Chapter 6
The Viltrumite and the Blue Velvet Box
-New Hospital Room—
I woke up with a soft groan escaping my lips. My eyes slowly adjusted to a white ceiling that I immediately recognized. Slowly, I moved and sat straight up, looking around. I was still in a hospital room, but it was different from before.
And I knew the reason why I had a different room.
As soon as I saw my new whole room, my mind jumped in and I immediately recalled the events that had transpired last night.
I was attacked by a mage named Kairi, who was hired by another mage called Marisbury Animusphere to get my eyes. And as for my eyes, they previously belonged to another person whose name was Shiki Ryougi.
Supposedly, Shiki Ryougi was the strongest human who ever existed on Earth. The reason for that was because of her abilities: The Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. She could see the so-called 'death lines', the vitality and longevity, of everyone and everything. What's more, she could accelerate the death or destruction of her target just by tracing those lines.
Truly, she was a formidable human…and now her abilities were within me. As to how it happened, I did not know – not yet anyway.
I slowly stood up and walked towards the window. The sun was high and the sky was pristine blue. Below me was the hospital's wide forest park, its luscious green color reflecting to my eyes.
*RED LINES*
The peaceful scenery was short lived when Red Lines suddenly zapped among the trees. I quickly averted and closed my eyes so that I wouldn't see it anymore.
"Oh, you're awake, Marky." I shifted my gaze to the familiar face of Touko Aozaki, the woman psychiatrist who was a mage.
"Touko." I only said plainly, hiding my curiosity and suspicion from her. Touko may look like an average person that one could meet along the street, and yet who would have thought that this woman was also a mage.
Looks were truly deceiving. However, I could not help but wonder what her powers were.
"I notice that you're staring at me with a leery gaze. Looks like you don't have trust in me yet."
"Why yes, Touko. Even though you really want to help me, I still have the right to not trust you." I said as I watched her sit down on the chair beside the door, her brown coat over her lap.
"That's good. At least I know that you're not naturally oblivious to your surroundings." She took out her cigarette pack, lit up one and blew smoke into the air.
Was she even aware of this hospital's no smoking policy?
"So, I bet you still have questions about me?"
"Yeah."
"Will that earn your trust?"
"A bit."
Touko smiled in response. She rested her back on her chair and puffed more smoke. "So, what are your questions then? I'll answer everything."
I observed the woman more, taking notes of her body language so that I would know if she was lying to me. However, after a second of staring at her, I was finally convinced that she wasn't lying at all.
So, I went on and shot my first question at her. "You told me that you're a mage. What exactly are your powers, Touko?"
Touko inhaled smoke from her cigarette before she answered me. "I am an expert in Rune and Puppetry Magecraft. I can draw and cast Runes at will. Also, I can create perfect looking puppets."
Puppets? I thought questioningly. Puppets were toys for kids. I never thought that those things had use in magic. "What do you mean by puppets?"
"Well…I can create puppets that look exactly like humans. I mean, very exactly."
"How exactly 'like' humans?"
Touko flicked her cigarette and raised her hand. "Watch." She said plainly, and before I could react, the woman's hand flickered in green light.
"What the—!" I gasped as I saw the woman's hand change. The healthy human fair skin had disappeared. In its place was the pale color of porcelain, and not only that, I could also see a large ball joint that acted as her wrist, and small the gaps between her fingers.
"To-Touko-! Your hand is a porcelain doll part?"
"No." Touko blew smoke again before she said. "This body of mine is a doll, Marky. To be more precise, I am a doll."
I blinked several times as I absorbed what she said. That could not be possible, right? However, her hand had completely gave away her body's true form.
"Touko…you're a doll?"
"A puppet, and at the same time, a human. This is my second body."
I blinked as I frowned, mystified as more questions flooded my mind. "What do you mean by second body? Where is your first body then?"
The woman hummed in amusement. Clearly, she was enjoying my disbelief. "I died a long time ago. A Magi killed me, you see. Luckily, I had already finished this body at that time, so I went back and defeated him."
My mouth fell half open, terrified by her story. "So 'you' died? But came back to life?"
"Not exactly. You see, my Puppetry Magecraft allows me to create a replica of my subconsciousness, so in a sense, I can resurrect myself and continue living." She paused and tilted her head happily before she added. "By the way, I already created hundreds of replicas of myself, so in case you kill me or if somebody does, one of my replicas will just activate and live, thus making me live for another day."
