Time was the least of the worries at the moment. A cold hand felt as though it reached out for him and began to throttle him. Even the idea of a touch was enough to turn his skin to ice and down to the muscles. His throat locked up, unable to speak. Through witnessing combat, pain and fear, he thought that it provided him some amount of insulation from it. The seemingly hours of interrogation should have hardened him. Resolve to protect should have been enough. He thought the presence of his captor staring down at him prepared him.
All meaningless, he realized at that moment.
Yori didn’t expect the absolute terror that he felt as the new soldier stood before him. The feeling that he presented was on a completely different level than the others. He felt the seriousness of his situation before. They instilled fear within him then and he felt it become an uncomfortable companion.
The edge they held over him dulled and turned blunt. It had to be the worst he believed and from there could only get better. There couldn’t be anything to imagine worse than the feeling that so thoroughly permeated his body through each pore.
Such fear seemed small and insignificant to what he faced. A second even deeper feeling made him question naively if there could possibly be any further to go. Once proven wrong he felt he had to accept that it could be even worse. The realization that it brought shattered him completely. The light at the end vanished and all he saw around him was utter darkness with a boundless pit that never knew an end. He couldn’t even sweat his fear away.
The new man that stood before him carried himself in a different manner than the rest. He had a sense of command and experience that went beyond anything that Yori could possibly dream of. In those few moments before he lost sight of everything, Yori understood it all. The words spoke with absolute truth and conviction, no thread of hesitation. Before him stood a man driven and serious, no longer seeing him as a child or foreigner, but simply a threat.
Yori didn’t compare.
He didn’t know if he could stack his resolve against him. The decision he made, to protect his sister in his own small way, disappeared from his grasp. His hands could only take hold of air as they scrambled feebly to keep hold of even a grain. ‘…sister…I…’ It all faded away from his sight. Any image of her in his mind shuttered to black. ‘…come back…come back!’
Externally, Simonides watched the silent change in features on Yori’s face. The stone expression for himself remained constant. He could see the kid’s resolve crumbling away. ‘It’s only a matter of time now…’ An extended index finger motioned to the MP in the corner acting invisible to the whole conversation. He turned halfway away from the chair and the Commander looked at the tent flaps. “Get Athene and prepare the interrogation. I want you to start in thirty minutes.”
Abeiron stiffened a little, accepting the orders. “Yes, sir!”
Simonides turned his eyes back down to the broken teenager. He purposely made sure of speaking aloud for him to hear, though uncertain if the words made it to his mind. ‘They seem largely too young and inexperienced with the reality of the world. They’re still just children. A real taste of reality will be enough to break them. Then I’ll have the answers I need to put an end to all of this. Everything will be normal soon…’ The Captain walked out of the tent first with his departure releasing some of the tension in the air.
Chapter 126 – Questioning Resolve
A strange pressure fell over Yumi in the middle of her walk. She came to a pause and looked forward, though her eyes already facing the direction. Rather than just peering ahead, she focused away from the physical and inward. The familiar feeling that she followed to her brother changed suddenly on her. ‘Brother?! Something happened…’ She tried to search within herself, but didn’t understand her feelings.
The powers she became fully aware of possessing, finally, still came as new and foreign to her. She let most of it run on its own without thinking too hard about control. Any focus she had came from how determined her mind was in the moment. Her confusion shattered the narrowed line she held. ‘It was just there… Where’d it go?’ Yumi threw out her hand grasping at the air thinking that it would help her focus, but only made it all disappear faster.
Yumi ran forward in the direction she believed her brother to be, but it all felt empty. Her certainty of knowing became a question rather than a statement. It felt like she no longer stood on a straight road, but a forest. All the trees looked identical and the horizon shrank away masked by the density. ‘Where are you, Brother? Brother!’ The awkward feeling of being in empty surroundings overcame her. She spun around trying to get a sense of her direction. She didn’t want to be lost. ‘What’s happening?!’
