Seto stared at the two intently "What do you mean by all that?" trying to wrap his brain around the idea that most of the world's population just died in one day.
"The actual cause for this remains a mystery. All I can say about it is around that time my circuitry went haywire for a few days after the incident occurred."
Crow appeared to have some interest in PF's tale. Perking when she mentioned her circuitry becoming interfered. Seto had beaten him to their curiosity though "What do you mean your circuitry went haywire?" A worrying tone was obviously placed in his voice.
"I was unable to perform my usual programs accurately or efficiently. I was malfunctioning to say the least until that is... until my system restore booted up a few days from the incident. I cannot say for certain what could have caused so many people to die though. But if it managed to not only kill off nearly all of the earth's total population, and mess with machines in such a manner, then I can conclude that whatever the cause was both very powerful and incredibly dangerous. You are fortunate just to be alive right now Seto."
Seto hugged his knees again, unsure of what he should even say after that. Crow noticed this and quickly changed the subject, hoping to make the sensitive teen feel better at the least.
"Why do you think those … eh, things.. took your locket in the first place?"
Seto shot him an odd look at the sudden inquisition. "Probably for what my grandfather left behind for me to watch over..." he sighed and looked down at the ground again, reflecting on his grandfather and what he meant to him.
"Which would be what exactly?"
"Why do you want to know this all of a sudden?" He had a mixture of curiousness and fear drawn upon his face now.
"Oh I don't know.. since the attack? Or maybe since you're always freaking out about it?" Seto let out a small chuckle at the hint of humor in his usual demanding demeanor.
"He left me a jewel, it's blue and was really pretty in the moonlight" Seto's mouth turned upwards just a bit more at the mention of his treasure. "I don't know what it's for, but it was something that Grandpa told me not to loose."
"Did he even tell you why?" The tone of the question told everyone that Crow was beginning to get impatient again.
Seto gulped a bit, fearing that his response would only anger the ever-changing boy. The young teen inhaled a deep breathe before replying, a shakiness in his voice "..N-no.." He averted his gaze back down to the ground, trying to avoid looking at his friend's face in fear of his frustration.
"hn, that figures as much... should it matter that much if you lost it? I mean, you don't even know what it's for." Crow's insensitivity shown through with great depth, he's never had anything he couldn't live without. The lone teen had no clue what having someone special could have been like.
"That item was special to him, his only family gave him that! How could you be so rude and insensitive? Y-"
Seto cut PF off from attempting to release any more fire upon the other boy. Previously he had been debating whether he should even tell them he still had the item with him, but after witnessing the argument forming, he decided it was best to let them know.
"PF, it's all right. I … I umm... -" "Spit it out kid, use your words." Crow smirked knowing that he was successful in teasing that young boy yet again. "So-sorry!" The teen almost panicked, wanting to avoid upsetting his new friend even further. "I.. I still have it" Seto looked up see Crow's face plastered with disbelief. "So you made a big deal about-" "Crow! You may as well not even finish that sentence." Pf warned. "Please don't fight!" Both parties were somewhat startled at the boy's desperate plea. "I want my friends to be able to get a long" He chimed in rather quickly, a shallow attempt to avert the attention from his sudden burst of desperateness, he tugged at the collar of his shirt a bit when his hopes for that were shattered.
He quickly grabbed his bag and began combing through the contents. It took him another minute to search through the dumpster he knows as a bag before he found his object of interest. Cautiously retrieving the item from the bag, he revealed it to his friends. The gem was just how Seto had mentioned in his rather vague depiction. The piece was a pale shade of blue, gleaming brilliantly against the new day's sunlight. Was not a very large object, rectilinear in shape. Crow reached for it to get a closer look but was disheartened when Seto closed his hand and held the item close to him, he looked back down again, debating whether or not letting him see his precious jewel was even a safe idea in the first place.
"Sorry" Seto had whipped his head up to look at his friend again, taken off guard by the sudden sincerity he now had. "May I see it? I promise I won't take it" He laughed and his usual cocky smile decorated his face again. Seto reluctantly gave in and handed over his memoir over the his friend, feeling the slightest bit guilty for not having trusted someone who had already saved his life more than once.
"Any idea.. what it could be?" Seto became eager to hear what the boy had to say. His muscles tightening from the suspense of waiting for an answer. An answer he hoped the boy had for him.
Crow held it up to the new day's sunlight, captured by it's brilliant gleam. "I've never seen anything like this before... it's so shiny..."
The tension released in Seto's shoulders, all hopes he had in Crow knowing what his item was, shot down. Silence emerged only to be broken by PF's calming voice.
"Scanning."
Seto startled by her sudden remark. "W-what?" sounding dumbfounded.
"Scanning." She repeated in the same tone. "Scanning complete. That gem is commonly referred to as The Bluestone. My data analysis tells me that it's an incredibly rare gem. Less than ten pieces were ever found and they were no bigger than yours Seto. The rest of the pieces were kept locked safely up in a government facility. They say there is something special about it when it shines against a full moon's light. That is all my resources tell me about it."
