Kurisutarumajishan Chapter XI: I Can Hear Whispers

Haruko has entered the carriage, tending to a resting Natsuki who has retreated in her black stained castle in the sky.

The world around her was devoid of life, a scenery under a fading green filter, the castle levitated above the clouds with a misty trail. It's gargantuan mass floated aimlessly in the see of the fading greenish blue sky.

"Where am I?" Natsuki muttered to herself, she looked around the environment she found herself in. It was a gothic structure, with angled pylons that shot through the open ceiling like that of the crown. Natsuki observed the floor she found herself, it was glass-like, with a misty black substance flowing inside it. This seemed to be what made most of the castle structure is made from, asides from those that seemed to have a hardened black substance within them, much like the pylons that climb through the open ceiling.

Around her was a spacious chamber, it doesn't seem to have anything else asides from her presence. There were no other rooms, or a hint of a chamber door. She was alone in the castle, or at least, that was her first thought.

"What a strange place.." She muttered, looking around. Her footsteps echoed as she approached the middle of the structure. She was mesmerized by its beauty, she started to fantasize living in such a grand structure before her attention was called for towards a creature that appeared to what seem to be the royal balcony.

"My Child, I welcome you" It said with its booming voice, welcoming, yet quite frightening.

"Hello.. May I know where I am?" Natsuki asked politely, shivering as she tried to keep her composure.

The creature jumped off the balcony, landing quietly on the floor before reforming their stance. It approached slowly towards Natsuki, who cautiously took two steps back.

"Do not fret My Child" It said warmly as it stopped, addressing Natsuki's steps. "I am of no danger to you"

"What.. are you?" She asked curiously, slowly loosening her stance, but still kept distance.

"I am the guardian of this palace" It replied "I am it's keeper, The Graveyard"

"Can you.. tell me about this place, Graveyard-san?" She asked politely once more.

"Please, drop the honorifics my lady. I may be the guardian of this palace, however it is you who truly owns this realm"

"I… Own this realm?" She repeated.

The Graveyard, approached her and circled her. He seemed pleased despite his lack of facial elements. The Graveyard then stood before her, seemingly pleased with what he has observed from his master.

"That is correct, Master Natsuki. This is the palace where you retreat to, your oasis, your world where you escape the madness that envelops you" The Graveyard replied. "This palace protects you, and now it has found a greater use than simply being the walls of your heart"

As The Graveyard uttered its appellation, the castle hummed and began to shift. It's form slowly rearranging itself into that of ship, and the spacious chamber became the center of the now reformed castle. As the structure settled with its form, The Graveyard nodded, satisfied with the structure's action.

"What happened Graveyard-san?" Natsuki asked as she looked around.

"The palace has reformed itself into a ship, there is no cause for alarm" The Graveyard replied.

Natsuki looked back towards The Graveyard, his presence was noble, that of a loyal servant who has reunited with its master.

"My Lady, you have matured quite a lot once you have stepped foot in this world, I applaud your growth" He said as he bowed. "There's still work to be done, however, we must approach the essential aspects, and why you are here with us now"

Natsuki nodded, quite determined to learn whatever The Graveyard sought for her to accomplish.

"I'm ready, Graveyard" She replied.

"Good, then let us begin" The Graveyard stepped towards the center of the chamber once more, and with a swift motion, created a pair of swords with his forearms.

"My Lady, I am well aware that you have decently mastered the art of creating weaponry such as swords and cannons with your power" The Graveyard said as he inspected his weapons. "I am sure you have noticed as well, but you can also create protection the same way"

"I have, once" She replied, she did a swift motion with her right arm, and the shield has formed as well as a rough and spiky gauntlet that allowed for the connection to be formed with the shield.

"I see, it's unpolished" The Graveyard muttered, he detached his sword from his crystallized hand and threw it towards Natsuki who blocked the sword well despite its unpolished state.

"Incredible" He muttered "It seems that you have developed your crystal to be quite strong, that or it already has an incredible defensive capability"

"I'm not really sure I follow you.. Graveyard-san" She said as she glanced at her shield "These just came naturally to me, I don't know if I can do more than just weapons and shields"

"You have the ability to go beyond such items, My Lady, I have summoned you here to show you this"

The Graveyard retracted his swords and spawned a spear with quite the intricate design, his body shifted, the crystals were writhing around before it settled and hardened.

"Woah.." Natsuki awed. "Can I do that too?"

