Chapter 18
Through Force of Will, a Fool Shall Wonder
Revland swayed back and forth while hanging by the cable of his grapple. He thought about how accurate this temple was to those he saw in his schoolbooks up to and, unfortunately, including the elaborate traps. It had dawned on him about halfway down that Morgana had given him the way to save themselves from their very sudden landing.
"Heh… heh-heh…bye-bye Benny…" he muttered.
Morgana, for his part, let out a low "merrow" as Revland held him under one arm by the waist.
"You alright?" he asked.
"Thought you said she wasn't hostile…" Morgana complained weakly.
Revland thought about the look of regret on Futaba's face just before they began to fall.
"… I… don't think she meant for this to happen…" he noted. "Let's get down first and I'll explain."
Once Morgana recovered, he instructed him to climb on to his shoulder.
"Hold on, let's see if we can at least stick the landing." He said he began to build momentum.
Releasing his grapple, the pair flung themselves to the nearest platform before surveying their surroundings. The area was dimly lit with the torches producing only embers to light their way.
"Happen to have flashlight?" Revland asked.
Patting himself down, Morgana looked up at him sheepishly.
"Take that as a no… whatever happened to always being prepared?"
"Hey, don't mock me!" He complained, "I'm always prepared."
"Except for now…"
Morgana looked annoyed but said nothing.
Scratching the back his head, Revland walked over to one of the torches hanging on the way. As he removed it, the meager flame went out, causing him to curse under his breath. Summoning his will, he focused on the head of the torch and imagined the flame coming back to life. As if on command, the torch release a small tick as a blue flame began to burn while illuminating their surroundings.
The area was broken up by tiers, growing larger as they looked upward. In the middle was a pool of running sand in the shape of what appeared to be a funnel. The walls were lined shoulder to shoulder with sarcophagi and heard what he could 've sworn was the sound of something, or someone, scratching from the inside.
"Spooky…"
"This must be the crypt we saw on the map." Arséne offered.
"Or the tomb she was referring to… it's as dark here as it was upstairs the last time we were here." Revland whispered.
"I think the Pharaoh's tomb is further up."
"I… was referring to us…" he said grimly.
Turning back to Morgana, he noticed that he too seemed as nervous as he was. Placing a soft hand on his head, he began to scratch between his ears in order to comfort him.
"Come on, let's find a way out of here." He said with a forced smile.
Morgana nodded before hopping up to sit on Revland's shoulder. As they explored, Morgana decided to ask about Futaba.
"You said that it didn't seem like she intended for us to fall down here, what makes you so certain?"
Revland thought for a moment while looking for a way to get to the level above.
"I can think of a few reasons. First, if she really wanted to get rid of us, she could have. She has enough control over this place to forcefully remove us if she so desired or just kill us out right. I told you that, when threatened, she was more than capable of defending herself. Second, is the look of regret she wore almost immediately after it happened. She even tried to catch me before we fell."
"Guess that makes me chopped liver then…" He muttered.
"I wouldn't say that… what you are though, is a stranger. Sojiro had told me that she doesn't handle strangers very well. So, maybe this is her palace reacting in a way she normally would."
"Come to think of it, you did say something along those lines…"
"From what I was told, she'll try to escape from any situation that makes her feel uncomfortable and god forbid if someone tries to touch her." He thought of her reactions when first she saw Morgana, "Now that I'm thinking about it, she became transparent when she saw you, as if she was afraid…"
"Jesus… do I want to know what could've happened to make her this way…?"
"No… you don't." was Revland's only reply.
Making their way up, they found a door made of sandstone with a small lever next to it. The pair looked at each other with suspicion plain on their faces.
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained…" Revland sighed, shrugging one shoulder.
A loud click sounded as the door slid upward with dust falling to the ground. Revland turned back toward the crypt and peered down in the direction of where they began. He could still hear the sand flowing to the center of the room even without being able to see anything. He walked over and placed one hand on the wall. Closing his eyes, he pictured Futaba as well as her shadow.
Just as before, the word "Hermit" came to the forefront of his mind including perfect images of both Futaba and the Pharoah's Daughter. He focused his will and gently pushed it into the wall to have it spread throughout the surrounding area.
A full explanation of the room flowed into his mind as if the palace itself was telling him.
This room is the crypt, housing not only the loved ones of the Pharaoh but also her enemies. Travelers should proceed with caution however, for those who are victims of violent ends tend to rest uneasily.
"Then let's make sure not to wake them up…" he muttered.
The room around him brightened as he removed his hand from the wall while the torches regained some of their light.
"How did you do that…?" Morgana asked in wonder.
"It's the link I told you about… at least, I hope so…"
"You hope?"
"It doesn't matter. Come on, we should keep moving…"
A place where her enemies are included… Futaba doesn't seem to have an evil bone in her body, can't imagine her having any malicious intent towards anyone…
"Even the purest of us all are susceptible to corruption… remember this as we grow in strength." Arséne warned.
