IV – Eclipse
"Hand them over, the Divider and the Reactor you stole" the man said, extending his hand towards him.
[Star Up]
The brazelet on Touman's wrist shined and the silver revolver materialized on his right hand. The man frowned. Touma took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. The entire place stank of fire and blood, the man had those blue marks and a strange gun blade… history was repeating itself.
"It was because of this…" Touma glanced at the Divider "You killed the sisters because of this thing?!"
"What does it matter, boy? You are not going to tell me you cared about them" The man look puzzled "It was just some collateral damage. I suspected you would be coming this way, couldn't let anyone interfere."
"Just collateral damage?" Touma repeated, feeling his anger swell. The hand holding the revolver was white because of the strength of his grip "One last thing. Was it you who destroyed the mines in Vaizen 7 years ago?"
"You are boring me, brat" the man reached for his weapon, pulling it out of the altar's wood "Question this."
[Birdshot Shell]
In just a second he pointed his gun at Touma and open fire. The tip of his weapon casted a black pellet of energy and then exploded when he pressed the trigger, causing a wave of smaller shotgun like proyectiles to advance, causing a massive explosion in front of him. The man grinned, but then sensed movement to his left. Touma emerged from the smoke in a fluent movement and strike at him with the blade. The stranger jumped out of the way, leaving the alter to be cut in half.
The man rasied his weapon and attacked with his own blade, aiming for Touma's head. The boy managed to block the strike, causing a small shockwave from the impact which pushed back both attackers. Touma pointed his gun forward just as the man did the same thing.
[Flechette Shell]
[Silver Barrett]
The man fired a wave of dense energy projectiles, while Touma fired a series of silver color bullets. Both attacks hit each other, exploding and creating a new smoke screen that blinded Touma. He took a step back but his opponent attacked him, covering the distance between them and doing a swipe with his weapon. Touma's Divider trigger an automatic barrier, forming a silver energy field around him, which deflected the blow but broke, pushing the two of them apart once more.
Touma was breathing heavily. His right arm felt hot and looking down he realized one of the bullets from the previous attack had damaged his coat, burning the skin. 'Couldn't avoid the full damage' Touma thought, trying to ignore the sensation, and focusing on his opponent, who was completely unscathed.
"This is fun!" the man roared, giving him a toothed smile "Guess you are not some random brat, huh?" He put his weapon on his shoulder, despite the fact Touma was still aiming at him "Come on, you were so eager to talk before and now you give me the silent treatment? As much as I will enjoy taking that Divider from your corpse, let's hear it. Did you have a reason to steal from those people?"
"It wasn't because I wanted it" Touma replied, using the chance to catch his breath "It just followed me after I saved the girl."
"…The girl?" The man asked "You're talking about the Strosek?"
"That was her name."
The man blinked, apparently confused for a moment.
"But if that is true then…" he muttered, talking to himself. Then his smiled returned and he started to laugh "Hahaha! I see, I see. Hahahaha!"
"What is so funny?!" Touma asked, annoyed at the man's laughter.
"Is funny because you don't know anything" the stranger said "You've no idea what kind of goods you have. You saved that 'accessory' without even knowing that? You became the user of the Silver Cross by accident! Hahaha! This is awesome, what an idiotic brat!"
And he started to laugh once more. Touma clench his teeth so hard he thought they might break. The stranger was making him furious, laughing like a psychopath. 'What is wrong with him? Is he laughing because I saved Lily? Did he killed the sisters while laughing like that?' He tighten his grip on the butt of his Divider 'Was this what he did in Vaizen? What he did to… my home?!' Touma had never been so furious before. That stranger just killed a group of innocent people, he might have even been the one to destroy his home, and he was just laughing like he was having the time of his life.
"… Don't laugh. I answered your questions" Touma said, with a neutral voice which made the man stop his laughter "Now is your turn. Vaizen mines, seven years ago."
"I can't hear you" the stranger turned his Divider and fired another barrage of energy bullets at Touma.
The boy disappeared in a cloud of smoke and fire.
"Was it you people who destroyed my home?" Touma's voice had become cold as ice, almost like a machine talking.
"What the…?"
Touma emerged from the cloud of the last attack without a scratch. His clothes had vanished, replaced by the black outfit that protected him the first time he freed Lily, with a series of red marks spreading over his body, like those blue ones the stranger had. Touma didn't paid any attention to those changes. All he knew was the anger burning inside and that the man in front of him had the answers he wanted. So he would get them, one way or another.
"Answer me!" Touma's blue eyes were now glowing red "It was you who destroyed my home with those fires and storms?!"
