- - - FEATHER 1 - - -
Part One
...
...My name is Kuro.
I'm a member of a secret organization of bounty hunters. It's called Blackwing.
A small group, to be honest, but this is my life.
...
This is how my story began...
How I entered Blackwing... It's something I'll never forget...
...
...
-Unknown Location, Mysterious Lab-
... I awoke to sounds of sparks... I was still very dizzy, but not daft enough not to realize what had happened here...
Me: Ungh...
"Where am I?" I thought to myself.
* buzzing sounds *
All I could hear was a buzz. There was no other living soul in that room. I was lying on what looked like a surgery table. I was most likely in an operation room... but... That was not it...
"W-where am I..." I whispered, not knowing I was heard.
And I kept hearing that buzz, when suddenly...
"... an..ear...me"
"W-who's there?!" I yelled.
"...ou...hear me...?" It was a voice, asking me if I could hear them.
"...Y-yes." I answered, quietly.
The voice finally stabilized.
"Good. Are you alright?" It was the voice of a man, full of sympathy.
"I... do not know..." I answered, in shock.
"Also good. Do you remember anything?" He asked.
"Ungh... N-no... Where am I...? And who am I...?" I was confused. I couldn't remember a single thing.
He sighed. "First things first. My name is Roc." He said.
"You are in a Sumeragi Research Facility." Said Roc, with a calm tone.
Sumeragi... That name sounded familiar to me, somehow.
"It looks like Sumeragi conducted an experiment on you here." He said, he sounded a bit worried, but not much.
"E-experiment...?" I was in shock.
"Well, I see you are in shock. Don't worry, I'll get you outta there. I'm hacking the lab's server, so you should be able to seek the way out on your own." Said Roc, with a calm tone.
"Ok..."I said, without thinking.
I finally took my first steps, trying to avoid the corpses of dead scientists.
"What happened here...?" I asked.
"It looks like an accident took place here when we arrived for a mission. Apparently, we found something big." Roc answered.
Looks like he's talking about me. Suddenly, a door opens.
"H-Huh?" Surprised, a door quickly opened right in front of me.
"Don't tell me you do not even know what a door is?" He asked, with a sarcastic tone.
"N-no, I do... I... I just got a bit surprised..." I answered, not noticing it.
"That is your way out. Chill, I'll guide you to the exit. There will be someone waiting to rescue you." Said the calm and collected Roc.
"U-understood..." I answered. I wanted to get out of that creepy place as soon as I could.
I left the room, afraid of what might happen. The lights flickered, and there was blood splattered all over the hallway. I covered my mouth and I lost my balance.
"Ugh...!" I felt my stomach flip inside out for a moment. The grotesque view made me feel sick, and I fell on my knees.
"Whoa, slowly, kid! Don't look down and keep quiet. Everything will be fine, I promise. Follow the hallway to your left, then turn right." He sounded a bit more worried than last time.
I stood up, and followed his instructions.
I made it. It felt like learning how to walk.
"Now move onward. I'll guide you to the exit." Roc kept giving me directions, and when I thought I was going nowhere, from behind me appeared several guards.
"Subject spotted!" Said one of the guards, while pointing his gun at me.
"Oh shit. Run, kid!" Roc was serious.
I ran through the hallways without thinking, trying to avoid the guards when I finally stopped due to more guards blocking my way.
"You're surrounded now! Give up!" Said the guard, ready to shoot.
"Boy! Use your Septima!" Yelled Roc.
"S-septima?!" I had no idea what that meant.
"You are in a research laboratory! Sumeragi, no less! They should have put some kind of skill in you!" He yelled again.
I panicked as I looked to either side, surrounded by guards, when I heard a strange sound... It looked like a shadow came from nowhere and stabbed the guards. The guards then all collapsed, it wasn't just an illusion.
"Whoa! You have some good stuff, anyway, I'm glad you're fine." He said, with the tone of someone impressed.
I looked at my hands and felt the power coursing through me.
"Wh-what am I?!" I asked.
"Questions later, keep running! To the right!"
I kept running, and as more guards appeared, I just knocked them out with my power.
After more and more guards were taken down by this power, I reached a large shutter.
"Good work, slugger. You made it." Said Roc, with relief.
The last door opened before me, and on the other side... There was a girl with long, dark hair, holding a heavy gun.
"Looks like you made it! Good job!" Said the girl, while curiously looking at the hallway. She was definitely looking at my mess.
"I'm Parrot! I am here to rescue you." Said Parrot. I thought to myself right after: 'What a strange name...'
"An unexpected turn of events, am I right?" Asked Roc.
"More like an unexpected mess! We never received orders to rescue someone, but since we found this, at least, we should keep it. Tee-hee." Said the girl, with a joking tone.
"Hey... Don't talk to me as if I were an object..." I complained.
"Sorry! Oh, by the way, you don't have a name, right? I'll think of something later." Said Parrot, out of nowhere, with an easygoing tone.
Parrot destroyed a hexagonal structure... I would later learn that this structure was called a Hexapyle. and we moved on to our way out of the lab.
- To be Continued