Tides Of Protomis I
(For future reference, texts in Italics are inner thought.)
May 5th of 2008, Kainsley.
In the North American Federation's Maxwell District. There was a rather modest city, most of the buildings in its center were five stories at the most. As such, it was rather quiet and, mostly untouched by the conflict that ran rampant through the country. As such, a sense of nonchalance had taken the city's inhabitants… But, like many other areas, the chilling truth of war changed that. One of the groups involved in the conflict made their move, carrying out a strike on the city to extend their holdings, and no sooner did their enemies rush to its defense. Smoke rose out of the destroyed building As flying hunks of metal flew above, those of one side colored a dark blue, nearly black, and the other fleet, mostly a dark gray.
The ships above continued to lob shots at each other. The sky lit up as the red streaks of particle beam fire flew across the sky, streaking from the turrets on the ships, soon followed by a blur of nearly invisible rounds, coming from the railguns, booming as the sound barrier was shattered with each shot. The attacks grazing their opponent's armor, some of the smallest ships, the corvettes, rushed to the front, some destroyed shielding the larger ships, before the rest moved to swarm their opponents. On the ground of the city, the soldiers of these same factions, all armored, making use of a helmet that covered their heads, and their bodies, shot at each other on the streets, as the sound of gauss rifles filled their ears. They moved through buildings, in an attempt to hunt down their opponents. While the intense combat took place, some squads found themselves removed from the battle, observing the situation. One of which was a unit of armored soldiers, 4 in total, sitting within a decrepit house.
The walls were moldy, covered in moss, and what little furniture remained was covered in debris. Likely a result of their first charge into the city. Guns slung over their shoulders. The one in the front of the formation wearing mostly similar armor. With a key difference being the red cloth on his shoulder, showing his status as the Squad's CO. His fingers dragged upon a holographic map of the area around them, the buildings, the surrounding landscape, and their combat assets were all displayed on this map. They all came from a single metal box sitting upon what was formerly a tv stand, that served as their terminal. It was initially quiet, as the commander closed the map, he soon moved to check the communication logs. However, it hadn't been updated for a while, about an hour. He deactivated the terminal, as he turned to face his men.
"Nothing we didn't already know…I guess we'll have to stay here for now."
He leaned back onto the stand, as the troops now stood in silence. The tallest of the soldiers raised his visor, as his eyes went toward the communicator in his hand, though much thinner than his commander's counterpart, it still displayed a similar hologram. Responding to his touch as well. He moved to the communication logs as well, As he read the latest warning sent… His eyes widened like saucers, as he seemed to have frozen. The Commander took notice of this as his eyes moved across him.
"What is it, Garcia?"
The man, some moments after, regained his composure.
"Sir, The Agium is approaching!!"This caught the commander by surprise, as his body language shifted and, he recoiled in his surprise.
"What?! Do we know his exact location?"For a moment, no words came from his subordinate.
"Fraid not, sir, comms just got cut off, that was all we could get."
"Must be the Sigma Particles... The feds must have a Ship or HAU nearby." The commander muttered, trailing off. The man put his hand on his chin, as he squinted his eyes under his visor, as he began to think about his odds. If they were to get in the way, even with how young the Agium was assumed to be if there's anything the war had told them, it's that age mattered a lot less with proto-humans in combat… At this point, there was not much they could do, something the commander acknowledged, it was wiser to simply cut their losses.
"We're leaving."
"Yes sir!"
The Commander grabbed the terminal, shoving it into his armor's storage unit, as he turned on his heel, walking through a hole in the building's wall. His men soon followed, and as they did, they unslung their rifles, aiming around them, checking for enemies, before they began their advance, following the gray road below them. Unbeknownst to them, however, they were not alone… Farther up into the sky, stood a humanoid machine, black in color. Four wings came out of its back, in what resembled a cross, in the center was a thruster that emitted a blue light. As the pilot within took notice, he flew between the buildings and began to descend upon them. The troops, taking notice of the sound of the thrusters approaching, soon looked up. Noticing the towering machine now landing in front of them. They were left silent as the machine arrived. The North American Federation Hades Model Humanoid armor Unit, Or, as it was more commonly referred to, An HAU.
