Chapter II
How to Make a Friend
"What the hell man?! Warn me before you do that, please! It's so…" Mitsuru's mouth began to taste salty, and something began to rise in his chest. He inhaled a huge breath and laid down. Keep it in. Keep it in. He laid flat on the ground and relaxed his body. He breathed in then out, closing his eyes. It was pitch black regardless, he thought. Soon enough, the nausea was gone. "Alright…I'm good." Mitsuru had been walking up the street until he suddenly felt his vision spinning and the world turned black.
"I was sure you'd be out for longer. How kind of you to meet your grandmother of all people first." Mitsuru jolted a tiny bit.
"You saw me going around?" He asked, surprised as he thought he was by himself.
"Of course! I was watching you in silence. Didn't I say that?" Mitsuru thought back an hour or so.
"Yeah. I think you did. Man, I can't listen for crap. Sorry." Mitsuru waved his hand in defeat. "So, now I don't have much to do."
"No, no, no! There has to be something to do, isn't there?" The voice urgently responded.
"Umm…If you have anything we could do for the next millennia, I'm down, but I don't know if I'd be able to do anything for that long. I don't know if my mind can go for that long." The consequence of immortality was dawning on him. Mitsuru would be bored out of his mind forever unless he found something to do every second of his new existence. Maybe he could try getting out of the country. Mitsuru needed the adventure to come soon.
Both stayed silent.
London and the whole of the UK were in what could have been a golden age, certainly of this millennium. It was due to a relatively newfound invention called the Realizer with its universal capabilities from enhancing equipment in the construction and maintenance field or state-of-the-art medical robots with perfect precision. Most importantly, the realizers were an integral part of the UK's military and law enforcement. That wasn't to say that the science behind the Realizer was known. The secrets of this revolutionary technology were closely guarded by Deus Ex Machina Industries, D.E.M. Whatever was revealed to the public was what D.E.M. wanted the public to know.
Its mighty headquarters building stood higher than all other buildings around. One tour of the grounds would mesmerize passersby with the building's sleek architecture and extravagant decoration, such as the massive fountain that greeted everyone in the front lobby. A receptionist standing there greeted businessmen, women, and guests. The bell to her left rang.
"Hello. Welcome to Deus Ex Machina Industries Headquarters. What inq—" The woman had been talking to no one. "I was sure someone rang the bell. Danny, you saw someone at my desk right?"
"No. Probably just some kid who rang it and ran off." That must have been it. She turned back to find a letter on her desk that was just a folded piece of paper. Curious, she picked it up. It had but one word on it: Important. She opened it and read:
I wish to talk to Sir Isaac Ray Pelham Westcott.
Will you send my letter to him for me, certain that it will reach him and only him?
The letter was crudely written. It was direct yet also vague, with no clear purpose. She saw no other letter on her desk. Would this person come back again? It didn't take much thought before she put two-and-two together. This person had somehow snuck a letter onto her counter. She looked back up and another letter was on the counter. there wasn't any ringing this time. When she flipped it over, she felt an unnerving feeling creep over her. A scribble in the black ink and big capital letters read:
Thank you. I am already inside.
Quickly the receptionist turned to her left where the gates separating the lobby from the offices were. Typical businessmen and women were passing through. No, it was nothing.
Mitsuru sat by his lonesome on an old splintered bench. A flock of birds flew high above him, and the sun cast its light down on him. Mitsuru couldn't believe two years had passed. Though Mitsuru didn't leave the country though, with the help of the Voice he could have, Mitsuru got to visit places such as Okinawa's beaches and Tokyo Tower. Other than that, Mitsuru still did not understand his reason for being 'alive'.
"Peace and quiet. Refreshing." In his mind, the Voice echoed.
"If I could just do this for a thousand years straight." Mitsuru was familiar with these moments when everything around him stopped. It went on for ten minutes before he heard other people walking towards them. Mitsuru opened his eyes. Two teens were walking by, holding hands and talking to each other.
One was a young man with blue hair. He wore casual clothes, a white shirt with long sleeves and an outer black shirt that went around his shoulders, jeans, and brown shoes.
