“Riina? Riina!! Wake up!!”

  Exon frantically shook the shoulders of her friend. Riina’s head was fully healed, but she showed no sign of consciousness. Her eyelids were closed, and the gentle rise and fall of her chest suggested a deep sleep.

  They were in the back of a minivan which had rows of benches installed on each wall. Riina’s head laid on Exon’s lap as Exon desperately tried to rouse her and prove to herself that her friend was still alive. Two of their saviours, the black-haired boy and the blue-haired woman, sat opposite. The woman held her hands out, moving them as if shaping clay, and small blue sigils floated around Riina’s head.

  “I believe what is likely to be occurring is the complete regeneration of the synapses in her brain. Assuming she really can heal from anything, she’ll be okay. But it’ll take a long time. With 18 years’ worth of accumulated neural pathways and the memories they encode, it’ll be a miracle if she comes back the same person.”

  “Luun! Do you think that’s what she wants to hear right now?”

  The woman spoke gravely, but after being chided by her companion, her face turned red and she hung her head a little.

  “Ah… apologies… I was trying to be pragmatic, but I think I came off as pessimistic.”

  Riina’s eyelids flickered. Exon gasped and began trying to awaken her even more vigorously. Eventually, her eyes opened fully and she gazed up at Exon’s face with wonder. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but the movement was rigid and mechanical.

  “Aa… ggg…”

  “A-ah…” Exon was taken aback.

  “Don’t worry! She probably hasn’t regained control of her motor and speech cortexes yet. Like I said, it’ll take some time, so we should let her rest for now.”

  “Y… yes, you’re right…” Exon came to her senses, the panic evident in her face dissipating somewhat, and allowed Riina’s head to rest on her lap without disturbing her. Soon enough, Riina’s eyes closed again and she sank into a peaceful sleep.

  When Riina came to, she found herself staring up at a clear blue sky. Sunlight gently warmed her face, and a light breeze idly swept through her surroundings. She was in a meadow of lush, vibrant green grass that spread out in every direction as far as she could see. Her head lay on something warm and soft.

  A pillow…? It’s so comfy… Riina idly thought. Tilting her head back, she locked eyes with the upside-down face of Exon.

  “Gaaah!!”

  “Riina!! You’re awake!”

  Riina jumped up in surprise, blushing furiously.

  “Y-your lap… I’m sorry… It looks like I was selfishly using it as a pillow, right?”

  Exon couldn’t stop smiling as Riina blushed and stammered.

  “It was no bother at all. I’m just glad you’re okay. Besides, I’d gladly offer my lap as a pillow again to see that kind of reaction once more.”

  Groaning in embarrassment, Riina raised her hands to cover her face and realised she was wearing a large, white robe.

  “Huh…? What am I wearing? Where are we, anyway? Nowhere in the City looks like this…”

  “It’s my world. It doesn’t have a name yet. You can name it, if you’d like.”

  A young-sounding voice from behind Riina, accompanied by a tap on her shoulder, caused her to turn around and make eye contact with a youthful girl. She had light red hair and wore a white, shin-length dress with dress shoes to match. The whole length of her left arm was wrapped in bandages. The girl held out her right hand for Riina to shake.

  “My name is Elka. And you’re Riina. Welcome. How do you do?”

  Slightly unnerved, Riina nevertheless reached out and shook Elka’s hand. Her mind swirled with questions, but the one she was most curious about rose to the surface.

  “Your… world?”

  Elka beamed.

  “My world! It’s my Devil Brand. A pocket universe I can access whenever I want. I can make it look however I want, too. Right now it’s designed to look like my home, but I haven’t added any buildings yet. I can make an area that suits your tastes too, if you tell me what you’d like!”

  Riina looked troubled. Just as she was about to say something in response, a knocking sound reverberated through the space. Elka turned towards a door that Riina hadn’t noticed. It had a simple wooden frame and stood upright in the middle of the field, looking simultaneously out of place and perfectly natural.

  The handle twisted, and through it walked three people Riina didn’t recognise and one she did.

  “A-ah!! Point Liner guy!!!”

  “Riina, it’s okay. He helped us. If it wasn’t for these people, I’d have been captured by that assassin by now.”

  The pompadoured man waded through the thick grass towards them, looking sheepish.

  “Uh… yeah. Sorry about killing you before. No hard feelings, I hope. After I saw you come back to life, I thought it’d be more worthwhile trying to get you on our side than to keep going after you.” He said, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand while extending the other for a handshake.

  Riina accepted her second handshake of the day.

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  “I’m still a little annoyed about that, but I should thank you for saving me. So… thanks.”

  “A-anyway! I’ll introduce you to my crew. I’m Orlan. You’ve already met Elka, it seems. The big man is her father, Krau. The guy in glasses is Haritte, and last, but not least, is Luun.”

  Riina looked over at the others, who waved. ‘Big man’ was certainly an accurate descriptor for Krau. He must have been 6’5” at the very least, and his broad frame suggested musculature that was built up over decades of gruelling work, not just for show. He had a beard and a full head of brown hair, although it was streaked with white. He wore a simple tunic, utilitarian trousers and work boots. Despite his intimidating stature, Riina thought his face looked kind. Haritte was his exact opposite in build. He was around the same height as her, also with black hair which he continually adjusted to stop it from covering his glasses, and wore an oversized, white labcoat over a baggy shirt and trousers and scuffed sneakers. Luun was dressed in business attire, complete with a blazer and pencil skirt, but her long, blue hair cascaded over her shoulders in an attractive, woke-up-like-this fashion.

  “Anyway, you must be hungry. It’s been a little over 12 hours since you last, ah, died. We’ll go back to the hideout and make the two of you something to eat.”

