ㅤ❝ㅤ To march forward without hope,
is like marching towards death. ㅤ❞ㅤ

IX. The Preserver.

The signature trait of Reimi Fukuchi, that which is born from a most hateful and vile place within humanity. In Hindu Mythology, the Rakshasa’s are depicted as malevolent, outright hateful creatures. Brahma in a form composed of foulness, produced the concept of hunger, and placed darkness within it. The beasts yearned for the thirst of the cosmic waters, yelling “Oh, preserve us!”, and were called Rakshasa as a result. For Reimi Fukuchi, she represents the duality between both good and evil, order and chaos, stability and annihilation; the Preserver is someone who follows their own path, a path where only she can truly decide her fate. No power can stop the Preserver from attaining her destiny, by being set upon a path, she will fulfill its outcome, regardless of what tries to stop her. Those who follow the path of Preservation (Rakshasa) are also those who actively set forth to keep the balance of the world, and their actions ultimately prevent the complete collapse of society. It is impossible for her path to be altered, and those who attempt to do so shall have their machinations turned against them.

25XX.
That’s right, I remember. How could I be so foolish?When I had faith in trust, there was one thing about me that always preserved my faith in humanity. It was the fact that humans are capable of good and bad things alike. Neither of which are truly able to overtake a human’s mind until they fully commit to an action.The life that I lead is one where deceit, hatred, killing, slaughter and war exist. So why could I put my faith in these humans? Why did I put my faith in this world?How could I? How could I? How could I? How could I? How could I? How could I? How could I? How could I? How could I? How could I? How could I? How could I? How could I? How could I? How could I? How could I? How could I? How could I? How could I? How could I? How could I? How could I? How could I? How could I? How could I? How could I? How could I? How could I? How could I? How could I? How could I? How could I? How could I? How could I? How could I? How could I? How could I? How could I? How could I? How could I? How could I? How could I? How could I? How could I? How could I?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?HowcouldI?I gave everyone my best chance.Yet they chose to devour me.I gave them the benefit of the doubt.Yet they chose to devour me.A bitch eat bitch world.Humanity is a step away from demonkind. Because all we can do is devour and trample over one another. To follow the path of an asura, we ensure that violence is all we know. Peace for itself, is another example of violence. You can only achieve true peace through the suffering and trampling of another man’s dream.Everyone lives for themselves. Everyone lives for their own slice of pie. I hate that. In order to accomplish your own dream, you kill someone else’s. Why was it me that was condemned? Why is it me that has to work hard? Why is it me that has to endure this pain?Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?This thing inside of me doesn’t want me to die. My inner voice is telling me not to die. The Demons I have... do not want me to die. Why am I chosen? Was that old man right? Am I destined to defeat the man who ruined everything for me?Is this power that I’ve been given, telling me to fight?I’ve given up on understanding. My brain doesn’t have the ability to compute these thoughts. These thoughts are irrelevant to what my goal is. I want to kill that man.I’ll kill that man -.I’ll fight. I won’t give up. I’ll stop thinking and complaining. That old me is done complaining.Back to reality.Her body slowly rose from its mangled state, reaching out to snap her shoulder back into place, despite it being bloody and broken. In a burning room, on the highest floor of the building, Reimi Fukuchi looked at the “patron” that backstabbed her in the back.“Alright. I understand. If this power wants me to use it, then I’ll gladly abuse it.”Her eyes shone a bright blue, looking at the patron and his guards. The night shone above them, a new moon with the sky illuminated by various other skyscrapers. Why would the moon bear witness to the slaughter?One of the guards muttered to their boss. “What the hell is she saying? Is she okay?” The group of them muttered, aiming both melee weapons and firearms at her. Although they were casual about it. Her body was more than broken in numerous vital places. She didn’t have her COMP, it was tossed to the side.“I’m sure all of you understand, right?” Her voice was low and guttural, it didn’t wish to be heard. Eyes looked up at the other, feral, yet composed. It was no better than a demon’s hateful and malignant glare, aiming to devour everything in sight.Blue flame rose from her body. It did not burn, yet it held a wild disposition to it. Reimi could feel it, but no one else could perceive it. All she saw was from the static that displayed in both mind’s eye and vision, a hand extended to her. “That all of you will have to pay for your sins. Isn’t that right, Queen Mab?”As she stood upright, the bodyguards looked around. Who the hell was she speaking to? It didn’t make any sense, especially since she was unarmed. But one of them, bold enough to leave the pack of twelve and properly strike her down, walked over to her. “I don’t think you understand here, Fukuchi,”Spoke the male whose voice was both lackadaisical, and filled with extravagance. He sounded as lazy as they came, he didn’t take the death of other people’s lives as seriously as anyone else. “You’re outnumbered, and it seems like you failed to understand when to give it up. ‘Pay for our sins’? Are you serious? You don’t seriously think that-.”He never got to finish his sentence. The sickening twist of flesh and bone as his head was wrenched from his shoulders, an entity that arose from the soul of Reimi Fukuchi stood by as she looked at the body, slowly crumpling to the darkened floor, blood pooled at her feet as the head came crashing down with.