Chapter 4 – New Neighbors
-Seafront-
It was another peaceful day at Seafront, ships set sail with their crews, ready to trade in lands beyond the ocean, fishing boats sailed close to the coast, catching dozens of fish to be sold in the markets.
Men, women and children went about their routines on this sunny day, whether it was taking care of their families or working on their businesses. There were those, of course, who preferred to have fun and a good drink.
If you were looking for something quality, you should go to a pub known as "Sea Breeze", the pub was located in a two-story building, made of wood and stone.
Despite being your typical pub "Sea Breeze" it was a respectable establishment, as was its owner, Heinrich. Heinrich was a young man, approaching his thirties, but in terms of appearance, there was nothing that made him stand out.
Tanned skin, short black hair, brown eyes, he wore simple fabric clothes with a white apron over it. Heinrich was a simple person who didn't stand out in the crowd, but he was still well-regarded by the people of Seafront.
At the moment, Heinrich was cleaning a mug while watching people drinking and talking around the pub, either near the counter or at tables spread throughout the establishment.
Heinrich smiled at this sight, for it didn't matter how many centuries had passed; this old android would always be happy to see how similar to humans the Replicants were; After all, his job was to keep an eye on them, he couldn't help but get a little attached as time went by.
Unfortunately for Heinrich, his moment of happiness was interrupted by an explosion.
BOOM!
A deafening noise followed by a shock wave shook the pub, shattering any glass material within reach. Windows, bottles, mugs, glasses, everything was shattered.
As if that wasn't enough, many customers let out screams of pain as they fell from their chairs, grabbing their ears due to the noise. Shortly afterwards, the pub was invaded by a large wave, which entered through the windows and doors.
Fortunately it wasn't strong enough to collapse the building, so the water soon receded back into the sea, leaving everyone in the pub scared and soaked.
Heinrich froze due to shock and surprise, but soon his programming kicked in and he rushed to help the injured Replicants, with quick steps that scattered the water inside the pub, Heinrich helped the replicants to their feet while secretly scanning them, looking for injuries.
To his relief, there was no serious or permanent damage to the Replicants, just hearts racing due to the fright and ears that would be sore for some time.
"What the hell was that?!" One of the customers shouted.
"What did you say?!" Another spoke, poking the inside of his ear, trying to get rid of the annoying ringing.
"Attention everyone; I know you're scared, but you can't stay here! This is not a safe place, you better go back to your homes and stay away from the coast for a while!" Heinrich shouted to everyone, trying to control the situation.
As if a switch had been pressed, a realization came over everyone, the customers realized what Heinrich meant, with hurried steps, thanks and goodbyes, everyone left the pub hastily, either to avoid being close to another explosion or to check if their loved ones were okay.
With the pub empty, Heinrich went outside and looked around, he couldn't help but worry at what he saw. Scared people, running and screaming, some were on the ground holding their ears, violent waves hit the harbor repeatedly and far away in the ocean, Heinrich saw smoke coming from a point in the water.
Heinrich swallowed hard as his eyes widened, knowing very well what was in that location, the pieces of flaming metal that fell from the sky and bombarded the city also served as confirmation.
Quickly returning inside his pub, Heinrich placed a closed sign on the establishment's door and ran behind the counter, where he pressed a hidden button.
With a series of clicks of moving mechanism, the shelves full of liquor bottles that sat behind the counter slid to the sides, revealing a gray metallic door that slid upwards.
Taking a last look around, Heinrich walked through the door after seeing that no one was there. With another series of clicks, the door and shelves closed behind Heinrich, returning to their original state.
Heinrich was in a small room, mostly white and gray, there wasn't much inside the room, a set of tools and spare parts, cabinets with folders full of files and an extremely advanced computer attached to the wall on the other side of the room.
Heinrich approached the computer while sweating nervously, he looked around constantly while fixing his hair repeatedly and muttering to himself.
"Congratulations, Heinrich! You only had one job! One job! And you failed at it! The supervisors will turn you into scrap metal!"
Pressing a button, the computer brought up a holographic screen, revealing only a blue rectangle with a line through the center.