So that's why she is not afraid of me. She can just die and live again because she's got tons of replicas of herself! My eyes only widened in half-amazement and horror. I just could not believe that Touko was this powerful. Death was completely meaningless to her because she would just need a simple 'wake up' for her new doll body if someone kills her.
She was, in a logical sense, truly immortal…as long as her replicas lived.
"So, is that all?" She asked in an informative manner. I quickly asked her my next question.
"What is the Magus's Association and who the hell is Marisbury Animusphere?"
As soon as I said that, Touko's face changed. Even though her face still had a smile, her happy expression shifted into a serious one. Now I was asking the right questions. I must know who was that man – the one who wanted my eyes.
Touko puffed more of her cigarette and began her explanation. "The Magus's Association, true to its name, was a secret Association made by Mages, a couple of thousands of years ago. It serves as an institution that helps Mages progress their Magecraft and research. Think of it as Hogwarts, but there's only one house and that's Slytherin. Plus, you must subvert your expectation on it – as much as you want to imagine, Magecraft isn't grand as you think it is."
She paused, inhaling and exhaling some smoke, before she continued. "In the Mage's Association, there are fourteen mages who rule the institution. And one of those mages…is the man who want your eyes – Marisbury Animusphere." My brows furrowed as I heard the name. Touko noticed my reaction and continued. "Marisbury is a powerful mage, Marky. He's not those lame magic user villains you've defeated before. His magic is Astronomancy – the stars and the planets – and he is an expert in prediction."
"What do you mean?"
"He can predict anything…so he would, most likely, know if someone is going to attack him even before it occurs."
Shit, so I cannot stake him out from whatever rathole he was in? I cursed my situation. Of course, this man would be hard to get since he has the balls to attack me, a Viltrumite, who could end his life in an instant.
"So, what can I do then, Touko?" I asked. Touko hung her head back and made an exhausted sigh.
"Marky, you should avoid him for now. It's no use attacking him. He might have already predicted your win against that Necromancer Mage, so he would've gone into hiding."
Which means he can plan an attack on me in advance. He's got the upper hand here…if he still wants my eyes though. I crossed my arms over my chest and thought hard. I really wanted to confront that man. I had a feeling that he was planning something bad and I must stop him. But Touko was right.
Marisbury sounded formidable. If I truly wanted to confront him, then I would give him a reason to come out of his hiding place…and the only thing I could do was threaten the word itself.
No, that is a bad plan. I'm not the enemy here. He is. "Tch. Guess I have to give up my chase then." I clicked my tongue in dismay. It looked like the only thing I could do was give up my plan to chase Marisbury down…for now anyway. I must wait for the right timing to attack him in the future.
"Indeed." Touko commented. After that, a minute of silence hung between us.
"So, uh…what exactly are you doing here, Touko? Did you come here to celebrate my discharge?" I asked in a questioning manner. I ran out of questions to ask at the moment, so I made one out of the blue.
"Why yes, Marky, and also to deliver some news." The woman changed her expression into a lighter one.
I glanced at her again. "What news is that?"
Touko beamed an excited grin before she announced in a gentle manner. "Your first half-sister, Molly, put your family house under your name. It's now yours to use."
I froze and my eyes widened in surprise.
It was the first time, in the longest time, that I heard about my home. I could not help but feel a lot of feelings swirling inside my guts. However, among those feelings, the feeling of longing was the strongest.
I truly missed my home and I wanted to see it again.
"Ms. Touko…when will I be discharged today?"
"Before that, there's something I must show you." Touko said as she lifted her brown coat, she revealed a small box to me. Its surface was blue velvet. It looks antique, but not very valuable. On its surface, letters were engraved.
'SCOTT MURPHY'
Huh…my first father's name? "Touko, where did you get this? This is Scott's." I exclaimed in shock. Even though I had never seen it, I knew what the box was. It was the one that he promised to me and Molly before, the one that he would show us 'when the time is right'.
"Before your first half-sister died, she put it in the bank for safekeeping. I found it while I was researching you. I believe it is yours to open."
