! What do we have here!?"

Robin reacted quickly, shooting her gaze upwards to scan for the source. She saw the figure dangling from their tightrope. Said figure would give Robin a warning: "Lookout! Don't you know it's dangerous to stand under a tightrope? What if something falls on your head, you wouldn't want that, would you?" and as their last sentence finished, threw out an attack to the magical girl on the roof. Robin was just in time to recognize the club that had been thrown at her, rolling to the side to avoid being crushed underneath. She recoiled a bit from the shockwave, but managed to get back on her feet without much issue otherwise. Scheherazade's voice rang out in Robin's head, mentioning a certain group of 'Darkkeepers'. At the same time, Robin's assailant made themselves known: A young girl, not much different from her. She seemed to possess magical powers, just like Robin and her team, and was dressed appropriately for the occasion. The other girl's costume was that of a stage performer's.

Even as the girl in front of Robin taunted the markswoman, she would not immediately raise her bow. The other girl, aside from the initial attack, hadn't yet made a move. She might've been anticipating Robin to strike first, so the latter opted to talk rather than fight. "Are the Pageless your doing?" Robin would ask. She didn't let her guard down, carefully watching her opponent's movements so she could be ready to dodge at a moment's notice. While observing like this, Robin continued her interrogation: "If they're not, then why are you working with them? And... why would you attack innocent people?"

---

Ayaka gasped as the girl revealed herself from the darkness. The only source of light was the chains that had fully melted the metal rod of which she could only assume belonged to the stranger. She narrowed her brows, a tighter grip overcoming the shaft of her staff as there was a moment of silence between the two. The wizard didn't know what to do, the stranger before her looked exactly as a magical girl would. But from a first glance there was no visible grimoire and even if there was... their intentions were clear.

She looked back to Yuri and then to Robin who was also met with a stranger. "We aren't alone guys... the wizard said with a certain pinch of fear. Originally their enemy had only been pageless for the passing days and even months the team had only fought off a certain enemy but now all of that was put into question. The silence between the three was thick and soon enough it had to be broken.

"Yuri, we need to regroup with Robin! Teleport us to the top of the building!

The wizards say telepathically to the boy after she slammed her staff into the tiled concrete. A burning flash erupted from its crystal as it enveloped the area where the stranger had appeared. Hopefully, this would give them time, and if Yuri were to create a portal she would immediately step in.

---

It was impressive that the Magical Girls could handle the threat of the Pageless so easily and with little damage all around. All things considered, the building structure remained intact and they had even successfully moved the civilians out of harm’s way thanks to Yuri. With the Jack in the Box meeting its end, all of the life energy stolen by the Pageless would return to their human owners. While they would be fine, they wouldn’t wake up for quite some time.

It was thus, the perfect opportunity for a new force to reveal themselves. As above, so below, and with one stepping out from the shadows, another came to mirror its movements until two girls confronted Robin and Ayaka’s group. While the court jester continued to have her bout with Robin, her associate simply stared coldly and with little remorse towards Yuri and Ayaka. “You heard what your pet called us: Darkeepers. If you want my name, show me you’re strong enough to say it.”

The scorpion-like girl continued to move forward and it wasn’t hard to place what exactly the pair of them were. Twisted inversions of the girls who stood before them, a common title would be to label them as dark Magical Girls. But there was little time for semantics, especially when Ayaka made the first move. With her staff plunged into the ground, the area around the scorpion girl lit up in a lightshow of dazzling display. Just before the brightness took hold, the Darkeeper could be seen flourishing a book no bigger than her palm that pulsed power.

“Where do you think you’re going?” The voice was in front of Ayaka in moments, the form of the scorpion girl made out, most of all her leg reared back for a harsh kick towards Ayaka’s head. “Do you think this visor is for show?” she mused, her scorpion’s tail already flicking in the air like a serrated whip to slash and snap back at Yuri if he dared try to intervene.

---

Yuri frowned at the mention of their guardian being reduced to nothing more than a pet. How dare she even speak of him. He was the reason they all got together and defended the world from evil. He was like a big brother to Yuri, and possibly the others. Scheherazade was a friend, and Yuri would protect his friends with everything he had. This new girl did not cause him to fear as Scheherazade seemed to. He wasn't afraid of what she was capable of, nor was he opposed to fighting her to keep the world safe. She had launched the initial attack on his friends and like any friend would do he would fight back.

"Darkeepers you say? Seems rather weak to ambush and not fight head on, but alas that is what your kind is known for, HIDING in the shadows like loose lip wanna-be predators waiting for something you'll never get."

Yuri didn't have a chance to say more as the flash of blinding light from Merlin's staff filled the area. Yuri had acknowledged her want for him to create a portal and he had created the mini-portal in his hands, but by the time he'd done it, Ayaka was under attack. This would be a challenge, as was every fight to protect the light, but he would never back down, he would never quit.

