AUTHOR'S NOTE: I am terribly sorry for the delay for a month or so. I've been busy with school so expect a long gap in chapter publishing! Once again, I'm sorry about that. But please, enjoy this chapter!

ARC I:

Antinomy

Chapter IX

CLASHING


I was trapped in a poorly lit room, lit with a single hanging lamp over my head. The walls, the floor, the ceiling, entirely made of concrete, a dull color, a very boring one. I sat in a metal folding chair, beat up, and my arms chained behind me. It was a bad situation for me, one that I wouldn't ever dreamt to ever be in.
How did I get here, you ask? Oh, it's quite simple, really. After I was taken away from Emigrace's office, I was sent here right away. As soon as I got here, they chained me to a chair and beat me senselessly. Afterwards, a superintendent came by and spoke some gibberish nonsense to me, now, I don't even know what to think anymore. It has been, I dunno, days or weeks since my apprehending. My memory before that seems so fuzzy, I can't seem to recall what happened before I got here. It's funny isn't it? I remember this feeling, this feeling of hopelessness, I felt that when I was unable to remember anything that happened within my own childhood and early teens. It's quite laughable to the sick, sadistic outsider, because they know the torture was a success. I glance over to my side, there is an empty syringe at my feet. I have been drugged during my time here.
At this point, a sane person would have already made the choice to leave the school, but I can't. Leaving the school with such sensitive information is prohibited. Doing so will enact the policy of death or exile from the main city. So I don't have a choice but to fight, fight to live. Everyone is forced to fight, they stay because they value the lives of their family, and since Emigrace is my guardian, if I leave, she leaves with me, that's how it works. What I do, she's also responsible for.
My ears caught the sound of footsteps, I lift my head to take a look at the door, expecting someone. The metal door opened slightly, two Illusion Academy students walked in and stood by the door, acting as bodyguards for Vice-Commander Thalus who walked in soon after.

He carried small container in his right hand. "You interested?" he asked, noticing that I was looking at the container.
"..." I looked at him in pure silence.
He sighed, "hey, say something... cat got your tongue?"
I opened my mouth to say something, but Thalus kicked me in the stomach, causing me to spiral down onto the floor with my chair.
"You might be asking yourself, 'why am I here? I did nothing wrong. I was simply angry,'" he boasted, looking down at me, "you know, I really hate your guts."
I coughed up blood, "why is that?" I asked in a gruff sounding voice.
"Everyone seems to trust you, even though your personality is so shit, which would hinder your ability to cooperate with others. Yet, they still believe in you. It doesn't make sense to me. Is it because you're one of the top students? Is that why they respect you that much? And to top it off, even Yami respects you," he slowly walked closer to me, then lifted his boot over my face and stomped on me repeatedly, "despite your ass being from the Light Faction in the first place!" he seized his violence and placed my chair back in place.

I felt pain on the right side of my head, I could feel the blood rushing out. It felt as if my head was being squeezed by a thousand tons of force. "..." I spat out some more blood.

The two students at the door said in concern and fear, "erm..! S-sir! Can you not hurt the dude any longer? The superintendent made it clear to keep him alive!"
"This is perfectly fine. It's just to exert my authority and power over the boy, it's necessary," Thalus replied slowly.
"You seem to have lost your respectful tone... haha... what kind of professional are you..?" I laughed softly.
He scoffed, "don't get cocky kid. Don't you see what position you're in right now? Are you stupid?"
"I heard answering questions with another question is a product of stupidity. Kinda selling yourself out buddy," I smiled wryly.
"You got some tongue," he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, "anyway, down to business, look," he held the container he was holding up to my face. Through the glass cover, it contained two syringes, filled with some liquid.
"'You see, Yami gave this new tech we are testing to use on you. It's something that will be handed to you specifically for the Calamity Project. We'll get back to you on details on you and your friends' roles in the mission another time. For now, we need you to test these, booster drugs," he explained.

Booster drugs? I thought.

