"Ahhh… Ahhhhh…"The screams echoed throughout the underground torture chamber.
"Enough."The commander's voice silenced the room.
"I'll ask only once."
He stared into the agent's eyes.
"When a puppet walks…do you blame the strings…or the hand?"
The agent smiled.
"So you already know."
"Then tell me. Whose shadow reached Osaka before Team Zero did?"Commander asked without looking at agent
The agent laughed.
"You still call this place Earth…How pitiful. It's only the cage. You've never seen the real wor—"The agent didn't recieved the chance to complete his sentence
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The commander fired without a flicker of emotion.
The agent collapsed…still smiling.
The commander adjusted his cap and walked away. A man who never needed complete answers.
[May 20th, 2010]
[Aircraft Hospital]
[Zorian Sterling - POV]
Creak... Creak...
Half-healed, Zorian took one step after another across the wooden floor. Every step felt lighter than the last, as if his body had finally remembered what freedom felt like.
"Looks like you haven't heard what the doctor said, did you?" Vance sensei said in a playful tone from behind.
"Sensei!" I hugged Vance sensei in excitement.
Mrr...
Behind Vance sensei stood Kaminari, who had lost all its shine. And constantly grieved for his dead master Zeverin the person he had grown up with. The wolf denied to accept the fact he is no more
"I heard about Zeverin, but being in a coma, I couldn't even see him one last time." As I said it, grief took away my sudden sense of happiness.
"Aha, Zorian. Death was never our enemy. A meaningless life is, and will be. There could not be any higher point for his end than this," Vance sensei said, looking at me.
"You aren't...Yes, sensei, you are right," I said, lowering my head.
"Yes, Zeverin told me to find someone worthy of his weapon and his grieving companion," Vance sensei said, putting RAIKO NO HAHA in front of me.
"I will keep Kaminari with me for now but I don't find any other person more worthy than you for this"Vance sensei said with a gentle smile
"Really? I never have felt this type of trust from someone" I said as my eyes became wet
"This is a weight Zorian" Vance sensei took a pause stroke my hair looked directly in my eyes and said
"Everyone longs to be trusted.Few understand the weight of receiving it.From this moment on…That weight belongs to you." Vance sensei vanished before I could react
And the only thing that was in that hallway was me my broken leg, RAIKO NO HAHA on my back and cold yet soothing air.
"Would you mind giving me space, love?" A very authoritative yet sweet voice came from behind me.
"Yes, yes. By the way, have we ever met, big brother?" I asked while stepping aside.
"Call him Master, please," Hina said in a high voice.
"It's ok, Hina, and yes, we have met, as I was the one who brought you here," Master said with a smile.
"Ohh, thank you. Thank you, Master, for saving my life." I started bowing to him.
"No need, love, just if you see me in a bad condition on road, offer me a bowl of rice," Master said as he gently stroked my hair.
SWISH - BANCH!
A wooden door opened at great speed and sounded like a bomb blasted. From it came Arashi, who ran in the opposite direction of I was in.
The instant Master laid eyes on Arashi, he disappeared, reappearing behind him in a blink. Miss Hina gently carried me onto the ward's porch.
The distance between us kept growing.They should've been impossible to hear.
Yet…
I could still HEAR THEM!!
SHHHNK...
Suddenly, Arashi stood like a rock. His breathing became really heavy; his unhealed injuries became more painful just because of Master's presence.
"For how long have you been here?" Arashi asked, trying to maintain his persona.
"How long?" Master took a pause. "Since I was realised, watching you die would be the only useful thing you ever did," Master said coldly.
VMMMM...
As Master's words escaped his lips,it felt like the environment itself gained weight, even the air, but only for Arashi. Hina instantly teleported elsewhere, but I stood there.
"Would you say these are your last words?" Arashi asked while struggling.
Before I could take a step, Master seized Arashi by the throat and pinned him against the wall with one hand.
The Master laughed as loud as he could
"Kill me? Likes its the child's play you are playing with what was her name.. ahh June. But leave it and come back alive in apex convergence or else the skeleton of your dear June will be waiting for you" Master vanished like he was never there.
"Be with him, love, if you want, but remember," Master said from behind me and kept his hand on my shoulder, "if you don't find any sensei for training, I am interested in killing my time," Master said with a warm smile.
"But..." As I turned to reply, Master was already gone.
"Arashi," I said while supporting him to stand.
"I was in front of the Tatari who killed Zeverin, and suddenly I was in this medical ward bed, how?" Arashi asked weakly.
"They said you were found lying on the ground. Pearl found you, but you were almost dead," I said while supporting his frame.
"I don't know if you will believe it, but at some moment I died, but that's not the point, I saw you, And you were asking for my help" Arashi said while walking.
"Dead? I think I could believe you but why does I was asking help from you? But there is one more thing I said something which I heard from your mouth but the fact that we have talked not more than 10 sentence makes it unbelievable" I said while making him lay on his bed.
"You asked me to heal you and so I released my left flux adjacent to the blast that happened"Arashi said his consciousness fading
"It was you? I can't believe it but then what about your other questions your blackout and the others who is the answer of those question" I asked in worry.
"YOU ARE. The things you remember hearing from me is said by me but not to you but to the original owner of the JUDICIUM ETERNIS and you hearing it means….THE BLASPHEMY has awake…ned…—" Arashi said as he fell unconscious mid sentence.
"What BLASPHEMY? What do you mean by that Arashi," I said, as I tried to wake Arashi.
