Chapter Twenty Six

For I know how many are your transgressions and how great are your sins — you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and turn aside the needy in the gate. Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time, for it is an evil time. - Amos 5:12

* * * *

A bell tinkled somewhere within the hot springs inn of the city of Atami which was located somewhere in the Shizuoka prefecture of Japan.

The inn proprietor is a woman in her late thirties. She looked up only to be slightly taken aback at the sight of the customer – a teenage girl who didn’t seem to be older than eighteen or nineteen and was wearing a high collared dark blue coat that covered the lower part of her face, with a pair of transparent purple sunglasses perched on her nose.

“W-Welcome.” The inn proprietor stammered as the girl walked up to the reception desk. “W-What can I do for you?”

“I would like to rent a room,” said the girl curtly.

“C-Certainly,” said the proprietor, looking through the record book in front of her to find an available room before looking up. “We have a room available for you. How long do you wish to stay?”

There was a slight pause as the girl pondered over this question before she answered. “Two weeks for now,” she said curtly. There was an awkward pause before the girl posed a question. “Do you offer room service here?”

The inn proprietor blinked in confusion, but nodded. “We do,” she said. “Do you wish for room service?”

“Yes,” said the girl with a nod. “I’ll have room service for meals only. Make the meals double servings please.” The girl smiled and said, “I have a huge appetite.”

The proprietor nodded dumbly before pushing the record book across the desk for the girl to fill in her particulars. The girl did so, and the proprietor handed her a key with a plaque attached to it. “Your room is on the second floor,” she said. “Would you like me to show you the way?”

“No thank you,” said the girl curtly but politely before picking up the key and making her way towards the stairs that would lead her to her room.

The inn proprietor raised a curious eyebrow. They don’t often get customers like that around here. A runaway from home perhaps? The proprietor then looked down at the record book only to see the name ‘Miko Takayama’ written on it.

* * * *

Yuri Yagami closed the door of the inn room behind her, and locked it, before leaning against the door, breathing a sigh of relief. She had been worried that Raven’s Gate’s influence had stretched as far as Shizuoka. For now, it seems it has not, but it is only a matter of time.

Yuri walked over to the window of the inn room which had a large sakura blossom tree growing just outside it. She pushed the window up which slid easily without a sound. Yuri then glanced left and right to ensure that there wasn’t anyone nearby, before looking down at the grounds below.

“Tohya? Ren?” Yuri called out in a semi-low voice.

Almost immediately, Tohya and Ren appeared from behind the tree growing just outside the window, looking up at Yuri. Yuri glanced around her cautiously before looking down at her two friends.

“Hurry up,” she hissed, and Ren nodded.

He was the first up on the tree, climbing it with little to no difficulty as the tree wasn’t very challenging. It didn’t take too long before he was safely inside the inn room, and Tohya followed next.

Yuri was relieved when she could close the window, and draw the curtains. She turned towards her two friends who were both sitting on the single bed in the room. She drew out the chair at the desk in a corner and sat down on it.

All three Phantoms were well aware that if Raven’s Gate should move their focus onto Shizuoka next, they would be asking around to see if anyone had seen a teenage girl about with two other boys her age. It isn’t too common for a lone girl to be wandering around with two boys, and it would raise some questions.

Tohya kneaded his temples with his knuckles. “The fat’s really in the fire now,” he said. “Things seriously can’t get any worse for us. I know that I’ve said it like a million times already, but you can’t deny the truth.” He sighed. “All of Hati is now forced into hiding, particularly the Phantoms, since we each have the ‘mark’ that nearly the entire country are on the lookout for.”

Ren nodded, curling his fingers together before his mouth, hunched over on his knees. “Yeah,” he agreed. “And Japan’s entire military might is now under the control of Raven’s Gate. Don’t even ask me how that had happened. We’ve underestimated Raven’s Gate, and we are now paying the price for it. And not to mention that there are now riots happening left, right, and center. Shizuoka isn’t affected so far, but it won’t be long before it is.”

“Well, the main problem is actually Raven’s Gate.” Yuri said. “Once we take out the root of the problem, it’ll all be over.”

