The airport bustled with people, most of them travelers frantically trying to catch their flights. Amidst the noise and movement, two figures stood out, clearly different in terms of attire alone a young boy, Hajime Souji, and his loyal servant and family butler, Asano Mika. They stood in front of a massive departure board, looming over ahead which displayed an array of flight information in an unfamiliar language.
Souji, scratching his head in confusion, stared intensely at the board and then glanced up at Mika.
"Yep, can't read any of it."
Mika, calm and reliable as ever, stepped forward and scanned the board for Souji.
"Gate 3, Milord," he announced confidently.
Souji let out a sigh of relief as the two set off. But as they walked, Mika cast a brief glance back at the board, his sharp eyes catching something out of the ordinary. Flights after theirs had been canceled, despite the bright, cloudless sky outside. He frowned but kept the thought to himself as he progressed to the terminal with the young Souji.
Aboard the plane, Mika helped Souji with his luggage before taking a moment to survey the cabin. His eyes flickered from one passenger to the next, scanning them, ever vigilant. His intensity was impossible to ignore, catching the returned gaze of many concerned passengers before Souji tugged at his sleeve, pulling him down to the seat.
"Jeez, you stand out too much, Mika," Souji whispered, rolling his eyes at his overly cautious servant.
"I can't help it, milord," Mika replied in a low, concerned tone, trying to appease the disappointed teen.
"If something bad were to happen to you, your father would be... severely, disappointed in me."
Souji gave him a sidelong glance, recognising the weight behind Mika's words. He always seemed more concerned about Souji's father's reaction than about Souji himself being in danger. It was a trait that had often made Souji feel both protected and overlooked at the same time, his feelings were conflicted about being within Mika's care, and he rolled his eyes again as he stared out the window.
As the plane ascended, Souji gazed out of the window, the blue sky gradually giving way to the soft blanket of clouds below. His thoughts drifted to his older brother, Toru, whom he hadn't seen in six long months.
"Brother," he whispered to himself, catching a glimpse of his reflection in the window. His heart quickened at the thought of reuniting with his brother. I can't wait to see you!
Turning back to Mika, Souji's voice was thoughtful as he pondered the question.
"Hey, Mika, you think Toru's changed at all? It's been a whole six months since we left Japan. You reckon he'll still be the same Toru?"
Mika hesitated, unsure of how to respond, and stumped at the question. His mind raced through possible scenarios, some absurd, others realistic.
He even imagined himself simply shrugging and saying, "I dunno, kid," which, in his mental picture, earned him a bite on the arm from an exasperated Souji. Foregoing these events, Mika moved his arm from the armrest in between the two. Before Mika could even formulate an answer, however, Souji dismissed the question with a wave, but Mika wasn't done. He leaned in, catching Souji's attention again, determined to fulfill the young master's expectations of him.
"D-Don't worry, milord," Mika said, his usual confidence faltering slightly. He had been trained for multiple situations, how to deal with scammers, foreign influences, managing finance, and Souji's life, but none of his training could've prepared him for the delicacy that a teenage mind portrayed,
"I'm sure Toru's just as excited to meet up as you've been."
A forced smile crossed Mika's face, and though it lacked his usual conviction, it was enough to soothe Souji's nerves. The boy nodded in agreement and turned back to the window, watching as time passed. Snacks were distributed during the trip, and the hum of the engines was a constant background noise, Mika, the ever-diligent and vigilant servant had fallen asleep barely an hour into the flight beside Souji.
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A sudden jolt of turbulence shook the plane, stirring Mika awake. The captain's voice crackled over the intercom.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm afraid due to unforeseen circumstances, we will have to make an emergency landing in Northern Japan, Tokyo."
Around them, passengers gasped in surprise, and the flight attendants exchanged uneasy glances. Souji, however, seemed unfazed, yawning as he stretched in his seat.
"We can just catch an Uba when we land," he muttered lazily, referring to the ride-hailing service. But when he glanced out the window again, his nonchalance vanished. His breath caught in his throat as he stared at the landscape below.
The night sky over Japan was illuminated only in the north, the entire southern region which should have been a sea of city lights, was pitch black. It wasn't just a blackout-it looked like an entirely abandoned wasteland. A massive wall, ominous and unnatural, stretched across the country, clearly dividing the north from the south.