"You really want hear?" the stranger pulled his gun back and aimed at him once more, giving Touma a wolfish grin "I guess so!"
The explosion's shockwave made the entire church tremble and the windows shattered. From her position on the hill Isis couldn't look inside the building and she was growing increasingly worried about Touma. Normally she would have gone after him, but she could not leave Lily. Knelt next to her, the other girl was breathing heavily. Her face was red and cover in sweat, as if she was enduring a heavy burden and next to her was floating that strange book with the silver cross on the cover.
"What the hell is going on?" Isis complained, holding Lily by her shoulders, trying to figure out what to do.
At first, when Touma left them to rush into the church everything had been fine, then in just 5 minutes things went out of control. First signs of trouble where the book's sudden manifestation and then the first explosion. Lily collapsed right then and there, as the sounds of a fight came from the church and she leaned on Isis, trying to control her breathing.
A louder explosion came towards them and a massive ray of energy pierce the roof of the church, destroying it and exploding in the air with a blinding light.
"Touma…" Lily managed to send a message to Isis "He is in troubles… we must help him…"
She tried to stand up, but her legs gave up and she would have fallen if Isis didn't move in to hold her. This was too much
"Steed, look after Lily for a bit" Isis turned towards the little Device, putting the other girl down as gently as she could, laying her back against a tree.
"Wait, what are you going to do?" Steed asked, floating next to the girls.
"I'm going to check what is going on down there" she replied, standing up "Don't worry Lily, I will bring Touma back even if I have to pull him by force!"
The tailor girl rushed down the hill, going towards the fight. 'What kind of trouble did you get in to, Touma?' she thought as she ran for the church. She remembered her own Device and glanced once towards it, but she hoped it would not be necessary.
Castle had to stiff a yawn. The trip was incredibly boring, despite all attempts by his new travel companion, James, to keep up conversation. Or rather monologue. Frank had said nothing more than a few single words since being pick up and the other man kept talking. He didn't bother interrupting him and just pretended to listen. They were near the church now and once there they would never see each other again.
"I have been wondering friend. What brings you to Ruwella?" James suddenly asked "You don't have to tell me, of course, is just that we are used to travelers on this side of the world, but most tourists come in groups."
"Nothing in particular. I am just passing by" Frank answered, as honestly as he care to "I will leave the planet in a few days."
"Such a pity. Ruwella is a nice place to be, and to settle down, you know?"
On that Punisher had to admit he agreed, even if that was a loaded affirmation for him. Before he could think of a reply, a brief flash from his memory hit him again as they passed an apple tree next to the road.
It was her again, sitting on the shade under the leaves. The two children ran around her, giving their backs to him and calling each other. She chastised them for being noise but with a smile on her face. A gentle breeze blew through the grass and she had to grab her hat to keep it from flying again. She turned towards him now…
As usual everything just vanished before he could make the details of her face.
Castle became tense, but his travel partner didn't seem to notice. This was the first time the dreams hit him when he was awake. His right hand started to hurt, and Frank looked down, surprised to see he was grabbing the edge of his seat with which force his fingers were digging in to the wood. He took a deep breathe and forced his hand to relax. He could not afford such distractions. That was a lost world. Dead and buried, just like them, just like the man he use to be. And it was better that way.
The trip continued in relative silent, as the wagon continued to creak forward. Finally, they turned a corner on the route and the church was visible in the distance, standing tall amidst the fields. Next to it was a small hill, crowned by the outskirts of the forest and beyond were a series of open fields which extended towards the mountains. Almost right away Frank felt something was off. Just looking didn't show anything out of the ordinary, but he could not get rid of the feeling that something was not right.
"Stop" he said outloud.
"I'm sorry friend?"
"Stop, don't keep going."
His voice had such a strict tone that James did as he asked. The horses stopped right then, and the scenery was left in silence. A very deep and vast silence. You could hear nothing but the wind, there were no animals around, not even birds.
"Friend, what is…?" James tried to ask.
"Quiet!" Castle interrupted.
James wanted to protest but he never got around to say anything. In front of them the roof of the church exploded and a beam of energy pierce into the sky, creating an air wave that spooked the horses.
"Kaiser above! What was that?!" James tried to pull the reins in to calm his horses.
Frank cursed and turned around to grab his bag. He made a miscalculation and someone had been ahead of him.
"What is going on over there?" The other man managed to get the horses under control and turned around when he saw Frank was no longer next to him "Hey! What are you…?"
His words died on his throat her he saw him.