"Damn Federation!!!"
Though they would begin an attempt to flee, it was useless. The Vulcan guns that lay within the machine's head fired at the fleeing troops. Within moments, they were mowed down by the gunfire. Their armor was torn apart, leaving only discarded limbs and fragments of bone and muscle in a bloody puddle. The Hades activated its Verniers. It floated above for some moments, as the pilot looked down upon the deceased troops. However, remembering his orders, he rotated his machine, before shooting off into the sky.
The battle did not stop within the limits of the town… Within a forest nearby town, Squad upon squad of soldiers fired a hailstorm of rounds at what looked to be a young child, given his height. His face was unseen, covered by a gray mask. The rest of his body is covered by a cloak. As he dashed through the trees, they simply continued firing as he ran toward them, undisturbed by the rounds, instead of running, or even dodging, he simply did the opposite, increasing the speed of his dash, now shooting across the ground. From his side came a black blade, that almost resembled a machete. He soon began his attack as he got into range of the soldiers. He took swipe after swipe at the troops in front of him, cutting through armor, severing limbs, and even taking off many of their heads. The last soldier in the squad froze in fear and soon turned, in his attempt to escape. However, the boy burst forward to follow him, cutting the man's body down the middle. With the halves falling upon the ground. Elsewhere, the other squad continued firing as they began to back away. But the boy wouldn't let them escape. He would soon burst toward them, the troops were soon left in a bloody mess as well, with a few swipes from the boy.
His eyes shot around as he looked for any other enemies. The remaining soldiers began to draw their blades as his gaze fell upon them. One wielding a black blade resembling a katana slipped into his stance. Holding his blade at the waist Horizontally, facing his left. . Another, wielding a Nodachi, held his to the sky While the one in the very back, wielding a blade resembling a longsword, held his blade in front of him. Regardless of their situation, the three remained steadfast.
"We'll stop you here!!"
Melee weapons were of use to the soldiers, as even with the power of gauss rifles, armor was ultimately specialized to combat the high energy projectiles. When those didn't work, the sidearms came out. But, while this may have been useful against a normal soldier, that was not the case here. As the man yelled, he continued his charge… And before they could even take a swipe, it was over. He stopped behind them, with his blade remaining in his hand. The cuts, like any other, showed their effects soon after, one is cut from the waist down, the other has his head severed. And the other cut down the middle. The remains fell to the ground. The boy sheathed his blade as he looked over his shoulder at the troops… He reached for his face and pulled off the mask. Revealing a youthful, dark-skinned face. He pulled the hood off, revealing a wild and unkempt afro. This boy...Arctaius Corde, at the age of Eight. Though he was not known by this name, rather, only known as the Agium. The title itself, originating from the religion of an extinct people known as the Rufal… A vengeful spirit. He wasn't one to dwell on things like that, however, rather, the status of his enemies, and the possibility of victory. He was silent as thoughts ran through his head.
"This is only getting worse by the second. There are too many enemies... I don't like my odds here." The boy thought.
Arctaius bent his knees, before he bounded upward, ascending past even the tallest trees around him. Something that didn't go unnoticed by those on the ground, looking up in surprise as arcs flew around the boy, and even began spreading to the ground below. As many of these troops knew, that was a warning sign, many of them began scrambling to make their escape. Though he took notice, he said nothing about it.
"I'll need to end this quickly…"
As he clenched his fists, he yelled out.
"Shocking Cannon!"
The arcs which once simply flickered now flew out, the constant streams ripping apart and scorching the trees. The men near them were not spared either, thrown back and killed by the force of the electricity. This mass death of the troops surrounding him did not go unnoticed. Within the Amerikanisches Reich's forward base, there sat a fair-skinned man. His head was covered with an officer's hat, with no hair visible. Aside from the gray beard that covered his angular jaw. But aside from that, his most noticeable feature was the scowl on his face as he looked at the large table that displayed a holographic battle map, taking notice of what appeared on screen, time and time again, "Lost". The man, Colonel Schrotter, grunted in frustration.