The girl had dark plum hair with two tails that curled into the shape of tornadoes and a long braided tail down her back. She wore a pink blouse and jean shorts that went to her upper thigh, and boots. As he turned, the young man also turned. Mitsuru gave a small chortle and waved his hand. The boy did the same before walking off.
"A date in a park. Huh." Mitsuru stood up from the bench, but as he pushed down on the bench arm, a tiny splinter cut into his palm. "Crap." He quickly stood up and checked his hard. A long, troubling gash ran through his palm.
It wasn't the severity of the wound that troubled Mitsuru. It was his new healing ability. From the wound, a wispy purple plume rose upwards. Even from afar, anyone could see it. Mitsuru moved into the woods. When all there was around him were trees. He sat down and waited. The last time he had made such a mistake, an old man had just passed him. Mitsuru nearly had a heart attack.
Suddenly, Mitsuru sensed a strong feeling along his back. "Mitsuru, be careful. I feel as if someone else is nearby, a dangerous person, and she has caught your presence."
Mitsuru went stiff. A dangerous presence? "Dangerous? Like a mugger? Do I go hide?" She caught my presence. "Did she see me?!" Mitsuru stood up...but he didn't. Mitsuru felt a pull against his arm. A ghastly white hand from the ground clenched at his wrist. Mitsuru let out a shriek. From the trees, devilish giggles echoed at him. Mitsuru could see eight or ten shadows looking at him from afar. "Fuck! Let go!" he screamed as he pried the hand's grasp off him.
"Use this!" A large meat cleaver dropped onto his hand, and, with solely the feel of the handle and his instinct, he swung it forward. It went right through the ghostly hand like butter, and he ran away.
"What the hell was that?! You don't just say 'dangerous' for that!" Mitsuru jumped over branches. "That's some Satan shit!"
"No work of a devil. But just as dangerous. She must have been watching us from afar. Mitsuru, just understand I have no time to explain what you just experienced, but we are being hunted by a Spirit, a being with magical abilities. For why she is chasing up right now– on your right!" A loud gunshot exploded in his ears. He reflexively brought up his hand, only for it to get blown to bits. Any slower and it would have been his head. "Oh, God!"
"Quick! Run at the tree in front of you!" Mitsuru did without hesitation. He ran through a black portal and disappeared.
The many Spirit clones flew past that very tree without any consideration. To them, the boy simply vanished. "I thought that surely he'd just pass out from shock." The original appeared from the trees.
Shido and Tohka burst into the field. On the opposite side was the infamous gothic Spirit, Kurumi Tokisaki. Their eyes shot wide. A group of Kurumi clones had just disappeared, and a single trail of blood lined the ground. "Kurumi…you didn't–"
"Oh, he escaped me the moment I lost sight of him." Kurumi's answer confused them.
"Who were you chasing?" Tohka questioned. Kurumi pondered for a moment.
"A boy. That is all I know. But his power…it might be greater than anything I've seen before, minus one person."
Power? A spirit?! Both Shido and Tohka thought. "You were chasing a Spirit?! But no spacequake or anything from [Fraxinus]." Then again, the Spirit in front of him, Kurumi, had also appeared without a spacequake.
"Now, don't jump to conclusions. I know of no Spirit in the likeness of a boy, nor one that gives off such putrid energy. If you ever come across him, when you do, I suggest you get as much from him as you can before anyone else does, such as me kihihi!" Without time to answer, she quickly disappeared. Tohka and Shido were stunned at what they heard to speak.
Mitsuru clutched his healed hand as he paced around, his mind in a swirl of thoughts. "No, I can't go out there now. Not anymore. You never told me about…that!"
"We hadn't been in such danger for two years. I've kept us hidden, yet…your wound. This wasn't the first time you wounded yourself." The Voice began to have a realization.
"No, it isn't. It's like my fifth. Where are you getting?"
