Ch 4: A Family of Lost Souls

Rushing to aid Patch against the rest of Ala Morte, Bella reveals her new self. What will her fellow "former operative in training" Ghost think of the person she's become?

Still amazed by her appearance, Patch turned to Bella as she hovered there next to her and said, “Bella, is that really you?” Nodding, Bella replied, “This is my Grand Anima Weapon, Mors Aurata.” Mai chimed in, “And I’m Mai, a Yugure who lends her my power and advice.” Their discussion cut short as Ghost started opening fire on them, Bella began deflecting bullets as she said, “Talk later!” Wildly firing Death Shots from her rifle at Bella, Ghost was shouting, “Damn you! DAMN YOU! What kind of joke is this?! I’m the special one, you’re just a failure!” Watching her losing her composure, Magus called to her, “Ghost, calm yourself! We still have the advantage in numbers!” As Bella shot down at Ghost while continuing to deflect her fire, Ghost kept shooting until the last moment, finally jumping back as Bella stabbed her scythe’s blade into the floor. Ghost drew out a pistol with her other hand to fire at close range, but pulling her scythe free and knocking it from her hand with a kick in lightning fast movements, Bella swung with a powerful Chimera Strike. Barely blocking with her rifle, Ghost went flying, but quickly Magus pulled her from the air with her scarf tails before she could crash into anything.

Holding Ghost with her scarf tails, Magus raised her hands at Bella and chanted, “Manus Ut Magicis!” Arcane rune circles forming upon her palms, Magus unleashed a barrage of arcane magic bolts at Bella, who quickly began spinning her scythe in front of herself to deflect. Aiming her polearm down at Magus, Patch shouted, “Don’t forget I’m here as well!” Yet just as she was about to rain down more molten spikes, Patch quickly turned to deflect the lightning charged throwing star as it closed in again. Staring out at Patch from where she stood on the platform, as the monocle in her left eye crackled with lightning, Sting sounded greatly hurt as she said, “Aren’t you the one forgetting someone Instructor? Ghost has a point, it’s always Bella. Even though I almost had you, you just never pay any attention to me…” Sting began firing beams of lightning at Patch from her monocle, and dodging them again and again, Patch poured EDE into her polearm and expanded the blade of heated metal, producing more and more to make her blade larger. Now wielding a massive molten blade, Patch dodged another lightning beam and flew at Sting with a downwards strike. Leaping up into the air just as the molten blade tore through the platform she’d been on, Sting flipped in the air and came down with a lightning charged dropkick, striking upon Patch’s shield as she blocked with it. Yet the force of the lightning powered kick sent Patch crashing down into the ground below.

            Still deflecting arcane magic, Bella looked back in concern as Patch was knocked out of the air by Sting’s attack, calling out, “Instructor Patch!” Quickly Mai said, “Don’t lose your focus! Let’s wipe this one out with some foxfire!” Turning her attention back to deflecting Magus’ arcane barrage, as she spun her scythe with one hand, Bella raised and performed a hand sign the other as she said, “Moeru Seishin Kasou!” The golden flames of foxfire forming around her, at Bella’s command they shot out and closed in on Magus, who quickly flung Ghost out of harms way and used her scarf tails to try and block as she also chanted, “Caecus Clypeus Defensio!” A shield of arcane magic forming around her for additional defense, Magus disappeared in blasts of golden foxfire as Bella’s attack struck. Raising her hand quickly, Bella took aim and added to her attack, shouting, “Soul Flash!” As Bella’s powerful beam of golden spirit energy shot out, another mighty explosion obscured the area where Magus had stood, and sitting up and looking out at the aftermath of Bella’s attacks from where she’d landed, Ghost clenched a fist in rage. The aftermath beginning to clear, a strange sight came into view, dead spiders with golden fire smoldering around their bodies strewn all about the ground where Magus now stood. Her scarf tails and arcane shield destroyed, Magus had called upon her Hadrox spider familiars’ aid, yet not even their protection had shielded her completely against the might of Bella’s combined attacks. Her arms raised in defense, their armored gauntlets gone and her skin covered in burns, Magus lowered them slowly and gasped, “I would never have expected such power from her of all people…!”