"Proto-human or not, these losses, to somebody that young… This is ridiculous. Cronenberg, Where are the Roten Dämonen!(Red Demons)"
The man mentioned, The Amerikanische's Major Cronenberg, a rather large man that towered over his superior stepped forward, he was bald, with an expression that could only be described as blank, uncaring, strange enough for someone who'd seen something like this happen. The massive loss of troops and assets, and what would follow after. The man stepped forward casually as he was called, stopping in front of the Colonel's desk.
"They haven't arrived yet, sir!"
Schrötter's eyes went back to the battle map, taking notice of the fact that the squads continued to drop like flies. He slammed his fist onto the table in his rage.
"Those five… always late. Yet they demand more pay… The nerve, Pah! I'll take care of this myself."
Schrotter quickly stood up, the chair falling behind him as he did so.
"Keep our men back! Have whatever HAU's that aren't occupied lay suppressing fire! I want a Missile Volley on him now!"
Cronenburg saluted in response, exiting the room to carry out his orders. As Schrotter was left alone in the room, he soon picked up his chair, sitting down at his desk once again.
"Proto-Human or not… There's no way I'm letting some kid defeat me."
Elsewhere Arctaius stepped over the body of the Reich's deceased men. Glancing around for any more enemies for quite a few moments, before, his eyes darted to the ground. As he looked onto the ground, he took notice of something, there were splatters of blood left laying on a rock. Strangely enough, the splatters seemed to merge, looking like something resembling a single number, four… This confused the boy, to say the least,
"Blood on the battlefield is one thing… But this isn't normal."
Arctaius kept his gaze on the numbers, unaware of what flew above him, 5 HAU's that appeared different from the Hades, the heads were different, rather than having "Eyes" the cameras were instead hidden behind glass-like visors in the machine's head. But most noticeable was the much bulkier armor, orange in color. And the missile packs on each shoulder, one of the pilots within focused his targeting systems on the boy that had become his target.
"Target Located, eliminating!"
As the missile packs opened, tens upon tens of Missiles flew at Arctaius… His ears soon twitched as he heard the movement, and his eyes darted up as he turned his head.
"Missiles, damn it!!"
As they got closer, time seemed to freeze, as the image disappeared... 2016 AD, The city of Tokyo had been a bustling metropolis for centuries, the Center of the Imperial courts' power since the emperor took Kamakura, and with it, his power back from the Shogun. It quickly outgrew Kyoto, and all the other cities on the archipelago. The city was now filled to the brim with towering spires that covered the skyline. Cars drove across the many roads that coiled between the buildings. As well as those that lay on the ground level. On the side of many of the overpasses, there sat a high rise building, the corridors of apartments visible, as well as the stairs on each side of the corridors. Within the fourth floor, there was a certain man.
The room he occupied was simple, filled with a desk that sat near a window, and a bed, little else. On the bed was a youth with dark skin. His black hair was spiky and wild. He looked to be of an average height, but the normality stopped there. He was bulky, a mountain of muscle, as one might say. He was youthful, looking to be somewhere around Fifteen, to Sixteen. The boy was silent, unmoving. But he eventually began to stir. In a moment, his eyes widened, as he jolted awake, as he sat up. Some moments after, his expression changed, to a more neutral one.
"That same dream. And yet again, that number... No matter how I look at it doesn't make sense…"
Arctaius looked around his room for a bit, before he swung his legs over the side of the bed, standing up, and stretching.
"Well, no use in laying here…"
Opening 1 - https://youtu.be/HdwsGA4E4L8
Arctaius walked toward his bedroom door, opening it, and stepping out into the rest of the apartment. Like his room, mostly empty, save for a couch that faced the balcony, that allowed one to see the towering buildings in the distance. This was Tokyo's Shima ward. Arctaius' thoughts did not fall on the city in front of him, however, rather, what he'd just seen.