“That is assuming that we can even find them first.” Ren responded. “If their base is so easily located, we would have already found them long ago.” He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose to lessen his headache. “We’ve been trying to track down Raven’s Gate for almost a year at this point in time now. But we can barely find anything on that accursed organisation! And I can’t help feeling that whatever that we’ve managed to find out – like the Apostles for example, as well as all that mess with Kanzaki, are stuff that Raven’s Gate allow us to find out! They’re practically making fools out of us! And that is what pisses me off the most!” Ren growled as he smacked a fist into the palm of his hand.

There was a sharp knock on the door just then, and all three Phantoms turned towards the door, all conversation stopped. There was silence for a few moments before the knock sounded again, and Yuri got up.

Yuri, Tohya and Ren exchanged looks before nodding.

As one, they moved towards the door – with the two boys hiding on either side of Yuri, as she turned the door knob slowly before opening it. A tired and haggard looking Sunny stood at the doorway, with an equally tired looking Selina standing beside him, both looking like the living dead.

“Sunny? Selina?” Yuri blinked in surprise, and Ren and Tohya peeked from around the corner. “Come in!” Yuri grabbed the two siblings by their arms and pulled them in before closing the door shut.

“How did you two find us?” asked Tohya with a frown as Sunny and Selina collapsed onto the ground in a heap, trying to catch their breath back. “I thought that we’ve covered our tracks well enough.”

“I recognised your car, Kamizuki,” said Sunny tiredly. “After that, it isn’t too difficult to figure out that you three must have taken refuge in one of the inns here. All I needed to do was to ask all the inns around here if there had been anyone matching your descriptions booking a room.”

“Well, we definitely can’t afford to stay here for long then,” said Yuri, and everyone nodded. Yuri groaned. “Gods…can things get any worse for us?”

* * * *

For almost an entire week, the five Phantoms rarely came out of their room.

Though with Selina and Sunny’s presence, Yuri had a valid excuse to get more food from the inn proprietor without any awkward questions arising.

Fortunately for them, every room comes equipped with a computer which Ren used to check on the latest happenings around Japan. There hadn’t been any word, or even a single email from any of the Phantoms so far, except for one email from Riou that had been sent three entire days after their little escapade at the dormitory complex of Hati.

In that email, Riou had stated that Mizuki Itou is alright, save for some injuries, as well as a minor concussion. As Riou could not possibly get him to a hospital, he had taken Mizuki to Akira Sarugaki, to get the doctor to tend to Mizuki.

Riou had no choice but to trust that Akira Sarugaki will keep their secret. He told Akira what had happened, and had asked the doctor to hide Mizuki, as Raven’s Gate is now after him as well.

The captain ended with his usual ‘don’t be reckless’ and ‘I’ll send word to you soon, so don’t worry’, which had unfortunately the opposite effect. It made all five Phantoms more worried.

Riou had been trying to locate the base of Raven’s Gate, as well as get a proper grasp of the current situation which wasn’t easy, especially since he was now technically an outlaw, like the rest of Hati’s members.

A week and a half later, when the five Phantoms were actually planning to leave Atami and Shizuoka, an email arrived for all the Phantoms.

The contents of the email had the desired effect, and Ren as usual, happened to be sitting at the computer. Choking on his coffee, he read the following:

Subject: Raven’s Gate

From: Riou Takeshi

Sent: 15 November 2009 12:21PM

To: All Phantoms

The whereabouts of the base of Raven’s Gate had been discovered. The location is at Terror Island, a small island just south of Japan. All Phantoms are to be dispatched to Terror Island via helicopter on 17 November 2009 at 0300 hours. The gathering point will be at Tokyo Bay, at point 0215. Let Raven’s Gate learn the terror of the jaws of Hati.

Ren looked away from the screen of the computer, and glanced at Yuri who was reading the email over Ren’s shoulder, a grim expression on her face. The hand clutching the top of Ren’s chair tightened until her knuckles turned white.

At last. They’ve finally found the base of Raven’s Gate.

Let loose the wolves of war.