"You see, we are experimenting new tech to use against the Light Faction. Being the traditional bastards they are, we decided to show them how tradition's going to get them nowhere by taking them down with our superior technology. It's foolproof! Well, that'll the case so long as no idiot gets their hands on such a viable resource such as these drugs," he smiled, "do you accept? If not... we'll kill Emigrace," he said in a carefree manner.
I gritted my teeth, "what kind of sick bastard-" he placed his fingers on my mouth, shushing me.
"This is all so you'll cooperate," he said.

In the end, I accepted to test the drugs. They would set up a battle arena for me to test the effectiveness of the drug and the side effect on the user. Accepting this task was a hard thing for me to do since there is so much on my mind right now, I didn't want to think about fighting at the moment. But I had no choice but to accept unless I wanted myself and my guardian to die. So, to protect both of our lives, I have to choose the hard route for myself. The arena was located in Dillith's Overlord Dome, a place in which sporting events of all sorts would be held for the delight of the public. I guess right now, I'm now "entertainment" for the people of the Darkness Faction.
I made it to the arena through a transportation convoy going through the city. I spoke to the driver, he told me the arena was going to be closed just so I could test the drugs, stating so the public won't go into a panic and riot because of a small test. That makes sense, I forgot that what Illusion Academy does is a secret to the public, other than the information that the brass allows to pass to the public.
Suddenly, Ayako's face flashes into my mind. I guess her words do have a major influence on me.

"Where's your free will?" her words echo in my mind.

Now that I have a free mind, I kinda understand her question now. I guess I still didn't have a free will at all still. I lied to her during that ambush attack a month ago then, stating that I had a free will, when in reality, I still don't. I'm just another dog working underneath the iron fist of higher power. If that's what she meant, then I haven't really improved at all. Well, there're only two more months till we possibly meet again. There's no guarantee, but I do have a strong feeling I will meet her again.

I stood by in a dark hallway, waiting for the doors to the arena to open. I couldn't really get Ayako or everyone else off my mind at this point. I took the container with the drugs in my hand, only to tighten my hold on it in frustration.

"Booster drug," Thalus announced the name, much to my surprise. I turn around to face him in a bit of a panic, his calm voice frightened me.
"B-booster drugs?" I asked, looking for confirmation.
He pointed at the case I was holding, "those are booster drugs. These drugs are used to enhance human physical capabilities, and by ejecting it through any part of your body, the drugs will take effect almost instantly."
"Why are you telling me this?" I asked, curious.
He scoffed, "I'm getting the idea that you really are an idiot," he sighed and continued, "I'm telling you this because you need to know what they do when you use them, simple enough. Really use common sense, unless your mind is deteriorated or something."

Of course, I know that, but I wanted to know more about these "booster drugs," I thought.

"Well, I only came here to give you an explanation. Good luck with that match of yours," he waved goodbye, heading off in the opposite direction.

I hear the doors behind me screech open, as the bright sunlight pours into the dark, bleak hallway.

A voice rings in my head, "use the drugs, and complete your task, slaughter the enemy."

At that moment, I lost all thought. I took out the single syringe out of the container and slid the box across the glossy flooring. I stabbed my arm with the sharp needle, pressing down on the top of the syringe, ejecting the fluids into my body, allowing it to flow within my system.

"Ahh..!" I felt pain, sharp pain. As if I had been stabbed in the chest with a thousand knives at once. But I felt the energy flow through my body as if I was pumping with adrenaline.
"... Understood," I muttered, pulling out the syringe from my arm and tossing it onto the ground, watching it snap in half. I turned around and faced the exit and dashing wildly into the arena.

...

"Good work, Yuuki," Yami patted me on the shoulder.
"..." I replied with silence.

We were in the convoy, back to Illusion Academy. I had no recollection of the prior events. But seeing Yami praise me for my efforts, I assumed I had just completed my fight in the arena, and used the drugs Thalus provided me for testing.

With the drugs coming back to mind, I perked up instantly, "e-excuse me, but where did you research the booster drugs?" I asked.
He held the bridge of his nose, thinking to himself before speaking, "we recently developed these drugs for use in our laboratory."
"For what purpose?" I continued to question, being curious.
He smiled, "for the final phase of the Calamity Project," but his smile turned into a frown, "... that was the initial plan, but after evaluating your actions, I have come to the conclusion to reserve them for you to use in case of emergencies. I wouldn't want to endanger our most valued soldier."