"The fact that it's been that long since that day, The Amerikanisches Reich has been gone for years now... And yet that memory won't stop replaying in my head... What time is it?"
He went back into his room, grasping a thin metal slab off of his covers, unplugging a cord attached to it. As he tapped the side, it switched on, as a Holographic display came out of the slab, orange in color. His focus fell on the clock. He tapped the side once again, turning it off.
"I'll be late if I don't leave now... not an issue for me."
As Arctaius places the device down, he turns to his closet, sliding the doors open. Throwing a black blazer, no tie, seeming to be meant to buttoned-down. ( Gakuran School Uniform), and pants of the same color onto the bed. Slipping the slacks on, and then, the blazer. As he buttoned it up, Arctaius walked toward the desk, grabbing his bag, and slinging it over his shoulder. Exiting the room, and entering the small area that served as his kitchen, grabbing his keys from the counter, unlocking, and opening the door. Closing, and locking it behind him.
He would then walk down the flights of stairs, stopping as he reached the sidewalk, he glanced around the city as he stopped by the edge of the elevated road. Which had thankfully bordered off by concrete barriers. He looked down upon the ground levels of his building, and at the road that lied in front . He turned to begin his walk, many others around the same age joined him, though many of them wore different uniforms. Though they began to part as he came by, attempting to keep their distance.
The youth ignored this, until he noted the approach of one wearing the same uniform, approaching from behind. With wild dark green locks, touching his shoulders in the back, but just reaching his ears in the front. Arctaius stopped walking, Looking back at him.
"Taius!!"
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He turned to face him.
"Oh... Yudei."
"It's great to see you!"
Yudei Sasaki, one of Arctaius' oldest friends. The male stopped as he got within a few feet. Arctaius turned once more as he resumed his walk, though he glanced back at Yudei.
"You say that as if we didn't see each other a few days ago... "
Yudei began to follow him as Arctaius' eyes moved to follow him, as his friend caught up to him.
'I'd expect to hear that from you…"
"What's that supposed to mean? All I did was state a fact…"
As the two continued their walk, they found themselves going further and further down on the winding side roads. Eventually arriving on the ground level. The two continued their conversation as they continued their travels. Unbeknownst to them, yet another person from their school was coming toward them, from the other direction of an intersection, much too small for any cars and not intended for them. A girl wearing a black sailor uniform, along with a blue skirt that stopped just above her knees. She was youthful, the same age as Arctaius and Yudei. Her shoulder-length brown hair swayed as she walked from the west, Asami Hoshi. The woman saw two people in the distance, but she didn't pay it much mind, this area had a lot of foot traffic, after all. Until she caught some of the words.
"So I heard that you went to go fight that Nakahari guy yesterday-"
As Asami heard the youth's voice, she seemed to perk up.
"Hold on..is that?"
As Arctaius heard his words, he shrugged.
"Hey, if he was confident enough to post all that online, I at least expected him to be able to take more than one punch."
Though she took notice of the two and identified them. she continued walking regardless, bumping into Arctaius. she'd soon drop her bag as she stumbled, nearly tripping over her own feet, and falling onto him. Though, she would tilt herself backward, and regain her balance. Breathing a sigh of relief. All the while, Arctaius looked down on her, his expression a blank one. As she returned his gaze, however, the two now stood there in silence, staring at one another for a moment, before Asami swiftly pulled away from him.
"Watch where you're going, Corde!"
"Oh man... here we go again, Watch, where I'M going? You were the one who bumped into ME."
Arctaius leaned in, inspecting Asami's expression, as he took notice of some pink dusting her cheeks, though light, it was noticeable to one who looked close enough.
"And why are you blushing? You're the one who decided to stay that close."
" What! No, I didn't, What makes you think I'd want to touch somebody like you?!"
