Chapter 3 The Call of Fate
Hisame stood before the active portal from which Kaito and Eric exited. Eric turned his attention from Kaito to the now powered off portal.
"What was that and where are we?" Eric asked with evident curiosity.
Hisame adjusted his glasses then turned his attention toward Eric "You've just traveled through what we call a dimensional realm portal."
He paused when Eric ran toward the waste disposal in the left hand corner of the chamber and proceeded to vomit. "First time travelers always experience nausea at first, but you'll get use to that."
Once Eric finished he turned his attention on Hisame "Well that's one question answered, but that still leaves me with one question unanswered. Where am I? Also."
He paused to regard Hisame "Who may I ask are you?"
Hisame cleared his throat and gave a slight bow "My apologies sir. I am Hisame Shirayuki. As to where you are you are currently in the glorious realm of Tengoku."
Eric showed Hisame a puzzled look "Tengoku? You're joking."
Hisame shot Kaito a questionable look "This boy doesn't seem as clever as I thought he'd be."
Kaito nodded in agreement "While that is indeed a fact I feel if provided with necessary information he could become a great asset."
Upon hearing their conversation Eric nearly lashed out, but took a deep breath in an effort to calm down "So this is Tengoku, but what exactly is happening here? What is this WARU Clan and why is it after me?"
"You'd have to ask his Excellency the chancellor." Hisame replied adjusting his glasses.
"As long as I get answers." Eric said with a note of frustration.
Hisame shook his head in disapproval "Hold on young man. You're not seeing the chancellor looking like that."
He pointed out the dry blood on his lower lip as well as his left nostril "Let me get you cleaned off a bit."
Using a handkerchief Hisame proceeded to clean off the blood then tossed the handkerchief into the waste disposal. After he finished he looked Eric over one last time then nodded in approval "That should do it."
"Let's not keep the chancellor waiting." Kaito remarked in a serious manner.
He began leading Eric out of the chamber with Hisame following behind the two. As they walked out of the chamber they were passing portal chambers similar to the one they had exited.
"Do all of these portals lead to Earth?" Eric asked curiously.
"Not exactly." Hisame answered then added.
"The portal chamber we left provides passage to worlds which are outside of our reach. What we refer to as the Neutral Realms." He pointed out the other portal chambers "These portals provide passage to the many worlds we have under surveillance. As such they are known as the Surveyed Realms. Some of which may seem familiar to you."
Hisame stopped as they entered a corridor which had viewing glass lined on the left and right sides. Eric looked through them to see monitors with video footage and images from the worlds in the Surveyed Realms. Beneath the monitors were countless people who were operating computers and distributing data from one to the other.
"These are the ones who monitor any and all activity within the worlds of the Surveyed Realms." Hisame began.
"They also alert us if an outer force enters one of those worlds with the intention to wreak havoc in the worlds we protect."
"So basically you see to it that nothing interferes with those worlds' timelines?" Eric asked with interest.
"Correct." Kaito answered.
"However we do so covertly. As we uphold the rule on tampering with a world's timeline we must also abide by it. We maintain a form of anonymity and only reveal ourselves to a select few that we could trust."
"So no interacting with people of those worlds?" Eric asked curiously.
He turned to Hisame who nodded in confirmation "Indeed so. Last thing we need is to draw unwanted attention to ourselves and send people into a panic. Of course, there have been times in the past when our presence was on the verge of being compromised."
A look of confusion came over Eric's face in response to Hisame's statement then continued following Kaito. The group finally exited the corridor and entered a chamber with three elevators positioned at the end of the chamber. They made their way to the center lift where they stopped as Kaito placed his card in a security lock. The lock went from red to green and the elevator doors opened allowing the group to enter.
The inside of the lift was spacious enough to hold up to ten men and had another door in the back. Two viewing windows were positioned on the lift's left and right sides. On the lift's forward upper right hand side were numbers indicating the levels ranging from 1-50. Kaito turned and pressed the button indicating the 50th floor.
"Is this place above ground or under it?" asked Eric as the doors to the lift closed.
"This facility is 50 feet beneath the ground." Hisame began.
"We're currently in the lower levels, but we should reach our destination in no time."
He paused and added along with a slight chuckle "That reminds me you'd best brace yourself. The lift goes from 0 to 25 miles per hour in 3.2 seconds."
Eric did as advised as the lift began gaining momentum. The lift finally stopped at the 50th floor and the group continued forward. Once they were out of the chamber and outside Eric looked in awe at what he saw. The first thing that caught his eye was a huge building with the appearance of a Japanese palace.
The second thing he saw was what appeared to be a military training facility with groups of soldiers in uniform were either marching in cadence or training with sword and fire arms.
"This is incredible!" Eric remarked as if he were a kid in a candy store. "What is this place?"
Kaito directed his attention toward Eric "Welcome to the Amaterasu Division of the Divine Guardian Core kid. My division."
"The Core is divided into four divisions." Hisame began.
"There's this division, the Tsukiyomi Division, the Susano'o Division, and the Kusunagi Division."
He paused to adjust his glasses then added "There are four nations within Tengoku which share the names of the four legendary figures of Japanese mythology. We are currently in the nation of Amaterasu."
