EPISODE 1: BIG BAD 'HUMAN KILLER'
Summary: Everyone says "Watch out for the human monster called the Human Killer"… If only they knew.
Disclaimer: I don't own Cross Ange or any of its characters and original plot, excluding the original characters I created for this story. This is a spin-off series of the main 'Cross Ange: Living Hell' story. So please read that before here, please.
Cross Ange and all its rights belong to King Records (Japan), Sentai Filmworks (USA), and Sunrise/ Bandai Namco Entertainment (Japan). This fanfiction is meant for entertainment only and not for profit. This story contains heavy language, blood and violence, and mild sexual themes not for audiences under 16-18 years old.
The World of Mana, where their main power called the Light of Mana shines the humans' life and touch to have everything they desire to their hearts' content but also disregard their powerless 'women' called Norma who can break them for their peace. They believed it was the best in their minds never to see them as anything but human. Unaware that their lives are nothing more than fragile without the Norma but choose to ignore such triviality.
But other than the Norma, there is one human that everyone should fear and hate for his heartless life and work: the Human Killer…
The Misurugi Empire. The trademark of the humans' precious world alongside the other five nations Rosenblum, Velda Dynasty, Endurant Union, Galia Empire, and Marmeria Republic but also the land bearing the powerful beacon of light and hope; the Dawn Pillar. Everywhere, the people of the empire present themselves with pride for their Light of Mana and admiration for their rulers who lead them to infinite prosperity. And starting tomorrow, that admiration will be passed on to their future Empress and the jewel of their home: Angelise Ikaruga Misurugi with her Light of Mana that shall shine their hearts brighter. They only wish for their home to be better if their world will get rid of the increasing birth of the vile creatures that dare take the forms of human girls who can break their Mana from touch: Norma.
Another thing they wish that is gone, and a similar level but also different from the Norma…is a hellbent murderous human.
"Yaay for getting to have some fun in the forest!" Somewhere in the outskirts close to the city, outside the forest as their playground, a boy and a human girl around ten years old or younger grouped for their hangout with their families' permission only to never venture deeper, without explaining when they curiously asked why. The boy with light chocolate brown hair and black glasses happily told his cherry-red-haired best friend who also shared his excitement. "Yaaay!" As tomorrow with Princess Angelise's baptism, today and the day itself became a public holiday for the children to not go to schools for the celebration. Even the second biggest reason for everyone to spend time with their families and friends for their homeland's special day.
"I can't wait to see Princess Angelise become our Empress! She is so beautiful and strong! She will surely be a great ruler with her Light of Mana!" The girl spoke her happiness but thought of something with a worried scowl as the two walked through the safest forest area. "And maybe she can do something to stop the evil Norma and the big bad Human Killer from walking around and scaring us just by seeing them!"
"Don't worry. With Princess Angelise, there's no way those disgusting monsters will ever scare us. And when we're older, the two of us will protect our people to make sure we will live in a bright future together!" The bespectacled boy assured his friend who blinked her eyes in awe at his bold confession, but her surprise immediately changed to beam her happiness and nod her agreement. With the two of them together and the Light of Mana, anything is possible.
Suddenly, the two heard a branch snap in front of them and stopped in their tracks in shock, with the girl almost releasing a muffled squeak from her hands in fear of whatever was in front of them. With the brunette boy hurriedly grabbing a branch from the ground as a sword to protect his best friend, the two quickly but nervously walk forward while keeping their guard if there is someone else or the Human Killer closer to them. It was when they found the source that they reacted as dumbfounded for they were not expecting it. Instead of the Human Killer, it was a boy possibly younger than them or almost a toddler with short white hair that glowed brighter than his pale skin and dressed in purple and black clothing that looked like a soldier's uniform. But the way he stood and stared at the large bushes at their right almost scared the two for they see him as not afraid even if his white bangs nearly shroud his eyes.