"Your actions...What else?"
What was at first a small blush intensifies at his words, as she turns at him, yelling.
"What?! Don't get the wrong idea!"
"Maybe if you didn't give the wrong idea, we wouldn't have that problem…"
She steps toward him, and a match of bickering begins between the two. Yudei scratched the back of his head as he watched this from behind the two. His gaze flew around the street, until he took note of yet another girl, wearing the same uniform as Asami, walking toward them. A girl with long black hair, wearing the same uniform Asami does. Though appearing similar in age, one could tell some slight differences, being that she was an inch or two taller than Asami. Her name, Satomi Tanabe, at the age of 17. As she walked to Asami's side, she began to glance between them both, before she made the decision to intervene, speaking.
"You two never change, huh. "
As the two heard her, their argument would soon cease, as they turned their attention to her. Yudei would soon get off of the pole he leaned on, as he walked toward the three. A grin covered his face as he began waving.
"Ah! Tanabe Senpai, it's good--"
However, his words were soon cut off as Tanabe continued.
"You two might as well admit it… It's not like we don't already know. You've been pulling this act since middle school, from what I've heard."
Though she didn't say it outright, her intent was clear. Yudei put his hand down. as he dejectedly returned to looking away from them as he mumbled.
"Ignoring me again?! It's like I'm not even here... What did I do to her anyway?"
As the woman spoke, Arctaius raised an eyebrow, as he turned his gaze back to Asami, she did to him, as if they were synced. The staring between them continued for a moment, before they, looked away from one another. Arctaius shoved his hands into his pants pockets, as Asami folded her arms.
"Do you think I like her? Some would say age meant wisdom. But for one who's older than me, you seem to know nothing."
"Who would want a delinquent like him... He's either late to class or doesn't come at all. and when he does, all he does is loaf around, or run off to go fight!"
This display seemingly did nothing to stave her off, as she simply continued regardless.
"See, you two are even so quick to agree with each other!"
This seemingly did little to change how they appeared to view each other, Satomi's game of playing matchmaker less than effective. They simply stood in silence for a few moments, before Arctaius turned wordlessly, grabbing his bag off of the ground, as he began walking away. Yudei, taking notice, scrambled to grab his bag off a light pole, which he previously leaned it on. Throwing it over his shoulder, before rushing to follow Arctaius.
"Hold on a minute, wait for me!!!"
Asami stood there in silence, as she watched the two continue their walk toward the school. She did not move for some moments. Until she facepalmed at her earlier actions.
"Dammit Hoshi- You Do like him. Who says something like that to somebody you like?!" The girl yelled internally.
Asami sighed as she began following the two, Tanabe walked by her side, patting her shoulder as she did so.
"Well that didn't look too good, but in the end, we all know you tw-"
"Shut it."
As Asami spoke, Tanabe did go silent, but her expression remained unchanged, her bright smile stayed on her face. It was more than clear that she did not take her seriously. But unbeknownst to all of those that walked on the street. The four, along with the other students who followed along the same route, there stood a man wearing a black cloak on the edge of a building, about 20 stories tall. His face was unseen, covered by his hood. As he observed, his eyes darted around until he took note of the dark-skinned youth, and the others who walked by him, as they continued their conversation.
"There you are, The one who somehow managed to escape our grasps... Central command is real interested in you., I suppose I can see why. I sense quite a bit of Protomis off you. And those eyes. Those are the eyes of one who has killed before, I must say, you interest me as well."
The man smirked... His grin was the only thing visible through the darkness of the hood. As Yudei and Arctaius walked, the buildings around them began to get gradually taller as they walked. Though many of the students would steer clear of the two as they walked, some simply ignored them. The two soon found themselves at the gate of a school building with three floors. The crowds of students stood by the gate, speaking, went to their respective classes, and whatnot. The Plaque on the gate itself was marked "北志摩高校", or, North Shima High School. As they walked through the gates, Yudei glanced at his friend once again.