            Getting up onto one knee, as Patch was about to reach for her dropped polearm, she turned as Sting dropped down from her perch upon the damaged platform and struck out with another lightning kick. Grabbing her foot and stopping the kick cold, Patch took the blast of lightning like it was nothing, and looking at Sting with fire in her eye, she said, “Your attacks have improved, but you merely surprised me. I am angered that I was this careless in front of my former pupils, and they did not call me Fury for nothing!” Rising and pulling Sting from her feet, Patch swung her around and hurled her into the side of one of the training machines strewn about the room. Sting hung there as Patch reclaimed her polearm, flames and heat churning around her as she expanded her polearm with molten metal and struck with a long, massive flaming hammer. As the molten hammer smashed through the training machine and a fiery blast blew it to pieces, Sting went flying from the wreckage and fell to the floor, injured and unconscious. Watching Patch easily overpower Sting, Magus muttered, “This is bad, we’re no longer in any shape to win. Sting’s down, I’m injured, and Ghost has lost her composure. We’d better pull out.” Suddenly Magus found the barrel of Ghost’s rifle pressed against her back, and looking back to see her standing there with her head tilted down staring at her fist clenched before her, Magus nervously said, “What do you think you’re doing Ghost?!” Laughing quietly, Ghost started to look up, revealing a crazed look in her eyes as she said, “Now it’s like that attack actually impressed me… I already look like enough of a fool for that, but if we retreat now, that’s like saying she showed me up completely! No way! No one is going ANYWHERE!” Standing there in frustration, Magus thought to herself, “Has she lost it completely?!” Trying to convince her to stand down, Magus said, “Their time will come Ghost, but we were not prepared to face such an opposition! We were caught off guard, we have to-” With a loud bang, Ghost shot Magus in the back. Bella and Mai watched in disbelief as she fell to the ground before their eyes.

            Walking up to stand beside Bella, as Patch came up beside her, Bella asked, “Instructor, what’s going on?” Watching Ghost as she glared at Bella menacingly, Patch replied, “Ghost has finally realized the difference between you and her Bella. She cannot accept it, and it’s likely she won’t rest until she faces you. Anyone who gets in her way, she’ll tear them apart just to get to you.” Suddenly, Bella heard Amy telepathically call to her, “Bella! Alexander’s in trouble! He was heading back the way we came, Dr. Nova’s taking Grey to the landing bay we got in through. We’re heading back there, but we might need your help!” Feeling as though her blood had turned cold, Bella replied, “It’s my fault… Sorry… Sorry Amy, I can’t leave yet…” Seeing the look on Bella’s face, Patch asked, “Is something wrong?” Getting an idea, Bella turned to look at Patch and said, “Instructor, my friend Alexander is in trouble. Amy can help you find your way, so…” Staring back at Bella’s masked visage in surprise, Patch started to say, “But Bella…” Then Ghost quickly called out, “Yes Fury, that’s perfect! I’ll deal with you later. As of right now…” Raising her rifle challengingly at Bella, Ghost shouted, “All I really care about now is taking down our little Belladonna once and for all!” Bella raised her scythe in return, and calling out from Bella’s brooch, Mai said, “Go on Instructor Patch, I think we have something to settle with her!” Smiling reluctantly, Patch began to make her way from the room. Pausing as she drew near where Magus laid, still alive but badly injured from the normal bullet she’d taken, Patch picked up the fallen enemy up and then met Ghost’s gaze as she said, “We may be enemies, but we are still like family. That’s why I’ll warn you right now Ghost. Your desire to prove yourself pales in comparison to Bella’s pride in the person she has become. You will lose.” Narrowing her eyes in irritation, Ghost simply replied, “You always talk like you know everything! Take that trash and get lost.” Patch continued on her way out as Ghost and Bella prepared to fight.

            Reaching up and pulling off her steel mask, Ghost cast it aside and grinned snidely at Bella as she said, “I may have helped talk her into it, but for you to even suggest facing me alone, you must think you’ve become something pretty special, huh Bella?” Taking off her golden knight mask as well, Bella replied, “I’ve come this far thanks to Mai and the others. I used to be jealous of you Ghost, and if it weren’t for you and Instructor Patch, I wouldn’t be who I am. Still, I won’t lose to you! There’s much to see and do in this world, but I’ve taken my first steps and found what it means to be strong!” Raising up her rifle and aiming straight at Bella, Ghost said, “You’ve really learned how to talk big! Let’s see how long you last with the kiddie gloves off though…” Pulling the trigger, Ghost’s aura flared, and as a bullet rocketed out of the rifle’s barrel, Bella flew into the air with lightning speed to avoid the close range shot. Yet even though she’d missed, Ghost simply smirked. Suddenly feeling a stinging sensation as the bullet she thought she’d dodged grazed her cheek, Bella used her senses to follow the energy around the bullet as it sailed past her, it’s trajectory making it seem as though it had been fired up at her from down behind where she’d stood moments before. As the bullet suddenly moved in reverse through the air and shot back at her, Bella quickly understood what had happened, deflecting it as she thought, “She can change its direction?!” Laughing as Bella began deflecting the same bullet over and over, Ghost called out, “Like my Vector Change? I only missed on the first redirect to see your reaction! This won’t be any fun for me unless I make sure you understand how useless you are! I’ll show you that a loser is always a loser!”

