I wonder what this holds in store for everybody.

1 year later

Accelerator took out his wallet and put several large bills on the table. The waiter took the bills and walked away.

The boy exited the restauraunt with his girlfriend next to him.

"You know, we always eat at really expensive places." Mikoto said.

"Is there something wrong with that?"

"No, not really. The food is great and as long as I'm with you it wouldn't matter where we went." She smiled at him.

"I usually choose expensive places because of the atmosphere. When we eat at family restaurants it doesn't really feel like we're alone together."

Mikoto laughed.

"You're sweet."

The two continued to walk slowly, enjoying the presence of the other next to them.

"It's getting close to Christmas." The boy said. The dropping temperature had reminded him.

"Yeah. Only a couple of weeks left. Don't worry, I already know what I'm getting you."

He laughed a little.

"Thanks. I wonder if we'll do a gift exchange like we used to."

The boy looked down for a second, but as soon as he noticed the girl's concerned look, he smiled and looked ahead again.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." The boy said.

Everybody knew he wasn't fine. He was aching on the inside every day. There hadn't been a day since the death of his best friend that he hadn't ached.

He had remained strong the last year, smiling every day for the sake of his friends. Nobody had forgotten their friend, but they smiled and laughed all the same, trying to move on with life. That was all they could do. Their friend wouldn't want them to mourn his death.

"How about I cook for you tonight?" Mikoto asked.

"Huh?"

The boy looked at her, but she was looking away, a faint red tint on her cheeks.

"I-I said I'll cook for you!" She said, looking at him.

Accelerator smiled.

"That would be great."

Misaki smiled and grabbed a pair of knee socks off of a shelf.

"How do these look?" She asked.

"They look nice." Saiai replied with a smile. The girl was wearing a fluffy knit sweater dress that exposed her legs and thighs. Besides that, she only wore knee socks and her shoes.

"Great." She looked around. "Maybe we should look for dresses too. If there's ever a dance or some formal event we're invited to, we wouldn't have anything to wear."

Shizuri approached them, a bag in one hand.

"Well, I have what I want." She said.

"What did you get?" Misaki asked.

"Just some underwear. I needed some more."

Shizuri refused to let them look at the underwear she bought. Though the two knew from experience that it was lingerie.

They checked out and left the store.

"It's always nice to have a day out with just the girls." Misaki said.

"It's always just us three. It's not like we can super get Mikoto to come with us, she's always with Accelerator."

The three laughed.

"They're a nice couple." Shizuri said.

"Yeah." Misaki said with a smile.

As they walked down the street, she touched the Dark Matter beetle that was pinned to her sweater. She was still sad. She ached inside every time she thought about the boy who had died.

Misaki withheld her tears and kept her smile up as the girls walked.

She wanted to remain strong for the boy.

Laura sat at an outside table in the shade next to a café. She sipped tea from a cup then placed it down on a plate in front of her.

"It is a rather nice day, isn't it?" She asked.

"I suppose so." Gunha replied. "You've been very inactive for a while."

"I consider what happened a year ago a victory." She said. "After a victory, the winner should rest. That's exactly what we're doing."

The boy sighed.

"Yet you're planning to strike them."

"Of course. I'll let Acqua take care of that, though. The preparations are going smoothly."

"You do realize that I'll never let you destroy the Science Side, right?" Gunha said. "I've told you that before."

"I know." Laura replied. "You don't have to. When the time comes, if you move against me, you'll be destroyed as well."

"Are you going to stay in the shadows until the Science Side moves again, then? I'm sure they'll be on the move by the time you're preemptive strike is ready."

"There's more pressing things to worry about right now." Laura said seriously. "Have you heard of Resist?"

"Resist? If I understand correctly, it's a faction that's been getting larger as of late. What about it?"

"Resist is a group against both the Magic Side and the Science Side." She said. "They have no desire for either of us to win."

"Do they pose a threat?"

"They have very powerful members. Together, they could most likely fight on par with either side." She took a sip of her tea and placed the cup down.

"We do not know what they are planning or where they are located. I'm sure there are spies in our midst as well as in Academy City. Aleister is already aware of this."

"What are we going to do about them?" Gunha asked.

"For now, you need to keep an eye out. I want you to see anybody who could potentially be a spy. If you find out that they are, you have permission to kill them."

"What if that incites Resist to attack the Magic Side?"

"I'll deal with it."

"Very well."

The boy stood and started to walk away.

"Also," The archbishop said. "There are rumors."

He turned to face her.

"Rumors?"

"Rumors about who leads Resist. You might want to hear them."

"What can we do about them?"

Motoharu spoke to Aleister in the Windowless Building.

"What would you have me do? I would prefer to wait and see how things play out."

"Resist is getting stronger every day."

"We will deal with them if they attack us." The boy replied.

There was a pause.

"Have you heard the rumors?" Motoharu asked. "The rumors about who leads them?"

"Indeed." Aleister replied. "If it is him, we might have a problem on our hands."

"Will we be able to defeat him if he attacks?"

"Of course." The boy said. "However, he will not be alone. He will bring powerful allies with him."

"You should probably move your plans faster then. We need to make a move before either the Magic Side or Resist does."

"Don't worry." The boy replied. "My plans are coming along smoothly. For now, keep a watch for any spies that might be in our midst. I'm well aware that there are some in Academy City as well as the Magic Side. If we can find them, that would give us an advantage."

"Very well. I hope that you know what you're doing."

"Of course. Everything is already going according to plan."

Outside of Academy City, a boy sat on a hill.

He wore a black jacket with a hood pulled up over his head.

"It seems that they are aware of our presence in the city." Ollerus said.

He was standing next to the boy, a calm look on his face.

"Of course they are." The boy said. "I didn't doubt for one second that they would know we had spies on both sides."

"What are we going to do?" A girl with long black hair and blue eyes asked. She had a flower of the left side of her hair and was dressed in a black shirt and tan pants.

The boy stood.

"We're going to let them prepare." He said. "Ruiko, continue with what you're doing. You need to be close to the Railgun. It's an easy way for us to obtain information."

"Right." Ruiko said.

The boy turned to face them.

The hood couldn't hide his white hair or his pale skin. The boy smiled, his blue eyes looking between the two.

"Just wait. Both sides are going to have a surprise coming their way." Teitoku said. "Ollerus, return to England and see what you can find out."

"Very well." The boy turned and walked away.

"Ruiko, return to the city. Go about life as normal for now. Inform me if you find out about anything."

She smiled.

"Of course." With that, she started walking towards the city.

"Just wait." Teitoku said. "The world is about to be shaken to its foundations."

With this, I bring an end to Brought into the Darkness. I hope you guys read the next story. I have big plans.