Supernatural: Chronicles of the Order 7
Chapter 1: A Simple Field Trip
(DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Supernatural because it belongs to Eric Kripke and Warner Bros. So, enjoy the show! Rated M for graphic violence, adult content, and adult language.)
It had been two weeks since the fall of the Sol-2 as life was back to normal for now. On a warm April day, I was busy tending to the laundry that was washing in the frontloaders that were in the room I was in at our castle on Drakonus. What I didn't expect was that Dvora was coming in here as she brought her own laundry to wash in which she put it into one of the toploaders that were near the bathroom. With two detergent pods placed into the load with a cap full of fabric softener, she started it up as she sat down in a chair while turning on the radio. The sound of K-pop filled the room as she was there to listen to it while I was busy writing in my journal so far, for I had to be up to date with what I went through right now.
"It's been a slow day right now," I heard her say as she opened up a can of soda.
"In the last two weeks, we were up to date in this moment, but the Executive Division is still at large right now," I said.
"Cass told me that Reiko's hair turned silver when we were up there in space shutting down the Sol-2 two weeks ago. Time flies when you're having fun, but we all have to return to work sooner or later."
"Even though Julilla is dead, there are others who will replace her in the Executive Division in which we can't let our guard down just yet."
"Mr. Sam!"
I saw Carly rushing into the laundry room as she was worried to the extreme. She was up to something as I also had to know what she wanted right now. Putting my journal down and getting up from my chair, I decided to listen to what Carly wanted to say as I couldn't ignore it right now.
"I found a room with a red rubber ball in it, but Dirk, Gyatso, and Kanna are gone!" she wailed.
"Are you serious?" I asked.
"You gotta look, Mr. Sam! They could be lost if we don't find them!"
"Calm down, fusspot; we'll find them, alright? Besides, it's almost time for lunch and all of you need to eat."
I saw Carly run out of the laundry room as I followed her towards the room that had a red rubber ball in it. The room itself was different than the one in the castle back home as I closed the door behind us the moment we saw the ball glowed with such intensity. By the time it stopped, I opened up the door as I noticed the terrain to be different than what I once saw on Benezia at the time. It was different as I saw it to be devoid of life like the last one. When I stepped out of it with Carly in tow, we were searching far and wide for the other older children as we found them looking at the structure of rocks that stretched from below.
"It's a good thing that I found you," I said.
"We were supposed to go towards Kanto Village on Alecrast, ut we ended up here in this barren wasteland here," said Dirk.
"You could've taken me with you!" yelled Carly.
"You were helping Reiko at the time, Carly," said Kanna. "Besides, you're too little to be going off like this."
"I am not!"
"You could've came with us earlier," said Gyatso.
"Dirk didn't want me to go anyway!
"That's enough," I said sternly. "The rest of you need to be aware of our surroundings because there's no food growing nor rain pouring. And another thing, we need to get back home before our lunch gets cold or else-" I began to sneeze as I felt the dry air touch at my nose. "I never sneezed before, but I can't let it get to me like that."
"Are you feeling okay, Sam?" asked Gyatso.
I continued to sneeze as I the snot ran dow my nose and hit the dry ground. I kept sneezing uncontrollably as the dry air was too much for me the moment I felt my eyes watering in which the tears from them fell onto the ground like the snot from earlier. Just as I was about to sneeze even further, I saw Gyatso get out a box of tissues from his bag as he gave a few to me the moment I blew my nose.
"You never sneezed before until now," he said.
"I never had any allergies, but this air is too dry and too much for me," I said.
"I just hope that nothing else bad ever happens..."
It wasn't long until the sound of thunder was heard as we noticed a simple raindrop falling onto the ground. What we didn't expect was that the simple raindrop was later accompanied by several more the moment it became a cloudburst on the sly. Carly wasn't too thrilled with the rain as she hid behind the long silver hair I displayed in which she didn't like getting wet while the other children were happy to see it coming down.
"It's raining everywhere," said Gyatso as he got out his umbrella.
