“What is this place? Everyone’s dead. What are all these monsters? Where did that black vortex take us? [data lost] Lady Emberfield? How can I get powers? [data lost] So…not everyone can get them… Then how are we supposed to survive against endless waves of these creatures? I’m scared.” - Hazel, The Lost Diaries, Vol. II.
A short breath went in and out of Tyler’s lungs as Clover observed the man; he took one last look down at the stormy weather before he moved to the seat opposite her, unfastening the single clasped button on his white suit jacket.
His solemnity and decorum held a level of class she hadn’t experienced since before her life tipped on its head; if he was trying to impress her, it was working. “I’ll be blunt, Clover. I want your help to find answers regarding my past.”
Tyler’s betwixt fingers tilted slightly against his lap as he gave the weeping heavens a tempered stare. “Much like the mist that clouds most of this town, my life before I obtained these powers is a haze…” Brooding eyes tilting back to her, he paused. “Hmm... You are the first I’m telling this to.”
Clover took the seriousness of the man in and replicated it; every action he made was sincere and melancholy; he was exposing a part of himself he hadn’t even opened up to Tamara about, and that very fact put questions in her mind. “Is that the reason you didn’t want Tamara to know about this side of you; she’ll come to specific conclusions with her own knowledge?”
“Tamara…” Tyler sighed, vision falling to a purple-stone ring on his left middle finger. “That particular subject is a touchy one and involves things that I have no right divulging. If it didn’t involve her, I’d tell you, but I’m afraid that is one topic I cannot intrude on—it’s personal.”
It was more than an acceptable answer, and Clover wondered if Tamara asking her to confront Tyler about it was a test for him in the end. The psychic criminal and banking tycoon seemed to have a complicated history.
“I can go without the details,” Clover replied after deliberation, “but that being said, I will return to the subject before we finish this conversation to hear how you’ll respond.”
The man nodded, his focus still on the stone ring. “The first thing I can remember is being in the middle of a training session in an unknown place at the age of fifteen—it was the beginning of the Fifth Void Year, and I made my escape.”
Clover’s eyebrows pulled together. “You were a test subject that produced that unusual energy? How does that connect with you being the son of a banking empire—wasn’t Eclipse Banking the first institution to help stabilize the economy?”
A pained smile lifted Tyler’s lips as his eyes wandered to the drenched cityscape. “We need to take a step back to connect those dots—actually, it was Sunny City that I found myself in…”
The dots fused in her mind from what she’d learned so far about the past fifteen years. “The beginning of the Fifth Void Year... The Great Void.”
Tyler’s jaw worked around for a minute, searching for answers in the city. “It’s surreal, really... I had no knowledge of fifteen years of my life—my friends, experiences, family—nothing. I only knew how to manifest this power, speak, and that was about it—instinctual knowledge, of course, about dangers.”
“So…” Clover’s folded hands compressed against her crossed knee. “For all you know, you could have been spat out of a Void and had those powers?”
He promptly shook his head. “I vanished from the public eye six months before I regained cognizance—I woke up the moment The Great Void devastated Sunny City and was forced to run to not be caught in the expanding vortex—very few people made it out.”
The man’s irises slid to the wall behind Clover. “One of the unusual things about the Voids is their inconsistent means of pulling in various objects. It’s almost like they have a life of their own, sucking in only specific landmarks, streets, or sections of that it encompasses, but the one thing it never fails in is to abduct all living things.
“I wandered away from the ruined city, looking for answers, and luckily, one person recognized me. He took me here—to this very bank—perhaps to get some kind of reward for discovering my whereabouts, and it was from him that I learned about what had happened in the last six months.
“Also, no—I have a host of private investigators and informants across almost every network, and I’ve spoken to spirit users such as Shane regarding that time; I didn’t gain these powers in the Void.”
“Okay…” Clover nodded.
Tyler’s expression turned cold. “Five months prior, my family died in an unexpected transevil appearance on their way from Bloom City to Talon City... Reportedly, everyone within my immediate family was present, and I was expected to have been killed, as well.”
“A cover-up?” Clover asked, finding herself more invested in the story as he went on.
He shrugged. “Speculatively, yes, but my only evidence is the lack of proof... Anyone and everyone connected to investigating the incident somehow died within the following year—records were barebones and held nothing of significance, just things like wire transfers or a sudden increase in lifestyle.