Striking her head from behind, a spark wiped everything from her thoughts. The space returned to her vision and focus. Grass surrounded her on all sides and only a sparsely planted tree existed. Her mind turned sharp and alert as she knew the feeling that she received. ‘Someone’s coming! It’s like before, but it doesn’t feel hostile like an attack…’
Her returned focus found her powers responding to her requests. Yumi spun around on the heels of her feet to face the feeling that she sensed. A barrier erected quickly around her and her hands came up. She tried to imitate the stances that she saw Yuki carry during his fighting, but it turned out too loose and weakly held. “Who’s there?”
Silence returned to Yumi for several moments as she felt the tension tighten the muscles in her back. It quickly leaked into her shoulders the longer she waited. ‘Where are they? I know I wasn’t imagining it!’ Yumi scanned the fields and hills in search of the warning. She began to turn her head considering that her direction might be off. However, the sudden darkening of the sun and shadows cast through her space forced her back. ‘There!’ Yumi tried to prepare herself for whatever she saw, but knew internally that she lacked the experience.
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Before her three figures appeared outside of her barrier, not immediately clear due to her sight not being ready. They didn’t give her a chance to take it in fully before speaking to her.
“Damn, I know you’re determined, but no need to be aggressive!” remarked a male voice.
A calming female voice replied to him, “We did just appear behind her. I think you would be startled too.”
“Huh?! What are you…” Yumi’s surprise cut off her words before she could finish speaking. She finally saw who stood before her. The shade from their features disappeared and Seiji, Chiharu and Fumiko gathered in front. Her barrier disappeared immediately along with the support in her legs. She staggered back a couple of steps, not certain her eyes held the truth. “How? Why?”
Seiji leaned in with a step looking angry, suddenly. He extended his hand out pointing at her almost touching her nose. “The hell’s the matter with you?! You think we’d just let you go off on your own in some foreign land? Hell no!” His eyebrows narrowed further to accent his anger. When he finished he almost ended up in her face.
Fumiko reached out and grabbed Seiji’s shoulder pulling him back away from Yumi. She looked down at him trying to eliminate the scary face he wore. “What do you think you’re doing?! You’re scaring her!”
“I’m just setting her straight!”
“Then do it in a manner that isn’t going to frighten her! She’s not Yuki!”
He took a step back from Fumiko and glanced over at Yumi. She had her hands up close to her chest and looked ready to collapse. The more he looked at her the more he started to pull away. “W-Well I-I…” He looked back at Fumiko’s stern face and then to Yumi again. “I’m sorry!” Seiji retreated to the back of the group after his apology.
Fumiko stepped out towards Yumi. She softened her expression to comfort her. Her hand patted Yumi on the head easing her back to the group. “Seiji means well, I guess.” She casted a quick gaze back at him before focusing on Yumi. “Feeling better?”
“…yeah…” Hesitation persisted for Yumi, but she began to come out of it with Fumiko. A calming presence from her eased her body after Seiji yelled at her. However, she looked around Fumiko seeing Chiharu and Seiji still present. She looked up at Fumiko confused. “But how did you get here and why? I said—“
“That you’d do this alone,” interrupted Fumiko. Her tone came sharply and quick, but lacked the bite that Seiji attacked with earlier. “There is one thing that he was right about. We weren’t going to let you go off on your own. We’re coming with you.”
Yumi pushed a little forward, pressing her hands into her chest. “But what about the reason we came here? Yuki can’t come with me! You have to tell him to go back!”
The tall teenager nodded back to Yumi. “You’re right. Yuki does have something he needs to do. Which is why he’s not here.”
“He’s not?”
“Nope, we’re splitting up into two teams.” Fumiko raised her hand up to Yumi showing two fingers. She then counted the first finger alone as she spoke further. “One, Team Yuki will continue on with the same goal as before. To reach the Capital and put an end to all of this fighting. The other, you,” stated Fumiko pointing her finger at Yumi, “Team Yumi will backtrack to find your brother and rescue him.”
