Even without the extrasensory perception to see a spirit's true form, Lina felt the exact moment it perished. She felt the mass of "information" freeze, then shatter into nothingness. If the mark of a magician was the ability to manipulate Psion information bodies within the Information Dimension, then "Sirius"—the highest-ranking magician in the world—could hardly fail to notice the massive discharge of Psions that accompanied the entity's collapse.
"Luna Magic...?"
Lina couldn't cast mental interference magic herself, but her refined magical sensitivity allowed her to deduce the nature of a spell from its results. "Luna Magic" was the term used by English-speaking magicians to describe mental interference spells—specifically those designed to attack or damage the psyche directly. The name was derived from "Luna Strike," one of the most famous mental attack spells in existence.
Unlike most mental interference magic, Luna Strike had a standardized casting process. Members of the STARS "First Magnitude" classes were required to study its structure, if only to learn how to defend against it should they encounter a rival caster. Lina had seen the spell countless times. Though she couldn't grasp the underlying mechanism of Cocytus upon first seeing it, she correctly identified it as a spell that dealt a direct, fatal blow to the mind.
She also knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that it was Miyuki who had unleashed it.
"Such powerful Luna Magic... Miyuki, you... no, just what are you two?"
"Lina. Not a word of what you saw here today is to leave this field."
The two girls were still reeling from the aftermath, and Tatsuya saw his opening. He reached up, removed his headset, and switched it off. Looking down at Lina, he let his voice drop an octave, speaking with a low, chilling authority that demanded obedience.
"W-what's with the sudden attitude...?"
Under normal circumstances, such a high-handed tone would have backfired, provoking Lina's pride. But as Tatsuya had calculated, Lina was no longer her "normal" self.
"In exchange," Tatsuya continued, "I give you my word that we will remain silent regarding the identity of Angie Sirius. This pledge applies not only to Miyuki and myself, but to everyone on our side who was involved today."
"...I don't exactly have a choice in the matter, do I?" Lina replied, her voice tinged with a hollow sense of resignation.
"That isn't true."
Tatsuya denied her fatalism, though he didn't bother to elaborate on what would happen if she refused.
"Fine... if you'll keep my secret, it's not a bad deal for me. I'll keep quiet about you and Miyuki... not like anyone would believe me anyway."
She muttered that last part under her breath, so low Tatsuya didn't catch it. He didn't ask her to repeat it. Instead, he reached down and swept Miyuki—whose legs still lacked the strength to stand—into his arms. When his sister suddenly snapped out of her daze and began to flail in embarrassment, he gave her a sharp command to "stay still" and turned his back on Lina.
Lina watched him, confused as to why he had stopped without walking away. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, Tatsuya's voice reached her first.
"Lina."
"What now?"
Her words sounded irritated, but her tone lacked any real heat.
"If you ever wish to retire from the STARS..."
"Huh?"
"If you ever want to stop being a soldier, I believe I can help you. I don't have much power myself, but I know people who might be willing to lend a hand."
"Tatsuya? What are you even talking about? I don't... I never said I wanted to leave the STARS. I never said I wanted to stop being Sirius."
"I see."
"Wait, Tatsuya! Why would you even ask that?!"
"My apologies. Forget I said anything."
Without looking back, Tatsuya gave a curt reply and began to walk. Lina shouted after him, trying to call him back, but he didn't stop. The mechanical doll followed at his heels, never once glancing in Lina's direction. Only Miyuki, cradled in her brother's arms, looked back over his shoulder, casting a lingering, worried gaze toward the blonde girl left behind.
As Tatsuya's silhouette vanished into the shadows of the night trees, Lina finally snapped out of it. Realizing she had been standing frozen, staring at his retreating back, she hurriedly scrambled to her feet.
Why was I just watching him...? The thought flickered through her mind, and she shook her head violently to dismiss it.
(It's because Tatsuya said something weird. That's all it is. Definitely.)
Desperate to steer her thoughts away from any unwanted "romantic" notions, she forced herself to focus on the immediate question.
(Why would he say that...?)
Did he think she looked miserable? Did he think she hated her duty—the grim task of "liquidating" her own comrades who had fallen to the Parasites? If so, she told herself, he was completely mistaken.
(Giving them a peaceful sleep is better than letting them live as monsters...)
It was a painful job, yes, but it was a duty that had to be done. And as the strongest magician, Sirius, she was the only one who could do it. If a powerful magician fell from grace, it was her burden alone...
(...Alone?)
Lina's train of thought hit an unexpected snag. To dispose of a mad magician without creating new victims—it was a task she had always been best suited for. She had never doubted that. Until now.
Now, she knew that wasn't strictly true. Even if she didn't do it, those two could. Even if she didn't shoulder the pain, even if she didn't have to suffer the guilt of killing her own kind... those two outsiders would handle it.
(I see... that's why I've been so restless, so desperate this whole month.)
The fog that had been clouding her mind for the last several weeks suddenly burned away.
Even if I don't do it, someone else will.
It was a revelation Lina had never considered. The future she thought was set in stone, the fate she thought was unchangeable, was actually a matter of choice. The single, narrow path she thought she was forced to walk had suddenly branched out before her eyes. It was a dizzying mix of hope and terror. Having finally escaped one doubt, Lina found herself spiraling into a completely new kind of confusion.
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