I AM SO SOOOOOOOOORYYYYY!!!! I hadn't realized that it had been so long since I posted a chapter until I received a rather impatient review the other day. (To ff7 fan, thank you for getting me off of my lazy butt to actually sit down and write out the rest of this chapter!) Were I actually able to see you all, I'd probably get down on my knees and beg for forgiveness, but I can't, so I'll do it digitally. (*Gets down on knees and begs forgiveness*)
Anyways, this is mostly a filler chapter, but there are a lot of key details revealed in this chapter. If some things don't make sense, they will more than likely be explained in future chapters. (Yay for cliffhangers! Although, it seems like I leave you guys on cliffhangers for far too long, so I'll try not to this time... o.0) I also tried to interject a little humor, so hopefully it won't be too boring... o.0
Please R,R, and Enjoy!
"… No… The pain… It's too much…"
Sounds reverberated around the empty space, shattering the blackness in a chorus of dismal echoes.
"Come… Come to us…"
"You cannot hold on…"
"You are weak…"
Curling into a ball, he put his fists to his ears, trying to block the voices.
"N… No…! Stay… Stay away!!! … Leave… Leave me… alone!!!" He lashed out, trying to strike at the darkness swirling around him, but his arm only met empty air. A harsh, shrill laughter echoed through his mind, shattering his thoughts and viciously tearing at his soul.
"Join us… Join our chorus of darkness…" The voice trailed off into a low hiss, coiling around his heart and strangling it.
"Go away!!!" He screamed, desperation clearly audible in his voice. "Leave me alone!!!"
"Surrender… and submit!!!" The voices grew in volume, and the noise was almost deafening. Then suddenly, a loud crack silenced the voices. He opened his eyes slightly and saw that light was pouring through cracks that had opened in the floor. Another deafening crack, and the floor gave way, causing him to descend into an infinite chasm of darkness.
"Nooooooooo!!!"
Chapter 6: A Ritardando of Revelation
"Nooooooooo!!!" Haseo screamed as he bolted upright in bed, sweating. He was almost instantly pushed back down by an immense wave of pain coming from his right leg. He lay with his eyes closed for several seconds, still trying to get a grasp on reality, but the pain was almost unbearable. Finally, his head stopped spinning and his senses returned to normal. No darkness, no voices.
"I guess it was a dream…" He thought sourly, with a twinge of relief. "It sure felt real, though…"
Haseo massaged his temples, trying to relax, but then realized in shock that he was using his left hand. He looked at his hand, turning it and flexing it, making sure that what he was seeing was real. Sure enough, the hand was every bit as real as the rest of his body.
"How is this possible?" He thought. "Didn't Innis…? How did it…?"
"It would seem that you are awake, Terror of Death," A voice called from the other side of the room.
Haseo turned his head to look, and saw a young man standing in the doorway. He was dressed in what looked to Haseo like traditional Japanese clothing, and had a complacent look on his face. He strode into the room, walking to a large cabinet on the wall.
"It certainly took you a while, you know. You've been asleep for quite a long time." The man said, opening the cupboard and rummaging through various bottles and flasks. "Still, that is to be expected, I suppose. Your first battle, and you lose an arm and a leg. You really should be more careful, Terror of Death." Haseo could hear the sarcasm in his voice, which irritated him. He pulled out a small green glass bottle and carried it over to Haseo's bedside.
"Um…" Haseo started, "… who the heck are you, and how do you know me?"
The man laughed. "My apologies, Terror of Death. I find myself so often alone that I forget common courtesy." He placed the bottle on a small table next to Haseo's bed and bowed.
"It is an honor to meet you. My name is Tooru Uike. You may call me Sakaki."
Atoli sat at a small desk in the little room that Sakaki had provided her while she and Haseo recovered from their battle. She set down the pencil that she had been writing with and sighed. She had been restless ever since she had woken up, and the fact that Haseo had not regained consciousness had disturbed her. She picked up the pencil again, and attempted to write in her journal for the seventeenth time.