Scheherazade, I still say you worry for nothing.

Yuri had already begun calculating ways to get them out of this situation. His grip never wained from his staff, and when the Scorpion girl reared back to kick Ayaka in the head, the staff acted on its own to protect Merlin from harm. Even though he was still learning his powers, there was one he had tapped into before that would surely land them victory, but the feeling afterwards was something he didn't want to experience again. He'd felt dark, almost sinister to a degree, but the power had protected him which confused him even more. Still, now was the time for action and not running. If the Darkeepers wanted a fight, then it was a fight they'd get.

Yuri's senses picked up on the Scorpion girl's tail which resembled a serrated long whip with a pointy tip. He would need to be careful not to be impaled by it.

"Where she's going is no concern of yours, and quite frankly that visor clashes with the rest of your eyesore of an outfit. It makes you look chubby and unpleasant. Now, get away from my friend," Yuri said as one of the crystal luna moths began to glow.

The Scorpion Girls kick would crash into a barrier sending the same energy back into her body. At the same time, the small portal had transformed into 3 butterflies. 2 purple butterflies and 1 blue butterfly. He slapped one of the purple butterflies onto Merlin's back. The purple butterfly would fuse with her, if only temporarily, but she would feel an increase in her powers and abilities and senses. The other two butterflies fluttered protectively around Yuri as the Scorpion Girl's tail flicked through the air towards him. Beautiful blue light filled the first floor as the serrated tail smashed against the wings of the blue butterfly that covered Yuri sending him rocketing through the wall behind him.

In shock by the power of their opponent's tail, he quickly got to his feet as the blue butterfly unwrapped its wings from around him and positioned on his shoulder while the purple butterfly fluttered around angrily.

"That hurt," he yelled from the hole.

"Oh, these things? They are kind of a tool for the job, but not in the way you think. Don't you even know what you are fighting against?" the clown replied Robin's question with one of her own.

She didn't show any signs of going on the offensive while she spoke, but neither did she stop her juggling. In fact, now she was doing it while balancing herself on a single leg, her eyes focused on the bowgirl almost as if she were expecting some kind of reaction.

"Come on, you know as well as I do that there is no one innocent in this world. In the end, we all deserve to burn for a reason or another," the Harlequin said in an amused voice. "Like, I could tell you the darkest secrets in the hearts of those people you just saved. If I did that, what would you do, then? Would you cross the line, or would you still save them, knowing that they'll go back to their despicable little lives as soon as they got back to their feet?"

"By the way, isn't it a little sad, none of your 'friends' are here to help you? I would think a team would be more... teamed together, hahaha!"

"Don't let them get you, everyone. They are just trying to divide you. That's—That's just like every other time... But now I won't lose to you, Darkeepers! I'll not let this world fall under the Witch's darkness," Scheherazade replied in a distressed voice after being berated by the Scorpion Girl.

---

"I suppose... you're right," Robin acquiesced. "Not everyone I save is a good person. I could even be fighting evil to save evil. Neither Merlin nor Monarch are here to help me. But even so..." her voice trailed off. She raised up her bow, not to take aim, but to show it off to her opponent. "Even so, I believe in them."

---

~Memories from the Literature club~

"She looks so peaceful like that, doesn't she?"

Yuzu, Yuri and Ayaka were gathered around a table in their clubroom. They came back to celebrate after their second rescue mission, a close shave they barely got out of. Ayaka was fast asleep, her head resting inside the arms she'd folded over the table. Yuzu's comment was affectionate, but Yuri didn't give much of a reaction to it. He'd been strangely quiet ever since their victory.

"Do you think we did the right thing?" he asked Yuzu. She looked puzzled, blinking a bit.
"Huh? I... I think so, right? We saved those people and defeated the pageless..." she replied.
"But... they were Yakuza. Should we really save bad people, if they're going to hurt others again later?" Yuri asked of Yuzu. She tried to fumble something out, but...
"That's... I..." ...she couldn't give him an answer. Yuri gave Yuzu an apologetic smile.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have asked that right? I think I'll go home early today. You should keep Ayaka some company, alright?"

Yuri left the club room, leaving just Yuzu and Ayaka. Up until then, the three of them had gotten along without issue, but now, Yuri seemed to be at odds with the rest. Their days afterwards continued as if nothing had happened, but Yuzu had felt a rift forming between them. One that had taken a long, long time to heal...

---

"Back then, I couldn't give you an answer, Yuri." Robin thought to herself, never breaking eye contact with her adversary. "But now..."

The girl opened her mouth to give her answer.