"Taius, You think Goutou's gonna be on you today?"
"Wouldn't surprise me if he did. But in the end, who is he not after?"
The two soon entered the opened school gates as Yudei continued.
" Guess I can't disagree with you on that. I remember how he went ballistic on Ueno a while back. Wasn't that serious in my opinion. "
The two would soon turn, entering a hallway, where there sat a line of classrooms. The two would stop in front of an open door, with 1-B marked on a sign above it. The two would soon take their seats, in the back of the classroom, Yudei sitting at the desk by the window, while Arctaius sat at the desk next to him. The two were silent as the rest of the seats filled in. One of those who entered, being Asami, who only gave the two a glance, as she took her seat near the center of the classroom. Eventually, as the seats were filled, save for 1 or 2, a man entered. He appeared to be in his 40's. His thick-set glasses reflected on the light from the window. As he looked upon the class, his gaze fell upon a certain student, Arctaius.
"Well well, look who decided to show up today."
Later that day, as classes ended, Gouto stood in the hallway with Arctaius, both stared at each other with gazes of contempt, though it was clear that neither would act upon it. Gouto did not like the boy, but he certainly followed the rules. Fighting a student was most definitely a violation. Something that he would not have on his teaching record. This standoff did not go unnoticed. At either end of the hallway, several chattering students stood at ends of the hallway, yudei at the left side.
"Looks like Corde's going at it with Gouto-sensei again."
"This act, day in and day out. Again with disrespect. I know very well that you don't care about being here...You may as well not come to class…"
"Trust me, I'd much rather not be."
"Then don't come, it's that simple."
"Take your own advice, how does that sound? It could do you some good, could act like something other than some stuck-up old man…"
Snickers began between the students at their conversation. Gouto arched his eyebrows at his response, less than pleased with it, to say the least.
"Last time I checked, you're supposed to listen to me you punk… Aside from that, I'll have you know I'm only 54."
"Only 54?"
"Are you saying I'm old?"
"I'm not saying you're young…"
Once again, the two stood in silence. Until Goutou turned on his heel.
"Forget it, I don't have time for this."
Gouto straightened his tie as he made his way to the stairs, ignoring the students that watched the two. Arctaius turned as well, as he began walking in the other direction, as he did so, he slung his bag over his shoulder as he walked past the other crowd. Yudei, taking notice of the fact that he was walking by, walked toward him, putting his hand on his shoulder. As arctaius noticed, he stopped, glancing back.
"Taius, wanna walk home together? I was talking with the others while we were cleaning and we're thinking of-"
"No... I have some stuff I need to think about. I'll walk alone today…"
Arctaius began walking once again, leaving Yudei standing there.
"You said that last time…"
In response, however, the man simply waved as he began descending the stairs.
"See ya, Yudei…"
Yudei scratched the back of his head once again, as he watched the youth disappear down the stairs.
"I know Taius isn't a guy with a lot to say. But this is different, even for him."
Standing outside of the classroom's door, Asami stood watching the two. Her gaze focused on Arctaius as he left. She soon walked to Yudei's side as Arctaius left her sight.
"Again?"
Yudei put his hands at his side, as he glanced at Asami.
"Yeah, I haven't had much luck trying to talk to him lately."
Asami soon began stepping forward.
"If that's the case, I should see what's wrong with him… It looks like I'll just have to follow him."
Asami would soon go down the same flight of stairs, acting on her thoughts. Even so, Arctaius remained unaware as he continued his walk through the School's corridors, as he exited the building, and went past the gates, she remained on his trail. Though Asami found herself struggling to keep track of him through the droves of people. Though she managed well enough for the two to begin reaching the outskirts of the city, the buildings gradually got shorter, and the streets, much less active. Asami's expression became one of confusion as she stopped in her tracks, looking around herself.