Tohya, Selina and Sunny weren’t around as they were out somewhere in Atami to survey the current situation. Any sign of even one of Raven’s Gate’s minions will have the immediate effect to cause them to pack their stuff up and get the hell out.

Not one of the five is willing to take any chances with Raven’s Gate.

“Terror Island.” Ren muttered, glancing at Yuri. “If I recall, it is a private island that belonged to some rich man during the last war. And after he died, no one ever had enough money to buy it, and soon, it fell to ruin. I can’t believe that none of us had ever thought about that place.” Ren kneaded his temples. “No wonder we’ve never found their base, no matter how hard that we looked. Terror Island is quite well-hidden from the mainland.”

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

“Yeah,” said Yuri with a nod, agreeing with Ren. “It can’t have been easy for the captain to find their base when we’ve been searching for it all year!”

Yuri then frowned.

She just has one question on her mind though: why was it so damn easy to find their base?

* * * *

The night before the Phantoms of Hati make their final stand against Raven’s Gate, Yuri, Ren, Tohya, Selina and Sunny were each busy with their own final preparations for the battle.

There was no doubt that every single one of them knew that some of their comrades-in-arms would not be returning alive with them. It may sound selfish, but each of them hoped that it wouldn’t be their friends, and that they wouldn’t have to bury anyone and make a monument for him or her.

In the room, Ren was sitting before the computer, his eyes reading and re-reading the numerous codes and data that had appeared on the screen that would have appeared as gibberish to anyone else. The guy was busy with some final research on Raven’s Gate, that may even increase the slightest chance of success and survival against Raven’s Gate the next day.

He was the only one inside the inn room that night, as the remaining four Phantoms were all busy with their own preparations. With the way they were going, anyone would have thought that they were about to face the God of Death himself.

Ren leaned back against the chair and pinched the bridge of his nose. He then glanced at his cellphone on the desk. He picked it up, studying the wallpaper of his cellphone, a photo of Tatsuya and himself, taken before Tatsuya died three years ago.

‘Tatsuya…’ Ren thought to himself, a sad smile appearing on his face for a moment before fading away. He then placed his cellphone back onto the desk, and typed away on the keyboard of the computer once more. ‘I’ll try again. Even if just a little, I have to find out all that I can about the Apostles of Raven’s Gate and their skills.’

* * * *

In the nearby park not too far away from the inn, Tohya was sitting in one of the swings that little children loved to play on. A can of beer was in one hand and several thoughts were currently running through his head.

He had never been much of a thinker, unlike Yuri and Ren. He was more of the ‘attack first, ask questions later’ kind of guy. But for quite possibly the first time in his life, Tohya Tanigawa is pondering over Raven’s Gate and their actions.

So many people have died at their hands.

That Yuuki girl for starters.

Sure, that girl might have been an agent sent by Raven’s Gate, a child assassin, but she was still a child! Just what kind of monster is the leader of Raven’s Gate, to train a child as an assassin?

And then the death of Miki Ishigawa.

Tohya had never seen Yuri cry or look so unhappy before. But for the first time since knowing her, Tohya had seen Yuri looking like she was about to cry when Miki Ishigawa died.

Tohya knew that Yuri is as stubborn as a mule. She takes after her uncle that way. She rarely shows any weaknesses in front of others, even her own friends. And to have her act that way…

‘They’ve hurt so many people,’ thought Tohya, almost crushing the can in his hand. ‘So many deaths have been attributed to them. I will stop them. I swear!’

* * * *

Sunny was sitting on the porch at the back of the inn that led to the hot springs. It was late at night, and there was no one in the hot springs. And it is there where Sunny had found it relaxing enough to think as he polished his sword, Jormungand, till it gleam.

‘Selina…’ Sunny thought, worrying about his little sister. ‘If she ends up facing Sam tomorrow…what would she do?’ He gave a short laugh, shaking his head. ‘Like I even need to ask.’ His face then fell as he looked up at the moon in the sky. ‘Tomorrow… The final battle.’

* * * *

Sitting on the porch of the inn that overlooks the garden was where one could find Selina.