Valued? Since when? I don't recall anything I have done that the Commander would actually value me for anything. Unless it was about obtaining the Orichalcum, but I found that to be very minor, I thought.

Commander Yami is a very influential person. Using his gift of speech, he reached out to the citizens of Dillith with his ideals and how he plans to remake Darkness into a much better place. Clearly, he is a force to be reckoned with, someone of this much power shouldn't be taken very lightly and should be addressed to with the utmost respect, anything less would be considered an insult in the eyes of many. If this were a historical novel, he would be referred as a hero. Heroes in ancient past are known to bring change where they go. Now his second-in-command, Thalus, is almost completely different from him. From what Emigrace told me, he only rose to power thanks to his own actions in the military, enabling him to be good enough to stand underneath Yami. He's just a few years younger than Yami but he isn't enrolled into the academy, he's in the actual Darkness Faction military. He's impulsive, reckless and lacks respect from what I've seen, I don't know what to expect from Thalus, but I don't particularly expect anything good to come from him. That's just the gut feeling I have.

"As for your involvement in the Calamity Project, the Elite Division and several squads of the Advanced Division will attack Sillith, their main city, we have informed the other side of our arrival," he explained.

Hearing how they contacted them about the date of the war is baffling to me, why on earth would they tell them? A flutter of questions fills my mind as I wonder about the logic our commander is running at.

He laughed playfully, "haha. Judging from your confused expression, you might be questioning why we are telling them. This is a war, it's only suitable to tell them when we're fighting to resolve the issue at hand. That issue being their reluctance to join together with us for the perfect utopia I have in mind."
I tilted my head in confusion, "but aren't you just really planning to take them over and cover it up as joining together?"
"Haha. Yes, but the perfect utopia thing was just a cover-up to hide our true intentions from the public. Playing off the war as them denying the Calamity Project and revolting. I had all the citizens believe we are only in this war to make the Light Faction accept our demands and we even had them believe that the army is in the war-well they are, but most of the participants are the students of Enlightenment Academy and Illusion Academy," he explained in his stern voice, even now a chill runs down my spine every now and then, each time I hear his tough voice. It pierced through my soul with each word that came out of his mouth, if this were a real battle, I would be on my knees, gasping for air.
"I have one question," I held an index finger up, catching his attention.
"Hmm.. what is it?"

I have been wondering about the Keyblade, sure, this is pretty broken thought process, but I want to know where did the Keyblade come from. Something so strange, something so out of this world like the Heartless, why is that? If anyone would know this information, it would be Thalus. He isn't a history teacher, but he is the person who reintroduced the Keyblade to the Darkness Faction back when Heartless were swarming the towns.

"Is there any sort of.. back story about the Keyblade?" I asked, which was quite unexpected for him to hear, judging from his wide eyes.
"I never expected you to ask me such a question, Kazu," he laughed softly.

Neither did I, but it has been poking at me ever since I looked back at my Two Become One recently. I don't believe it bothered me when I was younger I mean, I hardly remember my childhood, but surely I would have a nagging feeling about the fantasy-like style of this weapon I'm using.

He cleared his throat, "well, you are aware of Yin and Yang, correct?" he asked calmly.

I nodded in response. It hasn't crossed my mind ever since Ace mentioned it to me before the Expedition Mission a few days ago, but that's about it. I do remember minor parts of it here and there, but it's still fuzzy.

"Well, according to several history books, both countries, or sides, as you will, were once one. Our ancestors believed that separating was for the better, for the balance of Light and Darkness, Yin and Yang, essentially. Later down the road, the Keyblade was created after dividing ourselves. The Keyblade originated from Yang, and they were used as weapons of protection against the Heartless," he explained, keeping up his stern tone.
"Then, how did the Keyblade make its way to the Light-er. Yin?"
"Haha.. one of the blacksmiths who knew how to properly wield the blade and was the founder of the blade became a traitor and snuck into Yin, where he passed down this knowledge, apparently," he said, quite unsure.

Blacksmiths? That term stuck against my curiosity. The Keyblade was made by blacksmiths? I asked myself.