She tried desperately to make the words flow, but a dam of frustration blocked her ideas from melding with the page. Her hand began to shake from the pent up irritation within her, and she dropped the pencil and ripped out the page she had been attempting to write on, crumpled it up, and threw it against the wall. It fell behind her bed and out of sight. She slumped back down and tried to stifle the tears rising in her eyes and the sobs in her throat. A single phrase was revolving in her mind, echoing torturously behind every thought.
You have failed again, Atoli.
"No!" She cried, shaking her head. "It… It wasn't my fault! It wasn't my fault that he was…"
Stronger than you? A voice in her mind seemed to echo in response.
"Yes! It's not my fault!" She screamed. "I couldn't control how powerful he-"
You can control how powerful you are.
"Eh…?" She sat up straight, tears welling up in her eyes.
You could have made yourself stronger than he was. You could have practiced. It wasn't his fault for being stronger than you; it was your fault for not making yourself stronger than him.
"Stop it!" She cried out in her mind, being too choked up with sobs to respond verbally. "Just stop!!"
And now you're paying the price for being idle and disobedient. You will forever suffer as Atoli; forever will you be a failure. It was entirely your fault, and there is nothing you can do to escape that.
"I said stop!!!"
And that is not your only punishment…
"What…!?"
You have lost your talent as well.
"…!"
You have lost your gift, and it is gone forever. It can never be reclaimed.
"No…!"
You will forever be a failure.
"… No…!!"
You will never be worth anything.
Atoli fell sideways off of her chair, curled up in a fetal position, and cried.
"… No…"
"No way!!!" Haseo shouted, backing away as far as he could.
"Please, Terror of Death," Sakaki said patiently. "You need to drink this if you have any hope of ever walking again." He held the bottle out. "And besides, it is not as bad as it smells."
"I already told you! No way am I drinking that crap!" He stated with finality. "It smells like something that died, came back to life, fell into a slag heap, and then died again!"
"Terror of Death, I can always restrain you and force you to drink it. However, it would be much more convenient for the both of us if you took the medicine willingly." Sakaki held out the bottle one more time.
Haseo eyed the bottle suspiciously, then decided to swallow his pride and took the bottle. With one hand, he plugged his nose, and with the other, he raised the bottle to his lips. With one swift gulp, the foul medicine was down his throat. He took the bottle from his mouth, unplugged his nose, and nearly gagged. Sakaki chuckled, and took the bottle away from him. He walked over to the cupboard again, replaced the green bottle and took from it a clear one with a light red fluid inside. Haseo, who had finished gagging, eyed the new bottle apprehensively, for fear of being forced to take more revolting medicine.
"Terror of Death…" Sakaki said quietly. "You are strangely not inquisitive, I have noticed. Do you not wish to know where you are, or what role I play? Why I am here to heal your wounds?"
Haseo thought for a moment, and then a thought struck him. "My mirror! Where's my mirror!?" He frantically searched his pockets, but the black mirror was nowhere to be found. He began to hyperventilate, fearing that he had lost it.
"Relax, Terror of Death," Sakaki said calmly. "Your mirror is here." He held up a large lump wrapped in a black and red cloth.
Haseo sighed with relief. "Can I have it?" He asked anxiously.
"Not until you are finished healing, I am afraid." Sakaki said. "If I give you access to your power now, before you are finished healing, you may only injure yourself further."
"Oh… I see." Haseo said quietly, a touch depressed that he couldn't talk to Skeith.
"However," Sakaki continued, "I will answer your questions, if it is within my power to answer." He pulled up a wooden chair and sat down at the foot of Haseo's bed.
"Alright, then…" Haseo mused for a few moments, before coming to a decision on what question to ask. "I guess to start off, who are you? I know you're Sakaki, but what are you?"
"Ah… a fascinating inquiry. I have been commissioned by Morganna to heal her children if the need arises. The battles do often get so bloody."