“That’s one. There are eleven of you left.”Across the world, Devil Summoners in both Yatagarasu and the Phantom Society fought in the underdepths of the world to claim totality over one another. Many who worked at these groups did not live often to their thirties, much less to their mid twenties. However, the few of those that were able to and beyond, were able to create families of their own and disappear from the underground.The Fukuchi family was one such case. A group of Summoners from the Phantom Society who had abandoned the cause after the destruction of a base in Okinawa, walked away from the Society and lived in hiding. Even going as far as to change their faces and leave Japan, they moved to New York in order to properly settle down.Although they worked on the side of darkness, the Fukuchi family had no stakes or any sort of weight within the Society. Junichi “Jun” Fukuchi, was a man who rose through the ranks of society through pure skill alone. At one point, he was known bravely as the “Gunblade”, for how well he mastered using firearms as both melee and range weapons.However, as he rose through the ranks, the more he learned about the Society’s wicked ways. He could not contend and deal with the forces that he sold his soul to, even as more information was given and delivered to. As a result, Junichi Fukuchi and his wife, alongside both brother and sister in law, disappeared from the space entirely.Junichi was a man who believed in doing the right thing, and as a soldier, even as he fought against the symbol of “good”, attempted to be a leading figure amongst his coworkers. Change does not come easily however, and was his main reason for descension. He fled to New York, a major Yatagarasu stronghold within the world. Although he would never be entirely safe, as there was always the chance the Society would come looking for them, he vowed to protect his family first and foremost.He changed his name, his face, even gave information to Yatagarasu that would inevitably give them the upper hand in the fight against the Phantom Society. He was not a bad man by any stretch of the word, but he had known he committed actions that were reprehensible.Yatagarasu, however, took him into protection. The information that he knew was kept with him. He held documents upon documents of forbidden scientific research that would spell the end of humanity if anyone got ahold of it. So, Yatagarasu decided that Junichi should keep his information to himself, and take it to the grave if necessary.Time passed, and so did changes in his life. His wife bore him a child, and her name was Reimi Fukuchi.Reimi Fukuchi knew nothing about her father and mother’s past. There were times where he alluded to it, but as a child, she was never aware of his bloodied backstory. As a parent, he pursued the path of excluding violence from Reimi’s life. He did not wish to see her follow the same mistakes that he did. But, in case that such a fate would ever happen,He would ensure that she would be well armed for the future. His COMP, hung upon the wall of their humble apartment, was always seen as a symbol of the house. To Reimi, it represented the unity that brought her family together, and to her father, it represented the promise that those who had fought with him for years on end would watch over his homestead.Reimi grew up an innocent, but upbeat child. She was outgoing and inquisitive. Her mind was bright and filled with a desire to learn about it. Although she never knew the truth of her family’s origins, she always told her father that she wished to return to his home. Not that she would get a response beyond the phrasing of “One day. But it won’t be today!” or “Perhaps at another time. When you grow older, we will return to my home”. Thus, she wondered about Japan. She loved history, and furthermore, read about the history of the nation she originated from in heritage.It was a place that was enriched in culture, even as society continued to fall into decadence. It was a place that was retroactively different from her skyscrapers of steel, the starless sky. Perhaps it was fate that the world suddenly changed before her. Or was it misfortune that Junichi’s luck spontaneously ran out before his very eyes?All he yearned for was peace, to break the cycle that had shackled both his family and relatives. But he would have expected that his former associates at the Society would come looking for him. That they would expect penance from him. He would not give up his life easily, but he would die knowing that he defended both his family and the daughter he loved the most. However,This was not the case.It was raining on a Spring day, the day in which Reimi Fukuchi came