But he was already asleep.His breathing became rhythmic again.His heartbeat calmed.He simply lay there peacefully…Unaware that… What tornado of thoughts he had made in my brain
"Ohh, you must be Zorian?" June asked while leaning on the doorframe.
And at that moment I forgot everything I was thinking as if it was wiping from my brain it wiped and the only thing I could see and think of was the beauty of the women standing in front of me as if i was forced to...….
"Ahh yes, yes I am," I said as I held Arashi's hand.
"Commander Magatsu Varkax was searching for you," June said in a low voice.
"Commander who?" I turned my face to her.
"He is not an arcanist, but half-blessed, half-cursed with some inhuman power. You know he never learned to mind his own business, that's why he wants to interrogate you," June said with an annoyed expression.
"Ohh, then I should meet him, but by inhuman-" June didn't let me complete.
"You can ask him any question, I can assure you there is nothing he would hide from you," June said with a warm smile.
"But Arashi said I am the answer to every question he has, so is Arashi what must be the answer to my question?" I asked June as she walked towards Arashi.
"The reality is HE WAS NEVER MEANT TO BE SOMEONE ELSE'S ANSWER... HE SPENT HIS WHOLE LIFE CHASING THE ANSWER TO HIS OWN QUESTIONS," June said as she grabbed Arashi's hand.
[Zorian's Thoughts]
"You Are," Arashi's words echoed in his mind.
"But he said—" I myself stopped
"Judicium Eternis is his symbol of love he didn't show to anyone," June took a pause.
"So if he says YOU ARE," June completed.
Dear Diary,
I couldn't describe what I felt that day. A girl I had never met called me Arashi Ushimoto's, the genius of the dark's most important friend. It was funny… the people I had spent my whole life with never made me feel important, yet people I had known for only a few days did. Maybe time doesn't decide who understands you. Maybe the heart does. Still… something inside me felt incomplete, as if a piece of that day had quietly disappeared. No matter how hard I reached for it… there was only silence.Let's see what tomorrow has kept for me.
"Zorian, writing in your journal again?" Pearl asked from behind.
"Writing after so much time felt good. But leave it, let's go to sleep," I said.
"Yeah, right. Goodnight, Zorian," Pearl said as she switched the lights off.
"Goodnight,Arashi" I smiled.
Above the room, above the whole aircraft, in a small area outside the aircraft: no voice, no human. Just cold air and complete silence.
In the middle of that silence stood THE GENUIS OF THE DARK in the cold air, 'cause the silence was taken by one line in his head.
"When you finally find the answer you've been searching for... don't tell me. Smile for me instead." A voice from a burnt memory.
"Hahahaha," Arashi laughed.
"Goodnight, Zorian," Arashi completed.
[21st May, 2010]
[Day]
As Commander Magatsu kept his dominant hand on the table, the table shook.
"I wanted to interrogate you, but if you have a question, you can ask me," the Commander said in an authoritative tone.
"I do have questions, and with your permission, I wanted to know what happens in flux stage 2," I asked desperately.
"I hear you. Flux stage-2, also called Vita core, if-" the Commander was interrupted.
"Vita core? So what is stage 1 called, and what are its traits?" I scratched my head in confusion.
"Listen, boy, I will answer your questions, but if you cut me off, you won't make it to your room." The Commander's face turned black.
"Sorry, Commander," I apologized immediately.
"You can't talk to him like that, Magatsu," Vance sensei said in a challenging tone.
"You may not interrupt, as I am seeing what you are even teaching." The Commander instantly turned normal. "Stage-1 is called Locus core. This is just a point of existence, nothing more, but Vita core allows coating. You can coat your weapons and body with flux. You will understand it more as you train; in this core, emotional energy influences power." The Commander took a pause.
"You will get combat instinct awakened and better control over-" the Commander failed to complete his sentence.
"Let's not go there, Magatsu, the boy's light don't drag him into darkness," Vance sensei said.
"Fine by my side,but there is someone who is into darkness more than me,but leave it next question boy" the Commander said with a smirk.
"Next is, what is Apex Convergence? When I woke, Pearl just said I have been nominated. Never told me what it is, nothing mentioned," I asked plainly.
"Apex Convergence is a type of test designed and organised by Shisei Kyōgikai (Council of Four Saints)," the Commander said in a different tone.
"Shisei Kyōgikai? But what is it for?" I asked.
"Shisei Kyōgikai(Council of Four Saints) is a death match of 8 arcanists, all from 1st and 2nd year, from all 4 organisations .CREEPERS is one of them." The Commander took a pause.
"You see, Zorian, Creepers is not the name of our organisation, it is TENKOKU," Vance sensei said, " which means Heaven Realm."
"The strongest 1st and 2nd-year students from Tenkoku, Shinkai (Deep Sea), Hyōga (Frozen fang), and Jukai (Sea of trees) in a death match for ascension is called Apex Convergence many more things which I am sure your sensei won't want you to hear," Magatsu said.
"This is just too complex, how many students will be there? And who even nominated me?" I asked in annoyance.
"Too many questions, boy, let me answer one by one. First, there will be only 2 students from each organisation, and the one who nominated you was the person you call Master," the Commander said and checked his watch.
"Master?But we haven't even met properly. And who is 2nd-" I was interrupted.
"Enough, I have to go now. Ask the rest of your questions to your sens...sei. No, it can't be those chains, those manacles... Judicium Eternis... THE BLASPHEMY HAS AWAKENED," the Commander shook in fear.