"We could've brought some raincoats instead of wandering all over this dry wasteland," said Dirk.
"We need to take shelter," I said as I saw the rain pouring everywhere. "As soon as we reach a dry cave, the better we stay dry."
I led the children from the weather as I had to find shelter directly. Little did I know was that something grew from the snot on the ground as it came in the form of a rose bush that started from a seedling, for it symbolized a sign of growth in this barren wasteland of a planet so far…
Ryosuke was busy working as he returned from a conference on Sephos earlier. The outcome of our last battle two weeks ago became a cornerstone of talk all over the galaxy in which there was no end here soon enough. He had a gut feeling about the further attacks coming from the Executive Division as he also had his reasons to stand firm against their dangerous tactics as well. Just as he was about to return to his office, he saw Minara arriving as he was busy at work in which he had so much responsibilities to do, for he also had to atone for his behavior towards me as well.
"Looks like everything's business as usual here," he said.
"After the destruction of the Sol-2, there's been a crisis within the Executive Division since Julilla's death," said Minara. "Recently, the Eichenberg twins have been running things, but it will all change the moment we see it fall."
"Earlier, there's been a resurgence of the Executive Division's malignant activities in which the White Lady, Sybil Bonnefoy, and the Farragut Clan are aware of their presence on the sly."
"And how does Sam see it?"
"It's been two weeks since that battle, but he's got so much to do right now when it comes to the balance of work and family."
It wasn't long until Dean arrived in which he had a rose in his hand. With the surge of strange things coming and going, all was well as the discovery of roses was an omen for the ages. Even Minara noticed the omen as it was something that was never there before until now, for he had to hear the details right now.
"Well, well; it seems that you're into gardening," said Ryosuke.
"There was a rosebush growing from a recently emptied trashcan not a while ago," said Dean.
"Roses don't grow quickly unless a hint of raw power is involved," said Minara.
"Speaking of which…; I know of this phenomenom before in which it occurred on Benezia when Sam threw a large baby fit that awakened the planet up to full from a deserted wasteland to a vibrant valley. It happened once before and it also happened again in which it's on a different one this time with a side order of Miracle-Gro to add onto it. I don't know what planet Sam is on now, but I know that he became a catalyst the moment he stepped into unknown terrain."
"That 'terrain' has a name," said Kazuo as he was walking on the front steps. "It is the third one in the central part of the Ashizoka System and it's none other than Erebor itself."
Everyone was stunned to hear this as the name of the planet was revealed in front of them. Still, it was a shock when the omen of roses ended up growing everywhere as everyone in the Order was busy gathering them up or turning them into potpourri on the sly. Dean knew of it to be an out of control omen as it was also something that needed to be controlled with, for this wasn't normal right now.
"Everything's coming up roses right now," he said.
"The gardeners are gonna have a field day about this…," said Minara.
"Sam's gonna know eventually, but his work is nothing more than sheer make-believe," said a Rendilian with red hair. "He killed our grandmother and that action is unforgivable."
"Minos Kratedes… From what we heard, you've been the black sheep of the family since that fateful day your parents and grandfather were killed. This time, you bear a grudge against Sam for Reina's death all over again in which she'll turn in her grave if she heard this."
Minos was someone who took the full brunt of the tragedy that killed his grandfather, parents, and uncle as he was still sorely grieving the loss of Reina. He never forgot about how she died as he also vowed to make my life miserable the moment he gets a chance, for his grudge was absolute and nothing could get in his way right now.
"How could you coddle that murderer after all that has happened?!" he yelled. "Have you no honor or dignity to avenge Reina?!"
"Reina was killed by the Black Dragon Guild, Minos," said Minara. "You can't just accuse Sam of being her killer the moment she stepped in and saved his life. He's been through enough already! There's no need to add more fuel to the fire!"
"Say what you want, but Reina will be avenged! I will see to it that Sam's life will always be a living hell for his sins, make no mistake about that!"