home from visiting her uncle and aunt. They lived across the way, close enough where the girl could walk from place to place without issue. On the night in which Reimi Fukuchi returned home, she witnessed the murder of both her mother and father. The sight of her father losing in a supernatural combat that he had never shown her before.The golden warrior, a man who stood over the crumbled body of Reimi’s father, outside of the courtyard complex, he was nearly eight feet in height. With a spear that glowed with a silver tint, and a crow that served at his side, that horrific murderer was ingrained into Reimi’s sight for the rest of her life. The murderer, whose face had remained obscured, stood next to the warrior.His hair was white, flowing as if filled with divine purpose, and he wore a black suit. All that Reimi could hear as he held his back towards him were the words of a man who did this with preemptive intent to kill. He didn’t care if there were witnesses, after all, he had come to accomplish what his goal was, and anyone who opposed that goal was to be dealt with anyway.“And now, Odin... We have a way.” That man held documents within his hand, clutching them with one hand with his other within a pocket. The white haired assailant turned to leave, only to look at the blue haired girl behind him. His gaze met hers, and the eyes of a white tiger, gold and filled with divine purpose, locked eyes with the girl. Odin, the large behemoth of a man, raised his spear, but the assailant raised his hand.“There is no need to kill a child. Savagery has no place upon my hands.” The man approached the young woman, and bent down to look her right in the eye. Fear had clouded her own thoughts and sight, but the man had spoken as if he had done nothing wrong. Like he was used to taking lives, and this was truly the natural order of things. “Your father was a horrible man. Despite trying to make amends for what he did, he cost me everything, a long time ago. So, for recompensation for his crimes, he needed to pay for his life. Not to mention... The documents I was able to recover. But don’t worry.Everything I do is for the sake of this world, and for the sake of humanity. He held onto something I needed to obtain.”The feeling of apathy was not lost on the child, nor was it lost upon the man himself. He spoke with such detachment of a narrow goal, one could only perceive his actions as something that he understood as “the right path”. Even as Reimi ran past him and the golden warrior, the assailant had put this into consideration long before he even interfered.Reimi, at that age, understood the concept of death. She knew that lives were lost because of numerous different things. From natural causes, to war, to murder, to illness. The fact that her father and mother were subjected to murder by a man whose purpose she couldn't even fathom.. Her grief turned to rage, and her rage turned to bitter, utter hatred. The emotions that swelled up consumed the child; and as she grasped the weapon that was in the hands of her late father, she held it up and trembled before the other. Although she had the desire to cause harm, the feeling that took over her body could only be described as one thing: Fear. She didn’t want to take another person’s life, but the grief and confusion that consumed her small body overwhelmed the senses completely.She feared the assailant.She hated him.She was angry at him. Yet, the assailant did not mind.“If you feel regret, then come find me. When you are older, you may seek retribution. I am not opposed to seeing you attempt to do so.”He disappeared in a flash. That was Reimi’s first experience with the supernatural, and furthermore, her first experience seeing and witnessing death. She was ten, at the time of seeing her father die, and finding her mother’s impaled corpse. The last time she smiled was when she left her Aunt and Uncle’s house.And the last time she truly felt sadness was when the three of them fled the city together, and went right back to Japan. For one reason or another, Reimi’s relatives knew that they could not stay in New York any longer. The police were heavily associated with Yatagarasu, and if they investigated her remaining relatives, they would have all the evidence to have them extradited back into Japan and put on trial for their crimes.Reimi's relatives took care of her from then on. Even though she was on board with it for other personal purposes, she trained quite frequently and often with her relatives to defend herself. The vicious scene of her parents murder, as well as the words of the assailant had consistently risen up into her mind. They disrupted her from being strong. Strong enough to have revenge, strong enough to have the power to overcome.Why did this weaken her? Why was she consistently weak? Why did these things such as “attachment”, “emotion”, and “burden” drag her down? Even as she continued to train the path as a human, Reimi’s relatives only noted that she peaked at a certain level. She showed zero promise of inheriting anything that her father had in his prime. Was it the fact she set her limits on his image, or the fact that his image was too high for her to reach?She wanted nothing to do with these aspects of her being. She wanted to tear them down. Bury them.Attachments? Meaningless. Why would she have to be attached to anything to achieve a singular goal?
