Chapter VI.
Pull
Muscles tensed in his body as Ren woke up from a nightmare. He suddenly sat up to catch his breath, he looked to his left to find his birthday present on his nightstand. Presents, to be more precise. Whether these were there yesterday or have just been placed there by his mother was unclear. One present was clearly a book, and even before opening he knew it was about astronomy. And the other, which was a small box, he looked at it for a while trying to figure out what it was. But when nothing came to his mind, he finally opened it to find a brand new phone inside. Touch screen? It has internet and everything!
Ren audibly gasped. He left his room in his pj-s to thank his mother, but he stopped suddenly when he saw Maria on the couch packing a suitcase.
“What are you doing mom?”
“Something very important came up, and I have to leave immediately.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Don’t worry. I was up all night and cooked food that will last a week, but I’ll only be away for a day... maybe two. I already told your brother.”
“Mom if this is about yesterday… I’m sorry. I love you!”
“I know honey. I love you too. This is not about yesterday. Don’t worry and don’t do anything I wouldn’t want you to do.”
Maria kissed her son on the forehead. As she was leaving Lendo came out of his room and hugged her.
Ren, lost for words just stood there as her mother left. He glanced at his brother in disbelief.
“If mom says it’s not your fault, stop worrying.” Lendo said what only could be categorized as comforting. After all that happened this morning, Ren was weirded out by this the most.
Maria was driving out of the Village when her eyes focused on something in front of her to the right. She drove off the road, into some bushes. “This will be good enough for hiding.” She covered the car with branches and even left the suitcase full of clothes in the car. “Now I have to hurry and run there.” Maria entered the second reality and started running as fast as she could…to the beautiful city of Whitestone. It is a risky decision to leave the village, but I need to find out who this hooded one is! I have this incling that he's a man of precision. I doubt he would make his move ahead of time, whetever that may be.
The school day started for the young boy. Niel and Sun were waiting for him at the entrance. Ren was surprised to see them but greeted them kindly.
“Hey guys! ‘Sup?” Said Ren as he approached the boys.
“Ren, hey! About yesterday… there is a bit of a kerfuffle among the boys. We just came out here to prepare you.” Sun greeted his friend with a nervous smile.
“Kerfuffle? What do you mean?” Asked Ren as opened the door. He peeked inside, but immediatelly jumped back as Ken was being held back by several classmates. “Let me go already! This is the last straw I’ll kill Ren today! Look what happened to my hair after yesterday! It just stands in one like a rhinoceros horn!”
As Ren was backing away, he bumped into Niel, who held him under his arm.
“That’s problem numero uno… but a lot of us have some questions about yesterday.”
“Questions?” Ren was confused as for why the questions were directed at him.
While Ken was being held back, Ren and the others could sit down in the classroom to have a discussion.
Ren started nonchalantly taking books out of his bag, preparing for the first class. He looked up to see the whole class looking at him awaiting his attention.
“Oh this is serious.” Said Ren as he placed the last book on his desk
“Damn right it is!" Ken exclaimed.
“So, Ken’s hair… what else?” Asked Ren.
“I ripped the fridge door off.” Taran broke the silence.
“I mean that’s pretty normal for you isn’t it?” Ren pointed at the muscular arms of his friend.
“I shocked everyone I stood too close to! Almost fried my phone too.” Cried out Luna.
“Static electricity.” Ren quickly answered.
“When I woke up today my bedsheet was stuck to me. It seems like the hair on my body is more like barbed wire now.” Faul groaned annoyed.
“When was the last time you showered?"
“WHAT ABOUT MY HAIR?!” Screamed Ken.
“That’s the least of our worries. try a different hair wax, man.” Niel was annoyed with Ken’s shouting.
“This morning I bent down to tie my shoes and I cut a cabinet in HALF!” Ken finally erupted.
Silence fell on the room...
“Yeah! Explain that, idiot!” Ken was panting from the release of the built up anger.
The silence continued...
“Wait you did what?” Ren looked confused at Ken.
Ken held up a pencil and as it got close to his hair it began dematerializing. Everyone stood in awe of the boys hair.
“Wow… that’s strange.” Ren remarked, scratching his chin.
“That’s all you can say?” Ken screamed.
“Well whatever is around your hair you should be happy it didn’t melt it. Then you’d be bald.”
Most of the room appreciated the joke but Ken was at the end of his ropes. His hair lit up as his anger kept on rising.
Looking at the distressed face of his friend, Ren understood that this time, Ken needed his help desperatley.
“Ken have you been stressed, or angry since this morning?” Asked Ren genuinely.
“What do you think dumbass?” Ken shouted, offended by the question.
“Then try to relax a bit “Said Ren but as he saw Ken’s face going red, he continued. “This is not to annoy you. I genuinely think you need to calm down.”