"Blacksmiths?" I asked, confused, "they were able to make this type of sword?"
Yami sighed, holding out his hand and summoning his pitch-black Keyblade, it had a pretty sincere design, despite the rough feel of the blade which is the vibe it gave off; rough and smooth. "They were able to create the blade through some really weird ways, one would call it witchcraft. They were constructed in a similar way swords are, but something in the process changed the sword dramatically into a Keyblade. That's as far as I know it anyway," he frowned, "but why are you bothering yourself with a history lesson? From recent reports, they told me you were in confinement!"

Right, confinement, I bitterly thought.
Hearing that word just worsened my mood. I felt every bone in my body twitch at the mere rising of that memory, that dreadful memory that made me remember the back-breaking pain of the physical and mental abuse I was subjected to in that cold, gray room that was so dull to look at for hours, while having someone in front of you giving random lectures and the Thalus' bodyguards beating you down to the pavement like some gangsters in old hipster movies.

"It was a misunderstanding, but even so, I was still subjected to torture I didn't deserve," I pouted.
"Ahh... that is quite unfortunate," he said.
"I'm hoping Emigrace is safe and sound, in her office, doing what she usually does every day."
"Emigrace? Oh, she is your guardian after all. It must've slipped my mind, I apologize. ut I assure you, Emigrace hasn't been hurt in any way since you were gone, but I have to say, you are quite mellow about this."
I gave him an angry look, "huuuh!? Mellow? You're not very good at reading expressions, Commander. Besides, I have been used to physical violence for quite a while, from the previous number of times I have been thrown into that isolated cell and beaten almost half to death, which, by the way, is getting really dull."
"Hahaha... please elaborate on that, Kazu."
"Even though the guys doing the beating is different every time, their methods of punishing is nonetheless, the same."
"Well, that wouldn't work out so well, would it? We would have to make everyone learn a different type of technique, but it'll take too much time and effort to find the SMALLEST way they could be different. You still feel the pain anyway, right? So really, there's no point," he calmly explained.
"You got me there," I smiled wryly.

The conversation became lighter and lighter with each passing second. We talked for what seemed like ages but was really just twenty minutes. I now figured out new information about the Calamity Project while I was at it. Truth be told, it was fairly interesting and the parts where Yami had to trick the citizens didn't really bother me much. It would bother my friends if they were here with me, because of the lying and spreading false information to the public and other things. But if you dive into it more, if you were in shoes, wouldn't you do the same? It's hard to picture myself in Yami's shoes, giving such a grand speech from time to time, but having to push your own ideas forward to appeal to a massive audience, he only did what was easier for him. Telling the truth would only cause riots and such, after all, he wants everyone happier, so, he decided to accelerate human civilization with this project.
I hoped that he would at least know more about the Keyblade, but with the weapon being so elusive in nature, it was only natural he wouldn't know a lot. I guess I have to go back and read my history book about the weapon myself. Although, I do wonder what made the founder of the Keyblade betray the Darkness and shared the knowledge of the blade with the Light. Thinking about what historical figures had thought during their time is amusing in its own take. But at the same time, you really wonder what made so-and-so do this, and what made so-and-so do that.
In any case, Yami only told me a handful of things about the Calamity Project and some good backstory of our neighboring factions. I did find it interesting they were previously called Yin and Yang, instead of just plain Light and Darkness.

...

I finally made it back to my room after a few days. Yami had Thalus discharge me from the confinement room, because of the success of the booster drug test I had to take. It still bothers me why they had to put me into that room after what happened in Emigrace's office. Like really, it could be something that can just as easily be overlooked and no one would care.
My body felt heavy as if something as hit my back with a thousand pounds and forced me to carry all the way up a hill. I must be tired, after all, I still have nothing to recall the drug test and fight I had in the arena in Dillth, so it has to be something regarding the earlier case with the Minotaur Heartless I encountered. I shouldn't give too much thought into it, I'm really tired.
After checking my door, to see if it was locked, I tossed myself onto my bed. I slowly closed my eyes and lured myself into a deep slumber for the day.

...

