“Doctor says he might not wake up for two more days.” Yuri heard Stu say. He could not open his eyes. They were both plastered with a cotton blind.
“Stu?” Yuri asked gruffly, his throat hurt. He tried to get up from the hospital bed but his whole body was failing.
“Yuri!” Stu exclaimed. “Nurse, he’s awake!” He shouted to the others.
“What happened?” Yuri asked him. “Where am I?”
Yuri recollected his memories.
The noise of us crash landing. Axel carrying me in his hands. Explosions. Firefights! Blood all over my face. I was tuning in and out.
“Don’t talk.” The nurse ordered. She cut his blind from the back with scissors. Bright white light blinded him. He blocked it with his eyes.
“Can you see?” Stu asked.
It took a few seconds for his eyes to get adjusted. He realized that he was in a hospital. Opposite his bed was Tatsu, who was sitting on her bed and looking at him. Her left arm was missing.
“Amputation technique.” Yuri said to her. “How could you do that to yourself?”
“Thanks to that, we made it out alive.” Tatsu said. “How are you feeling?”
“What happened to the Proximians? The annihilator?” Yuri ignored their queries.
“We immobilized it, remember?” Stu told him. “As for the starship, Ada’s father took control of it. He crashed us to the nearest military base.”
“You got stabbed.” Yuri remembered. Ryuma stabbed Stu before he fought him out of the room.
“Yeah. The wound wasn’t very deep.”
Yuri touched his face. As he expected, It was scarred from the blows.
“He was about to kill me.” Yuri told them.
“Axel told us.” Tatsu said.
“You got lucky.”
“Hey, you’re awake.” Ada entered the room. She was limping toward them with a walking stick.
“What happened to you?” Yuri asked her.
“Broke my leg.” She replied. Ada rested her stick in one of the corners and sat on one of the beds next to them.
“How?” Yuri asked again.
“I fell to the ground when the ship descended. A Proximian soldier took the chance and broke my knee by kicking it.”
“That’s rough.” Yuri said.
“Why didn’t he kill you though? He went to the trouble of breaking your leg.” Tatsu asked her.
“I think his blaster was out of ammo.”
“Where’s 48 and Tumes?” Yuri asked them. He had not seen 048 since he left to hold off the soldiers on the first floor.
“Forty and Igor visited us yesterday. They are doing fine. Tumes is out with Axel, I think.” Ada answered his question.
“Where are we exactly? How long was I out for?” Yuri took off his plasters.
“The Adelta city hospital. We came here a week ago.” Stu told him.
“Oh.”
“Give him some space.” The nurse advised them. The others moved back to their bed and Yuri was left alone with his thoughts.
Why did the reaper kill him? Who massacred Hisantrost? Why does no one know about it? Yuri went back to sleep as he wondered.
***
“Yuri.” Axel woke him up. The room was dark and moody. He heard the sound of drizzling rain from the window next to him. The clock on the table stand read ‘1:37pm.’
“Axel.” Yuri got up from his bed. He was wearing a comfortable hospital gown. “What happened?” Yuri asked him.
“I know you have a lot to ask, but that will have to wait. Can you walk?” Axel asked him, helping him to the floor.
“I think so,” Yuri had no issue with his lower body. It was tired, sure, but at least it wasn’t injured.
“We have somewhere to go.” Axel informed him. “Here are your clothes. The others are waiting for us.”
“Others?”
Yuri put on the clothes. He was pretty sure the green sweater and brown pants belonged to Stu. It fitted him perfectly.
“Where are we going?” Yuri asked them. They were all outside the hospital building, under three black umbrellas. They were dressed pretty well too.
“We? You and Axel are going to the council hall.” Tatsu told him.
“Council?”
“The Valor council.” Axel said. “They want to see you.”
“Why?” Yuri asked.
“They think you might have important information.” Axel replied. Yuri noticed that Axel was injured from the fight as well. There were various scars over his body.
“Do you? Did you find anything out?” Ada asked.
“Yeah. It’s about the Hisantrost-”
“Save it for the council.” Axel stopped him.
A limo stopped next to them. The window rolled down to reveal Hor sitting in the driver’s seat, wearing a tuxedo. Next to him on the passenger seat was Tumes, who was also dressed in similar attire.
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
“That’s dad’s.” Stu said to his brother
“Shut up.” Hor put on his sunglasses.
“Ok. Where are you all going?” Yuri asked them once he got inside.
“Sightseeing of course, It’s the capital. We won’t get an opportunity like this again.” Tatsu said. She was peeking out the window with Yuri.
