BlazBlue:Calamity Trigger Part 1 Prologue

Prologue

Near a secluded forest, there stood a war-torn church.

It was a building with white walls and a green roof, and nearby, large trees grew close together, as if embracing it. The surrounding area was a gentle plain, where short green grass blanketed the earth, flourishing as it swayed in the soft breeze. Here and there, white and yellow flowers danced in the wind. Through this landscape, a narrow path gently wound its way toward the nearest village—though, to call it a village was a bit of a stretch.

This was once the site of a large-scale war. A battle for humanity's survival against a colossal monster—the Dark War. It was here that the war, in which humanity from all around the world fought, came to an end.

It had been over eighty years since that final battle, where humanity faced despair and made its last stand. Now, what had once been a place soaked in blood and death had transformed into a peaceful, verdant landscape, blessed by rich nature.

In the midst of this tranquil scene, a woman stood, basking in the pleasant breeze that carried the scent of earth and greenery. She was sweeping the front of the church with a broom. Her white and black clothes were an old-fashioned design of a nun's habit, and she wore a matching headscarf on her head.

She was a sister living at this church. For decades, she had lived alone in this place.

There was nothing here. There had never been a village alongside the church, nor did anyone come here seeking salvation from far away. After the war ended, she had come from nowhere, built this church, and ever since, she had quietly lived here, as if guarding the land by herself.

From beneath her headdress, wisps of white hair streaked with brown peeked out. Her body was slender and lean, and her hands that wielded the broom were also thin and wrinkled. Her face, which bore a gentle smile under the soft afternoon sunlight, was etched with deep wrinkles, far removed from the taut skin of a young girl.

Even so, her deep brown eyes, the color of wet earth, still reflected the vitality and energy she had in her youth.

Rumors said she was nearly a hundred years old. Yet, somehow, her appearance and movements defied that, looking far younger than one might expect.

She noticed a small insect near the door, apparently dazed, and squatted down to carefully pick it up, avoiding stepping on it. With a swift motion, she released it onto the grass, her movements so light that it was hard to believe she was an old woman nearing a century.

"Oh dear, I was going to pick some fruit in the forest if the weather was nice, but I completely forgot..."

As she was about to resume sweeping, the aged sister paused, her hand coming to her forehead. She remembered that her homemade berry jam had run out yesterday. She had planned to bake bread with the remaining wheat since the grocery delivery was coming tomorrow.

"It's too late now... the sun will set soon."

Gazing at the forest that stretched behind the church, the sister sighed regretfully. She had been coming in and out of the forest for so many decades that she could wander around as easily as in her own garden. If her legs were as sturdy as they had been in her teens, it wouldn't be too late to go now, but her body wouldn't allow it.

Though, when she was a teenager, she would often get lost and wander around the forest for hours, eating the fruit she had picked for jam.

"I'm so forgetful. Hehe, I'm a proper old lady now." With a sigh, she decided to make the jam tomorrow. She reached for the broom.

But at that moment, she suddenly noticed a change in the air and looked up.

She could smell blood.

Before she could even think further, she heard the sound of something crashing through the forest. Two distinct noises of feet stepping on grass—no, not animal footsteps. These were the footsteps of people.

The sister leaned the broom against the door and, lifting the hem of her long robe, ran toward the back of the church.

She quickly spotted them. Two small figures were walking toward her. The moment her eyes fell on the figure leading the pair, she stopped dead in her tracks, instinctively covering her mouth with both hands.

Her eyes widened in shock.

The figure that slightly quickened its pace upon noticing the sister was, in fact, not entirely human.

Once, it had resembled a human child, but now its entire body was covered in two-tone fur, white and brown, with a long tail split at the end, hanging low. The hood of its cloak, woven from what seemed like blades, had triangular ears attached to it, beneath which real triangular ears were hidden.

The figure approaching her was a bipedal cat. It was a beastkin, a rare species that now barely existed anywhere in the world. But what truly shocked the sister was not the sight of this rare beastkin, but that the figure before her was her sister's husband —her brother-in-law—whom she hadn't seen in decades.

"Jubei-san!" Calling out his name, she came to her senses and ran again. The smell of blood. It was coming from Jubei as he approached.

As she ran up to him, she was once again taken aback. She thought he was just injured, but when she looked closely, she saw that it wasn't just one or two injuries—his entire body was covered in wounds.

The cat's face, peeking out from under the hood, was bleeding from the forehead, and dark blood stained his brown fur. His clothes were spattered with an ominous pattern of dust and blood. The ragged cloth wrapped around his abdomen, presumably to stop the bleeding, was stained a deep crimson.

She couldn't guess what had happened to him from his appearance. But the blood told a vivid story of something having gone wrong.

"It's been a long time, Sister." The beastkin, Jubei, twisted his cat-like mouth into a wry smile and spoke with a sarcastic tone. The sister knelt down and met his gaze. As she got closer, the unsettling smell grew stronger, and a chill crept up her spine.

"It's been a while, but... my goodness, you're covered in wounds. What happened to you, Jubei-san?"

"A lot of things. I'm sorry, but I don't have time to explain everything." Despite being in such a bad state, the battered cat-man replied in a normal tone, showing no sign of pain.

Frowning at this, the sister reflexively placed her hand on Jubei's forehead. But within a few seconds, she lowered it, her hand closing into a weak fist.

"Oh... that's right. I can't heal you anymore."

Once, her hands had the power to heal. With just a touch and a thought, she could close wounds and ease pain. But as the years passed, that power gradually faded, and several years ago, it was completely lost.

Jubei shook his head slightly.