I woke up after two hours, still in my bed, and still gazing at the white ceiling of my room. Surprisingly, I didn't hear knocking from my friends, I would think that they would immediately come check on me as soon as I got back. Because according to Thalus and Yami, I was confined in that room for a few days, and on the night I was apprehended, I made quite a ruckus as well. Surely, would alert nearby students that I had gone missing, because I do remember swinging the door opening loudly and dashing to Emigrace's office that night.
I opened my mouth and exhaled a long sigh.
At times like this, I really wish I could see how they are doing or at the very least, what they are thinking. I can't really assume what they're thinking, in the same way, I imagine people in my history books think.

My eyes widen at the new thought. I lift myself off my bed and the first thing I did was pull out my history book from my backpack. "I almost forgot! There might be some information about that blacksmith here!" I muttered to myself as I flipped through the pages of the two-hundred-page textbook.

I found a few pages regarding the Keyblade and the blacksmith.

"The Keyblade was founded by a blacksmith way up in the mountains," I read the paragraph, then looking over to the picture mentioned, which highly resembles the mountain patterns surrounding the academy. I lowered my eyes and read the caption underneath it, "these mountains are now the site for Illusion Academy, the blacksmith's cave was never found during the construction process."
I continued to gloss over the contents of the page, "the blacksmith, Ron, was referred as a wizard, a witch, and some, a master, after revealing a key-shaped weapon that can conjure mysterious forces from nature at the user's will, and defeat the mysterious shadow creatures-later called Heartless-with ease. The townsfolk were both at ease and angered by such a thing. There were people who would praise the man with such a creation, and those who would disregard the good nature of the weapon and spat all the bad things that could come with great power. But with time, Ron gained followers to he guided to his mountain to train in the art of wielding and crafting the weapon. He explained that the weapon chooses its master and will stay with its master. As he demonstrated by summoning his weapon-which he later dubbed to be the Keyblade-out of thin air. His pupils were amazed by this act and were motivated to start training right away. Eventually, the entire townspeople had Keyblades of their own, which made him very happy. However, he trails off on his own, without notifying his pupils, but only to leave a note stating that he would be going to Yin to teach them the invention of the Keyblade."

Interesting, very interesting, indeed, I thought to myself. I would never have thought that people would be against such a weapon, well, I guess that's too be expected if you were to see something so extraordinary out of the blue, killing Heartless in one fatal swing.

I continue to read the passage, "after that, the rest of his pupils decided to continue their training to forge more Keyblades and document the abilities of the Keyblade. Before long, the townsfolk decided to drop the use of the weapon, as the shadow creatures' numbers dwindled with each passing day. Ron's pupils decided to move their training area to another secluded area in the mountains, passing down their knowledge of the Keyblade to their descendants as time passes. By that time, everyone in the small town forgot about Ron. It is unknown what became of him after venturing to Yin." I closed the book, laying it flat on my desk. I folded my hands together and pressed it against my forehead.
"How could they just forget about him? Wasn't he important?" I muttered to myself.

Trying to delve too much into history is just going to leave me with more questions regarding what I'm learning. Thinking too much about it will take me away from the reality I live in. I would assume that's the glory of reading; how it whisks you away to a land of thinking and imagination as you picture the environment around you.
I take a peek out the window, to peer at the orange and blue sky as the night overtakes the sunlight. A time where the sparkling moon will overtake the bright sun and the land will be covered in darkness. From the words of higher officers, the night will be your best friend out in the battlefield. The dark cover of the night sky will keep you safe, invisible to the enemy lines who are outlined in clear white. Just don't make a sound, and you'll be protected.
They're true in some aspects of that, but I highly doubt Enlightenment Academy would wear their uniforms in the war. We even take our combat bodysuits for camouflage under the night. It was a smart tactic that every military officer with some form of intelligence should know.
I inhale and exhale, forming a deep sigh as I lower myself down to my chair, "all this free thinking got my mind off important things?" I whisper to myself.
Maybe I'm thinking about too many things right now. My past concerns about my friends, school, and myself as a whole. Is this what youth is like? The main character in "Dark Blight" has to deal with growing up from a kid to an adult, and coming to terms with the negative things about himself on his journey. That character may have left some sort of influence on me, maybe that's why I sound like a novel character. It really does sound weird, doesn't it? I mean, people would get the impression that I'm easily influenced by pretty much anything, really, assuming they get to know me. But what really gets me thinking from time to time is how people really think about me. I know how Yuro views me, from my conversation with him in the shower room; which was both unsettling and awkward to have, despite the light tone he would constantly give off 24/7. He said he wanted to see the world through my shoes and how he wanted to learn more about me. Which was pretty interesting to hear, coming from him. It really makes you wonder how much a person struggles and how much you don't really know how someone else really feels unless you dig into it and uncover the dirt-concealing it and bring it out into the blazing sun. Come to think of it, I haven't heard what Selena or the rest of the girls think about me. It just sparks curiosity in my mind, the kind that I don't know how to spell unless I explore it for myself.