Emotion? Futile. Someone filled with emotion would be unable to commit to their final act. Even if she committed murder to satisfy her revenge, it would come to haunt her later.
Burdens? No, she wanted to be free. She wanted to grasp the potential and embody it with her entire being. Even if it meant extinguishing her life in exchange for her goals.

Despite everything, even when growing, her potential only peaked. Even going to schools around the country, excelling physically and academically as a student, Reimi persisted that she would never be any stronger than what she was. She wanted to be stronger now, rather than later. The chance for her strength would never rise again, unless taken action. So she buried everything.Reimi kept the facade to everyone around her that she was fine and outstanding with her life, but now, on her fifteenth birthday, she decided to change. She buried her emotions, her attachments, her own desires. Although they had begun to descend into the depths of her soul since she was younger, Reimi Fukuchi cut herself away from all things that made her “emotional” or “attached” and leaned into the path of self-annihilation. From now on, all she heard, perceived and understood was static in her mind. To keep away from the world and become free of its shackles.Anything that did not have to do with her own vengeance, she cut away completely and became apathetic to most things. Most aspects of life were a “whatever” or “It’s irrelevant” in terms of how she viewed them. Even her aunt and uncle, who were training her to return to the Phantom Society in order to find the source of her father’s killer, worried that she was taking revenge too far. That the darkness of her heart was totally eclipsing every rationale that existed within her decision making. For the most part, for better or worse, they were right.That was, until she formally got involved with the Society.For many younger children who were raised by numerous orphanages across the country, Reimi acted as a role model for those without families of their own. She found herself more affiliated with those who had been abandoned by their parents, rather than those she would call allies. For one reason or another, she loved teaching, playing and listening to the innocence of the children.The children who had a choice to leave and walk away from their own circumstance, to be able to change their consequences in life. Reimi looked at them with joy in her eyes for the first time, probably since her parents had passed. Even as she trained, she worked at a Phantom Society owned orphanage within Tokyo, and bonded with the children for many years. From sixteen onwards to nineteen years of age, Reimi Fukuchi got to know every child that lived in that orphanage, and she even convinced many who grew up in that time period to pursue normal lives.She believed that those who were faint of heart and knew nothing of war, should be able to live lives without it. Reimi knew too much of violence and war, being able to go on missions for the Society when she graduated. She abandoned everything academically in order to pursue the likes of her revenge; something that the Society gave her in exchange for the safety of both aunt and uncle. She was loyal and dedicated to the Phantom Society, and nothing would phase her in the pursuit of her ultimate goal.Or at least, she thought.“It seems we have an intriguing guest with an even more fascinating destiny.My name is Igor; I am delighted to make your acquaintance. This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter... This room is only for those who are bound by a contract may enter. It seems that your destiny is one that has begun stifled with turmoil and inner conflict. You have been robbed of your peace, now fostering a storm that always pursues the immediate future. In the coming days, you will have to make a choice.In order to pursue that which you have dedicated your life to, that contract will have to be signed. Otherwise, everything you yearn for will be lost. As it is with all who come here, my duty is to ensure that never happens. Of course, upon making a contract, me and my assistant will be waiting here for you to return.Now, it is time to return to the realm of the living. I hope to see you again.”A club, coated in blue. Everything, from the rugs, the chairs... even the stages themselves had some sort of blue tint around them. The only thing that wasn’t blue was the ceiling, and she could not see it, nor could she understand what was above her. It was a place that held mass, but expanded upwards into darkness. Not to mention the music, a choir built of a single woman harmonically sounded throughout.Reimi Fukuchi dreamed of a world where all the noises