Under the cloak of darkness later in that same evening, a group of suspicious figures lingered near a parked car.
The moonlight glinted off their nervous eyes, hinting at a plan more sinister than mere mischief.
One of them says:
"How long will it take?"
The other one replies:
"Just a moment!"
Marshal is sitting on top of a building watching them. The nine Elders of Skyward appear behind him.
Shikiya smiles:
"You ready, Marshal?"
Marshal stands up while cracking his knuckles and says:
"Always ready."
Shikiya speaks:
"Nowwww...."
Marshal turns in his alien form. In the blink of an eye, he places his hand on the shoulder of one guy:
"BANG!"
Before they could react, they all turned into dust and went to the cube Shikiya was holding in her hands.
Marshal hears something falling behind him. He turns to see a family of three standing in fear.
He blinks his eyes in confusion and thinks:
"Oh, Selina's family?"
Shikiya in confusion:
"Owoh!"
Marshal quickly picks his hands up:
"Umm... Some people were trying to get this car. I stopped them, nothing else."
Selina's little sister says:
"Mama, I'm scared."
Marshal sits in front of her:
"Hey! Hey! I'm not a bad guy..."
She throws a bottle of water on him. It vanishes mid-way. He sighs:
"Just like her elder sister."
The little brother of Selina gets excited:
"SoOoOoo CoooOool!"
Marshal fist bumps him:
"It is for sure."
Selina's brother asks:
"You are the guy who fights crimes?"
Marshal slowly nods:
"Yeah, you can say that..."
He questions again:
"What is your name?"
Marshal replies:
"I haven't given myself a na-"
He sees Selina walking in. She sees him:
"Mar-Hawhha... I mean... Who are you?"
Selina's mother asks her:
"Were you about to say Marshal?"
Selina replies:
"N-N-N-NoOoooo... I just coughed. You know, the cold water was messing with my throat."
Selina grabs the hands of her mother and siblings and says:
"Aight! Time to take off..."
Marshal snaps his fingers and casually stops time—everything is frozen except the Elders and Selina.
She walks towards him and throws a kick:
"The heck are you doing here, Dude?"
Koto from behind speaks:
"Ummmm, some guys were trying to rob your precious car and he stopped them."
Selina moves her head:
"Oh, so everyone's here, huh?"
Itsuro questions from Marshal:
"Is this the place where the Gates of Tusatra opened for you?"
Marshal slowly nods. Shikiya with a mischievous smile on her face starts thinking:
"You may be able to control everything, but the one who controls you is none other than your best friend, Marshal."
Selina asks Shikiya:
"Why are you smiling, Miss?"
Shikiya shakes her head:
"I am not smiling at all."
Selina squints:
"Anyway... I'll go now."
Marshal hesitantly replies:
"S-Sure!"
She sits in the car then yells:
"MAKE THE FREAKING TIME RUN AGAIN, DUMBASS!"
He snaps his fingers and they move away. While driving the car, Selina's mother asks her:
"Are you sure he isn't Marshal?"
Selina with a weird smile:
"Y-Yes, I am... Marshal doesn't look like this..."
Her brother from behind:
"But, he sounded just like big bro."
Selina closes her eyes and takes a deep breath:
"Please stop questioning me you both."
Her mother with a smile:
"That guy looked like some weird alien, but... aww, my baby Marshal is just so cute."
Selina coughs:
"Wh-What... the...?"
Marshal sighs pointing where the Gates were opened and says:
"Yeah, this is exactly where it opened a cou-... Why in the world are you smiling, Shikiya-san?"
Shikiya sees Itsuro and then says:
"Am I... smiling?"
Itsuro takes a deep breath:
"Yeah!"
Shikiya says to Marshal:
"It's just... I have a question for you, Why are you so nervous around her? Sometimes she controls you and sometimes you."
Daigo chuckles:
"Something fishy is going on between them."
Marshal gasps:
"The heck do you mean by fishy, huh? We are friends. She's like this from the start, bruh!"
Shikiya tries to add things. Marshal gets frustrated:
"Nahh! I'm out..."
Before running away he says:
"Just know that she's my friend only—just good at controlling me from the start."
All the Elders fall on the ground and start laughing.
*After some time*
They are all sitting in a ramen shop. Daigo slurps while saying:
"Oh! This is heavenly..."
Marshal sighs:
"I've been eating this ramen since I was in middle school."
Shikiya teases him:
"Hmmm, with Selina, huh?"
Marshal passes a weird smile:
"Yes, so what?"
Shikiya chuckles:
"Nothing at all."
Just when they focus on eating. The ramen guy whispers in the ear of Marshal:
"Yo! Who are they?"
Marshal replies:
"Banri, have you ever heard of cosmic shenanigans?"