  Orlan turned and headed towards the door, the others filing through ahead of him, and as Elka began to make her way too, Riina and Exon followed suit. They stepped through the threshold and into a large studio apartment. Jazz emanated from a battered radio propped up on a chair in the corner, and the scent of coffee and frying bacon filled the air.

  “Welcome to the headquarters of the Outsiders Society.” Orlan said, sweeping his arms out in a gesture of mock showmanship. “We’re those cast to the edges of the City, determined to make a name for ourselves and leave the world a better place than we found it. Of course, nothing’s free. We’ll take on any job - with a few exceptions since we don’t like doing corporations’ dirty work - to keep ourselves warm, clothed and fed as we establish our infamy, and indeed our legacy.”

  “Please, both of you, sit down. Krau’s almost done with breakfast.” Luun gestured to a round table that would seat a dozen. Riina and Exon sat next to each other. Soon enough, Krau came over with two plates of pancakes and bacon.

  “Thanks for the food!”

  “Thank you!”

  They spoke in unison. Krau simply smiled in response and went to hang up his apron. Orlan sat a few chairs away, positioned so both girls could see him, and spoke.

  “Sorry to do this while you’re eating, and just after you recovered from… dying, Riina. But that assassin, Retter Einia, will be coming after us. She was taken by surprise when we showed up before, so she fled, but this time she’ll be ready. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you this, but she has a reputation for being exceptionally brutal. She won’t hesitate to blow this place to smithereens with those weapons she can summon.”

  “Hm? You know about her?” Riina inquired.

  “Oh, yeah. News of her exploits is all over the AkuShi forums. She was one of the first Branded reported to have fulfilled their Quota, and that was a few months ago. Who knows how many she’s killed since then.”

  “AkuShi?” Now Exon asked.

  “It’s a forum for the Branded. The site’s owner and I go way back, so I’ve been using it for a long time. People even post contracts on there for groups like us to take up. That’s how I ended up targeting you, Riina.”

  “Huh?! Who posted it? How could someone have that much of a grudge against me…?”

  “Sorry. They were anonymous. I have no idea. I could ask Mizuni, but there’s no way she’d tell me. I can already hear her saying ‘The client was anonymous for a reason!’”

  Riina and Exon finished their meals quietly. Krau insisted on washing up their plates, so they left him to it and headed over to a whiteboard where the others were waiting.

  “Here’s the plan. We want to avoid damage to the hideout if at all possible, so we’re going to lure Einia into Elka’s world. This is a little risky, as damage to the world disrupts Elka’s concentration and could cause the door or any other constructs she makes to vanish spontaneously. However, she’s building an arena made of blast-resistant concrete for us to fight in. The damage should be minimal.”

  Elka chimed in.

  “I have to be inside my world to manipulate it, but I’ll be hiding away somewhere so I don’t get in the way of the battle. Don’t worry about me!”

  “This all seems well thought out, but… I guess I have to ask. Why are you helping us?” Riina mused. She felt unsettled that someone who had been her enemy was now helping her, that they were willing to put themselves in harm’s way for her sake.

  It was the rarely-spoken Krau who answered.

  “It’s only fair. Orlan would’ve killed you if your Devil Brand wasn’t what it is. As far as he sees it, and the rest of us agree, we’ve been given a second chance to work together with you two.”

  “Like Orlan told you earlier, we do have ideals. If we begin to disregard our belief in making the world a better place, we’ll stray from the path and become just like the people we hate.” Haritte proclaimed with an uncharacteristic passion in his voice.

  Riina hung her head as tears gently rolled down her cheeks. She was sure she couldn’t speak without starting to bawl, so her tears indicated her gratitude in her words’ stead.

  “Alright. We don’t know when she’ll arrive, so everyone needs to stay on guard. Make any preparations you need to do.”

  At Orlan’s informal dismissal of the meeting, the various members of the Outsiders Society dispersed and went about their individual tasks. As Riina began to look around for something she could do to be helpful, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

  “Riina, I need you to come with me.”

  Haritte stood a short distance away from Riina in an empty corridor of the hideout. His eyes were downcast, and he fidgeted with the sleeve of his labcoat and shifted uncomfortably. Finally, he spoke.

  “You’re going to die.”

  “Huh?”

  He blushed, as if frustrated by his own inability to explain himself.

  “My Devil Brand allows me to see information about someone by looking at them. The more time I spend with them, the more information is revealed.”

  He looked up at her, meeting her gaze with a great sorrow in his eyes.

  “As your head regenerated, I watched your life expectancy decrease. It gradually went down from 70 years to 60. I think… your Devil Brand exchanges your own lifespan for healing power.”

  Riina’s head throbbed. An invasive feeling of sickness wormed its way through her body. She staggered, and Haritte rushed to help her.

  “Sorry. I should’ve had you sit down first.”

  “Nnn… it’s okay… So, I have about 40 more years? That isn’t so bad.”

  “How many times have you died so far? It’s going to keep going down. Eventually, you’re going to die of natural causes at the age you are now.”

  He wavered, unsure of himself. Then he swallowed, and demanded.

  “Please. Don’t fight any longer. We’ll take down Einia, and you can kill her and fulfill your Quota. Then you’ll be free of this War. You can get out of here and live out the rest of your life in peace.”

  Tears were flowing from Haritte’s eyes. He cursed himself.

  “I’m sorry. I have no right to be upset on your behalf, and no right to demand anything of you. But even so… please. I haven’t known you for long, but… I don’t want to watch your lifespan trickle away with every new battle.”

  Riina gently touched his hand, and he looked up, meeting her gaze again. There was an ironclad determination, a fire that blazed within her eyes. Riina’s heart pounded in her chest. Even she herself wasn’t sure if she believed in what she was about to say. But she knew she had to say it.

  “Sorry, but I can’t do that. I made a promise.”