"No matter who it is... no matter what they've done... I'll use my bow to protect them! I'll save their lives so they have the chance to become a better person!"

Robin jumped backwards into the air, her increased athletics giving her enough height to land on top of the cubicle used as an entryway to the stairwell. She had a perch to look down at her opponent from. "If you're going to harm these people, then I'll stop you each and every time! En Garde!"

And with that, Robin fired her first shot at the juggler.

---

The Darkkeepers? Did I miss a session? Ayaka thought to herself, preparing to enter Yuri's portal before feeling the attraction of her magical-skin move towards an incoming force. The wizard turns in preparation, forming a light barrier against it but the force would seem too strong. Luckily Yuri's barrier deflects and disperses the scorpion girl's kick and kinetic force. Merlin made her move, with the prepared barrier she shapes it along her staff and creates a blunt edge like a spear at its end, and thrusts it towards the scorpion girl.

Her senses and ability elevated with the help of Yuri. The purple butterfly merged into her magical form, the barriers across her body would shift accordingly and now give off a dim purple glow. Merlin continues her advance using her staff as a spear as she jabbed towards the scorpion girl, specifically aiming for the legs and the visor that the scorpion girl had pointed out.

As she pursued her attack she could hear the crash of a breaking wall and watched as the scorpion girl's tail flick Yuri away. The wizard jumps back, throwing her staff in midair like a javelin towards the boy, its form shifting into a glowing ball, and joins Monarch's staff. The Monarch's staff would change shape and a great deal of magical energy would flow into its form for the Monarch to use.

Ayaka lands roughly sliding a few feet back as she raises her fists. A cocky anger mustering in her chest, she displays a smile and goes into a melee pose.

"Macho Merlin on the move!"

Merlin yells, her fingers moving in a coordinated manner, light-brown constructs forming over her joints and fists. She puffs out air and then dashes towards the scorpion her fist raised as she goes in for a strike.

---

The Scorpion found her kick halted, but not by much. A barrier arisen from Yuri’s magic, it sought to not only protect his ally, but send the same force right back at the Darkeeper. It was a foolish attempt but one all the same. The Scorpion was pushed back briefly but didn’t appear any worse for wear, simply twisting about in the air gracefully. At the same time, she felt a weight connect with the brunt of her tail and soon a booming crash followed in its wake.

It didn’t take much observation to realize it was Yuri, blown back through a wall as he was. “For Magical Girls, you don’t talk like the heroic sort. You don’t match either though,” the Scorpion mused at Yuri’s comments and his status as a Magical Boy. “If you’re going to trash talk, have the power to back it up.” In the midst of her time midair, the Scorpion flicked her hand with several rods that almost resembled blades with their size shown off between her fingers. Like a shinobi of old, she hurled them right through the blown off wall.

The rods, once the size of knives, increased larger and larger the closer they got to Yuri’s prone body until they were the very same rods that had harassed them this night. As one was dispatched, the other sought to attack in their place. The Scorpion easily dodged and avoided the spear lunges coming from Ayaka. Whatever couldn’t be dodged was casually brushed aside and pushed away with the Scorpion’s strength, her magical suit acting more like armor than the others.

Even with the joint union of his staff and Ayaka’s, the rods would still come faster than any bullet, cracking and rippling along the air towards Yuri. “It’s a mistake to disarm yourself,” the Scorpion said, landing back to the ground now that the assault had ceased. “Your leader is wrong too. Did we ever once attack the civilians in this building? Simple flaws in your observation like this lead to crucial mistakes in battle.”

She doubted Ayaka would listen, let alone care, as the Magical Girl lunged forward thinking she could bring the fight to even ground, fist to fist. That was fine by the Scorpion. She danced around the attacking Ayaka, clearly more adept in hand-to-hand combat than the other Magical Girl. No sooner did the fighting begin was Ayaka’s thrust arm from a swung punch latched with the Scorpion’s tail coiling around it in crushing fashion. Before she could respond, the Darkeeper was behind her, twisting around to slam a knee into Ayaka’s back with the same force that sent Yuri flying.

---

Yuri wasn't hurt after being knocked through a thick wall. The butterfly had protected him from the full force of the blow from both the tail and hitting the wall. He was standing to his feet when the metal rod struck him in the shoulder sending waves of pain through his body. He stumbled back from the blow and realized more of the metal rods were in the room zipping around as if waiting for their turn to strike his body. Falling to one knee, blood escaped his slightly parted lips and as he yanked the bar from his shoulder, the resulting shock caused him to cough spraying the once clean floor with his own life fluid. Everything was swirling. He'd let his guard down, and that was the mistake he'd made when facing a new adversary. Never let your guard down and never let go of faith. He understood now why Scheherazade had been so concerned about them. The mocking words of Scorpion Girl rang in his ear as Merlin fought her.