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"What... what happened?" Souji whispered, his face draining of colour.
Mika, noticing Souji's reaction, quickly looked out the window, leaning over Souji's seat as his sharp eyes widened in disbelief as he, too, took in the sigh to the darkened south. The wall, an unfamiliar and disturbing barrier, was unlike anything he'd ever seen. Other passengers, now aware of the oddity, began murmuring anxiously.
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After the plane landed, Souji and Mika stepped out into the chaos of Tokyo's airport. Crowds of people gathered, likely sharing a similar situation, all shouting and pushing to get on outbound flights. The atmosphere was tense, and it took two long hours before their baggage finally appeared.
Stepping outside the airport, they found the streets patrolled by soldiers, each armed with rifles casually strolling the streets, a sight that immediately put Mika on edge. Shouts of "Attack at the gate!" filled the air as soldiers hurried past them, racing toward the commotion.
Mika's curiosity got the better of him.
"Come now, milord," he urged, leading Souji through the bustling streets toward the source of the disturbance.
They arrived at a barricade, where a large crowd had gathered. Over the shoulders of the soldiers, they could see a man stumbling forward, his hands glowing faintly, his skin translucent, as if something inside him was trying to crawl out.
"Please!" the man cried desperately.
"Let me in! I'm not one of them!"
The soldiers hesitated for a moment before one of them shouted, "He's mutated! Detain him!"
"We don't know how far he's gone, let's take him out before it's too late!" another soldier barked.
The crowd erupted into protest, with several civilians claiming the man showed no signs of mutation. But Souji, watching closely, felt a deep chill run down his spine. The man's hands-ghostly and distorted-began to inch toward him, extended unnaturally.
Souji stepped back in horror, but the hands continued crawling. Mika, sharp as ever, immediately noticed.
That guy's definitely mutated. How can these people not see it? he thought grimly.
The hands reached closer and closer to Souji, their eerie glow casting a sickly light on the scene. Souji stumbled, fear gripping him, but before the hands could touch him, Mika jumped in, covering Souji's eyes.
In a gruesome instant, one of the soldiers was caught in the man's translucent hands, and crushed in but a moment, a sickening crunch echoing from his bones which shattered with ease. Mika braced himself for a fight, reaching for the pins in his hair, but before he could act, another soldier leaped into action, wrist-mounted daggers flashing as he slashed the mutated man's throat, ending his life in one swift motion.
"Damn, I was hoping we could put him toward the restoration." The soldier notes as the man collapses, and as his body hits the ground, the glowing hands disappear.
Souji, shaken but unharmed, got to his feet with Mika's help. The soldier who had delivered the killing blow glanced over at them, suspicion in his eyes.
Did those two.... could they see it? he wondered.
Before he could ask, his fellow soldiers congratulated him on the kill. Mika, sensing the tension quickly led Souji away from the scene.
Outside the barricade, they stood in stunned silence, staring at the wasteland that had once been Southern Japan. The desolation stretched as far as the eye could see, an unmistakable sign that something catastrophic had happened while they were away. As the two continued walking away from the scene Mika continued looking back, eyes narrowed, muttered under his breath.
"This isn't the Japan we left."
But Souji's thoughts were elsewhere. His heart pounded in his chest as a terrible thought surfaced, one that he couldn't shake. Gripping Mika's hand tightly, his voice trembled with fear and uncertainty as he posed a question that caused Mika himself to grimace,
"Toru... Is he, even alive?"
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AUTHOR COMMENTS:
Heyo, firstly thanks for reading! I've been planning this novel for months now and am finally gonna put it somewhere, who knows maybe one day I could draw it up and publish it on Webtoon or something, that'd be cool. Anyway, currently I'm using AI to proofread my work since I don't have anyone who'd be willing to do that. :( [https://forums.spacebattles.com/styles/sbforums/smilies/frown.gif] (maybe I'll hire a goblin!) Aside from that I have around seven volumes already written just needing to be proofread and put here, I am a little biased but I've had a lot of fun writing this so far (especially with all the sorcery abilities) and hope to continue doing so! I'm publishing here because I'd love some feedback or for others to engage with my work. And for all two of you out there who are interested, expect at least weekly releases (likely more) if I remember my account details.
Thanks again!
- Mixa