"If I can My Lady, then I'm sure that you can as well" He replied. "We are connected after all, as well as this ship"

"I see.. shall we train me then?" She asked, quite determined to learn. She fixed her stance, wielding her shield higher on her forearm.

"Of course, that is why we're here for" He replied, a hint of glee and proudness was evident in his disembodied voice. "Then, My Lady, it's as simple and as similar as how you procure you're items…"

He paused, and motioned for Natsuki to show her shield.

"I see" He muttered "I can see that remnants of the Old World remain with you"

"What do you mean Graveyard-san?" She asked. "What old world?"

"The specific details are not mine to disclose… However" He flicked his finger in a swift motion towards him. The shield purged from her arm and flew towards The Graveyard's left arm. He did a quick swish, before reforming his whole body into what seemed to be a humanoid machine of some sort, however, quite different from what he was expecting.

"Ah, I see" The Graveyard muttered quite surprised "This does not belong to such machine, this is from the Nightingale"

"Graveyard-san, I don't follow you-"

"Pardon me, My Lady, let me explain" He said before returning to his form. "This shield is a fragment of memory from the Old World. In that world, you have family, you have an older brother, and a war"

"Why is it familiar to me" She said softly. "Tell me more, please"

"As I said, I can't disclose as much, for I too have lost memories of such past as well, and some that requires you to find them on your own"

"I can only remember important memories it seems, however, the image of your brother seems to have been distorted or lost, I cannot tell anything else other than in the Old World, he has used such machine, the Nightingale for his personal use. I can see why you mistook it for the Sazabi's shield, your brother had a hand in using such a machine as well, but he preferred the Nightingale over it"

'He knew that moment..? I guess we are conncected after all.." Natsuki thought to herself as she was tended to by The Graveyard, who attached the shield on her forearm.

"I don't remember having a brother…" Natsuki muttered to him, quite perplexed and confused.

"It is speculation from my own concoction, but I believe you were reincarnated from the Old World" The Graveyard said, there's a hint of doubt within his voice as he attached the shield on her forearm. "I don't have evidence to point towards such conclusion, rather it's a feeling that I have"

"I see…" Natsuki said, despite the lack of actions towards knowing her past, she was quite determined to know at least some of the available information that she can access. "If my brother used this… Nightingale, then what did I use for as my personal machine?"

"Ah.. your personal machine?" The Graveyard went silent for a while, before reforming himself once more.

The crystals took a more insect like form, and compared to the Nightingale, it was smaller, just the perfect height for Natsuki to wear as armour.

"If I recall.. this machine was called.. the-" He was cut off as Natsuki held his new form's cheek, caressing it softly before circling him.

"It's the Qubeley…" She muttered, her eyes brimming with nostalgia.

"I see, it is called the Quebley" He repeated. "If I remember correctly, this is the machine you used beside your brother's in that game"

"I… It seems familiar… I'm not sure but.. I know this was mine" Natsuki said, her hand still examining the Qubeley.

As she did, The Graveyard took note of how the crystals that now enveloped Natsuki slowly and gracefully formed an armour fashioned to the silhouette of the Qubeley, her face now donned a similar headgear that was just in the right proportions for her. Natsuki's arms were decorated in the same fashion as the Qubeley's, and were fashioned like mechanical long sleeves for her, the tail binder of the Qubeley was also recreated for her proportions, and it seemed that she intend to use the Funnels that were housed within it.

As Natsuki finished her transformation, The Graveyard was quite pleased with the outcome.

"My Lady, it seems that showing you this memory is enough for you to learn how to procure such intricate armour" He said with noble glee. "I have known you for quite so long, such a bright woman you have become"

"Graveyard-san.. I did it!" Natsuki said as she jumped around. "I really did it! It was so quick too!"

"So it seems my lady" He replied, still gleefully ogling her master's brightness. "I am pleased that it won't take long for you to master the rest of the abilities your powers hold"

"Graveyard-san, thank you for showing me that memory!" She said happily.

Despite the lack of facial elements, it seemed as if he was smiling. "It was nothing My Lady, it is my job to guide you through your life. I am graced to see you smile so widely once more, it has been so long since I've seen it, and I'm glad that I have induced happiness great enough to bring a smile that reaches your ears"

"I'm… Really thankful you showed me that… I can be more useful for Anahana and Haruko now!" She said, though, quite down.

