Tides Of Protomis LXXXI
Peace Broken?
Outside of Tokyo, there lay a much smaller city. A city of little note, even those in the area barely gave it a thought. This city was known as Chikawa. Those within knew very well that their city wasn’t exactly called the most desirable place to live. Or, truthfully, called anything at all, they enjoyed their lives there regardless. Among these residents, it was one of the only things of note in the town. This resident lived in a small two-story house at the city's edge. It was of a more traditional style, the walls lined with timber and the roof covered with gray ceramic tiles. In stark contrast to the buildings around it, mostly brick and concrete. Within it was a rather spartan bedroom, filled with a desk, bed, and not much else. Though the desk had a small mirror, the room’s occupant stared into. A young woman wearing a white shirt, and jeans, leaning over the desk. She ran her hand through her back-length violet locks as she grabbed her holo-phone and shoved it into her pocket.
“Alright, I’m ready.”
She ran out of the room and then down the stairs, the sound of which caught the attention of a gray-haired woman in the home’s living room. Her face became visible as she glanced over her shoulder. She’d clearly gotten to the state where age was affecting her, given the wrinkles covering most of her face. After all, even modern medical technology has its limits. The aged woman shakily rose from her seat and began trudging toward the doorway. Finding the one she’d taken in descending the stairs and rushing to the front door. The one she observed apparently took note of her approach. Junko looked over her shoulder with a smile. She waved before turning away.
“Well, I’m off to see Kazimir. I'll be back later- Koyama-san!”
The woman waved back.
“Have fun, and tell him I said hello!”
The older woman was Mizuki Koyama, living for a long, but not unordinary age of 112. Following her gaining proto-human abilities, it was not as if she could return home. With her parents and much of her family being hardline purists, It became very apparent to Junko that there was little chance of fixing their relationship. And, all in all, she wasn’t very interested in the first place. As she made her way around Tokyo, she took odd jobs, hoping to get an apartment for herself, struggling quite a bit before this woman, Koyama, took her in. Both housing and feeding her. It was no surprise that she felt grateful to her. The woman always seemed to care for her and even worry, despite knowing she was a proto-human, a strong one at that. Perhaps, that was simply the woman’s nature.
“Stay safe out there. Never know what could happen nowadays!” Koyama continued.
“I will!!”
Miyamoto took her shoes from the rack, slipping them on, before she exited the house, closing the door behind her as she made her way onto the street… Her tone, her expression, it was jubilant. For a moment, she stood as she determined her route. Then, she began jogging.
“I’m so excited. I’m so glad I get to see Kazimir again…”
However, she paused as the smile on her face began to shrink, replaced with a more neutral expression.
“But I mustn’t forget why I decided to call him.”
She soon began to think about how to explain her situation to him. All things said, this could be considered pretty unbelievable. Though, with who she was talking to, perhaps not too much. Hell, Corde had even met some guy who’d been dead for over three thousand years. Much longer than any proto-human was capable of living. As she walked down the mostly empty path, she began to sense someone familiar. The very same one she sensed, Kazimir walked down the street. Instead of wearing the school’s uniform, he donned a black tracksuit. However, his attention was not on the road but on the holo-phone in front of him. Though, as his spine tingled, he became aware of the one who approached him. An ally he’d continually grown closer to, tapping the side of the device, the display went down. He began walking toward her as well until they stopped within a few feet of one another.
“Junko.”
“Kazimir…”
Junko opened her arms, as did Kazimir, as they hugged one another. Though it was brief, breaking off soon afterward. As the two greeted each other, another loomed above them. On one of the small office buildings that surrounded them, a man kneeled on the rooftop's edge and hid by the concrete borders placed to keep anyone from falling off. His body was draped in a clean, white cloak. Held together by stitches in the middle of the suit at the chest but opening up toward the legs. The more notable thing about him, however, was the terminal in his palm. One which displayed the two proto-humans themselves. As he pinched the display, the camera zoomed in, giving a more detailed view. And as he swiped his hand across it, the angle began to change.
How did they get this footage? That was the fault of the drone above them. A small black hunk of metal with propellers keeping it afloat. A civilian model that was reliable, despite its low price. To avoid detection, the machine was high enough that it seemed to simply be a speck to those on the ground. The man operating the drone spoke into the device with a deep, gruff voice.
“Commander Hawks, Violet Devil, and ESP-2 are in my sights. I repeat, Violet Devil and ESP-2 are in my sights.”
This caused a smaller display to appear below the drone feed. One which displayed the man known as Commander Hawks. A tan-skinned man with black orbs. The same color as his long head of hair… It looked like it was easier to detect them than he expected, but he knew that handling them would be a different story if their agent was found. They’d built up quite some reputation, and they knew that it wasn’t smoke and mirrors due to what was documented. The man leaned back into his chair, elbows placed on the arms and fingers interlocked under his chin. Eventually, he decided upon a course of action.
