Tides Of Protomis LXXIX (Arc 1 End)
Kato Memorial, one of Tokyo’s many hospitals. One which commonly held many of the people in and around the Shima Ward. In the past months, it had been filled to capacity, in no small amount due to the battle that took place only a few months earlier. Many of them hadn’t recovered, even to this day. Today, in addition to those wounded, there were those who participated in said battle and one that took place across the globe. Among them was a Dark-skinned youth, Arctaius Corde. As his eyelids parted, the Agium found himself laid down within a metal pod, which, as usual, was filled with a green liquid. Beginning to regain his senses as he sat up, he found Zhao and Alarick sitting up within their pods on the other side of the room. A quiet conversation took place between them. The words were unclear to him. Even if he could have understood them, they stopped, glancing over at him as they took note of the fact he awakened.
“Damn… Don’t remember crashing here.”
Alarick pushed strands of hair back from his face as he spoke.
“That would be because you didn’t… Took long enough for you to wake up. You apparently had it worse than the rest of us.”
Arctaius nodded at this much as he looked down at his hand…
“Something feels strange… The protomis within me doesn’t seem to be flowing as well as usual. Perhaps launching that attack did more damage than I thought it did.”
It was certainly a dilemma if he was correct. But that was a big if. He would research it more and figure out how to deal with it then. For now, he would focus on the present. His eyes moved to the empty pod in front of him. It was then that he took notice of the fact that one of them wasn’t there... In addition to the rest, he’d gone to Tsugashuan with. Though, for now, he decided to move past it, to gain his bearings.
“Half-Pint, Zhao, how long was I out for?”
Zhao leaned back as he spoke.
“About two days… We made it back to Yamato fine, and we’re still alive, for the most part…”
Valerie… Of course, her death didn’t disappear from his mind or anything of the sort. It was a regrettable end, but, as all of them knew, there was no chance of one being revived… He’d carry her memory on. That much was the most he could do.
“Two days, huh… Longer than usual… Well, I’d say I’m feeling fine. Time to get out of here, I suppose.”
As Arctaius put his hand on the side of the pod, the door to the room slammed open, drawing their glances… Arctaius sighed as he took notice of who was there, a brown-haired girl with a rather unamused expression. Asami Hoshi soon dashed over to his side as his three friends entered behind her… Though his focus was more on the blur that moved toward him.
“Oh no, you don’t!!”
As she closed the distance, getting in his face, he went silent for a moment.
“Asami… What might you be doing here?”
She soon pointed at him.
“Don’t try that...You didn’t even try to contact us before you went to battle, you didn’t say anything for 4 months, and then you pull what you did and go into orbit? You’ve done a lot of stupid stuff before, but this…”
Arctaius simply shrugged as he opened the pod regardless, swinging his legs over the edge, and standing. He stopped for a moment as he stretched. Soon after, he walked around the pod and passed Asami. Making his way toward his friends as he glanced back at her.
“I’m still alive, aren’t I… I understand you were worried, but there’s no problem…”
As Arctaius walked toward him, he put his hand out. Yudei soon followed suit as the two’s hands came together with a slapping echoing through the room. Arctaius smirked at his old friend as Yudei did the same.
“Taius… Looks like you guys won in the end.”
Akashi stepped forward, putting his hand on his shoulder.
“Had us worried there, especially after those earthquakes started.”
Shinto soon brought two fingers to his glasses, pushing them up as they glared in the room’s light.
“Worried indeed, We are- elated at your survival, to say the least…”
Akashi’s gaze moved over to him.
“Does he ever stop talking like that?”
“Same to you, Akashi...Looks like you were all safe while we were gone.”
“Yeah, but I guess the military helped a lot with staving them off. Ever since you fought those guys, they were on high alert around here.”
Well, that was good. At the least, everyone else was still alive. But, there was another issue he decided to bring to the forefront.
“Well then… Where might Kazimir be?”
Alarick perked up at the mention of his name.
“He’s somewhere in southern shima… He told us what happened with Livert… Apparently, the similarities weren’t a coincidence. She was his mother.”
A deafening silence washed over the room with his statement... It was clear to see why he’d left if that was the case. Arctaius’ soon disappeared from his face. Alarick stopped for a moment before continuing.
“Told us he needed some time to himself. It’s not like we could’ve refused… He’s his own man, after all.”
Arctaius sighed as he turned on his heel, now facing the room’s window... As he focused his gaze on it, he began to saunter toward it.