"There's nothing to worry about My Lady, you're quite useful enough, especially for your crew" The Graveyard comforted. "Your leader, Anahana may be stoic and capable, but she's at the breaking point of her own self"

Natsuki, looks towards The Graveyard, a worried look washed over her.

"What can I do to help..?" She asked, her voice wavering slightly.

"I sense that Anahana's in shock from your last display of force. Your ability to provide such amount of firepower in short notice has… Shaken people, although the twins seem to be fine. I must admit, I was in shock too, that much firepower is well deserving for the sibling of quite the extreme magnitude"

Natsuki took a mental note of The Graveyard's words.

"I advise you to be understanding towards them. A person with power of such magnitude are quite rare, if not, nonexistent in this world. I surmise that your power, and it's vast repertoire does not belong in this world" The Graveyard pointed towards her left arm that was recently used to become a cannon.

"I see.. I kind of understand that…" She agreed, before nodding to herself. "I'll do my best"

"Very well, My Lady" The Graveyard replied, before working towards the balcony.

"Umm…"

The Graveyard turned. "Yes My Lady?"

"May I stay here for a while..?" Natsuki asked, her armour slowly retracting.

"You may, and I might as well accompany my Master" He replied, inviting her to the center of the chamber. The circular markings on the floor moved to create a table and two chairs, he motioned for Natsuki to sit on one of them.

She did so, and sat down, she placed her hand on the table and clasped them while The Graveyard sat the opposite.

"I can sense My Lady's thoughts, are you perhaps wondering of your past?" He asked as he procured some beverages, forming cups of tea with crystals from his hands.

"Yeah... I'm curious about it.." She said without hesitation.

"I'm quite surprised that My Lady has not questioned the reality of this realm" He commented as he gave her the cup.

"Me too, I guess I've gotten used to seeing magic and all.." She replied as she smiled. She then drunk the tea and sighed a sigh of relaxation.

"So My Lady, how will I be of service to your memories, albeit I've said that I have limited information, I will do my best to provide you answers to your liking" He said gladly. "Now then My Lady, where to start?"

Natsuki nodded, before thinking deeply about her question. It took a while for to provide one, though, one cannot blame one for being rapidly forced in situations one did not expect to be in.

"The Old World, tell me about it" She asked with confidence. "Let's start there"

"I see. The Old World is the place you came from before your life here. If I have to explain such in a simple way, I'd say it's your world of origin" He replied.

Natsuki nodded, before proceeding.

"You mentioned there was a war then, who fought who?" She asked next.

"That's difficult to answer. I have trouble recollecting the reasoning for that war" The Graveyard slid into deep thought before replying once more. "From what little I can remember, the war was between two opposing factions that fought for their rights, it was a bloody, dirty war. I'm not able to remember much, other than it had went on for quite a while"

"I see.. I had a flashback that may be related to that.. I'm not so sure.." She said in audible confusion.

"A flashback you say? What were it's contents?" The Graveyard asked as he shifted on his chair.

"If I remember right.. I was being told to lead the group.. Just like my brother they said, they'll follow me without hesitation" She struggled to remember the rest, she took a sip of the tea, before giving up on recovering lost data. "That's about what I can remember now, I think there was a mention of the… 'Earth Sphere'? I'm.. not sure"

"I see" The Graveyard said, diving once more into deep thought. "I do remember the Earth Sphere being a crucial detail within the war, the reasoning however has been lost within me"

There was a disappointed silence, before the questioning continued.

"You said I have a brother, who was he?" She asked, clasping her hands tighter.

"I cannot remember your brother's name, but I do remember him being relentless, violent and overprotective of you" He replied with some form of confidence. "If there's anything I can remember from your brother, he was emotional, and was at the point of breaking. I won't be surprised if he did break at some point after, however, if he did past that point there'll be a problem with him in the center of it all"

"So he was like that.. I feel guilty for not being able to help him now.." Natsuki said, looking down at her cup of tea.

"Well there wasn't any other way for you to help. Your brother was quite volatile, given the little memory I have of him. He wasn't the kind to open his heart to anyone else, even towards his sister" The Graveyard mentioned quite sullenly. "Both of you are bright children, I can't help but feel sorry towards your brother, who house those emotions within him, and found no one trustworthy enough for him to quell"

Natsuki looked down again, taking in all of this information was quite harder than she'd thought. However, she was not finished with the Demon Queen just yet, quite far from it.