            Deflecting the bullet again, Bella dove through the air at Ghost to strike, but raising her rifle, Ghost said, “Want some more?!” Shooting two more rounds at Bella, as they were deflected as well, Ghost simply leaped away as Bella swung her scythe, and then she redirected all three of the bullets back at Bella. Landing where Ghost had been standing, Bella prepared to deflect the incoming bullets, spinning her scythe in her hand and moving with unbelievable agility as she knocked them away with spinning strikes, this time taking the time to aim her deflections and send the bullets into the sides of various pieces of training equipment around her. Rushing after Ghost now that the bullets were neutralized, Bella readied her scythe again, but raising her rifle again as well, Ghost smirked and said, “Scatter Shot!” A single glowing bullet burst forth from the rifle’s barrel, suddenly bursting into a hail of bullets almost immediately after being fired and forcing Bella to stop and spin her scythe before herself wildly in an attempt to deflect. Yet as bullets flew away from her in every direction, Ghost merely began to direct them all back at her. Pivoting and turning to deflect again and again, Bella was trapped in a storm of projectiles, and laughing at her as she struggled to keep deflecting using her Fox Flurry strikes, Ghost said, “This is sad. Fury actually forced me to use this when we fought in Gatria, but at least she could melt the bullets. Can’t you do anything with all this supposed strength you’ve gained? Well, I guess it is you we’re talking about…”

            Deflecting for her life, Bella muttered, “Annoying…” Trying to get her to focus, Mai said, “Get your head in the game! You can deflect them into objects to get rid of them. She’s keeping you at a distance, so unload some long range attacks until you find an opening to get in close and end it.” Pulling herself together, Bella began to deflect the bullets into the floor or pieces of equipment around her, but taking aim at Bella once more, Ghost mockingly called out, “If you think I’ll sit here and let you deflect them all, you’re hopeless. You’re a sitting duck right now, and this next shot will put you out of your misery!” Watching an explosive projectile shoot from the barrel of Ghost’s rifle as she pulled the trigger, Bella could sense she could not deflect it any more than she could avoid, and she disappeared in a mighty explosion as it reached her. Shaking her head as though she were disappointed, Ghost muttered, “Here I got myself all worked up for nothing.”

            Suddenly flying out of the aftermath as a mass of golden spiritual energy, having absorbed her Spirit Chimera Aura with her Soul Eater ability and used the Spirit Falcon ectoplasm of it to take spirit form, Bella took physical form once more as she reached Ghost and readied her scythe, its blade now burning with golden foxfire. Caught completely off guard, Ghost tried to raise her rifle in defense, only to have it knocked from her hands by Bella’s upwards strike. Drawing back her arm as Ghost staggered back, Bella quickly lunged in and pummeled her disarmed opponent in the face with her elbow. Reeling from Bella’s strike, Ghost staggered back even more and finally fell flat on her back, and as she struggled up into a sitting position, she found Bella standing over her with scythe in hand and her Spirit Chimera Aura blazing around her once more. Staring down at Ghost, Bella said, “How’s it feel to be the one on the ground?” Her face twisting in rage as she gathered two masses of EDE, two pistols appeared in Ghost’s hands and she raised them at Bella, opening fire.