"Who…who is that?" The little girl quietly asked her friend who held his weapon in case the strange boy would notice them only to attack two innocent children. To him, he finds it crazy to think that a human boy younger than them would have something to do in the forest without a parent's supervision, as two got permission. But a part of him tries to tell himself, that at least it is a human and a kid in their age range. It would be dangerous if it is an adult or a Norma running loose.
"I don't know…but I think we can ask him." The boy reassures with his hand grabbing his friend's hand to hold from behind, unaware of the soft flush on the surprised girl's cheeks when he carefully leads them forward and closer to the boy who finally notices them when he looks at the side. When he did, the two children may have been startled in almost shock by his glowing, dull-like pinkish-red eyes that surprisingly do not show fear for his age.
"H-Hello. Who are you, and what are you doing here?" Trying to be brave for his lady friend, the bespectacled boy asked the younger boy, as kindly as he presented.
As the boy opens his mouth, he immediately stops himself from speaking in surprise and sadness when he grasped his right hand's fingers at his throat, surprising the two who looked at each other before back to the boy who conjured two Mana screens each in front of each other with the white-haired boy silently typing his fingers at his screen while the screen in front of the two flashed a message at the same time.
'Hello. My name is Aya. I'm sorry but I cannot speak for I don't have a voice. I was just walking around here with my father's permission while he checked on my baby sister's Manasthma.'
"Oh…" The boy and girl scowled in sadness at Aya's lack of voice and Manasthmatic sister but seeing that he seemed a bit calmer than fully sad. A part of the girl's worry faded into relief after initially assuming that Aya's sister could be a secret Norma but still saddened by her condition would almost confuse her as one.
"Don't worry, Aya. We won't judge you for not having a voice, and it's nice to meet you." The bespectacled boy reassured Aya with a kind smile, intending to cheer him up for his sister. "We're about to head deeper into the forest for our hangout, celebrating Princess Angelise's baptism tomorrow."
"Would you like to join us? It'll be safer if the three of us go together." The girl asked after reducing her fear to smile and invite the cute and innocent little boy who dismissed his Mana screen. Aya first looked down, possibly thinking of his response, before he glanced at the two children with a small but nervous smile and silently nodded his acceptance, exciting the two for their new companion.
But if the three stayed and looked over the bushes Aya was looking at earlier, they would have noticed a strange sight no children as young as the three should see…stained in crimson like a red pool on the dirt ground.
"Mwahahahahahaha! Listen up, Princess Angelise! I am the Big Bad Human Killer! I am here to destroy everyone and our homes!" The bespectacled boy shouted in his best attempt to maniacally laugh from his smile as he stood between his best friend sitting on the ground behind him and Aya waving a stick he grabbed as a sword towards the two for their play of saving the damsel in distress at a large clearing closer to the danger side of the forest. Due to Aya's mutism, the boy willingly plays his lines as both the hero he is playing and the role he chose for Aya as the Human Killer.
"Please save me, my knight! I'm scared of the vile Human Killer!" The girl, playing Princess Angelise, dramatically cried in fear unmatching the innocent playful smile on her face.
"Fear not, Princess Angelise! As your knight, I shall protect you from the foul villain with my life!" The bespectacled boy declared, holding his branch in front of him like a real sword in his right hand, hurriedly faking a cruel smile towards Aya when he then thought aloud of the Human Killer's lines. "Pah! Then, die, knight!"
The two boys quickly dash at each other and start whacking at their branches like they are fencing and rough sword fighting. But the bespectacled boy noticed, to his surprise, that Aya swung his sword surprisingly fast and well as if he knew how to use a real sword but also make sure that both were not hurt after lightly tapping each other at the sides a few times until the boy hurriedly moved his arm reaching forward. Aya tilted his head to avoid getting impaled in his scarred throat or cut his ear off…but instead of resuming their play, the boy and girl watched Aya drop his branch and wildly lean backwards to fall and land his back on the ground with his arms outstretched, shocking the boy and girl for seeing the younger boy pretending to be dead but the former guessed what to do…
"Argh! I'm dead! You ruined everything, brave knight!" The glasses-wearing boy loudly yelped as if he was the one being in pain instead of the mute boy watching the other dramatically acting from his position until the girl hurriedly climbed on her feet and ran towards her friends before wrapping her arms around his neck, startling him but not move when they hear her spoke from her happy smile.