I don't think I understand… ever since her mom passed, it seems the world has been against her, yet every time I see, she always smiling…
"Perhaps she finally has a reason to smile again."
Revland blushed and scratched the back of his head to try to hide his embarrassment.
Arséne chuckled in amusement. "No use hiding your emotions from me young one."
Revland thought about how he felt whenever Futaba smiled up at him, the way she looked when he played his guitar or sang for her. Even though their plans would often fall through, she still wanted to see him.
Then there was that message she sent… Shame I can't receive texts while I'm in here… he complained inwardly.
His heart felt like a jackhammer, it reminded him of whenever he finally worked up the courage to ask Yumi out and even more so when she finally said yes.
"So much as happened… hard to believe that I've been here for almost two weeks…" He muttered, forgetting Morgana was resting on his shoulder.
"You've been through a lot huh?" He asked.
Revland tilted his head in his direction, then nodded.
"Palaces, the meta-verse, Kamoshida and Futaba… it's almost too much… feel like everything could come crashing down at the slightest misstep… I could care less about that jackass Kamoshida… but knowing that I could kill Futaba if I'm careless… I want to do everything within my power to ensure her safety… I don't think I'd be able to forgive myself if I somehow hurt her, you know?"
Morgana's tail twitched a few times as he thought of response, "I think you'll manage just fine."
"You think?"
He nodded, "I've heard some of the humans talk about a superhero who seems to carry the weight of the entire world on his shoulders. Think they said something about great power and the responsibility that comes with it."
Revland smiled, "That'll be Spider-Man. He's an American comic book character that lives in New York City."
"Why do they call him that, does he have eight legs or something?"
"Well, there was a nightmare scene in the cartoon. But no, he sticks to walls like a spider and shots out webs from the gadgets on his wrists."
"Oh… I see… I think…"
He waved his hand in front of him, "I see you point though… and thank you…"
"You can't be too hard on yourself. Besides, you're not alone in this anymore. You have me and the others here to back you up whenever you inevitably get yourself into trouble."
Revland chuckled, "Guess I'll have to hold you to that Morgana."
The hall they were walking through was dark and seemed to go on for miles. As they were walking, Revland could feel something trying to reach out to him as if it was pulling him. Following, he was led to a strange stone door blocked off by what appeared to be yellow caution tape.
"What is this place…?" Revland muttered.
"I don't know… But something's here… something powerful…" Morgana answered wistfully as if in a trance.
Revland felt the stone of the door with tips of his fingers. He could tell that the presence he felt earlier was on the other side of this door. Problem was, he didn't know how to open it.
He brought his forehead to rest on the door and opened his sight to see if he could view the room beyond. But for his efforts, he could only see the door.
"Mom… I'm sorry…"
Futaba?
"It's all my fault…"
What is…?
"I'm such a bad person…"
…I don't think so…
"Just stop…"
Don't think that's possible anymore…
"This wouldn't have happened if I never existed…"
What makes you think that?
"It's so dark… I'm scared…"
Revland's eyes shot open, "Futaba?!"
"Someone… Help me…!"
Revland placed both hands on the door and began to push with as much strength as he could manage.
"Come on… damn it… MOOOOOVE!" he growled as blue flames leapt into the door and burned away the caution tape baring the door shut. The stone door slid open as he snarled out his frustration.
"Futaba?! I'm here! where are you?!" he asked to the open hall.
The short hall was overgrown with thick, reddish vines housing a lone stone pillar in the center of the room. The item on the pillar was about the size of a medium gourd but had a sinister skeletal look to it that made Revland uneasy.
"What is this… Futaba?" he called out, "It's me. It's alright, you can come out…"
Morgana shook himself from his daze and stared at the item on the pillar, "Hey, is that a will seed?"
"Can we worry about the freaky skull thing till after we find Futaba?"
"Futaba?"
"I heard her calling out, she was in here."
Morgana thought for a moment then realized, "Revland, a will seed is a concentration of a person's inner most thoughts. Her palace literally sprouted from one of these things… what you probably heard was her inner voice, not her true self…"
Relaxing a bit, Revland looked at the seed on the pillar and approached it, "This is a will seed… what happens if we try to remove it?"
Morgana went to answer then stopped as his ears pricked up, his hair stood on end while a chill ran down Revland's spine.
"Some one's there…" Morgana muttered.
"The shadows…" Revland replied.
After a moment, Morgana nodded. "I'm certain of it, think you got their attention when you opened the door."
"Including Futaba?"
"If the shadows are this agitated… no doubt you got her attention as well… and chances are she isn't too thrilled about the idea either."
Well… shit…
"I didn't mean it like that, I thought she was in trouble. How was I supposed to know that this specific door was off limits.?"
"The tape that literally said, 'Keep Out'?"