The garden is quite beautiful to look at during the day, but when night fell, it almost seemed like the shadows of the trees are reaching out to grab you. But still, none of this concerns Selina much, as she focused on the video camera in her right hand, and watched the contents of the tape – a tape from her former life before Hati.

She was a mere fourteen year old schoolgirl then, an innocent young schoolgirl who had no idea of the horrors of the real world, and the terrors that had came with it. That was her life before Hati.

Her life before it was ruined by Samuel Ng.

The edges of Selina’s lips can’t help twitching into a smile as she watched the video of a time when she and her group of friends attempted to create a video for their school festival.

“CUT!”

“Sorry Selina!”

“Don’t you ‘sorry’ me, mister!”

“Come on, Sel. Give it up.”

There was light laughter before the video came to an end.

Selina turned off the power of the video camera and set it down beside her. She then looked up at the moon in the sky that was hanging like a lamp in the night sky. There was a long pause before Selina reached into her pocket and drew out her wallet, opening it to reveal the photograph taken of her and her friends years ago before everything had gone horribly wrong.

Selina traced the image of Sam with her index finger slowly, studying every inch of the solemn face that Sam wore on that day when she had to coax him to join a group photo with the rest of her friends. Selina tried to search for a clue of some sort that might give her a hint of what was to come.

She tried, and she failed to find anything that might point towards the reason why Sam had done what he did.

Selina gave out a soft sigh, studying the image of Sam as she did so. ‘Sam…’ she thought. ‘Do you really hate me that much?’ Her eyes then went towards the images of Jackie and Jaslin who were both standing on either of her in that photo, and her lips twitched into a small sad smile. ‘Jackie… Jaslin…’ Selina traced their images in the photo. She then sighed and closed her wallet with a light snap before placing it back into her pocket. Selina then looked up at the moon once more. ‘I can never return to those days again. Never again.’

* * * *

The sounds of waves crashing reached Yuri’s ears as she sat on the beach of Atami. The wind blew through her hair, causing it to whip at her face, but Yuri didn’t even seem to feel it as she stared at the dark waters of the sea, with her arms wrapped around her knees that were pulled up to her chest.

“So you’re really here.”

Yuri looked up at the sound of the voice only to see Ren walking towards her with his hands stuffed in his pockets, with a rather solemn look on his face, leaving footprints behind him in the sand where he had walked.

Yuri sighed. “Ren.” She nodded to him as Ren sat down beside her, scuffling the sand beneath him as he did so. “Done with your final preparations?”

Ren nodded. “It’s the best that I could do,” he muttered. “This is Raven’s Gate that we’re talking about. I can barely find anything on them, save for the information that we’ve attained throughout this past year.”

“We only know the briefest details on two out of the four Apostles they currently have,” said Yuri, ticking the points off on her fingers. “Samuel Ng and Jessica Kwok. The information on the other two is almost non-existent. Though according to our information, the Felicia girl of the Apostles probably won’t be around when we make our final stand, as she is the scout for Raven’s Gate, as well as their informant. If that is the case, then we have to worry about one less thing. But that Hugin…information about him is practically non-existent. It is almost like he didn’t even exist.”

“Well, it is Raven’s Gate that we’re talking about here,” said Ren as if that elaborated things.

Yuri sighed.

Silence fell between the two for several moments, with the only sounds that could be heard, sounds of the waves crashing against the shore. There was silence between the two before Ren finally broke the silence, drawing circles in the sand beside him.

“Back then…” he muttered. “Back then…I failed to protect Tatsuya. I won’t fail again. Not again.”

Yuri sighed inwardly. So it is about that again, is it?

“And I’ve also told you that it wasn’t your fault,” said Yuri patiently. “Tatsuya wouldn’t blame you for this and you know it.”

Ren said nothing to that. Yuri knew that nothing she said could make Ren think otherwise. He was as stubborn as her, if not more. Yuri stared at the dark waters of the sea. Ever since she was a young child, watching the waves managed to calm her down. It is almost like she had a mysterious connection with the water.

“Thirteen…” Yuri muttered suddenly, and Ren turned towards her.

“Pardon?”