"I want to do something about this.. but as it is now I still have the Demon Queen to deal with, so all of my time would be dedicated to defeating her and her generals. Can I count on you to look deeper into my memories?" Natsuki asked, standing up, her eyes were filled with determination and motivation they now gave her more reason to move. She dove deeper in thought, and thought to ask something she had thought would be quite far from her expectations.

"Do you have memory of a lady in purple?" Natsuki asked, not expecting much in return from this question.

"Yes, I have" The Graveyard replied. The ship rumbled and a pulse of purple flowed through the entirety of the ship The Graveyard as well, had emanated some form of purple luminance, though in contrast, Natsuki's shield and her arm glowed brilliantly before returning to its gothic crystalline colour. "This lady, she has allowed me and your palace to take these forms, to what extent of the reasoning, I do not know"

"I.. see. She has definitely have a hand at this, but as it stands this is not what I should be doing right now" Natsuki looked up at the sky, her eyes now quite determined to fight through the demonic horde to reach the heart of the brainwashed hive.

"If that is what My Lady wishes, I shall guide you" The Graveyard said, engaging his crystalline armour. The furniture that were erected at the middle of the chamber had receded into its former state, the room shifted, and the chamber slowly lit up from crystals that had now been pushed into the forefront of the structure's walls.

Natsuki knew what this meant, and engaged her Qubeley as well.

"If My Lady wishes to proceed with using her newly found power, I must train you aptly to a desirable degree in which you may surpass your enemy, as well as your own" The Graveyard said as he spawned some Funnels that seemed to have come from the Sazabi beside him. "You're thought processes are beyond that of those around you. You can perceive things differently, and thus, it allows you to be more reactive with your surroundings.

The Funnels zipped around, flying in odd patterns as it approached Natsuki.

"I can surmise that your brother, wherever he may be would have the same ability to control these devices"

The Funnels shot at Natsuki who dodged, she then engaged her Funnels who had immediately fought to overcome The Graveyard's Funnels.

"We do not know the state of things in this world yet, the Generals you may fight in the near future may pose different dangers to you. Neither you nor I can know if your brother is part of them"

Natsuki readied her O Katana, materializing it within her left hands grasp before slashing away at The Graveyard. After the swing, she had stepped back to avoid a beam shot, and side stepped towards the right to which The Graveyard spawned his spear.

"If we're to progress higher through this hierarchy, we must assume things are different as it seems, no matter how unlikely they are, they may still pose a threat to you and your crew"

The Graveyard swung his spear before Natsuki, she blocked it fully with her shield as it slide through the surface, she caught the edge of the spear and swung it away from The Graveyard who let go of the weapon before Natsuki could slash at him.

"Well done" The Graveyard applauded before he took two rhythmic steps forward before swinging another spear towards her as it spawned, she blocked once more as she recalled her Funnels to her aid. As they zoomed through they engaged The Gravedigger in unison with Natsuki who went with the offensive.

The rhythmic flow of Natsuki soon overwhelms The Graveyard who had resorted to disengaging himself away from Natsuki. The Graveyard swung the bottom staff breaking the loop Natsuki has created, and had allowed him distance from his opponent.

"I applaud your combat style My Lady, however it is still flawed, it's simplistic, but quite deadly if I may say" The Graveyard spun his spear and hit the ground with its bottom side. The sound echoed within the chamber, and as it did, Natsuki rolled a double backflip before setting her Funnels once more.

The pair slowly circled each other, holding their stances tightly as they kept each other with visual, the high tone humming of the Funnels as well as the crystalline and leather footsteps dominated the echoes within the chamber.

The Graveyard posed to attack, Natsuki reared before readying her weapon. They charged together, their weapons about to collide with each other before Natsuki abruptly stopped, spreading her stance as she held her shield in front of her. Before The Graveyard could react the Funnels that poised themselves under him fired, creating a web of a fading purple hue, he recoiled but was successfully hit as he was trapped within this web of beams.

"KGhk!" He groaned, the beams subsided and retreated. Natsuki took the chance to create a beam outlet at the tip of her shield, replicating the beam saber that was stored in the same location as with the Nightingale and the Sazabi. She slashed through and broke through The Graveyard's weapon, allowing her to thrust the O katana towards his throat.