Revland glared at Morgana, "Can it with the logic talk…"
Peering into the darkness, Revland could see the tell-tale signs of movement just on the other side of his torch's light.
"Think they'll attack us?"
"I'm surprised they haven't already, Kamoshida's shadows attacked us almost on sight."
"What's stopping them?"
Morgana glanced at the shadows, then to the torch in Revland's hand. It still emitted a bright blue flame in a representation of his will.
"Could it be the light?" he said while pointing towards his torch.
Revland looked at the flame then back to the shadows. To test this theory, he took a few steps towards the door and felt the darkness rescind at his approach accompanied by a few hisses from the shadows.
"Think you're right… they don't seem to like it… either that or their issue is with me."
"With you?"
"Last time I was here, I tore about fifteen shadows apart after they tried to swarm Futaba. Think that might've had an effect?"
Morgana nodded in agreement, "Shadows also have emotions of their own, wouldn't surprise me if they're afraid of you."
Revland stared into the darkness as a thought occurred to him, "Don't they share a similar disposition to the palace ruler?"
"What do you mean?"
"If they're scared of me… wouldn't that mean that the ruler is as well?"
Morgana though for a moment. "Have you ever given her a reason to be?"
Revland thought about it before shaking his head, "Not towards her specifically, no…"
"Then that's your answer."
Releasing a sigh of relief, he turned his attention towards the will seed. "So, what do we do with this creepy ass thing?"
"We could take it with us… maybe it'll help destabilize the palace…"
"Would that be very wise, seeing that we're still inside the damn thing?" Revland asked incredulously.
"We'll be fine…. I think…"
"Again with the thinking…" Revland said while pinching the bridge of his nose. "If there's a chance it'll help in the long run… I guess it wouldn't hurt to take it with us…"
As Revland reached for the seed, a bolt of static pricked his finger, causing him to flinch away.
"Ow…?" he muttered, shaking his hand.
"Please… don't… don't look…"
"Is it supposed to do that?"
A shrug was Morgana's only response as the distance between them seemed to have grown when he wasn't looking.
Revland gave him a look while Morgana gave him two thumbs up his only means of support, "You got this!"
Glaring at his feline companion, he reached out for the seed a second time. Bolts of blue crackling energy erupted from his hand as the seed seemed to sink into the palm of his hand. A headache formed behind his eyes, his vision faded as he fell to his knees while clutching the item to his chest, releasing a scream of absolute agony that resonated with the beings within him.
The room was small but cozy with a kitchenet off to one side separating the common room from the rest of the apartment. A high-end computer sat on a desk surrounded by papers and other research materials while an older looking one sat on the floor nearby but far enough away to not be in the way. The wall above the computers was covered by a cork board attached to the wall covered in notes of varying topics.
Revland shook himself as he tried to stand. "Okay…" he muttered, "That hurt…"
He noticed that he was still wearing his thieves' attire though he it appeared he was no longer inside the palace.
"Okay… now where am I?"
He wondered into the main area to look at the notes on the cork board when he heard the ding of a pot on the counter.
Drawing his gun, he whipped around to find Wakaba Isshiki standing in the kitchenet appearing to be on the brink of exhaustion.
"Wakaba?" he whispered, lowering the gun. "If you're here… that would mean…"
A child about ten or eleven years old, came right through him as he let out a curse. Her form shifted between that of her temple counterpart in Egyptian garb to a young girl in an oversized Spike Spiegel t-shirt and grey sweatpants. Both had the familiar mauve eye color behind black rimmed glasses. She ran up and clung to her mother's leg while let out a bust of laughter.
"Come on mom, let's go on a trip." The little girl pleaded.
Wakaba turned to her daughter as her form began to glitch out, showing two when there should only be one.
"You selfish girl, can't you see how busy I am?!" She screamed, "Don't you understand how important this research is?"
Futaba recoiled in fear.
"I should never have birthed such a useless child…"
Tears began to form in her eyes as confusion set in.
"How could you say such a thing… she's your own daughter…" Revland whispered, gripping his heart in sympathetic pain.
The form of Wakaba started to glitch as she continued her tirade.
"You disgusting miscreant, no one will ever love you!"
"Shut up…" Revland growled, fists shaking.
"A child who defies her mother… is of no use to me… and if I don't need them… then they should just die!"
Revland finally had enough, "I said… SHUUUUT UUUUUUUUP!"
Blue flame erupted around him while the room spun around him. After a moment to calm himself, he looked up to see that the glitched version of Wakaba stood still with her hand reared back as if to slap the little girl.
"Huh… can't believe that worked…" he muttered.
He approached the still figure to get a better look at the details of her face.
"This doesn't make any sense… the way Sojiro described you, you would've never lay a hand on your daughter…" he whispered to himself. "And what's with this static…?"
He reached out to touch it as the eyes of the entity looked right at him.
Startled, he stepped back as her form solidified while stalking towards him. Her visage morphed horrifically as her voice hissed and seemed to be composed of two voices.