“My number,” replied Yuri, turning towards Ren. “The number that I was given when I entered the Phantoms.” Her lips twitched slightly as she remembered her ‘coronation’ day when she first joined the Phantoms, the youngest ever to become a member of one of Hati’s elites. Her uncle was so proud of her then. “Uncle Kenji told me what the number thirteen represented back then.”

Yuri gave a soft sigh before turning her gaze back towards the sea waves. Ren watched Yuri intently. “The number thirteen represented bad luck. But it can also represent vengeance. Because there were thirteen people present at The Last Supper, and not long after that, Jesus was betrayed and left to die on the cross. That’s why…” Yuri chewed on her bottom lip. “The number thirteen is my number.” She glanced at Ren who had a thoughtful expression on his face. “Phantom XIII Hekate.”

“Yeah, I’ve been meaning to ask you about that for some time now,” said Ren with a slight frown. “Why ‘Hekate’? Why did you choose that as your codename?”

Yuri sighed. “Why indeed?” she muttered, drawing circles in the sand by her right foot. “Hekate is the Greek Goddess of the Night. Thus, she is known as the Goddess of Witchcraft or the Goddess of Vengeance. That’s why I choose ‘Hekate’ as my codename.” Yuri sighed, tilting her head backwards to see the moon in the sky.

“Nine years.” Yuri muttered. “Saying it seems like just one word, but living it seems like an eternity. I’ve been thinking about it a lot recently. I’ve never regretted any of my choices in the past. But my choice in becoming an assassin…” Yuri sighed. “Am I really doing the right thing here? I don’t know anymore.”

“It’s not your fault,” said Ren soothingly. “You were only a child back then when your mother was murdered. Anyone would have wanted revenge for that—”

Yuri cut Ren off. “I knew what was going to happen,” she stated, not looking at Ren, and the guy could only stare at Yuri. “I knew what was going to happen if I pursued the path of vengeance. My mother and uncle have never really told me what my uncle did when I was a child. But I’ve learned enough from my mother that I actually knew the nature of his job.” Yuri gave out a small sigh. “Hatred and vengeance begets nothing but more pain and suffering. My mother told me that enough times in the past.” She sighed. “But I didn’t care. Now…I suppose I’m paying the price for my decision.”

Ren can only stare. What is that supposed to mean?

“Ren.” Ren raised a brow as Yuri looked down at the ground, refusing to meet his eyes. “Promise me. If I failed in killing Kami…finish the job for me.”

Ren felt his breath catch in his throat at Yuri’s tone. She made it sound like she won’t be returning alive after this mission.

“What are you talking about?” asked Ren uncomfortably. “We’re all going to get through this and return alive!”

“I love the spring.” Yuri muttered, changing the topic quickly. “Sakura blossoms were my mother’s favourite flowers. My uncle always took a stalk of those flowers with him whenever he came to visit us.” Yuri clenched her right hand into a fist as she stared at it. “I want to protect this country. I want to keep this country as my mother remembered it…the same Japan that was in her memories.”

Ren fidgeted uncomfortably. He really didn’t like where this conversation was going…

“Yuri.” Ren stated, and Yuri turned around to face him. Ren’s face was solemn as he met her eyes. “Let’s make a promise. Let’s all return together. No matter what, let’s all return together after this. You, me, Tohya, Sunny and Selina. Then, let’s all have a drink again at Starlight’s Hall after this.”

Yuri’s lips twitched, and she nodded. “Yeah,” she muttered. “Let’s all return together.”

Ren leant towards her just then, and lowered his face to Yuri’s before both their lips touched together.

* * * *

The time on Yuri’s watch read 03:00am, and the five Phantoms are walking towards their designated meeting point at Tokyo Bay. It was extremely dark, but they could all make out the dark silhouette of a helicopter behind some stacked up crates, and a number of people were also standing beside the helicopter.

A powerful flashlight was shone upon them just then which caused all five to go temporarily blind as they tried to blink the spots out of their eyes, and a relieved sigh reached their ears.

“About time you got here, the five of you,” said Riou Takeshi as he approached them, as the the clouds moved away from the moon, enabling the moonlight to light the area up properly.