“Without me and 048? That’s not fair.” Yuri argued.
“We’ll wait for you outside the council hall. 048 and Igor agreed to meet us there.” Stu said.
“Igor? Who invited that jerk?” Tatsu took her head out the window.
“He helped us. He’s not all bad.” Ada tried to reason with her.
“He did.” Yuri added.
Yuri watched the city through the tinted and rain-painted glasses of the limo. Malls, skyscrapers, police stations, and busy roads. It kept him entertained.
“Never been to the city before?” Stu asked him.
“Once. With my family, when I was little.” Yuri had barely any memories of the trip, but the few flashes of it in his mind were warm. “My dad had a business meeting here.”
“Oh, what did he do?” Ada asked him.
“He owned a swiftzer company. Daro motors. It was a huge thing back in the day.” Yuri said.
“What happened?”
“It was bought-out by a larger company.” Yuri tried to remember the name but it never came to him.
“Weird, you rarely talk about your family.” Stu observed. Yuri saw Ada giving Stu a look, a look meant to say, Don’t talk about it.
“It’s fine. They died when I was seven.” Yuri told them. He felt fine with it. “The Hisantrost tragedy. That’s why I tried to look for information on the Starship. I wanted to know.”
“I’m sorry.” Stu said. “Did you find anything?”
“I did. I think that’s why the council wants to see me.” Yuri wanted to tell them about it, but he refrained since Axel warned him.
If it wasn’t the Proximians, then who was it? Why could they have done this?
“My dad died when I was seven as well,” Tatsu said to Yuri.
“Really?” Yuri asked her.
“The town accused him of being a thief and threw us out. He never stole anything. They just hated him.”
“Why?”
“Because he was not a warrior like everyone else. Hisenji decrees every man and woman to be one.” Tatsu opened the window.
“Hisenji, the warrior town.” Ada noted. “It’s known for its culture.”
“Culture my ass, they are just hypocrites.”
“That’s rough. What happened to your mother?” Yuri asked, hoping that she would look on the bright side.
“Left us when I was three. She hated him for the same reasons.”
“You all had parents?” Tumes looked back from the passenger seat. He took off his sunglasses. “I grew up in a forest.”
“How does that work?” Hor asked.
“Were you a tribal or something?” Axel suggested.
“Not exactly, humans found me when I was 11. They took me to the city and taught me their ways.” Tumes explained.
“I have heard this before. It’s very familiar.” Stu said.
They were outside a fairly tall building. It was very flashy and modern compared to the other buildingssurrounding it.
“That‟s the Adelta city government office.” Ada noted. “What are we doing here?”
“The council is here.” Axel said. “Really? I always imagined them to be living inside
caves and forests.” Tatsu said. She climbed over Yuri and got out first.
“It‟s not their permenant meeting location. They change it from time-to-time.” Hor said to them.
048 was waiting outside the building with Igor. He had a basket full of chocolates in his hands. They came over to Yuri as soon as they saw him.
“You woke up” Yuri was crushed by 048‟s hug.
“How come both of you walked out safely?” Yuri asked.
“Sizaxian strength Yuri, you don‟t want to mess with that.” Igor said proudly.
“This is for you.” 048 gave him the basket.
“For all of us?” Yuri asked.
“Yes. The others already got one.” Igor answered him.
“Come on Yuri,” Axel called out to him. He washolding the door open.
“Well, see you guys soon.”
It was like any other government office. Boring white painted walls, busy hallways, people rushing in and out of rooms with paperwork. He found it odd. Why was the council here of all places?
“Good morning.” The woman at the desk next to the elevator greeted them.
“Good morning.” They greeted back.
“Code 9182.” Axel told her.
What?
“I see. The special guests. Floor 0. Please take the elevator.” She instructed.
“Come on.” Axel nudged him toward the elevator.
“Floor 0? That‟s like 9 and a half-“ Yuri shutted up once he saw the zero button in the elevator.
“Weird.”
The elevator light started flickering once Axel pressed the button. It took a few moments but the elevator door closed and it started moving down.
“Good morning.” Kar Arwt, Stu‟s dad greeted them once the elevator door opened.
“Mr. Arwt, What are you doing here?” Yuri asked.
“What am I doing here?” Kar said with a chuckle.
“I‟m the mayor. Of course, I have to be here.”
“Yeah right.”
“Are they waiting for us?” Axel asked him.
“Yes, they just got here. Follow me.”
This hallway was darker and lit by torches placed on the metal walls.
“I visited you last week.” Kar said to Yuri.
“Really?”