            Jumping back and out of the line of fire just in time, Bella flew up into the air and began deflecting Ghost’s frenzied fire, Mai muttering, “The hell was that?! Wasn’t the rifle her Anima Weapon?!” Ceasing fire at last, having neglected to use Vector Change to redirect any bullets at Bella in her anger, Ghost lowered her weapons and sat there panting for a moment. Then as a snide grin crossed her face, she said, “See?! I’m the special one! The Master’s secret weapon! I’ve had dozens of Anima Weapons bound to me through the Binding process!” As Ghost got to her feet, Bella watched from the air cautiously, while Mai skeptically said, “There’s no way that’s possible. Even if some nutcase found some way to graft the power of one soul onto another, there’s no way he could sever the link between the weapon and the orginal owner. Having dozens of souls tied directly onto your own by their Anima Weapons, that’s something that’d be hard for any normal soul, much less someone with a soul like yours.” Glancing down at her brooch, Bella said, “Ghost has a soul too?” With a laugh, Mai said, “You followed those bullets more thanks to your Ghostly Eye than anything else, pay attention! Sorry to burst your bubble sunshine, but even created sprites have souls. We Yugure have a real mess on our hands when someone starts making them, a whole ton of souls just pop up on the watch list without warning.” Bella was staring in disbelief at Ghost now, barely listening as Mai continued, “The only reason people think created sprites don’t have souls is because the souls are dormant, an effect of being created through magic. Makes it impossible for its spiritual energies to be harnessed or even detected, although something does seem to be up with her soul if her bullets are coated in spirit energy. Still, if she really had dozens of other souls chained up to hers, just being alive would become a living hell!” Showing a displeased expression, Ghost stared up at Bella’s brooch and said, “Whatever Yugure are, you seem pretty informed. Yeah, every moment is hell for me. The price of greatness I guess. Not that either of you know what I’ve endured, especially not you Bella. Why don’t I tell you about the truth behind the Legion Project? About us chimeras?” At these words, Bella’s eyes widened in shock.

            Smirking as she saw Bella’s shocked expression, Ghost called up to her, “What, did you think you were the only one? It was kept secret from everyone, even Fury didn’t know exactly why we were kept under such close watch. All the spiritual properties of my powers were hard to detect under normal circumstances, they were too similar in appearance to darkness, and you of course never even showed any ability. Once my training was deemed a success though, I became part of the research team and learned everything.” Twirling a pistol in her hand, Ghost said, “I was created first, through a process only slightly different from the usual method to create normal sprites. The result was a new kind of sprite that could bind with multiple Anima Weapons, becoming a ‘Weapon Chimera’ in the process.” Looking up to meet Bella’s gaze, Ghost pointed a pistol at her for a moment as she continued, “You on the other hand were made by taking a bunch of animal souls and the soul of an actual person, some little girl who was frozen in cryogenic stasis in Casa De Ala Morte back when it was a prison. She wouldn’t have survived the revival process, her body was too weak from some illness. The Master had real high hopes for you, but you turned out to be just as worthless as the dead weight you were made from.”

            As Bella continued to hover in the air staring down at her in horror at her revelations, Ghost looked away with a sour expression as she said, “Even so, you were always the one Fury prided herself on. You didn’t have to put up with constant pain, and Fury always took the blame for you for not showing any results. You didn’t have to do anything, but you always took training sessions seriously, and that only pissed me off more.” Facing Bella again with a cold stare, Ghost vented, “Why bother?! You really think effort is gonna change the fact that you were born a loser instead of a winner like me?! Despite all the pain I put up with every day because of my power, you think that they’re just handing it out for free?!” For a moment Bella faltered, but having heard enough, Mai exclaimed, “Get over yourself!” Clenching the grips of her pistols in rage, Ghost said, “What?!” Quickly and unwaveringly, Mai said, “You heard me! You think just because you’ve suffered, you can just walk around and treat everyone else like they’re beneath you?! You’re not gonna belittle everything Bella’s suffering through right now because of her own powers, not while I’m around! The power she has now was anything but a handout!” Looking surprised for a moment, as Bella realized Mai truly understood just how scared she still was of the fact that chimeras can lose control of themselves and become monsters, she murmured, “Mai…” Bella felt sure that Mai was smiling as she replied, “Don’t get all sappy now, we’ve still gotta knock that chip off her shoulder once and for all!”