Frank closed his eyes and open his hand, a black magic circle, glowing with red energy, appeared under his feet. His power was called a 'mobile armory'. Castle had the power, since his youth, to store anything he saw as a weapon inside a pocket dimension: bombs, guns, blades, explosives. Everything while under a certain limit. He picked a laser rifle, Retribution Model Mark IV, long electronic scope and overcharged power pack. The weapon appeared on his hand with a flash of red light. The entire operation taking less than a second.
Castle turned to face James, his coat opening to reveal the skull on his chest. Comprehension dawn on his travel partner in equal level with his fear.
"You… you are…" he tried to say.
"Doesn't matter, I need you to listen" Punisher interrupted, putting his back on his shoulder and removing the safety on the gun.
"Please don't kill me! I have done nothing wrong! I swear! I…" James seem about to have a panic attack.
"Shut up!" Castle shouted, making the man close his trap at last "Listen, something very bad is happening on that church, go back the road and look for one of the farms we passed on the way. Call the police if they have not done so already. You talk to the authorities and tell them what is going on, understand?"
"Y-yes!"
"Then go!" Punisher turned around and started to run towards the church.
"Wait! What do I tell them about you?"
Frank didn't have time to answer. His first instinct had been to make a direct approach to the building, but his sense of opportunity took charge. Instead of entering he jumped a fence and went around, towards the chapel, where they would have large windows and he would have an easier time looking inside without being spotted. Luckily all Saint Kaiser Churches had the same design, no matter the world.
Another explosion made the walls tremble and Punisher rushed, jumping over some bushes, and stopping as soon as he saw the windows, which were already broken. He throwed his back and lifted the rifle, falling on his belly, using the tall grass to hide. The scope did the necessary corrections, allowing him to see forward. He was just 400 meters away from the building.
"Activate heat scan."
[Activating]
The view changed and he was able to see despite the smoke and the walls. Small heat signatures first, little fires or heat pockets from the explosion, then three large signals which the system quickly identified as living beings. The tree signatures were roughly at equal distance, and one appeared to be much hotter than the other two. Frank frowned unsure of how to proceed.
He could not know what he was looking at. Still he had his senses and there was no magic in the air, which normally left a slight tingling sensation when used in such large quantities. This could mean they were Eclipse Drivers, but… how to be sure? His first shot hat to count, as it would be the one to end his element of surprise.
"Deactivate heat scan. Activate magic lens."
[Changing]
The scope adapted and Punisher grinned, there was one clear signal. He was not expecting that. But at least he had a target. He changed the direction of the barrel towards one of the three figures. 'I got you know' he thought as he pressed the trigger.
The explosions and clashes between both Dividers were making the entire chapel tremble, its walks shaking with each shockwave. Touma attacked with fury, but his opponent answered with skill, easily deflecting his blows while grinning like a mad man, his words stinging worse than his blows. The boy felt his blood boil inside his veins, all he cared about was to snuff out that arrogant expression from his opponent.
"Answer me!" Touma demanded. He swung his weapon downwards with all his might, clashing against his enemy's blade and pushing with all his might.
The stranger held his ground, holding his Divider with just the one hand, while his left hand moved towards his pocket.
"You forgot one thing" the man said calmly "When someone asks for something…" His left hand emerged from his pocket now wearing what look like a metal claw over his fingers, grabbing Touma's right wrist "You say 'please', brat"
[Napalm Fang]
A burst off blue flames emerged from the claw and Touma screamed in agony, feeling his skin burn to the contact. He managed to kick the man and jump away, letting his Divider fall but grabbing with his left hand. The boy was pushed backwards, trying to stop himself by digging his weapon on the floorboards.
"Argh!" Touma grunted. His right arm was charred and burnt black, if he had taken a second longer he would be ashes now.
"What's wrong?!" The man taunted aiming his claw at him "Done already?!"
Touma was breathing heavily but he lifted his left arm by instinct, focusing all his anger at the man on the next attack. A series of magical circles appeared around his arm, and a circle manifested under his feet, glowing with a silver light.
[Silver Hammer]
The energy beam was much more powerful than anything that had been use before, but the man was able to dodge at the last second. The beam impacted against the wall of the church and destroyed it, demolishing an entire section in a powerful explosion that filled the place with dust and smoke.
"That was close" the man said, looking out the new hole in the wall. The rays of the sun soon illuminated the interior, the calm clear sky totally indifferent to the drama inside the church "But with that you should be at your limit, aren't you brat?"
