The drive from Pisa to Rome was longer than either of us expected. The highways were clogged with emergency vehicles and all the while Haruno Nishikata sat beside me in absolute serenity in the cab, as if detonating a landmark was just a minor inconvenience in her morning routine.
She stared out the window, one leg crossed over the other, her lantern dimmed and the C-shaped Azure Fragment spinning idly between her fingers like a coin. The blue glow from it painted faint light across her face, catching on her silver hair.
By the time we reached Rome, it was already eight in the morning because of the traffic jams and the incident. The cab stopped parked near the hotel I was staying in and led her through the lobby.
She didn't speak until we stepped into the restaurant.
"Your taste isn't bad, Phasnovterich."
"Would've been better if you didn't nuke Pisa."
The restaurant was mostly empty with a few travelers eating quietly by the windows. The city outside was calm, compared to the chaos we just left behind. When the waiter approached, I did something even I didn't expect. I pulled out her chair.
For a moment, she froze, visibly caught off guard. Then she gave a small laugh and sat down.
"You do realize this looks like a date, right?"
"That's fine. If we're going to discuss destruction, might as well do it romantically."
The waiter smiled awkwardly. "What can I get you two this morning?"
"Espresso for me. And whatever she wants."
"French toast," Haruno said. "With strawberries. And expresso."
The waiter nodded and left. I leaned back in my seat, studying her expression.
"You know, you really don't act like the Haruno I remember from the game."
"And how do you know me that well?"
"Because I know who you really are."
"Oh? And who am I?"
"Outer 7, the famous content creator who used to break down every lore line in Masquerade of Dreams Shattered. You did streams about Haruno's character routes, wrote theories about Phasnovterich, and even made videos about why the Moth Maiden might be immortal."
Her lips parted slightly and for the first time since Pisa, she seemed genuinely startled.
"I don't know if it's a coincidence you got assigned as Outer 7 here too, but there's no mistaking it's you."
The amusement faded from her face, replaced by a cold face.
"So you've been watching me."
"Actually, no. I just remember you. Your kind of obsession doesn't fade easily. I'm Outer 110,635, by the way."
She leaned forward, her elbows on the table.
"Then let me ask you something, Outer 110,635, what's your angle?"
"My angle?"
"Yes. You've changed the plot of Masquerade of Dreams Shattered entirely. You made Verdamona and Xaessiarerich friends. You recruited Thales. You even made Hinesia Rameses part of your team. And then, four assassins appeared out of nowhere. They went to the Alps for the third fragment. You do realize they've already killed over three hundred Outers, right? Right now, the Fast Travel Building in Geneva is under their control—"
A soft clink interrupted her. The waiter returned, placing our plates neatly on the table. The smell of toasted bread and coffee broke the tension for a moment.
Three hundred Outers? Rielinne… what have you done?
As the waiter left, Haruno reached for her fork again, but her stomach betrayed her with a grumble. She froze, glaring at me as if daring me to laugh.
I didn't resist.
"Eat first."
Her cheeks turned faintly pink as she muttered something about low blood sugar and started cutting her toast. I ate my own breakfast, thinking of her words. If what she said was true, then the Null Handmaidens had gone far beyond expectation. Rielinne must have acted on her own interpretation of my orders, and knowing her, she'd justify it as preventive strategy. And, frankly… she wasn't wrong.
Rielinne had always been the most ruthless of them. She must have realized Outer 7 would become a future threat and decided to cripple her forces before it got that far. I couldn't even be mad. I was proud. I'd have to give all four of them a raise.
If Rielinne hadn't done that, Haruno Nishikata would have already taken the second fragment. When I looked up again, Haruno was watching me.
"So tell me Haruno, what's your angle then? You already have the Blood Odachi. Why chase the Azure Sword?"
The fork froze halfway to her lips. Her eyes widened for just a moment. It was the smallest flicker of surprise, but it was enough.
"You don't have it yet, huh..."
She set the fork down.
"The timeline we're in… this is before you obtained it. Before the massacre of Kyoto. Isn't it?"
She didn't answer.
"Even if you had the Azure Sword, it wouldn't resonate with you. Only the descendants of the Erdict bloodline can wield it without dying."
Haruno's hands tightened on her cup. "You think I don't know that?"
"Then what's your reason? Why didn't you run the moment you saw me? You could have vanished with that fragment, and none of us would've been able to catch you."