"I.. Am impressed.. My Lady" He complimented, they soon riled down and retracted their weapons and armour. "You've done well, being that this is your first time using these Funnels. Your sword play needs some work, however, I can't help but imagine your brother when you fought me. Perhaps you learned your combat style from him?"

Natsuki stretched and twisted herself before smiling.

"Whatever the case may be, at least I know I can use these Funnels now, I'll have to practice more with it though" She commented as she formed one within her hand.

"I see then, The Graveyard is welcome for you to train as such, however, it is best to do it outside. I'd rather have My Lady practice with her new found friends" He said as he gave her a head pat. "It seems that today, it might not only be you who grew in power, but I as well"

"What do you mean Graveyard-san?" Natsuki asked, interested.

"The ship seems to have gained some sort of weapon, it is not defenseless anymore, though, it is impossible for there to be threats in this realm. I assume that you may be able to summon us outside the boundaries of this realm"

"That would be useful" Natsuki remarked. "We might need that soon"

"I see, for the time being, I shall keep the ship in maintenance, and learn whatever more you can do with the power you have obtained" The Graveyard bowed. "If it's alright with My Lady"

"Of course, do what you can to bring this ship to power, asides from that, please keep unlocking my memories, I want to know more about my past life if I can, and if it can help with what's happening" Natsuki ordered politely.

"Of course My Lady" The Graveyard replied, bowing once more. "Ah, It seems that it's time for you to exit"

Natsuki smiled sullenly, she wanted to stay some more, however, that is undoable for the time being.

"I see, thank you Graveyard-san, I'll be back to train once you've found something" Natsuki bowed to her servant as mist slowly appeared and enveloped her.

She soon disappeared as the mist dissipates, leaving behind the ship and its guardian alone.

The ship moaned, and The Graveyard acknowledged its plea.

"Yes my friend. Her encounter with General Taurturia was quite unsightly, she was untrained then compared to now, and I'm sure she would avoid such act again on her next encounter.

The ship had moaned once more, the tone seemingly hinting to its agreeing with The Graveyard.

"There would be others that may pose a threat to her yes, but it seems that our master isn't trapped within this world. The demons are trapped her with her."

The ship moaned, and the structures shook loudly from it.

"Eager I say? Wonderful, let us begin our secret finding shall we?"

So far, during this whole trip, I find myself unable to think, it's all so fast and confusing. There's too much emotion being riled up, Anahana-san.. Haruko-san.. I feel so cared for by them but after that last incursion.. I feel like there's distance between me and Anahana-san…

There's a lot of pressure being thrown at me, but it's alright.. I'll manage somehow. Right now, before the next General, I need some time to clear my mind… If it's with Haruko-san and Anahana-san.. maybe it's okay to let loose for a bit…

This journey is far from over, even after I kill the Demon Queen. There'll still be things that might lurk around the shadows waiting their time to shine, and there's also my missing brother… He'd be the toughest one to find after all of this. If I was reincarnated here, then where would he be? Where will I find him even? There's too much things to do, but at least it's better than doing nothing.

It's at least better than doing absolutely nothing.

"Madam" A voice uttered softly, he approached slowly and whispered into the woman's ear. "We're ready, just give the word, and we'll enter soon"

"Thank you Yoltaid, be on your way now, I'll call for you when we're ready"

The woman stood up, her clothes shone a bright lavender, and motioned for another woman who wore green.

"This is it, our time has come. It'll be a bloody war, but the ends would be worth the sacrifice"

"Our Ragnarok has come dear sister, I and my servant pledge our loyalty to our humble cause"

She shifted her gaze from her friend, towards the figure in the darkened corner.

"The world you have once belonged spoke of a myth, the time of the apocalypse to wash the sins of the old"

The figure who hid in the shadows did not so much move one muscle, nay, he is neither of skin nor bone. Mist from what can be described as his cheeks, and his slits for mouths vented away, dissipating as it bellowed steam from them.

"My dear, you are knowledgeable. Soulless as you may be, I can see the good in you. Be our Ragnarok, and lead our worlds into peace"

She was smiling warmly, quite proud of her work, she raised her hands as she spoke the last of her locution to the figure in the shadows.

It responded, revealing it's metallic purple sheen, its body was sleek and sharp. The figure was cool and still, instilling the blizzards of the emotionless within his presence, yet emanates the fear of the divine. It's core, shone with the sorrows of the damned.

"So it shall be"

"The worlds will know my name, and so will they know the eternal flame"

"Shall they resist, I shall consume them"