"My hero!" The bespectacled boy felt his face blushing in surprise from his best friend hugging him without embarrassment, aware his mouth was quivering between a surprised frown or a bashful smile which grew until his face was almost red from spotting Aya mischievously sticking his tongue out of his smile when he stood on his butt than lying on the ground. Suddenly, there was slow clapping that made the two of the three children shudder their spines in fear for the source of the ominously slow clapping until it stopped when a figure slowly walked out from through the forest behind Aya now standing on his feet, his white-clothed body grew brighter from the tree's shadows until he reveals his appearance.
"…Nice ending. But I don't ever say something like that." The boy and girl sweat their fear with Aya narrowing his glowing red eyes in suspicion of the bronze or blonde-haired man commenting with a bored glower. His left eye and side of his face alongside his right hand are covered in bandages and dressed in a white uniform almost like a human police officer but with shorts than long pants. But his bandaged right hand holding his terrifying gun stopped the children from speaking, even if Aya could not speak at all.
"Y-Y-Y-You're the Human Killer…" The girl whimpered in fear behind her best friend hurriedly raising his arms outstretched to be her shield, understanding afraid of the adult man before them when he tried to find his voice and demand the human monster. "What…what are you doing here? To f-f-fight us or do something worse?"
"Relax, kid. You three aren't worth my time." The Human Killer scoffed from his bored sneer, which the three noticed he does not like to smile, and initially looked away to observe the forest clearing without moving from his spot. "Someone called me here saying that there was a Norma spotted here. When I got here, there was a dead body 300 miles from where I showed up…." When he looked back to the three, the boy and girl again felt that they were frightened by the man's cold sneer now glaring at them. "…Aren't you three too young to be in here without your parents?"
"We-We're not afraid of you!" Trying to think of showing his bravery for his two companions, the boy hurriedly shouted at the Human Killer without shedding tears. "Y-You're a monster for hurting too many humans! Everyone says that you do that to hurt Norma, but you need to leave us humans away from your evil!"
After his declaration, the children see that the Human Killer is displeased or bored, yet he closes his right eye with a harrumphing noise from his closed mouth and reaches his left, fingerless gloved hand towards the inside of his white suit from his chest and pulls something out before throwing it and it fell on the ground in front of their feet. Looking down, the three froze but Aya was not as afraid as the other two saw a small but realistic gun landed before their eyes.
"Then, kill me, knight." The Human Killer nonchalantly urged or threatened the bespectacled boy who kept shifting his eyes and glasses from the man to the gun he dared throw and give him until he quickly but alarmingly grabbed the gun with his shaking hands.
Hearing his best friend call Aya's name and knowing she skipped away from his back for their safety, the boy hastily held the scary gun and aimed at the Human Killer's face or chest but that didn't even scare the man staring at him as if anticipating the boy to shoot him. So many tough choices fill his terrified mind with loud voices. If he pulls the trigger, he will kill the monster before him, and the people will be happy that he is gone. But if he doesn't kill him, the Human Killer will keep killing innocent humans. And if he kills the man; more Norma will be let loose, and no one will protect themselves from those freaks. There's too much to think of what he will do if he does or does not shoot a bullet at the Human Killer!
"Stay close to me, Aya." The bespectacled boy heard his friend reassure Aya and looked to his left to see the two standing a bit farther from him with her arms carefully wrapping around Aya's neck and a Mana forcefield materialized in front of them for their protection despite Aya looking a bit calmer than almost everyone. Although glad that she was quick to use her Light of Mana in case he accidentally misfired, something he just noticed from looking at his friends immediately attracted the slightly older boy and made him open his mouth in surprise, feeling that time stopped for him. If he kills the Human Killer…. what would she think of him? A hero or a Human Killer?