Just as the rods were getting ready to strike him, an orb of light shot into his staff that he was holding and he watched in bewilderment as his staff began to change. More diamond tendrils sprouted showcasing a rainbow of different colored gems at the end of each. The staff elongated slightly adding another six inches. The tip had a diamond that held every color fathomable within, and it floated affixed somehow to the staff. It was shaped like a pyramid. Runes covered the staff from top to bottom. His own aura shifted and the hole in his shoulder began to close rapidly, leaving no trace of injury. His eyes contained a beautiful display of color as if an aurora borealis was trapped in his irises. The rods shot towards him and instantly froze in place at the sheer strength of his power. He slowly stood up, levitating off the ground as he began chanting. The rods twisted and contorted until they were the shape of Luna Moths.

Yuri had created Luna Moth shuriken that spun around him as if he had his own orbit. He appeared back in the room with Scorpion Girl and Merlin, directly behind Scorpion Girl. As Scorpion Girl's knee came close to Ayaka's back, it would strike a barrier like before. Silly of her to think that the blue butterfly that was still fused with Merlin would allow any harm to come to her.

"The civilians were never your true target. Your mission is simple, and we stand in the way of that mission am I right? You're not called Darkeepers for any reason other than to spread it. Scheherazade may fear what you are capable of, but I will not allow darkness to take this world."

Yuri swung the beautiful staff and an array of rainbow butterflies fluttered about the room filled with arcane explosive energy, their color representing their element.

"You wanted to see power? Let's have some fun shall we?"

Yuri held the sinister power he'd felt in the room. It wished to break free and rip Scorpion Girl to pieces, to demolish her and whoever else dares to hurt him, but he willed it away, locking it behind a psionic barrier. Fighting darkness with darkness would only destroy. He had to be careful and calculating with every move he made.

"I'M LATE I'M LATE I'M LATE!" the hare-brained heroine Kanata Mizuki shouted as she pedaled her bike as quickly as she could. A bar of chocolate was perched in her teeth, while her eyes hurriedly scanned a map that she was turning around, upside-down, sideways, and even checking if she hadn't folded it out all the way. "Ugghhhh, I hate Geography! Office buildings, office buildings...wait. ...AM I ON THE WRONG SIDE OF TOWN?"



After pedaling to the area, Kanata would be just in time to see the spotlights and tent cover the building, finding herself pushed underneath the tent. Her crimson rabbit ears twitched as she heard Scheherazade mention "Darkkeepers", which...sounded bad. Like, really, really bad. That sounded like some sort of high ranking Pageless she hadn't been told about...and she hadn't even fought a regular Pageless before! For a first day on the job, Kanata sure wished she had something to go off of. She'd only transformed once in private, but now that she was actually running and moving with this enhanced speed, and the bunny ears, it was...a bit much all at once. Her ears twitched as the sounds of fighting kept on clammoring, with what sounded like a fair number of people inside the building, and two on top. Clutching the amulet on her neck that housed her Grimoire, she said: "Uh...hello, Scheherazade , sorry for being late! I...got lost..." she confessed. Then, she heard the sound of arrows being let loose after what sounded like a very romantic speech about saving lives.

Looking indecisive and frankly lost, Kanata would smack her cheeks twice. "Okay, okay, you can do this...you can do this. You're not a normal girl, you're a magical girl. And you're not just any magical girl, you're-" the girl crouched down, legs bent as her muscles did their magically augmented thing. The faint red outline of a rabbit surrounded her, before she exploded off the ground and into the air. "Boundless!" She closed her eyes as she ascended, stomach jumping to her throat as the girl defied every basic fact of her physiology for one massive jump that had her in the spotlights. Like, literally. Seeing she was about to crash into one, the girl drew her hammer and used it as a makeshift hook, using the space between the hammer and handle to swing off the light and onto the tightrope, at which point she froze.

"...Why is there a tightrope?" she asked, now an onlooker for the battle between Robin and the Darkkeeper, who Kanata was currently trying to parse as being a member of their group that she just didn't know the codename of. ...It made her feel really bad, for what its worth.

---

The wizard didn't care for the scorpion's words. Ayaka stayed silent, her eyes wincing against the light from Yuri's dazzling transformation. Her elemental balance shifted, favoring Earth instead-- she could feel every step and wavelength connected to the concrete and natural sources of her surroundings. Although the wizard wasn't trained in martial arts or anything of the sort her sight and senses lead her punches. Dodging and dancing with the scorpion girl.