“Overall, my father’s will and trust came into play, and I inherited the business; I kept my mouth closed, studying and investigating myself while hiring people under the table to look into the details, and after two years of working my way back into the bank as the corporate head, I met Tamara... It was around the time I was coming into my own.”
Clover moved her elbow to the left arm, resting her knuckles against her cheek as she glared at the floor. “It was a clever play for an average fifteen-year-old... Although I suppose I’m only two years older—yet I’m far from average. Hmm... In the end, you took over your family assets and worked your way back into the leading position of Eclipse Banking.
“You then seeded informants into various areas to gather information about the six months you vanished from the public and developed a relationship with Tamara in connection to that. Correct?”
Tyler’s lips became a line, still observing the storm. “Not getting into the details of my relationship with Tamara, yes. I also went through the private journal that I kept, which helped to fill in a few important blanks, but it was far from explicit on the details I wanted.”
His hazel eyes drifted back to her. “In short, I want to discover the truth behind my parents and my past—I’m not a spirit user, of that I’m sure. Ivan knows of my powers, but Wilfred does not.”
“So you met with Ivan last week,” Clover sighed, remembering the powerful scent the Class-4 spirit ruler released. “Was he asking you about Castro and why you didn’t get involved?”
For the first time, a wry smile lifted Tyler’s eyes. “No, in fact, it was my request that drew Wilfred and Ivan away from East Skydream to handle the clown. I knew I couldn’t handle him the first time I met that monstrous rassi... Wilfred was the only option. Ivan only wanted to thank me and ask if I’d look after Hollow Veil—they’re stretched so thin that they can’t move regions so freely.”
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Clover’s gaze lifted to study his indifferent expression. “I’m guessing you turned him down?”
“As I told you,” Tyler grunted, leering at the city, “I’m not a spirit user, and I can’t look past the things I know about how humans choose to live, even when the world is ending—including myself.”
He chuckled, though Clover noticed only a little of it reached his eyes. “I’m as selfish as any other human trash that lines the halls—I’ve already heard how most men and women view you from behind closed doors—the photos they share from images taken of you while walking down the streets. Much like Melissa, you’re a spirit user celebrity, and I have no doubt artists and animators are raking in commission work as we speak.”
Clover would be lying if it didn’t put a bitter taste in her mouth; she’d heard the whispers herself, and when they weren’t more than several meters away. “So, a majority of rotten apples is where you choose to draw the line?”
“By no means,” Tyler scoffed, smirking at the umbrellas below. “I’m not going to judge them as harshly as I’d judge myself—most of us are trash, and that’s just reality. I’m not going to risk my life and act like a hero when I’m not. I only care about discovering the truth, living a leisurely life, and exacting revenge on those that wronged the few I care about in the little circle I have enough motivation to express emotion for.”
His focus flicked back to her. “I don’t see you having loose lips, Clover, and we can help one another. So, will you do business with me?”
Silence ensued as Clover met his eyes—expression difficult to decipher—and after several seconds, she broke contact to study the crying purple sky, hearing the thunder rumble in the clouds. In all honesty, Tyler had a similar outlook on humanity as herself, albeit more on the jaded side. Ultimately, there wasn’t anything she’d sensed to dissuade her from working with the man.
Mind returning to her conversation with the mysterious flame holder, Clover examined his reaction. “What do you know about Shion?”
Tyler sat back, vision narrowing as he thought. “Shion...is not a name I am familiar with. If you need me to discover information about her, I could reach out, given you have more details I can use to narrow down the list.”
Chest puffing up as she drew in air, Clover released it in a long stream; Tyler had no idea who the fortune teller was. It seemed Tamara was right; she was the only one who knew the specifics of obscure topics, which was likely why Tyler made such a big deal about burning that bridge with the informant.
“No, it doesn’t matter,” Clover responded. She wasn’t hopeful, given the response of both parties and the solemn nature of the apparent betrayal the psychic felt, but faith without works was dead, as her mother had said. “I just wanted to see if it rang a bell. Hmm... I have something to ask that may confuse you.”
Tyler straightened, giving her his full attention. “Go on.”
“I’ll work with you, so long as I am comfortable with the tasks you hire me for, in addition to helping me save my operator, but...I also want you to somehow make things right with Tamara.”
An awkward silence brought the falling rain back into focus as Tyler’s expression gradually transformed into a scowl. Elbows moving to the sides of the chair, Tyler folded his fingers, lips pressing against his knuckles as he fixated on his lap.