Touma did not answer, as he tried to recover his breath. He knew the man was right. His strange armor was damaged and scorched, his right arm hanging useless next to him. He barely had the strength to stand there and was starting to notice his vision growing blurry. Touma tried to take a step forward, but his legs feel as if they were made of stone. He could not think straight, use magic or even notice his Linker Core. The image of the man in front of him became dangerously unstable. 'No… not yet…' Touma thought just before the world turned completely black.
The boy was totally knock out. He allowed himself to let out a sigh. This had been complicated. Fighting another Eclipse Driver had always been a remote, if interesting, possibility. The man would have to remember that moving forward.
The brat was still standing, his eyes open, but they were totally glazed over and his pose announce his unconscious state. His armor started to glow as it became undone, leaving him wearing his original outfit. The man lowered his gun, it was a pity things never went smoothly.
"Hey, little lady, you with him?" He asked out loud, addressing the presence hiding behind the door.
In the blink of an eye the girl moved and appeared right in front of the brat, blocking his way, almost challenging him to advance.
"Who are you? What do you want with Touma?" she asked with a firm voice, glaring at him.
"… Veyron, of the Hückebein family" He answered, figuring that didn't matter anyway "As for wanting… well, I assume you were traveling with him and are worried, but this is just ridiculous. I wasted too much time already, so step aside and I let you go" The girl didn't flinch nor move "As you wish, then I will…"
He couldn't finish the sentence. Veyron felt a slight tingling in the back of the neck and he turned around, but it was too late. A crimson ray of energy broke through the window and hit him on the chest, piercing him cleanly and leaving behind the scent of ozone and burnt flesh. 'What the hell?' Veyron thought looking at the hole on his chest, his body falling to the ground. His regeneration kicking right away, rebuilding the tissue even before he hit the floor.
He tried to find the direction of the attack, or get a sense of where the shots were coming from but a second red beam hit the wall, or what was left of it, and it made it collapse with a loud explosion. Veyron cursed, trying to stand up and move to grab the boy. But the girl was faster than him, taking the brat in her arms and putting it over her shoulder, rushing towards the door without looking back.
Veyron stood up and tried to go after them. A sudden burst of red beams showered his position, forcing him back, being hit on the shoulder, the chest and one leg. He roared in pain, even if his healing factor repair the damage the damn things sting like hell. That was not magic, it felt like a heavy overcharged laser, so this wasn't the TSAB. Who was firing at him?
He didn't have time to deal with this. That fight with the brat had to alert the authorities and they would get visits soon. He could still try to catch the girl and the boy, but only if he could eliminate the shooter and that seem improbable as things were right now. Veyron needed to retreat and plan his next movement. He lifted his Divider and pointed to the ground in front of him.
[Flechette Shell]
The spheres of energy flew out of his gun and destroyed what remain of the church's wall, creating a large spike of smoke and heat, which Veyron used to cover his flight. A few shots pierce the smoke, but they didn't come close, so he deduced they were blind attempts to stop him. He rushed out of the building and towards his bike. He might be retreating but he swore he would find that shooter and made him pay.
Click! The weapon was empty. Punisher lifted the rifle, removing the power pack for a fresh one as fast as he could. He aimed forward once more. The church was empty, or so it seem so he watched the exits. Someone emerged through the front door. His sight moved but he did not fire. It was a young girl, carrying the body of a boy roughly around her age on her shoulders. Castle was able to identify him thanks to the posters from Port City. It was the thief of the Silver Cross. Before he could think of a course of action, he heard a sound in the distance. Sirens.
The girl also heard them, because she adjusted the boy on her back, and she started running. Punisher follow her with the sight as she ran up the hill and vanished beyond it. Almost on cue, the police vehicles passed near his position, following the road and moving to circle the church. He counted half a dozen at least. Franke took his finger from the trigger and just watched through to scope.
The officers step out of their vehicles, guns in hand, and rushed the church. Frank could see none of them was a mage, just normal officers. One of the agents stood back, a woman with bright pink hair and a long brown coat. She appeared to be the one in charge, giving orders, when suddenly she turned her head to glance in his direction, as if she could sense him watching. Castle frowned but stood still, not even daring to breathe, as if she could hear him from that far away. Her attention was called away by a small little figure that appear floating next to her, striking a conversation. After a few words the woman shock her head and entered the building, leaving his sight.
Punisher let out the air he was holding, for a moment he feared she might have detected him. On his chest Soulbreaker emitted a small light to call his attention.
"My Lord, warning, strong magical signal detected"
"I am aware" He replied. Still he checked the reading from his device. Magic signal at least S Rank "She appears to be the only mage from the Bureau. She and that little Unison Device."