Ayaka gasped the scorpion latching its tail around her arm, she attempted to break out of its grip but it was too late. Her enemy was right behind her and before she struck her tail to her back Yuri came to her aid. The scorpion's knee bounced off the Monarch's shield and before the scorpion could move Ayaka would crouch down, her calves tightening arms over her chest and face as she launches backward's an earthen cocoon surrounding her body- launching like a canon. BOOM! She went! A rumble followed with the concrete floor breaking under her feet as her body dashes in flashing speed. Hitting the scorpion girl with an earthen might intending to crack every armor and shield the darkkeeper had.

And following Yuri's swarm, Ayaka unravels from her earthen-cacoon, being pushed forward by a jet of air. The wizard lands on her knees, quickly turning back to face her enemy as a palm goes to touch the broken ground. Two pillars rectangular and stone-hard form at Ayaka's side, they elongate attempting to pin the scorpion's body against a miscellaneous wall for the swarm of rainbow butterflies infused with elemental charges to gain a clear line of sight for their target.

---

A sigh escaped the Scorpion’s lips, though it was doubtful either Magical Girl heard it. Between their own sense of self-righteousness and the love for hearing themselves talk, any sort of input was dropped; after all, they ignored her already. Still, she wasn’t surprised at all to find her blow blocked by the same barrier that impeded her before. The only indication she gave to Yuri’s newfound power was a simple eye raise behind her visor before she turned back to Ayaka.

The girl was on the move, roused from her bout of stillness as she launched herself towards the Scorpion with all the stalwart wrath of the earth. The Scorpion raised her arms up, taking the brunt of Ayaka’s attack as it sent her flying upwards in the building, cracking through the floors and causing more property damage than the Pageless ever could. All the same, it was almost poetic in their backdrop as gravity took place and the Scorpion free fell through the many holes back down.

“You stopped speaking arrogantly the moment you took this seriously. Perhaps I’ll do the same,” the Scorpion said, both Yuri and Ayaka beneath her. Both were readying their attacks, the boy with his magical swarm, and the girl with her pitiful attempts to pin her down. “Very well.” The Scorpion’s tail wrenched back, sliding and coiling around one single leg. Dark power emanated, pulsing through and rippling the building in shadowy waves.

Even the newcomer could feel the encroaching aura and pressure building around the focal point that was the Scorpion from all the way up her spot on the tightrope. Darkness seemed to envelop the Scorpion’s one leg and soon she was rocketing down towards Yuri and Ayaka. Faster, faster, and faster, until she was merely a purplish blur of light that made itself manifest with a harsh dropping kick to Yuri’s face.

The lights that once illuminated the area went out in a single flash and Yuri’s butterflies of myriad colors and Ayaka’s pillars all extinguished while darkness shockwaved the area once more. The Scorpion’s boot dug into Yuri’s cheek, slamming him into the ground with such violent force and ferocity as if to kill him; but he would survive. No sooner was he put down did the Scorpion twist around to deliver the same impacting force to Ayaka. Enough power was in the side kick to send her flying completely through the building’s walls and out of it entirely; the Scorpion didn’t care if the other girl could stop her own descent.

“We’re done here.” Leaping off Yuri, the Scorpion bounded up the cracked and ruined top holds of each floor one by one. Like a springing shadow, she was beside the clown-like Darkeeper in just a moment, noting Robin and the bunny girl’s frantic entrance. “Are you done playing around Harlequin?” And then she stared directly at Robin. “Your friends aren’t worth our time.”

---

The jester had a growing smirk on her face as she heard Robin agree with her. However, that didn't last long. As soon as the blue-haired magical girl's speech turned on its heels, the clown's self-satisfied smile warped into a disgusted frown.

"Well, that's a way to ruin the mood," she said in a voice that barely contained her urge to puke at the cookie-cutter heroic drivel.

Even so, Robin jumping back and firing at the jester's feet was answered with the jester doing a dodge roll, or rather a cartwheel, to get out of the projectile's path. In the middle of her movement, she let her clubs go, throwing them at Robin's feet, kicking up a dust cloud to distract the archer.

It was then that her eyes set on one of the many motes of life force making its way to the unconscious workers. "I found ya~" she said in a sing-song voice. From her position up above the roof, Kanata would be able to see a sadistic smile stamped on the jester's face as she trust a fist inside the glowy orb and... dug around for something.

"Oh, come on, I wouldn't think your enthusiasm would be stinguished so fast. Anyway, I'm done here, so we can get going while we are on top," Harlequin—or better yet, Harly—answered when her 'partner' landed beside her. Just as she did so, she pulled her hand back from the light orb with a book—no, a Grimoire—now in her grasp.

"The Giant's Beanstalk, huh? That's gonna be fun to mess with~" she said in a pleased voice. A moment later, the whole circus illusion began to crumble and disappear as suddenly as it came.