"Yooooou doon'tt beloongg hereee… interloperrrrr…" The fake Wakaba hissed. Her arms elongated as they grew long black claws. Her skin became the picture of decay as it wilted and withered to a pale grey color while her eyes sunk into deep black voids. Her jaw dislocated as she let out a demonic scream before leaping for Revland's throat and driving him to the ground.
He could feel his heartbeat in between his ears as the banshee waled her sorrowful song no more than a few inches from his face. He kept her hands off him though it took nearly all his resolve not to give into fear.
"Revland, this fear is not just your own!"
Now's not the time for riddles Arséne!
"Futaba! The young Sakura is here, she's seeing this as well!"
What, how?!
His thoughts shifted inward as another presence stood out from the others. He could feel the coldness in her fear and the chill of her weakened heart.
"Damn iiiiiit!" he screamed in return.
Liana, go to her! But do it carefully, try not to scare her.
Feeling his intentions were understood, he returned his focus on the creature on top of him.
"You will never have my daughter!"
"You!" he countered by placing the flat of his boot on her stomach, "Are NOT her MOTHER!" he screamed as he launched the creature into the opposite wall, causing the drywall to cave in and crack.
Getting to his feet, he placed himself between the creature and the cognitive form of Futaba. "This one is not yours to take…" Dark black wings sprouted from the blazing flames around him. He drew his pistol in his off hand before summoning his knife in the other as he aimed at the horrific creature.
"You think you can threaten me…. Whelp?" Wakaba laughed as it crept closer on all fours. "Do you even know what this brat did to me?"
"I've only heard on side of the story… I won't allow you to continue tormenting her…"
"She's responsible for everything that was wrong in my life, the little bitch doesn't deserve to live."
"Is that what you'd really want, for your only daughter to just give up?" Revland questioned.
"It doesn't matter…" The creature recoiled.
"This is someone's life on the line. You' haven't given any reason for hers to end… where is all this coming from, why hate her for something so far out of her control?"
Giving him a scornful look, she said nothing.
"So, you're just a fake… nothing more than an illusion cooked up from her darkest nightmares…"
"Real enough to end you… child…"
"What's so wrong with a child wanting to spend time with her mother?" he pressed further as the creature started to circle them.
"Because of that… I lost focus… I fell into despair… a debt must be paid… a life… for a life." Wakaba purred, disarming his question.
"Not hers…" he stated coldly as his aim was trained on the creature waiting for her to rush him.
Wakaba hissed her distain at the boy before taking a swipe to test his defenses. He bent, parried the blow, then shot her point blank.
The creature retreated as she screamed in absolute agony. "You… retched … horrid boy! How COulD yoU Do THiS To A DeFENsEless WomAN!"
"Futaba Sakura is not responsible for your death… if this continues… I'll do on to you what i've done to the others…" he stated coldly as Hades formed behind him in Arséne's place. "I'll tear you APART… and watch as your corpse smolders under my boot…" he snarled as his flames circled the pair.
Wakaba let out a final hiss before retreating into a nearby shadow. Lowering his pistol, her turned back to the still form of Futaba to find that Wakaba had returned to where she was before as if she never moved. The glitching image was gone and instead of a scowl on her features, she wore a small, patient smile.
"Okay, okay settle down. As soon as I finish up a few more topics, we'll take a trip. How does that sound?" Wakaba asked.
"That sound great!" Futaba smiled.
Gone was the fearful child and replaced with one that never seemed to know what it was like to be afraid. Seeing those eyes filled with joy, made his heart jump a little in his chest.
"Can we invite Sojiro too?"
"You must really like him, don't you?"
"Nuh-uhh, I just want him to make us curry every day!"
That made both Revland and Wakaba laugh, "Even at a young age, she was always a fan… this is how it should be…" he sighed.
The memory began to fade as his reality came back into focus. He was kneeling on the ground and was clutching onto a what looked like a travel broacher for Kyoto.
"Joker, look out!" Morgana screamed at him.
"Joker?" he mutters as he turned to find Yuji bringing down his heavy falchion aiming for his neck.
Morgana went to check on Revland and found that his eyes were closed like he was focused on something very far away.
"Hellooo?"
He poked his cheek curiously.
"Are you there?"
He proceeded to bat the tip of his nose.
"Yoooohooooo?"
He then tried to tickle his nose with the tip of his tail.
"Revland!" he yelled, smacking the side of his head.
Guess he isn't here at the moment.
"Is it possible that the object did something to him?" Zorro asked.
Come to think of it, I don't even see the damn thing anymore. I wonder where it went.
"Uh… amigo… think that should be the least of your worries…"
Morgana slowly looked back to see that the shadows had gotten closer now that the source of their fear had fallen silent. Even his torch grew dim as it was no longer in his grasp.
He let out a frustrated sigh, "Talk about crappy timing. Revland, time to wake up now!"
