So sorry for the long update, here, double chapter.
My life had been very busy, I can die ==;
This chapter and the next is the climax point of their clash..
I hope I write it right and nice TT3TT
...
"What do you mean we couldn't reach the site?!" His voice tore the noises of indistinctive chatters, echoed through the ceiling. His underling, a soldier with scared eyes shrunk in fear while tried to keep his standing straight.
Alfonso's usual calm blue eyes were scorching, ready to burn anything that fell into his sight. His eyes narrowed dangerously, even with no words he could scream his anger.
"Just in five days. Five days after the fall of Naftali! And they managed to take over three of our forts! And now 'couldn't reach the site?! After our inability to defend the forts now you're telling me that we can't do anything to take it back?! Or even to defend the remaining forts? They will precede their attack! What do you mean by we can't send any reinforcement there?!"
"Si-sir.." The soldier croaked softly. "The soldiers sent were disrupted.. They couldn't precede their journey further. There was something.. Or someone, tampered with their minds... They lost their direction and many of came back in confused state... Some lost their memory.. some.. lost their sanity also."
"Something..?"
An equisitarian? I never heard someone with such power in such level that he capable of tampering with the entire squad's mind...
"Which path did you take?"
"Plateau mountain route, sir. That's the shortest route to reach the eastern forts"
The soldier once again flinched as another menacing glare came from his superior. "You do aware that the route is located near Griffith's area right?"
"Ye-yes.."
"None of the squads sent made it? All of the soldiers suffered that mind wrecking?"
"None of them sir.. Some lost in the journey, but most of them come back and all of them have their memories tampered."
So.. Someone from gGriffith with that level of power.. Why did they never reveal that before? I'm sure whoever it is, he's not a newbie.. That confidence to single handedly went out against the whole squad?
"Try another route! We can't afford to lose other posts!"
"We've tried that too." Alfonso turned his head to the voice came from behind his back. That voice was low, almost gentle but heavy and dark, with a strange vibrating accent that made it sounded like an irony. Ivan's face still plastered with his usual smile, yet nobody would miss the black circles under his eye. "The sea route is impossible to cross without crossfire with Calafina's forces that's stationed from the beach of Anthioch until Toulon. And Bern already announced their refusal to let us cross their area, so the forest path is also out of option."
"Ck.. Damn volcanic foxes!" Alfonso cursed. "Bern's refusal is still understandable.. They do not want to make people think that they're supporting us. But.. Why the Calafinas even stationed their force on the continent?!"
"It can't be helped.. Since our main defense of eastern border is destroyed, they made use of this opportunity.. They knew that eastern forts is going to be vulnerable when the main command is destroyed, Naftali is the main post of the eastern area after all." Ivan's chuckle wasn't like his usual. It's almost couldn't contain the exhaustion behind his voice.
That's true.. There's still no information about Nathalia's whereabouts..
Ivan might seems to constantly avoiding his little sister, however, when the news of the fall of Naftali arrived, he looked as surprised as Katyusha, although didn't react as hysteric as his sister.
"It makes me wondering..." Alfonso almost surprised when Ivan continued. His voice was calm, it was something more like a curiosity or a daze. "Who on earth dare to attack Naftali, one of PASA's biggest fort.. There's no organization that came forward to claim the favor. It's strange isn't it? Such huge achievement for them.. Yet no one wanted to claim the glory?"
"Oh.. You're right.." Alfonso murmured weakly. "No one.."
"No one.. Makes me want crush those insolent tongue, da?"
Alfonso jumped in shock and looked at the tall man, anticipated any malice or anger directed towards himself. But there was none, Ivan's gaze still directed afar. Between relief and confusion he tried to ask.
"You mean..?"
"Ah.. Those mutts.. Those mutts.. Bark when they're not supposed to.. Silent when I want them to bark, so that I can torture them.. So bad.. So bad.."
He's very angry..Alfonso shuddered from the sight. Ivan didn't even smile as he muttered those dark desires. Not only fear that he felt, but sympathy as well. But he couldn't say, that he knew could he? Deep down inside, although there's no proof, no base for him to think, he knows. It truly is his style, isn't it? To work silently, let others conspire in fear while he silently watching others squirms?
And all of sudden he felt an urge to scream, to curse his uselessness. And for the first time he tried to place himself inside his brother's head, tried to foresee every possibility, every motives, dig up his plan. He knew something for sure, that the blood that runs inside their vein, which pumped into every cell, every thought. He knew he can put himself into the same mindset that child had.
He knew what it means. And everything just cleared up, as easy as inhaling a breath.
"Braginsky, can you gather everyone?" He cut Ivan's dark thoughts and startled him.
"Eh?"
"I have something to tell you all.. Before that.. We should prepare things."
Who's crazy enough to attack one of PASA's biggest fort anyway? No.. Not a mere brave fool.. Whoever it is seems to know our reach and power distribution so well... And the strange thing is.. There's absolutely no report about any suspicious forces along the eastern border.. So.. Assuming that.. The culprit most likely consist less than five equisitarians."
"But strong enough to take over a huge fort overnight?"
He chose to sip his drink quietly, ignored the anxious gossip. Some curious people, that ticked by the presence of the blond stranger occasionally tried to pull him into the conversation, asked his opinion or just offered drink. And everytime they tried, the said man just smiled politely, purposely said nothing trivial, nor give satisfying response and busied himself with his glass.
After few attempt they realize that it was futile and decided to leave out the man and Arthur was left with his amber colored alcohol alone once again.
That guy is surprisingly clever.. Made use of Aleister's no Griffith paranoid watch over their teritory, cut the army's reinforcement path..