"Annnnd that's it for the night! Thank you for your patronage and until next time, Ladies and Gentlemen!" Harly said before disappearing along with her partner in a puff of smoke and confetti.

---

---

Despite the grim circumstances, everything went well in the aftermath of the encounter with the Darkkeepers. The life force was returned its rightful owners, the worst they would feel is the symptoms of a mild cold for a few days, even the one that had his soul pilfered by the Harlequin's assault would be goo to go in no more than a week.

On the other hand, things weren't so simple between the defenders of the world's peace. Scheherazade refused to comment on the issue after the battle. He promised to explain everything on the next day when the girls assembled the following day in their school's library. Even though his feline countenance betrayed no emotion, it was clear that he was perturbed by the events that happened and needed some time to sort out his thoughts.


"I'm sorry everyone. I guess I owe you all some explanations after what happened yesterday," Scheherazade said as he perched atop a windowsill bathed in the sunset's fiery hues. The wind waving the trees behind him in a vivid dance of light and shadows that looked almost as if it popped out of a Monet or Van Gogh.

"The Darkkeepers... I never expected to see them in this world. Maybe, after all, that I lost, I became a fool. How could I not see it coming again? In all the worlds conquered by darkness, the Darkkeepers are always there," Scheherazade said in a voice bitter with guilt.

"Just like you, I also asked them to help me in m fight against the Dark Empress. But... time and time again, I failed as their guide, and as a result of my failings, they became corrupted by the darkness they fought against. And now, the help her conquer other words..."

"It's really all my fault for not telling you before that such a thing could happen. I understand if you don't want to work with me anymore. But if there's anything I can do, let me know. I absolutely can't fail this time. This world is so blessed with the Princess touch. Stories became a part of your soul like in no other world I ever saw. I don't know what will happen if it were to fall in the hands of the Empress," Scheherazade said, pepping up a little as he explained everything he had to say.

One could almost feel the weight of the silence as he waited for a reply from the club members. But, before any of them could answer, a knock on their club room's door shook away the still atmosphere.

"Excuse me. Is this the Library Volunteer Club's room? I've come to return a book and can't find the librarian anywhere, would any of you be able to check it out for me?" The blue-haired girl said with a crystal-clear voice as she clutched a copy of a Cinderella pop-up book close to her chest.

---

He didn't know how long he'd been down, or when they'd left. Opening his eyes slowly he felt pain wash over him like he'd been hit by a freight. Everything hurt as he moved his body to stand. He felt it, the disconnect. His arm was dislocated, possibly broken. He would need to access it later. That was no ordinary power, that power came from a dark source, a powerful source. In his current state, he had no hope of defeating someone with that much strength. Realizing that his staff was not in his hand, he looked around and saw it sticking out of the adjacent wall. Approaching slowly, his hand reached out, fingers curling around the staff. Pulling, he freed the staff from the stubborn wall and twirled it a few times. His senses were returning when he looked around the room. Merlin. Where was she? Arm limp to the side, his eyes landed on Merlin. She was off in the distance outside of the building. The staff vanished, returning to the crystal on his necklace.

The carnival crew had long gone and the humans had awakened and remembered nothing of what happened. They all seemed to think they'd fallen asleep or something in a field across from the building they worked at. It was the normal response for someone who had their life force sapped. With one quick push, he popped his arm back into place and groaned loudly as more pain washed over him. His hand trembled slightly and it was at that moment he noticed the bruising on his hand. Leaving the scene, he tried to ask questions and get some sort of answer from Scheherazade, but the guide who was like a big brother to them ignored his questions. He ignored any question from either of them and when it was time to part ways, Yuri had more questions than he wanted to have.

That night he couldn't sleep thinking of the battle and the outcome. Thinking of Scheherazade and his secrecy. What was he doing this for? Saving people and protecting the world and for what? The people you trust are the ones who keep secrets from you. It hurt. He felt as if he'd been betrayed and as he sat in his bed twiddling his thumbs, he closed his eyes and rested his head on his pillow. That morning, bruised and aching, Yuri got out of bed and felt pain in his arm. He didn't think it was broken, but his parents rushed him to the doctor where he received treatment. He had a hairline fracture, and he had to wear a sling. Unsure about everything that he once stood proudly for, Yuri went about the day silent. Doubt had somehow wedged its way into his mind. How could he protect anyone when there was a foe out there that was capable of such destruction? How could he trust someone when they kept secrets?