As far as he knew the TSAB did had an elite unit to handle the Eclipse case, but they started functions that same day. Even so, they already had someone on the field, observing the situation. This was chance or skill? He decided to guess the later.
The Bureau knew of the Silver Cross was in Ruwella. Someone had been able to gather the pieces and prepare by sending an agent first. Punisher had to congratulate the commander of the unit, he would have done the same in its place.
"This could be problematic my Lord"
"You think?" Castle answered. He pull the rifle from his shoulder and store it back in his armory. The weapon vanished with a brief red flash "If I am right, the Hückebein know the TSAB doesn't have the Silver Cross and they have made a move to get it."
He was trying to process what just happen at the church. Two Eclipse Drivers had been fighting against each other, until one got the upper hand. A mage had suddenly step in between them and take one away with her. According to his information, the infected should have fought to the dead. Perhaps the thief's infection was not complete? And, who was the girl that took him? She did not appear on the posters. An accomplice? If that was the case then she was recent, otherwise they would be after her as well. And why did the thief need to contact someone off-world? Too many unknows.
"Don't speculate. Think, only known facts" Frank told himself. He started to crawl towards the tree line. Once he reached them he stood up and started to walk away.
The Huckebein Family and the TSAB were both on the trail. The thief had company, one, perhaps two girls around his age, and he was infected with Eclipse. The authorities would no doubt intensify the search after the fight at the church, and he was without a lead. Except for a face, one that perhaps the TSAB did not know about.
But that was the fact that bother him the most. The girl didn't look like someone dangerous. He had seen her expression through the scope: fear, determination, and none of that darkness proper of someone in the game. Castle groaned, he was allowing a first impression to cloud his judgement, but it had been so different from what he expected he could not help it. It would make sense if his first conclusion about the thief was right, and he was just a civilian that got caught into a larger incident. And that complicated things.
He needed to find the thief and his group, but time was working against him. This incident would mean the TSAB was going to send reinforcements, which meant the Hückebein would also send theirs. Ruwella was about to become a battlefield, and many innocents would get caught in the crossfire.
And then was the fact that the thief was infected. It was possible the virus had yet to fully consume him, but it was a matter of time and then he would kill anyone around him. Castle needed information. He stopped his walk and look around him. The forest was dense, and he was far away from the road to have some privacy. He open a communication window, better to know for sure. The call started and the person on the other side answered rather quickly.
"Well Frank" Microchip said on the other side of the line "How can I help you?"
"We were alerted by a call, reporting some disturbance at the church, once we saw we could not reach them we mobilize as soon as possible" Signum explained, looking at the communication screen "regrettably we were too slow. The three sisters are dead, whoever is responsible got away and we have no idea where they might be. I am sorry, Master Hayate".
"Do not worry about that, Signum, you are doing a great job" Hayate interlocked her fingers in front of her face "Was there anything else?"
"A civilian made a report later" Signum nodded to Agito, who send the information right away "According to this person he was traveling back home when he saw a large explosion at the church and ran towards the closest farm to ask for help. We interrogated him as a potential witness, and he admitted he had a passenger. From his description it looks like the man with him was…"
"Punisher" the commander finished for her "If this is correct, we can assume the killer or killers arrived at the building, kill the nuns and then fled after a confrontation with him."
"We can't know for certain, but that sounds likely".
"And our only suspect for the murders is the same one who stole the Bible of the Silver Cross" Hayate let out a sigh and rubbed her eyes "I was hoping we could avoid this. I don't think we have a choice; we must assume he is guilty, there is too much a stake here. We have arranged your appointment to the unit, and now you are officially in charge of this investigation. I will send Teana and Fate to assist you but be ready for any eventuality. Our priority remains the same, to find and secure the Lost Logia."
"Understood, Master" Signum saluted, and the communication ended.
"I don't like this" Agito said, floating near her and taking a sit on her shoulder "You really think that boy is guilty?"
"I don't know" the warrior admitted "But regardless of that we must bring him in to custody"
Signum glanced at the church, currently filled with agents, staring at it for a few moments. Everything had just got harder. This chase for the Bible of the Silver Cross on Ruwella could end in a real incident. She knew firsthand the chaos and destruction such an even could bring upon a peaceful world and she was not about to allow it. Her gaze moved to the side, towards the fields surrounding the building. When they arrived, she could swear she was being watched, and that feeling had her on edge.
She shook her head and move to speak with the officers. She had to coordinate everything here and then move. A Lost Logia, a potential killer, a vigilante and a stranger virus, the dominos just kept falling one after another. 'I don't like this either' Signum thought 'It gives this bad omen… like in the eve of battle.'
