Editing BlazBlue:Bloodedge Experience Part 1 Chapter 2 (section)

===Part 7===

With the strange duo gone, the tension in the air immediately dissipated.

Naoto's body felt heavy, as if a weight had been lifted from him. He leaned against the concrete wall behind him. Soon, his knees gave out, and he slid down to sit. Concrete debris from the wall lay scattered around him, making the position uncomfortable at best. But he was too exhausted to get up and move.

"Hah... hah... I thought I was going to die..." He forced out a dry laugh, feeling no joy whatsoever. He truly believed he was going to die, and he thought he was dead. More than that, he was in excruciating pain. The fact that he had to endure such experiences filled him with deep frustration.

Overwhelmed by emotions he couldn't quite identify, whether it was anger or fear, Naoto looked up to find Raquel standing in front of him. When he looked up, her large golden eyes were staring down at him intently.

"You're such a mess. You're just like a rag doll."

"Shut up. And what's with those guys anyway... You know them, don't you?" Glaring at her in response to her calm voice, Naoto thought she should at least show some concern, but there were no injuries that warranted it. Raquel raised her head and glanced in the direction where the duo had fled. She spoke in a somewhat stern tone, "The man who attacked you first was Valkenhayn Helsing. The one in the cloak is Relius Clover, an 'Immortal Breaker,’ a specialist in eliminating immortals."

"Immortal Breaker." Naoto frowned as he looked up at Raquel’s profile. It had a rather ominous ring to it. Being close to Raquel, a vampire girl who was considered an immortal, made it sound not only dangerous but also extremely unsettling.

Suddenly, he heard the distant wail of a siren growing louder. Someone must have called the police. It wasn’t surprising, given the circumstances. It was the middle of the day, and even in a relatively quiet area, it was far from deserted. A game center was just a stone's throw away, and it was open for business despite its old-fashioned appearance. It was inevitable that someone would report seeing a high school boy being thrown into a vending machine or a concrete wall.

"Ugh... I wish this was all over. I just want my normal life back..." Naoto ran his hands through his hair in frustration. He looked up at Raquel with tired eyes. "Hey, listen..."

He was about to suggest that they should leave and continue their search another time, but he hesitated. When he glanced at Raquel, he noticed her complexion was worse than before. Her energy level, represented by the number above her head, had dropped significantly. It was now '86501107', a decrease of several thousand from the last time he had checked. For a human, such a drop would be fatal.

(How long has she been like this?) he wondered. The fact that her energy had depleted so much while she was resting in the shadows meant that she was either consuming energy at an alarming rate or something had drained her. Perhaps it was the encounter with Valkenhayn and Relius.

Either way, it wasn't wise to keep Raquel on her feet any longer, especially in broad daylight.

"Raquel, let's go home today," Naoto said seriously, his tone more assertive than a suggestion. "Neither of us is in top condition. If we encounter Spinner while we're like this, we won't be able to do anything but lose."

Naoto didn't know the full extent of Spinner's powers, but he knew the sorcerer was far beyond ordinary humans. This was different from picking a fight with a random delinquent.

"But in ten hours, the Azure Remnant will disappear completely. We won't be able to track it anymore," Raquel replied, hesitant and conflicted, her eyes scanning the area as if she could still sense the remnant nearby.

Naoto shook his head. "We'll find it another time. Our priority right now is your health."

"They're looking for you too, right? So they'll probably attack again soon, and there will be plenty of opportunities. It'd be pointless if we get caught and killed. They're not the type to settle things peacefully, are they?" Just like Relius had said, even immortals like vampires could be killed. Naoto fully agreed. Raquel had a life force indicator too, and if it was depleted, she would die.

"Besides, we'll stick out like a sore thumb walking around looking like this. If anyone sees us, it'll be a pain to explain, and we'll have to change our clothes."
Naoto spread his arms, revealing his tattered clothing. Even though his wounds had healed, his T-shirt and jeans were still torn. His collar was ripped wide open, and there were dried bloodstains on his chest.

Raquel nodded slowly, deep in thought. She seemed to understand the gravity of their situation. "I suppose you're right," she said, sighing. "But wait a moment."

