Hey, everyone! :D Man, I'm really tired today. How about you guys?
So, the second part of this chapter is one of those sections that I wouldn't even hesitate to cut out if I wanted to sell this story. Alas, I can't make money off of this, so... yeah, you're stuck with parts that don't have a whole lot to do with the plot. ;) Maybe that's why this story is almost as long as City of Progress and nothing's happened.
Also, I discuss the whole police thing BECAUSE IT'S FANFICTION AND I CAN, DARN IT! I hope you already know this about me, but I'm not trying to offend anyone with my views. If you don't agree with me, that's fine. And remember that Ninten tends to go overboard. His views are not mine. We cool? :)
Another thing: In this fanfic, Teddy is Ninten's dad. I know that this isn't the case in the game, but this is an AU. Weirder things happen. Please don't complain about how it doesn't match the games because this entire story is nothing like the Mother series. That being said, feel free to complain if you have a legit reason (although since I don't introduce Teddy this chapter, I don't know what there is to complain about). Thanks! :)
Also, midterms suck. Not looking forward to that part of college. D:
Review Responses:
A Fan: Yeah... it might be best to remain silent on that one. xD This is certainly the slow mode of reading, though... epic fantasy does that. There are a lot of action fantasy books that move along pretty quickly, but this is most certainly not one of them. Apparently, readers hate it if you write people standing around and talking in action fantasy, so I guess that I'll never be able to write that style. D:
Well, Jeff's ending isn't really a cliffhanger since not much follows afterwards... it's more of an omenhanger. :P Yup, Paula's pretty wrong in this aspect. But people usually act that way because they're taught to... Well, everyone hates Diana because she was one of the most notorious criminals in the common era (imagine if Osama Bin Laden were still alive and he tried to make up for his mistakes... many people would still want him captured or dead). As for Minerva... we'll see how that plays out. :)
Heh, It stands for "insert line here." I use it to mark my line breaks on this site, since they don't transfer from Word to FF... yeah, I forgot to change it. D: I'm surprised that it's taken me this long to mess up, honestly. xD And Claus really hates Minerva. I mean, there are people who only keep living in this world because of spite. Claus isn't really different from them. :(
adricarra: Yeah, the mind to discipline thing was something that I kinda made up on the spot. I don't know what my discipline would be... my guess is that it would be metacreativity or telepathy, because I like creative stuff (like this!) and I also like analyzing thoughts and the mind as a whole. I'm with you on the ultra-religious thing. Religion is fine, but some people simply take it too far. Well, the bad prediction thing is a plot device. Good things happening to characters are inherently less interesting than bad things happening to characters. Maybe one of the predictions will be good... I'll see where it goes. Thanks! :)
Guest: Your prediction is right! ...I'm not really revealing anything big because it says that in this chapter, though. xD Thanks! :)
PSIboy: Yup, the Ana fainting thing wasn't really part of the plan, so I didn't have anything big planned for its aftermath. That would definitely be something that I would address if I were to go back and edit entire plot arcs... And your criticism gave me a small idea for something a few chapters down the road (and by a few, I mean like 5 haha). Thanks for the advice! :)
Heh, I'll say right now that my Ninten doesn't have anything against lying. It's one of his quirks. He'll lie if he thinks that it won't hurt anyone. I'm kinda the same way, honestly. It's just that I don't get into many situations where I would lie, so... yeah. :/ I'll try to respond to your PM soon! I'm not trying to ignore you! D:
crabbyTomato: Yeah, I love love love to talk about religion, so you'll see a lot of people with strong beliefs. Religion isn't as much of a thing in this world, so there are more atheists than irl (as opposed to City of Progress, where there are more religious people than irl). Still, I have to add in some religious people so that it doesn't seem like I'm anti-religion... you probably know how touchy people can get.
Remember, religion isn't mainstream on Earth. Concepts like heaven or hell aren't common knowledge. For most people, "religion" is believing that the emperor is a god, which... really isn't a thing at the point when the story is set. xD That's why I have most people use "psych" instead of saying "damn" or "hell" and have people use "Divine rulers!" instead of "Jesus!" or "Oh my god!" (the last two aren't swears, but this is the equivalent of a renaissance era where it's seen that way). Most people just don't know curses that originated from religion. So yeah... a lot of thought goes into those details. xD It's what we fantasy writers love doing. :)
Yup, I read a book in AP Lit called Crime and Punishment where there was a character that was kinda like Paula but portrayed in a more positive light. I guess I kinda based Paula off of her, subconsciously. And the event that Ninten is foreshadowing... won't happen soon. xD Sorry if you wanted it to!