A full minute passed before he spoke again, his hard hazel irises lifted to pierce her. “There isn’t a chance Tamara put you up to requesting that... Why do you care so much about a relationship you know nothing about and to strangers you’ve only just met?”
Clover met his gaze but couldn’t deny that it was quite a forward condition that she had no conceivable answer to butt into.
Scratching the side of her scalp, she shook her head, feeling out of her own comfort zone. “Honestly, I doubt you’d believe me if I told you, so to not confuse and agitate you further, I’d ask you to take it at face value; I’m not trying to force the action but just allow the possibility to blossom.”
Tyler studied her for a time before a heavy sigh shot through his lips. “The issue was never on my side, Clover,” he whispered. “If that’s what you want, your contention is with Tamara.”
“I see…” Clover sucked in her bottom lip, staring at her lap.
He already plans to do everything in his power to bridge that gap, but his offer to me shows how deep the cut in Tamara’s heart is... This isn’t petty, but a real betrayal that she’s felt, and it hurt—terribly. What do you want me to do, Shion... How?
Setting the matter aside, Clover accepted Tyler’s honesty; him just telling her that was likely toeing the line of what was acceptable decorum. “I understand, and it isn’t my intention to force myself between something that I have no business being a part of. I accept your previous conditions... What of this memory card you mentioned?”
Tyler took a moment to respond, still pondering her direction, Clover was sure, but eventually, he appeared to let it slide. “I’m well aware that the facility you assaulted was stripped of its data, but unknown to most of the higher-tier management there, a physical backup had to be made before the end of every day and stored in a secret depository.”
He rose to his feet, buttoning his coat while stepping up to the window to stare across the city. “I know the location of the employee who was secretly in charge of the high-priority task; unfortunately, he is dead, but that shouldn’t be a problem for your senses. You can follow his trail back to the data storage bank. Right?”
“Most likely,” Clover replied, getting to her feet and straightening her dress.
Tyler went to his desk to extract a cream folder, returning to hand it to her. “Inside is a map; given the information Tamara already provided me, I listed the potential areas that would meet the storage’s needed conditions.”
He brought her attention to a black, sealed, flat stick inside the front. “This has already been programmed with the proper infiltration software to bypass their security—just place it on the data transfer insert—no plugging-in required.”
She accepted it, her heart beginning to race after finally having some direction to take. “Traps or sensors that might trigger a data dump?”
“Mmh-heh,” he shook his head. “Perhaps on a more competent and larger organization, but they didn’t have the time to make this base as secure as it was planned, which was why I wanted to hit it before they managed to beef up their security.”
“Okay... It shouldn’t take long.”
Clover left soon after, meeting up with Associate Branch Director Smith halfway down the hall; he guided her to the elevator, noticing the folder tucked underneath her armpit, but he didn’t inquire about it.
She exited the building among more chatter, ignoring the wild speculations thrown around; of course, her magically appearing umbrella drew more gasps and gossip.
Stepping back under the welcoming downpour, Clover released a slow puff of mist in the chilled environment. Hold on, Lily, I’m…
Clover’s brow furrowed as her earrings shot out, opening up to show the girl’s frightened eyes. “Lily?”
“Clover!” she hissed, playing with something on her lap. “I—umm, I just learned that Melissa was just sent out on a recovery mission to find a little girl that went missing. She was last seen in Hollow Veil’s West 54th Oil Drilling district—it’s near Sunny City—and a group of transevil was spotted by an observation drone. A Class-2 wolf-type was with them, and we lost contact with her…”
Glancing down at the folder in her hands, Clover’s mouth creased; she didn’t trust anyone here to leave behind this folder, meaning she needed to find a safe place to store it along the way.
Melissa may have been a Class-2 spirit user, but she specialized in the medical field, not the combat; if the two incidents were connected, the blonde could only hold off the transevil for so long.
“Can you send me the directions—a city map my device can translate into coordinates?”
“Umm...maybe? I can try!”
Knowing it was to the west, Clover scanned the streets in that direction. Sorry, Yumi, but I’m going to need my stuff.
Calling for her spiritual outfit, allowing her a bit more time with the Viper Blade, Clover kept the umbrella open as she broke into a sprint, protecting the folder with the bubble-like shield that didn’t give the normal resistance a typical umbrella presented.
Her serpent irises snapped to the 2D holographic screen as Lily’s camera took a bottom left position to overlay a map of Hollow Veil. “I sent it... Is it working?”
“Perfect,” she smiled, deciding to thank Yumi when she inevitably called in the next several seconds. “I’m on my way.”