"Wait… Don't tell me, he's…"
As she looked past Arctaius, she finally realized what his intent was, and her eyes widened as she took notice of the mass of ruined buildings, and the towering walls around them, as well as the sign that lay in front of them. "志摩 区 南部 進入 禁止 区域''- Shima Ward Southern Exclusion Zone. The area was abandoned for over 20 years since the Southern Shima incident took place. But that was not the limit, ever since, people had disappeared after entering, and appeared across Tokyo in rather gruesome displays. Whoever was responsible was never found, even if the area weren't locked down, a deep-seated fear had set in, there were not many willing to participate in the re-development.
"Going there, what is he thinking?!" She thought
She wanted to stop him… No, she needed to. Even so, as she opened her mouth, ready to yell his name, she found that no words came out, she ultimately did nothing, closing her mouth. She only watched as Arctaius bounded over the walls, leaving him out of her sight, likely already going deeper within...
"If nothing else, I can at least make sure he comes out… But, it looks to me like I'll need to take other actions as well."
For hours upon hours, she stood watching the entrance to the Exclusion Zone. If there was one thing she wasn't going to do, it was let her longtime friend get hurt, even if they'd drifted apart a bit. As the sky darkened, the youth bounded over the wall once again, landing on the road, thankfully, unharmed. She breathed a sigh of relief, keeping her gaze on him as he walked down the street. Though she began advancing, attempting to be discreet, moving from wall to wall and peeking out to see him. In the meanwhile, the man simply continued walking unaware, looking at the ground, as he spoke to himself.
"The Reich has been gone for years, they've since been taken care of. but those guys they were working with are still nowhere to be found… For all these years, I've thought that there is something I'm missing. The only thing I've seen that may mean anything was that four. and southern Shīma was a bust…"
"This isn't getting any clearer..What is he talking about?" She thought
He sighed.
"What do I look like chasing after what I saw in a dream in the first place?"
However, the youth's walk soon came to a halt, as his eyes darted around as if they searched for something. He soon began tilting his head, though slightly. Though he could not see the source of this feeling he was getting, he knew what it was.
"I'm sensing protomis... Another Proto-human is nearby…"
Above the two, a man stood on the ruins of a building, just beyond the walls that separate the Exclusion zone. As he reached under his cloak, ten knives flew at blinding speeds, toward Arctaius. His target turned to his right, taking notice of the attack. The man soon found that his attacks missed, as the youth squinted his eyes, he jumped to his left. Though, to the untrained eye, it was more of a blur, with the youth appearing elsewhere. The attacks did not stop there, however, as his opponent landed on the street, He threw his palm out, a torrent of flame soon flew from his hand, Arctaius, however, dodged his attack. The man soon bounded up once again, landing on yet another roof, before he dived between the buildings, into a dimly lit alley. His opponent looked upon him with a less than amused expression.
"Who are you?"
Soon, stepping out of the alley, and leaning onto the wall, was his attacker. Half of his body obscured by the darkness, and the other half, under the blue light of the streetlamps.
"Ah... Well met, Corde-San…"
This especially caught Asami's attention, why was this guy attacking him, and how did he know his name? Though arctaius did not state it outright, the very same questions ran through his head, Arctaius soon turned to face his opponent. His expression remained the same as before, arched brows and a frown.
" Ah, What's with that look of yours?"
"Answer my question... Who are you, and better yet, why are you here?"
The man soon began slowly inching toward him.
"What's the rush? You'll know soon enough."
He was one of those types, it seemed. Arctaius clenched his left fist, small, blue sparks began to radiate around it, with a quiet, yet noticeable crackling heard.
"To Hell with that. Right now is 'soon enough…' "
The man chuckled at his response.
"Oh, Aggressive, aren't you. Unfortunately, my mission is not to combat you. Not just yet, So I'll be taking my leave now. "
"As if."
Arctaius soon burst toward the opponent, which sent wind flying outward, Asami's locks began flowing with the winds, as her clothes saw the very same thing take place. But the man wouldn't let himself be taken out, not that easily. He leaped away, with a plume of ash and smoke filling the air, getting in the way of Arctaius' sight. The man began leaping from roof to roof, getting out of sight, and disappearing into the city. Thankfully so as Arctaius leaped onto the roof, attempting to get a better vantage point. He took notice of it almost immediately, he was gone. Or at the least, he was for now.
