Author's Note:
(Update: 6/10/17– 1:16 AM)
There isn't really much to say here right now.. I suppose just that the plot's really starting up! Unless if there's a review reply, on to the story!
Development Time: 6/10/17-?
~Chapter 3: Loyalty~
Loyalty
Has all been thrown away
Where did all the loyalty go?
Where did it go?
Noluta Village's weather was normal, at least for its region. The harsh snow and intense cold left its mark on her and the devee. The girl thought she was ready for it, but along the journey, she realized that she couldn't be any more wrong. They were shivering and their teeth were chattering.
"W-Why did the w-warp d-devices have to b-break down now...?" Marumaro asked as he trudged to the center of the village.
"N-No idea." Zola replied. "G-Go to the inn and check in w-with the J-Jibral Guards s-stationed here..."
The freezing air was taking its toll on her, and she knew it.
"W-What about you? I-I won't let you s-stay out here!" Marumaro asked.
"I-I'll go door to door a-and ask the r-residents about the c-cyborgs..." Zola said, almost shivering aloud.
Marumaro still heard though, and while he thought it was adorable, he knew that she couldn't stay out in the cold much longer.
"No." He said.
"W-What?" Zola chattered.
"Y-You're going into t-the inn where it's w-warm.." Marumaro said. "A-Ask the guards. I'll g-get the people."
"N-No. There'll be f-fire in the h-houses too." Zola replied.
"... There better be.." Marumaro said as he allowed Zola to go into one of the houses.
Marumaro went over to the inn and opened the door. He walked in, going over to the guards.
"Do you know anything about the development of cyborgs recently?" Marumaro asked, standing near the fireplace.
"Cyborgs?" One guard said.
"You mean the ones being developed in Sinkuta Village?" The other guard asked.
"Yeah!" Marumaro replied.
"Well.. There are five engineers. Costas Selva and Jonas Ramirez are the main two. Nicolaus Mendoza, Raúl Acero, and Oscuro Sino. If you've seen the news recently, Nicolaus is dead." The guard explained.
"How did he die?!" Marumaro asked in a shout.
"I've heard sources directly from Pachess Town say that he blew himself up. He was confronted by Cesaro Selva, a cyborg, and he blew himself up. Cesaro was knocked unconscious by the blast, unfortunately, so we don't know what went down..." The guard explained. "Apparently, Oscuro and Raúl are not in Sinkuta anymore. The two and Nicolaus had a disagreement about the cyborgs' purpose with Jonas and Costas. From what I've heard, Oscuro's whereabouts are unknown and Raúl... Well, Raúl is here."
"Where in here?!" Marumaro asked.
"In one of the houses." The guard explained.
"Thank you!" Marumaro said, and he ran out.
"You seem to know a lot about the cyborgs." The first guard said.
"I had a talk with Raúl earlier. He said that he wanted the shadow wielders' shadows to be imbued into a cyborg..." The other guard said.
"What for?" The first one asked.
"I asked him that. He didn't give an answer." The second guard replied. "He insisted that I leave and that I forget what he said."
"So what now?"
"... I don't know. That devee is with Zola, so I told him what I knew in good faith." The second said, having been near the window.
The second array had a slightly red hue since the night before. Sahlia had entrusted Alyvia with the information, though she felt almost trapped by the lack of information. She went with Alyvia to see Costas, because keeping a secret secondary goal to learn all she could about the cyborgs.
Jonas had poured the two girls some tea before sitting at the table.
"Tell me about this necklace..." Sahlia said.
Jonas examined it for a second.
"This necklace was crafted and engineered by Oscuro Sino, one of the engineers who worked on the cyborgs with us previously." Jonas said, about to explain its significance. "There are nine arrays on it that are normally a dark cyan. One for each of the five engineers who worked on the cyborgs. Costas, Oscuro, myself, Raúl Acero, Nicolaus Mendoza.."
"Who was just killed." Sahlia said.
Jonas was clearly disheartened upon hearing it, but he had already known.
"Yes. He was a good friend of mine." Jonas said. "The other four arrays are for Alyvia, Cesaro Selva, who is another cyborg like Alyvia.. Oscuro only mentioned that the center array was for 'the one with the scarlet powers..' He said he read an inscription of their name on a wall of some ancient temple, but that the first and last name was scratched out."