drowned out around her. That there was a place where she could be isolated and alone in her own thoughts, where the music would drown out every inconvenience that she would have to bear. But she heard that man - if he was a man’s - voice, clearly. No matter how hard she tried to suppress his voice, she heard it as clear as daylight.He called himself Igor. A man with spindly legs and a smaller body frame, with a nose as long as his speech. Although he sat across from her in the main room, it felt like he was distant from her, despite being a table’s length. Then, there was that weird assistant... Reimi saw his white hair and golden eyes. Although he seemed attentive and loyal, she found his loyalty to be almost similar to her own in regards to the society.The rest of which didn’t make sense. Her ‘destiny’? A ‘contract’? What did all of that mean, and why did it pertain to her? These people, whatever they were, they felt real, had no idea what they were talking to. Reimi had no destiny outside of exacting her revenge. For her, that revenge was something that couldn’t be broken. After that... well.For her, Reimi Fukuchi saw no purpose in living post accomplishment. But her desire wouldn’t let her perish before. If she got hurt, she would move on despite that. If she broke something, she would tough the pain out and fight regardless. If there was lingering regret, if there was any sort of resentment towards her actions, she would push it all out.Reimi Fukuchi saw herself as an immutable sword of hate and self-righteousness. That she needed to be stronger than any Devil Summoner to get her revenge. Her parents’ killer was somewhere in the country. All she needed to do was find him. She even used her father’s former weapon, the Silver Bullet, and bonded with the Demons that he had left within. Their loyalty was to her, and although it took time for her to gain their respect,Reimi was qualified to assassinate both regular humans, and Devil Summoners. Many would call her a Dark Summoner; a Devil Summoner who has abandoned the secrecy of Devil Summoning to target humans with their powers. She fit the bill considerably, but names did not matter to her. To her clients though, they saw her ferocity at such a young age, they felt as if they wished to test her.Time and time again, many people died either by the bullet or by hand. Each one was a clue that led Reimi further and further towards her revenge. But the Phantom Society did not truly care for her goals. In fact, she was as expendable as all the other young adults that walked into their fold. As a result, they picked a client that had sold their soul to their organization; one who was willing to do anything to cut all ties to them.That would be the perfect test.On a mission that was exacted like all the others, a famous businessman who got involved with Devil Summoners hired her specifically. He was aware of her connections, and the bonds that she had built with those whom she loved and cherished. Reimi did not care who he was, nor at the time, did she remember his face. However, the job would always remain the same, imprinted onto her subconscious even if she wished to forget, even now.The businessman had a son; one of which he wished to get rid of in order to prevent any sort of ties or connections to return to him. He was a boy that Reimi had gotten to know very closely, as unknowingly, Reimi knew that this child specifically had been abandoned due to his mother dying once his father left them both. He wanted not just his son completely eradicated, but every child, every person who worked at that orphanage, gone.It was unlike the Society to really punish children. Except for the few that were targets for the most heinous of members, there was no place for harming children who had a choice to live normal lives. Nor was there a place for harming civilians that weren’t even aware they were taking care of children who would join an underground society.The man that stood before Reimi Fukuchi was vile, downright and utterly so. Her mind struggled to weigh the options, as if she refused, the Society most likely would turn against her deal and no longer protect her remaining loved ones. But she had never harmed the innocent before. As hellbent on revenge as she was, it was the strong’s duty to protect the weak, and make sure that they’re able to reach that same level of power.But on that same night, that orphanage burned to the ground. Many news outlets said that a gas leak had caused an explosion that left no trace or remains of what was there, but Reimi knew the truth. Before she burned the place down, she sent Demons in to do the light work. It was simplistic and easy, but one she felt the most detached with.She felt detached