“Keep the quicksilver on them for as long as possible, and try to avoid notice. Remember, despite their age, they both fought against the leaders of the Kaemerge. Anyone with access to a history book knows how troublesome that lot was. The last thing we need is a battle on our hands.”
“Yes, Sir!”
The two continued their stroll, acting as if they were unaware. Though unseen to the drone, the two were communicating silently. They glanced at one another as they turned off the sidewalk and made their way into an alley. Of course, the operator moved the drone to follow. It was then that the two stopped. The operator paid this no mind. At the least, until they turned on their heels and looked directly at the drone!
“Shit!” He exclaimed.
No sooner than he cursed did a red luminance grow around Kazimir’s palm. The same red light began to surround the drone, as well as obscure the camera feed. It soon obscured the drone’s camera. Within moments, the drone was crushed into scrap under the force of the Telekinesis. Now, all the soldier saw was static, much to his chagrin.
“Commander, they detected our surveillance!” Upon hearing this, the Commander sighed. It wasn’t unexpected, but it was annoying nonetheless.
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As Kazimir watched the remains of the drone fall to the ground, his gaze went back to Miyamoto.
“A drone…? Who would be watching us?”
Miyamoto took a step closer to him as she spoke.
“You see, that’s what I came here to talk about. You already know that I can convert my protomis into demonic energy and bring “Demons” to help me along with that…”
Kazimir nodded.
“Of course.”
Now, she went silent, trying to determine how to explain the situation. Then, turning away and looking into the Azure sky above, she continued speaking.
“That’s not all, though… Demons have always been appearing on earth. It’s just that they were too weak and not at high enough numbers to be noticed or be a threat. But something has changed in recent times.”
Kazimir placed his hand on his chin as he heard this.
“So what’s changed?”
“Ever since Tsugashuan stronger demons have been appearing. Usually, demons of a certain class can’t exit their realm without a direct link. Hyperion is one of them, his link being myself.”
This was interesting indeed. Hyperion was strong from what he displayed last time she’d brought him in as support. But to think that there were more like him running around was even more interesting if a bit concerning.
“Do you know why this has been happening?”
“No, though I’ve been looking into it… From what I’ve heard, the upper echelon of demons could easily outclass the Apostles, possibly equalling Emperor Ignatius… Or going much farther.”
His eyes widened at this revelation. Even with their training, and the power they took from Tiyamura, it took no shortage of time for them to grow past Augusto’s level of power.
“What?! Even with our training, that could be an issue…”
“Yeah, but that’s not all. Now then, there’s still something else we need to discuss: the ones who were watching us. From what I know, they’re a group that calls themselves the “Holy Order”... To sum it up, they hunt demons… I’ve always had to deal with them since my abilities awakened. They haven’t been aggressive per se but enjoy keeping eyes on me when they can. Though I will say, lately, they’ve been watching more closely.”
The Russian began to pace back and forth as he took in this information. Staying silent for some time until he found the words.
“This is strange indeed… I’ve never heard of the “Holy order”. But then again, I believed demons were fantasy before we met… We may want to inform Arctaius and the others as well. Just in case-”
However, he was cut off as a strange sound filled his ears and hers. The two’s eyes swiftly flew in the direction of the sound. It was there that they found a red void, larger than their body, suspended a few feet off the ground.
“That’s… What’s going on here?” Miyamoto questioned
The answer to this question came in the form of furred skull-clad beasts, six in total. Some were larger than others, and others had different fur colors. Despite the differences, it was clear that they were similar, the same species, perhaps? The sole exception was one with sleek skin, lacking fur. A look of confusion was etched onto Miyamoto’s face. But, she regained her composure, and as a red glow surrounded her fist, she burst forward, slamming her fist into the sleek-skinned beast. Upon impact, it began to break down. Chunks of the body started to dissipate into red particles, which seemed to blow away in the wind. Without much thought, Kazimir began to take action as well. Slamming his fist into another’s head, which both shattered the skull and made it disintegrate as well.
The last two charged, seemingly disregarding their destroyed comrades. Only to be obliterated by small yet effective bursts of energy coming from their palms. They only stood there for a few moments before a frown made its way onto Miyamoto’s face.
“...Reavers”
Part B
Elsewhere, Arctaius found himself surrounded by the very same beasts. Though he did not understand what was going on, he remained calm. As a golden light flew out of him, the beasts around him were vaporized, with red particles floating and seemingly disappearing, just as they had before. Arctaius dusted his hands off as he began glancing around once again, checking for any more possibly arriving.
“The hell was that...? It can’t be one of the life weaver’s works… And based upon the familiar Protomis I just sensed, it looks like I wasn’t the only one to encounter them. So I doubt it was a coincidence.”
Indeed, it was not. A broad-shouldered boy with wild, spiky white hair stood within an alley. Wearing a pair of gray sweatpants and a black shirt. Something expected of someone like him. After all, he never really cared about appearances all that much.
“Well then… Perhaps I’d better contact the others… You guys will be fine here, right?”
Behind Jirou was his retinue. Several men wearing suits, some of which had gained some injuries, sat behind him. The man in the forefront, bald, with a pair of sunglasses, known as Sato Kazuma, was the first to speak.