"Yes?"
A female voice came out of the computer, making the line on the holographic screen ripple.
"This is monitoring android 45TZ97A42R1, responsible for the Seafront region." Heinrich spoke nervously.
A few seconds passed in silence until the voice answered.
"Oh! Henry! What is the reason for this unexpected contact? There is still time for your monthly report."
"Hehehe... Well... Something unexpected came up... I have something extremely important to report." Heinrich said with a nervous laugh.
"Say it" The voice responded.
"Well..." Heinrich replied, looking away from the holographic screen, as if whoever was on the other side was looking at him seriously.
-Hyde's House-
You know; after seeing how Zon behaved in the fight against Neptune, I imagined that all that anger was due to the time the book was trapped in his underwater prison.
"You damn book, you can't go outside!" Hyde shouted.
"Get out of my sight, you stupid brat! I wasn't stuck with that old tin can for ages for a kid like you to order me around!" Zon shouted back.
But apparently I was wrong. The scene in front of me was peculiar to say the least. Grimoire Zon wanted to enjoy his newly acquired freedom, but Hyde prevented him from leaving the house.
The reason for this? Magical, flying, talking books weren't common. Zon wandering around would end up attracting attention, especially from people who don't age, and consequently, the supervisors. And we don't want that.
Hyde stood in front of the door, with his back against it and arms open, looking at Zon with a mixture of anger and fear, but the boy remained determined in front of the book.
Zon, on the other hand, released a series of creative insults that would cause serious repercussions if said out loud in the society of the past. The grimoire was furious, I guess he always is like that, at least his personality matches the mask on his cover.
But I'm surprised he didn't blow up Hyde with a shot of magic. I think that despite all his anger, Zon isn't a murderer, he must have a little kindness deep down.
And honestly, I understand the book's desire to be free, but I can't allow it to run around. Hyde and I have work to do, and for that we need Zon.
I realized that Hyde and Zon were about to unleash another string of insults again, but before they could do so, I slammed the frying pan on the wood stove, making a loud crack echo through the house, catching their attention.
"Dinner is ready!" I told everyone.
They both turned to me, Hyde let out a sigh of relief, his stomach growling, probably due to our recent little adventure.
"Finally, I was tired of arguing with this stupid book." Hyde muttered as he walked towards the kitchen table.
"I have no idea what you just said, but see you next time, sucker!" Zon shouted, quickly flying towards the front door.
But before he could do that, I stretched my arm, crossing the kitchen, the living room and reaching Zon who was approaching the door. Before he could escape, I grabbed him by the cover, closing him and pulling him into the kitchen right away.
"No. No, until we talk about what's going on." I answered.
"Take your hands off me!" Zon screamed as he struggled, trying to escape my grip.
"So, what are we having for dinner?" Hyde asked, sitting down at the table.
"Fish and chips." I answered.
"Hmm! I've never had this dish before." Hyde replied.
"It's a British recipe." I answered.
"And what a British?"
"I don't remember, I just know that they almost conquered the world and had a museum full of stolen things." I said, placing a plate of food in front of Hyde and loosened my grip, letting Zon escape.
"You can understand what that thing is saying?" Zon asked Hyde.
"Yes. And he's not a thing, he's a Sha... GESTALT! His name is Jekyll." Hyde replied, taking a forkful of food.
"If what you say is true, then why won't he let me go? More important! How did you know the location of the facility and that I was trapped there? Why did you release me?" Zon asked question after question.
"If you calm down, we can explain what's going on." I also said sitting at the table while watching the outside of the house through the window.
It was strange, according to my calculations, it should have been nine o'clock pm, but the sun was shining in the sky. By the looks of it, the Earth stopped rotating on its own axis, dividing the world into permanent day and night. One side should have been freezing and the other on fire, but it didn't.
"So are you going to stare at me or are you going to tell me what the boogeyman here said?" Zon asked Hyde as he floated next to the table.
Boogeyman? Well, I guess I look like a monster from the stories parents tell their naughty children.
