Chapter 18

William backed away a few steps, but Luke was faster, aiming for that brilliant crimson etched in hand. Unfortunately, Luke's hand stopped when Miss Anderson snatched his hand and spoke coldly like a reaper breathing behind his ears.

“I beg for your pardon, sir soldier, but doing things gently is better than forcing this boy onto something he can't understand. Not yet, at least. Divulge us. Fix it.”

Unfortunately, it was too late to speak, even when Dann warned them. He was already crouching in a corner, away from this room, imagining, knowing, and seizing no chances. He knew it would crack. It did.

A ghostly line swirled, whipping and sizzling the air, making a circle that hit Luke to the ribs and pushed him against Miss Anderson, who yelped. Both ended up flying to a distant wall, while the walls around William become rags and wood or stone were...well, they weren't in pieces. There was just a line within them, as if something moved through them, cutting them, eating them. Wood sizzled but not burned, while walls seemed to stand as if nothing happened.

All the while William stood still and did nothing. He moved nothing. Luke grabbed his left arm and things happened on their own. Watching the flash and memory, he stood still, blankly staring at his arm and foggy light whipping around his torso like a crazy snake. It was looking, protecting.

Dann nodded twice for himself, thinking those two were asking for a beating. He almost felt satisfied.

William didn't.

Luke grunted and got Miss Anderson away from his face. “Well, this one is rather gaudy.”

Miss Anderson got to her feet and quickly glanced around. She didn't care about the damage, so upon seeing William was fine, she nearly stormed Luke to the wall to finish what it had started.

He pointed at her, eyes shimmering in azure light. “I am not doing anything wrong, Miss Anderson. Leave it at this. Boy, show me your Emblem so the madam will at least feel better about herself. It needs consideration. You might even destroy this whole building while we are at it,” Luke ordered, giving Miss Anderson a quick piercing gaze. Such a gaze could not shake a woman who raised hundreds of children in her lifetime.

However, seeing and hearing Luke, she let him go. Calming down, Luke approached William, who stood frozen around slowly shaking walls.

“Yeah. It is right.” Luke affirmed his belief. “Pull your sleeve off a bit better, or.... put that whip away. Can you do that? Show us that arm whole that you clutch as if it is bleeding. We know it doesn't.”

“You think I can move... it?” William asked.

The whip lashed again, crashing many walls and smacking Luke to his temple from nearly ten feet. His step hit the ground this time, remaining in place. His head turned and a smirk rose on his face.

“Yeah. I figure this won't go how I want. How delightful,” Luke stopped and put his arm up, adjusting his hair and clothes. His eyes glistened, observing the whip and hidden Emblem behind William's left hand. “It isn't the first time this has happened, right?”

“No...” William confirmed.

“How does it go away? Usually, I mean.”

“In.. time... or...”

“Or?”

“When he is calm,” Dann said aside, crouching behind some crate. “Or... everything is. Not by being unconscious by the way. We tried it. Wasn't pretty. It got worse.”

Luke glanced at him once. “Alright. Let's calm down first.”

“Talk to me,” William said, clutching his arm tightly, “first. Who are you, why are you here, and what about my parents? Did you mention my mother to see me like this? Why?! Was she also a Walker or what?!”

Luke could see his agitation and the whip turned frantic, hitting the floor, and causing many sizzling cracks and lines.

For now, he didn't approach him, or compliment such intense vigor.

“I would explain the situation even if you could not ask, or didn't care. That much you deserve. Some people have been looking for you for a long time because you are a kid to good friends. You were five years old when it ended, so it must be weird hearing it after so long. They... your parents, they were good people who made questionable decisions and moves. I think I am getting behind them a little. You are why.” Luke said one part that William doubted was right. If they looked for a long time, they weren't looking right at all.

But he didn't know the reasons, his parents, or the people who were looking for him. In fact, why were they doing that for a long time, if that's what Luke meant? Was it only because of his parents?

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What if... grandparents? A sudden idea flashed in his mind before a disapproving voice made it gone. Walkers. Emblems. Those were the secrets of bottomless potential. William didn't know if he had any familial bond left, yet what if he did?

Miss Anderson thought about it as well. It wasn't as if William was keeping information about his past and parents for himself. No. Quite contrary to that, he looked for them himself and questioned many people, including some Walkers whether they knew or had seen or heard about them. Part of it was using context and understanding of old memories, so William couldn't really do much, or speak clearly because he was very young in those memories.

Luck was abysmal. Getting knowledge harsh. Asking about people who were basically nonexistent and gone was pretty much a futile attempt. That went on for years until he gave up.

It was hopeless, even when he recognized that decade-old disaster and what happened at that camp. It was an utter devastation. A hell-on heart that resembled one stretch of Dawn from more than a century ago. A time when the Rifts spread and the world and sky changed all over this planet, emerging like a new dawn that crashed everything.