Eric was too awe struck to form a response. On Earth he held a great fascination with Japanese culture, but now here he was on a world which was centered on Japanese culture and influence.
The group proceeded over a bridge which lead to a door with golden Asian style dragons placed on the center of the door. Two men who were guarding the door saw Kaito then gave him a salute "Good day General Arashi!" They said in unison.
Kaito returned the salute "Good day gentlemen. I'm escorting a rather important visitor to meet with the chancellor."
He pointed toward Eric. After exchanging nods the men opened the door allowing the group to pass. The inside was a true marvel with its jade floors, deep red marble walls, and a flight of stairs covered in red carpeting. They made their way up to the room where the chancellor worked. Once at the top Eric looked at a room that would make the richest man weep. Much like the lower level the room's floor was made of jade, but consisted of a gold embroidered sakura tree in the center. At the far end of the room in front of a balcony opening was a wooden work desk beautifully hand carved and designed with dragons lining the front of the desk.
"Beautiful craftsmanship is it not?" A voice from the opposite end of the room asked.
Eric turned to see a man wearing attire similar to that of a Japanese noble or shogun. Like Hisame he wore glasses and he walked with a sense of composer as he made his way to the desk.
He stopped and showed Eric a welcoming smile "Welcome to Tengoku Eric of Earth. I am Shinji Hakuro the 25th chancellor of the Republic of Tengoku."
A look of surprise came over Eric's face "How did you know my name?"
Shinji showed him a sly grin "It comes from being an esper. I'm able to read the thoughts and minds of most people."
Shinji finally sat down then interlocked his fingers in front of him.
"Then you know what I'm going to ask don't you?" Eric finally managed to ask.
Shinji nodded "You wish to know what the WARU Clan is and why it's after you."
He indicated a chair in front of his desk "Please take a seat cause what I'm about to tell you is going to be quite extensive."
Once Eric sat down Shinji cleared his throat then began "To know about the WARU Clan you must first know about the Island Nation of Jashin." He pressed a button that activated a three dimensional map of Tengoku and honed in on the island of Jashin.
"As far back as 899 AF or After Formation this island has waged a series of bloody struggles now known better as the Jashin Wars on our world. During the past 4 conflicts they have threatened not only our own world, but the worlds which are under our protection as well."
He paused to allow his words to reach their mark then added "To answer your first question the WARU Clan is the antithesis of our own DGC. The word 'waru' in the Japanese language translates as evil. It is also an anagram for World Annihilation Resurgence Unit."
"So they're Jashin's version of the Core, but what does it have to do with me?" Eric asked curiously.
Shinji's voice took on a more serious note when he began "They have declared war upon us once again. However the circumstances are different this time."
Eric looked at Shinji with confusion "What makes this war different from the 4 previous wars and what makes me so important that they'd want to kill me?"
"This time they've made an alliance with two other enemies of Tengoku." He pressed a button which brought up information on the two groups.
"The first is a group known as the Tsukiyomi Sorcerer Cult which were notorious for their practice in the Dark Arts. The second group is known throughout the four nations as the Shi Murder Guild who specialize in torture and butchery."
Shinji stopped to clear his throat then added "As to why they want you dead it has to do with your hidden potential."
"What does that mean?" Eric asked his voice taking on a note of frustration.
"Allow me to explain. Every world has its own guardian or protector." Shinji explained.
Eric finally started to calm down somewhat "I guess so."
Shinji adjusted his glasses then began again "Well it stands to reason that all worlds whether under our surveillance or not have their own protector. Take the Feudal Realm for example, Inuyasha is the protector of that world. Likewise, in the Realm of Soul Reapers and Hollows Ichigo Kurosaki is the protector of that world. Therefore, it stands to reason that this world has its own guardian. Of course when I refer to the guardian of this world I am referring to yourself young Eric."
Upon hearing this Eric felt as if he had been hit by a car "Me!? I'm the protector of this world?!"
Shinji nodded "It's precisely why the WARU Clan wants you dead. You have great hidden potential and they know if you ever gain mastery over it they will fall."
Eric sank back into his chair "I can't have that kind of power. I've never even been in a real fight let alone an all-out war. What good can I be?"
"You simply have yet to tap into it. However we can help you unlock your potential." Shinji answered reassuringly.
"Know this if you chose to go down this path there will be no turning back. However if you chose not to fight then this world and the countless worlds we protect will be destroyed. Eric you hold the fate of Tengoku in your hands and you are its greatest hope."
Eric sat silently for a moment as his mind tried processing all that had been revealed to him. When he finally spoke his voice carried with it a note of sincerity "I've never been relied on for something as grand as this…my answer is yes. If there is a hidden power within me then I want to discover what it is."
Shinji was pleased with Eric's reply and smiled slightly "Indeed you shall."
He then turned toward Kaito "First thing tomorrow you will begin his training. Understood general?"
Kaito stood at attention and formed a salute "Clear as crystal sir."
Shinji turned back toward Eric "I'd advise that you get some rest. Your training will be quite challenging."
Eric nodded "I understand sir."
Without further delays Kaito escorted Eric to his sleeping chambers.
End Chapter