"What did it read?" Alyvia asked.
"He couldn't make out the first name at all, but the middle name was Wanda. The last name was scratched out for the most part, but he could make out four scratched out letter S, a scratched out letter, C, H, then two more scratched out letters." Jonas explained. "The ninth array on the necklace... Well, I don't know. He didn't say who it was for. That's what scares me."
"Why?" Sahlia asked.
"You never know what Oscuro was thinking. He was a good man, but Nene killed his son, his brother, and his wife with neurotoxins, along with other people in the room with them." Jonas responded.
"Are you saying it was a gas chamber?" Sahlia asked.
"Yes." Jonas replied. "Oscuro was among three survivors. However, the other two died not long afterwards."
"How did Oscuro survive?" Sahlia asked.
"He has tubes filled with this venom that go to his heart." Jonas said. "It's horrible, though he needs it to survive."
Sahlia nodded and looked at Alyvia.
"How do we know which array is for who?" Sahlia asked.
"Their names should be marked on the back. The inscription he saw is marked on the back of the center array. The one I don't know is on the array which has an unmarked back." Jonas explained.
Sahlia turned the necklace over to its back and read all of the markings.
"There's one thing I've learned. Wisdom comes through suffering." Jonas said. "Oscuro said that the one with the scarlet powers would suffer through a lot in order to gain control of said powers."
Sahlia looked at him and nodded. She then turned the necklace back over.
"If an array is lit up red like Nicolaus' is.. Then they're dead. If it's got a red tint like Raúl's, then they're in bad condition." Jonas said. "I guess we should try to keep the arrays blue."
"Yeah." Sahlia said.
Costas called for Alyvia, so she got up and went with him to another room.
"Sahlia.. I want you to know that you can't trust everyone. Loyalties are not going to stay permanent with some people. Things are going to surprise you." Jonas said.
"Why are you telling me this..?" Sahlia asked.
"Because Nicolaus, Raúl, and Oscuro showed me that. They took most of our cyborgs from here and shipped them off somewhere else. According to Raúl there's a production facility somewhere else, and the models aren't being made to help people." Jonas replied.
"Are you saying there's gonna be a war?" She asked.
"I don't know, but you better prepare for one if there's a threat of one." Jonas answered.
"Jonas.. Things are getting much better ever since Nene was killed." Sahlia started.
"But things won't last forever. I once read a book called 'Home'. The chapter titled 'Wisdom' reads like this. 'Wisdom comes through suffering. Why'd you let yourself be titled with an unforgiving name? The time to come back home is now, because the time for playing the games of innocent children has ended. The real threat comes with the devil's beast. Technology.' We've accelerated that threat, and I realized it. That's why the five of us had our dispute. With Nicolaus' demise, it makes me realize that they are that threat." Jonas explained. "I take that book to heart, and I printed out said chapter."
He got up and grabbed a small book.
"I stitched together a book composed of that chapter. That book's title is 'Wisdom', just like the name of the chapter. I want you to have it, because there's going to come a day where you'll need to follow its words." Jonas said. "The author of 'Home' was a famous prophet named Welch. That was his name. He was one of the people who worked on Mural Town's murals before he died... The people trusted him completely, because everything he said came true."
Sahlia was listening intently.
"He was burned at the stake eventually, because they began to see him as a bringer of disasters. 'Home' was his last piece of work before he died." Jonas said. "It's something to really take into consideration... Are prophets really just bringers of disaster? I personally don't think so... The public at the time burned most of the copies of 'Home', but some are still around. Recently, we've printed out more copies and sent them out to Jibral and other places. Costas and I want to provoke more thought into the world around us... We all need to find a way to work together, or at the very least, peacefully coexist so that we can make this world become a better place and for all people to prosper."
Sahlia smiled.
"What do you think?" He asked.
"... I want to find a way for everyone to be happy. But if I can't, I at least want to find a way to have peace." Sahlia replied.
"Well... Trust me, not everybody can be happy. Not forever. As for peace... We need people who will maintain it." Jonas said. "Especially when we're dead."
"What do you think about King Jibral?" Sahlia asked.
