On the cold wooden floor sat two children who looked through a mountain of old photos. These photos did not belong to them, but instead, to the person who had been looking after them for quite some time. The person they were familiar with had always seemed grumpy. She was kind, and on occasion, she did raise the sides of her mouth, forming a brief smile in appearance. But seeing these photos pleased the children. The woman they saw within them was happy. She had friends, her body did not suffer any damage, she looked proud as if she was happy with what she had been doing.
Mena: [Look at this one, Nero! She’s laughing! She’s actually laughing!]
Nero: [Inkra certainly enjoyed herself telling by these pictures. I wonder what could have happened that led to living in this house away from the town.]
Mena: [That’s true. I think she might have been one of those army people, but not everyone hates that kind of thing, right?]
Nero: [There are many who join for the sake of protecting their families or even their land, so in many cases, there is a solid reasoning as to why they do this. I have not heard of many who have detested those who have joined for that reason though.]
Mena: [Hmmmmm.]
The two began to scratch their heads while attempting to solve the puzzle that lay before them. It was certainly odd that Inkra had gone from a state of happiness in the army, to the Inkra who had a visible gloom riddled across her face. The two of them believed that perhaps she lost a close friend during the war, and thus, she became depressed from that point onward.
Nero: [There’s quite a lot of pictures here. I didn’t notice this many when I first opened the box.]
Mena: [Speaking of this box, where did you find it, Nero?]
Nero: [Ah…Well…Some of the wood had toppled over, and it caused this box to fall off from the top of the shelf in the storage room.]
Mena: [Ah! Nero! We were told not to search up there!]
Nero: [I know, but I ended up seeing this picture here. From that point, my curiosity got the best of me, and I ended up bringing the box here.]
Mena: [Does Inkra know about it?]
Nero: [Sadly, no. I feel horrible for not telling her, but seeing as she needed to enter the storage room, she’ll likely notice it’s missing…]
Mena: [I see…Alright then, I shall do my job as your little sister!]
Confidently standing up in an exuberant pose, Mena prepared a plan for what she would do next.
Nero: [Your job? What do you mean exactly, Mena?]
Mena: [It is always the younger sibling’s job to act as the lookout! Therefore, I shall go grab a drink while checking where Inkra is!]
Nero: [Are you sure? I don’t want you to get into trouble.]
Mena: [Don’t worry! I’ll stay out of sight! I’ll contact you using clairvoyance if I see her moving or anything like that. From there, all you have to do is hide the box! After all, the second job for a younger sibling is to cause mischief!]
Nero: [V-Very well. In that case, what shall I do in the meantime, Mena?]
Mena: [That’s easy! You still have more photos to look at, and I’m kinda curious on what army group thing Inkra was a part of. Therefore, we have this book here thanks to the study sessions to check which one it was!]
Mena handed Nero a book in the room that was primarily used for teaching them. Within it was the contents of many events in history, but along with this, was the military groups that existed from those periods of time.
Mena: [If you just cross examine each one, we should be able to find it in no time!]
Nero: [And that is all you wish for me to do?]
Mena: [Rule number three of a younger sibling, always take the harder job! Anyways, I’m gonna go get my drink now. I’ll let you know if I see movement!]
Mena quickly exited the room and shut the door behind her, leaving Nero by himself who now had a history book and a box of photos sitting in front of him. He flipped through the book to enter the sections involving wars, and grabbed a photo which showed the uniform the best out of all of the photos. He flipped through the pages many times, unable to see the similarities within the uniforms. There were many wars that occurred for the two worlds that were once singular, along with the world that was then formed. Despite this however, not a single one of the uniforms matched what Inkra had worn in the pictures.
Nero: [Perhaps it was a halloween party? It’s odd to say, but if there’s truly nothing similar, then maybe she was never in an army to begin with.]
More and more, the left side of the book grew as the uniforms continued to remain different.
Nero: [That would not explain her injuries however.]
At that moment, Nero stopped flipping through the book at the thought of Inkra’s scars.
Nero: [Come to think of it, what could have caused those scars? There’s certainly something to be said about guns. Obviously you could possibly lose an eye in that scenario. But the scars on her body don’t match that of a blade. Those are much larger scars. Perhaps a more barbaric type of weapon could have struck her in such a way? Perhaps…]
The thoughts in his brain all began to align in one position.
