~~~

Rem didn’t show up by midday. This annoyed Aoi and strengthened her belief that something was wrong with Niji Murasaki. But even aside from Rem having gone missing, her confidence was growing with every passing hour, especially after a conversation with Izumi, who evaluated the possibility of “Niji, the Self-Made Viol” as “most likely probable.” Aoi wanted to act immediately.

What if Niji had already dealt with Rem, who figured out the truth before them? Judging by the cameras from his apartment front entrance, he’d left his home late at night and didn’t come back. Or, on the contrary, might he have been a spy here in the Institution and joined their foes now?

There was little evidence for any of this, and Niji, as an enforcer, had a certain immunity. Was it worth trusting the manuscripts of a sorcerer not much appreciated in their small enchanter community and the instincts of an Exorcist? The interrogation of Shiningreel, a person closest to Niji, didn’t lead to anything, only made the girl alarmed. And if they were accomplices, then she might have warned her friend about what they’d learned.

Aoi was painfully considering an open conflict. Since the signing of the agreements, PRISM had never acted as an aggressor towards M.A.G.E., but this case proved to be an exceptional one. The last straw was the news that the whole team of enforcers had gathered in the bar, waiting for something since morning. It was definitely for a reason. She couldn’t sit still, longing to figure out what was going on as soon as possible. Despite Izumi’s persuasions not to rush, Aoi mobilized the task force and dispatched the Unit to the Blue Cat. She even forgot about Rem’s unexplainable disappearance after she had sent the Viridian off to search for his subordinate so he wouldn’t participate in Niji’s arrest. It was for the best: her desire to disclose the girl’s true identity overtook Aoi’s mind completely, and she would be tired of listening to Izumi’s warnings that they were about to break their truce with M.A.G.E., which was already shaky enough.

Should they break, so be it. Aoi’s primary goal was to make the city secure and free from monsters, and she would do anything to keep the peace on her grounds. And her inner peace as well.

~~~

The sun began to set as the PRISM’s minivan stopped on the opposite side of the road where the pub was located. Both PRISM and M.A.G.E. went out on the street almost simultaneously. Niji noted with an aching heart that Shiningreel was with the Unit. Dammit waved his hand playfully, first at Hitomi, then at the sturdy guy named Cinder who snorted like a rodeo bull in reply. Elio and Elia seemed to have lost their insatiable lust for brawls and looked even skinnier than usual. Both leaders, totally not minding the public presence on the street, stepped forward to open a round of negotiations.

“To what do we owe the pleasure?” Dasnor asked gloomily.

“We have reason to believe you are harboring a magical delinquent,” Aoi stated.

“And what kind of reason is that?”

“It’s come to our attention that Niji Murasaki received an amplifier of Celestial magic. With her being a Crimson, it means she’s become Cursed as the result of color mixing.”

And they were talking like it was a well-known fact! With all her diligence Niji displayed confusion and surprise instead of fear and anger. She would think about Rem’s betrayal later: at the moment she should have followed the plan. A crazy one, but still a plan.

“Never heard of this phenomenon before. Have you, guys?” Viktor asked his teammates, who expressed negation in every possible way.

“Consequently,” Aoi continued, ignoring their reactions, “we demand that Niji Murasaki undergo another quality cell check.”

“It’s not like you can demand anything like that from M.A.G.E.,” said Dasnor. “I have the right to refuse, and this is exactly what I will do. Stop tossing strange accusations around and leave this place.”

“She might have tricked you, so you’re just not aware of having a Violet that close. But it’s against the law, Dasnor.”

“Don’t you have anything else to do?” he talked back. “You need a cause to disband us that badly? No way I’ll buy it!”

Not a word about the amulet, Niji thought. But that was no less a crime than harboring a Viol. How could Rem have told them about me, but kept silent about such an important thing?

“Jun, don’t you feel a hidden curse within her?” Shadow asked his fellow Celestial.

“I’m not that experienced in exorcism like you,” the latter grumbled, “but all this story about color mixing sounds like a stretch to me.”

“Niji, please!” Shiningreel cried out unexpectedly. “This won’t take much time. I don’t understand why they are so positive about you being cursed, but I know you, you’re clear! You are not something else! Please, do me a favor and take the test so this farce will be over! You have no reasons to refuse, right?”

Niji looked at her friend closely. Shiny’s words were sincere: she must have endured a lot of pressure and was really worried about her friend. Niji’s heart ached. Had she been been normal, she would have agreed to spare a couple of hours on their stupid tests. But alas, she couldn’t reveal her secret in any case. Dasnor had predicted Shiny’s argument would come up, and Niji fought it back with a well-prepared answer: “I am an enforcer,” she said in her most arrogant voice and was surprised by how natural it came out. “We don’t do things just on black and whites’ whim. I’m not going to prove that I’m not dangerous because some of you think so!”

Shiningreel opened her mouth but said nothing; she just stared at Niji with eyes full of incomprehension, as if not recognizing her. The Elementalist suppressed the urge to ask Shiny for forgiveness—it would look suspicious. She realized with pain drilling through her soul that at that very moment their friendship was officially over: another morbid sacrifice made in the name of her survival.

“Shiningreel is right,” Aoi intervened. “This is a farce indeed. I absolutely insist that Murasaki must take the test! And if not…”

“Then what?” Dasnor asked, crossing arms on his chest.

“Measures will be taken.”

“We don’t want another war. And neither should you.”

“All we want is to keep everyone safe from dangerous magic users,” said Shadow. “We don’t ask for anything more.”

“Are you for real?” Rebecca was always quick to mock the police. “How about me cutting her arm to see what kind of blood she has? Problem solved.”

“I wouldn’t call it a healthy way of testing,” Shadow commented.

“Oh c’mon, it’s just a scratch you’ll patch up in a sec. Niji, mind if I damage your pretty skin a little?”

She hesitated a bit just for show. Rebecca’s performance was the key point of their plan. The last stand power move. Niji’s blood was red—they’d checked it beforehand. Viols were the only mages whose blood color changed with the mutation to bright purple. PRISM had no right to drag one of the registered wizards from M.A.G.E. into the MedCorps, so they might prefer to avoid the conflict with a demonstration like this. Whether they would, remained to be seen.

Finally, the Elementalist nodded and Beckz took out her dagger. Grabbing Niji’s right hand, she slashed its wrist… and everyone saw in awe that her blood had a dim purple hue. Rebecca recoiled, dropping her dagger in fright, and even Dasnor couldn’t hide his panicking state.

Niji thought she was about to faint. How? Was it the stress I’d been experiencing at this crucial moment that made the violet cells so concentrated? She realized the blood they’d checked was from her left hand without the tattoo. But how on Earth could it be different?

Whatever the reason was, they had lost this round. The fight was inevitable.

“You see it?” Aoi was the first one to take control over the situation. “Now we have every right to isolate her. Step aside.”