Banri chuckles:
"Heheh! I see... Central heterochromia and emerald green eyes, huh?"
Marshal whispers:
"Exactly! Except there are nine, not two."
Banri whispers again:
"With more numbers expect more mess too!"
Marshal sighs:
"Already happened."
Banri asks:
"The mess?"
Marshal nods:
"Yeah! Now they think I have feelings for Selina or something."
Banri closes his eyes:
"Tch... Tch... Tch! Ruining a childhood relationship built on friendship by thinking y'all are lovers?"
Marshal nods again.
Banri replies:
"That's really bad..."
"You want me to clarify?"
Marshal shakes his head:
"Nah! Nah! Keep it low."
Banri sees his bowl and asks:
"You want more Ramen?"
Marshal passes the bowl:
"Yeah, whenever I'm anxious I like to eat more & more."
Banri chuckles:
"Heheh, I know you better, wait lemme bring more Ramen."
Marshal nods and patiently waits.
After eating the Ramen. They all stand outside the shop. Shikiya says:
"Time to leave!"
Marshal waves his hand:
"I'll miss yo-"
Shikiya grabs her hand:
"C'mon... Did you forget what I said back then? You gotta join us."
Marshal says:
"Oh! Yeah, we gotta catch the tenth Elder."
Naoya says:
"That's why you will have to join us in the timeline of Millennia. It's a bit futuristic but ancient at the same time."
Marshal points at his hand:
"Shikiya-san..."
Shikiya drowned in her own thoughts:
"Hmm?"
Marshal mumbles:
"My hand... Please leave it!"
Shikiya gets red and quickly leaves his hand
"Sowwyyy..."
Koto says to Aya:
"Open the portal, Miss Aya!"
Marshal sees Naoya and says:
"How long will I stay there?"
Naoya replies:
"We are not trying to imprison you. Miss Shikiya wants you to meet someone that's all. After that, you can come back and continue from here..."
Marshal nods.
*After some time*
Marshal is sitting on a throne in a white room, and all the Elders are sitting around a long table.
He is served a drink. Shikiya says:
"Go ahead, take it."
Marshal holds it and takes a sip. He instantly gasps:
"Dang! It's delicious..."
Naoya says:
"I had the same reaction as you but millions of years ago, hehe!"
Marshal asks:
"Hmm! I assume it's all fruits mixed together, isn't it?"
Naoya nods:
"We call it... The drink of Ganro. Because he was the only one who made it in first place..."
They are talking when the lights in the room turn off—dim light remains.
A door opens through which a guy in his late twenties enters. The curtains of his snow white hair move as he walks, his beige eyes stay in one place—he is still scanning the room.
Before sitting down on an empty throne he speaks:
"My name is Geko Sato, and I used to be the right hand of NagareIshi. Pleasure to meet you, Marshal Bell!"
Shikiya says:
"You may sit down, Geko-san!"
Geko warmly smiles:
"Thank you, Miss Shikiya!"
Marshal whispers to Naoya:
"Wait! Who is Nagare Ishi?"
Geko looks at Shikiya, She approves, and he speaks:
"Nagare Ishi used to be the tenth Elder of the Skyward Society. The one who was imprisoned in the Seals of Fate. After the Gates of Tusatra opened, the seals broke, and he ran away..."
Marshal's eyes widened slightly in shock:
"Oh!"
Geko continues:
"He is the reason behind why you are here. I assume Miss Shikiya might have told you about him."
Marshal replies:
"Hmm! She didn't tell me his name. That's why I was a little confused."
Geko says:
"Now you know that Nagare Ishi was the tenth Elder of Skyward Society."
Marshal nods.
Shikiya starts speaking:
"After Centuries, the Skyward Society has gathered once again. This time, we have Marshal Bell, the Supreme Entity of Nothingness with us. From tomorrow, I want everyone to carefully handle this case. If one can't battle against Nagare Ishi, then the combined force of us might be able to find where he is..."
A little gap between her words. Her glasses shine when she says:
"And we will find him out for sure!"
(Ending)
As the meeting ends.
Geko is standing with a warm smile on his face in a dark room—eerie, silent, and lighted with dim candles.
Someone is sitting in front of him—on a throne. Geko speaks to him:
"The Supreme Entity of Nothingness has finally come, Ishi-san!"
Ishi takes a deep breath and speaks:
"He has intentionally manipulated something in his powers through which no one can detect his presence."
Geko replies:
"It's not intentional. His mind did it in a subconscious state. I, too, couldn't sense his presence until I entered the meeting room."
After some time Geko speaks:
"Ishi-san, may I know how I should move ahead? Any plans?"
Ishi replies:
"Yes, there is certainly a path you have to walk on until I get the throne of the Omniverse..."