Something about Lucas bugs me.
I taught him the layout of Osohe Castle and how to forage in the surrounding forest. He follows me and absorbs everything that I say, but he doesn't seem to care.
I'm starting to think that there's something wrong with him. I can't force myself to address the other possibility… The chance that I'm the one with the problem.
After all, I've been out of touch with the rest of the universe. Heck, I've never really been in touch with the universe. Who knows if my views are normal?
Maybe I'm insane and I just don't know it.
Ness appeared on the edge of a small town. He looked around, not recognizing the style of wooden houses or the surrounding trees.
Wait…
Ness walked up to one of the trees, noting the strong scent of sap. The tree possessed two rings of branches, each ring consisting of eight branches. The lack of chaos in the tree's design made Ness feel uneasy, and he recognized it from his encounter with the faceless man in his dream.
A lotus tree. This has to be another dream.
A bird chirped. Ness looked up at the tree and was surprised to see a sparrow colored completely orange. How could that thing survive in the wild?
"You haven't been sleeping in a while," came a voice behind Ness.
Ness froze in surprise. After a second, he turned around and identified the person who had spoken: the faceless man. His body looked as inconsistent as ever, turning from robust to frail every other second.
"I… haven't," Ness admitted.
"Don't humans need sleep?" the faceless man asked.
The orange bird flew down and landed on the faceless man's shoulder, chirping vibrantly. The sparrow's voice contrasted with the man's lifeless tone.
"We do," Ness said. "I… was scared of dreaming."
"Ah," the faceless man said. "Because you can hide from your thoughts during the day, but you have nowhere to run while you lay immobilized on your bed."
How does he know that? Ness thought. Doesn't he have no knowledge of how humans feel?
"Yeah," Ness said. "When I dream, the pictures in my mind become real. I can't run from reality."
"That makes sense," the faceless man said. Cocking his head, "Huh, I understand your motives. Am I making progress towards becoming a human?"
The bird chirped encouragingly.
"I guess," Ness said.
"You seem hesitant with that answer."
Ness sighed.
"I'm just not used to telling other people what I think," he said. "Usually, it's the other way around."
Isn't that right, Tracy?
"I also remembered my name, if that means anything to you," the faceless man said, either not recognizing or not caring about Ness' bitter tone. "It's Lucas."
Lucas… Ness thought, racking his brains. Nope. Nothing.
"That's great!" Ness exclaimed, trying his best to put on a sunny face. "Maybe we can find out more about your past life if you keep thinking about it."
"I guess," Lucas said with a shrug. "I keep asking myself why I should care. Sometimes, I feel horrified at how different I am from you humans, but other times I couldn't care less. How does that work?"
Ness blinked.
"I know exactly how that feels!" he exclaimed.
"Really?" Lucas asked. "I thought that you humans felt emotions for specific reasons. The fluctuation that I described seems out of place."
"I think that it's a result of our minds feeling overwhelmed," Ness said. "Some things are so horrible that we simply can't comprehend them. Sometimes, we try to push ourselves to feel more, knowing that we should feel bad. But other times… our mind protects us by blocking out all of the pain, leaving us unable to feel anything."
"So like mental endorphins, huh?" Lucas asked.
"…What?" Ness said.
"Ah, nothing," Lucas replied. "I was just wondering if there's a specific chemical that activates that process… or if it's even real on a psychological level. After all, the experiences of two people don't prove anything."
"Even so, we should still work on trying to feel," Ness said. "We need to become strong enough so that we can take those emotions and deal with them rather than blocking them out."
"But am I stronger without emotions?" Lucas asked. "I seem to recall that feelings make me weak."
"Of course not!" Ness exclaimed. "Emotions help us. Otherwise, they wouldn't exist."
"Your appendix exists," Lucas countered. "That doesn't help you."
"My what?"
Lucas sighed.