from everything, she felt detached from the most simple things. Why would life give her a chance to heal and bond, before stripping it all away from her? What point was getting attached to those just like her, only for the world to curse and spit upon her very existence?Why was she crying? Why did she scream? No one could hear her scream that night, but her voice cried out with such anguish and wrath that it overwhelmed everything else. Every face of the slaughtered she remembered. They haunted her, they tormented her.Her consciousness buried it into the subconscious. It simply did not exist. And after an hour of consistent screaming, it stopped. What remained from the smoldering flame of friendship, harmony and kindness, was the burning desire to pay back those who had perished with the hand of death, coming to crush and devour them whole.By the time she had returned to her employer, she was a completely different person. Her strength was palpable, able to be felt in the room like a raging spirit. But under everything, her employer feared that she would come after him too, since she realized and recognized the truth. He summoned Devil Summoners, above the cut members from every part of the country to protect him. No matter how much she fought, she could not get to her target. Her Demons alone were not strong enough.The last attack she took sent her flying into rubble... Present day reality set in. Reimi Fukuchi found herself cursing the world and herself, blaming it on her weakness. Blaming it on her own trust in humanity. Was it her trust in humanity as a whole? Was it her trust in Devil Summoners? Was it the trust she placed in the world, so easily ripped away?Her consciousness faded, but no matter how far she drifted into the sea of souls, something prevented her from sinking into the abyss. In the depths, a blue butterfly reached out and touched her soul’s finger, as if to bring her back to the surface of the living. It morphed, forming the words on a computer screen that said:‘Henceforth from today, you will be able to reclaim your life, and change your circumstances. The consequences of such will lead you to a realization to where your bonds with others shall lead you to your victory, and prevent your avoidable fate. Here, this contract states that everything you commit to, shall be to avoid your current fate to self destruction. If you do not accept this contract within .01 seconds,You will die.’Everyone has a dream. In order to achieve that dream, you have to kill someone else’s. Why did it have to be hers? Why did she have to be the one that was condemned? She hated the very notion of that. Why did the strong merely serve to trample the weak? Why do they seek to do everything in that manner? Was it because it was easy? Because it was simple enough to do?Reimi Fukuchi hated that with her very being. She hated the fact she was used as a tool, used as a device for someone else’s gain. Manipulated and discarded, treated as an aftereffect for someone else’s game.‘This thing inside of me doesn’t want me to die. My inner voice is telling me not to die.’ She could feel her own soul fighting to breathe air once again. She yearned to be free, she yearned to smile. She yearned to break free from her nihilistic shell.‘The Demons I have... do not want me to die.’ Even if her COMP had been laid out some feet away from her, she could tell that they had clamored within her own being. That they were a part of her, part of not only her legacy, but her father’s legacy. If she were to be gone, then they too would disappear. They were not just fodder to be expended. They were partners who also wished to grow in strength.‘Why am I chosen? Was that old man right? Am I destined to defeat the man who ruined everything for me? Is this power that I’ve been given, telling me to fight? I’ve given up on understanding. My brain doesn’t have the ability to compute these thoughts. These thoughts are irrelevant to what my goal is. I want to kill that man. I’ll kill that man -. I’ll fight. I won’t give up. I’ll stop thinking and complaining. That old me is done complaining.Back to reality.’Time seemed to last for an eternity, and her hand reached to agree with the contract. Her eyes sprang open, and slowly, her body began to rise.She had finally reached the present.The entity that had so easily cut the head off of the man before Reimi was floating behind her. It was unlike any other Demon that the man had seen, and its figure was foreign and incomparable to any Demon that they had encountered. The name “Queen Mab” was one many knew as a Demon with a completely different face and appearance than the one that had shown its face before. The Devil Summoners knew what this was, but none dared to speak out about it. For fear had soon dawned upon the soldiers that remained, and the former client, so obsessed with his own death, spoke up in ignorance.