I stand up from my chair and stretch out my arms and legs, tired from sitting all for a few hours. I take a look at the camera hanging above my closet door. At the same time, I press the button on my earpiece, turning the mic on, "I almost forgot you have a camera in my room," I smiled for the camera.
I hear static feedback on my mic, "oh, hahah... I kinda forgot too," Emigrace nervously laughed.

Why is she flustered? Unless she is still a bit guilty about the incident a few days ago and the argument before that. I haven't forgotten about any of it, but I want to talk it over. I haven't been fair to anyone lately, I highly doubt I deserve Yuro's kindness or everyone else's forgiveness.

I spoke softly, "hey, can I come talk to you?"
"Sure! Anytime is fine."

I nodded to the camera, and I made a dash to the door, hurriedly slipping on my black dress shoes. I opened the door slowly and closed it without a sound, then I jogged all the way to her office. I passed by a couple of students on the way, they were just coming back from their extra study time, I assumed. All of them looked like they were having fun, with their casual chats with their friends, filled with laughter and smiles.
At that moment, I felt a shock through my brain, as a new possibility formed within my trail of thoughts. I want to have fun, that was a single thought. Usually, I would be emotionless as hell during school and mission, refusing to speak with anyone. But because of my interactions with my newly found friends, I felt different than before, way different. As if their laughter and familiarity softened the stone-cold heart I thought I had. It all started after meeting Ayako! After hearing her question my way of life, I lost for the first time in my career as a student-soldier. Through that, I was able to meet new friends through that one failure. One by one, I met new friends, and I learned more and more about those friends. I really don't know what it means to be a "normal teenager," but staying with my friends gave me something that can only amount to be the "normal lifestyle" of a normal teenager I've read in "Dark Blight" and other novels. But again, I don't really know what can be counted as normal, I can only guess based on the fictional novels I've been reading.

I stood in front of Emigrace's office once again, the memory of me being apprehended flashes into my mind. I frown to myself, displeased with that situation. I shake it away and knocked on her door.

"Come in," I hear her call from the other side.
I take hold of the door handle, pushing it down and slowly moving into the lit room. I close the door behind me and I wander over to the couch nearby, setting myself down, I began to talk: "still nothing on my past, huh?" I asked.
She frowned and nodded, "I'm sorry."
I waved my hand and shrugged it off, "no need. After all, I should be apologizing to you, for yelling at you in such a rude tone a few days ago.. haha..." I laughed nervously.
She giggled, "now you're the one who's nervous."
"Hey," I said quite sternly, "I'm bad at expressing these things."

I may have been rushing this too much, so taking it on a much slower path would be much more rewarding than the hurt and drama this caused me. Well, I'm glad things got patched up quicker than I imagined. It wasn't right that I burst out in front of her so suddenly, putting my own demands on the table, rather than sharing it with hers; it was unfair. So, it was only natural to apologize.

She smiled, "you were always one to lack understanding."
"I guess so."

I return her smile with another, showing my affection towards her. She was someone who I was deeply affiliated with wherever I went in the Academy. Plus, being my guardian, I always felt a strong attachment to her. The lack of knowledge in my past is a bit frustrating, though, did I misword it? I'll test to make sure.

"Well! Can you tell me a little bit about my time with you?" I try to ask normally, but it all came out in a nervous wreck.
She looked at me in surprise, "oh, sure!" she said brightly, then continued in a more lowered tone, "but I don't think it will provide insight on your time before that.."