"I was just wondering if emotions are evolutionary baggage," he said. "Maybe they helped us in our primal form, but they only interfere with logic now."
"Lucas," Ness said, unable to stop himself from cringing. "Please don't say that."
"Hmm?" Lucas asked. "Why not?"
"Just… don't," Ness whispered. "Please. We need to get you to a state where you can feel emotions and deal with them in a healthy way."
"If you say so," Lucas said with a shrug. "After all, I called you here to help me. I'll try whatever you tell me to."
The bird on Lucas' shoulder chirped furiously. Ness couldn't tell for sure, but he thought that its shrill notes indicated panic.
"Starmen," Lucas said. "I can detect them closing in."
"Wait, what?" Ness exclaimed. "Here?"
Lucas looked around at the village behind them.
"We are on the border of a town called Tazmily," he said. "Starmen attacked this place quite often in the physical realm. Now, my mind's depictions of them attack me in the psionic realm."
"How does that even work?" Ness asked.
"They represent a foreign invader in my mind," Lucas said. "They're slowly erasing my essence."
"A… foreign invader?" Ness squeaked. "Erasing your essence?"
What does that even mean?
"Seems crazy, right?" Lucas asked. "But… something wants to break me down. While I don't particularly care about my fate, I really don't have anything better to do than fight starmen."
After Lucas finished speaking, a starman teleported right behind him. In the blink of an eye, a translucent sword appeared in Lucas' hand. Unlike his actual body, it remained the same from second to second, letting of a dull, blue light that hummed like static. Lucas turned around and, in one clean motion, sliced the starman in two. Its guts spilled out both halves, the exotic yet putrid scent of the innards making Ness want to barf.
"I wonder why starmen can't psionic stall," Lucas said nonchalantly. "That would have let it live for a few more seconds. Maybe it could have healed itself."
"Well… the starmen here seem weaker than the ones in real life," Ness said.
"Huh," Lucas said. "I don't remember the starmen well, so I have nothing to compare these creatures to."
"Err… what happens if one of them kills me in this realm?" Ness asked.
"Let's not find out, all right?" Lucas answered.
That doesn't make me feel any better, Ness thought, adrenaline pumping his heart into overdrive.
The bird once again started chirping furiously.
"More starmen coming," Lucas said. "Can you fight, Ness?"
"Uh… I guess?" Ness answered. "I mean, I can, but I really don't want to."
"Why not?"
Ness looked at Lucas' empty face. He wished that he could see something in it.
"I'm scared of how easily I can end someone else's life," he whispered. "There was the time that I was blinded by rage. I killed hundreds of people and could hardly force myself to care. Sometimes, I feel horrified at what I had done, but even today…" Ness squeezed his eyes shut. "I can't always force myself to feel anything about it. I don't trust myself to take another life."
"Well, these starmen aren't real, in the physical sense," Lucas said. "They're just ideas. Do you think that you could help take them down?"
"…Yes," Ness said weakly.
A dozen starmen appeared in a circle around Ness and Lucas.
"PK Rockin," Ness whispered, his body screaming for him to stop.
A wave of hexagons passed over half of the starmen, sending them reeling backwards.
"That move…" Lucas said. Ness heard Lucas slicing through multiple starmen. "So powerful…"
Ness blinked before realizing that his PK Rockin had disoriented the starmen, somehow. They teetered around, some of them nearly falling over. Lucas leapt in front of Ness like a tiger, lashing out with his sword. Each stroke took a starman's life.
After the last starman fell, Ness looked around. He recoiled at the sight of so many guts outside of their bodies. Lucas, however, didn't even seem to notice.
"That should be all of them," he said. "Easy, right?"
Ness nodded, feeling his heart calm down. When had it gone into overdrive in the first place?
"What did my PK Rockin do?" Ness asked.
"You mean that you have one of the greatest powers known to humankind, and you don't even know what it does?" Lucas asked.
"Yeah," Ness whispered. "I never had the heart to use it after I killed so many people."
"Normally, using that move messes with the psionic realm, which is how the starmen see and balance themselves. But we're already in the psionic realm… I guess maybe there's another psionic realm inside this one that your PSI affected?" Lucas offered. "I suppose that it doesn't matter. PK Rockin is a move of chaos. It disrupts and dismantles."
