X/1999: Volume 8: Crescendo

by CLAMP, 180 pages

Subaru catches up with Seishiro, but seems less concerned with the fate of the world than with exacting vengeance for the murder of his twin sister. This doesn't bode well for Kamui, who is finally getting some blanks in his end-of-the-world-prophecy filled in by the CLAMP School Detectives trio (who, along with their mission, have grown up considerably since their days of helping pretty rich girls find their lost pet peacocks). As all the pressures and predictions finally force Kamui to a decision, he chooses a side...and all hell breaks loose.

The violence of this volume ratchets up as equilibrium demands that Kamui of the Dragons of Heaven be balanced out with a counterpart Kamui of the Dragons of the Earth. The blatantly suggestive attack and apparent fratricide that follow seem to set the tone for the future, so reader be warned. If you want sunshine and bunnies, look elsewhere. This series is nothing if not dark, nearly every scene increasingly heavy with the weight of destiny and dripping with the blood of those caught up in it.