“I guess I can’t hold it against him… I’m feeling good enough to get out of here. Let’s do that…”
Alarick soon exited his pod, standing and stretching. Zhao did the same, taking the hilt that lay at the side of his pod and placing it on his waist. Alarick soon began walking toward the window as well.
“Works for me. I don’t exactly like looking at bland white walls.”
Zhao soon followed.
Asami put her hand out as she began to speak louder.
“Hold on- You can’t just leave. You haven’t even been here fo-”
Regardless, as Zhao reached the window, he lifted the glass that kept them in, Before leaping out, Soon followed by Alarick and then, Arctaius. As the three jumped out, Asami soon ran to the window, sticking her head out in an attempt to see where they’d gone, but all she saw was the disappearing forms of the three fighters. She closed her eyes as she sighed.
“What am I going to do with him…?”
Elsewhere, within the destroyed city center that was Southern Shima, it was as empty as it had usually been. The source of the killings had since been found and taken care of. However, in the end, there was no reason for anybody to go there. After all, even with the cause gone, the effects did not disappear so quickly. The numerous superstitions linked to the area were still there. That said, it was perfect for one who did not fear them and who didn’t want to be bothered. Of course, that was why Kazimir Rhuskov had gone there in the first place. He survived a fight with that thing. What reason was there to fear this place?
Though that was not the focus of his thoughts. Instead, it was his actions in Tsugashuan. Whether it was on impulse or not, it was a clear fact that he was the cause of her death.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“Here I am, feeling sorry for myself. Mother or not, if I had let her live… I’d have abandoned everything I fought for… We fought for. How do I even know I could trust her?”
Even with the words, he spoke to reinforce himself, the glaring question of whether he could’ve handled that differently remained. He didn’t have a problem with killing before, so what was the issue here? It wasn’t as if he even knew her all that well, related or not. What if he’d done better? What if he came up with a better solution? What if, what if, what if? These questions continued to rush through his head, and he closed his eyes as he began to ponder them. Unbeknownst to him, three of his allies approached. Until he began to sense them. At the least, he’d since become used to their presence. He knew he wasn’t being attacked by stragglers or something of the like. As he opened his eyes, he focused his gaze on the three that stood in front of him.
“Then again… Not like anything changes with me standing here…”
Arctaius stepped forward, patting the man’s shoulder.
“It’s a good thing you got out of that slump quickly…Sorry for your loss. Now that we’re all here, I guess we need to address this. What now? We’ve managed to destroy the Kaemerge. Our goals are fulfilled.”
The group stood there in silence. In the end, their alliance was still just temporary. They’d grown to tolerate each other, and they’d fought together. But it wasn’t as if they were the closest of friends. Alarick was the first to speak.
“I suppose… Since we are already situated, I’d prefer to stay here. It isn’t too bad in Shima, I suppose. Beats going back to Delmenforde, Especially with what’s going on now… Besides, I already knew I was throwing away my title at the start. I’ll definitely be pestered to re-establish the house if I go back there. I was an only child, after all.”
Zhao nodded in agreement, grunting.
“It’ll be easier for Liang to find me as well. We didn’t get to finish our fight… So I see no reason to leave now.”
Kazimir stood up straight as he shoved his hands into his coat pockets.
“Can’t disagree with that… Not like there’s much left for me over in Lizan. Rather not get caught in whatever conflict they have with Siberia or Sibavostok, whether it be soon or farther down the line.”
Arctaius nodded as he began pacing around.
“So we’re all accounted for, but I got another thing I got to ask, What happened to the others? They’ve gone their ways, I’m guessing…”
Zhao nodded
“Correct…”
Just 2 days earlier, the allies, bar Arctaius, stood on the ridges above the mostly filled crag. Though the dust storms had mostly calmed, they did not disappear completely. The warm sandy winds blew through Yu Liang’s hair as he looked at the fleet of ships above them.
“I think I know what I’m doing now that this is over.”
Bijan glanced at his friend.
“Oh? What would that be?”
“Going back to Shanghai with Cuifen. After that, I’ll get into school... I need to make sure she’s able to survive. I already lost the rest of my family; I won’t lose her. I’m gonna become a doctor, and I’m going to cure Velox Mortem, somehow.”
Miyamoto stepped forward as she scratched the back of her head.
“Man, that’s some ambition… Wish I had something cool to say like that. I’m planning on staying in Yamato.”
