The following morning, Aimee had spoken with Marisa & Mia, and the three had set out on one of the trains out of Urasaria. (Students were allowed to skip class so long as they hunted well & passed their finals.)

Renault's wife had relayed to Aimee that her husband's Revenant - Rewind, whose fireflies acted as Urasaria's cameras - had seen an invisible figure drop Mia's body off at the gate, with some blood on her mouth. To no apparent sense, the figure had revealed himself before leaving the edge of Rewind's sight.

"He turned around?" said Marisa as the train slowed.

"Yeah." said Aimee. "That's how, uh - I mean, Renault had to keep projecting it, but that's how he even got the guy's face. Guy's name is Doppori."

Marisa frowned. "…huh. Maybe his Revenant is like, limited use?"

"Maybe, but… yeah. Dunno. Good news is that they found his apartment, so. Can start there."

"Er, hopefully that'll lead to more clues." said Mia, and Aimee nodded as the train stopped.

They stepped in to an urban district that had been rural forty years ago, and Aimee led them to an apartment complex. The three came up to a door on the third floor, and in the next instant -

- a gust of wind blasted it in to them -

- but in to a thousand shards it split as it flew, Aimee dipping Rider's tendrils in Mia's veins -

- and Boudoir's strands discarded the projectiles to the side as the three stood again, brown-haired man inside & in his kitchen, eight blue tendrils bursting out of his shoulders -

" - that's him." muttered Aimee, thirty feet separating the two, foe laughing on the other end - " - can kill him instantly, but -"

" - come!" he shouted - " - I was waiting for you to show up, anyway!"

Marisa rushed left along the wall and Mia & Aimee followed; scarabwoman nodding, a spray of orange flame hit the wall -

- and burnt a clear hole through to the apartment's bathroom, Boudoirsquare forming to keep the hole's fire from spreading. In to the room swept the women, and as Aimee rushed out to the hall -

- a gust of wind blasted her with the strength of a thousand left; Mia heard her crashing through another door, Rider's protection leaving her as she rushed out to the hall with Marisa -

- and seeing their foe right & still in the kitchen up the hall; another gust of wind shot towards them -

- but the next scene was instant. Marisa threw her palms out, a dozen strands erupting & hardening from her gloves -

- and their friction slowed the wind but not their advance as they kept their run up the hall; ahead, Doppori rushed to block the entrance -

- and in to an invisible wall smashed Marisa -

- and in to Marisa smashed Mia behind, two wincing as they staggered back -

" - another trick of wind, if you're curious." droned Doppori, still in his kitchen with fifteen feet separating them. "The tentacles create an airless environment - or harden -"

- the ceiling started to rumble behind him, and in the next instant -

- Aimee dropped with knife-drawn out of the aperture; Doppori turned -

- and a swift blast of wind launched him right just in time to dodge her vicious swipe, Aimee sighing as she rushed back out to the hall, Mia&Marisa catching up with the invisible barrier gone, chasing after Doppori down another main hall -

" - gonna - I can flank at the front door -" said Marisa, and in the next instant -

" - FTL!" shouted a familiar voice; a sense of fear came over Mia -

- and a sword of ice decapitated Doppori in the next, three with shocked eyes as they saw ahead -

- to something that was an utter dreadnought, the size of three headless men, two right arms & one left bursting out of his armor's back. A sword of ice was in one four-fingered hand, and before they could react -

- his torso turned away as his legs didn't, as if two separate halves, and his otherworldly tone said "FTL." and he was gone in a cloud of scarabs.

"I - w-wait -" panted Mia, two standing straight behind - " - I - I recognize that voice -"

" - Mia, are those -" panted Aimee -

- and the three filled with gasps at the scarabs disappearing ahead. Mia's hands filled with her own, Aimee nodding quick.

"That's -" - she kept her glance going - " - gotta be - same type of scarabs, right?"

"They, yes, but -"

" - alright. Alright, alright, alright." nodded Aimee. "Just stay cautious. Going to, going to check something."

Rider's tendrils went taut -

- and Doppori's head appeared in her hands. "Marisa, can you - cloth?"

"S-Sure." Marisa nodded and gave her a Boudoirchef. Aimee wiped the blood off his skin.

"…look." she muttered.

On his neck, a golden scarab tattoo, signed 'R.D.'.