"Excuse me," Haseo interjected. "But, "battles"? There have been other battles before?"
"Of course, Terror of Death." Sakaki replied. He then thought for a few seconds before continuing. "The veil over your memory is most likely still thick, so you are unaware of this fact, but…" He let the sentence trail off, as if he was unsure whether to continue or not.
"But…?" Haseo asked, urging him to continue.
"But… the Children of Morganna are at war with one another." Sakaki finished.
Haseo stared at him for a few moments. "At… war…?" He asked. "Is this some sort of joke?"
"I assure you… this is no joke." Sakaki said firmly. "You are at war with your siblings. It is a war that has been raging since the beginning of time. And the battles will only get bloodier from here, Terror of Death. Now that you have successfully overcome the Mirage of Deceit, you have made a place for yourself in this war. Your siblings will more than likely lay cunning traps to ensnare and enslave you."
"My… siblings…" He let his words trail off, as his thoughts wandered, lost in endless possibilities. "So… what exactly happened when I…" He paused, wondering how to put the strange power he used into words.
"… Data Drained The Mirage of Deceit?" Sakaki finished for him, almost reading his mind.
"Is that what it's called? That weird power?"
"'That weird power' is what ended the fight between the two of you. Data Drain is the ability to wrench your opponent's power from them and add it to your own. It is a power exclusive to the Epitaphs and their Epitaph Users, the power that will decide this war. It will allow you to build your strength and overcome your siblings. Undoubtedly, you felt stronger after your battle?" He asked.
"Stronger?" He echoed, thinking back to the hazy moments before he lost consciousness. "It wasn't really that… it was almost overwhelming, for lack of a better word." He answered.
"I suppose that's to be expected, Terror of Death." Sakaki said, shrugging. "It was your first Data Drain, after all. You are hardly accustomed to large amounts of power flowing into your body. It was possibly just too much for you to handle at the time."
"I see…" Haseo said thoughtfully. It was then that a thought struck him. "What happened to Atoli? What did the… Data Drain…? What did it do to her?" He asked, concern carefully hidden in his tone.
"You need not worry," Sakaki replied calmly. "Physically, The Mirage of Deceit has almost completely recovered. However…"
Haseo eyed him suspiciously. "However…?"
Sakaki sighed. "She seems to be having a tough time, as of late. She is having difficulty recovering, mentally and psychologically."
"What!?" He tensed all of his muscles, but doing so caused the wound in his leg to shoot needles of pain up his leg. He winced, and Sakaki handed him the small bottle of red liquid.
"Drink this," He said. "It will numb the pain. I meant to give it to you earlier, but it slipped my mind." Sakaki noticed the suspicious look on Haseo's face and shrugged. "Personally, I think it tastes much better than the previous medicine."
Haseo wasn't convinced, but he took the bottle anyway. If it would make the pain go away, then he didn't really care what it tasted like. He downed the bottle in one gulp, with only a small gag reflex. Sakaki took the bottle back and got up to replace it in the cupboard.
"The Mirage of Deceit merely needs emotional support," Sakaki continued. "And that kind of emotional support can only come from her Master."
"Master…?" Haseo asked. "Do you mean that Ovan guy?"
"The Rebirth? No, of course not." Sakaki said. "The Rebirth would never give her emotional support, even if it cost The Mirage of Deceit her life."
"Then who..?"
"You, of course."
A young man walked through a long tunnel, with a determined look on his face. His long blue hair was swishing back and forth behind him, and his hands were clenched into tight fists. The walls of the tunnel were gray, with long lines of flowing blue lights running along its length. He was moving briskly, not wanting to be any later than he already was, for various reasons. Coming out of the mouth of the tunnel, he met the first of those reasons. A young woman was waiting for him with a very impatient look on her face. She was tapping her foot on the floor, emphasizing that she was not happy with him. From behind the glare of her glasses, he could sense a very strong anger being directed at him.
"You're late." She said curtly.