The yakuza, Jirou Hashimoto, nodded as he leaned on a large chunk of stone.
“Same here. Somebody’s gotta take over my dad’s business once it’s all over… I’ll make sure to pay him a visit when I get back to Yamato… Might even try to find Uelma.”
As Jirou said this, Liang glanced at him with a raised eyebrow.
“Uelma?”
“Just somebody I met, not relevant to you guys…”
As he heard their explanations, Arctaius nodded. That all seemed simple enough, though he was interested in who this “Uelma” character was. But, as they went silent, he glanced around in confusion. There was one of them who was not mentioned.
“We seem to be leaving someone out. What about Lafeyah?”
Alarick tapped his foot as he thought about how to explain this to him.
“As for Bijan, We aren’t sure… With what he said, he could be anywhere by this point.”
Liang flew away, directly toward one of the larger warships, one of the Cui Federation’s Shanxi class dreadnoughts. Formerly used by the Zhuhong, and now used by their successor state. As for Bijan, well, he stood there stroking the hairs on his chin as he began to think about his plans. Come to think of it, he hadn’t even considered this far ahead. As far as he was concerned, making his parents answer for their crimes was the extent of what he wanted to do. As such, he was left at a loss for words as the attention of those who remained turned to him. Then, as the gears began turning in his head, it came to him. He removed his hand from his chin.
“People like my parents- and the other nobles aren’t going to adjust well. Especially with what they pulled before I had to put them down… When we first entered tsugashuan. It made me think, but I only decided just now. That is why I am here. I’m going to make sure any loyalists left over won’t cause issues. Where does that lead me? Well, I guess that depends on where they go. After all, the human mind is a fickle thing.
As he heard the explanation, he would soon turn and begin walking towards the outer walls of the Exclusion zone, which were just barely visible from his spot.
“So that’s how it is, huh… Looks like we won’t be seeing them for quite a while. Though, I suppose our alliance with them was temporary as well… We never did state our goals from then on.”
Alarick began walking as well, eventually coming up at his side.
“It seems that I’ll be dealing with you a bit more, Straffällig…”
Arctaius glanced at him.
“Yeah, looks like you will, Half-Pint. That said, I’ll see you all tomorrow…”
Zhao and Kazimir soon joined them, and they continued to traverse through the exclusion zone. As they eventually reached the walls, they silently walked through the gate and stopped there. They glanced at one another, nodding before they began to split up. All the while, Arctaius shoved his hands into his pockets.
“Looks like we’re back to normal, eh…”
It seemed so.
Elsewhere, Jirou found himself at the Hashimoto-Kai’s HQ once more. As he strolled into the penthouse at the very top that served as his home, he soon came across the men who served as his retainers and the lord of the dusk himself. A small smile made its way onto his visage, as did his father.
“I’m back… Pops.”
As the Yakuza began to approach them,they did the same to him. Elsewhere, was another member of their group. Liang Yu found himself walking through the well-lit halls of a small apartment building. Though run-down, for one as hardy as him, it was a good enough living space. He took the keys out of his pocket and opened the door marked 05. Within the room was a basic studio apartment. A single bed, a desk with a lamp, and a small kitchen. The martial artist strolled in, closing the door behind him.
He sat on the bed soon after and stared out the window at the city which surrounded him. He felt a certain sense of Nostalgia, being back here. Though, he only wished it could’ve been with his parents at his side, at Cuifen’s side… As he combed through his memories once more, his gaze began to move to the school uniform that was now hung up in the wardrobe. Something that led to determination filling his eyes. He would be fighting, even with the Kaemerge gone. Though, it would be a more mundane one.
Elsewhere, the Soryu sat within a clearing in one of Yamato’s many forests. As one would expect, the Silver Lions were there with it, lined up. In front of them were the two that tagged along as well. Ittur-Sul Caen, and former Tsar Sokol Naumov. They’d talked quite a bit as they left the now filled great crag. The first among them to speak was Watanabe himself.
“So that’s how it is…”
“Yes. We both have our sins. The best we can do is keep working to monitor any threats…” Sokol responded.
“I doubt Arctaius would be happy to see me, and that much, I understand. I’ll give him his distance and travel with Naumov…”
Tsumotsu nodded at this.
“If that’s the case, then alright. Be sure to keep in contact. His majesty is only allowing this on that condition.”
The two nodded back at him before they began walking off, ready to take their own paths.