Most of the day was filled with his classes, but he didn't speak to anyone from the team. He stayed focused on his classwork until the meeting in the school library. They were the members of the Library Club, and whenever they met it was to discuss with Scheherazade future missions or important stuff regarding the team. This time, the meeting was odd. Yuri wasn't the first one there. Yuzu was already there and he sat down without saying a word to anyone. He crossed his legs and touched his injured arm. He listened to Scheherazade as he addressed them all when everyone had arrived. Yuri listened but pretended not to, and when Scheherazade had finished, Yuri turned to look at him. Before he could speak, a knock came at the door and Yuri sighed. The girl wanted to return a book, but couldn't find the librarian. She was probably off in the teacher's lounge again drinking copious amounts of coffee.

"You know there is a return slot at the return desk you could've just slid it in there," he said taking a step forward, "but no worries, I can help. I'm Yuri by the way. Your name?"

Although he wanted to yell at Scheherazade and let him have a piece of his mind, this girl showing up helped him take his mind off of everything.

---

The blow happened in seconds, the first floor of the building was completely demolished and so were Yuri and Ayaka. The forms and shields that had passively generated along the wizard's body rapidly broke until her physical body was all that was left. Luckily her magic had unmerged from Yuri's staff and returned to her body instantly reconstructing the shields placed. But it was already too late, the damage had been done, and a set of bruises had occurred over her midsection and knees. The breath ripped from her lungs and she curled over debris regaining her constitution.

The mission was a success but their mentor, their benefactor, Scheherazade had failed to warn them of an incoming attack. From their surprise, during the mission, it was apparent that the cat knew more than they were letting on and due to their choice of keeping that knowledge a secret, we paid the price. Ayaka understood the moment she honed her abilities for the fight of the greater good that she would need all the knowledge to prepare to protect the world and the lack of... caused this.

She didn't bother to continue thinking on it but instead tended to the civilians on the far side of the now fading damage barrier. Eventually, the block would return to normal as if no battle had occurred and now it was Ayaka's job to place the citizens back into their correct spots. Mass Amnesia, Mass Hysteria, or Mass Insomnia. The latter would be used to explain what had occurred in order to protect their secret and once the job was done--

Night came, the darkkeepers had escaped but luckily the civilians were safe. That was all that mattered, but now an incoming threat was possible-- no. Imminent threat was coming. Sleeping came to Ayaka easily though she was muddled with visions, dreaming of her theories of the world but also the scorpion girl that had attacked her. She would remember her face, planning to instantly assault if she were to ever see the stranger again. But for now, Ayaka let her dreams simply be dreams.

And the morning would come, as usual, the routine of the day-and-night cycle still the same as it was before as the teen got ready for her normal day at school. It came like a blur, classes slept through but homework and quizzes turned in and resulted in passing grades. The gift of Merlin was an aid in her knowledge but it was just a tool, Ayaka was smart before she was a wizard. But now with magic, she could study in her dreams, think at a faster rate than a normal person would. It drained all her ability to try in school and now she was just waiting for another battle, for another day to help.

Finally, the meeting between the "magicals" as Ayaka personally called it. An explanation given by Scheherazade, the cat stood on a windowsill, and once the group had gathered they begun to speak. Ayaka had wondered if the answer was going to be satisfactory but it wasn't. It was a mistake and an extremely faulty one. If the group had known prior, maybe Merlin could've predicted or calculated this event. Maybe if the darkkeepers no matter how unlikely their arrival we all could've been prepared against their assault. But no.

Ayaka stood straight from the wall she leaned against in the corner of the room and before she could speak she acknowledged a girl that had asked for help. A sigh escaped from her breath, mouth closed as she waited for the girl to leave before speaking again.

Yuzu opened the door to the school's library, finding herself being the second on-scene after Scheherazade. It wasn't a surprise to find the familiar sitting there; after all, he didn't have any classes to worry about like Yuzu and the others. Yuzu didn't sit down quite yet, though. She wanted to wait and greet the others as they arrived... and there was still an awkward silence between her and Scheherazade. Yuzu greeted Yuri, then Ayaka when the two arrived shortly after she had. Just one more needed to join them now.

"Ah, Kanata!" Yuzu said as the youngest and newest among them joined in the meeting room. Kanata hadn't been on the team for long; in truth, yesterday was meant to be her first mission. "Right... yesterday..." Yuzu thought to herself. She felt her mind wander back to the day before.

---

"I won't let you get away!"

Robin's bow was drawn at Harlequin, the jester making her escape with the new grimoire in hand. She had a clean shot; all Robin needed to do was take it. The arena around her, however, was crumbling. If Robin took the shot, she'd have endanger Kanata. Stop the escape or save her friend; Robin didn't have any time to think about what the right decision to make was.

*snap*

Kanata's rope had snapped. She'd gone into freefall. "Watch out!" Robin shouted and, just barely, managed to catch the younger girl. Carrying her like a groom would their bride, Robin gave Kanata a reassuring smile. Forgoing the use of codenames, as the enemy had already fled, Robin- no, Yuzu had asked "Are you alright, Kanata?"