At that moment, Minos left as Dean and Minara were concerned about what could happen next. They were aware of the fiery member of the Kratedes Family as they also had to tell me about his intentions first, for they weren't good at all right now…
I stood in a cave with the children as we all saw the rain pour from outside. Even though we were on another of the planets in the central part of the Ashizoka System, we had to remain dry as the rain was causing one huge downpour from outside. When I noticed Carly run outside, she saw the rain pouring everywhere as she saw the water from it flowing towards a cliff in which she noticed the rocky bottom being covered by it. When I rushed outside to scoop her back in, I saw the rain filling up the bottom as it was starting to become an ocean. It was something that I never expected to see before as the once devoid Erebor was now becoming more livelier than ever the moment the rain continued to pour all over the place, for this was getting more interesting than what was perceived earlier.
"It's still raining out here, Mr. Sam!" I heard Carly yell as she was getting wet.
"Erebor's becoming more like Benezia when it comes to having rain all over," I said.
"Does Reiko know?"
"No, but she's probably worried about us right now..."
I gathered up Carly as we returned to the cave to get out of the rain. When we saw Dirk, Gyatso, and Kanna gathering up sticks, they put them in a circle as they also had a match and lighter fluid in which I took them and began to finish the campfire. With a flame blazing, we were warm as we were all huddling up together the moment we saw the sun go down in which it had been a few hours since we got here in the first place. All five of us were there in the cave as we stared at the downpour from outside in which we had to wait it out until the storm passed.
"I never saw such rain before, but it's fun to see it soak the planet," said Gyatso. "Earlier, it was all dry with nothing but rocks and withered sticks, but with the rain pouring, it's more fun to see it coming from the sky."
"Well, you better get used to it 'cause we're gonna be here for a while," said Dirk.
"I'm hungry," said Carly.
"I only packed some sandwiches for me, Dirk, and Gyatso," said Kanna.
I noticed a patch of watermelons growing quickly as they sprouted from inside the cave without warning. The sight of them was a godsend as I picked one of them the moment it was ripe in which I was ready to keep the kids fed for now. Spotting a smooth rock, I shattered the watermelon on it as it was in many pieces in which I noticed Carly running for it. Grabbing a piece, she began to munch on it as she was happy to eat something that came out of nowhere. Even the rest of the children went towards the watermelon pieces as they began to eat at it until they were full from it. Even I grabbed a piece of watermelon as I began to eat it until I heard footsteps approaching. When I ran out of the cave, I noticed Dvora running towards me as she was worried and angry at the same time, for she wasn't about to let me off the hook yet.
"It's about time that I found you here!" she yelled. "You had me worried!"
"Sorry about that, but I had to be with the children first," I said.
"Reiko is in the kitchen working her ass off into making dinner and you hang out here in this devoid terrain that just got watered down!"
"You got busted there," said Dirk.
"I know…, but it's time to get back before we all get in trouble," I said.
At that moment, we followed Dvora out of the cave as we went towards the door that I came out of in which we closed the door behind us. With the red rubber ball glowing in the room, it stopped as I opened up the door in which we were back home at the castle on Drakonus. By the time we all piled out into the hall, we went upstairs as we found our way into the kitchen in which we spotted Reiko cooking some dinner in the form of various dumplings and budae-jjigae. We were also in the nick of time for dinner as we smelled the food that was cooking in front of us until we saw Kazuo arriving just to ruin my whole day.
"You're needed, Sam," he said to me.
"Now's not the time, Kazuo," I said. "I just went through another room and into a world that no one knows about yet."
"We all knew about it, even your brother, Sam. There's also a refugee crisis in which the people of Manners Point are without a home right now."
"We can move them to Benezia if we wanted."
"Benezia had a huge surge of plant life in which the refugees that were once moved to the Kingdom by the River are settled there, but those who lived in Manners Point are to be moved somewhere else."