Hyde quickly explained to Zon what I just said.
"Hump! Since you got me out of that accursed place, you have my gratitude and I'm willing to hear what you have to say. Better not get used to it, because I, the great Grimoire Zon, don't like wasting time on nonsense!" The book spoke in an arrogant tone, turning towards me.
"You better sit down, this is going to be a long story."
Zon turned to Hyde, waiting for the boy to translate what I just said. Hyde let out an irritated sigh as he stopped eating for a moment.
He! I think we'll be here for a while.
-Pub-
"Is this serious?" The female voice asked Heinrich, making the android flinch at the stern tone.
"Y-yes." Heinrich responded nervously as he looked down at the ground.
"You only had one job, Heinrich! Monitor Replicants in the region and the Installation! How did you allow this to happen?"
"P-please understand! There was no way for me to know, if the facility had been breached, I would have received an alarm on the computer I'm using to talk to you, but that didn't happen!" Heinrich explained.
"If the facility wasn't breached, then how did it end up being destroyed?"
"W-well, there are a number of possibilities. As you know, we don't have enough manpower and resources to properly maintain the facilities and even if we did, the sudden flow of unknown people and materials into inhabited regions would raise suspicion then…"
"Get to the point, Heinrich."
Heinrich stuttered as he was interrupted, but quickly regained his composure as he adjusted his clothes.
"What I'm trying to say is that the facilitie may have collapsed due to lack of maintenance, after all, the AIs responsible for the installations have their limits. Another possibility is a natural disaster like an earthquake that shook the structure of the facility, but that was obviously not the case. A final possibility would be that the specimen trapped in the facility escaped and NEPTUNE triggered the self-destruction in a last-ditch attempt to prevent the specimen from reaching the surface."
"Hm… If something like that occurred, wouldn't you have received a warning from NEPTUNE?"
"I believe so, but as I said before, that didn't happen. Which rules out many of the possibilities I just mentioned, leaving just one, I think."
"And what possibility would be?"
"Someone with authorization, other than me, entered the facility and caused this whole disaster."
The voice was silent for a few seconds, leaving Heinrich even more worried about what his superiors' response would be.
"Are you sure about that?" The voice asked.
"Almost. Although it is likely, we cannot ignore the other possibilities."
"Hm... We will send a team to help with debris collection and repairs to the city, we also need a cover story on what happened here. You will assist in the efforts at Seafront, in the meantime, we will investigate what happened to the facility, perhaps we will be able to recover some data that will clarify what happened."
"Y-yes ma'am!"
With the conversation over, the holographic screen disappeared, leaving Heinrich alone inside the room. Seeing that the source of his fears was no longer there, Heinrich let out a loud, heavy sigh of relief.
"Well, Heinrich, you got away with it. It could have been worse. Now let's focus on minimizing the damage from the mess you allowed to happen." Heinrich spoke to himself as he left his secret room and returned to the pub.
-Hyde's House-
"And that's our story so far." I said to Zon, finishing translating what Jekyll told me.
The book was silent for a few seconds as its gaze alternated between Jekyll and me.
"This... Is this serious? Boy, if the information you told me is true, then that friend of yours over there is a real monster. According to what you told me, the giant snot that inhabits your body doesn't seem to remember its past very well, so I'll refresh its memory a little. Jekyll is likely a scientist from the Hamelin Organization. A group of powerful and cruel men and women, monsters in human skin. You can't even imagine the experiments they did on me and other people." Zon said in a tone full of anger.
I recoiled in surprise at this information, I stared at Jekyll out of the corner of my eyes, and the Gestalt seemed to notice, as he looked away towards the wall.
"Oh! Looks like its memory isn't that bad. Tell me, do you remember all the children taken from their families? Do you remember all the war orphans that were taken in by the organization? Of all the experiments you did? From the hellish training we went through only to be forced to fight the war our fathers died in?"
Zon asked question after question as he got closer and closer to Jekyll, and the GESTALT shrank further and further into his chair, almost leaving his physical form.
"Jekyll, is that true?"