Nero: [Barbaric…]
Her scars were not made by a human, but more likely, a beast. A powerful blow, a sharp scratch, something that had truly displayed more than just skin. Her injuries were not light in the slightest, and what had caused them was likely something that was strong.
Something like…
Nero: [No…]
There was one event in history Nero was already aware of. His mother had spoken about it to him at a young age, his father had apparently been a survivor of such an event. The event haunted his father however, and eventually, it led him to taking his own life. He did not consider his father weak nor pitiful, he would never view someone in that way. But it had saddened Nero that he would leave the family that loved them because of it. His mother described the event to him while leaving out the terrifying details, but it was clear as day what had happened.
Nero quickly flipped through the pages to the one page he knew by heart.
Nero: [There’s no…way that…–...Gh!]
He grinded his teeth together upon reaching the page.
The event his mother described to him was an event from many years ago, and involved a genocide of a singular race. At one point in time, oni had protested over their continuous discrimination. They were considered freaks who only knew how to kill others. This led to outrage from them, and from there, they stormed towns with signs and chanting. They did not believe in the idea of violence with these methods. After all, to concede to violence would imply that the humans were right about them. However, to the humans, violence was nothing in their eyes. The oni were struck down, beaten, tortured, killed. This led to a war between oni and humans, but unfortunately for the oni, their method of fighting was at a much closer distance. They were shot by gunfire, pierced by arrows raining down on them, they were brutally killed. There were some who survived this encounter, but there were just as many who were exterminated from the world. Peace was made with both races at a later point in time, but the scars from the past still existed. Families were still targeted. Women, children, elderly, none were an exception to these people. This was not some war to them, it was a game. Many of those who were within this army were put to death. It was rare that any had received a punishment lower than the death penalty.
These people were known as the Oni Extermination Force.
Nero looked towards the page, and then back at the photo.
The uniform matched.
There was not a single piece of it that had been different.
Inkra was smiling.
She was smiling in these photos.
How many?
How many of his race were killed?
Nero’s hair moved around as Mena tried to contact him via clairvoyance, but he did not notice.
No, he noticed Mena, but for a different reason.
Mena was in a separate room now with this person.
His hair continued to move, but instead, it flowed upward.
His veins began to appear on his face.
His teeth came out of hiding, steam being let out from the sides. The ice that flowed within his body could not cool him down, and instead provided steam to exit his mouth.
His eyes widened while his pupils grew smaller, the darkness within them being replaced by a white light.
His body gained a vicious blue glow around it.
Rage.
There was true visceral rage filling his body.
If this woman even thinks about touching his sister…
No!
He hated thoughts like this.
He did not want to harm others
He did not want to kill.
But this resistance collided with a different side of his brain.
If she even thought about touching Mena…
Images of his mother flew through his brain.
He remembered her smile.
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Her soup.
Her stories.
Her death.
He remembered his father.
He remembered helping him.
He remembered his father assisting his studies.
He remembered his jokes.
He remembered his mother telling him that he was gone.
He did not leave. No. He took his own life.
For one reason.
One simple reason.
Nero’s matōki grew larger and larger as he thought of everything.
His sister…
If she even thought about touching her…he would slaughter that woman…
His rage grew as he directed her eyes upward.
In the doorway stood Inkra.
She did not have a smile on her face. There was no anger. No sadness. Not even gloom.
Fear.
She gave a frightened look towards Nero.
Throughout his entire time training with her, Nero had a slight fear of the woman, as she seemed incredibly strong.
It was as if he was staring directly at a beast.
But now, the positions were reversed.
The beast was in front of her, ready to tear away what remained.
Inkra quickly left the room, and Nero began to stand up on both feet.
She would surely use Mena as a hostage.
Perhaps, she’d even kill her first.
Nero prepared himself to lunge forward and into the next room where she had been.
Footsteps could be heard moving closer.
The hostage situation.
That is likely what she chose.
Did she truly think a hostage would work against someone with this much pressure in their own matōki?
A low growl started to form in the back of his throat as his mouth began to open.
Long black horns began to grow from his forehead that curved upwards.
He charged towards the door as it shifted.
His hand charged forward…
…And stopped.
Inkra stood there, not with Mena as a hostage, but a bottle of booze in her hand.
Inkra: [...Sit, please. If you feel like killing me…do so after I speak. I won’t fight back.]
Why?
She was part of that force.