Kanata nodded her head and let out a quick "Mhm," before following it up with "What about the others?"

With the reassurance she was okay, Yuzu let Kanata down onto her feet. "Don't worry. Yuri and Ayaka are tough. Let's go check up on them," Yuzu told Kanata and grabbed her hand, positively pulling her along back downstairs to meet up with the rest of the team.

---

Thinking back, Yuzu didn't regret her choice of saving Kanata. Even if it meant letting the enemy go, her friends were more important. Maybe that's why Yuzu, unbeknownst to herself, gave the other girl a soft, reassuring smile. 'It's okay,' that smile said, something Yuzu didn't have the chance to tell her the day prior. Not that many words could've been exchanged in the moment either, with Scheherazade not waiting long after everyone's arrival to explain his mysterious silence on matters. Those two girls- the Darkkeepers- were under his guidance once. Now, however, they were corrupted by the forces they fought against.

And even after the explanation was finished did the party not get a moment's rest. An older girl approached the group, asking about returning a book. Yuri sprang up as the first to answer, but...

"You know there's a return slot at the return desk you could've just slid it in there, but no worries. What's your name?"

"Y-Yuri, that's a little..." Yuzu tried to interrupt, but she couldn't quite bring herself to finish the sentence with "crude" or even "unrefined". Yuzu was quite a bit more timid when she wasn't busy fighting monsters. While Yuri was a boy, his straightforwardness was still a bit... out of place. "I'm actually the, um, club president. Checking books in and out when the librarian isn't here is actually my task... err, I'll go get the list!"

Yuzu did as she said she would, gone for only about a minute as she searched for pen and paper. When she returned, Yuzu diligently compared the name of the book in the mysterious girl's arms to the ones on the list. "Let's see... It's this one, right?" Yuzu pointed at the spot she was looking at with her pen. Yuzu tried saying the name written down aloud, but it was clearly a foreign name. She wasn't entirely sure what to make of it. "The one under the name, um... Leviathan See-run?"

There was a long stretch of time wherein Kanata found herself tossing and turning the night after her first real night of being a Pagekeeper. ...She failed. Badly. In fact, she didn't even get to fail, since she showed up so late that she couldn't help anyone. So late that she was just a burden to be rescued, despite not being injured. So late that...

She expected to be yelled at. ...But Scheherazade didn't. In fact, nobody really did.

Being at least on-time for the club meeting, Kanata was panting, having sprinted the entire way to get there from the middle school building. When she heard her name be spoken by Yuzu, she expected a scolding but instead got a warm smile that reminded her that she had friends here. Even if it was largely her first real experience as a Pagekeeper, she felt like...she could trust them. Especially since as it stood, her senpais had way more experience than she had.

When it came time for the mysterious black cat that commanded them spoke, Kanata couldn't help but feel sad for the poor thing. Even if it hadn't filled them in on the existence of the Dark Keepers, Kanata hadn't assumed that evil people could have grimoires in their hearts. After all, stories were things you read to go to faraway places, experience newfound things, and dream things as childishly as you wanted without being reprimanded. The idea that someone could just come and muddy the concept, twist the hearts of people and make them fight with the Pageless was so...

...Horrible, really.

Clenching her fists that were balled on her lap, the youngest girl of the group looked around. Yuri was badly hurt in that last fight, bad enough to need a sling, and Ayaka wasn't looking whole and hearty herself. In fact, both seemed hurt deeply by the lack of information.

The general air of the room was heavy, but a stranger arrived just in time to make the awkward group of high schoolers do something. Kinda.

Seeing as the situation at the door was being handled by Yuri and Yuzu, Kanata would scoot over to Ayaka's corner. Not-so-stealthily, the bunny-powered girl would carry a multi-layered box behind her and stand beside Ayaka. Clearing her throat, Kanata would finally say: "Um...Meru-Senpai...I felt bad about what happened yesterday, so I brought everyone these. Would you like one," she said, revealing her quintuple-level food box, having enough food for each member, as well as Scheherazade.

Each of the bento boxes contained a small assortment of snacks, including miniature fruit salads, macarons, rice balls with various fillings, and melon-bread, all of which begged the question of just how Kanata had either the time or the money to make and bring FIVE of these boxes to school. The box for their feline commander was a tad less-heavy on the sweets, as it instead had sardines over rice, shredded chicken, and an omelet filled with leafy greens for fiber. The sardines and rice were in the shape of a grimoire. Kanata hadn't included actual cat food, since she kind of assumed opening a can of wet find and telling their boss "Bon Appétit" was in bad form.

Kanata froze for a moment, eyes going blank as she asked: "Wait...are...are we even allowed to eat in the library?"