Scarlet

I end up spending a few hours watching the tournament with White before eventually leaving with Aria to go meet up with my former team where I then watch the tournament with them instead for another few hours. Something that apparently made White rather disappointed, but that’s not my problem.

After the second round of the day for the teams tournament ends though, I call it a night and say goodbye to the others, Aria included, before leaving the magical reality and beginning to head home through the snow outside. And as I walk, I can’t help but wonder about that Class V Fracture that’s predicted to happen next Summer.

Everyone in the city is most likely going to be evacuated about a week before the predicted time of the Fracture, with the exception of any Guardians who wish to stay behind and defend the city from the other Fractures that open up during the Class V Fracture. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if they change the rules to require us to stay behind for the Class V Fracture. Just because the city is going to have to have defenders if it doesn’t want any other gates popping up. Because the last thing we need is to have more Gates here, even if the Class V Fracture is soundly dealt with.

And the Knights and the other Class V Guardians can’t handle every Fracture in the city. Especially when they’re gonna be busy dealing with the Class V Fracture.

Over the past weeks I’ve actually wondered if I should try staying behind to deal with some Fractures myself. On the other side of the city from the Class V, of course.

But I don’t think I will. Because I wouldn’t be surprised if a noble demon might have a way to tell what I am. Not to mention the chance that a blood lycan might come through the Fracture. So it would be most likely the biggest risk I’ve ever taken in my life.

And while I’m normally perfectly fine with taking risks, this time is different.

I let out a sigh at that thought while looking up through the falling snow as I walk.

It’s been snowing a lot this year. More than usual.

“Is that strange?” Tar asks, sitting curled up in the collar of my coat.

Not really. Ever since the Demonic Assaults began and the atmosphere was cut off from space, the weather has been all out of whack. Every single year the weather is completely different. Sure it will still keep to the seasons, but the actual weather during those seasons will always be different from what it used to be.

Like how the capital – which I believe used to be called New York before it was completely remade by the Republic, having been destroyed by demons originally – used to have snow every year during the Winter. And quite a bit of it in fact. But after the Demonic Assaults it started having sunny Winters instead half the time. That or just normal rain.

I think this is the first year in a while we’ve had this much snow again. In fact, it’s snowing pretty much every day this Winter. And quite a bit at that.

Neither of us say anything as I continue walking through the snow, briefly wondering if Blaze will be online when I get back home. Since I think I’ll play Hunter for a bit when I get back.

Just for a few hours.

If he’s not online though, then I’ll just quest without him.

On that note, I think class signups start next week for the next semester. Fortunately I already have my classes chosen.

It will be the three required courses of Status Basics, Guardian History, and Fundamentals of Magic, along with the two elective courses of Demon Noble Society – which I found as a pleasant surprise – and Demon Biology – which is a rather limited course in scope since the only demon corpses humans can study are those demons that came from Gates. But it’s still something I’m interested in.

I doubt it’ll have any of the seven noble demon clans species explained in the class though. At least, beyond the bare basics.

Pretty sure no blood lycan has been killed before on Earth after all. There was a single kitsune that was killed though. I believe it was the clan demon that went through the Class V Fracture that turned into a Gate in Demon Isle, only for it to be killed by White.

She was a lot weaker back then though, so she couldn’t handle Satan.

Actually, not much is known about Satan now that I think about it. Do you know much, Tar?

I feel the tanuki perk up slightly as I near the gate to the top class student residency area.

“I can tell you one thing at least,” Tar says while relaxing again. “Satan has nothing to do with one of the old world religions. But other than that, he’s a wrath demon, and he does not like losing. He’s also probably one of the stronger oni demons, although still nowhere near the Lord of Hellfire in terms of power. I don’t know anything else about him though.”

Interesting. I think I know what you’re talking about when you mention an old world religion? Pretty sure it was briefly mentioned once during school that that exact religion was what started the Christmas holiday, which nowadays is literally just a source of hope with no religious overtones to it at all.

Actually, I think some people wanted to abolish the holiday entirely because of that. Because gods were proven by the System to not exist. Not to mention the demons.

The very fact that two hundred years have gone by with tens of millions of humans being slaughtered every single year and no intervention by any sort of godlike being to save humanity made everyone eventually lose their faith. Although some started worshipping Guardians, but most don't bother since they know Guardians aren't superheroes and are out for their own gain.

And from what I heard, the ones who were still clinging to religion were all killed within the first one hundred or so years due to them sitting around praying instead of running during a Fracture.

At this point, the only religious things that have stuck around are some swear words and phrases, like ‘holy shit’ or ‘god damnit.’

“Of course the humans would remember the swear words…” Tar mutters, sounding more than a little exasperated.

I hold myself back from snorting at that as I reach the Guardians at the gate.

It is rather amusing, isn’t it?

“Welcome back, Scarlet,” the first Guardian at the gate says, making me look over him for a moment to see if I recognize the man, only for me to not.

I nod at the man before he opens the gate and lets me in.

Now to go play some games.

Winter Break is always fun.