"Yeah, sorry about that, Pi." He replied apologetically. "I was-
"Sorry isn't good enough!" Pi interrupted angrily. "I don't want to hear your excuses! You need to stop avoiding your duties! You are the Propagation, and you are also my servant! You should know better than anyone else that a terrible punishment awaits us both for your incompetence!" She then walked up to him and punched him in the jaw. "Do you understand, Kuhn!?"
Kuhn massaged his jaw, and then replied, "Yeah."
"Look at me when I'm talking to you, you eight-bit excuse for an Epitaph User!" She grabbed his face and forced him to look her square in the eye. "What did you say?"
"Yes, ma'am." He said, with a sigh of defeat.
"That's better." Pi said, relaxing slightly and releasing him. "Now come quickly. Master Yata is calling us. It is apparently urgent."
"So I heard," Kuhn said, as they walked through the antechamber towards the main room of the Serpent of Lore, their main base of operations. "I also heard that it has something to do with him?" He ended with a question.
"Yes." Pi replied, keeping her eyes straight ahead. "It is something concerning the Terror of Death."
"Man, oh, man." Kuhn said, scratching the back of his head. "This can't be good. It's been nothing but headaches since he awakened."
"You're telling me." Pi said stiffly.
They entered the main room of the Serpent of Lore. It was a large chamber with a pedestal set on the top of a set of stairs. All around them, large holographic projectors were displaying many images of the many worlds of the Epitaph Users. In the center of it all, standing on the large pedestal, was a tall, powerful-looking man dressed in a red garb, who was watching the screen in front of him intently. In one hand, he held a large, golden fan which he snapped open and shut at times. He did not turn when they entered.
"Pi. Kuhn. You have arrived." He said with calm composure.
"Yes, Master Yata." Pi said with cold professionalism. "For what purpose did you summon us?"
"I have called you to inform you that the Terror of Death is currently in recovery." Yata stated matter-of-factly.
"Recovery?" Kuhn asked, his inquisitiveness getting the better of the instructions that had been beaten into him long ago by Pi to 'never speak in Master Yata's presence'. "Does that mean that Haseo lost?"
"No." Yata said firmly. "He easily defeated the Mirage of Deceit with the power of his Avatar."
"Fool." Pi said, turning to him. "Haseo is much stronger than we had ever anticipated. Our initial predictions were nowhere near accurate, and you think that the Terror of Death would have lost to someone as weak as the Mirage of Deceit?"
"I guess you're right…" Kuhn said submissively. "Sorry."
"It does not matter." Yata interjected. "The fact of the matter is, that we need to take action now. He will only become stronger as time progresses, and if we leave him too long, then we will have no chance of overcoming him. Pi?"
"Yes, Master Yata?" She responded, straightening up.
"Have you finished the preparations?"
"Yes."
"Good. The back-up plan is set. I expect you to successfully bring him here, Pi."
"Of course, Master Yata." She said. "It is an honor to serve you."
"Very well, then." Yata said with finality. "You both are dismissed."
As they left, he turned his attention inward. "I will prove Morganna wrong. I will stand victorious in this war. I will defeat Haseo, and with Haseo's power, I will defeat Ovan. All of the pieces will neatly fall into place once the Terror of Death is my servant…" He laughed inwardly and set to work once again.
"I'm WHAT?!?" Haseo cried, reeling back slightly.
"Now that you have Data Drained the Mirage of Deceit, you have obtained mastery over her power, and, by virtue of that fact, have become her Master." Sakaki said calmly. "It is all part and parcel of the war that you have been forced to fight. You will understand eventually that-"
"But," Haseo interjected, "what does that mean? Atoli's my friend, not my servant!!"
His own words made him pause for a moment. "My friend…?" He thought to himself. "Is she really? After all of the awful things that she did to me, can I really still think of her as a friend…?"