As for the situation ten years ago, its details were largely omitted from the public because of Walkers and the extensive level of danger, hazards, and instability for peace and humanity. But the general public Outside knew what had occurred on that day and how savage it was. Deaths. The previous largest camp turned into a large graveyard. If even a single percentage of people survived, it was a generous estimation.

Luke knew some details about that time himself; though he wasn't sure what he should tell to William. There was no good news to say, and lying wasn't a great option.

“Why no one found you yet, right?” Luke said. “It is a good question that I have wondered myself. You see, I am just a mere soldier who got a task to bring you out of here. Grown, active, and quite hopeful to not retire until I am older than my knees, my position has its limits. Almost like my patience. It can be vast, by the way. I can promise you some people can answer your questions better than I do in the Federation.”

“I...” William hesitated, wavering his whipping crimson light that calmed a little bit down. It dimmed and the tip swirled around his head. “Wait... The Federation?”

“Where do you think I came from, or you?” Luke said, smiling.

“I lived for myself and my friend Dann for years. That disaster was a decade ago. In that camp. Mud. My parents left me. It was crazy. I was there and ran not because of them. I lost more than that that day. My mother... she left me to see father for sure, and... left me alone to never return. There were people. Monsters. Darks. Walkers too. They fought and died as I ran.” William tried to recall the past, which ended up in resurfaced pain and agony.

He forgot about the possible grandparents or his family. It might not be a good idea to even consider, though a matter of a family did not sound wrong, or immoral to imagine.

“You did well, I guess,” Luke said, knowing some details; the report from Miss Anderson did include such content and details because William revealed them at some point. Miss Anderson could be quite persuasive and good at this sort of work.

But one detail was greatly misinterpreted and very important. It was his Walker status that was overlooked until later dates when William grew up. That followed a time when he no longer was such a clueless child. He often hid his Emblem, developing and searching while knowing it wasn't painless, or good. Of course, some of it turned out better later, but it was too late. The investigation fell short and attention shifted, while the lookout for William failed to correlate a surviving boy who fled far away.

Luke could tell it for what it was. They simply stopped looking because it was too complicated and unthinkable to think for a child to get out of that Incursion. Now, Luke thought such matters didn't matter. In any route, he grew up Outside and survived. Whatever happened to those looking for him or not, William was before him, in one piece and healthy. Taking him to a rightful person was finally feasible.

Luke was happy and scratched his chin again and decided to play it safe. “I am here to take you to Federation, as I've said. You are of age, I think. I know you aren't great at wisdom. I can assure you we know your birth date and you are over fifteen years of age and... a whole lotta more.”

“Federation? Why do you know my age?” William mumbled and the crimson light dimmed once more. He tried to suppress it by force; it never worked right. It fought back. Crawling. Complaining.

“Yes. Who would know it other than those who have known about you, but not really about it? I mean, it is complicated, but your parents kept it for themselves. Almost. There is more to tell. For now, hear what I have to say. Breathing is a good way to solidify what is happening to you. Emblems are tough things. Alive too. Yours is not yours yet, so it needs the host's calmness.”

“Host?” William hated how it sounded. “It is mine.” The light shifted and attacked Luke again, but he swung his arm and pinched it back, barely moving.

William didn't notice what happened when he let loose and continued talking. “Federation sent you. Why? Was it... my home? I don't remember it. Why now? What... is happening, or happened there... back then. In the darkness... In a white...”

Luke shrugged. “I don't think the time is right, but I promise to talk about it. Just know that you are important to some people. Good people who knew your father and cared about you.”

“Like you?” Miss Anderson asked, obviously playing a role of a mediator.

“Now, now, miss. I do my work so keep me working.” Luke whispered and shooed her away. She didn't listen and glared at him coldly.

William was curious, so he began to settle down by walking away from this room. “Don't follow me. I will hear everything from you, do you hear me?”

“Sure. Sure.” Luke didn't listen and watched from the corner how William walked towards the window in the other room, where he leaned his body out, closed his eyes, and shoved his arms out. Crimson disappeared ever so slowly until it flowed back where it belonged.

Rank 0, eh? Luke thought and noticed Williams's gaze as he leaned and breathed. It was getting more and more interesting.

After a few minutes, William straightened his back, turned, and crossed his arms, showing Luke his calmer Emblem by scratching the "burn" sleeve. “Is this enough?” He asked, showing the crimson pattern that shined in great colors under the sunlight. It looked quite beautiful, and exactly like Luke expected, it held intense patterns and flow.

Nothing was circling it like a storm, nor did a whip stormed around like a mad dog.

William called it alive a long time ago.