"I feel like I can put my faith in him... He is a good man. But he is lonely. I wish I could help him, but there aren't many people who are able to get to be close to him. It's just because of one small, unexplainable thing or another..." Jonas responded.
He got up again.
"I need to work on more cyborgs, in case if there will be a war. I would like to converse with you more in the future though... You're smart. I see a spark in you that I don't see in everyone else." Jonas said.
"Thank you." Sahlia said. "I'd like to talk more too."
Jonas walked over to a room's doorway, but stopped.
"One more thing."
Sahlia looked up.
"Please... Take care of Alyvia. I trust that you will though..." Jonas requested.
"Of course." Sahlia replied.
"Thank you, Sahlia." Jonas said, and he walked into the room.
Alyvia hugged Jonas and ran out.
"Alrighty, Sahlia.. Let's go home." Alyvia said.
Sahlia nodded and put the necklace back on. She then walked out with the blonde into the darkness of the night.
Marumaro ran throughout the village, trying desperately not to slip on the ice, when he saw a man run out of a house with a dagger.
The devee only saw a red glimmer, but the man was clearly limping. The man then fell down and let out a yelp. Marumaro ran up the slope and saw that he had a knife in his ankle.
"Marumaro... Help me tie him up... He needs to give us some answers..." Zola said from inside.
"L-Lady Zola...?" Marumaro said as a rope was thrown to him.
"Just... Tie him up..." Zola said.
Marumaro brought him inside and tied him up to a chair. He then closed the door.
"Lady Zola?" He said.
Marumaro looked to the door and saw Zola curled up next to the door.
"Gimme a minute, Maru..." Zola said.
"Why are your arms... Lady Zola, you need medical attention, immediately!" Marumaro said.
"I'm fine.." She said.
Her arms were covering her stomach. They were coated in blood. Marumaro went into the cabinet, desperately searching for any sort of medical supply when he found a gauze pad.
"Disinfectant.." Marumaro said to himself.
"Maru, I said I'm fine–"
"No, you're not! You come first!" Marumaro said in a shouting voice.
However, his voice was full of panic, and she knew it. Zola sighed when he said it, knowing that she didn't have the energy to argue with him.
The devee found disinfectant wipes and a suture kit, then ran over to her without shutting the cabinet.
"Heh.. It was in the lower cabinet.." Zola joked.
"Now is not the time! What happened?" Marumaro shouted.
"I got reckless.. He got me, I got him... Just look at him, you know he's doing worse..." Zola replied.
"Move your arms!" Marumaro said.
Zola sighed, then complied, grunting as she did so. Marumaro covered his mouth.
"L-Lady Zola.."
Zola had a large, but shallow cut going a quarter way across her stomach. It was enough to cause profuse bleeding, and it was enough to leave a permanent scar in the future.
"I've suffered worse than this, Maru, just focus on interrogating him.." Zola said.
"No! This time I can't follow your order! This is more important!" Marumaro said.
"We only have one shot at this." Zola said, squinting her eyes with a lack of patience.
"I'm not gonna let you bleed until you're out!" Marumaro replied.
"Damn it, Maru..."
Marumaro was ready to start using the suture.
"This is gonna hurt.. Maro's sorry." Marumaro said.
"I don't need–"
Marumaro started using it, and Zola tried muffling her screams.
"Fucking stop, Marumaro! I'm fine, damn it!" Zola yelled.
"No, you're not! I'm not carrying you all the way back! Both you and Maro will die!" Marumaro said.
"..." Zola knew he was right, but she refused to admit it. "You don't need me–"
"Don't lie to Maro!" The devee said.
"Damn it, Maru..." She muttered.
Zola covered her mouth to muffle her screams as Marumaro finished suturing her wound. She was surprised at how well he did it when he was done.
"W-Where'd you learn how to..."
"Maro learned from Jiro after we defeated Nene!" Marumaro said.
Zola chuckled.
"No kidding, huh...?" Zola said, leaning her head against the wall.
Marumaro wrapped the gauze around her wound, then tucked it in.
"Maybe it'll keep you a bit warmer, Lady Zola!" Marumaro shouted.
"Heh... Maybe..." Zola said, slowly getting up and grabbing her blade. "Marumaro!"
Zola pushed him out of the way, then swung her blade. The man had gotten out of the ropes and had charged at them with a knife.