No response.
"Maldita Sea!"
"Language…"
"Scold me when we make it out of here alive!" Morgana complained.
"One should never take the lord's name in vain…"
"Well, fuck me then!"
The first shadow lunged for Morgana. He jumped into the air as he summoned his cutlass, flipped once to build momentum, burring it in the shadows head to split it in half. He sped towards the next as his blade arched as he spun to cleave the leg out from the first and second as he passed.
"Magaru!"
A ball of green energy lanced towards the downed shadows as it picked the pair up and smashed them together.
He darted towards the next as he threw his blade to have in embed itself in the chest of another shadow. He jumped up to land on the flat of the blade while digging into his utility pouch to produce two dark black marbles before shoving them down what he hoped was the shadows mouth. Taking hold of the hilt, he threw another gust of wind to throw the shadow back down the hall. Just before it landed, the two mini bombs detonated to a loud clash of sound that hurt his ears. The blast briefly illuminated his surroundings, showing him exactly what he was up against.
"Oh boy… I might be in trouble…"
"That… would be quite the understatement Amigo…"
Futaba was exhausted. She'd stayed up all night stressing over the message that she allowed to remain on Revland's phone, but he hasn't responded yet. She learned that he'd had one hell of a day searching for a missing girl and trying not to get arrested in the process. She also learned that he had adopted a stray and named the cat Morgana.
The image of Revland fighting armored knights invaded her daydreaming. The way he moved and attacked reminded her of a game she'd played only recently.
"Hard to imagine him being so flexible…"
Blushing, she immediately imagined having him show her how flexible he could be as well as among other, more graphic, activities.
"Nope-nope-NOOOOPE! Stop it, enough of that!" she complained while batting at the air above her head.
"Stupid teenage hormones…"
Resting her head on her desk, she replayed the fight between the knights and Revland. She saw that he seemed to know when and where not to be when up against multiple opponents but even she noticed how tired he was getting over the course of the battle. It wasn't until later where he seemed to regain some of his strength and started fighting back.
"A thief in a dark cape… kinda reminds me of Dark Mousy from that one manga… even has the fluff black wings…"
Her thoughts were jumbles as she finally fell asleep.
"Yooooou doon'tt beloongg hereee… interloperrrrr…"
Futaba's eye shot open to see a creature that resembled her mother was no more than a few inches away. Panic washed over her as she tried to escape the horrid visage only to see that her long black talons were already around her throat.
"…vl… Your fear isn't your own!" came an echoing voice.
A familiar voice responded, Now's not the time for riddles Arséne!
"Futaba! The young Sakura is here, she's seeing this as well!"
What, how?!
She felt what seemed like whisps of airs search the area before circling her still form.
"Damn iiiiiit!" the voice screamed.
Liana, go to her! But do it carefully, try not to scare her.
A ball of blue light came from the distance and hovered over her.
"You must be the one I was sent to find. My name's Liana Rose, want to be friends?"
Why is Navi floating above me…?
"I said my name's Liana, not Navi try to keep up."
Oh shit… she heard me?
"Well yeah, we are in your mind aren't we… we are… aren't we?" the ball of light questioned.
"Wait… we're in my head?" Futaba questioned.
"Or maybe it was her heart…" Liana continued, ignoring her question.
"What's going on… I'm dreaming… this is just another nightmare; it'll all be over as soon as I wake up!"
She felt the weight of the creature being lifted off her and watched as it was sent flying to the other sight of the room along.
"You… Are NOT her MOTHER!"
She listened as she tried to stand.
"This one's not yours to take…" as the barrel of a gun came into view to point at the creature.
"You think you can threaten me…. Whelp?" the image of her mother laughed as it crept closer on all fours. "Do you even know what this brat did to me?"
"I've only heard one side of the story, I won't allow you to continue tormenting her…" he retorted.
"She's responsible for everything that was wrong in my life, the little bitch doesn't deserve to live." She countered.
"Is that really what you would want, for your only daughter to just give up?" he questioned.
"It doesn't matter…" The creature recoiled.
"This is someone's life on the line. You' haven't given any reason for hers to end… where is all this coming from, why hate her for something so far out of her control?"
The creature gave them a scornful look, she said nothing.
"So, you're just a fake… nothing more than an illusion cooked up from her darkest nightmares…"
"Real enough to end you… child…"
"What's so wrong with a child wanting to spend time with her mother?" he pressed further as the creature started to circle them.
"Because of that… I lost focus… and fell into despair… a debt must be paid… a life… for a life." Wakaba purred, disarming his question.
"Not hers…" he stated coldly as his aim was trained on the creature waiting for her to rush him.
Her mother hissed and swiped at him with her talons. The boy bent, parried the blow, then shot her with a handgun that made Futaba jump.
The creature retreated as she screamed in absolute agony. "You… ugly… horrid boy! How COulD yoU Do THiS To A DeFENsEless WomAN!"