The sun had moved in the sky quite a bit when Touman opened his eyes once more, trying to focus what was in front of him. He saw two dark shadows without features, blinking heavily until they acquired details and he could make sense of them.
"Touma!"
"Touma!"
The sudden sound of his name from both Lily and Isis was what finally pushed the young Avenir boy back to his full 5 senses. He was laying against a tree, his jacket on top of him as a makeshift blanket. His right sleeve was pull back, revealing a fresh bandage covering his burns, and there was no sign of the strange weapon or the man he had been fighting with. Touma relaxed and he put his left hand against his forehead, trying to ease a light headache 'What happen back there?' he thought.
"Are you alright, Touma?" Steed appeared, floating behind the girls "We were incredibly worried."
"Oww… somehow" He answered, trying to sit up.
"Touma, I am sorry" Lily's eyes became bright with tears and she leaned forward, touching his face with her hands. She look so troubled Touma didn't even realized her closeness did not bother him at all "I am so sorry."
"Why are you aplogizing? Is fine" The boy petted her head with his left hand, smiling.
"The important think is that you are in one piece" Isis said, kneeling next to them, and clearly relieved "You were lucky to escape all that with just a few wounds."
"That reminds me, what happen with…?" The image of the man in the church flashed on his mind and Touma clenched his teeth.
"We were waiting for you when suddenly that strange black book appeared" Steed said "Lily was incapacitated, and Isis went looking for you as the sounds of a fight became more intense. Then she returned carrying you over her shoulder and we ran in to the woods."
"You carried me?" Touma looked at Isis who just scratched her cheek "I putted you in a lot of troubles. I'm sorry, and thank you."
"It was nothing" the girl waved her hands in the air "You were pretty light and I am stronger than I look."
"Regardless, thank you" Touma replied. His eyes look down a moment when he realized something. Slowly he pulled his right arm up and glanced at the bandages. The strange bracelet reflected the sunlight, confirming his sensations. He started to undo the bandages.
"Wait! You shouldn't…" Isis started, reaching a hand to stop him, but she froze when he saw his arm "What…?"
"Your wounds…" Lily took his arm, examining it "Your wounds have healed."
Touma was shocked as well. 'How could I heal so fast?' he thought stretching and clenching his hand to test if this was real. Then he realized something else, looking at his wrist 'The red mak, is now larger than before'. Indeed, the little red mark which he assumed was just a scratch was now triple the size, and it formed a strange wing like tattoo on his skin.
"What is happening to me?" the boy muttered, looking at his arm.
"This is quite strange" Steed commented, leaning in to examine the arm himself.
"Isis" Touma ignored his device "What happen at the church? What happen to the other guy?"
"Ah, well…" Isis looked a bit nervous, but she talked "I am not sure myself. I went inside looking for you and this man was there, saying something about having to take you, but before he could do anything someone started shooting at him from outside. As soon as he was distracted, I took you and ran back to Lily, I don't know what happen with him."
"That's all? He didn't say anything?"
"He said… he said his name was Veyron Huckebein or something like that, but not much more" Isis looked at him with concern "What happen between you two? It seemed as if you have some business pending with him…"
"No, you are wrong" the boy replied, looking away "I have never seen him before."
Isis and Lily exchanged a worried look, but chose to say nothing. Touma didn't want to add more himself. He had been so close, after all those years, after these few months of travel looking for something, anything related to the incident on the mines of his homeworld, and he found his first clue when he wasn't even looking. What should he do now? He clenched his fists. Part of him wanted to look for that man and beat the answers out of his arrogant face. Touma looked briefly as his companions and discarded that idea. As much as he wanted answers, or to catch that Veyron guy, he could not chase after him. He could not abandon Lily or drag Isis in to a dangerous confrontation she didn't ask for.
It was frustration, but right now he had to leave his selfish quest. Everything else that was going on was too important to just quit. He looked down at this right wrist once more. Even if it seem these new events were related with some old ghosts. Su-chan once told him that the best way to look for something was to try and locate something else, who could have guessed it would be so literal.
"What should we do now?" Steed intervened, breaking the silence.
Touma was startled. He had been so lost in his own thoughts he forgot about it completely.
"That's right, in the end we couldn't use the communication device at the church" Isis said "And even if it survived I doubt they will leave it alone any time soon."
"We don't have a choice, we will look for another place to send an interdimensional call" Touma looked up to the sky "We have several more hours of daylight., we should be able to move for a little bit before…" Touma had been rising up as he spoke, but when he was back on his feet the entire world tilted to the side.