"It is unavoidable, Terror of Death." Sakaki said nervously, as Haseo's outburst was rather startling. "It is how it is supposed to be. You cannot change the fact that the Mirage of Deceit has been bound into your service. Her power is now being shared between the two of you, flowing through both of your veins."
"Her power, huh…" He thought sourly.
Sakaki added cautiously, "There are many advantages to having your sibling as a servant."
"Advantages…? Advantages!?" Haseo yelled angrily. "What good could possibly come from enslaving my "siblings"!?"
"Please, calm down, Terror of Death… You are going to injure yourself if you do not…" Sakaki said quietly. "For example, they can no longer use your true name as a weapon against you."
"Use… my name… as what..?" Haseo asked, confusedly.
"I'm almost certain that the Mirage of Deceit has told you this before," Sakaki began, "but names have a large amount of power."
"Oh yeah… Skeith said the same thing…" Haseo said, remembering the battle. "My name… is a weapon against me…?" He thought.
"Your true name, the one that you go by in your original world, can be used as a weapon against you in other worlds," Sakaki continued. "By having direct contact with the person and saying their name, you can force that person to do anything. Freeze, tense up, remain silent, heal themselves… the possibilities are endless."
"What? Why do our names give us such a weakness!?" Haseo asked angrily, clenching his fists.
"Of that, I do not know," Sakaki replied sadly. "However, not everyone can use your name against you, Terror of Death. Only other Epitaph Users can utilize this weakness. Oh, and as I said before, your servants cannot use this weakness; at the same time, the effect on your servants is greatly increased when you use their name against them. Also, this weakness can only be used while you are not in your original world."
"Wow…" Haseo said, awestruck and slightly confused. "I had no idea… my name was so important…"
"It is only one of the Epitaph User's great weaknesses…" Sakaki cut the sentence off, and looked fearful, like he had said too much.
Haseo picked up on his hesitance. "Wait a minute… "Only one"? Does that mean that there are more weaknesses that I don't know about!?" His anger rose again.
Sakaki sighed, and looked to be debating something with himself. He shook his head and decided to concede the information. "You have another…" He said finally.
"Another…?" Haseo repeated, urging him to continue.
"One other weakness." Sakaki said quietly. "It is a weakness that all Epitaph Users have, but it manifests differently in each."
"Well, what is it!?" Haseo asked impatiently, as the suspense was killing him.
Sakaki stared at the floor, and thought for a moment before speaking very quietly. "Your Fatal Flaw."
"My… Fatal Flaw…? What's that?" Haseo asked, confused.
"It is a weakness that you hold with you for your entire life." Sakaki answered. "Morganna gave each of her children one to counter-balance their incredible power."
"Counter-balance…?" Haseo repeated, utterly lost.
"For example…" Sakaki said quietly, "I believe that your eyesight is your fatal flaw."
"My photophobia?" Haseo responded. "But… that's just because I'm albino…"
"Yes… The difficulties that present themselves because of your condition are to counter-balance your immense amounts of power. You are the strongest of the Phases of Morganna, and I believe you are also Morganna's… how should I put this…? Her favorite."
The only response Sakaki received was a blank stare.
"I suppose you don't remember it… The veil over your memory is still very thick." He said, shrugging. "You will remember eventually, as you progress further in this war and Data Drain more of your siblings."
"Wait, what do you mean by that?" Haseo asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Simply that every time you Data Drain one of your siblings, the veil gets weaker. In short, more of your memory will return the more you use Data Drain." Sakaki finished.
"So, basically, I have to Data Drain the rest of my "siblings" if I want to ever remember?" Haseo thought.
"Wait," Haseo said, thinking back to Sakaki's explanation. "You said that as I Data Drain the other Phases, I'll get more of my memory back. Right?"
"That is correct."
"If that's the case," He continued, "then why haven't I remembered anything new?"
"I'm certain it will come to you soon, Terror of Death," Sakaki said calmly. "You just need to be patient."
"Patient… right…" Haseo said, downhearted.