Both teenagers appeared as if they had been hypnotized by the news. Crow finally tore the sound barrier "So you think that they are after some qet rich quick scheme then?" a hint of sarcasm played its way through. Seto laughed at this quietly. "Those things must know something about it we don't, and were not going to get any answers just sitting around here now are we?" Crow continued on, excitement rising at the thought of escaping loneliness while exploring the desolate world with a new friend.
Seto looked at him with a desperate hope drawn on him "So.. you.. want to come with us then?" he couldn't help but let the corners of his lips rise when he said that.
"Think I'm going to let you go out on your own after witnessing that last fight?" Crow laughed out loud while Seto's face began turning red. "Of course I want to come with, what are friends for?" he sent a sincere smile back towards his young friend.
"Is your destination still eastward Seto?" PF chimed in, the emptiness creeping back into her system.
"Yeah, it's where Grandpa said to go. Grandpa wouldn't lead me to someplace unless it was for my best interest. He was a really kind person." The boy grinned at the thought of his Grandpa. Reflecting on his time with him. Crow took notice and was gentle with his next sentence "Then we should get going. Follow me to the exit"
They made their way through the maze of twisted metal and broken stalls, trash, old prizes colored in dust, and various pieces of wood and metal created their trail. It was not long before Crow lead them to their exit. The tall red tower still far off in the distance. It stood out well enough against the sunlight, standing tall and proud as if to tell the world it were something of importance. Starring at its brilliant shine reminded Seto of a book he read with his Grandpa when he was much younger.
' "Gandpa, will you read me a book?" A young child no older than six or seven asked the elderly man. The man stopped from his work and took the book from the boy. "Seto sweetie, don't you ever get tired of hearing the same tale every day?" The boy gave a huge grin as he shook his head in answer. The man chuckled and ran his hand through the child' hair and down his face. He brought his arms around the boys body and picked him up. "All right then." Was the only reply. They settled down in a comfortable reading chair, the man turned his lamp on while Seto cuddled into him.
The man began the tale, the novel of a young child who loved in such a hateful world, plaqued with drought, famine, and poverty, and was desperate for change. He found a pale blue gem exploring the ruins outside his house. Townsfolk became engrossed with greed upon the child's finding. They wanted his treasure for themselves, so he ran off with it. He kept going making a friend or two here or there, none lasted very long. Everyone he met drowned with greed. The child found his way to a tall tower and proceeded to enter. The child found a stairway within the structure, he continued rising up the tower until he finally had reached the top, where he finally felt safe.
He rested there until nightfall, where the full moon peaked out from the darkened sky. Soon after the moon's appearance on earth the child's gem began glowing. The boy was awestruck, and watched as it glowed brighter and brighter with each passing second. The gem was relentless, and the boy was beginning to become fearful of it. He gingerly set it down, and backed away from the ever continuing light. The sky began to dance with colors, the child looked beyond the tower in amazement of the lights. The people down below were watching in amazed horror as to the mysterious waves of light. The light began to shoot out, piercing through everyone's hearts nmd straight into the very soul of the lands. The people became like statues in their fear, unable to utter a single sound. With a grand finale burst of color and light, everything stopped just as sudden as it started, and people began to panic. They went on like this for a good few minutes before they realized they had no bodily harm.
They felt a great deal of anger, hate, and bitterness being lifted off their shoulders as the earth began to turn lush colors of greens and blues. Life had returned to their once bleak and dead lands. Food flourished, and water returned to their home in the rivers. The people rejoiced and the child came down from the tower. By the time he found his way back to ground level, a great number of people came to celebrate the child and his miracle of restoring their world. The boy became a hero, and his gem became a national treasure.
"Gandpa, the tower in the book looks just like the one we can see outside our home" Seto pointed out, triumphant in victory as his Grandfather told him his favorite story again.
"Yes it does, do you know why Seto?" the man gave a gentle grin as the boy adjusted himself to look at his Grandpa with his child-like curiosity.
"No Gandpa, will you tell me?"
"They say that that tower is the same one from the book. Supposedly the gem still exists today, though no one has seen it."
"Really?" The child was thrilled to hear this. "Can we visit it someday?" The boy asked with hope in his heart that his grandfather would take him there someday.
"Maybe when you get a little older Seto. The journey is a long one, it will take a few days at the very least to reach the tower."
Sadness took hold of the boy's eyes. "Oh.. ok." The elderly man just smiled and hugged the child tightly and kissed the top of his head. "I'll take you to the tower someday Seto, I promise."
The child cheered up hearing his grandfather's comforting words. "Thank you Gandpa... I love you" and he hugged his grandfather back.'
"Seto! You still with us kid?" The rebooting of his friends voice startled the boy from his thoughts.
"Huh? I-uh.. yeah, sorry.. I was just.. thinking about Grandpa again, and how he always use to read me this one story" He paused for a moment at the second reminder of his happy memories "and I realized something..."
Only took forever to get a new chapter up.
I will have to start working harder at catching my spelling and grammar mistakes, I've noticed a lot of them when I read through previous chapters...
I was going to go on a bit longer with this, but I wanted to try and get this up by tonight (and I missed the 'tonight mark' by about twenty minutes as it is...
also... this site needs an easier way to add chapters... I can never remember exactly how to do it...