"Benezia has plenty of soil that has been revitalized in which I even asked Shigeru to bring some of the refugees there to live in. There's even a city near the cave I spent the night in at the time in which there's been some work done with such humble progress. As for the planet that I visited, it has a name by the name of-"
"-Erebor? I saw the name of it on the planet chart earlier in which some roses grew from a budding omen in mind."
"Please, don't take Sammy right now, Uncle Kazuo," said Reiko as she was finishing up with the budae-jjigae that was cooking on the stove. "He hasn't had his dinner yet, so I suggest that you be patient for now."
I was happy that Reiko put her foot down as she looked more radiant than ever the moment her hair turned silver like mine. She was also happy that I was safe the moment I had the older children home without further delay. By the time dinner was served, we all washed our hands as we went into the dining room and sat down to eat our food. We were eating together as a family as we also had the older twins in their high chairs making a mess out of themselves as usual, for we were there for a reason in this time of crisis during peaceful times. Still, we didn't focus on further dangers for now as we continued to eat our dinner until it was time for bed later on…
Minos was in his quarters as he was thinking about the grudge against me. He had seen too much for a while as he was staring at the window in which he saw the sun going down in the form of dusk. Fishing out a locket, he opened it up as he was looking at a picture of Reina and other members of her family in which he missed them terribly. He remembered the tragedy that killed his parents, grandfather, and uncle as he couldn't get it out of his head that easily. Just as he was about to throw something, he heard the door open as he saw another Rendilian with multicolored hair and blue eyes arriving as he was dressed in his Hunter Corps uniform. Even though he was related to Minos, he was considered to be a sharp man with a good heart as he was not about to let him fly off the deep end for now.
"You're here to bear a grudge against Sam, aren't you?" he said.
"He killed our grandmother, Gaius," said Minos as he was boiling with anger. "He deserves to rot in his own misery for that sin!"
"The Black Dragon Guild was the one who sent that assassin to do away with Sam, but our grandmother's sacrifice won't be in vain, either. You should be patient in this time of crisis or else we lose the war against the Executive Division."
"Were we all patient when Abaddon slaughtered my parents, grandfather, and uncle?! Your mother and our grandmother got all of us to safety, but our family was never the same fifty years ago!"
"I know of it very well, but you should also be aware of how the new god is faring with my sister and her husband, who are also members of the Medical Corps. I've known the new god's half-brother ever since he stuck to his medical books in which he graduated from the academy at a young age. You should be careful what you say or else you'll be angering the other gods with their own wrath. You can't let this continue or else that anger will consume you in a pit of hellfire and misery that can even rival that of Lucifer's cage."
"I hope that Sam goes back in it! His negligence caused our grandmother to die and he'll pay for it, mark my words!"
"Don't wish death on those who are related by blood and marriage in our family. If that ever happens, you will never reach the Grey Havens when you die in battle, for the gods will judge you for your angry actions. Wrath is a dangerous sin, cousin, for it will consume you entirely if you let it continue to fester. If you allow it to emerge, you will never fully heal from the tragedy that you suffered from. Our grandmother was a good woman who would put her family and her friends first over her own life, so I suggest that you be thankful that her sacrifice was a noble one."
When Minos saw Gaius leave his quarters, he didn't cause another outburst as he decided to go to bed for the night. Still, the tragic memories of losing some of his family members at the hands of Abaddon were still fresh in his mind as he could never get away from them, for this was something that was scarred on him for the rest of life so far…
I was busy in the kitchen washing the dishes after dinner as I was hard at work helping out with what was there. Even though I finished up, I had them dried and put away afterwards as I was most likely to be going upstairs into my room in which I saw Reiko bringing the older twins with her the moment we all went towards the elevator. Getting into it, we were going towards the floor where our room was as we were getting ready for bed after that. By the time it reached the floor, we stepped out of it as we went towards the bathroom and began to clean the twins the moment we took off their clothes and pull-ups while taking care of them in the wash basin.
"The two of you are really messy after you got that budae-jjigae all over you," said Reiko as she was cleaning up Ghimru, who had food all over his face." You're also a very healthy one like your brother."