Finally, he had his answer…
"No…" The Human Killer perked up from hearing the boy speaking rather than wasting his time, seeing him shakingly lower his arms and gun intending to shoot at him with the boy slowly shedding tears from his closed eyes behind his lenses. "…I can't kill you. If I do, I'll end up taking your place and everyone will be scared and angry at me. I don't want that!"
"So even if everyone wants you to kill me, you can't do it?" The Human Killer demanded with his left hand on his hip while his right hand still held his gun, but none made a move to shoot a bullet as the boy shook his head with angry tears. "No! I rather grow up as a good hero than be a bad guy like you!" From his side, the girl blinked her eyes wide in aghast at his words and reluctance to shoot the Human Killer still showing off as someone unafraid of death while Aya silently looked at the gunner in bemusement.
"You should've fired, brat."
The sound of another man's voice before the instant transition of his best friend's scream alarmed the boy and the Human Killer to realize from the sudden flashes of colours jumping out of hiding behind the bushes that they were now ambushed by a group of men, counted five dressed differently than the other people of other nations with one of them forcefully and struggling to hold onto his two friends, mostly the girl crying and squirming to escape from his grasp while Aya snarls his anger at either of them including the one now storming closer to the boy and roughly held him with one hand gripping the back of his shirt while the other hand grab the small gun off his hands.
"W-Who are you!?" The boy demanded in horror but was forced to hold his tongue when seeing the anger on the unfamiliar man's face, who could be the leader of this strange male group now surrounding the Human Killer with the other three men holding their knives at him like their leader aiming the gun and almost all five men grit their teeth at their prey in ferocity that would scare the two or three children.
"Finally, we got the damned Human Killer in our grasp. All that's left is to kill him and be done with it." The leader hissed his sickening delight out of his smirk twitching as the three children watched in fear on two of them when the Human Killer subtly moved his head around the area where he was cornered but still not showing fear for the new scene.
"Not surprised with the fake calling." The Human Killer remarked in boredom, ignoring the cruel sneers flashing on the evil-looking men's faces. "Is the dead body I saw earlier also yours?"
"We didn't kill nobody, but we can simply say that you killed the fool, and the police will arrest or execute you for good." One of the men admitted with a brief triumph smirk yet the Human Killer furrowed his eye with an exaggeratedly tired sigh.
"Let me guess; I kill your Norma girlfriends or because I'm a nuisance?"
"You shut your mouth, you bastard!" Another man yelled in rage and disgust the other men also expressed for either the Human Killer's unserious collected glower or his mentioning Norma as if they were human. "We'll kill you for pissing everyone off for not acting like our kind, and that will also get us the praises we deserve from the people who'll see us as heroes."
"Again, with the hero thing?" The Human Killer muttered aloud in annoyance, peeking a glimpse of the three children in their grasps to see the boy and girl looking at everyone in fright and bewilderment while the albino boy was strangely peeved before he looked at the leader still aiming the tiny gun at him. "Then you shoot me then if you want."
"Hah! Don't say I warned you." The leader laughed with a cruel grin growing into a monstrous delight that terrified the three children as the bespectacled boy shook in the strong arm when he was forced to watch the man readily pull the trigger with his finger to end the man surprisingly refusing to move and fire his gun but stayed in his post. But instead of a bang and the Human Killer's body falling on the ground, everyone watches a jet of water spraying out of the barrel that does not reach the experienced gunner, immediately surprising almost everyone with the wicked man looking up from where the water hits the ground to the Human Killer calmly looking down on him.
"…You…You gave us a fake gun?" The mob leader demanded, quiet at first but the children were anxious to see the rage flaring on his face for being given the revealed water gun.
"Yeah. Just want to see the kid decide if he wants to shoot." The Human Killer nodded with a scoff. "What dumbass gives a kid a real gun?" That immediately set the men off.