"Futaba Sakura is not responsible for your death… if this continues… I'll do on to you what i've done to the others…" he stated coldly that send shivers down Futaba's spine. "I'll tear you APART… and watch as your corpse smolders under my boot…" he snarled as his flames circled the pair.
Letting out one final hiss, she retreated into a nearby shadow. Things seemed to calm down as a memory started to play.
She remembered she wanted to go on a trip with her mom. She'd been busy at work and was doing a lot of it at home. She thought it would've been nice for them to go and do something that a normal family would do.
"Okay, okay settle down. As soon as I finish up a few more topics, we'll take a trip. How does that sound?" Wakaba asked.
"That sound great!" Futaba smiled, the memory causing her vision to become blurry. "Can we invite Sojiro too?"
"You must really like him, don't you?"
"Nuh-uhh, I just want him to make us curry every day!"
Tears began to fall as Futaba watch the memory play out. It was the first time in a while that she remembered having any type of happy memory involving her mother.
"That woman seems very nice… who is she?" Liana asked.
"That…" Futaba whispered, "That's my mom…"
Morgana released a slow breath as he saw the number of shadows creeping closer to where his friend was resting. He noticed that, while still numerous, their numbers had diminished.
"You're quiet the adversary small one… perhaps I make a deal with you."
A tall, slightly overweight individual stepped out of the darkness and towards Morgana.
"A deal huh, what could a shadow possibly want from me?"
"Why, your cooperation of course… you've found something of mine, I want it back…" the man tsked.
"What, you mean the seed?" Morgana looked back to Revland. "That would make you the bandit Yuji, wouldn't it?"
"Oh, so you've heard of me."
"Nothing good I'm afraid, he found it fair and square so go get your own!"
Yuji chuckled, "Well… that just won't do…"
Sensing the tension, Morgana readied himself.
"You see, I've already laid claim to everything in this tomb." He said, creeping forward step by step.
Yuji had his falchion unsheathed in his right hand as his left was gesturing to the wall around him.
"This place, and all that lies within it, belong to me… especially the young Pharoah."
Morgana let out an involuntary hiss as his hair stood on end that cause his tail to straighten.
"But in order for that to happen… this meddling of his… it must be dealt with, permanently…"
"Over my dead body!" Morgana growled while resting his blade on his shoulder.
Three other shadows appeared behind Yuji, "I think that can be arranged my young feline."
"Don't…" his legs bunched under him as he kicked the dirt out from under his feet.
"Call…" he scratched his nose with the thumb of his free hand.
"Me a CAAAAAT!"
He leaped at the nearest shadow.
Zorro appeared behind him to skewer one shadow on the end of his rapier as Morgana missed Yuji to strike at the one behind him. Letting out a curse, he turned to find that Yuji had already closed the distance to Revland. He noticed that Revland seemed to have come back to himself.
"Joker, watch out!"
Before he could react, the blade came down to the sound of a loud crash as green and silver sparks rained over him. Futaba stood over Revland with the falchion being held mere inches off her hand.
"You… are not permitted… to harm… a single hair… upon his head… am I understood, Uncle?" Futaba whispered coldly.
"How is this possible…?" he sputtered, fear evident in his eyes.
"Takhtafi." She muttered in the closest thing Revland has seen to anger in the young woman's features. Yuji flew back with a blast of green energy, flinging him from his feet into the halls beyond to the sound of a loud crack as his body hit the wall.
"Lan taesiani…" Futaba whispered, malice filling her words as the flames of the torches blazed to life in response to her emotions.
Revland could hear the hatred in her words as he forced himself to stand. Morgana tried to help but could only do so much due to his size.
"Wait…" he whispered. Barely able to get the words out through the haze of his mind.
Hatred… Pain… Fear… Anger…
He asked Arséne to help with the exhaustion as he focused on Futaba.
"Sawf takhdumu." She whispered with her golden eyes boring into the man.
Yuji sat there shaking. Fear overcame him as a whimper escaped his mouth.
Revland could feel the power in the air and stumbled towards Futaba.
If she doesn't stop… she'll do something she'll regret.
She brought her hand up as more green energy crackled around her.
"Mita alan!" Futaba screamed.
"Stop!" Revland yelled as he embraced Futaba from behind. "Please stop…" he pleaded, "It's alright… that's enough…"
Futaba's eyes were wide but fixated on Yuji's cowering form.
"He's beaten, he can't hurt you anymore… don't let it consume you…" he whispered softly in her ear as he reached for her outstretched hand to calm the now chaotic energy.
Her breathes were long and deep as she tried to calm herself but found it difficult with the memory of this man's hands replaying in a seemingly endless loop.
"It's alright… It's alright…" he continued while caressing the edge of her shoulder, trying to comfort the stricken girl.
"Th-th-thank you, young one… for a moment… I thou-" Yuji said, finally finding the courage to speak.