She moved away from Naoto and stood in front of a wall, avoiding the large crack created by Valkenhayn. She ran her fingers along the gray wall, tracing something. It was the same red writing he had seen in the abandoned building, but this time, it was arranged in horizontal lines, more like a note than a magic circle.

After writing a few lines, she turned around. "Alright, let's go."

Naoto followed her, his eyes drawn to the red writing that was slowly fading into the gray wall. They carefully made their way back to his apartment, avoiding people and hiding in the shadows whenever necessary. Somehow, he managed to reach his apartment without anyone noticing the bloodstain on his shirt.

After checking that the coast was clear, he called out to Raquel, who emerged cautiously from the shadows. He had warned her beforehand that if Haruka saw her, she would probably ask a lot of questions, and he might even get scolded. It seemed like his warning had worked.

For now, Haruka was nowhere to be seen. Both Naoto and Raquel breathed a sigh of relief.

"Now... the real problem begins." As Naoto pulled his house keys out of his pocket, he lowered his voice. They couldn't let their guard down yet. There was a good chance that Haruka was inside. In fact, knowing her, it was more likely than not. She probably made lunch and was waiting for Naoto and Raquel to return. If he went in wearing a blood-stained T-shirt, Haruka would be terrified. She would undoubtedly assume he was seriously injured.

"Alright, Raquel. Here’s the plan. You go in first and distract Haruka. While you do that, I’ll slip in, change, and then join you."

"I've told you before, I’m not good with other girls." Raquel replied, averting her gaze. It was clear that she wasn't enthusiastic about the idea.

But Naoto needed her cooperation. "It'll be fine. If she sees you like this, she might panic."

With a hint of annoyance, and then resignation, Raquel turned towards the door. Naoto quickly unlocked the door and urged her inside. As soon as Raquel slipped through, he closed the door behind her.

(She's so reluctant) he thought to himself. Despite her aloof and arrogant demeanor, she seemed so timid about the idea of being alone with Haruka for even a short while. (I hope she's okay.)

He pressed his ear against the door, trying to listen for any sounds from inside. But he couldn't hear anything. Normally, he would be able to hear Haruka greet Raquel. But there was nothing.

(What's going on?) 

Even if Raquel was quiet, Haruka would surely say something when she saw her. There was no way she would ignore Raquel's arrival. But the house was eerily silent. Confused, Naoto moved to the gap between the door and the wall and pressed his ear closer. Still, there was no sound.

"Raquel! Haruka!" Something was wrong. Naoto felt it instinctively and immediately burst into the apartment. Kicking off his shoes, he rushed down the hallway. At the end of the corridor, he saw Raquel standing still, as if frozen.

"Raquel, what's wrong?!" Something felt off about the atmosphere in the apartment, and a sense of dread washed over him. As he hurried into the living room, his gaze was drawn to Raquel, who was standing stiffly at the entrance. He tried to move her, but she was as rigid as a statue. It was as if she was sewn into place.

On the sofa in Naoto's living room sat a stranger. As Naoto's footsteps drew closer, the visitor turned slowly, a languid smile playing on his lips.

"Ah... I hope I'm not interrupting." His voice was so sweet, it was almost sickening. The man had long, jet-black hair and pale, almost translucent skin. His features were hauntingly beautiful. "You must be Naoto Kurogane."

Naoto's heart skipped a beat. That single sentence felt like a sharp knife, cutting through him. Every movement, every breath felt like a thin sheet of paper, about to be torn to shreds. He felt paralyzed, as if moving would be fatal. And then, right beside Naoto, the air vibrated. He heard Raquel's voice, a trembling whisper.

"F-Father..." It took him three seconds to process the words. And another five to realize she was referring to the black-haired man in front of him.

(Father...!?)

Naoto stared at the man on the sofa, his eyes wide with disbelief and horror. He couldn't quite put his finger on what was so terrifying about the man. Despite his striking beauty, there was something cold and distant about him, a sense of otherworldly power that sent shivers down Naoto's spine.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. My daughter has spoken highly of you. I am... Clavis Alucard." The man smiled thinly, his crimson eyes glinting.


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