"If the Spirit was able to track your presence by your regeneration only this one time, against my effort to hide you, then we've given off…something's in the air." The Voice ended in a faint, quick ominous whisper. Mitsuru didn't get it himself, the thing the Voice picked up, for a few seconds. Then the air got cold, bone-chilling. The sound of his breath drifted into his ears; it had gotten so very quiet.
"Huh?" Without any signal, Mitsuru fell through the ground.
"I remember Kurumi said something before she left. 'A boy. That is all I know. But his power…it might be greater than anything seen before.'" Shido quoted Kurumi.
"A boy, and power. I know male D.E.M. and A.S.T. recruit males into their services occasionally. That is to be the case, but why would Kurumi be after a Wizard?" Kotori pondered.
"I already ruled out that possibility. In her time with D.E.M, there hasn't been a male Wizard that would be noteworthy enough to catch Kurumi's attention." This person Kurumi was tracking down had intrigued Reine. Maybe it wasn't a Wizard after all. There hadn't been a single sign of a Spirit since Kotori's sealing. At that park, Shido recalled that he and Tohka met only a handful of people. Most of them were small families with little children, but one kid was sitting on the bench by himself.
Then Shido remembered the scream that he heard from the woods. It sounded like a young boy's voice. "I might be stretching it, but I think I might know who it is," Shido said, looking at Kotori.
"Well say it."
"There was this kid at the park we were at. We only saw each other for a few seconds, but he's the only one I know that sounded like the scream I heard when Kurumi was also there." Kotori clenched her teeth.
"How are we supposed to find a kid that we know nothing about?" She flicked her hand at this thought. It was just a dumb thought from her big brother anyway.
"Strange. The A.S.T just deployed a large number of Wizards around a warehouse on the outskirts of the city. There have been no signs of a Spirit. Shin, this might be your chance to prove your theory." Reine's look was their cue. Kotori and Shido stood up and were transported to the Fraxinus.
"What is that smell?!" Mitsuru felt nauseous from the putrid scent of the air. He was in some empty warehouse. If he was still in Tengu City, the only place he knew warehouses could be was the outskirts. It was dim, but with the faint glows of the hanging lights, Mitsuru could gauge the size of the building. Why am I here? Mitsuru anxiously walked down the warehouse. He always had this habit of rubbing his knuckles together when anxious.
That was the creepiest moment I've ever experienced. Never in his life did he genuinely feel a lack of presence so quickly. In a single second, that black realm became as lonely as it looked, and the ominous wave of cold that hit him…The Voice isn't talking to me. "Voice. Hello? Are you here?" Mitsuru asked. There was no answer. Every second he was in the warehouse Mitsuru thought someone would jump out of the darkness at him. Turning a corner, Mitsuru saw an illuminated door. Mitsuru opened it.
It was night outside, and the moon shone high above. Brighter lights shined into his eyes, and Mitsuru covered his eyes until they adjusted. He stood, completely frozen. A ring of people formed a wall from one side of the building to the other. Looking up, Mitsuru saw even more people hovering in the air. They all had massive guns drawn at him.
"Fire!" Mitsuru jumped the moment he heard that, and he quickly rushed back through the door. He didn't stop running.
"Oh my God!" He shrieked as bullets flew through the windows, and missiles blew through the walls. Today must have been the worst day of his life. The Voice isn't talking to me. How do I make myself a portal? That's all I have to do!—Mitsuru stopped in his place. Someone walked out from two aisles down. It's that guy from the park.
"I remember you from the park, the guy walking with a girl. Why are you here?" Shido stared at him with shock. Mitsuru glared back.
Mitsuru stood just a little taller than this other person. Judging by appearance, he seemed to be in his mid-teens, a tenth-year student. "My name's Shido Itsuka. I'm not working for the A.S.T, so you don't have to worry."
"Before you tell me you don't work the A.S.T, explain what the A.S.T is!" Mitsuru was getting impatient and jittery. If he heard another explosion, he would run to the left. If Shido Itsuka got in his way, Mitsuru would tackle him. "It's a part of the military that deals with Spirits!" Shido quickly answered, to which Mitsuru retorted,
"Now explain what a Spirit is." Shido had a progressively more confused face. Shido quickly looked to the left. Mitsuru also did and saw a person in a strange suit bust open a window. The glow of her jetpack illuminated the room. Behind her were the glows of dozens of them.