"I used it to give life, once," Ness whispered.
"Life is a chaotic process," Lucas said with a shrug. "But I don't think that you really gave them life. No psionics can do that."
"I swear," Ness said. "Those people were alive, at least until someone else released the PSI that allowed them to move their muscles."
Lucas didn't say anything to that.
"Uh…" Ness said, feeling awkward. "Should we talk someplace else? I don't know about you, but the starmen corpses kind of bug me."
Lucas nodded. The scenery around them warped. Ness found himself standing deep inside a forest, lotus trees surrounding him. The air felt refreshingly crisp.
"This place means a lot to me," Lucas said softly. "I don't know why."
"There doesn't have to be a reason," Ness said. "That's part of what makes nostalgia what it is. We hang onto the past, even if it doesn't make sense."
"I suppose," Lucas said. "This nostalgia may save me yet. But I have a question for you, Ness. It's been bugging me for a while."
"Ask away," Ness said.
"Are you normal?" Lucas asked.
That question took Ness aback. He fumbled, trying to come up with an answer.
"No," he finally said. "I used to be normal, but I'm not anymore. I've been hurt too much."
"What hurt you?" Lucas asked curiously.
Ness took a step back, feeling protective of his pain.
"Why do you want to know?" he asked.
"Because it seems like you are normal," Lucas replied. "You wear scars, but you still act like most people. I want to know how much pain you took so that I can tell if there's still hope left for me."
Ness sighed. He had built walls around his memories so that nobody else could break in. He had encountered too many people who didn't take his struggles seriously to feel like he could be open.
This is for Lucas, Ness thought. He needs to know.
Guilt pushed Ness forward. With Lucas' state, how could Ness even think about holding his memories back? If Ness' experiences could help Lucas reclaim his humanity, Ness knew that he had to give in.
So Ness broke down the walls and told Lucas everything, from his disaster on Vulcan to the two years of limbo that followed. He went into detail about his every emotion. He described how he had seen knives around every corner once Diana started hunting him. He described how the clash between relief and fear made him want to explode upon seeing Diana at the hideout. He described how it felt to suffocate under corpses that had been human beings just seconds earlier. Lucas listened to each word. Even with his empty face, Ness could tell that he snatched every implication of Ness' story as if his words were candy. After what felt like hours of talking, Ness finished with his experiences on Ceres: how he had nearly been killed by Duster and his run-in with Alsom Garrickson.
Ness was surprised at how good it felt to let all of his memories out. He had stewed on some of them for two years, and he only now realized how heavy they were. After he finished, Ness felt ready to take on the world. He let fresh air in his lungs, letting it replace the toxic emotions in his heart.
"…I'm not alone," Lucas whispered, almost too softly to hear.
"What?" Ness asked, not sure if he had heard Lucas right.
"Your pain is immense," Lucas said, "So immense that it took you this long to describe it all. All of this time, I thought that I was the only one who truly hurt… thank you for opening my eyes, Ness. I can save myself if I try hard enough. After all, you did."
Ness blushed.
"I wouldn't say that I saved myself," he said. "My mom and Ana helped me through most of it."
"But you're here to help me, right?" Lucas asked, his voice uncharacteristically hopeful.
Ness looked into Lucas' empty face. His body posture seemed desperate in a way that Ness couldn't quite describe.
I'm his last hope, Ness realized. Me. Why did it have to be me? Why not someone like Ana who could actually help?
"Yeah," Ness said, trying to hide his uncertainty under a smile. "Of course I'm here."
"…your words made me feel something," Lucas said. "It's been a while since that's happened. Your body is telling you to wake up, so I should probably let you go. I think that I'm safe, now. See you, Ness."
"Goodbye," Ness said with a smile. "I look forward to when we can meet again."
"Goodbye," Lucas whispered.
Right before Ness left Lucas' world, he swore that he could see a real face on Lucas' head: a face with blond hair, cerulean eyes, and a shy smile that carried none of the pain that Lucas claimed to possess.
Ninten heard quiet sobbing as he walked through the hallways.
I know that this is probably none of my business, but I actually care when people suffer. Hm… What should I do?
Ninten knew the answer. He would go with his heart every time. He turned a corner to spot Paula crying alone, her eyes bloodshot and her shoulders hunched. She stood up straight upon spotting Ninten.