“Don’t just stand there! Get her! Aren’t you the best of the best?”Reimi Fukuchi didn’t hear any of it. In fact, she was completely ignorant of people’s fear of what she had awakened.‘I am thou, and thou art I... I have heard your voice of revenge. As such, be free from your despair. Be free of your anger. You will never have to suffer alone. You feel nothing for evil, but you still wish to foster in good and protect the virtuous. You are the one who lives in the dark, but fights for the light. You cannot call yourself justice, but a blind force of belligerent wrath that destroys all who wish to halt your strength. Ascertain my strength and your allies, and break from the shackles of darkness so you might hope to embrace the light!’Queen Mab gave her strength. Not only that, but she felt the power of the Demons who had fought alongside her within her soul. Her body in her own thoughts, had become a COMP to host Demons of their own.Demons were summoned from the side of her opposers, but that meant little to Reimi. Her instincts took in, and all she did was charge forward; an invisible blur. Electricity crackled from the Seelie and Reimi’s own hands, shooting bolts of lightning out to annihilate all of her foes systematically. She worked in tandem with her summoned being, having such physical power that she was able to punch through Summoners as if they were mere paper. Not once did she strike any of the Demons summoned willingly, but if they attacked, they were eradicated with a simple punch or lightning bolt.Those who had their COMPs broken and set free, did not flee the scene. No, they had kneeled before the carnage, watching the Asura destroy her opposers in a whirlwind of destruction. They did not only admire her slaughter, but they were in awe of it. Reimi had hated their captors with her entire being. The immutable hate that burned upon her sheer desire of revenge, brought all of her enemies down to zero, aside from her darling “patron”.

“Wait, Fukuchi, wait! We can fix this! We can- I’ll give you triple of everything! I’ll give you anything that you want!” He crawled away in an attempt to hide, but the rooftop exposed him, and the flames that smoldered gave away his presence. Reimi slowly walked to him, like a villain in a horror movie. Her face showed no emotion, but her eyes showed total and complete wrath towards him. “You want the money? You want information?! I know high ranking Phantom Society members! You can-.”“Children all over the world have died because of your actions. I remember all of their faces fondly. Their happiness, their joys. Their goals and ambitions. For a while, I convinced myself that I was able to change their thought process to avoid our fates. Why do we as sinners force ourselves on the innocent and kind? Only to create more sinners who profusely fill the world with our tainted blood?” Her stoic face turned to sorrow, regret. Although her eyes, now glowing a heretical bright blue filled with that viscous hatred, turned to look at the ground.“That’s not the point! Fukuchi-.”“Aster wanted to be a painter. He showed me the most beautiful of paintings. He wanted to unite people of all nations with his art. Oni trampled him with a single foot.”“You-!”“Jasmine told me she wanted to be a florist. The orphanage garden was something she was in charge for this week. She loved tending to the garden, and made sure that everyone played their part. I saw her be mauled by Anzu’s claws.”“You’re not-!”“I saw three brothers, Akashika, Nagisa and Tetsuaki get impaled by Naga Raja all at once. Akashika desperately wanted to be a police officer. He wanted to discover the disappearance of his parents. Nagisa wanted to open a restaurant; he was an excellent cook that helped every day with the meals. And Tetsuaki... He wanted to be a teacher. He never let anyone slip about their homeschooled education.”Her former client went silent, and Reimi took another step forward. “I remember all forty of their faces. I’ve listed five of them. I’ve cut off forty different lives, and that’s not counting the people who were slaughtered just to remain silent. Innocent people lost... Ah... Hahahahaha...” The laughter of the Asura filled the night sky, looking at the moonless night. Why would the moon bear witness upon such slaughter?