"I don't remember everything, but from what little memory I have left, I feel that what he says is right." Jekyll responded in a low tone full of sadness.
"I didn't understand anything you said. But who knew? It seems that time really changes a person! You really seem to regret what you did. Unfortunately for you, the time I spent in that prison also changed me. Let's just say I'm less merciful than I was in the past." Zon said in a threatening tone as he opened his pages and accumulated magic in front of Jekyll.
My eyes widened at what the book was about to do, I quickly grabbed Beastbain who was next to the table and pointed the sword at Zon.
"What do you think you are doing?! Stop right now!" I exclaimed to the book.
"And why should I? After so long, I found one of the people responsible for turning my life into a living hell! Why should I stop now that I have the chance to finish one of them off?" Zon asked back.
"That's not the right way to solve things!"
"PPSSHH! Seriously? Are you going to give me this superhero talk? Wake up boy! Life isn't fair! It wasn't fair to me and apparently neither to you, since you're stuck with this thing! You should thank me, once I finish this monster, you will be free!"
"No! If you do that I will die too!"
"Explain!" Zon demanded.
"Jekyll saved my life the day we met, if it weren't for him I would have died alone in an alley, but as a consequence of that, we will both die if we get separated, although my death will be quicker than his."
"GGGRRR! It seems like time hasn't changed you that much. You worms from the Hamelin Organization continue to be a bunch of parasites. Congratulations; It seems like the boy saved your life, because unlike you, I prefer not to be responsible for the death of a child." Zon growled, as he dispelled his magic and closed his pages.
When Zon finished his insults, I realized that Jekyll wasn't well, despite having no face, the way he carried himself and the sparkle in his eyes indicated that he was sad and sorry. The Gestalt remained silent, with both hands clasped on the table as he stared into nothing.
"Listen, I know that Jekyll is probably one of the people who did you wrong, and that you have no reason to help us, but still, we need your help. The lives of hundreds, if not thousands of people are at stake here. Jekyll may have been a bad person in the past, but despite everything you've said, he's trying to help. It's like you said; time really changes a person."
"No! I refuse! If there's no way for me to kill this bastard without killing you, then so be it! But I refuse to work with him on whatever he has planned! And you should do the same! I wouldn't trust that thing if I were you! Who knows what experiments he plans to use you as a guinea pig?"
I didn't know how to answer, Zon was determined not to help us, I had no arguments to convince him at the moment. Zon stared at us, waiting for a response, but when he saw that we didn't react, the book slowly floated towards the front door.
"Hyde?" Jekyll spoke in a low voice.
"Yes?"
"Translate what I'm about to say, please."
"Leave it to me. Zon wait!" I yelled, stopping the book midway through its exit.
"What was it?" Zon asked.
"Jekyll would like to tell you something. Listen, please."
"Humph! I hope this is good." Zon grumbled as he returned to us.
So I translated what Jekyll said.
"Listen, I know I don't have the right to ask for your help, not after everything we've done to you, but please listen to what I have to say. Humanity was facing extinction, we were desperate, we didn't do the experiments out of cruelty, but out of necessity, I can't imagine the pain we caused, but despite all our efforts, the fight is not over yet. Humanity still faces extinction, even after all the suffering, even after all the war. The legion was defeated thanks to the efforts of people like you, Zon. But the disease was still spreading, so the project... project... Project Gestalt! That 's it! This is the name! The Project was created as a solution to escape the disease, but something went wrong and the project wasn't finished. The humanity you see is incomplete and we need your help to stop more deaths from occurring. If we do nothing, humanity will become extinct forever. I'm not asking you to do this for me, but for humanity. I know it's too much to ask, but please fight for humanity once again, just like you did in the past, help us save lives, Zon."
"Even after so long, it's still not over?" Zon asked and Jekyll responded with a positive nod.
The book hovered in the air for a few seconds, before thrashing in all directions, releasing a series of angry grumbles and insults.
"Bastard! Son of a... After all this time, after so many wars, this shit isn't over yet! If I ever find the damned person responsible for bringing that giant and dragon to our world, I will rip his head off! But until then, it looks like I'll have to do what I do best. Rejoice boy, for the great Grimoire Zon has decided to assist you in your endeavor, for now."
