Chapter 11 Mercy of the Marauders
Mermaids from other arctic and tropical cities were going missing as well as humanoid beasts nobody would miss in other cities. Most didn't have families or money and signed up to be medical test subjects. Ouros ops had been put in charge of investigating which meant Shiro would have to sneak around more. He worked overtime any chance he could and made friends with anyone he that worked there to learn secrets. All he could gather was that the Order of the Cage planned to extend their efforts in human charities by making soup kitchens and shelters. While Ouros reminded him of how evil Cage could be, he was still surprised that they took so much time and effort to help humans. According to Ambrosia, leader of the Operatives of Ouroboros "Our leaders let Alexio and I created our factions to act as protectors, The Order of the Cage in charge of protecting humans and we, the Operatives of Ouroboros over anyone else humanoid that did not quite fall under their protection. When discovered that living organs of those under our protection could help mankind they took to trying to slaughter the supernatural. Our leaders split in parties over who should be supported. While their charity work is admirable, our concern lies with how carelessly lives are sacrificed."
It made Shiro wondered how a group that strives to do good could overlook actions so wrong and how in a way, him eating meat was no different. He began to eat more vegetarian meals that Rydia taught him to make during the weekends when he claimed to go camping, which because he loved nature didn't rouse suspicion and kept him out of public eye. He was starting to like the operatives but Zabuza was a mystery. Looking at the original Haku it was no wonder why he, a copy of his flesh bones and memories thought of Zabuza as a father figure but Shiro didn't know him personally which made his feelings and conversations awkward. The more he ventured outside of his world the less he saw the operatives as broken beings banding together. Now they were heroes and the only thing that stopped the Order of the Cage from locking everything under their control.
As the year closed by entering its last month, Shiro's old life seemed to strip away. First his sense of being and original, then his sense of purpose and identity and finally his sense of who was right and wrong regarding the bigger picture of war the someone in the middle doesn't see. At times he questioned his choices and secretly waited to be betrayed so he and Freesia could go back to what happiness they thought knew, but after what he found out next he knew that he never could and it may have never existed to begin with.