"Don't mock me!" The leader roughly threw the boy away and made him fall to the ground, releasing a strangled gasp and heard his friend calling his name in dread but a loud slam and the leader's voice screaming in pain alarmed everyone to witness the Human Killer swinging his right arm and whack his gun at the leader's face, knocking him off his feet and land recklessly on the ground after the Human Killer shoot a bullet at the other man who tried to grab him at the gunner's left before he swiftly shoot two more bullets at the other men unsuccessfully. The one who apprehended both the girl and the younger albino boy received the bullet in the head now stained red from the hole and his dead body fell backwards, forcing a terrified scream from the girl but her best friend could see that the two were now free when they ran towards him while the Human Killer continuously fight and kill the other three men, leaving only the leader unconscious.
"Charlie! Three kids will be heading in your way, or get them when they run out of the forest!" The Human Killer summoned a Mana window after firing the fourth man down and called another person, holding his gun now aiming at the back of the second evil man's head if he would wake up until he dismissed the window to look at the three released children. "Kids, get out and look for my car. My driver will make sure you three will be safe until I come out."
"W- What are you going to do?" The girl demanded in fear with her hands holding onto her best friend's left hand while his right held onto Aya's, but the Human Killer's angry frown from yelling frightened the two of them so much with Aya flinching in an almost fight or flight position. "Just go and get yourself safe or I'll drag you out!"
Not wanting to be killed by the Human Killer and terrified of his temper, the three kids quickly ran to the same path they took when coming into the clearing in the first place although everyone did not notice how Aya stayed a bit of a second to look at the dead bodies littered on the ground before hurriedly following the older children.
"Nngh…" The mob leader groaned his pain from receiving a slap in the face from the Human Killer's gun that knocked him out cold, blinking his eyes to clear his vision until the first thing he saw was one of his men's faces in front of him with frozen wide eyes and a hole in his heart, alarming him in fear with a strangled scream and wildly move to climb and sit on his butt but his fear grew skyrocketed from realizing that all his worthless lackeys are also dead and the Human Killer is alive and standing in front of him, looming him like a predator with his gun now pressing itself against his sweaty forehead.
"Well, dude. Your plan to kill me fucking sucks." The Human Killer coldly taunted the other with no arrogance or pride, but boredom that his supposedly foolproof plan to end his life is unentertaining him, further seeing his soon-to-be killer as the Devil he is.
"D…Damn you…" The man could only cough his anger but was unable to shake his fear of the gun that would kill him through the head when the Human Killer's only eye almost closed shut with his unemphatic sneer.
"You should've fired a real gun, asshole."
"Don't worry, kids. My boss will finish this shortly." The purple-haired lady with the star markings on her eyes kindly assured the three children who ran out of the forest without any incidents and found the sole car that must've belonged to the Human Killer. Luckily for the children, the human driver spotted them and checked on them for injuries while handing them a cup of water, milk, and treats to calm their nerves. In return, they must help her give their home addresses so that she and the Human Killer can send them home to their parents after the two tell Charlie of Aya's mutism. But even with the delicious treats, the boy and girl are still shaken by what just happened.
A group of men tried to kill them and the Human Killer but failed for the Human Killer to fight back. Even when he yelled at them to leave him be, they knew he did that to make sure they would get away safely. This is confusing for them. Why would the Human Killer, someone who everyone says is a human monster, save them?
"Sir!" The three children heard the nice lady call someone from the forest and looked up to see the Human Killer casually walking out of the woods and heading towards them, composed without a shred of pain and discomfort from earlier. The three know from the last gunshot they heard after Miss Charlie found them that the Human Killer has killed the other evil man but that did little to ease their worry and fear of the man before them.
"You got their addresses?" The Human Killer asked with a softer sigh than earlier.
"Yes, sir. The glasses-wearing boy and his best friend are each other's neighbours at the Misurugi Empire and gave me their parents' contacts…" Miss Charlie nodded with an uncertain scowl when looking at Aya silently looking at everyone while drinking a cup of iced chocolate milk. "…but the mute boy only wrote the Dawn Pillar as his address, and that he is waiting for his father and baby sister."
"Huh? Maybe his dad works there, and he wrote that just to see him." The Human Killer wondered with a bemused frown. "Anyway, can I use their parents' numbers to let them know what happened to their kids? We'll take them home before we'll head back to the Haven."