“I was checking in on you all. You were still asleep. How are you?”
“A bit tired but ok. Thank you for asking.” Yuri observed the room ahead of him. The hallway was empty except for the room they were walking
toward.
“Axel. Yuri. Mayor Arwt.” Cora addressed them at the end of the hall. Yuri hadn‟t seen her since her
the initiation ceremony. He always thought she‟d be around more.
“Sorry, I couldn‟t help you out in Tefot. I was dealing with other matters.” She apologized.
“It‟s alright, Master Cora. We know you have your reasons.” Axel said.
She nodded and smiled.
“Yuri.” She called him forward. “You have useful information for the council?”
“I think I do.” He answered.
“Good. Come in.” Cora invited him and the mayor in. “Sorry Axel.”
“It‟s ok.”
“He‟s not coming?” Yuri asked.
“He‟s not allowed to. Only a few people can address the council.” Cora led him towards the centre of the room. 5 people were sitting in tall stone chairs elevated above the ground. Three were men and two were women. They looked ancient as well. There were about half a dozen Valors on each side of the room. Yuri only recognized Kai Lung, Master Hanshon, and Master Stencei.
“Daro Yuri.” The man sitting at the center of the five chairs called out. He was bald with a pointy white beard. He also looked the oldest. “First yearstudent at Aori. You partook in the battle of Tefot. Am I correct?”
“Yes, I did.” Yuri answered nervously. All of their eyes were on him. He could feel it.
“From what I came to know, you were the one to lead your friends and professor Clif to the engine room after Master Hanshon got occupied with the reaper, Cal Harn. Is that right?”
Yuri glanced at Master Hanshon. He nodded.
“Yes.”
“I would like to thank you and your friends for their bravery. You truly saved the nation from a disaster.”
“Thank you.” He tried to smile.
“Now, I take it that you found something useful for us. Anything regarding the possible motivations of the Proximians?” The councilman stepped forward from his seat.
“The Hisantrost attack eight years ago, that was not made by the Proximians. At least, that‟s what Ryuma told me.” Yuri said.The whole room was filled with silence.
“That‟s not something Ryuma would lie about.” One of the councilwomen spoke up.
“This is indeed useful.” The bald man said.
“Who else then?” one of the others asked.
“I never found out. He was closed to telling me, but then the reaper murdered him.”
“The reaper? Cal Harn?” The councilman asked again.
“Yes. I‟m sure Axel saw it too.”
“Why would he backstab his own master?” one of the other councilmen asked. “This is bizzare.”
“Thank you, Yuri.” The bald councilman said. “We have a lot to discuss. We wouldn‟t want to bore
you. You are excused for now.”
He nodded and then walked out of the room.
“Also tell my son to stay of trouble.” The
councilman added. Yuri stopped and turned back. “I‟m sorry, your
son?”
“He didn‟t tell you?” The man sounded disappointed. “Axel Pokern.”
What?
“Why didn‟t you tell me about your father?” Yuri asked Axel as they got out of the building.
“It‟s not something I‟m very proud of. The council is made of jackasses.” Axel replied. “What‟d he tell you?”
“Stay out of trouble.” Yuri answered.
“Yeah right.”
“Yuri.” Tatsu called out from a distance. She was hanging out with the others.
“Coming.” He ran to them. The seven of them were
waiting for him.
“What‟s up?”
“We are going to explore the city.” Ada said excitedly. “We have to start now if we have finish
by the end of this week.”
“Don‟t we have class?” Yuri asked.
“Oh Yuri, you naïve thing. Second year doesn‟t start for two more months.” Tatsu told him.
“What? Why?”
“It‟s called a vacation, I don‟t know if you have heard about it. It‟s a thing where students take a break from their studies.” She mocked him.
“Ok. What do we do for two months? Stay at Aori?”
Yuri was full of questions.
“Yeah. Additional classes start by the end of next week.” Ada told him.
“Additional classes?”
“Philosophy, History, Weapon making.” Stu named a few. “It‟s just for two months.”
“Now, we have to go to the mall.” Tatsu grabbed his hand.
“The mall?” Tumes asked. “I thought we agreed on the beach. The mall‟s boring.”
“No no. The museum, the mall, the theatre and then the beach. That‟s the order.” Ada reminded him.
“That‟s not fair. We should take a vote.” Tumes argued.
“We did. Five minutes ago.” 048 reminded him again.
“Oh.”
“The museum‟s boring.” Tatsu changed her mind. “I would rather vote for the beach.”
“You can‟t take your vote back.” Ada declared.
“Says who?”
This is fun.