"Err… sorry," Ninten said. "I didn't mean to…"
Except that I did mean to interrupt her, Ninten thought. I hope that she doesn't hold this against me. I can always claim that I needed to go this way for something.
"Ninten," she said, looking surprisingly relieved. "Don't be sorry."
"Thanks," Ninten replied. "Is there anything that I can do to help?"
Paula blushed.
"No…" she said. "I'm sorry for concerning you. It's nothing, really."
"You do know that saying that your problems are nothing makes people more curious, right?" Ninten asked with a smirk.
"I didn't really think about it," Paula said with a subtle smile.
At least she's not terrified, Ninten thought. Usually, Ness is with me when I meet Paula. It's nice to see what lies under her fear for a change.
"Well, are you sure that you don't need anything?" Ninten asked. "Sometimes it can help to let your problems out. I honestly don't mind if you vent to me."
"I…" Paula's face tightened into a grimace.
"What?" Ninten asked. "Are you worried that an insufferable bastard like me wouldn't understand your problems?"
"No!" Paula exclaimed in horror. "Of course not!"
"I was kind of joking," Ninten said with a smirk. But only kind of. "Please don't feel like you have to talk to me about your problems for any reason, but I am here if you need me."
Paula took a deep breath.
"It's about the new girl," she said.
"Kumatora?" Ninten asked.
Paula nodded.
"It feels like she's trying to push me away from your group of friends," she said. "I know that it's not a significant problem, but it still makes me angry. I try to banish the rage, but nothing seems to work."
"Well, there's nothing wrong with feeling mad," Ninten said. "Acting on it is what causes the real problems."
"Really?" Paula asked, her eyes widening. "You really think that it's okay to feel bad emotions?"
"Sure," Ninten said. "And it's okay to have dark thoughts. Everyone does."
"But," Paula protested, "Dark thoughts are bad. I need to purge my mind of evil."
Ninten sighed inwardly. One of the reasons that he didn't like most religions was that they promoted perfectionism.
"Wouldn't it be better to work out logically why you shouldn't act on your dark thoughts?" Ninten asked. "That way, you're ready with a retort if they ever decide to come back."
"…I've never thought about it that way," Paula said. "I still don't know if I agree, though. Sorry."
Paula grimaced.
"Why are you sorry?" Ninten asked. "You shouldn't apologize for what you believe."
"I just… didn't want you to take offense," Paula said.
"Well, I don't get offended easily," Ninten said. "So feel free to act blunt around me. Divine Rulers know that I have no filter over this mouth of mine; the least that I can do is accept other people's frankness."
"Thanks," Paula said with a reserved smile. "So you said that it's okay to… tell you about my problems, even if they're small. Right?"
"Sure," Ninten answered.
"I feel like Kumatora tried to hit me where it hurt," Paula said. "It's like she wants to drive me away."
"How so?" Ninten asked.
"She… sided with Diana Carpainter without really knowing the situation," Paula answered. "Even though Diana worshipped a false god."
Ah, psych, Ninten thought. Religion. As an atheist, how do I deal with this?
"So she said that Diana was a good person?" Ninten asked. "Where did that come from?"
Paula blushed.
"Jeff brought her up," she said. "And I may have overreacted. I mean, Diana's a horrible soul, right?"
Didn't seem that way to me, Ninten thought.
"She definitely was," he answered. "Now, I don't know. People change."
Paula's face tightened visibly.
"Did you meet her?" she asked.
Ninten nodded.
"…I guess that you can make that judgement, then," she conceded, her voice softening. "But Kumatora wasn't there. I spoke out against Diana's false god, and she said that it wasn't wrong to worship a god other than the real one…" Paula trailed off. "But you don't come from a noble family, right? So you're not religious?"
If only she knew… Ninten thought.
"Yeah, I don't," he lied. "I can't tell from your report alone, but I think that Kumatora went on the offensive against your beliefs because she was a bit touchy about your opposition of Diana. Evil as she may be, Diana saved Kumatora's life when all seemed lost."
"Oh," Paula said, her eyes shining with hope. "So you don't think that she hates me?"
"Why would she?" Ninten asked.
