Xavier fidgets. He's alone in a room with his old friend Elise, now known as Satori, and he can feel her mental fingers reaching into his head, trying to pluck out all of his secrets. A lifetime of hiding his thoughts makes it difficult for her though and this duel has been going on for well over an hour after Parsee was taken to surgery. The real challenge though is who will break first and actually say something.
The silence is broken when Parsee enters the room with a large bandage across her torso and yells out for them to just kiss already. Xavier and Satori turn to glare, only to have Parsee glaring back at them. Parsee shakes her head and asks the big question: "What now?"
Xavier states that without any good candidates for Sins in Bridge City, the Queen will move on to another city to terrorize until she has a full group of knights so she can begin actively trying to take over the world. Parsee clenches her teeth while Satori looks unconcerned, almost bored. Parsee calls her out on this but Satori answers that as long as she's not in Bridge City, Satori doesn't care. Xavier remarks that Satori has changed since the days she was called Elise, but Satori says the same thing about Xavier.
Suddenly, Satori finds herself being glared at by someone else: Okuu. The Hell Raven calmly asks why Satori is so eager to defer yet another big issue, casually strumming on her chest for emphasis. Mother and daughter hold each other's gaze for moments before Satori flinches and asks if Parsee has a plan.
Of course Parsee does: go back to their castle school and start punching people!
Even Okuu is appalled by that plan. Satori asks how Parsee plans to do that without powers.
Now Parsee is appalled too.
Xavier speaks up with an idea of how to get Parsee's powers back: since she was born with them, they'll recharge in a few years! Parsee says that the Queen will be long gone by then. Xavier then suggests something more drastic: turn Parsee into a new Envy.
Parsee immediately gets in Xavier's face, shaking her fist and growling that she just avoided that happening. Xavier tips his seat over trying to back up and explains: the ritual does bind the subject to the caster, which is why Parsee would need to perform the ritual on herself, making her her own master.
Parsee asks if that could work and Satori, mildly peeved, states that it COULD work, but it would still be incredibly dangerous. Parsee grins and agrees to do it.
In Satori's basement, the team is busy setting up for the ritual: Parsee is drawing runes on her skin, Xavier and Satori are writing down the instructions for performing the ritual, and Orin and Okuu are busy drawing magical circles on the floor. The result looks inelegant and sloppy, especially Parsee's self-tattoos, but Satori deems it all adequate. She begins herding everyone else out of the room, turning and telling Parsee her mother would never be this impetuous.
Parsee smirks and asks if Satori is still missing a tooth. Satori blushes and leaves.
Now alone, Parsee grabs the sheets of paper with an incantation and other instructions written on it. She paces about the room, reading everything out loud. As she recites the magic words, the marks on the floor and on her skin begin to glow in a pulsating pattern. The pulses grow quicker and quicker the more she reads until they are just constantly lit. A shrill ringing suddenly rages through Parsee's head, causing her to drop the notes as she clutches her skull.
In an instant, a memory of every time Parsee had been jealous or envious ripped through her mind. Jealousy that work kept her mother from being home. Envy that her mother was better at riding motorcycles. Jealousy whenever she saw a kid who had a nicer outfit or cooler toys. Envy whenever she saw a happy couple come into her store. After awhile, thoughts and memories that weren't even hers flooded into her mind, the envy and jealousy of everyone in Bridge City.
With a scream, Parsee begins to stand, struggling not to be overwhelmed. A trickle of blood leaks from her nose and her legs tremble. She growls that she's been jealous her entire life, she's never NOT felt envious of something, but through it all, she never let herself be controlled by it. She never let some petty feeling stop her from wishing people well or fighting for justice.
The trembling stops as she grits her teeth, boldly declaring that SHE is the one who controls envy, not the other way around. SHE is the one whom others should be envious of! SHE...IS...ENVY.
And in that moment, the voices stop and Parsees finds herself in a barrel chamber instead of Satori's basement. A mysterious light from above casts its glow where Parsee stands, but nowhere beyond a few feet. Footsteps echo through the room and a knight in blue-and-tan armor steps into the light. Parsee asks if the knight is Envy, but the knight shakes her head.
"I was once called Envy. It was a terrible time," the knight says. "But now I am no longer that person. You have claimed the power and title of Envy for yourself, granddaughter."
Parsee quirks and eyebrow, about to speak, but more footsteps echo through the room. The light expands to show dozens of Kamen Rider Himes surrounding the two. One steps forward, speaking with a voice familiar to Parsee.
"She is more than just Envy. She bears the title of Kamen Rider Hime, successor to a heritage of justice and self-determination."
The Rider removes her helmet, exposing the long purple-and-gold hair of Byakuren.
"And a daughter I could not be more proud of."
Parsee rushes forward and embraces her mother. Byakuren smiles and continues.
"Through hardship and heartbreak, you have never given in to despair, my daughter. Your devotion to justice is unbreakable, as is my love for you. The enemy you will face is the greatest you have ever seen, but you have the strength and will to survive."
The two step back from each other as the room begins to fade. Parsee is slowly shaking off the strange effects of the ritual and watches her mother fade away.
"And remember, the Rider must always ride..."
The room changes back to Satori's basement and Parsee feels a severe case of motion sickness. She slowly stands up and wonders if that was actually helpful. Then she feels it...a whisper at first, but it slowly builds until she can hear the ebb and flow of envy in Bridge City, not a loud, uncontrolled roar, but a slow channel flowing into her, giving her strength. She grins, deciding to try something.
She reaches for her belt before remember she doesn't have the Henshin Device anymore, but she tries anyway.
"HENSHIN!"
The room crackles and shakes as the power of Envy flows through Parsee's body, the stream becoming a raging river as armor forms around her body.
Kamen Rider Hime is reborn.
No comments:
Post a Comment