reincarnation.

sighing  in  aggravation,  he  removed  mugen  from  the  others  neck  &  sheathed  it  once  more.  it  seemed  that  was  more  to  this  cult  thing  than  he  thought.  not  to  mention,  the  power  of  dominance  was   𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠  𝐡𝐞  𝐡𝐚𝐝  𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫  𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐝  𝐨𝐟.

❝  [  ...  ]  i've  never  heard  of  this  power  of  dominance.  all  i  know  of  is  innocence  ──  &  your  weapon,  while  it  looks  like  it  could  be  one,  isn't.  is  that  it  ?  is  that  this  so  called  power  of  dominance   ?  ❞

kanda's  glacier  orbs  glanced  over  at  soma's  weapon.  he  was  sensing  something,  but  he  couldn't  pinpoint  where  it  was  coming  from  ──  either  soma  himself  or  the  weapon.  based  on  this,  his  suspicions  of  the  other  being  some  kind  of  akuma  &  or  noah  slightly  surfaced  again.

all  of  this  was  giving  him  a  headache.  ❝  the  millennium  earl.  he's  the  creator  of  akumas.  we're  currently  at  war  with  him  &  his  followers,  the  noah  family.  basically   [   ...  ]  we  of  the  order  are  𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲'𝐬  𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭  𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞.  ❞  by  now,  there  was  no  point  in  trying  to  keep  a  low  profile.

Just like that, the tension abates, and Soma releases the breath he didn't realize he was even holding. He doesn't know what he would have done if the other man had decided to go through with his threat regardless. Using his souls is the obvious answer, but whether he could've reacted in time is a different matter.

❝ Uh... no? My sword just has a holy attribute. ❞

He doesn't know what 'innocence' is.

Although there are some things Soma doesn't really understand, he slowly nods at the man's explanation. ❝ Okay, I think I get it. ❞ The Millennium Earl isn't an organization but some evil guy who keeps summoning monsters. And apparently, this Millennium Earl has minions.

By the sound of things, he also wants something from Soma.

It wouldn't be the first time something like this has happened.

❝ Well, I'm a student. I go to university, ❞ he responds without skipping a beat. There wouldn't be anything different about him without Dracula's soul. ❝ It's just that I'm the only one who can use the power I mentioned. ❞

He steps away from the man, stopping before he steps on one of the corpses.

❝ Let's put it this way: when I killed a demon... uh, akuma, nothing happened, right? ❞ When he dealt the killing blow, no familiar light escaped from its corpse. ❝ But it could have. Whenever I kill a monster, there's a chance its soul might just... fly into me. And after that, I can use its ability as my own. That's the power of dominance. ❞

Hopefully, explaining this much isn't going to bite him.

❝  i'll  ask  again,  where  are  they  coming  from  ?  you  said  some  cult  involving  dracula  ──  yet  these  markings  are  from  the  millennium  earl.  explain  yourself.  ❞  `pon  finishing  off  the  remaining  enemies,  he  quickly  pointed  his  weapon  at  the  white  haired  individual.  he  was  giving  him  a  chance  to  tell  the  truth.

all  things  considered,  the  way  these  enemies  flocked  to  soma  would  mean  the  male  was  directly  involved  with  the  earl  &  akuma  the  order  was  at  war  against.  if  that  was  the  case,  everything  happening  right  now  would  make  sense  &  this  predicament  could  have  been  𝐚  𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥  𝐞𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐝  𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐩  𝐛𝐲  𝐭𝐡𝐞  𝐧𝐨𝐚𝐡  𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲.

❝ ...Huh? ❞ Soma doesn't expect a blade to get pointed in his direction as soon as the last demon falls. One hand that is about wipe away the beads of sweat from his forehead freezes before slowly falling back to his side. He has hardly even processed the fact that these monsters are apparently marked when he is demanded to explain.

One of them? What?

❝ How am I supposed to know the answer to that?! ❞ he blurts out after a beat of stunned silence. His hold on Claimh Solais tightens. ❝ I don't know what the hell you are even talking about! I don't know who you are! ❞ Only genuine confusion and frustration make themselves known. Who wouldn't freak out in a situation like this?

Soma is pretty sure an akuma is an evil spirit, and its existence would hardly surprise him at this point. But... Millennium Earl? What is that supposed to be? Some kind of an organization? It doesn't ring a bell. Nothing ever really does. Even if Dracula had known about it, it's not like he can tap into those memories at will.

He releases a sharp breath. Losing control over his own emotions won't end well. He knows that.

❝ ...I know that cults are interested in me because I have something called the power of dominance. I wasn't lying when I said I'm trying to track one down. ❞ Now, it's far less about him hesitating to rip off the bandaid. Soma doesn't feel safe enough to disclose the entire truth —— not to this man who seems ready to kill him if he breathes in a wrong way.

❝ You mentioned... the Millennium Earl, right? What is that? Unless they want something from me, I don't know what's up with those demons. ❞ Or is Hammer's intelligence somehow wrong? He doesn't remember if any of the demons that showed up in Hakuba had any weird markings on them.

And so, Alear began walking.

Where the fight had taken place she chose to not step again until she was done, instead she headed downwards—there were zones they hadn't inspected before, it seemed like the best choice of exploration for now. Heels made a clacking sound against the floor as mismatched eyes explored the snowy surroundings, unfortunately, the loud sound died as snowy hair made its presence known in a port that should have no living souls left.

No one left alive meant one thing, a corrupted.

Shaky hand hovered the hilt of her sword but failed to pick up the weapon the same way it had back in Florra Mill Town. If she had prepared herself for this possibility she would be fine, but now... "S-stay back, corrupted!" The dragon yelled, as if it would do anything to keep it in place.