"Well, this one's messy all over," I said as I was busy cleaning up Aora after what he went through.
"It's strange that the younger ones aren't ready to eat such food yet, but they will when they get the chance."
"As long as we take care of them, they'll be safe."
"Earlier, while you were looking for the other children, I fed the younger twins in which they have a bit of an appetite like you. Still, Zoran keeps suckling with all his might in which he'll end up being tall like you. Zia, on the other hand, is a girly-girl, but we could be proven wrong about that when we see her grow up."
"Reiko…, our children may be born into this world, but they will always be born with the original genetics that we have. We can't help it, but we also have our work cut out for us in the end."
"Sammy..."
"You can't just barge in there and snag Sam like that!"
I finished cleaning up Aora as I got him dried off and dressed in a clean pull-up and pajamas while getting out of the bathroom. What I didn't expect was that Kazuo was on the warpath as he was ready to pluck me from my home and onto the petri dish that the Medical Corps had in store for me. What I didn't expect was that Dvora was on his heels as she was not about to let Kazuo take me away right now, for I had one strange day after another these days.
"You are needed, now!" I heard him say as I set Aora down on his feet. "You can't ignore a summons like that from the Medical Corps and it can't be put off forever."
"I won't be your guinea pig for tonight, Kazuo!" I yelled. "I've already had a rough day and I want to spend it with my family!"
"Ryosuke didn't ask for you to be at that summons, for I was the one who insisted on it."
"You wouldn't even dare to do so..."
"If you refuse a summons from the Medical Corps, then I'll file a complaint to the Review Board for your petty disobedience, is that clear to you?"
I had no other choice but to obey as I followed Kazuo the moment Reiko came out of the bathroom with Ghimru in tow. Even though the both of us had reached a divine status, we could never get past Kazuo and his stern demeanor in the Medical Corps as he was there to analyze me against my wishes, for this wasn't my day (or night) at all right now…
Ryosuke was getting ready to go to bed for the night as he also had so much to do in the morning so far. After lounging in the bathhouse earlier and dressed in his nightclothes, he was going to his room until he noticed Clement dressed up in a skirt that was above his knees while decked out in his Elven tunic. He never saw the disgraced Elf decked out in a skirt before as it was also something that was never seen like that until now, for there was something off about this.
"You've been in a skirt since the Sol-2 exploded two weeks ago," he said. "Perhaps you probably need a pair of high heels or stilettos to match it with."
"This is my punishment for my constant put-downs towards Reiko in which the gods grew angry with me," answered Clement. "Therefore, I'm cursed to wear this… tiny mini-skirt!"
"Perhaps you need a purse to go with that skirt."
"I can't escape this punishment because of my fervent belief in the gods and what they would do after I was constantly telling Reiko to be silent."
"You shouldn't be an embarrassment to the Order right now. So far, the Executive Division has set up shop in Shion's part of the Ashizoka System in which she has filed a complaint against their invasion towards Stohess. For the record, we all need to be on board in which we can't just fritter our time away while dressing in a mini-skirt."
"You may go against it, but I can't get past the sin that I committed against Reiko. When her hair turned silver, she was more divine like a goddess in which she had an angelic aura over her."
"Reiko and her siblings are actually Nephilim from their mother's side in which their maternal grandfather is one of the Knights of Heaven. You should pay better attention to other omens in which they can't be ignored at present. We just had one growing all over the place the moment we brought some gardeners in to prune the walls from outside. As for the other things we have to worry about, the golden age is already well underway right now, for it is here to stay after all."
Clement saw Ryosuke go to his room for the night as he was stunned by his words of both inspiration and warning. When he walked towards the window, he saw another omen appear in the form of a bush that was burning in a circle of stones. It was a time of dread as the war against the Executive Division was heating up without mercy or delay right now…
I was laying down on an examination table in a different infirmary wing that was there on Drakonus, where our temporary home was at. I was also uncomfortable with what Kazuo was putting me through as he was scanning me against my wishes. The sight of my body structure was something that couldn't be ignored as I also had to be aware of what was going on so far, for this wasn't the first time that I got scanned and not the last, either.