I was completely fine with it since that was the "past" I wanted to know. The time before that is important, yes, but it's not like she would know any of it.

I crossed my legs, "that's fine. I just wanted to know more about my past."
She stumbled back in her chair and fell over to the floor in absolute shock. She violently grasped her desk with one hand to lift herself up. Her expression of shock clearly read: "WHAT!?" I felt amused watching that unfold, as I sat there, a smile plastered mentally and physically.
"I never believed that you'll ask me about that!" she said, absolutely surprised.
"Careful, don't get that tailored suit dirty now. I wouldn't want to see your cleaning bills by the end of the month," I smirked.
"She smiled viciously, "why you little..."

I suppose she didn't like my snarky comment, I thought.

I crossed my arms, continuing, "I thought women are supposed to be softer," I smiled, "am I wrong?"
"Dammit Kazu! Don't screw with me!" she roared in a demonish voice, with a dark aura surrounding her, figuratively.

I decided to put down the jokes and continue with the topic before I get suspended for verbal abuse to a supervisor.

"Anyway, we should continue with my past, shall we?" I say in a lighter tone, attempting to soften the mood.

The dark vibe and aura she emitted vanished within a second as if she transformed from her darker self to her innocent self.
Women are scary! I thought. Well, I've seen similar things happen with Xiu, so I guess I can picture such a thing.
She picked up her chair off the ground and placed herself back on it. Taking deep breaths, she finally returned to normal levels of sane. Which is the more preferred state of mind I wish for everyone to be in. Much more tolerable when I'm being serious, but knowing that I'm being a complete jerk now, I can't help but excite myself to throw more abusive words at her. But that'll be mean, especially because she's my guardian and is pretty much the reason I'm here.

She cleared her throat, "ehem. I first met you seven years ago, right?" she asked for confirmation. To which I nod in response, allowing her to continue: "yeah, I met you around seven years ago."

She closed her eyes, giving me the impression that she was picturing the events in her memories, trying to forge a better explanation for me. Which is pretty thoughtful for her since I'm always giving her information from missions right down to the detail, so she must be returning the favor. That's what I like to think, at least.

"Seven years ago, we, the Darkness Faction came back to Sillith, the main city within the Light Faction which was still named Yin before their upbringing. From there, we attacked those who opposed us, and I happened to be accompanying them on the mission of bringing any suitable people for our plans. I met you in a nearby burning house. You were bawling like the baby you are today!" she brightly spoke with confidence.
"I expected more from someone older than me," I sighed in great disappointment.
"..." she growled, bitterly. "Anyway, remember that I said I sensed a 'gift' inside you? Well, at that moment, I felt something special when I saw you, so I brought you back to Yang, which was already renamed 'Darkness Faction.' From there, I was tasked to take care of you and train you for Illusion Academy. It was already established two years prior to the launch of the first attack on Silith, and recently, they introduced the combat curricular system to be necessary to enter the school, as well as average academic scores," she folded her hands.
"I'm guessing Commander Yami was the one who proposed military training?"
She nodded, "correct, he passed it during one of his speeches after he was elected by the people of Dilith."

It would surprise me if the brass didn't accept his proposal, after all, Yami has a lot of power at his disposal at that point. I thought.

"So, that was his first order of business, huh?" I calmly asked.
Emigrace sighed, "yes, he had a huge sum of money and power at the time. And given his position and huge support from the entire population, they wouldn't say no to him."
"But his proposal was sound, right? There's no way someone of a higher power could just accept his proposal right off the bat," I argued.

The room's atmosphere was silent. Cold as day, black as night. As if we were discussing something insecure. I've already delved into uncharted territory at this point, it's too late to back down now. I've made a choice to be here, and I have to stick with it to the end. The door to uncovering the past that ties me to this academy is within reach. I just need to push on further, on this path Ayako pushed me on. There was never a choice to go back, I never had that choice. The only thing I can do is find the truth on the other side of the door of memories.
Emigrace, you'll be the key to unlocking this door for me. I thought.

END

Next Time:

TRUTH