Why was she remorseful now?
Nero could not see her eyes, but her voice made it clear that her words were filled with sadness.
He did not want to listen to what she had to say.
But at the same time, those words she had spoken made him remember who he was.
How he acted.
What he believed.
He remained cautious, and did not let his anger fade, but stepped back to where he was once seated before.
Inkra moved away from the door before slumping down onto the floor. A loud thud echoed in the air as her rear met the wood below.
Inkra: [...I’ll tell you everything….What happened with me…and that disgusting period of time…It’s something I don’t think I can ever forgive myself for doing, and it’s something I’m not sure I’d like to be forgiven for…]
Following her quiet words, Inkra began to drink from the bottle in her hand. What came after this was her horrific retelling of the extermination incident.
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Despite what occurred while they were moving along the path, the group did not experience any abnormalities whatsoever for the following days. They ate, walked, rested, and all the while remained on guard while nothing continued to occur. Regardless, they remained cautious after the unknown entity appeared and vanished shortly after making two roads for them. They had made a formation in which Nero and Kaoru stood in the middle, while the other four stood on each side in the shape of a diamond.
Yoro: [This is incredibly strange. I don’t like the feeling of it at all.]
Kōkatsu: [Tell me ‘bout it. Ya’d think that thing would take another shot as us or somethin’. Unless Nero has some sort of charm to him that I don’t know ‘bout. Hey, Nero, ya got some sort of charm to ya?]
Nero: [I…don’t believe I do. No.]
Yoro: [Well I wouldn’t be so sure about that…hehe–No! Now’s not the time for thoughts like that. This is really damn weird.]
Shiro: [We’ve been hearing that a lot as of late. Can I ask though, what’s so odd about what’s happening right now? I get the whole thing about that creature appearing, but other than that, it all seems pretty normal.]
Silvia: [There sssshould be more here.]
Shiro: [Huh?]
Silvia: [When we traveled before, there wassss wildlife in the area. At thissss current moment, there hassss been nothing.]
Shiro looked around the field where they had been walking to notice that what Silvia had said was indeed true. Nothing appeared both earlier and even now. Not a single animal or person, just the flora covering the terrain.
Shiro: [Does that mean that thing killed everyone here?! Wait, no, does that mean we’re stuck again?!]
Kōkatsu: [We’re gettin’ real close to the cave, so that second part is a no. As for the first, I can’t confirm anythin’, but it doesn’t seem like anyone got killed around here. Whatever it is though, ’s real odd that nothin’ is here.]
Nero: [If anything, this just means we must remain more cautious.]
Yoro: [Indeed. Especially now.]
Shiro: [Why now specifically?]
Yoro: [That is simple. We’re here.]
The group looked up at Yoro’s words to see a cave standing before them. The exact cave they had their item for the third task, and the exact cave they moved towards for several days now. Yoro put her hands out to stop the group from moving and turned to face them, preparing a plan for what they would do next.
Yoro: [This is how we’re going to divide our forces. Me and Kaoru will stay with Nero outside. I’m sure Kōkatsu would not enjoy Kaoru possibly being stuck inside the cave, and if I am to protect her, then it is best that we stay out here. For a much larger force within, Shiro, Kōkatsu, and Silvia. You three will go in and grab the gem from there. It should be fairly simple to find, the last time I saw it was at the depths of the cave, and it’s easy to move back up from there. It could have moved obviously, but if that thing is here, it probably knows about the gem and likely hasn’t let anyone take it. Once you’re all out, we move to an inn from there and remain on guard for the following days. I believe this is a solid plan overall. Any objections?]
Kōkatsu: [Nope.]
Kaoru: [I do not have any, ma’am.]
Silvia: [None here.]
Shiro: [I got none either.]
Yoro: [Wait, really?! I honestly thought it wouldn’t go this smoothly.]
Kōkatsu: [Say less of that next time and I won’t get suspicious.]
Yoro: [Right. Sorry, sorry…]
Yoro turned her view in order to face the final person and learn how they felt about this plan, Nero.
Yoro: [Are you alright with this?]
Nero exhaled and scratched the back of his head.
Nero: [It certainly is a troubling scenario, but I believe I’m alright with it.]
Yoro: [Alright. In that case, if we need to contact you three, Nero will do so with his clairvoyance. That way we can avoid any audible noises the thing may hear. We’ll wait outside until you all return.]