"Don't worry about it. They're just scratches. More importantly, I've got a favor to ask you."

"A favor?" As she listened, the sister already had a faint idea of what he might be asking.

Jubei was carrying a small child on his back. It was a boy, his body limp and weak, either unconscious or deeply asleep.

Behind him was another boy. He seemed a few years older than the boy Jubei was carrying, and his shallow, labored breaths caused his thin shoulders to rise and fall. He glared at the sister with the intensity of a wounded animal, as if daring her to approach. In his arms, there was another child, a small girl, who was also unconscious and resting against him.

Three children. They looked very similar to each other. Their skin was unnaturally pale, almost sickly, and their hair had a faint golden sheen. Only the older boy, standing on his own feet, had his eyelids open, but judging from his appearance, all three of them likely had the same beautiful green eyes.

"Please take care of these three. Leave them here at the church and raise them," Jubei said, attempting to pass the boy on his back to the sister. But before he could, the boy at the back grabbed Jubei's shoulder, which was at about the same height as his own. With his wounded arm, he strongly protested.

"Don't worry. The sister is very strong. No... the sister is the only one who can do it. There's no safer place than here," Jubei said soothingly. But the boy, with his sharp green eyes, glared at the sister as if refusing to let her touch the sleeping boy.

"It's okay, Ragna," Jubei repeated, gently trying to calm the boy down. At that low, almost murmuring tone, the sister gasped softly.

"… Ragna?" she whispered, almost unconsciously. At the sound of the name, the boy took his hand off Jubei's shoulder and retreated, shielding the girl in his arms.

He looked like a frightened little puppy—injured, hungry, and in pain, yet desperately trying to protect someone smaller than himself, baring his teeth and standing firm. The sister couldn't help but smile warmly at the boy, her eyes soft with compassion.

"Is your name Ragna?" she asked softly.

The boy seemed caught off guard by her gaze, her voice, or perhaps the words themselves. He glanced at Jubei, then at the boy on Jubei's back, and then at the girl in his arms. After a moment of hesitation, he looked back at the sister… and despite his wary gaze, gave a small, shallow nod.

In that instant, the sister felt a warmth swell in her chest. It reminded her of when she was younger. Before the deep lines had formed around her eyes, before her hair had turned white—when she met someone, and then parted ways. The boy looked so much like that person. And that person in her memories also had the name Ragna.

Ah, it's like magic. Or perhaps a miracle. The sister lowered her eyelids, offering a prayer of gratitude.

As he waited for her eyelids to lift once more, Jubei gently lowered the boy from his back and handed him over to the sister. Ragna, the boy, hesitated but did not resist this time.

Cradling the unconscious boy in her arms, the sister felt the warmth of his small body, and it brought her past memories into sharper focus.

"This boy is Jin, and the girl he's holding is Saya. And as I said, his name is Ragna," Jūbei introduced each child in turn.

Jin, Saya, Ragna.

The sister silently repeated their names in her mind, over and over, with a warmth as though wrapping something precious.

"Jin and Saya... So, these are your younger brother and sister, Ragna," she said softly.

"Mm? That's right, but... Sister, how do you know?"

"Because I heard it a long time ago. That you had a precious younger brother and sister."

Yes, a long time ago, she had heard it from him. From the man she had made an important promise with.

Her brother-in-law looked into the distance, as if recalling something, and smiled weakly.

"I see," he murmured softly to himself before looking at the sister again. "Can you take care of them?" he asked heavily, his feline features usually so endearing now bearing a weighty question.

The sister, unburdened by the weight of his request, nodded lightly, raising her chin.

"Of course. No, actually, I'm the one asking you. Please, let me take care of them," she said, gently pulling Jin's head closer, as if making a silent plea. Tears welled up in her eyes. It was a joy so overwhelming, it felt as though she might drown in it. She never imagined such a future—such a destiny—awaited her.

"Let me have the responsibility of protecting these children."

At the sister's words, Jubei sighed deeply, his shoulders slumping in relief.

"Ragna. She is... the Sister." For a brief moment, Jubei hesitated, as if debating whether to reveal her real name. In the end, he introduced her using the name he had grown accustomed to, and stepped aside, presenting the boy from the back.

The boy, unsure of what to do, maintained a stern expression while his eyes flickered with confusion. He looked at the sister. When she reached out to him, Ragna flinched and tried to pull back, startled, his shoulder jerking up. Ignoring his discomfort, the sister gently placed her hand on his head, patting him softly.

"Nice to meet you. I'm so glad to meet you all. Welcome to my church. This will be your home from now on." Speaking warmly, the sister thought to herself. The promise made long ago. She had been waiting for this day to come, hoping for it to arrive for so long.

She felt a pang of regret in the back of her mind for not making jam earlier. If only she had, she could have served them bread with jam and tea to make them feel at home.

"Welcome back, Ragna." Her voice trembled slightly. For a moment, a look of concern passed through Ragna's green eyes, as though he was struggling to open up. And in that moment, the sister realized.

He's still a gentle child, after all.

Tears welled up at the corner of her eyes, and with a joy that felt like that of a little girl, she spoke in a soft, heartfelt tone.

Hey, do you remember?

Do you remember that promise?

I've finally met you.

Hey, did you get to meet them too?

A small stream flowed nearby, and just behind the church stood a forest, rich with fruit. This place was once the site of a great battle during an era of war. But now, it is a forgotten land. In the midst of the gentle, grassy meadow, the small church stood alone. The modest yet lively life of the aged sister and three children began on this day.

Hey, Ragna. Did you get to meet me?

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Forward to Chapter 1: Stratum city — Hierarchical City