"Yes, sir." Miss Charlie affirmed and the three hurriedly held their seats when the two adults got into the driver and passenger's seats; Miss Charlie used the Light of Mana to activate the car and the Human Killer conjured a Mana window again to call for their parents, sadly the children cannot hear the conversation until he is done to dismiss the Mana screen. As the car advanced through the less busy roads and left the forest to see crops and villages on their way to the Misurugi Empire, the three children kept silent with the girl and Aya trying to forget what happened by looking out to the window, but the bespectacled boy looked down in sadness for what happened that nearly hurt the three of them or worse.
"H…Human Killer?" Slowly moving to the couch against the car's divider, the boy nervously called the Human Killer from behind with the bandaged man looking over his right shoulder with his single, icy blue eye staring deep into the frightened boy's eyes and lenses. "W-Why did you save me and my friends? I-I thought you were going to kill us, even when we played you as a bad guy."
"As I said, there was a dead body from where you kids were earlier, and I had to investigate only to see those guys following you." The Human Killer admitted with a shrug, startling the boy who blinked his eyes in shock at the truth. "If I didn't, they would've done something worse, and your parents wouldn't know what happened and blame me for something I didn't do."
"He's right, kid." Miss Charlie interjected with a nod. "My commander may kill humans and Norma, but he also protects them from those who try to harm them for selfish reasons such as that, which is why the rulers need the Human Killer."
"The rulers need him?" The girl gasped at what the children heard and joined in the conversation once seeing that they had arrived in the Misurugi Empire streets, the two of them couldn't believe that the scary Human Killer was working alongside their leaders. Does this mean that he will work with Princess Angelise once she becomes Empress?
"Oh yeah." The Human Killer recalled. "Sorry for shouting at you kids earlier. I wanted you three to get out of there as fast as you could. If you were slow, they would've killed you worse. Believe me, I've seen how it goes from experience."
"Ah!" The vocal children gasped their surprise. So, he was looking out for them despite his harsh attitude…so an apology is needed once they get home.
"…M-Mister Human Killer? Are you going to the baptism tomorrow?" The little girl asked, starting to slowly lose her fear of the Human Killer but the feeling was still there.
"Sorry, kid. I'm helping Rosenblum with a mission, so I won't be there. Should be fine for you guys to not see the Big Bad Human Killer." The Human Killer shook his head as he grabbed his cup of coffee from its cup holder and drank it just when everyone noticed the car was decelerating to a complete stop in front of the two children's apartment entrance, where they saw their parents standing there and looking around in worry until they spot the car once Miss Charlie opened the car doors and reveal both the Human Killer and the safe children to them.
"Mommy! Daddy!" The boy and girl quickly ran and climbed out of the car for their parents' awaiting arms when they kneeled and tightly embraced their children, their mothers and the girl's father immediately cried tears of relief for their safety while the Human Killer and Aya leisurely walked out to be noticed by the boy's father who kissed his son in the head.
"Human Killer." The boy's father composedly greeted the Human Killer, who noticed that he still abhors their people's disdain for his ruthless work. "I thank you for saving my son and his best friend. But I demand to know if is what you said is true."
"Yeah." The Human Killer nodded, not caring that his curt response made the boy's father flinch for not speaking formally. "The three children were playing and making sure that they protected themselves while I was supposed to investigate a recent death that happened without them noticing the body. But the group that tried to ambush us made a fake call to lure me to them and almost killed the children they used as hostages at the last minute."
"Why would they do that?!" The boy's mother demanded in horror and anger when she climbed on her feet and glared at the Human Killer in bafflement. "How could they harm our innocent children!"
"I don't even know them myself, and they even tried to kill me and the boy with a water gun, so they weren't serious. I'll conduct a further investigation during tomorrow's baptism for their identities." The Human Killer confessed with a brief glimpse of Aya standing closer to his right leg and silently looking up in curiosity, prompting his bandaged hand to rest on his glowing white locks.