The restaurant had quieted by the time I leaned back in my chair. Haruno had finished her French toast. I had finished my espresso. She didn't answer my question for a while and I knew she wouldn't answer it. It was then that I spoke again.
"Haruno, I have a deal to make with you."
"A deal? With you?"
"Yes. I can help you get the Blood Odachi. After all, it's a Primal Synsiline Treasure, just like the Azure Sword."
Her eyes flickered. She didn't interrupt, so I continued.
"In Masquerade of Dreams: Shattered, Haruno is helped by Verdamona to get it. She lied to her. She told her she needed the sword to defeat the enemies in Kyoto. But once you got it, she betrayed her. Haruno used it to cause the Kyoto Massacre."
For the first time since Pisa, I saw emotion on her face.
"But the heroine, Verdamona, isn't a Witness anymore. I am. I took her place."
"You did what?"
"I became the Witness in her stead. Which means, if I help you, you'll get the Blood Odachi much earlier than in the canonical route."
Haruno stared at me for a long time before leaning back in her seat, her fingers drumming against the table.
"What's in it for you, Phasnovterich?"
"I want us to be friends."
That made her blink.
"Friends?"
"Yes. Simple, isn't it? You're on the run because Haruno annihilated her own bloodline, the Nishikatas. The Japanese bloodlines put a bounty on your head so large it could feed a small nation. If you get the Blood Odachi, you'll be able to protect yourself. And in exchange, you'll help me understand the deeper lore of MoDS."
Haruno said nothing for a moment, staring at me as if I were some kind of absurdity she couldn't categorize.
"I know you're smarter than ninety percent of Outers. You've memorized the chronologies, the myth branches, even the hidden information the devs left in the beta servers. You're better as an ally than an enemy."
That made her smirk, though it was small.
"And what if I don't take your deal?"
I didn't answer immediately. I looked at the C-shaped Azure fragment glimmering faintly in her hand.
"Without that fragment, you and your team can't access the Synsiline Treasure Vault. You'd be stuck chasing shadows."
"Who said I need the fragment?"
That made her blink. "Excuse me?"
I set the cup down gently, smiled, and said, "Did you forget the old lore about the Primal Synsiline Treasures?"
Her lips parted not in confusion, but remembrance. Slowly, she recited under her breath:
"When one is ready to face the trial that binds desire and danger as one, then, even without the key, the vault will open in answer to their resolve."
"Exactly. You're planning to use the hidden route, aren't you? You want to bypass the main vault gate and trigger the inner trial sequence instead. You only need one or two fragments for that."
Her pupils dilated slightly not from fear, but from realization that I'd figured it out.
"And I already have the heroine, the villainess, the first Rameses sister, and Thales on my side. Even without your fragment, the hidden route won't be difficult for us. We have enough power to withstand the hidden stage."
She exhaled slowly. For a moment, she stared at the fragment spinning between her fingers, its azure glow pulsing faintly in rhythm with her heartbeat. Then, with a short nod, she set it on the table and pushed it toward me.
"Fine. You win. We have a deal."
I took the fragment carefully, its cool energy humming softly in my palm. The C-shape shimmered briefly before fading into my system inventory, its light vanishing.
"Wise choice. You'll find I'm not a bad partner."
She gave me a skeptical look. "You're certainly not the canon one, that's for sure."
"Canon's overrated. Reality has better dialogue."
That made her chuckle. It was faint, but genuine, the first real one I'd heard from her. I reached into my coat and pulled out a thin black card, sliding it across the table.
"This should help you escape for a while. It's a world credit pass and untraceable. Use it wisely."
She picked it up, inspecting it with an approving nod.
"You think of everything, don't you?"
"Occupational hazard. By the way, you might want to hide your face more carefully. The bounty on you isn't light."
Haruno tilted her head with a mischievous glint. Then she reached into her pocket, pressed her fingers against the edge of her face, and something shimmered. Her features blurred, shifted and realigned into an entirely different person. Her gray eyes darkened to amber. Her silver hair shortened and changed to black. Even her voice changed pitch slightly.
"Faceless Identity. Not even you could recognize me if I didn't speak."
"You're prepared."
She leaned forward slightly, smirking.
"You're stronger than the canon Phasnovterich. How?"
"I did some stuff."
"'Stuff?'"
"Yeah. Mostly illegal, occasionally divine. Not to worry. We are allowed now so you don't have to worry."
"You're dangerous, Phasnovterich."
"I prefer efficient. Besides, danger's only relative. You're the one who blew up the Tower of Pisa at sunrise."
"Touché."