A smile came to my face after hearing those words, simultaneously, I heard Jekyll let out a relieved sigh.
"Thank you very much! My words may seem empty to you, but if they are of some use. I'm very sorry! I'm sorry for all the pain we caused you and your friends!" Jekyll spoke as he bowed in front of Zon.
Meanwhile, I translated Jekyll's words to the book.
"Hm... Prove what you say is true with actions. Then I will decide whether your words are empty or not. But that doesn't matter at the moment, the time I remained trapped at the bottom of the ocean left me ignorant of the current situation in the world, so I need an explanation." Zon said to us.
"Well, I hope you're ready for a long history lesson." Jekyll spoke and I translated.
-Jekyll's House-
Well I guess that's it, after the long talk we had last night, we convinced Zon to help us. Despite all the complaints of the book about working with Jekyll.
"Just so you know, I don't like it at all." Zon muttered from inside the bag.
"How many times do I have to tell you? Flying and talking books aren't normal!" I responded back, slinging the strap of the brown bag over my right shoulder.
"Humph! You only say that because people don't know how great I am. Once everyone knows about the power of Grimoire Zon, people will want my presence on the streets!" Zon spoke.
"Of course… Of course… Just keep it quiet, okay?" I replied tiredly, hearing Zon boasting was getting annoying, luckily the bag muffled his voice.
Closing the door behind me, I walked through the streets of Seafront, surveying the damage caused to the city. Broken glass, hurt ears, and pieces of metal scattered across the streets and roofs of houses, fortunately no one died, but wherever I went, people were discussing what happened.
"But what was that?"
"I'm telling you, the SHADES were to blame!"
"A piece of metal went through my roof and crushed my table!"
"Don't you think it's weird how many strangers showed up?"
The last comment caught my attention. Strangers? I had my answer when I reached the main street leading towards the harbor. There were dozens of people I'd never seen before walking around.
All were young-looking and overdressed for a normal Seafront denizen. These people helped with the repair of houses and the removal of pieces of metal lying on the street.
One of these strangers was standing on a wooden crate with a small crowd standing in front of him. The stranger was making some sort of announcement.
"Hello everybody! Can I have your attention for a minute? Yes? Excellent! I know that all of you must be scared and worried about what happened, that's why we are here. You don't need to panic, as yesterday's explosion was nothing more than an accident with a new type of vessel called a steamship. One of the ship's boilers exploded. The pieces of metal scattered around the city are its remains, and as representatives of the Neworld Shipyard, we are here to cover the damage caused and..."
"It's just a load of bullshit, isn't it Jekyll?" I asked the GESTALT inside me.
"You can bet. We know what happened and these people should know too. Steam technology is still a few centuries away from being discovered, yet they speak of something that hasn't been invented yet. And more, don't you think their response was too quick? It hasn't even been twenty-four hours since we escaped the facility." Jekyll replied.
"I agree with you. So these people are the people who don't age? Those who are hidden but always watching?"
"For sure. After what we've done, their vigilance will increase, Seafront is no longer safe for us."
"Well, I'm not attached to this city. And I had plans to leave anyway. But where will we go?"
"I know of a village near Seafront, it's a day's journey away. A small and peaceful village, surrounded by green plains and humble houses. No one would suspect that a SHADE and a magical book would live there."
"Hm… Not bad, it seems peaceful, but considering what we plan to do, a discreet place is best for us. Very well, Jekyll, lead the way."
"With pleasure, Hyde! Let's pack our bags!"
"You've gone crazy, boy! You're talking to yourself in the middle of the street!" Zon shouted from inside the bag.
"SSSHHH! I'm talking to Jekyll!"
"Oh! So you mean that thing talks in your head? I'm glad I'm not you. Hahaha!" Zon mocked me with a laugh.
"Listen here you..."
"Hyde, let's get out of here! We're getting a lot of attention!" Jekyll screamed in my mind.