Sakaki stood up. "I believe that you should try to get some rest, Terror of Death. That leg will not grow back without sleep."
"Right…" Haseo said, lying back down. Sakaki walked over to the door and opened it, and then flipped a switch on the wall, darkening the room.
Sakaki stepped out of the room, and as he closed the door, he said quietly, "Sleep well, Terror of Death…"
Atoli was curled up in a fetal position on her bed, tears streaming down her face. The voice in her head had long since stopped torturing her, but the words that it had said were still echoing around in her mind. It was the worst torture that she could imagine. Her own thoughts were ripping her apart at the seams, breaking her will.
"I failed… I failed Master Ovan…" She thought. "I'm worthless… nothing but a failure…"
"I couldn't even complete… that one thing… the only thing he asked of me…"
"Haseo… He'll probably just throw me away… He doesn't want… a failure like me…"
"I… I can't think… I can't think like this…! Haseo won't… throw me away… He'll be… a good Master…"
"I… I have to be a good servant… I have to make up for… all of my past failures…"
"I will… serve Haseo… with all of my heart! I have to… devote myself… my entire being… to him…"
She turned over and cried harder, the tears staining the white pillowcase.
"I must not fail… I can't fail… For my sake… and for his…"
She closed her eyes, and let her thoughts trail away into sleep.
"Haseo…"
It was two days before Haseo's leg grew back completely. It was another half of a day before he was able to walk on it without any pain. During that time, Sakaki felt that it wasn't the best idea for Haseo to see Atoli. When Haseo questioned why, Sakaki simply replied that she had too many things that she needed to sort out for herself. Haseo agreed that it probably wouldn't be a good idea for him to see her. Either way, Sakaki had said that he would be well enough to leave the next day anyway.
Haseo was sitting at the desk in the room Sakaki had given him after his leg had re-grown. He wasn't really doing anything productive, just sitting at the desk drumming his fingers on the table. He was interrupted by a knock at the door. Without turning to look, he shouted for the person to come in, assuming it was Sakaki.
The door creaked open and Atoli entered.
"… Haseo…?" She said weakly.
The sound of her voice made him jump. He turned and looked at her, which he hadn't done in at least six days. She was ordinary Chigusa, dressed in similar clothes to him, a white shirt and long white pants. Her eyes were red and puffy.
"Atoli!" Haseo remarked, startled. "What are you doing here? I thought Sakaki didn't want us talking to each other while we recover…"
She looked away from him for a few seconds, and then took a deep breath, as if she were preparing herself for the worst.
"I'm sorry… I just… I needed…" She looked like she was desperately floundering for the right words to say. "I needed… I needed to talk to you."
Haseo tilted his head slightly in confusion. "Okay," He motioned for her to sit down in a chair next to him. "What do you need to talk to me about?"
Atoli sat in the chair, fidgeting uncomfortably. She looked around nervously for a few moments, and then found the right words.
"I just… I needed to talk to you. I just feel really insecure right now, and… I… wanted you to help me." She looked like she was on the verge of tears. Haseo looked at her, and then a cynical little voice inside his head began to whisper to him.
She's just a traitor. Why should you help her? She was going to try to kill you, to try to make you a slave. Why should you even care about her?
He thought about it for a moment, made a decision, and then replied; "Because she's my friend."
Hrmph! Some friend. The voice then shut up. Haseo had a sudden longing to talk to Skeith. Listening to the other voices in his head was annoying. They were constantly berating him about one thing or another.
"But then again, so does Skeith." He thought sarcastically. He then turned his attention back to Atoli. "How does she expect me to help her? Is she looking for some sort of consolation? An assurance that I'm still her friend? What does she want from me…?" A single word then surfaced in his mind.
Forgiveness.
"That's it." He thought.
"Haseo…?" Atoli asked, looking ready to cry. "I need to ask you something."
"What is it, Atoli?" Haseo replied, looking her in the eyes. She immediately looked away, but then took a deep breath and steeled herself.