"H-Human Killer!" Everyone heard the boy calling one of them and saw him standing in front of the Human Killer instead of being hugged by his mother who she and her husband expressed surprise at the nervous frown nearly shedding more tears from behind his glasses. "…T…Thank you for saving me and my friend! And we're sorry for thinking you're gonna hurt us!" When he opened his eyes after closing them shut, the boy could've sworn, what surprised him, the Human Killer's mouth subtly curled into a faint smile.
"Apology accepted, knight. Grow up to be your girl's hero." The Human Killer acknowledged, with the glasses-wearing boy feeling his face flushed red for realizing the Human Killer watched their play before their life-to-death situation.
"Sir!" The adults and children heard Charlie calling to her boss from inside the car. "I received word and location from our scouts that a Norma baby has been found not far from where we are. And the royal family are also at the scene of the crime."
"The royal family!?" The girl and the children's mothers gasped their dismay as the Human Killer quickly but calmly grabbed Aya in his arms and walked inside the back seats of the car. "Sorry, but duty calls." Before anyone could say something or stop the Human Killer, the car rose above the road and quickly drove away, leaving the stupefied families watching them leave although the boy and girl also felt grateful and relieved for what happened.
"Excuse me. What's all this then?"
As the Human Killer left him inside the car to witness a group of citizens circling the scene of a human mother trying to protect her infant Norma baby from the authorities and even the Imperial Princess Angelise herself, Aya glanced around the people in search of something or someone while ignoring the sight of the Human Killer boldly and heartlessly shoot the mother in the face that forced some of the citizens to run away from the gunner, scared for their lives at stake. Luckily for Aya, the people who ran away managed to help him find the person he was looking for and watched the crowd…unafraid despite her extremely young age.
Initially listening to her commander's brief argument with Princess Angelise regarding his methods of dealing with humans and Norma after throwing the mother and baby inside the car, Charlie noticed a sudden flash of a Mana message popping in front of her face from out of nowhere, almost taking her voice away but Charlie hurriedly finishes reading its content in time for the screen to disappear and Commander Rush sat back in his seat, ready to leave after giving his farewell to Princess Angelise who gave him the same cruel reactions everyone gives him just for his performance.
"Rush, we're going back to the Haven," Charlie informed her boss once she drove the two of them away from the scene and headed their way to the harbour.
"Sure…" Rush agreed with a hum but immediately realized something to looked back at his driver in surprise. "Wait, what about the mute kid?"
"He wrote a message that he saw his baby sister in the crowd and said that he'll take them back to their father," Charlie reassured although she had a doubtful look on her face. "But looking at him, he looks…off. Like he said he's five years old, but he acts more mature for his age, and he feels okay that he doesn't have a voice."
"When I held him earlier, there was a stab mark at his throat that looks like it was made from a dagger." Rush pondered with a calmly stern frown and surprised Charlie in worry. "Whether his dad gave him, or someone else did, that could be the case."
"I hope it's the latter," Charlie whispered in sorrow. If it's the former, it could remind the two of them of a child they know very well they were thinking about.
"At least we're going back now. I have a meeting with the others about the Arzenal mission after the baptism." Rush said.
"Yeah. I'm sure the humans will be fine until the real fun starts for us to strike. You'll be okay, right?" Charlie exclaimed, trying to help Rush's spirits up despite his work.
"You took care of me for twelve, almost thirteen years. Of course, I'll be fine…Mom." Rush jokingly assured with a darkly playful grin even when he watched Charlie putting the car on autopilot, allowing the car to advance without crashing into the other cars when she started yet harmlessly whacking her fisted arms at the right arm he raised for his jest, hanging his gun on his hip.
"Who are you calling Mom?" Charlie demanded with an angry smile.
"You're old to be my mom but looking younger than that bitch. Or can I call you Grandma?" Rush chuckled even when he felt Charlie's hands hitting him harder but not strong enough to break his arm, almost as if she was a Norma rather than a human.
"I AIN'T YOUR GRANDMA, YOU BRAT!"