"Your energy is off the scale, Sam," said Kazuo. "That raw power isn't something that can be taken lightly in which the Executive Division is still going after you just to add to their own lust and greed."
"You got what you wanted, but can I go and get a bath before going to bed first?" I said as I was getting irritated. "You can't just keep me scanned forever and there's no way in hell that you're going to do that to me in the long run."
"I won't shirk my duty to keep you tethered to a typical body scan, but I also won't let you fly off the handle, either. After Julilla's death, the Executive Division has been taken over by the Eichenberg twins, Lorne and Liesel, in which they've made their mark that is similar to what happened on Claudius a few months ago. So far, Shion sent members of the Hunter Corps and Garrison Corps to keep the peace and cooperate with the Stohessian Army in which they have their hands full right now. The commander of that platoon, Gaius Sedonis, is the grandson of Reina and his mother, Lavinia, has now been confirmed Elder in order to succeed our fallen ally. Sadly, you're still being accused by one of Reina's grandchildren in her death over a month ago, but he has a short fuse after what he went through."
"What are you talking about?"
"Minos Kratedes is the youngest brother of Varro, Stavros, and Agrippa in which he was the most affected the moment he witnessed Abaddon kill his parents, uncle, and grandfather fifty years ago. Still, I fear that he would force you in a corner if you're not careful."
"I was afraid of that..."
It wasn't long until I heard footsteps approaching the moment I sat up and saw Dvora in here while wanting to have a bone to pick with Kazuo. She wanted to give him a piece of his mind as she wanted to get me out of this latest torture chamber of his. Still, I wanted to be with Reiko for the night as I was also getting fed up with Kazuo's constant testing results on me, for I wasn't about to let him get his way in the end so far.
"Ryosuke's pissed when he heard of your unauthorized experiments on Sam," said Dvora.
"It's mandatory because of the fact that his raw power is the main catalyst of it all in this galaxy," said Kazuo. "Such data about him should never be ignored like that and if the Executive Division gets their hands on him, then it's game over."
"He's on his way right now, so you better fess up right away."
"You're bluffing, Dvora," I said as I was on my feet. "Ryosuke's gone to bed like the rest of us, but you have a point against Kazuo for keeping me in such a chamber of horrors like this."
"If you think this lab in the infirmary wing is bad, then try getting a good look at Lucifer's cage!" yelled Kazuo. "There's nothing in there but meathhooks and chains clamped to your body while you burn to a cinder on a daily basis in Hell!"
"I've dreamt of being in Lucifer's cage so much that I know how it goes every time." I was ready to go out the door as I wasn't looking back. "Now, if you don't mind, I would like to take a bath and get ready for bed like the rest of us."
I was ready to leave until I spotted Anaira arriving just to detain me against my wishes. Like Kazuo, he was hell-bent on having me being used like a guinea pig as he was there stepping on my long silver hair just like his stern grandfather. I hated being detained by the Medical Corps as they were starting to get annoying to the teeth, for they were there for one reason or not.
"Going somewhere, Rapunzel?" said Anaira.
"It's you from that hospital, isn't it?"
"Your raw power is one hot commodity and-"
"You guys better let Sam go or else I'll tell Dean about this, you pervert," said Dvora. "It's almost ten in the evening and you still detain him like that?"
Kazuo and Anaira didn't say another word as I was let go and off into the hall. I was grateful that Dvora intervened at the last minute as I was on my way to the bathroom that had a bathtub in it the moment I closed the door behind me. Stripping off my clothes, I placed them into the hamper as I was in the nude while cleaning myself in the wash basin. I was happy to be cleaned as I later rinsed myself off and stepped into the tub the moment I turned on the hot water. I was glad to be lounging away in the bathtub as I saw the water fill up to the rim while I turned it off afterwards. The relief I had was more than enough to keep the stress at bay.