…
The following day, the four found themselves walking through the skyscraper-filled streets of downtown, wading through the crowds. All of them were clad in North Shima High’s uniform. Though they still had some bandages attached to their bodies, for the most part, they remained hidden. Arctaius walked in the front, his blazer unbuttoned as he usually would. Kazimir looked around at the crowd around them as he spoke.
“Thinking back on it... that Ardam was a doozy to beat, huh…”
Arctaius glanced back at him, raising an eyebrow at his choice of words.
“A doozy? Really? That aside... he really was a problem.
“Luckily, his statements pulled most of them away from believing in him. I have no doubt that there are stragglers.”
As Zhao spoke, Alarick soon chimed in.
“Not only that... But I can finally lay Von Zaisen to rest... It’s a good thing I’ve been able to keep that under wraps.”
“Yeah... but for me. That’s the least of my issues. Not only will I have to deal with catching up... there’s Hoshi as well.”
“Oh, trust me, I have it way worse. I have that, and unlike you, I have a reputation to keep... Now I have to explain why I disappeared for four month-”
“Alarick!!!!”
Their conversation was cut off as a feminine voice echoed through their ears. Alarick froze like a statue as his eyes widened.
“Huh...? I recognize that voice, that accent. It kind of sounds like..."
It couldn't be...
"Iris?!” He yelled in surprise.
Soon, running up to them was a cream-skinned girl. She stood at about 5’0, a bit shorter than Alarick. Her youthful, soft face donned round eyes with pink orbs. Though, most noticeable was her twin-tailed blue hair that reached her shoulders that flowed behind her as she ran. Her body itself was rather typical for one of her age. Though it was covered by a sailor uniform, resembling that of North Shima’s, though it was white, and the ribbon was a dark blue. Though, her clothing was not what Alarick noticed. Instead, how close she was getting and then how she’d wrapped her arms around him, nuzzling his chest.
“I thought I saw you on that news report… I thought that there may have been a chance… But I knew the moment I saw you in person, you’re definitely him.”.
As one would expect, the scene drew gazes from those around them. A man that walked past them, wearing a black suit, stroked the beard on his chin as he spoke.
“By Alarick, could she mean…”
A woman standing in front of one of the many buildings fixated her gaze on him.
“I thought it was too similar to be a coincidence.”
Alarick soon regained his composure as he stepped back. Despite how it looked, there was a way he could rectify the situation…
“I’m sorry, but I believe you have the wrong man.”
She began to lean in once again as she squinted her eyes in her suspicion.
“If that were the case, how did you know my name?”
Alarick went silent at this response. How did he not see the issue with that?!”
“You Idiot!!! Why didn’t you act like you didn’t know her-- quick, think of something.”
“Who wouldn’t know about the heir to Gythros’s Vi Galanos dynasty…”
He glanced away, but Iris was undeterred by his attempt to fool her.
“Nice try... but everyone knows us Gythronians only release our soul names-”
The three other tides chimed in, finishing her sentence.
“To those close to them.”
She nuzzled her face into his chest again.
“I’m so glad to see my dear betrothed is alive…” She said with glee.
Alarick looked down at the woman, and then he looked up to where the tides stood for support. Or, at the least, where they formerly stood. He soon noticed that the three had walked around them and had already begun moving away! Arctaius glanced back with a smirk as he waved…
“Don’t worry- we’ll give you two some space.”
He repeatedly turned his gaze from Iris to the three until he decided on his response.
“Oh, You---”
However, his numerous statements became inaudible to them as they continued down the street, disappearing out of his sight. Zhao glanced up at the youth as he spoke.
“Wasn’t that a bit mean-spirited…”
“Even if we HAD separated her, she’d likely just run back to him... She had a Nomura High uniform on…”
Kazimir chimed in.
“So either way... she’s in the area, huh… Man, what I would give to have girls after me like that.
‘Yeah... there are some things even I can’t help with... That said, you already have Miyamoto don’t-”
He was soon cut off as Alarick walked up to them, stopping for a moment, as did they.
“I hate you all…”
With that, He walked past them. However, the slight smile on Arctaius’ face did not disappear. Especially with the appearance of his other friends. Once again, Akashi would attempt to sneak up on Arctaius, ending in a failure. Asami would come to join them as she and Arctaius bickered. With Akashi coming to tease them both. Alarick, as well, came in to join. All the while, Shinto and Zhao observed their antics, speaking to one another. At the very least, it seemed as if Normalcy had returned… Or... well, about as normal as this group could be, that is.
Arc 1- End.