Right then, two police officers walked down the hall, their clanking armor altering Ninten to their presence. Ninten paused, taken aback by their presence. Why would police officers be at a school?
Ah, right, Ninten thought. Pokey's death.
The cops wore plate armor that gleamed in the light. They really did look like knights of old. Paula shrank back, and Ninten had to force himself not to follow suit.
"You," one of the officers said, pointing at Ninten. "Your name is Ninten, yes?"
Ah, psych, Ninten thought. What have I gotten myself into?
"Yeah," he answered.
"You're coming with us," the officer said. "You're suspected for the murder of Pokey Minch."
Paula gasped softly, although Ninten couldn't tell if she believed that he killed Pokey or was merely surprised that the police would accuse him. Ninten raised an eyebrow.
"I have an alibi," he said. "Claus and Ness were with me. None of us saw Pokey the night of the starman attack."
"They're both suspects as well," the officer said. "Now come along or we'll make you."
Ninten's eyes narrowed.
"…All right," he said.
"Good," the officer said. "Now, empty your pockets. I don't want you pulling a knife on us."
Something about the cop's tone tipped Ninten off.
They know that I have Dynaldas, Ninten thought.
"I actually do have a weapon," Ninten said. "Gimme a sec while I drop it off in my room."
"Not so fast," the officer said, holding out a gauntleted hand. "We'll take it."
"…And you won't ever give it back," Ninten replied with a sneer. "I know your type."
"You will not talk to me like that!" the officer boomed.
Ninten wished that the cop would take his helmet off. It felt like he was talking to a hunk of metal.
"Why not?" Ninten asked. "It's obvious that you mean to steal my knife. You're too eager."
"We do not steal anything," the officer hissed. "And you are arrested! How do you like that?"
"Not much," Ninten replied with a smirk. "Fortunately, you don't have the power to enforce it."
"Just try me!" the officer yelled, taking a step forward.
"Look at yourself," Ninten said. "This is what your greed pushes you to do. Maybe you should take a step back."
"Greed?" the officer asked. "GREED?"
"You will take my knife," Ninten said calmly, "Which happens to be psionically enchanted. Then you will put it on trial. Yes, I know how your little legal loopholes work. You will put the knife on trial, and then the judge will declare it guilty, even though it's a psyching knife. Then you get to steal it even though you haven't convicted me of anything."
The officer seemed startled, although Ninten couldn't tell for sure under his plate armor.
"They can really do that?" Paula asked softly. "Then can put your property on trial and just… take it if it's found guilty?"
"Sadly, yes," Ninten said, staring the officer in the eye. "He can make up some bullshit excuse and just steal it. Legally. It happens more often than you would think."
"You brats think that you're so high and mighty," the officer said, his tone dropping dangerously low.
"Tell me, are all police officers hypocrites, or are you the only one?" Ninten shot back.
"You little idiot," the officer muttered. "I can throw you in jail and nobody will question me. I can let you rot away and nobody will care."
"That's where you're wrong," Ninten said with a superior smile. "You see, power is a… variable thing. What if I told you that this knife allows me to use a psionic power that can… stop your heart?"
"You're bluffing," the officer said.
You wish, Ninten thought.
"There's a reason that Dynaldas is called the knife of power," Ninten said. "Luckily for you, my psionics are weak. You can probably block that power with your psionic aura… oh wait. You're not a psion. You can't block anything."
"I'm going to lock you up, brat!" The officer spat. "If you threaten me one more time, you'll have the whole police force breathing down your neck."
"Then I'll deal with all of them," Ninten said bluntly.
The officer hesitated.
"I'm going to say this once," Ninten said with a cold smile. "If you and your fellow legal criminals attack me, I will kill you where you stand. Maybe you should reevaluate your actions."
The officer looked like he was contemplating the idea.
"…Why don't you just give up the knife?" he asked. "We can both walk away safely that way."
"See?" Ninten asked. "You respect me because I have power over you. That's all that you and your kind know. Intimidation, torture, theft, and murder. Anything to get you some more of that sweet, sweet power."
Ninten felt a kind of rage that was different from anything else that he had ever experienced before. His anger was cold and calculated. He knew what he was getting himself into. He knew the risks.
But he knew that he was right.
"I… guess I'll question the other suspects," the officer said, clearly afraid of Ninten but not wanting to admit it.