"Touma!" Lily was able to move and help him kneel before he collapsed on to the floor "Are you alright?"
"Sorry…" he answered, surprised at how weak his voice sounded. He suddenly felt exhausted and dizzy, like if he was sick "Somehow… my head…"
"Woah, hot!" Isis leaned forward and put her hand on his forehead, pulling back right away "You've got a fever alright! Lily, help me lay him down. Let's use the sheets and put his sleeping back as a pillow."
The two girls managed to make an improvise bed for Touma, who couldn't even protest from his dizziness. His vision had turned blurry, and his head felt heavy, throbbing with a pain that seem to zap all his energy away. He heard Isis say something, but he couldn't understand the words. The softness under his back was the only indication they had lay him down he could process. Even Lily's mental voice was just a blur, but Touma could sense her concern and… remorse? He wanted to tell her it would be fine, but he reached his limit and his consciousness faded in to black.
Veyron Hückebein returned to base after several hours. He had to stop on his way to do some resupplying, stealing an entire truck of frozen food. It was a pity it wasn't guarded, to vent some frustrations, but at least fulfilling one of his goals alleviated his bad mood. Having to report his failure to secure the Divider and the Bible of the Silver Cross were a strong blow to his pride.
"Yo, I'm back" He announced as he enter the residential area, drinking a bear he rescued from the shipment.
He was welcome by the strong scent of food, on account of the literal banquet someone had lay on the dinning table. Meat, seafood, bread, pasta… enough to feed at least a dozen people, or in this one very hungry girl. Sitting at the table, her legs crossed and leaned on the surface, was his sister, Arnage Huckebein, who waved at him with the piece of meat she was grabbing by the bone.
"Welcome back, Vey-nii" the girl said with a wide grin, taking a bite "Where are my souvenirs? Where's the food?"
Anarge was just 16, and so the second youngest in the family. She dressed in a revealing fashion, a green vest and shorts of the same color, which left her legs and arms exposed, meaning her blue marks could easily be seen, a winged pattern that cover the left side of her body, from her heel to her neck. She had a long mane of dark red hair which reached her waist and a pair of blue eyes which seem to be shining as she started to dig in.
"Shut it! Don't talk with your mouth full" Veyron replied "As for the souvenir meal is in the container. I got a whole truck this time."
"Nice, Vey-nii! As a compliment you can eat this" Arnage offered him a half-eaten lobster.
"I don't need it, fool" Veyron grimaced, turning away.
"In a foul modo as usual, huh?" the girl grinned, putting his focus back on her food.
His answer died on his throat when he a small figure caught up with him and hugged his weist. Stella Irvine, the youngest member of the family, smiled at him as she held him tight. Veyron pet her head, relaxing a bit. Stella was barely a child, around 10, with her hair a light pink, and crimson eyes. She was wearing a little yellow dress with a green apron on top, and a headkerchief on her head, indicating she was the one doing the cooking, as usual. Veyron could only admire her dedication.
"Oh, yeah, Fortis and Ville-nii called" Anarge said, speaking in between bites "Wanted me to tell you to show your face as soon as you get back."
"If those two need something, they can get off their asses and meet me" Veyron replied, taking the silly headkerchief from his little sister "By the way, Stella, you are in charge of the stollen rations. Don't let that idiot eat it all, alright?"
The little girl salute and rushed to do her task right away. Veyron shock his head and left Anarge to her food. Meeting Fortis was not avoidable, he figured, after all, the situation didn't go exactly as plan. He was finishing his beer when a new voice broke him out of his thoughts.
"Veyron, welcome home" Fortis say with a soft voice "It sure took a while, did something happen on the way?"
Fortis Huckebein had a deceitful look. His body was thin and he possessed such delicate features that he almost look like a girl, effect increased by his long grey blue hair he styled in a feminine cut. He used a long black tunic which reminded the outfit of a church father, and yet his eyes, a clear shade of purple, were always cold and calculating. Veyron always had troubles reading the guy.
"Shut up, I only wend and did the resupplying" He answered, emptying his beer.
"I see. Thanks for that" Fortis said with soft smile "It went much better than your attempt to recover the Divider and the Silver Cross."
"There is nothing to worry about. I confirmed the serial number and the user" Veyron replied, shaking his head "He is already completely infected by Eclipse. He will appear on his own if we leave him be."
"Of course. And yet you could not capture an incomplete user. Do you at least know who interrupted you?"