Ken looked at how serious Ren’s expression was and understood he wasn’t joking. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Finally his hair went down. Ken carefully touched his head and when he realize thet it worked, he quickly took out a vial with a custom made hairspray and adjusted his hair.
“You’re welcome!” Said Ren with a genuine smile.
“Woah woah! Wait a second! So you’re telling me to keep calm or my hair will be ruined?” Asked Ken raising his voice.
“Watch out Ken, you’ll ruin your cut.” Said Niel pointing at his hair, which was getting up again.
In a normal situation Ken would’ve been mad for Niel even speaking to him, but he had to calm down.
“Yes. It looks like the only way to keep your hair like that is to keep your stress level at the minimum.” Ren explained as he poured out a cup of tea for himself.
“Huh. Karma.” Chuckled Niel in the background.
Ken looked at the vial of hairspray which was half full. Took a deep breath then turned to Niel. “Come here Aries! I’ll cut your head off!” Screamed Ken as his hair sprung up.
“Calm down Ken! You’ll cut someone!” Said Luna holding her friend back.
“Does it look like I care? I’ll cut everyone!” Ken said grinding his teeth, looking at Niel like a prey animal.
A few minutes passed, Ken calmed down and did his hair again.
“Let’s get serious Ren. What the hell is happening to them? Because it will probably happen to us too.” Said Sun, an otherwise calm, reasonable kid with genuine concern.
“I’m sorry. It’s just hard to comprehend everything that’s happening. I was just skeptical, but yes what Ken is experiencing is unexplainable.”
“So you have no idea?” Asked the distressed Marco.
“All I am certain of is whatever this is, it happened when we were at the ruins. That wind was strange.” Ren took a sip of his tea. “Oh we talked so much my tea got cold on me.”
“We guessed as much too. I never heard of snoflakes stopping midair.” Luna crossed her arms.
“Well we should just ask someone who knows more.” Said Ren sipping his cold tea.
“And who would that be?” Asked Luna.
“What do you think, Rosa? Can you tell us what’s happening?” Ren looked at his crush who was standing separate from the curious eyes that surrounded Ren.
“Rosa?” Shouted the entire class in confusion.
Rosa looked puzzled at Ren. “How did you know?”
“Wait! You actually know something Rosa?” Asked Sun with his classmates’ similarly stunned faces surrounding him.
The air got thin around Rosa as everyone got close to her demanding answeres. “All this attention! I…I…” Her face went ivory and fell into Ginnas arms, completely passed out.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
“Damn it!” Said Ken looking at her. His hair went straight again.
“Rosa! Someone bring some water!” Ren yelled as he knelt down next to her.
In the city of Whitestone.
Far away from the kids, who were just about to understand their situation...
Julie entered the C.O. headquarters. Within the great hall there were five podiums all covered in bone-white marble. Right now only two podiums had someone behind them and even this was a rare occurance. The identities of the individuals behind the podiums were hidden by green blinds made of silk and decorated with gold ribbons. To the cleaners this room ment a connection to the highest authorities within their organization. But to the people they captured, this was only known as the Judgement room.
Julia knelt down with her fists facing the ground. “Thank you for having an audience with me, Lady Hnefa, Lord Tungsten!”
“This better be important Julia Gatto. Every second we give you, enemies could be crushed, wars could be waged.” Said the female voice from the left pillar.
“I come to you regarding the Turtle situation.”
“Turtle?” The woman was not familiar with the name.
“He was a hooded one escorted by Miss Gatto and three other cleaners. One of them sadly passed, the other two are in critical condition.” The man from the middle podium explained.
“It is a great shame for me to be in this good of a condition, when my comrades suffered grave injuries. But it’s not the reason for my presence.”
“Then tell me, what brings you here?” The man’s question was interrupted by the doors of the Judgement room being flung open. A gust of wind ripped some flags off the walls and pushed Cat out of the way.
“What is the meaning of this? Who dares to disturb the meeting of two Commanders?” Screamed the woman in the left pillar. The question was quickly followed by a gasp from the lady as she realized the intruder’s identity. “You!”
“Hey there Hnefa! You still like to hide behind that pillar?” Maria provoked the woman.
“Maria!” Cat was shocked by seeing her in person.
Guards rushed into the room and surrounded Maria, drawing rifles at her from all angles. “Intruder! Leave this place immediately or you will suffer the consequences! I’m sorry milord, milady. This cockroach slipped past us!” The guard apologized to the people hiding behind the pillars.
“Rohan put down your weapon, she might be unexpected, but she’s not here to cause trouble.” Julia looked at Maria with unease. “Right?”
“Get out of my way soldier. Or by the time I’m done with you they'll have to rename this city Redstone.” Said Maria walking towards the guard.
“What is the meaning of this Maria! After all the atrocities you’ve committed you dare show your face here? Without Atla, you wouldn't see the light of day!” The voice of the middle pillar bellowed with great animosity.
