It had been a rather long drive home; something Yuuno attributed to poor timing on his time of departure, but right now he was splayed out comfortably on the rather worn couch in his home. The temptation to simply fall asleep was considerable at the moment. In fact, he was fairly certain if he was't careful he would sleep away his entire vacation. Part of him didn't think doing so was actually a bad idea.
Yuuno always found it rather amazing how he never really knew just how much he needed a break until he actually took one. It was something his friends tended to poke fun at when the opportunity arose. Chrono in particular was rather fond of doing so. But the admiral also rarely missed a chance to torment the librarian.
He'd made some plans on the drive home in regards to what he'd do with his time off and one of them was to finally catch up on the backlog of reading he had. There were at least a dozen books sitting on his bookshelf that hadn't gone beyond the prologue. There was also the obligatory cleaning of the house to take care of. Fortunately there wasn't much to do there as most of the mess he made was in his office, a rather unavoidable component of just how widespread his work ended up being. Vivio often commented on how strange a sight it was to see his office in a clean state.
...Maybe he ought to work on that.
Another facet of his vacation plans involved Hayate. They hadn't been on a proper date in quite a while and as much fun they had simply sitting around one of their houses playing games or just enjoying each other's company, he really wanted to do take her out on for a nice evening. Dinner, movie, the whole cliche'd nine yards. He could already see the look on her face when he asked her.
Granted, the entire plan hinged on her being able and willing to go out. She could wind up just as overworked as he could and there had been a few times he'd gotten a call to go pick her up from the office because she'd fallen asleep at her desk. Shamal had found it more than a little amusing. Even more so when he'd brought her into the house on his back as she'd ended up wrapping her arms around him like a large teddy bear.
Yuuno recalled that particular event with a smile and a laugh. It had been before they'd started going out in any sort of official capacity and the amount of teasing they'd been subjected to by the Wolkenritter had been considerable. And since they were Hayate's Knights, they'd learned just how to get under their Mistress' skin. To this day Hayate claims they enjoyed getting payback far too much. Especially Vita. The diminutive redhead had pulled out all the stops. It got her banned from any sort of entertainment system for a week, but she'd felt it had been worth it to finally see Hayate turn red as her hair.
Much to everyone's amusement, that had been one of the events which had led to himself and Hayate deciding to start dating. There were more than a few other events and comments to add to that but nothing of the earth shattering variety. And unfortunately for the more romantically inclined, there was no great declaration beneath the stars or fireworks celebrating the change in the the status quo; just a pepper shaker and a joke.
Hayate, Nanoha, Fate, and himself had been eating lunch together after he'd just finished a lecture at Vivio's academy. Nanoha had made a joking comment about how he and Hayate seemed like an old married couple after Hayate had handed him the pepper before he'd even had a chance to ask for it. Apparently her parents had this odd sort of synchronicity at times where one would know what the other needed or wanted without having to verbalize it. Yuuno couldn't quite recall seeing such a thing in the Takamachi's, but it wasn't the sort of thing he had paid special attention to or had thought particularly deeply on.
They'd all had a good chuckle until he took a moment to actually think about it. Not even a minute after the laughter had died down, he had asked Hayate out and she'd accepted with a smile and a laugh. Had it not been for Fate fainting out of shock, they might have gone right back to their food. Of course, Nanoha's laughter and declaration she had won the betting pool didn't help the situation.
The fact there had been a betting pool had had raised a few questions, but they spent most of their time trying to revive poor Fate. While she was happy to see them when she came around, the blonde woman was less than happy about the money she'd lost.
Snapping out of his nostalgia, Yuuno felt his stomach growl. "I should get something to eat..." His comment was was heard by no one but himself as he stood from the couch.
Making his way towards the kitchen, he was alerted by a strange sound.
It sounded like static electricity and groaning.
However what was even more strange was the fact it came from his computer; his computer that was not even on. As a matter of fact, he hadn't turned on the machine since the day before yesterday.
The static he might have been able to explain via a loose wire. But the groan? That particular sound confused him.
It couldn't be a home invader unless said invader was actually inside his computer. And it sounded far too human to be a small animal that had found it's way inside. Then again, it might just be some odd coincidence.
As he approached the magitech device to check what few cables there were, Yuuno noticed the display began to flicker in a very familiar manner. It was much like how those at the Library reacted whenever the code entity they were currently hosting interacted with a terminal. "Did it escape?" He muttered to himself. No one else had made mention of their own computers acting oddly.
"...Fin-... fo-... ...-u..."
Yuuno took a sharp step backwards as the display began to show less static and more of what could almost have been the beginnings of some sort of magic. The groaning had begun to form words which echoed over the static and attempted to drown it into silence. He opened his mouth to question the voice as defensive calculations began running through his mind. "What are you?"
"So... -ng... se-...ing..."