He gulped the last drops from his glass and looked around. That place is only one of the small taverns in the eastern mountain villages. Aleister made sure that he took the long but obstacle free path and although with much protest and arguments Arthur decided to follow his brother's advice, something that he was grateful. His brother had predicted that the army would take the short path and from the fleeting news he heard, it seems that he succeed in blocking their way.
A fact that made Arthur felt both proud and disturbed, the fact that, somehow Griffith unconsciously collaborated with Higanbana's plan.
"Another glass?" The bartender with reddish brown hair and red eyes cut Arthur's thought.
He smiled softly "No, thanks.."
The red eyed bartender noticed the rhythmic accent and then switched his attention to Arthur's clothes with curious stare. "You're not from around here... Hmm... Albion?"
"Yes." His apathetic tone didn't manage to drive away the bartender's curiosity. A plate of finger food pushed towards him with a wide smile.
"Eat it. Your face looked like that you're malnutritioned. Oh, yeah, I'm Victor, you?"
"Arthur." He answered hesitantly. "Thanks, I'm alright."
Victor smiled again and move away to pour a drink for another customer before he came back in front of Arthur.
"What business brought you to this remote place, away from Albion, eh?"
Arthur stopped munching his food and stared blankly at the bartender. "Nothing. Just some family affair..."
"Oh. I see..." Victor whimpered before he moved away to serve another customer again.
"Hey, how long it takes to reach Naftali?"
Victor froze instantly as he heard the question. He glanced anxiously, looked around to made sure no one's hearing the question.
"T-three hours on foot?" He answered too abruptly, almost spilled the content of the bottle he was carrying in process. Victor calmed himself and approached Arthur once again, his eyes were dead serious. "Hey! Do you even listening what those guys is talking about? Naftali is currently occupied by an unknown force, dude!"
He looked with disappointment when the emerald eyes he was facing didn't even flinch. It was as cold, and firm as ever. Arthur slowly rose from his seat and walked steadily towards the entrance.
He glanced behind as he reached the door and nodded softly."Thanks for the treat, Victor."
The red eyed bartender said nothing as he watched the figure of the stranger disappear as the door swung to close. The anxiousness on his face disappeared instantly as the blond was nowhere to be seen. He walked to the back of the bar and took out a communication tablet slowly.
"Ah, yes.. It's me... No, thankfully he didn't recognize my face... Yep, just like you've predicted. Oh, you're near here already?.. Oh, he just came out from my bar."
He scratched his head in exhaustion.
"Oh okay... I don't know why do you need the information about him anyway... Okay. Not my business.. I will shut up..Good luck.
...Francis."
...
With all my love, I shall ask
...
At first it was merely a dark spot on the horizon line. As he went closer the spot turned into an ugly stain then a deformed silhouette of burnt tower and barren ground. What once was arrogant watch tower now left as rubble.
Istevan.
Even now, the scenery of burned ground still freshly etched inside his head, haunted every steps. Even centuries passed, that nightmare still lingered inside his dreams, always.
No.
There was time when he almost forgot about it. The time when his mind too occupied to think about anything else. When he saw that child, curled himself on the sofa, clueless about what lies ahead of him. Without suspicion of pile of lies on where he stood. Two options bickered inside Arthur's head, both screamed so loud and clouded his mind from anything else. To tell him about Martha Sofia and let him lost his standing and to keep silent and let that that child breath from the lies she whispered into his ear.
Which means, all things that concerned me these past centuries.. Everything sourced from the same person. How ironic.
He walked firmly, his head ups, his eyes unfaltered. This fort was one of those ancient forts, with torch lighted corridor and zero concern of comfort and sanitation. The darkness that engulfed him as soon he entered the cramped tunnel, the sound of dripping water actually were satisfying companion as he walked down in search of something to be called destination.
A gust of wind blew from the end of one of the dark corridors, tempting. Arthur climbed the stairs and arrived at the blinding sight of the clear blue sky. While he adjusted his eyesight, his sight fell into the sprawled figure on the brick floor.
His heart almost stopped. That figure that was painfully familiar, with closed eyes, with the same peace upon his face just like that night. Exactly just like he remembered. But no. No. That person... The one he remembered is long gone, now it's only a shell, with the soul of the man he hated with his live crawled inside. His eyelids were shut, his hair played by the wind, his clothes... Were tainted by ugly dark stains... Dried blood.
Was he sleeping? Should he attack first? It was a chance given from God, one second and everything is going to end.
Right?
"How lame." Arthur jolted back, silently cursed as he watched the laying figure's lips moved, when that body started to rise up. Like a blooming flower, a cruel flower. "You should take your chance whenever you can... You know?"
Higanbana glanced at the blond. His whimsical smile was enchanting. Released from his surprise, Arthur's eyes came back as emotionless as when he arrived. His mouth tightly shut, only his gaze burn.
Same face, same voice... But entirely different person.. How can that be?
"Ah, this body." Higanbana stated lightly upon noticing Arthur's grim expression. "You've met this body before..."
Arthur closed his eyes, tried to find a comfort inside the darkness. Inside those familiar olive eyes..those gaze... Those smile, there was nothing left of that child.
"At least, we meet, Spider Lily..."
The brunette smile got wider, his eye gleamed in a bizarre excitement.
"Welcome to our last stage.. Phantom...
I've been waiting for this moment"
Inside the happiness that long passed
The time when I belong to you
For it can never be forgotten
Those gaze upon your eyes
Crush my soul
With all my love..
A question I ask..
If this yearnings still belong to you
Let me ask, a question for you
How long should I wait for you?
I'm waiting for you!