"… No, I couldn't see the sniper" Veyron admitted.
"Regrettable but not too troublesome. I suspect it was Punisher."
"Wait, the insane killer with the skull on his chest?" Veyron asked arching a brow "What does he have to do with us?"
"An oversight has put him on our track. The one responsible has been… dealt with" Fortis shrugged tossing the little metal thing once had been a beer can "His involvement is just a minor issue. We have bigger news. The TSAB has assemble an elite force of ace magicians from all three fields: ground, air and marine. Seems like it's the reconstruction of the team that defeated the Cradle 6 years ago."
"Ha! Have they come to crush us again? Doing such useless things…" Veyron crushed his beer can and then toss it to Fortis, who caught with ease "They should know is useless to come after us. As long as we have our Dividers, they can't lay a hand on us."
"I concur, for once" Fortis crushed the can in his hands, reducing it to the size of a coin "They are restricted by that cage of limitations know as 'organization'" He tossed the little metal remain to the trashcan, revealing the blue marks on his wrists "And yet if any of them found the Bible of the Silver Cross before us… it could be troublesome."
"I don't see the problem" Veyron said, shrugging and looking away "Humans trust in their magicians to fight for them, but we are the Mage Killers. It should be fine if we leave things as they are. If they take the Silver Cross, we just need to take it back by force."
"Such a simple mindset, I almost feel sorry for you" Fortis said, shaking his head "This is exactly why Cypha is replacing you at Ruwella. She and her group will oversee the recovery the lost objects."
"Not that I care…" Veyron did stop for a moment "You said group… who did you send with her?"
"Arnage will go as support, but while you were away, we received the next batch from the lab. Cypha took the 'children' with her to test them" Fortis pet Veyron's shoulder, walking pass him "This is too important to allow any more mistakes. So be glad, soon enough we will have everything we need"
[An announcement regarding the recent event. An unknow party has assaulted the Mihena church during this morning's mass. The three sisters who attended the mass were killed by the culprits. We advice people passing through the streets of Mihena to stay on guard]
'Why don't make the announcement with fireworks?' Castle thought, listening to the loud speakers sending the same message, not for the first time, across town. Police patrolled the streets and there were even knew wanted posters, the words 'murder suspect' added to the lists of crimes committed by the thief.
Frank adjusted his coat, using the gesture to turn off his communicator. The TSAB was now officially in charge and all transmissions were encrypted. He could no longer listen to the police for information. The strange thing was that he knew they were aware of his presence here, there was no way James could have not talk. And yet nobody was looking for him. That meant the person in charge was actively avoiding him. It hat to be the pink haired mage he saw at the church.
The freedom of movement allowed him to make to the town of Mihena just before dusk. It was a smaller population center than Port City, but it was closer to the church, if a bit further inland. So Punisher decided to come here, following another hunch. But even with his information, which the others lacked, time was against him. The TSAB would be sending backup that same night. The Hückebein would not just wait. And the target was an almost literal timebomb. Microchip had been clear.
"Is the virus, can't be anything else" Micro said when Frank explained what happen that morning "The boy had to become infected when he came in to contact with the Bible of the Silver Cruz. It had time to incubate and now the transformation is starting. Eclipse acts by using the magic of the victim, mutating the body. During the first phase the victim might note an improvement to their stamina, physical strength and healing. But when the infection becomes critical, then he will fall sick, suffering from fever and dizziness."
"How will it develop?"
"Hard to say, different people react differently. What I can say is that if the boy is already in the second phase, he will likely be unable to move. And once he reaches the final phase, he will become a full-blown Eclipse Driver. His mind would be consumed by an endless blood thirst and connected to the Silver Cross, that will trigger its defense mechanism. A full incident."
No more words were needed. Punisher had few options and leaving it to the authorities was not one of them. The thief would transform soon and his first victims would be those accompanying him, then it would only get worst. So he had bet for a simple hunch: the girl. The one nobody else knew was with the thief. If they were just civilians unaware of Eclipse, they would look for medical help. A doctor was out of the question, so medicine was the next best bet, something to fight off the fever. Meaning she had two choices: Port City or the town of Mihena.
He went to the town; it was closer, and it didn't require to climb down the mountain. Castle knew he could be wrong, but looking in the woods was not a good option either. He could pass right next to them and not even notice. It was all or nothing. So, he was wandering around town, keeping his eye on the main road and the people coming and going.
"My Lord"
Soulbreaker send him a warning, and Frank look up. Just ahead of him, walking in the opposite direction, was the purple haired girl, playing with an apple. His bet had just paid off fully.