A brilliant emerald shield sprang to life between Yuuno and the computer as he repeated his question, easing away from the device cautiously. "I'll ask again. Who or what are you?" He could really use some help right about now. He'd dealt with a lot of strange things with very little preparation before, but backup never, ever hurt.
"...No. On-... you. -o... he-p."
Before he could attempt to send off a telepathic call for help, something he hoped he was in range to get a response from, he felt a sharp pain in his head. His shield flickered as his vision swam and silence permeated his mind. There was nothing; not even his own thoughts could be heard. The only thing that cut through the void was the increasingly clear voice.
No longer did the horrifying and mysterious words emanate solely from the machine before him. No, Yuuno was subjected to the voice from all sources. Everything imaginable made the sounds which spoke to him; his computer, his books, the table, a picture of himself and Hayate on the wall. Even his own mouth spoke out in the haunting voice.
"Cannot... to an-... else... ...at my... -mits..."
Yuuno could only stare up at the ceiling of his home with empty eyes. Darkness bordering on madness had filled his being as he fell upon his knees, face frozen into the expression of determination and caution he had worn as he spoke to the voice.
Before the darkness became void, Yuuno's mind heard but two words as clearly as he had ever heard anything in his life.
"Forgive me..."
As Yuuno's body collapsed to the floor, not unlike a puppet with it's strings cut or a freshly crafted corpse, the room appeared to shift in a wholly unnatural manner. Though the light of lamps and the artificial setting sun creeping through the windows did alight the room in a comfortable glow, shadow seemed to be reaching out and strangling all sources of illumination. It was not long before the entire home was steeped in an absolute darkness. Were there any who could witness the events taking place, they might have heard the faint crackle of some unknown power or a sound not unlike the tearing of paper.
Pushing forth from the abyss came a single hand.
And that hand struggled to tear away the void and free it's owner from it's bondage. Had there been light, the sight of blood red eyes might have been witnessed before the watcher's blood froze.
A sound of pained gasps and the dripping of fluid upon the floor could be heard. it preceded a great impact as a mass fell to the ground, crying out in pain as it did so. The single hand which had torn apart that which bound it was now doing all it could to pull it's owner towards the unmoving Scrya.
The figure cloaked in blackness spoke as it draped itself over Yuuno's body, "I pray... you will forgive me... This was... the only way I could find..." The voice was feminine, weak but beautiful even though there were none who could hear it. Long hair spilled out around her and fell upon the man beneath her. "I am sorry..."
With the only hand she still had, she reached out to touch his cheek in a gentle caress. Smears of the wetness that covered her hand remained upon Yuuno's flesh. Leaning forward, the woman placed her lips upon his and a great wind erupted around them. It drew from the fallen Yuuno his power and his life. Yet she did not steal his life, rather she took it into herself and returned it to him. The sound of chains resounded as she worked what magic she could without succumbing to her grievous wounds.
Second after second. Minute after minute. Time passed as the arcane ritual took place without ever so much as ruffling a single blade of grass beyond the borders of the single house. Not even the most potent searches of magic would find this event. For this was magic beyond the ken of human understanding.
To Yuuno, it could have been an instant or it could have been an eternity; for he was in no form of existence to comprehend the notion of time.
To the female, it was exactly two hours, forty-nine minutes, and three two-hundred fiftieths of a second.
The moment the fourth two-hundred fiftieth of a second came into being, the ritual ended. There was no great event. There was no great calamity or blaring of trumpets. Rather there was a sharp snap as reality reasserted itself. The fissures torn by her dark works and words of power mended themselves as though they had never been rent in the first place.
Light from a nearby lamp fell upon the blonde man's eyes and he stirred. Yuuno took a deep gasping breath as his body demanded the oxygen it needed to live. His eyes snapped open and he sat up abruptly. Such an action proved to be a mistake as his vision doubled over and over again until it was nothing but a blur. It made him want to vomit as his body was also wracked with an alien pain he had never experienced before.
Before he could attempt to regain his senses, a hand placed itself upon his shoulder and steadied him.
"Please, do not strain yourself."
It was a voice he could not place in his state of mind, but he had enough of his wits to know there was a person there who had not been before. He attempted to look over at the one whom had spoken to him and nearly felt his heart seize.
"...Y-You." Yuuno's voice could not have been more shaken or unsteady.
A sad nod confirmed the fear he felt within his heart.
Kneeling there with shattered flesh, wounded beyond the ability of any mortal medicine to save and still appearing to be very much "alive" was someone who had gone to their grave many years ago.
She bowed her head, momentarily hiding the ominously glowing scars which cut across her right eye and stretched down below her chin. Her voice was beautiful; yet it carried a tremendous grief, the finality of a closing coffin, and the presence of a deity. "I am the will of the Book of Darkness. If it pleases you, you may address me as my last and most beloved Mistress once did." Raising her head, her blooded gaze pierced deeply into Yuuno's being.
"You may address me as Reinforce, Yuuno Scrya."