I took the box and sat on my bed. The weight of the box was light, and yet it felt heavy to me. I had a feeling that, whatever was inside, it would be something that Scott wanted to hide from us, which meant it was something horrifying or disturbing.
"Shall I leave you for a moment, Marky?" Touko asked, but I did not reply. I was lost in my thoughts about the contents of the box. Should I open it? And if I did, what did it contain and how would it affect me? "Well, I'll leave. Take your time." I looked up and saw Touko leave me. Just as she closed the door, I looked back to the box.
It doesn't matter if it hurts me. I'm no longer scared of anything anymore. I thought only in seriousness before I opened the box. The box made a loud creek and its contents laid bare before me.
I stared at the contents of the box for a moment. Inside, I saw a silver colored, digital voice recorder, and underneath it was photographs. I took out the recorder and put it aside. I started with the photos.
Wait…is this…? The first photo that I picked was of Scott, sitting on a bench in a park with a woman. It did not take me long to figure out the woman's identity, because she appeared to be close to him. Her smile was bright and filled with happiness.
"Anissa." I finally saw my mother's face. To my surprise, she looked like a very ordinary woman. Well, all Viltrumites looked like ordinary humans until they started using their abilities. However, my mother looked so normal and kind as if she was already a good mother.
But I knew what she had done, so she was far from that image.
I then shifted to the digital recorder and lifted it, pressing the play button.
"THREE AUDIO RECORDINGS DETECTED." The speaker came to life to an electronic voice before it proceeded to say. "PLAYING RECORD NO. 1"
"Is this thing on?" The electronic voice had changed into a real woman with a hard voice. I froze. My heart skipped a beat. Even though I had no knowledge of her voice, I knew that this one belongs to Anissa. And how did I know it? Because the voice suited her ordinary face. It was hard, and yet it had the gentle characteristic of a mother.
"Well, if it is, then I will proceed. This message is for my son, 'Marky' Markus. Markus, if you are hearing this, that means the truth about your birth is out." My eyes went still as myriads of emotions began to swirl inside my chest, making home along its crevasses, but I did not react. I only listened in silence.
"Marky, I know you are feeling bad about yourself. What you are feeling is completely acceptable. I know what I have done is wrong and I promised to myself that I'll never do it again. What I should do now is become a good person, a mother to you and Molly. But, Markus, I do not regret what I've done. Believe me when I say that I do want to, but I simply cannot…because it would demean you. I want you to have the same thing that I recently gained – a normal, happy life surrounded by people who are willing to love you back. I want you neither degraded by the world nor to feel ashamed of yourself, which is why I am willing to receive your hate."
I shifted my eyes back to box. The first photo of Anissa and Scott was still there as tears began to flood my vision.
"Marky, if you feel hatred because of what I have done, then it's ok. I deserve punishment for the things I have done before. I was truly a monster and I deserve no forgiveness…even from you. If you feel that hurting me will bring you happiness then please hurt me. If you feel nothing but hate towards me, then that is ok. I will still love and support you throughout your life.
I wish nothing but happiness for you. I wish that you will find someone to fall in love with, just as I did.
That is all, Marky. I love you…very much."
"Anissa…" I muttered softly. I was lost to her words and I still couldn't process the emotions inside my chest. However, before I could understand her last words, the recorder played again.
"PLAYING RECORD NO. 2."
"Marky?" I stopped as a very familiar voice spoke out of the recorder's speaker. Scott…I thought as the voice of my first father filled my room.
"Hey, uh…this feels weird, but I must go along. Marky, if you are hearing this, that means it's time for you to know the truth. First thing you must do is calm down. I know you are feeling sad, lost and even angry. I understand your feelings. It's ok for you to release your anger because emotions are meant to be expressed, to the world anyway. Now if you feel nothing but hate towards your mother, then I will let you feel nothing but hate. However, if you do so, you must promise me that you will find a way to be happy again."
I drifted towards the box and picked up another photo. The photo that I picked was of Scott, me, and Molly, standing beside the kitchen counter, baking a cake. Our smiles made me snivel as memories of the past began to play in my mind.
"Marky, I know what your mother had done is completely unforgivable. But please, you must understand her. She has changed for the better and she is willing to become a better person. When I found her, I immediately knew that I must help her and I did. She's now a good mother and we promise you that we will always love and support you. Forevermore…because you are our son."
The record ended and I was left in silence again.