"Wizards!" Shido cried out. The Wizard flew at Mitsuru, and he barely managed to get away.
An instinct from deep within the boy seemed to awaken. Mitsuru felt an icy aura in his left hand. The Wizard came for him again with his green sword drawn, ready to pierce him. Mitsuru felt an object appear in his hand, and with it, he swung as hard as he could. A large sledgehammer, made out of a cinder block and a wooden handle slammed into the Wizard's side. Surely it had to have been wielded by some scary Bogeyman. Rolling over, she gave one groan, before passing out. "Pricks get what they–" Mitsuru stopped himself. He quickly threw the hammer aside, noting how it faded into a black cloud before hitting the ground. "Don't mention it, please." He quietly asked.
Shido stayed silent. A male Spirit, yet he acted as if he had never seen the A.S.T. before.
{Shido, to your right is a staircase that leads to a spacequake shelter. If you can get down there and far enough away. We can get you out of there. Make sure you get the kid as well,} Kotori spoke through the mic in Shido's ear.
"I know an exit from this place. It connects to a spacequake shelter below us." Shido gestured to the right. Before he could initiate a conversation, they had to be in a secure place. But Mitsuru wasn't, in the slightest, on board.
"I'm not following you unless you prove to me I'm not getting lured into your trap. You think I'm stupid?!" A WW2-era rifle materialized from above the boy's hand, and he snatched it from the air, pointing it at Shido. Mild distrust turned into anger. Shido was caught off by the sudden shift, but the boy looked surprised. He tossed aside the gun as if it wasn't his intention to summon it. "Sorry about that. I just don't trust you."
The boy became progressively more jittery and alert. Any minute another Wizard and many would barge in. It was true there was a tunnel leading to a spacequake shelter here. If only Shido got the boy to trust him.
"I don't know how I got here. I don't know what's going on. Shido Itsuka, since you, for some reason, know what's going on, I would like for you to explain to me, please."
"The A.S.T. is about to come in soon. If we wait any longer, we might be overwhelmed and killed. You're not wrong. There are things I know, but I can only explain all of it if we're in a safe place." It was then a dozen or so Wizards busted into the warehouse.
Seven from the windows, or was that six–some in front of us some behind us– "Fine! Where's this exit? Just go!" Mitsuru hollered, and Shido wasted no time. The fear of danger, even with immortality, was present. Maybe it was that fear of the unknown. If not death, then what? Mitsuru prayed that he had not screwed himself over. "That's it, right?" Mitsuru pointed ahead. A fast-moving green projectile flew over his head. He heard the yelling of the Wizards behind him.
"Jump the rail!" Immediately saying that Shido stopped himself. Mitsuru did not, and from the corner of his eye, Shido saw him jump over. The drop was at least twenty-five steps, five meters, sixteen feet-five inches. Mitsuru quickly covered his head, and he rolled across the ground. Mitsuru heard a loud crack at his shoulder. "Mitsuru! I'm so sorry!" Shido ran down the stairs, but the boy had already gotten to his feet and continued running.
"I'm good! Keep going!" Mitsuru weakly got up, his arm's right arm limp and his voice croaking. He saw a door ahead. Mitsuru kicked the door open, and both of them rushed inside.
"They're right outside!' Shido called out hectically.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah! Great, amazing fantASTIC!" Mitsuru suddenly pulled back the door in a sudden wave of emotion. "Come any closer and I'll fuck up your day!" A dozen axes, swords, and guns fell around him as soon as he shouted that. Why does that keep happening? "I need something to block the door. Something heavy." Mitsuru gritted his teeth, eyes wide. A loud thump sounded behind him.
"A large shield?" Shido called out. Mitsuru turned around and saw a large shield standing in front of the door, only a couple of inches shorter than him. It was of intricate stone covered in moss and vine.