Even though I was relaxing in my bath, I heard the sound of a chain rattling as I was concerned about what was going on so far. By the time I tried to ignore it, I felt a chain being forced around my neck as I was struggling to breathe in which I used my raw power to break free from the one who had the chain in one's hands. Turning around, I saw a hallucination of Dean, but he wasn't the one I knew in which he wore a dark red flannel shirt while his eyes briefly flashed black. I got out of the tub as I put on a towel around my waist. I was scared to death as I saw my brother's darker form armed with a hammer in which he was ready to strike me until I tangled him up with my long silver hair.
"Real cute, Sammy," he said in a sadistic tone that worried me to the extreme. "You know that you can't get away from the Executive Division forever."
"You're my brother's past self in the form of a demon after you were killed by Metatron in the Elder Days," I said as I was shaking with fear. "You even had the Mark of Cain branded on you at the time when Crowley wanted Abaddon out of the way at the time, only to hang with him on a road trip that featured stale beer and bad karaoke..."
"Excellent deduction, but you won't last long until I up and kill you. And by the way, sweet cheeks, the name's Demon Dean and don't you forget it!"
I saw the door open up as I saw Dean rush in the moment he touched at the jeweled sigil on my forehead in order to make his demonic id disappear for the time being. He saw me to be a nervous wreck as I drained the water from the bathtum and got up from my feet while putting on a robe. It was a new form of hell for me as I was concerned about the presence of Demon Dean after what I went through so far, for I had to be aware of what I had to face soon enough.
"It's about frickin' time that I canceled that asshat id from your consciousness," I heard Dean say as he was not about to let me out of his sight. "You can't just brush it off like you're fine 'cause my own id is far worse than Soulless Sam."
"You knew of this?" I asked.
"I looked up in the archives in which my past self was brought back to life due to the Mark of Cain's influence. It's kind of scary to look up, but I also delved into some of the Supernatural books in which one of them detailed how my past self went on a frickin' rampage in the bunker and that was in chapter twenty-seven of Soul Survivor."
"I'm glad that you're here, but your timing is gad." I went towards a changing screen as I got on my underwear and nightclothes for the night. "Kazuo was having a field day into scanning me for no reason."
"About that… Earlier, Kazuo just filed a complaint against you in which you refused to obey a summons from the Medical Corps like the rest of us."
"He was starting it, Dean. I decided to finish it when I came in here to get cleaned up and the best part is that I didn't use the shower this time because you might end up flushing the toilet on me."
"That's what I'm there for."
"Dean, why do you do those awful things to me?"
"It's 'cause I'm an awesome brother..." He sees me in my nightclothes as I was going towards the sink to brush my teeth. "After this, you're gonna have one hell of a complaint coming from Kazuo and he does more than just stare you down with his stern demeanor. He goes for either the throat or testicles when it comes to jabs and insults."
"I had a feeling that he would resort to such torture on me..."
I started to brush my teeth as I later rinsed them off and put away my toothbrush and toothpaste and followed Dean out of the bathroom. Still, I didn't worry too much as I also had my reasons to stay on my toes, but not now…
The next morning, Kazuo was on the warpath as he entered into my room in which I wasn't there to sleep in it. What he didn't expect was that the bed was made as he left the room and noticed me out in the open with the laundry that was collected in a wheeled basket. I was in the doghouse as I turned around and saw Kazuo with yet another stern look on his face, for he wasn't about to let me off the hook anytime soon.
"You can't just up and leave like that, Sam," he said to me.
"Dean said that you filed a complaint against me," I said.
"You're a special case for a reason in which your raw power needs to be analyzed. I know that you don't want to be the Medical Corps' special guinea pig, but I won't let you wander around without proper supervision."
"Once again, I have the eyes of helicopter parenting all over me in which you refuse to leave me alone after being scanned for possible ailments."
"The children in your care told me about how you were sneezing on Erebor in which the air on that planet was once dry. The snot from your nose and the watery tears from your eyes were the catalyst of bringing the planet to life with the typical vegetation that was there."