Shiro: [We’re off then. Stay safe out here you three!]
Kōkatsu began to walk with Shiro before stopping and turning to Yoro.
Kōkatsu: [Make sure ya don’t get friendly out here. Kaoru is a bit too young to see any of that.]
Yoro: [Is that really all you can think about on a day to day basis?]
Despite their words to each other, they smiled before nodding their farewells.
Silvia: [If you are going to contact ussss, Nero. Pleasssse make ssssure not to do sssso while ssssmooching.]
Nero: [I can promise you that will not happen…]
Silvia: [Very well then.]
With that, Silvia slithered away, and the trio had finally moved into the cavern. The remaining three watched as they left, before turning to face the opposite direction.
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A dark cave echoed with the sounds of droplets of water hitting small puddles that had been made over time. There was no sign of life within this cave, merely a hole that was littered with rocks across it. Thanks to Silvia’s affinity with light magic, she was able to create a source of light for the group as they moved.
Shiro: [I guess Yoro really wasn’t kidding. It seems like a fairly straight path here. You’d think there’d be a maze or something like that in here like they usually do in games.]
Kōkatsu: [Ya’d think there’d be bats or somethin’ around. I know there doesn’t have to be, but I don’t know, they do that all the time with movies, right? At least the few I’ve seen.]
Silvia: [Every cave issss built in their own sssspesssshial way with their own sssspesssshial environment. That in itsssself issss the beauty of nature.]
Kōkatsu: [Thanks for the input, Miss Bookworm.]
Silvia: [I enjoy the compliment. It meanssss my sssstudying hassss done wonderssss for me.]
Shiro: [Well anyways, we gotta remain cautious. There’s no telling what might show up as we continue to move.]
As she uttered these words, a voice appeared within Shiro’s head. A voice that she recognized well enough to decipher who it belonged to.
Nero: [Shiro, can you hear me?]
Shiro: [Ah! It’s Nero! Wait, how do I respond to his clairvoyance?]
Kōkatsu: [Try thinkin’ yer message.]
Shiro: [Oh, you’re right!]
Shiro began to conjure her sentence within her mind.
Shiro: [Hello, Nero. I am now speaking to you with my mind!]
Silvia: [...]
Kōkatsu: [...]
Shiro: [...It didn’t work.]
Kōkatsu: [Oh, I knew it wouldn’t. I just wanted to fuck with ya. He can hear what ya say, but just ya.]
Shiro: [Gah! Damn it, Kō! Hi, Nero. I can hear you.]
Nero: [Yes, I noticed. Is everything alright on your end?]
Shiro: [Yeah, so far so good. We haven’t experienced any problems as of yet. We’re making our way down the cave as we speak.]
Nero: [I see. That is good news to hear. Oh, Yoro would like to say hi to you.]
Shiro: [Hi, Yoro!]
Nero: [Shiro said hi back to you, Yoro.]
Kōkatsu: [Yoro is speakin’ to ya now? How’s that?]
Shiro: [It’s not her really, it’s just Nero delivering the message.]
Kōkatsu: [Ah, makes sense.]
Nero: [Oh, and tell Kōkatsu that Kaoru says hi.]
Shiro: [Kaoru says hi.]
Kōkatsu: [Hi, dear!]
Shiro: [Kōkatsu says hi, de–Why do I feel like I’m playing a game of broken telephone right now.]
Nero: [Kōkatsu says hi, de–Why do I–]
Shiro: [HI, DEAR! SHE SAYS HI, DEAR! SHE WANTS TO SAY HI, DEAR TO KAORU!]
To the other two who traversed the cave alongside Shiro, it had seemed as though Shiro began to wave her arms in the air and shout over nothing.
Nero: [Ah, I see. Apologies, Kaoru. She says hi, dear. Well if everything is alright on your end, I will contact you all again soon. That or if I hear my name called, I should be able to detect it using clairvoyance and I will contact your group then.]
Shiro: [Sounds good. We’ll talk later then.]
Nero: [Certainly. Farewell for now.]
Shiro released a sigh of relief while arching her back forward and allowing her arms to hang low.
Shiro: [Now that I can actually use my head again without hearing someone else in there, where do we go now?]
Kōkatsu: [Down this big hole it seems like.]
The trio looked towards the hole in front of them that spanned a mighty distance downwards. At the end of the hole had been something that glittered in reflection to their light.