After fighting his way through two monster-infested castles, his reflexes were thankfully faster than its swing. But if it wasn't for his power responding to the immediate danger, a mere pocket knife wouldn't have been enough to end the fight in a matter of minutes.

Continuing down the street, Soma is left with no answers —— only more questions. Wherever this is, it's like a ghost town from another era altogether. The buildings look far from modern... There's no reception either, so trying to call Arikado or anyone else is completely useless.

Footsteps, other than his own, break the eerie silence.

The first actual person Soma sees reminds him of cosplayers from anime conventions, mostly due to the outfit and red-and-blue hair. That isn't here or there, though, when she immediately mistakes him for something else.

Pale eyes widen with a realization.

❝ Wait! ❞ Soma calls out, taking the chance when she doesn't immediately attack him. Is that hesitation or...? ❝ I'm not— I'm not one of those things! ❞ He is pretty sure she called him a 'corrupted.' Is that what they are called?

❝ I swear I'm not going to hurt you... ❞

He closes the knife and slips it back in his pocket —— all done with slow, visible movements. Raises his hands. Hopefully, that's enough to prove he isn't hostile.

❝ I don't even know what's going on here. ❞

It's so fractional that one might barely see it, but Arikado's eyes widen a little at Soma's accusation before his mouth presses into a grimace. Perhaps it wasn't intended as such, or maybe it was, but to Arikado - an accusation is exactly how it feels. Because honestly... Soma's hit the nail right on the head in a way that he doesn't want to acknowledge at all.

"I..." he only hesitates for a moment, but one moment is enough for Soma to surely pick up on. "I'm not afraid."

Arikado's insistence is firm and defensive. But how could he not be afraid? If Arikado tells him the truth, then not only will it change the way Soma looks at him forever, but... will Arikado start looking for glimpses of his father in him even more? Will he torment himself by looking for something that was never there? Or worse, what if it is?

Arikado knows that Soma is a child, and it's not like he doesn't usually think of him as such. God knows that attitude of his makes it obvious on most days. But sometimes... occasionally, Arikado can feel himself slip. There's a part of him that wants Soma's approval. His reassurance. Things that no ordinary adult would feel about someone so inexperienced in the world... but perfectly natural when you consider what a child might want from their father...

"And- even if I was, I have a perfectly good reason to be. Do you even know what harm Dracula brought to this world? Stop looking for excuses and trying to justify yourself with hypotheticals! You'd risk Mina's life just for your curiosity?"

He'll regret snapping later, he's sure - but in the end, a scared animal will always lash out. Soma's right. He doesn't want him to find out the truth. And while Arikado hates his own cowardice... that hatred doesn't make the desperation that grips him go away at all.

When Arikado claims he isn't afraid, Soma doesn't believe him. Mind you, he doesn't often have many reasons to doubt his friends. They supported him when he needed it the most. When his own emotions don't get the better of him, he recognizes even Arikado cares. But now? It's that single moment of hesitation that sticks out like a sore thumb.

He is right, isn't he? This realization takes Soma by surprise because he was mostly just guessing. Trying and failing to make sense of everything. There must really be something more to this than what he is aware of.

Before he can think about it any further, much less talk, Soma recoils back a step as if struck. Pale eyes widen. His lips part without a sound. And then... ❝ Stop bringing Mina into this! I would NEVER hurt her. ❞ Visceral hurt bleeds into his tone. Soma Cruz would never intentionally place Mina Hakuba in harm's way. ❝ And no, I don't know because you won't explain it to me! ❞

A sharp breath. He reaches for the talisman around his neck, clutching it in his hand. He doesn't want to argue with Arikado. He really doesn't. But he doesn't want to keep going around in circles, either.

❝ ...Look, I'm not the one making excuses here. ❞ Soma tries to sound calmer than he truly feels. No yelling, no shouting — especially not at the Hakuba Shrine. ❝ You're afraid. ❞ It's not a question but a statement uttered with full confidence. ❝ That's why you're being so evasive. ❞

It leaves him with one important question: afraid of what? This whole back-and-forth started because Soma wanted to know about his past incarnation. So, it has to be related to Dracula somehow. He still doesn't think it's about the possibility of another dark lord emerging —— at least not entirely.

Did Dracula...? No, that can't be it. While it's difficult to pinpoint Arikado's exact age, he doesn't look old in Soma's eyes.

His head is starting to hurt. ❝ You're afraid because... because you think something will happen if I find out? Is that it? ❞ It's a shot in the dark, but Soma can't think of anything else.

his  eyes  wandered  downward  to  the  book  he  had  been  reading  prior  to  calling  the  other  male  over.  it  was  a  good  thing  he  knew  how  to  cook.  otherwise,  he'd  probably  be  fighting  tooth  &  nail  for  his  lunch  right  now  like  the  other  students.

❝ Really? Aw, man, I didn't see any when I got my food. ❞ A touch of disappointment enters Soma's voice once he realizes he must've missed the memo. Unlike the other student, he can understand the fuss since curry is one of his favorite foods. With the Waiter Skeleton's soul, he could even summon it —— even if that hot bowl of curry got turned into a deadly weapon.

...Whoops, he didn't even notice that book at first. But still, the pleasantries are returned.

❝ It could be because I usually eat with my friend, Mina. She isn't here today, though, ❞ Soma explains in response to Mamoru's question, grey eyes softening as he mentions Mina. The corners of his mouth turn up into a slight smile. ❝ We sometimes head off campus and eat with our other friends. ❞

Julius and Yoko when they are in Japan. Arikado when the agent isn't too busy with his work. Hammer, too.

His gaze flickers to the book, then back to Mamoru's face. ❝ I'm not interrupting your reading, am I? ❞