"..."
The man looked at his arm, which was then bleeding. Zola had cut off the hand that was holding the knife. It then took some time to sink in for him.
"Lady Zola..." Marumaro said.
Zola kicked the man back into the chair.
"Pull another stunt... I'll cut your other hand off..." Zola said.
"Lady Zola, you're in no condition to–"
"Fuck that... I'm not going to let anyone tell me what I can't do right now... We need to interrogate this guy." Zola said.
"You're Raúl, aren't you?" Marumaro asked him. "Raúl Acero."
"... How the fuck do you know my name...?" Raúl asked.
"I got some intel earlier... You're one of the five engineers for the cyborg program." Marumaro replied.
Zola let the devee take the wheel, since he had a lot more information than she did. She had nothing, so anything was a lot more.
"Tell us about the cyborg program. Now." Marumaro said.
Raúl laughed.
"You're a silly little devee if you think I'm telling you anything... Your friend is going to kill me anyways. I'll only be a liability to you two if I'm alive... And you definitely can't take me back with you!" Raúl said. "But! I'll tell you one thing. Sinkuta's gonna have a bigger problem than the gang war..."
Zola punched him in the stomach, specifically in one of the cuts that she had dealt to him.
"Talk." Zola ordered.
"You're going to kill me anyways." Raúl said.
"Who's to say we won't make you suffer first?" Zola asked.
"Your king. The Noluta Accords say–"
"The king isn't here. Nobody is here. It's just us three right now. So get to talking." Zola said.
Raúl spit on her shoulder, which caused her to walk into the kitchen and grab a lemon.
"I said talk." Zola said.
Raúl's array on Sahlia's necklace slowly grew redder, and she figured that he was in danger.
"Alyvia.. Do you think that cyborgs could be a threat?" Sahlia asked.
"Ones like me?" Alyvia asked in reply.
"No. I mean... Ones suited for war and killing." Sahlia said.
"I mean... When you say it like that..." Alyvia said, and the two saw a lone figure running toward the mayor's house.
"Alyvia.." Sahlia said. "Follow me!"
Sahlia started running after the figure, and Alyvia followed her. The two got to the house and opened the door.
"Don't move, or I'll blow his fucking brains out!" The figure said, holding a revolver to Chief Ramos.
Sahlia and Alyvia stood still.
"We can talk about this..." Alyvia said.
"There's no talking to be had." The figure said.
"Yes there is..." Sahlia said. "I remember you from Devour Village."
"It doesn't matter now. He's gonna pay me big time for this. He told me that he'd fix our village if I did this." The figure said.
"He's lying to you." Sahlia said. "And stop playing the pronoun game!"
"Aren't you a stuck up bitch?" The figure said.
Almost as if they were synchronized, Sahlia put up a barrier around Chief Ramos and Alyvia shot the figure straight in the wrist, causing them to lose their grip on the revolver. Alyvia then retracted the gun in her arm.
"Would you like me to cut his hand off?" Alyvia asked Sahlia.
"... Up to you." Sahlia said.
The tables had turned and the boy started begging for mercy.
"Please... We just need to make our village recover..." The boy said. "Don't do this..."
"It doesn't have to resort to murdering the mayor... He's innocent." Sahlia said.
"It's a matter of money! We need financial aid, and Jibral ain't doing shit! And you've just gone there and abandoned us like the coward you are! That boy should've just let you jump off the cliff and kill yourself..." He said. "You've got no reason to live, Sahlia! You only care about yourself! All your 'friends' are gonna die, and you'll be alone. But then again, you've always been alone!"
"Shut up!" Sahlia said, and she brought a barrier around the boy's neck, bringing it to crush it.
"Why...? Because you're going to be alone for the rest of your life...? Because the boy you 'love' has eyes for the other chick...? She was always hotter than you anyways...! That boy's totally gonna rail her before he ever rails you... And you're gonna grow old and hang yourself because nobody ever gave a fuck..." He whispered, since his airway was being compressed by the barrier.
She then made a red-violet sword out of magic and cut both of his arms off, before driving it into his neck.
He cried out in pain at first, however, he then started laughing.
"The hell's so funny?!"
"I got you... To lose control..." He said, and Sahlia made the barriers and sword disappear.