That item was…
Silvia: [That musssst be the gem.]
Shiro: [Guess we should probably head down then. But let’s do so slowly, who knows what might appear while we move.]
Kōkatsu: [I’d rather that thing show up so I can kick its ass, but I’d also like my pals bein’ safe. Let’s move carefully.]
They began to move to the side, heading down the rocky path that led straight towards the gem.
The entire time they remained cautious of what could possibly appear, but what they were unaware of, was that something had already moved past them.
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Yoro: [Yoro Virtuoso…Yoro Virtuoso…It doesn’t have the same ring as Varius, but that’s okay…because I’ll love the last name regardless…I bet Varius would like the last name a lot…]
Yoro mumbled to herself for several moments, which led to Nero growing worried that she may have been frightened by their situation at this moment.
Nero: [Are you alright, Yoro?]
Yoro: [HUH?! OH! I’M FINE! I JUST….I JUST WAS THINKING…OF A RECIPE…]
Nero: [Oh? For what sort of food?]
Yoro: [OH! YOU KNOW! APPLE…PIE. YEAH! APPLE PIE! I CAN MAKE A REAL MEAN ONE!]
Nero: [You can? If possible, I certainly wouldn’t mind trying it.]
Nero’s response caused Yoro to once again flare up in heat, to which she stopped by smacking her own face repeatedly.
Yoro: [Focus, Yoro! We’re in a scary situation right now! Right, okay. Nero, I promise when we get back to a place where I can make one, I’ll make you the best apple pie you’ve ever had!]
Nero: [That is very kind of you! Thank you, Yoro!]
Yoro turned to the worried Kaoru who sat on the grass covered field.
Yoro: [Don’t worry, you’ll be included too, Kaoru! All of you will! I might give Nero the most…but you guys will still have some!]
Kaoru’s face brightened after hearing Yoro’s words. A wide smile formed on the little kitsune girl’s face.
Kaoru: [Really?! I’ve never had apple pie before!]
Yoro: [I can promise you, it’s the best of all sweets! You’ll probably have it for years to come after you have some of mine!]
Kaoru: [Yay! Apple pie with Lady Kōkatsu! What a treat!]
Yoro: [Right?! It’s gonna be awesome!]
Nero did not speak a word to the two, but merely gazed at them. They were both so happy speaking with one another. Seeing the young Kaoru and Yoro speak with one another, it almost reminded him of a daughter speaking with their mother. As he thought this, his eyes looked at Yoro. He looked at her hair, its shape, its color. He looked at her face, so soft, so cute. Her dress perfectly matched both to create a beautiful image.
When did he start thinking about her like this?
Perhaps he forcefully held back what his mind had thought when he first met her.
Nero: [Perhaps I was too harsh…Maybe life with her could be quite fulfilling…]
???: [It certainly is interesting, isn’t it? Love and all that gushy stuff?]
Nero shifted in place at the sound of someone else speaking within his mind. He did not recognize this voice, and thus, his body was sent into an alert state.
???: [Woah, woah, now! Let’s not get too upset! I’m just talking here!]
Nero: [Who are you?]
???: [We can get to that, don’t worry. I just wanna talk about stuff with you. You seem kinda interesting, and I figure why not chat a bit, you know?]
Nero: [My allies better be safe.]
???: [Hey now! Chill! They aren’t hostages or anything like that! I only wanna talk to you. Whatever they do is their own business.]
Nero: [And if I spoke up? I’m sure that wouldn’t end up well for you.]
???: [Well then I’d have a problem, and out of self defense, and do note that I said self defense, I may need to take some action to your pals. Nothing against you, I just don’t need problems of my own.]
Nero hesitated to respond.
He did not know what to say to the voice within his head.
But after a few seconds of silence, he spoke once more.
Nero: [Alright. What is it you wish to speak about?]
???: [That’s the spirit! Don’t worry, it’s nothing too big. I have something to offer, but this will be an unlimited period of time on the deal. But before that, can we just talk about the world and all sorts of phenomena? I just find a lot of things interesting is all.]
The voice then went silent much like Nero had before, and asked another question afterwards.
???: [Say, ever feel like you’re pretty lucky?]
An unknown being now spoke with Nero, and with it, brought a new mystery for the group to uncover.
This mysterious voice that whispered its thoughts into Nero’s head, who were they?
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