“Huh? Team? Me?” Yumi backed a step away from Fumiko trying to take it all in. She looked around Fumiko again to get a sign from the other two. Seiji nodded to her, albeit in a hesitant and shy manner that she thought was a little out of character for him in an almost adorable way. Chiharu met eyes with her, but immediately turned away with not so much as a grunt of annoyance. While a little loose, it did seem as though they all made their decisions. “Why me?”
Fumiko tapped Yumi on the forehead, smiling a little. “You should know that already.” The confusion in Yumi’s face made it clear to her that she still did not see it. She needed more time. “This is your brother that we’re rescuing and you were the first one to move. It only makes sense, doesn’t it?”
“But I’m not that strong to lead.”
“I don’t know about that. I think you’ve been doing pretty good for someone that’s trying to change herself.”
Yumi jumped back a little surprised by the directness and accuracy. “What are you talking about?”
“You can hide things from people, but eventually they notice. However, most of this is a conversation for another time. This is your show, Yumi. So you’re in charge. Besides, you said you knew where they were keeping your brother. I think it makes sense that you’re the one that is leading.”
The direction of the conversation turned a little awkward for Yumi, as she got the sense that Fumiko really did know more than she was willing to tell. Yumi became a little worried and self-conscious in the presence of Fumiko. She needed to be careful and not reveal too much more to her. The longer that she stared at the three the more she felt a little at ease. Going alone into the lion’s den was something that already she set herself to doing. However, the thought of going with friends made the idea almost appealing. She allowed herself a small smile. “Alright! Let’s save my brother!”
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‘Yumi…sister…’ Yori felt his tired heart pound painfully in his chest. Fatigue came in heavy waves stronger than before. His body didn’t feel as though it could support him any longer. He didn’t have any energy before, but the drained sense he had penetrated deeper than he thought possible. Only the chair was enough to keep him from lying on the floor as a mass of muscle and bones. It made him wonder if death felt similar.
The image of the man from before flashed before him. Thinking of the man’s word sent sparks of electricity through his bones. ‘…that man…he’s different… can I? Against him?’ His presence alone made him shake once again with just mere thought. He sensed some hesitation still in the one that interrogated him before. A little piece that gave him the strength he needed to come through with enough persistence. However, he received no such feeling from the other man. The cold and driven stare told him enough.
Beyond the lingering presence, something worse and deeper concerned him. At that moment, he became uncertain of his position. He found the only bastion of hope for him, the purpose, was to protect his sister. He didn’t know what they planned to do to him after it all came to an end, but he found comfort in knowing that his silence would keep her safe.
Yet his mind hesitated for a moment. He questioned if he should remain quiet. Yori didn’t know if he had the will to endure whatever the man planned for him. The certainty of them finding out what they wanted turned him to doubt the need to withhold still. Did it really stand simply as inevitability?
Even the thought of it for a moment made him hate himself. He had forsaken Yumi, his sister, his family because of his fear. She abandoned him because she knew he turned his back on her. He hated himself. ‘How could I do that to her? How can I ever face her again?’ Yori hung his head on his shoulders. A color deeper than black painted his face. The weight on his body felt suffocating.
‘How do I hold out against what they bring out next? I believe him when he says that they can make me talk, but I don’t want…Yumi…’ The certainty of what he could say made him shake. He didn’t know if his resolve could hold out. He didn’t want to fail Yumi a second time.
The tent flap opened once more and shadows crawled along the ground. Although the sun made it a little difficult to cleanly make out those entering, he didn’t have to guess. First into the tent was the man that interrogated him before. Next, the man who gave him a new measuring stick for fear entered. Last was an unknown, but tall woman dressed like the others he saw Yuki fight. She wore white and a very narrow piercing gaze. The woman carried a very unsettling pair of eyes, small nearly dots. Yori didn’t even know her name and he already felt the oppressive presence that she gave off in the room.
Simonides stepped in front to directly address Yori. He pressed his hand to the kid’s head and made sure they made eye contact. “This will be your last chance. Next time I’ll make sure you suffer.”