“Your son, Tao Blakeley... Your son Tao wanted to be loved. He was the oldest out of all the children, and he remembers you and the rest of your filth. He wanted someone to love him. He hid during all the carnage, but I found him. I looked him in the eyes, filled with confusion and fear. He must’ve thought I had come to save him. He was a beacon of joy. There wasn’t a single kid or adult that hated him. He wanted to be loved, and he found a family within that orphanage.I held my gun up against his head, and watched his head explode. He was the last one.” Reimi wasn’t paying attention, nor was she looking at the man, but just then, he pulled a gun and shot it immediately at the Asura. It was futile. Before the bullet even found itself before Reimi, it was cut down by her mysterious envoy behind her. All hope that he had, if he possessed any on his face, drained immediately when he saw those glowing blue eyes find themselves back upon him. All he could see was those eyes; the rest of her face was a pure, fear invoking shadow of pure black.“That’s three times. You tried to kill me three times.” A finger was pointed at her employer, and he backed up all the way to the edge of the building. “Do you truly believe you deserve mercy? Do people like you truly deserve mercy?”“Enough of this! Do you know who I am?” The wrath of the common man surged up like a wellspring. He had no abilities. He was just a random CEO of a random company, who took a deal with the Devil. Who was he to determine his fate? “You will never escape Japan alive if you do this! Do you understand?!”Why did he assume she was trying to leave? An army would not stop her advance towards her destiny.“You will pay for this!”A bolt of lightning popped his body like a balloon, leaving only ash and the smell of burnt flesh, mixing in with the other burning corpses around her. Reimi Fukuchi just killed a man so powerful, he could have her entire family eradicated at the behest of a breath.But none of that mattered to her.For a few seconds, Reimi Fukuchi felt a sense of relief and peace. But she was not alone. There were Demons behind her that lingered like roaming spirits.Fuu-Ki. Kin-Ki. Sui-Ki. Kumbhanda. Principality. Tam Lin. Leftovers from those weak Summoners.Those were the ones that remained. The mysterious envoy behind her as well as the bright light of her eyes faded, and Reimi walked forward to those who kneeled to her. The Demons did not raise their heads, but she only beckoned them with a single word. As if she knew what to do since birth. This felt natural.This felt right.“Come.”A display of light from each one, soon turning into small bullets that rushed to her body and disappeared within her. They were part of her. They saw her strength, and knew their place. They too, wished to be stronger, and become greater than what they were. And with Reimi guiding them, they would become stronger than what they were now.They had become her servants; now underneath the warden of the power of infinite possibilities.“.. Perfect.”And atop that rooftop, Reimi Fukuchi fell unconscious.In the following hours, Reimi Fukuchi was placed under arrest by Secretary General Hiraku Kitagawa, by the orders of Prime Minister Masahiko Ametsuchi. However, despite her being transported, she was first treated for all of the wounds she possessed, and placed in a cell with a singular bed.She hadn’t woken up as of yet, so nothing that happened was aware of her as of this moment. But her mind, active and buzzing, knew that something was wrong. But her body would not move. As if given up all the willpower for weeks on end, she fell into a coma that would last for who knows how long.The Asura, the Rakshasa known as Reimi Fukuchi’s journey, hadn't started. Her body knew this as a fact, which is why it needed time to recover and accept the purpose it was given. Her mind as well, needed acclimation to this revelation and path.The Fool represents infinite possibilities, as those who tap into it are to experience vastness that none of their peers are able to replicate. As she embodies the number ‘0’, her existence is akin to nothingness, infinity. As such, with infinite possibilities that lay out in the future of the world, she can grasp upon any destiny, and make it her own.This was merely just the beginning.

QUEEN MAB. "A queen appearing in Celtic mythology. She is the queen of Connacht in Ireland. Her name means "she who intoxicates." She is considered a goddess of the harvest and of rulership, owing to her many marriages with Irish kings. Queen Mab tried to seduce the Irish hero Cu Chulainn using her own daughter, but failed. In the end, enraged by the enormous losses he inflicted on the army of Connacht, she manipulated him into breaking his geis (taboo), weakening him, and then had him killed by her magicians. Mab's death is recorded in 11th-century documents. She is held to have been killed by a piece of hard cheese flung from a sling. Mab is also known as queen of the fairies, and is identified with the fairy queen Titania."