"Scott…" I frowned in sadness as a single feeling, among the myriads of feelings, prevailed inside me. It was sadness. The voice of my first father was soft, warm, and gentle, and I missed him so much. It made me want to run and hug him tightly. But sadly, that would never happen, because he was dead.
"PLAYING RECORD NO. 3."
"Heya, Marky." The voice made me glance back at the recorder. The voice was of a fully grown woman. It was mellow and sweet, but I knew who owned it.
"If you are hearing this, that means you are finally awake. Its me, Molly." Molly… I could not help but grab the voice recorder as her voice filled the room.
"I heard the previous two recordings. I can't believe that it was our mother. She sounds so…sweet." I heard a chuckle and it made my heart swell as emotions started to balloon inside of me.
"I now know what mother had done. It's unforgivable and horrible…but somehow, I want to forgive her. Oh, I'm so confused and frustrated…I can't decide this without you." I heard her dramatic groan, her habit whenever she was frustrated. My eyes began to blur again as tears began to trail my cheeks.
"Marky…I miss you so much. I've step up to your mantel, by the way, because I thought that I must grow up. You were always there for me before, and you protected me all the time. Now it's time for me to protect you. I will become a superhero just like you, just so I can make the world a better place…and when you wake up, you'll never have to worry about helping other people.
That is all for now, Marky. I love you, we all love you…and we are all waiting for you."
"NO RECORDINGS LEFT."
The electronic voice echoed dully, and then silence enveloped me again.
"Molly…I'm so sorry." I breathed in the words as my sadness ebbed away and, in its place, a numbing feeling started to make home inside of me. I wanted to cry so hard. The messages that were left to me were filled with love. However, it seemed I had run out of tears, and my sadness had quickly gone down.
I was getting used to the sadness so much that I seemed to be developing an immunity to it.
"Marky, you done now?" I glanced to my right and saw Touko sitting comfortably on the chair, a lit cigarette in her hand. I never heard her enter, but I was not surprised. My guts were now empty except for this numbing feeling that was eating me alive.
"Yeah…I'm done."
Touko took a whiff of her cigarette before blowing smokes into the air and smiled. "You have a sweet family, Marky…"
"Yes, I do."
"Too bad though…that you can't return the same feeling to them, not yet anyway."
I did not respond as the numbing feeling suddenly disappeared, and in its place, a new feeling began to rise. What Touko had said was true. I did have a lovely family. Scott was my good first father and he had cared for me deeply. Molly was a very lovely sister that I adored very much. And finally…my mother, Anissa. I could really tell that she was serious about her change and that she truly aimed to become a good mother.
I understood my mother. I acknowledged her love for me and her change…which was why I would never forgive her.
"My mother…was truly a bitch." I said as I recognized the feeling that was rising inside of me. "My life turned to hell because of her. I'll never forgive her," I paused as I walked towards the window and looked outside again. "But…I will stop hating her. I have no feelings for her. In fact, I don't give a shit about her." Yes. All I have for her is apathy. I touched my chest with my hand and acknowledged the final feeling that I had for my mother.
Touko nodded in agreement and asked. "What about Scott and Molly?"
"Scott wishes for me to be happy. Molly became a superhero because she wanted to make me happy." I looked back at Touko and hardened my gaze at her. "I want to become a superhero once again because I don't want Molly's death to be in vain…but I cannot, not today." I clenched my fist as I said more. "I may have my will back, but I know that I'm not well enough yet to pick up my mask once more. So, I ask of you, Ms. Touko…please help me cure my mental wellbeing."
"That's a nice answer, Marky." Touko said as an excited smirk spread on her lips. "I'll help you recover. I promise on that."
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Kara no Kyoukai and Invinicble. Names, Places and eventsare merely fictional, if one exist in real life then its purely coincidental.
Special thanks to Pure Red Crane for beta-reading.
New chapter Everyone! I would like to thank everyone to chose to read my fanfic, I do hope I entertain you with my tale. As for those who leave likes, I would like to thank you all too, you guys are the best!
In this chapter, the contents of the Blue Velvet Box has been revealed. Kinda a bit of a downer that Markus found nothing except some last words from his parents and to Molly. But need not to worry. At least he's planning on going back to being hero, right? I mean its his dream am I RIGHT?