"I had a bit of an allergy with the air and that was all."
"That's not what your sinuses tell me. You may be on the verge of being a new god, but that doesn't mean that you're not on the cusp of developing a seasonal allergy."
"I was afraid of that..."
I started to sneeze further as I even felt the itching sensation that came along with what I was suffering from. The sneezing got worse until I saw Kazuo get out a pill and placed it into my hand in which I shoved it into my mouth while I went to the bathroom to cup some water from the sink to wash it down with. I was relieved that the pill did some good as I saw Kazuo still staring at me with his usual stern demeanor, for he wasn't about to let me off the hook after all that has happened on the sly.
"I told you that you were developing a seasonal allergy," he said.
"Whatever I took, it did some work on keeping the sneezing at bay," I said.
"The pill you took is known as Loratadine, which is an ancient drug that even went by the conventional pharmaceutical name of Claritin. It'll help you, but the side effect you will suffer from is that from insomnia, so I suggest that you be careful when taking another pill like that one."
"I'll try and remember that one..."
I was ready to get the laundry done as I was on my way towards the place with all the washers and dryers. What I didn't expect was that the children were there as they were playing around with the radio while feasting on watermelon for the day. Even Reiko was there with the four younger children as she was busy nursing Zoran, who was chugging away while Zia was being held by Dirk. It was an awkward day as I also had to deal with my family, for we were all together so far.
"Good morning, Sammy," said Reiko.
"It seems that you're stuck in the laundry room," I said.
"The children told me how you kept sneezing, but at least that Kazuo gave you some medicine for it. Such terrible sneezing fits can be troubling if the air is bad with some of the pollen and ragweed that appear."
"It's true," said Gyatso as he was playing with his Superman toy. "You kept sneezing when the dry air hit your nose."
"We went there again, but this time, there's more vegetation that's growing like weeds," said Dirk as he had Zia in his lap. "Erebor is huge, Sam! There will be plenty the moment we all get to see it again. Hell, there could be more watermelons growing and that can make Carly very happy."
"I see what you mean, but that planet you went to has more life than what we can see now," I said as I began to stuff some of the laundry in the frontloaders. "It's strange that it's all there, but we should also be aware of what would happen next in the future."
I was happy to hear more of the new discovery as I was also thankful that the dry air on Erebor has subsided for now. As for our future adventures, we had to tread carefully as the time to stop the Executive Division in the Second Galvanic Uprising was ongoing, for they were still waiting in the wings in this time of crisis…
Ryosuke was up and alert as he was on hand into overseeing the daily duties in the Order's main headquarters on Drakonus. Even thouth he was about to get started on a daily briefing, he had so much to do as this was a very long day indeed. To his shock, he saw a white crow perched onto a lamp post as it was cawing loudly. He hated the presence of white crows as they were nothing more than bad omens who caused chaos on the sly. Just as the bird continued to caw more, a shot rang out as it killed the white crow the moment it fell towards the bottom in which Ryosuke spotted Gaius standing with his gun in his hand, for he hated those bad omens like the rest of us.
"I really hate those things," he said as he put away his gun.
"On Earendil, it's a sin to kill a white crow," said Ryosuke.
"Well, those things are nothing but trouble. They rain on your parade by cawing their beaks off, but I'm gonna be the one who will end them if they cause more crap on the sly."
"A white crow may be a harbinger of doom, but it can also be a symbol of good luck as well. You should pay more attention to your family's lore instead of shooting it."
"I have paid more attention to the lore all over the place, but a white crow will always be a pest. They're better off dead and that's the way it stays. We've already got too much on our plates, so I suggest that we pop a cap into the Executive Division."
Ryosuke saw another white crow fly towards a tree branch as it was crowing loudly due to its ominous presence all over the place. Still, there was the ongoing war between the Order and the Executive Division as the time to defend the galaxy was the beginning of what was yet to come so far...
To be continued...