Revland drew his gun and shot him twice in the stomach then, after letting him suffer, once more in the head to end his misery.
Watching the shadow dissolve, he turned back to Futaba and embraced her tightly.
"Thank you…" he stuttered with a shaky breath, "Thought I was a dead man for sure…"
Futaba said nothing as she stood there with, what Morgana could tell, a shocked expression. She wanted to be angry with him, though she couldn't help but enjoy the sensation for a time. She almost decided to hug him back but decided against it out of principle.
He disobeyed… he saw it… and he put her in harm's way…
She placed her hands lightly on his chest as he pulled away to take her by the shoulders.
"You're not hurt are you?" he asked with worry clearly evident in his eyes.
I can feel his heart beating… you make it difficult to stay mad…
"I'm fine… he didn't hurt me." She whispered while avoiding eye contact.
"Thank god." He sighed while lowering his head. He didn't know how to continue but knew that it would be the best time to ask.
"I need to talk to you… about your mom." He said before lowering his arms. He noticed that he was still holding the travel broacher in his offhand as he held it out to her.
"By chance, do you recognize this?"
She found that she missed his presence even though he was standing in front of her. She looked down at the pamphlet and was confused. It was a brightly colored broacher that advertised the main tourist attractions in Kyoto from the Shinto Shrine to several temples as well as a few recommended restaurants. She reached for the pamphlet only to have her hand go right through it the same way her cognitive form went through Revland during his time in the memory.
Confused, she looked up into his eyes. "Where did you find this?"
"I want to say this 'was' the will seed we found." He said gesturing to Morgana and the pedestal behind her.
"Then you admit to taking it…" she whispered.
"I figured if your uncle wanted them… it would be a better if I got to them first."
She stared at him, nearly managing to hide her emotions from him.
He saw… he knows… he'll hate me…
"You shouldn't have seen it in the first place…"
Revland scratched the back of his head. He knew that she'd be upset with him but still wanted to help. After seeing what the seeds had to offer, he already knew that he'd have to find the rest just to help repair the broken memories.
He tilted his head in the direction of what he thought was the sound someone approaching to see Sojiro in his scribe outfit walking towards the trio.
"I'd have to agree with Young Antrie on this one your highness." Sojiro said as he came from within the shadows. He turned back to the encroaching void with a sneer, "Don't you all have anything better to do?"
The shadows rescinded as the hall grew brighter, removing any need for a light source.
"Aren't you…?" Morgana approached. "Boss?"
The cognitive Sojiro chuckled with a grin, "You must be Morgana, one of Young Antrie's newest companions."
Morgana nodded in wonder, "Uh huh… but how would you know that?"
With a smile, he gestured to Futaba then to Revland. "Through their bond."
Revland avoided eye contact, not knowing how to explain what he already knew.
"I'm already aware of the link between us. It was inadvertently formed after you left a piece of yourself within me."
Revland blushed as a knowing smile formed on an equally embarrassed Sojiro.
"Perhaps we can rephrase that…" Revland asked.
Thinking about it, she nodded. "I see… I made the implication that we-"
"THAAT's enough." Revland shouted to cut her off.
Futaba blushed before turning her attention towards her scribe. "I think… the link… may have gotten stronger…"
Revland's face had gone a dark shade of red as he tried everything to clear his mind of all impure thoughts. As hard as he tried however, they seemed to become more detailed with each passing scene.
"Wow… never would've have guessed that you were the type to test one's flexibility…" Arséne chided playfully.
Shut the fuck up…
"Ooh god… I'm so sorry… I don't know what's come over me…"
Futaba let a small smirk slip as it wasn't just his own imagination that had gotten the best of him but also Futaba's frantic worrying while she was also trying to figure out where these thoughts were coming from.
Serves him right…
"I'm glad to see you two are getting along so well." Sojiro chuckle.
You wouldn't be so cheery if you could see what I've been thinking about doing to your daughter… Revland thought darkly.
"But, to business. You managed to secure a will seed and even brought it back in its truest form."
He nodded as he held up the pamphlet. "This was also on the cork board behind Wakaba's computer. I actually wanted to ask you about that… what was that… thing… I saw… the glitching… it was like the memory itself had become corrupted."
Sojiro nodded in thought, "An apt way to put it… we've suspected as much now that the real memory has been restored."
"You're saying that her memories 'are' corrupted?" Morgana asked.
"Since the Pharoah's death, many things haven't been the same. Think of a human being as a computer and the brain as a mother board. If you tell a computer one thing and say that it's the truth, without any other data that'll be what it believes." Sojiro explained.
Futaba looked uncomfortable as Revland placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "But by that logic, we could theoretically overwrite the corruption or even restore it to its original form."
Sojiro nodded. "It can be, as you've already demonstrated. Though a word of caution, much like the analogy; you can overload it and cause irreparable damage or even wipe her mind completely."