"Okay. That should be a couple of minutes. Sorry for my harsh language. I can get a little…angry–" A massive wave of pain radiated from his shoulder. Turning around, Mitsuru saw Shido's unnerved face. His shoulder blade was protruding out of his back; Mitsuru knew that. You know you're a bitch for that. The wound expunged a purple gas. When the gas disappeared, the shoulder had regenerated. Shido looked at him, stunned. "Don't ask. I don't know."
The door unexpectedly exploded open, but the giant shield stood as if untouched. It was impenetrable. "Look at that. I say we run while we can." Mitsuru pointed downward at the flights of stairs into the abyss.
{Get to the bottom. Stop standing around,} Kotori directed. They descended. "That shield stopped them dead in their tracks. We can start a conversation, only we can't seem to get a reading off of him."
When the [Fraxinus] crew saw what was going on, they were stunned.
"A male Spirit?"
"Does his Angel allow him to summon anything?!"
Reine was the only one who hadn't said a word. She just stared at the boy on the screen with wide eyes. "Before we start a conversation, I suggest that we get a name, Kotori."
"It seems like we're safe here. So, I never got to ask who you were. Who are you?" Shido asked the boy.
"...Mitsuru Kano." Inconspicuous. Whatever his Angel was, even Mitsuru himself didn't know how it worked; in fact, Mitsuru didn't seem to know his own nature.
"Hey, Mitsuru. Do you know how you became like this, a Spirit?" Mitsuru stopped for a moment.
"You mean like–a ghost?" Mitsuru gave a stare from his shoulder. Shido couldn't understand that face. He seemed caught off guard.
"N-No. Not like the ghost spirits. They're these special beings with magical powers. They appear from spacequakes. Actually, they're the ones creating them. The public doesn't know about them." Mitsuru did not seem to react much.
What does that even mean? How do you create a spacequake? How does a spacequake even work again? Mitsuru created a strange face, unbeknownst to Shido. "Okay. So I'm a Spirit, and if that's the case, this A.S.T. group is out to get me because I'm a Spirit…you don't seem like you are out to get me, but how do you know about the A.S.T. and Spirits? You aren't part of some plan?" Mitsuru emphasized that last part.
Well. I'd be lying if I said no. I'm part of Ratatoskr after all.
{Shido. For all we know. Mitsuru might still be on alert. If you have to, answer truthfully. We need him transferred to [Fraxinus] for a more thorough interrogation. Make sure he's in a good mental state.} Shido hadn't been given any choices so far, thankfully.
"I'm not part of the A.S.T, " Shido said. It was extremely dark, save for the illumination of little lights on the walls of the stairwell. "But there's another organization I'm a part of, Ratatoskr. Whereas the A.S.T's goal is to eradicate Spirits, we try to deal with them with more friendly methods. I can't give you a specific method, because it depends on the Spirit." That was technically the truth. The things he was forced to say were absolutely ridiculous.
"Alright. I trust you on that. I guess I'm a Spirit. You asked how I became like this…I have an answer, but I can't…I can't say it. Five years ago, that's all I'm willing to say–" Mitsuru quickly interrupted.
"Five years ago?!" Mitsuru confusingly turned around. What was Shido so surprised by?
"Does it have anything to do with a fire?!" Then, Mitsuru began to understand.
"...yes. The fire while the spacequake alarm was going off. I was in it." The boy reluctantly answered. Mitsuru did not want to reveal his death. If they wanted to get it out of him, he should know more about Ratatoskr first. Shido's worry grew on his face.
{Shido. You're at the bottom. We're transporting you to Fraxinus now. We can continue the interrogation onboard.} The darkness around the two quickly disappeared, as the large underground complex lit up a bright gold. It emanated from around Shido.
"Hey, hey, hey, why are you glowing like that?!" Mitsuru wasn't sure if he should have run away or not.
"No, no, this is normal. We're being transported to safety right now. Make sure you stick close, trust me." A golden sphere began to envelop both, as a feeling of weightlessness grew over. Mitsuru had no words. Shido gave a dumb grin while stretching his neck. Mitsuru gave a complex face that said Really? Are you serious?