"Do you hate me?" She asked.
Haseo closed his eyes, laughed inwardly, and then opened his eyes and faced the question.
"Atoli, I have to tell you something." He said calmly.
"What is it?"
"For the past few days, I've been wondering the same thing myself. Do I hate you? How can I like you after what you did to me?" Atoli winced. "What possible reason could I have to ever want to see you again? I was almost convinced that I could never forgive you.
"But, then I thought that I needed to think about it from a different angle. Why not think about it from your perspective? It's certainly not fair to only look at this through my eyes. So I thought about it, and realized that you probably didn't really realize exactly what you were going to be doing when Ovan ordered you to do what you did. And even if you did, you probably didn't realize what would happen after spending three weeks with me. We became friends, and things changed. You didn't want to fulfill your orders. And when I thought about that, I felt a bit better; I thought that I could maybe forgive you."
At the sound of the word "forgive", Atoli's eyes lit up and she looked stunned.
"But then I thought that that wasn't really fair to me. I can't really just forgive you and forget about what you tried to do to me. You almost killed me, Atoli. I can't just turn a blind eye to that."
She looked at the floor, her hope crushed.
"So, I want to make you a deal."
She looked back up at him. "A… deal…?"
"Yes, a deal. I'll forgive you for what you did, and we can still be friends. But you have to agree to a few conditions."
"Conditions…? What are they?"
"You can't think of yourself as my "servant"." He practically spat out the word. "And also, you can't call me "Master Haseo". Is that fair?"
"If I may ask, why not?" Atoli asked quietly. "It seems like all of those conditions would be taking away from you…"
"You're wrong."
Atoli was taken aback. "What do you mean?"
"I hate the idea of "servants" and "masters". As far as I'm concerned, you and I are friends. Nothing is going to change that." He tapped his foot. "Well, I'm waiting. Will you accept the terms?"
Atoli looked stunned. She then seemed to come to her senses, and nodded vehemently. "Yes, Haseo! I accept the terms!" She then sprang forward and wrapped him in a tight hug. "Thank you! Thank you, Haseo…!!!" Tears of joy streamed down her face. Haseo blushed, but didn't pull away. He wasn't going to be overly-protective of his personal space when the thing that she needed most at the moment was comfort. After a few seconds, he pulled away, and she blushed apologetically. They sat in silence for a few moments, and then a knock came at the door.
"Master Haseo?" Sakaki's voice came through the door. "I can't seem to find Atoli. You haven't seen her, have you?"
"You can come in, Sakaki." Haseo replied. "She's in here."
The door burst open and Sakaki entered. He seemed shocked to see them together, and he seemed equally surprised to see that Atoli was smiling happily. He simply stared at the two of them for a moment, and then shook his head.
"The two of you are perfectly fit. You are free to leave tomorrow morning, if you so choose. Haseo, Atoli, your mirrors."
He held out two bundles of cloth. One was black and red, the other was light blue and light green. Haseo reached out and took the black and red one, and Atoli took the other. Atoli stood up and excused herself, saying that she and Innis had a lot to talk about. Sakaki followed her out, and they shut the door.
Haseo sat on his bed and carefully unfolded the cloth. He stared happily at the little mirror that allowed him to communicate with the other half of his mind. Its shiny black surface that seemed to perfectly reflect his face, and the beautiful red gems that were set in it. It had been destiny that had brought him to that mirror that had thrust him into these foreign worlds.
Or had it?
Now that he thought about it, wasn't it odd? That the old man would have this very mirror in the basket of random pocket mirrors that he handed out to the class? Why was it there? Did the old man find it by accident? Or was there something else going on?
Was Old-Chan involved somehow?
He picked up the mirror and felt the familiar rush of warmth. It suffused his body and made him feel complete. He closed his eyes and was enjoying the feeling, when a loud voice interrupted him.