"No.." She whispered.
The boy fell onto the ground and coughed up blood.
"We need to get him medical help!" Sahlia said.
Alyvia checked his pulse.
"I'm sorry, Sahlia, but he's dead..." Alyvia said.
Sahlia backed away.
"Fuck... No, no, please no... Why... Why did I..."
"It's not your fault." Alyvia said.
"I killed him... I-I..." Sahlia stammered.
"Don't kick yourself over it." Alyvia said.
"That's easy for you to say!" Sahlia shouted.
"Sahlia... Don't let what he said get to you... It's not true..." Alyvia said.
"It's too late now!" Sahlia yelled.
Alyvia hugged her, but Sahlia pushed her away.
"You don't understand! I killed someone!" Sahlia said.
"Did I not do that yesterday, Sahlia?" Alyvia asked.
"..." Sahlia said nothing, instead hugging Alyvia and crying into her shoulder. "Fucking damn it... I-I..."
"Sahlia, is it?" Chief Ramos said.
Sahlia nodded in Alyvia's shoulder.
"Well... Thank you for saving me. I appreciate it. The very least I can do is make sure this goes unsaid. I'll get you a grave for him in Devour Village." Chief Ramos said.
"Really...?" Sahlia said, still crying in Alyvia's shoulder.
"Yes. You saved my life, after all." Chief Ramos replied.
Sahlia didn't notice, but the second array lit up.
Raúl screamed, but he refused to talk.
"I may need to give you a real reason to talk." Zola said.
She thrusted her blade down onto the chair right in front of his pants.
"If you don't talk, then we're gonna have chopped peanuts in a minute." Zola said.
Raúl slipped out of the ropes yet again, grabbing a knife and swiping toward Zola. Zola was prepared, swinging her sword toward him, chopping off his four fingers besides his thumb. The knife fell out of his hand.
"Maru!" Zola said.
Marumaro grabbed the knife, but Raúl dove at the ground. He grabbed the knife that Marumaro held between his thumb and his palm.
"Fuck you both!" Raúl yelled, and he sheathed the knife into his own neck. "See... You... In hell..."
"Damn it!" Zola said as Raúl's body went limp.
"Sorry, Lady Zola..." Marumaro said.
"The hell are you saying, Maru...? It's not your fault at all." Zola said.
She patted the devee's head, then tore out the floorboards one by one.
"What are you doing?" Marumaro asked.
"Hiding the evidence." Zola said as she put the body and the knives underneath the floor.
"Won't he smell eventually?" Marumaro asked.
"We'll be long gone by then. We'll be long out of their minds... Besides." Zola said.
She got a snow shovel.
"I'm gonna improvise." Zola said, smiling a bit.
It had been like they committed their own cold blooded murder, even though they didn't. Zola dug up the ice in what seemed like an hour. She then put his body in his ice.
"I have to thank you for mentioning the smell.. I didn't even think of that." Zola said.
"Y-You're welcome?" Marumaro said, feeling completely guilty for Raúl's suicide, since Zola was hiding him like she killed him.
She put the ice that she dug up back on his body. It was softer, almost like snow. It was like dug up dirt when creating a grave in the soil.
Zola then put the floorboards back.
"The only way anybody would be suspicious is if they felt that it wasn't hollow, didn't hear the sound of it being hollow, or if they felt that the floorboards were loose." Zola said.
"Lady Zola... Sometimes you scare me." Marumaro said.
"Yeah, but you still don't ever want to leave my side." Zola replied with a smirk.
"I mean... That's true, Lady Zola..." Marumaro said. "How are your stitches holding up? Were you being cautious while digging or were you in pain?"
"Both. I was in pain, but the stitches didn't tear.. I'll be fine until we get to Jibral." Zola said. "Thanks for stitching me up... Despite me saying not to."
"You're welcome, Lady Zola." Marumaro said.
"It seems you got all the information we need anyways." Zola said.
"Yup!" Marumaro replied.
"Good. We need to get out of here, now." Zola said.
Shu walked through Jibral, wondering what to do. He had become incredibly bored since the world became peaceful.
Sure, it was what he wanted. But he didn't know what to do once it became reality. He walked over to the castle and went to the courtyard to think.