“Thanks for all the nice words Trang! But right now I am not here to reminisce about the old days. I am here to have an audience with you. Alone.”
“You thought because of your relationship with Atla that you have any pull here? Why should I comply?” Tungsten’s curiosity raised the tone of his voice.
"Because this information might just change the tides in the cleaner's favor!" Maria exclaimed.
“So you are here for the same reason?” Julia asked Maria with a hopeful grin. “To talk about-“ She was abruptly cut off by Maria.
“What I want to talk about with Tungsten is my concern alone. I asked you to be discreet with the information, and you come to Whitestone behind my back? You’re lucky I don’t spank you in front of your higher ups.
“Spank?” The guards looked at each other confused. “Are they related or something?”
“Why are these canon fodders still here? The fact that these supposed to be your guards shows what a sorry state your org is in. It’s like giving a mouse a gun and telling it to protect a lion.” Maria's discontent grew, as the guards kept her from having a quick conversation.
“Hold your tongue intruder! We have been trained for instances like these! We won’t back down from a fight, no matter the enemy.” Screamed the leader of the guards.
“Then you will die a silly death.” Maria’s gaze was of disgust and annoyance. “If you want to protect ol’ Tungsten and Hnefa there you need a bit more firepower. But as I said, I am here to talk!” Maria said slightly annoyed.
“And what is so dangerous about one old woman? I am Redband Rohan! Protector chief of Whitestone!” The man declared his name confidently.
“I’m Maria of the Unseen Plague, nice to meet you.” Said Maria shaking the barrel of his rifle as a hand.
“Maria of the Unseen Plague?” Said the guard stuttering.” The guard looked at Maria with sweat running down his face. The other guards started whispering to each other. “The unseen plague? But a ‘the’ in one’s epithet means she’s one of the Ekato!” said a whimpering voice among the guards.
The awkward silence was only disturbed by the rattling sound caused by the guns shaking in the guards’ hands.
“Now if you continue getting in my way, I have one question. Which one of you wants to be devoured by the unseen plague?” Maria’s eyes went red as her bloodlust flooded the halls, and choked the guards, till they were down on one knee. The man in the middle pillar had enough of this and slammed his hand on the podium.
“ENOUGH! Maria! Julia! You two come with me! If you want to talk about something this important, we shall do it in the Deadroom.” The man stepped out of his pillar to reveal his face. He was an elderly man in his seventies. His hair was red as flames and it was braided with golden ornaments between every braid. His eyes were orange and his skin had the color of a long dead man. As the man walked down the stairs his elderly walk became more and more vigorous and aggressive. He finally stood in front of Maria looking down at the short woman.
Julia blushed a bit when Tungsten glanced at her. Oh my God! Trang the Tungsten standing this close to me! He is the Hero of Whitestone! Atla told me so many stories about him!
“Please lead the way.” Maria smiled at her old acquaintance. Julia hid behind her a bit trying to compose herself.
The guards looked bewildered at the two. As they were leaving the room the female voice behind the left pillar spoke. “What about me? You won’t even invite me?”
“This country is my responsibility. Whatever she has to say will only hold meaning to me.” Said Tungsten in a commanding tone.
The woman did not say a word, but Maria clearly sensed her watching her from the darknes of her pillar.
Julia, Maria and Tungsten walked up to a large metal safe. “Place any electronic device you have within this safe.” They did what they were demanded to do. After that, they went down an unbelievably long flight of stairs.
“You guys couldn’t afford an elevator?” Maria asked after the first thousand steps.
“We are going to the Deadroom. It’s a room of complete isolation. The cleaners built it to have a place to discuss confidential matters. Electronic devices are forbidden for this reason. And the electronic interface of a lift could be infiltrated by an overhuman, if they have a power that controls electricity.” As Julia explained the Deadroom to Maria, Tungsten looked at her impressed.
“Still…could’ve built a mechanical elevator.”
After a while they reached the end of the stairs. Walking down a dark damp hallway they reached a red metal vault door. Tungsten opened the two-ton door with relative ease. “My back hurts a little bit, but I still got it.” Said Tungsten holding his hip.
“Next time ask for help old man. You don’t need to show off.” Tungsten just scuffed at Maria’s remark. After they all entered Tungsten closed the door behind them, sealing them in completely.
“No sound will leave this room of silence. No lies shall be spoken here. Whatever information you have I take my wow, to carry it to Sa’iir. This is the Deadroom.” Said Tungsten with his hand on his chest, Julia repeated every word silently.
“Nice poem.” Maria clapped. “You cleaners have such interesting customs.”
“Not as interesting as your family, assassin.” Tungsten spoke with great disgust, mentioning her family. “But now tell me, what do you want talk about this much?”