“There’s no problem… Just get back in time. We still have the rest of the Koboyashi to deal with…”
Jirou Nodded
“Right… I’ll see you all later, then. Tell dad I went to meet with the others.”
Soon, a chime filled Jirou’s ears. His glance fell upon his pocket as he pulled out the source, his holo-phone. He tapped the side, bringing the display up, and looking at one of the notifications, A message from Kazimir appeared on the screen. He soon tapped on it, opening the group chat they commonly used. The message itself was simple enough, “An issue has popped up, Same place as usual.”. In the time after the war, they never did break off contact. Whether there was a threat they found themselves stating they needed to take care of or just decided to hang out in general, it was a good thing holo-phones existed.
Jirou turned his phone off and began walking… Elsewhere, however, Alarick had his own issues. In one of the Shima ward’s many parks, he sat on a bench with eyes closed, at the least, trying to ignore the one sitting beside him, A golden-haired youth with green eyes about an inch taller than him. His rather extravagant white robes were lined with gold. This was one of his distant relatives. Eadwig von Blutstein, the 3rd son of the Realms of Speilbach’s Royal Family. He could not say he enjoyed his company, though that mostly extended to all of them. He didn’t know them very well, and as such, they didn’t try to contact him, especially as they noted he wouldn’t return to Delmenforde… Aside from this one, that was.
“You don’t get it. We are nobles, we come from the same ancestors, we are of a different breed! You will begin to stink of peasant if you stay here any longer. You must take your birthri-”
Eventually, Alarick began to block him out, or at the least, attempted to. As his annoyance continued to grow, he grit his teeth, at the least, trying to keep cool and not explode.
“Wichtigtuer…”(Pompous Ass)
Even as he cursed in his mind, the man did not stop. All this talk of birthright this, legacy that. It only annoyed him more, so much for keeping cool. His head shot over to the man as he began to glare at him. Apparently, his piercing gaze was more than enough to silence him. It was only following this that he let out a deafening yell.
“For the last time, My name is Alarick Grayhelm. Alarick Von Zaisen is dead!”
He forcefully stood up, turning on his heel. For a moment, he was silent, calming down after his outburst. The youth glanced back, noting how his relative’s stance had changed. His hands protected the face as if he was scared of a possible attack… As Alarick looked upon this, he let out a sigh.
“Go find someone else to bother, Ea-”
He paused as he soon heard an unfamiliar sound from behind him. Once again, the result was a portal. Something which caught both of their attention. Alarick raised an eyebrow at this development, the sight as unfamillar as the sound.This was followed by Eadwig standing, curious as well. He began to slowly approach, somewhat cautious.
“What is this?”
Four of the very same skull-clad beasts jumped out of the portal, one of which jumped at Eadwig. Something which paralyzed him with fear. What was this creature? What could it do to him?! Unlike his cousin, he was no warrior. Though he braced himself for the attack, luckily, Alarick was quicker. Within a moment, he appeared in front of his cousin, his straightened fingers surrounded in a dark glow that resembled a blade. After this, he began swiping, turning the reavers into mincemeat. At the least until what remained dissipated.
“Well…”
He was soon interrupted by a chime. Glancing down at his pocket, he soon pulled out his holo-phone as he turned on the display, taking note of the same message that was sent to the others. Then, he turned it off and placed it back into his pocket. Alarick began walking away, only for a hand to fall upon his shoulder, which made him stop.
“Hold on, what were those things?”
He glanced over his shoulder.
“Hell if I know.”
He began walking once again, leaving the youth standing there. As he began to get further away, the man started to fall to the back of his mind. Something more important, at least to him, came to the forefront.
“Well then, it seems like this “peace” didn’t last very long… Though, I can’t exactly say I’m surprised.”
Elsewhere, however, in a location unknown to them all, there sat Commander Hawks. Around him was a large, dimly lit room. It contained hundreds of men wearing the same cloak as the drone’s operator wore earlier. Some of them scrambled around in the lighter sections of the room. Others had their nose buried into the terminals, like their Commander. Though many of them did not pay attention to the screen, rather, their superior, who looked down upon the footage in confusion. At the least, until a soldier stepped forward.
“Commander-”
“I’m aware, D-Classes… It’s uncommon for them to act in unity. Usually, they’d just consume one another.”
A gravelly voice sounded off next.
“That raises a question, sir. What could be going on here?”
“I’m not sure…”
Hawks went silent as he attempted to determine his next course of action. The situation was unusual, though one may have been able to dismiss it as a fluke beforehand. Not so much with the current situation being what it was. Ignoring an irregularity could end up being their doom. As anyone who had fought demons for long enough would say, it was a domino effect. One abnormality could end up creating more…. And he would not let that happen. He turned his attention to another one of his men, sitting at one of the terminals. Something which the man took notice of as he returned his gaze.
“Open Communication channels with HQ, Increase surveillance on the violet devil and her associates…”
To Be Continued