YEAAAAH!! FINALLY!!! Skeith shouted, his excitement at being able to talk to Haseo bubbling over. He then settled down and spoke normally. It feels like it's been forever!!! And I can tell that your leg and arm are all nicely patched up. Sakaki sure can do his job, I'll give him that. And plus, we're stronger now! Everyone wins!
"No kidding, Skeith." Haseo replied, equally happy. "How are you doing?"
Not bad, kid. Not bad. I was pretty lonely, though. I do understand why Sakaki would say you couldn't have the mirror, but come on! I get really lonely! Haseo knew that if Skeith had a body, he would be pouting right then. He laughed at the mental image. What's so funny, kid?
"Nothing. I just didn't think you were the type to mope. I missed you too, by the way." Haseo said happily.
So, what are you going to do?
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Atoli.
"What about her?"
Oh, come on, kid! You talk big, but it doesn't change the fact that she's your servant. You may make her think that she's not, and you may treat her like she's not, but it doesn't change anything. You still hold power over her, even if you don't want to. All you have to do is barely touch her and say her real name, and she's powerless to resist your will. I know you find it exciting; don't deny it, I can see your thoughts.
"And for that very reason I'm not going to treat her like a servant."
What?
"Atoli's last master was horrible to her. Ovan treated her like less than dirt. I only saw them interact once, and that was the impression I got. That's why I don't want to treat her like a servant. I don't want to become something like Ovan; I don't want to be someone who abuses their power and position at the expense of others."
Heh, that's a laugh.
"Why do you say that?"
Because it's in our nature. We are the Terror of Death! We kill, and find joy in killing! That is who we are! Did you not feel the rush of battle when you battled the Mirage of Deceit? I know you felt it. The feeling of euphoria that comes when you are so clearly superior to your opponent. When you brought your scythe down upon Innis, I know you felt excited, ready to kill, prepared to stain your hands with the blood of another purely for the rush it gives you-
"Just stop!!" Haseo interrupted abruptly.
…?
"I'm not some kind of sadistic mass murderer! Don't talk like that!"
…Heh. Deny your nature all you want. It will become apparent in time.
"…"
There's something else I wish to discuss with you, kid.
"What is it?" Haseo asked.
Shino.
"Shino?"
Yes.
"What about Shino?"
Her alliance may have changed, but her loyalties have not.
"What are you talking about, Skeith?"
She has part of the power of the Mirage of Deceit. Haven't I told you this before? When you Data Drained the Avatar of the Mirage of Deceit, you not only conscripted Atoli into our service, you also obtained power over Shino.
"What!? Shino's trapped in this too!?"
Yes. Does this not raise a rather straightforward question?
Haseo thought for a moment. "Yeah. "What role does she play in all of this?" It would be hard to imagine that if she knew about her true nature, it stands to follow that she has some hand in all of these events."
Exactly.
Shino smiled.
They should be ready to leave the sanctuary any day now.
The plan would proceed.
All they had to do was bide their time and the pieces would fall into place on their own.
"I'll serve you to the best of my ability, Master Ovan…" She said quietly.
Ovan turned and beheld his only ally. "It would seem that the next victims of his forgotten rage have been decided."
"The Temptress and the Machinator?"
"… Why, yes… That's absolutely correct."
Heeheheheheheheheeehehehhehe. Spoilers for next chapter are wonderful.
As you can clearly guess, En-sama and his creepy stalker make their appearances in the next chapter! I'm sure all of you Endrance fans are just swooning out there, so I'll try to do him some justice.
The massive delay was mostly due to lack of time, a working computer, and motivation. I will more than likely have more time to write now, though, (Yay for getting out of a math class!) and I have a new laptop, and plenty of motivation again. So, hopefully I'll be able to update more often than I have been, because I really want to keep this story going. (People! REVIEWS!!! I NEED REVIEWS!!! They are my motivation! If I don't feel like I have support, I will take longer to write!! I'm sorry, but that's how it is, people.)
Again, I'm sorry for the delay, and there should be more action coming soon!