“We are-“ Julia tried to speak up but Maria cut her off.
“As I said, you will stay silent!” Maria scolded her again. “I’m here to talk about the Ever Family around Younen. Specifically, who the regional office is.”
“Why would I give out confidential information about them?”
“Don’t be a hard-ass Trang! I may not be a part of your org but my husband is. Giving me a name wouldn’t brake any rules.”
“It depends on what you do with that information.”
“Can I trust you that this information won’t get out. That you keep your word.”
“That’s the whole point of this room! And it’s part of my religion. As I said taking it to Sa’iir.”
Maria took a deep breath and looked at Tungsten, as she knew the weight of the next statement she would make. “Our son is the next Fire without light.” Tungsten’s eyebrows rose, the man was speechless.
“Oh… I am terribly sorry! Is he still alive?” Tungsten’s tone turned more docile and understanding. He was a father too, he understood what this meant to Maria.
“Yes. But before I share anything else; who is the regional officer of the hooded ones where I live?”
“It’s hard to say. Let me think…” Tungsten scratched his chin. His eyebrows got ever closer to each other as he thought about the past.
“That’s why you need me here! I have been roaming the streets in Youren, Uradoori, Whitestone and other neighboring towns. One name stood out. When someone is always mentioned but never around, you know they are the boss. His name was Master Puppet!”
Maria etched that name in her memory, repeating it in her head. Now that she heard the name, she couldn’t rationalize it why, but she was certain, that was the man in the forest.
“Yes, that is right! No wonder I forgot about him, whoever he is he’s been inactive for many, many years. Most of his goons act on their own. But I believe he was a blue banded hooded one. It only came back to me now that you mentioned him.” Tungsten explained as he remembered the name.
“Can you tell me about his ability?” Maria interrogated further.
“Not really. He became an overhuman twenty-two years ago. He quickly rose to the rank of a blue officer and disappeared.”
“Well, we can assume it has something to do with puppeteering.” Julia shared her idea.
“That’s not enough. I need all the information on him we can gather. He is biding his time for something… As long as he doesn’t report my son to the Ever Family, he is safe. But what is the cost of that safety?”
“So we are dealing with someone who acts under the hood of the Ever Family but has his own agenda.” Said Tungsten scratching his chin.
“An agenda he would kill children for. He told me if Atla were to enter the village he would kill Ren’s classmates." Maria explained further.
“Shouldn’t we eliminate him while we have the chance? Lure him out somehow and deal with him!” Julia suggested with her claws halfway out.
“Absolutely no chance! No matter how bad I feel about being under his thumb. Right now he is the only reason the Ever Family hasn’t sent anyone to kill my son.” Maria shut Julia's idea down.
“I agree with Maria for different reasons. One rogue agent is not a concern, it is a potential ally. If his only demand is for Atla to stay out of Younen I think we should comply, and act like everything is going according to his plan. Once we find something to use against him, we can leverage that to make an alliance or crush him.
Julia was displeased with the answer to say the least.
“I know the hatred you bear in your chest. It is like a dagger, poisoning your soul. You want to kill every hooded one. But choosing the time to do it, is also important. I beg of you Julia, for all we have done for you as a family. Please! Do not act on your own. This is about my son, and I’ll make a deal with the Devil himself if it need be!" Maria grabbed her by the shoulders and looked into her eyes.
"Alright. But we should stay alert."
"I'm sorry I couldn't help more. The cleaner database is open for Miss Gatto to search through. Maybe she could find something about this Puppet." Tungsten looked at the young cleaner girl with a meaningful nod.
He...He nodded at me! Better yet, he gave me a task! The others will be so jealous!
"Thank you Trang... as a parent... thank you!" Maria shook his hand before leaving the deadroom.
Back to the children...
“Wake up Rosa!” Iiwa was shaking her limp body as hard as she could.
“Stop it Iiwa you’re gonna give her a concussion.” Said Ren concerned. When Iiwa stopped Rosa's eyes opened.
“How long have you been awake?” Screamed the guilt ridden Iiwa.
“For… a… couple of minutes…” Panted Rosa.
“Why didn’t you say something?”
“I did, but you couldn’t hear me because you were all screaming my name!” Cried Rosa.
Ginna gave her a glass of water which Rosa chugged down in a second. She stared at Ren for a while. So long in fact that Ren’s had to look away, blushing.
“How did you know I knew something?” Rosa asked from him impresed by his deduction.
“It was an educated guess. You were the one who noticed the snowflakes. You didn’t fall over when everyone else did. And the look on your face afterwards… You recognized what was happening.” Said Ren, this time holding the eye contact.
Rosa had a guilty look on her face and this time she awerted her gaze.
“Rosa… are you ready to explain what happened yesterday?” Asked Sun.
“Yeah…" She slowly stood up. "I’ll tell you what I know… About the being an overhuman!”