“Sorry,” said Tohya apologetically. “We decided to take the long route to decrease the chances of being discovered by those shits-for-brains.” He rolled his eyes in annoyance. “It would be a fine thing if we all get caught on the day when we’re about to confront the enemy!”

A gruff voice laughed, and Yuri turned to see that it’s one of the Phantoms. She only knew the rest of the Phantoms by name and face, unlike the friendship she shared with Tohya, Ren, Sunny and Selina.

“Spoken like a true Phantom,” said the Phantom who had laughed earlier, and he then glanced at his watch before turning towards Riou. “Captain, looks like we’re all here. All Phantoms are here and accounted for. We should get a move on before the Maritime Self Defence Forces discover us. It is a five hour journey by helicopter to Terror Island.”

Riou nodded grimly. “Alright, this is it,” he said briskly, going into full-blown commander mode, and the Phantoms all listened intently. “I am not usually one to make grand speeches, but I shall make an exception for this day. Today will be our final battle against the Raven’s Gate organisation when we will make our final stand against them.” He chuckled lightly. “It’s not really how I’ve imagined going into battle against those bastards, but it’ll do.”

One of the other Phantoms smirked, his arms crossed over his chest. “Finally,” he said, a pleased tone in his voice. “Those bastards are going to pay for playing Hati like fools, and for forcing this disgrace upon Hati, forcing us to run and hide like outlaws!”

Riou cleared his throat, and everyone paid rapt attention to the captain of the Phantoms. “The Elder can’t be here today,” he said seriously. “He is doing his part in keeping Japan and the world safe from threats like the Raven’s Gate organisation. Let us do our part as well.”

Riou studied each face. He then sighed. “It might be rather uncharacteristic of me to say this now, but I want all of you to be careful.” He studied each face carefully. “I really don’t want to have to build a monument for you.” He muttered beneath his breath, but everyone present could hear his words. “I realise that some of us might not be coming back alive after today. But still, I wish to make the impossible possible.”

Riou fixed each Phantom with a determined look. “As Phantoms, none of us would run from a combat situation, as it brings about dishonour upon the name of the Phantoms, as well as Hati. But just this once, I will make an exception to that rule. There is no shame in running if the opponent is too strong to be beaten.” Riou struggled with his next words. “Just…don’t die.”

Sunny stepped forward, and everyone stared at him. The guy had an unnaturally grim expression on his face. “We are the Phantoms,” he said with a light snort. “We are the elites of Hati. The wolves of the night! Raven’s Gate shall learn the terror of the jaws of Hati! The wolves are about to be let loose on this day. Our blades will not shatter.” He placed one hand on the hilt of his Jormungand that is sheathed by his side. “Our will and spirits will not be cut by one such as Raven’s Gate.” He looked from one face to the other. “And even if the paths that we take in the future may be different, and might even separate us, the iron will that binds us to the will of Hati will not bend.” Sunny smirked. “I believe that even if the ground splits and the heavens fall, that we will all come back alive. Together!”

There was shocked silence for several moments as the Phantoms were never really that united as a front. They are all used to working in pairs or in threes, and some of the Phantoms even worked alone. Never before have all thirteen Phantoms worked together like one single complete entity as Sunny suggested in his speech.

Ren then smirked, and broke the silence and the tense air. “Smartest thing that you’ve ever said, Sunny,” he said, and that dispersed the tense atmosphere surrounding them immediately. “You’re right.” Ren took in a deep breath and studied each face. “We’re the Phantoms. There is nothing that we will fear. We know our fate. We will all return alive together.”

Riou chuckled, shaking his head. “Well, let’s all depart then,” he said before hefting himself into the helicopter where the pilot was waiting. “Let’s free Japan from the clutches of Raven’s Gate.”

One by one, the Phantoms got into the helicopter, buckling themselves into the seats. And within moments, the helicopter was soon departing from Tokyo Bay and heading towards Terror Island in the south.

Yuri was sitting next to the window in the helicopter, and she glanced down at the dark waters of the ocean, before looking in the direction that they were heading towards, her right hand clenched into a fist as she glared at nothing in particular.

‘The game starts now. Let’s play.’

Let loose the wolves of war.