"Tch... Looks like he doesn't have enough protomis for me to track… No reason in standing out here"
Having lost track of his opponent, he hopped back onto the road below. Simply resuming his trip home, as if nothing had taken place. Asami, all the while, stood there, and, though she watched him leave, most of her brain was left processing what had just taken place…
"What was all that? Whatever it was... I have to stop it before it escalates…"
As Arctaius continued to make his way back to his apartment, Asami turned, rushing in the opposite direction. Decidedly ignoring the bustle of the city around him, as he walked. And eventually arrived at the overpass that led to his home. Before he began to make his way up the stairs, patting his pockets as he did so.
"Did I drop my keys?"
As he continued his search, a certain woman loomed over the building, her gaze falling upon the one in her school's uniform… Target acquired, she began to ascend up the stairs, and, though Arctaius took note, he simply passed it off as being one of his many neighbors. As he tapped his back pocket, he'd finally found the key ring, unlocking his door and making his way inside, flinging his bag onto the couch.
"Took long enough…"
As he finished, Asami soon entered behind him, a duffel bag in hand, pulling the door closed behind her.
"I agree... You should go straight home you know…"
...He recognized that voice. Arctaius slowly turned around, looking down upon the shorter girl with a raised eyebrow.
"What are you doing here, Hoshi?"
She walked past him in response, placing her bag down as she did so.
"Isn't it simple? You live alone, don't you?"
"Yes, that's true, but how does that answer my question?"
As Arctaius turned to face her, she did the same to him.
"The fact of the matter is that someone like you can't be trusted to live by himself... So I felt the need to come here, and oversee things."
Arctaius went silent at her words, for a few moments, before he sighed and looked away from her, walking toward his room.
"You're such a pain…"
Though aside from his annoyance, another thought came to mind.
"Even if they do know me… How did she even get her parents to let her come here?"
Asami soon walked around Arctaius, stopping in front of him.
"Is that any way to react to my generous decisions?"
Arctaius stopped as well.
"To be frank...Yes."
"What? I come to help you, and that's the attitude I get?!"
"But of course, Not like I asked you too... And even, if I DID let you stay here where would you even sleep? "
As the two continued and their volume increased, a man walking outside raised an eyebrow, as he looked in the direction of their apartment, especially with the apparent youth of the two voices.
"I'm a lady. You should give up your bed of course."
"Hell no…"
Ending 1 -
https://youtu.be/HZrCqxBnLOw
To Be Continued
Elsewhere, in a rather decrepit warehouse, the hooded man kneeled on one knee. The environment was nearly pitch black, the only sources aside from the dim light from the hologram that sat in front of him, projected from a thin metal slab, and what little moonlight slipped into the hole-riddled tin roof.
"Your Excellency, it looks like our assumptions were correct. I've found the 4th tide, Arctaius Corde... It seems that his power and skill have sharpened over the past few years. However, I doubt he will be joining us…"
On the communicator, there sat a muscular long-haired man, sitting on a throne, his face rested upon his fist.
"I'm not surprised... The rate at which that boy grows will be a problem, especially if he meets with those other 3... Eliminate him at once."
The hooded man crossed his left arm over his chest, in a salute.
"Yes!"
The display went down, and the light that remained within the warehouse dimmed, plunging the man into darkness.
"Finally, Clearance… It seems that I'll get to see it, The strength of the 4th tide."
World Map - 2016 CE
[https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/jo26O48BTeUSjtRNQSm0P8J00tYP47X0L1aAHGQU0GG9yazVOKbamLLxx-dsBZaDpc3Aoj1d2I7Um3FE4y2nOMQHcTzaU3Lt1u188lusubcXF43HSX5UfmLhU2uKiPoX_bjmUckq=s0]