Looking around, I noticed that the person on top of the crate and the crowd were staring at me in confusion and amusement.
"Sir, are you okay?" The man on top of the crate asked with a polite smile, but his look bothered me, it was like he was analyzing me.
"Y-yes... Yes sir! I'm just a little nervous about what happened and everything." I responded, readjusting my posture and taking a few steps back.
"Are you sure? If you are not feeling well, I can walk you home."
"No thanks, but that won't be necessary. I'm leaving now." I quickly turned around and walked away, but I could feel that guy's eyes on my back.
"You better walk faster, Hyde. That guy is staring at you." Jekyll spoke.
"And how do you know that?"
"Three hundred and sixty degree vision, remember?"
"Oh! I forgot!"
I took a different route to my house, taking several streets and alleys I'd never been before, luckily, according to Jekyll, we weren't followed.
So without wasting any time, I grabbed all my valuables, which wasn't much. And Jekyll absorbed our treasure into his body. Closing the door and taking one last look at my home, I said goodbye to the city where I spent most of my life, the place where I had all my memories, good and bad, mostly bad.
But as soon as I stepped foot outside the Seafront gates, I felt a wave of relief and anxiety wash over me. Relief that I finally left my old life behind, with the money, I can finally live better. And anxiety about not knowing what to expect.
Jekyll and I still have a lot to do. Our mission is not over. We almost died at the bottom of the sea. Who knows what will come next?
But leaving those negative thoughts behind. A big smile formed on my face, with the sun shining above me and the wind rushing through my hair, I took a step forward, knowing my life was about to change.
-The next day-
And how right I was.
"I WANT BACON!" Zon shouted, using his magic to throw a frying pan towards Jekyll.
"Listen here your rude book, we don't have bacon! We just moved! We still have to do the shopping!" Jekyll shouted back, pointing a wooden spoon at Zon.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY TO ME?!" Zon demanded, preparing to fire magic at Jekyll, but the GESTALT was faster and hit Zon with a dough roller.
Unfortunately, the book recovered from the attack and threw a chair towards Jekyll, knocking the GESTALT to the ground.
"SO THIS IS HOW IT'S GOING TO BE, ISN'T IT?!" Zon shouted.
"Hahaha!" Meanwhile, I couldn't help but laugh at the show in front of me, unfortunately my laughter came to an end when Jekyll stretched out his arm, grabbing the chair I was sitting on and throwing it towards Zon.
"Jekyll, what the hell?!" I asked as I got up.
"It's not my fault! He started it!" Jekyll yelled, pointing at Zon.
"SAY IT TO MY FACE!" Zon demanded, readying another attack.
"FUCK YOU! YOU WILL STOP IT NOW!" I yelled as I drew Beastbain.
"I WANT BACON!" Zon screamed again, demanding food.
"LISTEN HERE YOUR DISGRACEFUL BOOK, WE DON'T HAVE BACON! AND WHY DO YOU WANT BACON?! YOU ARE A BOOK!" Jekyll yelled, materializing his Vile Ax.
And what came next was a fight that generated a series of bad rumors around the village.
-Outside the house-
"Nier, are you sure we should greet the new neighbors? They don't sound nice." Yonah hesitantly asked her older brother as the two stood in front of the village's newcomers' front door.
"Yonah, don't say that. We don't know them yet. They must be in a bad mood due to exhaustion from the trip." Nier replied, giving Yonah a reassuring smile.
That smile soon disappeared when a chair went flying through the front window and shattered on the floor. As if that wasn't enough, this chair was accompanied by a series of insults.
"SON OF A BITCH!"
"BASTARD!"
And a strange shriek.
"SSSCCCRRREEE!"
Nier quickly covered Yonah's ears and pulled her away from the house.
"We'd better come back later." Nier replied nervously.
END OF CHAPTER
You can't imagine how much work it took to write this chapter! It was like every time I sat down to write something came along to interrupt me, but finally I'm here. After so long without posting anything, I think I'll be able to get back to my old rhythm.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter, don't forget to vote, leave your comments and opinions and see you in the next chapter!