"No you won't," Ninten said with a savage smile. "You implied that you suspected that we're all accomplices. You either have to charge all of us or none. Because if you're not charging me, they have an alibi."
"But the only reason that I'm not charging you is that you threatened me…" the officer trailed off.
"That's how the law works," Ninten said with a cold smile. "You coerce people into doing what you want, and then you activate other loopholes in the system. I'm simply employing your tactics. Aren't you proud of me?"
The officer said nothing. After about a minute, he turned away and walked off. Ninten exhaled, trying to rid himself of the lingering rage. It was only then that he remembered the other officer. This man stood less aggressively.
"Don't worry," he said. "I won't threaten you. I hope that you'll do the same?"
Ninten nodded curtly.
The officer took off his helmet, revealing an oval-shaped, dark-skinned face. He wore a serious look that Ninten didn't know how to interpret.
"You sure like to play with fire, don't you?" he asked Ninten, not unkindly.
"I just don't care about the fire," Ninten replied. "I'll do what I think is right, regardless of the danger. It makes me kind of an asshole sometimes."
"…You really seem to hate us," the officer said.
Ninten released a sigh.
"My father told me the worst about you," he said. "His name is Theodore, and he comes from Ellay."
The officer's eyes widened slightly.
"That explains it," he said. "That man knows all of our darkest secrets. I suppose it happens when we try to capture him for decades."
"Was your father a criminal, Ninten?" Paula asked.
"Oh, yes," the officer replied with a chuckle. "Teddy was one psych of a criminal. He's not a bad person, really, but both he and the police force are prickly and proud. When we butt heads with him… I bet you can guess how that ends."
"You seem different from the rest of them," Ninten said.
"I actually want to help this universe, believe it or not," the officer said. "There are dangerous criminals out there. Some of them rape and kill. Someone needs to apprehend them, so why not me? But the longer that I work at my job, the more I realize that the police force and the civilians don't really understand each other."
"That's because most police officers are egotistical knight wannabes," Ninten said bitterly. "They don't know anything except for pride and force."
"No, it's not that," the officer replied. "Most of us have good intentions. The problem is that we tend to support other officers, regardless of the situation. A few bad apples like that guy can lead a whole police force to disaster when everyone else follows them."
Huh, Ninten thought. I never thought about it that way.
"But it is important to trust your team," the officer continued. "So I don't know what to do."
"Why would you trust people who you don't even know?" Ninten asked.
"Because you can't do everything alone," the cop answered. "And your friends won't always be there to save you. Take my word for it."
Ninten didn't know what to think about that. He had been conditioned from a young age to think that most strangers would hurt him if they saw profit in it.
"You're cynical," the officer continued, "And I can see why. But sometimes, that's not the way to go. You have to put some faith in humanity."
"…I'll try," Ninten said. "It just doesn't feel safe to trust this society."
"What's the good of safety if you can't live life the way that you want to?" the officer responded. "I would rather live a shorter, hopeful life than a longer, bitter one."
Ninten blinked. He hadn't considered that.
"You really think that?" Paula spoke up. "That it's okay to take even illogical risks if it makes you feel better?"
"Sure," the officer replied. "It's your life."
Ninten nodded.
"Yeah…" he said. "You have to take some chances in life. Sure, you'll fail, but that's okay. You can always get back on your feet."
"That's the spirit," the officer said with a smile. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to return to my job. It was nice talking to you, Ninten. You seem to know what to do, but your cynicism gets in the way. One day, you'll have to learn how to put trust in a complete stranger, even if it doesn't make sense."
The officer put his helmet back on and walked down the hall, leaving Ninten to reevaluate his views on society. For the longest time, he had accepted what his dad said about the police force and society as a whole. He had taken those words as the truth…
But was that really the case?
Hey, guys. One last note. :)
The thing about the police officer stealing the knife from Ninten would be completely legal in America.
It's called civil forfeiture, and it's honestly really scary. If you want to learn more without getting depressed or bored, John Oliver has a great video about it on youtube. Just search "John Oliver civil forfeiture." He does a great job of making it funny so it's not too sad and not too boring. I highly recommend watching it. I would post a link, but I don't think that this site would let me (at least, it doesn't in PMs).