His hand squeezed a little tighter on her shoulder as it was Futaba's turn to offer comfort as she placed a hand over his.
She looked up at him with complete trust in her eyes.
"I'll be careful…" he said while staring into her eyes.
"That's all I ask. Now that that's out of the way, wasn't there another reason for you coming here today?"
Realization dawned on him as Kamoshida came to the forefront of his mind. "Oh, right. I was going to ask for your help. The other palace ruler needs to be dealt with and we've agreed to try to steal the core of his castle. We know the risks, but I want to know everything that can or could go wrong if we screw this up." He turned to Futaba, "Also… I'd like your help with my training. You have enough control over this place to the point that I would be able to practice with little to no threat of injury."
Futaba looked to her scribe. After a moment, he nodded. "I'd would be my pleasure, when shall we begin?"
Revland thought for a moment, "The lessons can begin today, but the training can wait for tomorrow. I have two others that need to be taught the basics of magic so that's a priority… there's also the firearms… I need to know where Ryuji got this thing. Then there's my classwork… and Makoto… how am I going to explain this to her…?" his mood seemed to grow darker as he continued to name off items on his ever-growing checklist.
Much to his and Sojiro's surprise, Futaba embraced Revland, "It's going to be alright… I know you got this…" she said before looking up at him, "I have faith in you… my champion…" as she placed a quick kiss on his cheek.
Revland's face went red again, "Yeah… of course… I won't let you down…" he said as he placed on hand on her head as he tried to hide the smile that was growing from ear to ear.
Sojiro nodded, "If you'd fallow me please, let us return to the surface."
Over the course of the several hours, Sojiro educated both Revland and Morgana in what the Meta-verse is and how it generally functions alongside reality. Futaba stayed by Revland's side as he took notes in his probationary journal. After a thought, he decided to write "Story Notes" at the top of the page, so everything didn't make him seem like a lunatic. Morgana looked like he was given too much to take in a once as he became agitated at his non-stop questions that came from Revland.
I appreciate that he was taking this seriously, but does he really have to do this now.
Revland stood to stretch as did Futaba.
"You're leaving already?" She asked.
Revland nodded, "Yeah, I still need to check on you in reality. That and I think Morgana's gone stir crazy." He gestured and the twitching feline who was fascinated at the movement of his own tail.
"Beside… I think I wouldn't mind seeing your beautiful eyes again…" he muttered mainly to himself.
She let smile slip again and this time he was sure he wasn't imagining it.
"You're not afraid of mine any more… are you?" she asked in a hopeful tone.
Before he could think, he had taken her lightly by the chin to lift her gaze up to his.
"They were never the ones I was afraid of… but someone else's…"
An image of Yumi came through his mind as he tried to stamp it out. He didn't want to ruin the moment by having the memory of his ex creeping up on him.
He placed a quick kiss on her forehead just under her head piece before hugging her once more with the promise that he'd be back soon before calling to Morgana and returning to his reality.
Sojiro stood next to his Pharoah, "It would seem that you both have demons to conquer."
"He tried to hide it… didn't want to ruin this moment between us… scribe… Sojiro… does that mean he'll never be rid of her…?"
He scratched the base of his chin before answering, "I don't believe that is the question you want the answer to… but, will he choose you in the end…"
Futaba bowed her head as a tear rolled down her cheek.
Sojiro came around to see as he offered a cloth to wipe it away, "He's already had such an effect on you… there's still much to be done… come, we have much to prepare for and not much time to do it in."
She nodded as she returned to her temple, eagerly awaiting her hero's return.
Arabic translation (Via Google translate)
Sawf takhdumu. (sow-fa Doch-Do-moo)
-You will serve
Takhtafi (Tach-ta-fee)
-Be Gone/ Disaapear
Lan Taesiani (Lan Ta-sea-in-ee)
-You will not disobey me
Mita Alan (Mee-tA Lan-na)
-Now die
Author's note
Cut this one a bit short due to running off the outline a little.
What I want to talk about is how Futaba reacts to Revland. Originally, I had her become angry after he took the will seed. Her reasons were sound but the idea of her trying to throw him out after that didn't make much sense after she'd already tried that to… very little success. His meddling even allowed the cognitive version of Sojiro to reappear. After a quick rewrite, some of her original reaction remained. However, with Revland (the protagonist) able to speak and Sojiro coming in so he can smooth things over, making things easier for her to deal with.
Writing the pair with this duality is interesting to say the least; you have the timid Futaba in reality, then there's the seemingly emotionless one in the meta-verse who's slowly coming out of her shell. There's more to her character and she slowly beginning to show it to her chosen hero.
I had a few productive weeks and managed to get this chapter out in just under a month. So, for the first time in nine months, this chapter is on time!
Special thanks to new fallowers and a new reviewer. I hope I can live up to your expectations.
See you all soon!
JWS (8/18/23)