            Channeling EDE into her scythe as Ghost raised her pistols and took aim, Bella’s scythe blade raged with golden spirit flames. Sneering up at the golden bone scythe, Ghost said, “So you think you’re gonna take the chip off my shoulder? With just that sad little Grand Anima Weapon?” Bella readied her scythe and watched Ghost pull the triggers and unleash a pair of Death Shots from her pistols as she shouted, “Don’t make me laugh!” Swinging her scythe and deflecting the deadly bullets, Bella flew down at Ghost with a determined expression as the bullets burst into golden flames and disintegrated. Watching her bullets disappear, Ghost clenched her teeth in anger and threw her pistols aside as Bella came down. Forming a pair of katanas, Ghost crossed their blades before her as Bella swung her burning scythe blade, barely managing to block the power of Bella’s Chimera Strike. Shoving Bella away, Ghost channeled EDE into her katanas, and as they became surrounded with dark spiritual energies, she said, “My soul may still be sleeping, but with dozens of souls chained up inside me, I can easily manipulate their overflowing spiritual power!” With a swing of her blades, Ghost unleashed two masses of black spirit energy that shot out at Bella, quickly twisting and contorting in the air and taking the form of a pair of giant black spirit serpents. The serpents slithering through the air across the distance at her, Bella readied her burning scythe and swung her blade at the oncoming beasts. Yet both slithering to the side, they avoided her strike and she leaped back just in time as they both opened their jaws and tried to swallow her. The serpents continuing to pursue, Bella performed a hand sign and shouted, “Kin No Hoshi!” Flying up into the air as the serpents struck at her again, as Bella’s large throwing star of golden foxfire formed, she hurled it down at one of the serpents, the twirling foxfire weapon chasing it down and beheading it.

            The other serpent making it’s way through the air after Bella, she struck out again with her scythe but missed again, and floating back to dodge as it bared it’s ghostly fangs, she did hand sign again and said, “Shifuto No Kage!” Disappearing, Bella was quickly replaced by an army of Bella clones, confusing the serpent. Yet leaping up to her serpent’s aid, Ghost landed on its back and charged her katanas with EDE, swinging them and unleashing a hail of spirit bolts that she directed at the Bella clones with Vector Change. The clones destroyed, as Bella’s golden foxfire star circled around and came at her from behind, Ghost turned and knocked it away with a katana and then quickly searched with her eyes for Bella. Spotting her up on the destroyed platform, Ghost raised her katana in her direction and shouted, “There!” Slithering through the air, the spirit serpent continued the chase with Ghost riding on its back, and Bella quickly raised her hand with her palm facing the oncoming enemies, gathering great amounts of EDE. Sensing the power Bella was gathering, Ghost quickly leaped off her serpent into the air just as Bella destroyed it with Soul Flash, the powerful beam of golden spirit energy obliterating it completely. Coming down on Bella and charging her weapons with EDE, Ghost swung down powerfully, Bella dodging aside as she struck and unleashed a blast of spirit energy. Striking the broken remains of the control terminal for the room, the ruined terminal began to spark and crackle with electricity, and as Bella and Ghost began to clash, suddenly warning alarms began to sound through the room.

            Both pausing in their battle as the alarms blared loudly, Ghost and Bella watched as the training room began to transform. Starting from the direction of the entrance, the training equipment set in the floor across the room began to sink into the ground as the entire floor of the training room began to change and floating energy platforms hummed to life in the air above. Staring down below as the change began making its way through the room, Bella noticed Sting still lying unconscious on the floor, and quickly she leaped from the platform and soared down to her with all the speed she could muster, thinking fearfully, “She’ll get crushed!” Staring after Bella as she flew off to Sting’s aid, Ghost shouted at her, “Hey! Where do you think you’re going?!” Watching her touch down by Sting as the shifting floor was fast approaching them both, Ghost watched Bella hurriedly hefting Sting onto her shoulders, and she muttered to herself, “Risking your life for an enemy? What kind of idiot are you?”

            Taking off just as the floor was about to swallow them both up, Bella flew back to the platform with Sting slung over her shoulder. Touching down, Bella set Sting down gently, and watching her warily, Ghost said, “Hey, we’re not done yet Bella! Why are you bothering with her? Worry about yourself!” Standing back up to face Ghost with determination in her eyes, Bella replied, “Everyone might hate me, but you’re still my family.” Narrowing her eyes in irritation, Ghost suddenly lunged at Bella and swung with her katanas, knocking Bella from the destroyed platform with the force of her strike as she barely raised her scythe to block. Watching Bella bring herself to a halt in the air and touch down on one of the floating energy platforms, Ghost muttered to herself, “Family? Ala Morte? Since when are we anything like a family?” Leaping off the destroyed platform, Ghost landed on a different floating energy platform and gathered EDE as she exclaimed, “Get this straight, we’re nothing but a bunch of cold blooded killers! You’re NOTHING to me!”

Author's Note

Originally titled Bella and Ghost, the Showdown Begins.