He had seen King Jibral do it before, and he saw that the king was there then as well.
"King Jibral?" Shu said.
"Oh, hello, Shu. What brings you here?" The king asked.
"It's just.. I'm bored. I'm glad it's peaceful and all, but there's nothing to do!" Shu replied.
"I see..." King Jibral said.
He would've figured something more serious if it was any of Shu's friends, but he knew that Shu didn't dwell on it as much as them.
It served as a good advantage for the boy, as he was never burdened by such a thing. Still, it left him as the odd man out.
"I forged my own sword, killed a bunch of monsters in front of Jibral, but it wasn't even a challenge..." Shu said. "I wish I had some sort of challenge."
"Be careful what you wish for, my friend..." King Jibral said. "You're smart. But the words you say may come back to haunt you."
"I'll be fine. As long as I never give up, I'll be a-okay!" Shu replied.
"Just keep your wits about you." King Jibral said.
"What if we sparred?" Shu asked.
The king smiled a bit, realizing that the answer was funny. Real, but funny.
"My guards would freak out. Think it's real and probably stab you before I could get a word out." King Jibral responded.
Shu smiled as well and they both started laughing. Alyvia walked into the courtyard, immediately getting their attention.
"I figured I would find you here.." Alyvia said.
"Yes, Alyvia. What is it?" King Jibral asked with a smile.
Alyvia handed him a paper which caused his smile to fade. He read the contents of it with a neutral expression.
"... I see." The king said.
He handed it to Shu. The boy began reading the letter.
"To all of my friends, to the king, and to Shu. I've decided that I need to leave. I need to go home. I killed a man today, somebody I knew. I know it sounds stupid or forced, because you guys are used to it... But I'm not. I never killed anyone. I'm a normal person, or so I would like to believe. I don't know anymore. To take the life of another person... I can't handle that right now, I can't show my face to you guys right now. I just need to spend some time to find myself. I've always felt like every life matters... Maybe it's my problem. If it came to one of you guys being in danger, I need to learn not just to be able to pull the trigger, but to live with it. That's what I'm going to do. The way I murdered the man was one of pure anger, hatred, and brutality. Maybe someone like you can handle it, but I can't. He used to be my friend. He didn't have all the wrong motivations. I could've talked it out. However, I just need to go elsewhere. I know there's something calling for me, something that I'm looking for. But I will return some day. And when I do, I'll be stronger. I'll have a stronger mind. I'm frantically jotting down anything I can think of... There's so much grotesque imagery in my head, and it scares me. It reminds me of my home, of when Nene was around... I remember him injecting us with what he called a fear toxin. I think I understand it completely now... It was a fear toxin, it was something to make us irrational. Maybe I'm just thinking irrationally because of what happened, but I've always had pictures going through my head, scared that you all would die... We all grew a new particular fear of blood, just seeing it drove us to madness... And although the toxin has mostly been filtered out of my body, some of it is still there. It's what causing me to go insane because of the murder I committed... It caused me to be scared of Alyvia when she protected me. I'm still scared of what she can do, but only because of my irrationality. The streets are getting smaller though, and I have to leave... But I'll come back. I'll come back." Shu read to himself.
The letter was signed by Sahlia. Shu handed it back to Alyvia.
"By her request I'm going with her." Alyvia said.
"I wish you luck." King Jibral said.
"Yeah!" Shu added.
"Thank you." Alyvia said, and she started walking away. "I already showed it to Jiro and Kluke, so you don't have to worry about that."
Alyvia closed the door behind her, making her way out of the castle. The blonde walked all the way to the castle gates where she was awaited by the brunette.
"You ready?" Alyvia asked.
"Yeah." She replied.
The two left Jibral and started heading north. The journey to Devour Village wouldn't be as harsh as Zola's and Marumaro's to Noluta Village, but it would still be one that the two would go on alone. Sahlia held the book that Jonas gave her tightly. She knew that it was something she needed to keep in her head. She looked down and saw that the second array was lit. That's when she realized that Raúl was dead, having been distracted the entire time until then. The sun had finally set, and the two would need to be even more cautious until daylight. Ultimately, Sahlia knew that she needed to visit her home. It was calling out to her for a new purpose. She was ready to face any trial before her and become stronger for the group.