Chapter 15
Thursday, October 27, 2022.
I wake up in a bed that's not too comfortable. I open my eyes to see a hospital ceiling. My body creaks with pain at every movement I make. As I try to sit up, the door opens and the nurse smiles, as if reassured.
"Ah, there you are awake, I'll get the doctor."
Then leaves, leaving the door open. I could see the general panic in the corridor, nurses running in all directions.
(We've really caused a lot of caulateral damage, haven't we...).
"Do you remember everything?"
(Absolutely everything. It was really terrifying.)
"And yet that's the path you're going down."
All I can do is put my hands together and squeeze hard.
(I have to do it, so no one else has to).
"Ah here you are awake, good." Said the doctor as he entered the room.
"Hello, Doctor." I calm down to hear what he has to say.
"How are you feeling?" He asks, sitting down in front of me.
"I'm fine, just a little sore all over, but that's all."
"Go get me a painkiller please." He says to the nurse, who immediately complies.
"Um, can you tell me how I got here?"
"Ah yes, you were sound asleep when you arrived. It was the hero Makai Knight who brought you back to the emergency unit that arrived at the scene of the incident, and he asked that you be taken care of immediately."
"Okay I see."
"And we've contacted your guardian, so she shouldn't be long."
"Okay thanks, I should check my phone too."
"Your belongings are here, but wait a bit, we'll give you a painkiller, we tried to wash as much of your clothes as possible so you can put them back on."
Indeed, making a move is complicated, giving me sharp pain, so I wait patiently until Fuji-nee arrives.
I leave the hospital with my clothes from the day before, less stained but still good for the garbage can, so full of holes and blood stains.
I look into my phone and widen my eyes, seeing the number of messages and missed calls. Sorry for everyone, but the most important message is probably from Rias, so I'll have to talk to her about it.
"Senji!" I look up to see Fuji-nee running towards me.
She takes me in her arms and holds me tight. Followed by Chiyo.
"Easy, you're hurting me..." I try to stop them, but there's nothing I can do. I can't blame them, they were worried sick after all.
"Oh boy look at you, you're covered in bandages!" Fuji-nee releases me, looking me up and down.
"So it's true, you were involved in the attack?" Chiyo asks.
"Yes, but I managed to get out of it, now all I want to do is rest."
"Yes, of course, come on, it's one of Dad's men who'll take us back."
I take one last look at my phone, specifically at the message from Rias, then follow Fuji-nee and Chiyo.
"By the way, what do I do about classes?"
"Don't worry about it, you're free until you get better."
"Okay..." I don't have time to answer; a man in a wheelchair answers for me. "Thank you very much. Thank you..."
"She's not talking to you." the nurse pushing him apologizes and continues on her way.
As we head for the parking lot, I hear something driving very fast, I look to my right to see a big rise, probably to reach the upper floors of the hospital, and on this rise, another guy in a wheelchair hurtling down it at full speed with someone behind him trying to catch up.
"Watch out!" I push Fuji-nee to intercept the chair, causing me and the man to fall violently to the floor.
"Senji!" Fuji-nee and Chiyo crouch down to see if I'm all right.
"Are you okay?" I hear another voice, raise my head to see the person who was trying to catch the wheelchair.
A woman with purple hair with eyes and red glasses, elegantly dressed in a blue jacket, pink T-shirt and light blue jeans. They help me get back on my feet.
"It's dangerous, look where you're going!" Says the man on the ground.
Black hair, a yellow jacket with a white vest underneath, and gray jeans, he was wearing a green cap that lies on the ground. I don't have time to get angry when the lady answers for me.
"Hardy!"
He suddenly calms down and lowers his head, apologizing.
"Be careful, there are elevators to go downstairs." I tell them.
"Ah, I didn't know sorry." Said the lady.
"Yes, look it's over there!" Fuji-nee points to the said elevator.
I can feel Chiyo's oppressive gaze on them, but she's doing her best to remain calm.
"By the way, you're not hurt?" the lady asks.
"Oh, I already was, so one more won't make much difference."
"Oh... sorry again, I lost control on the way down and..."
"It'll be fine, so go away!"
The person called Hardy cuts our discussion short. Always looking down. You can tell he's ashamed of his condition.
"Take care of yourself," says the lady.
"Thanks to you too." Fuji-nee replies.
As we get into the car, a sudden thought occurs to me.
"Wait, that guy looked like a former track champion."
"Really? if so, I really feel sorry for him..." Said Fuji-nee, climbing to the front.
(That's why he had that look...)
After a good recovery meal made by Chiyo and a long minute of negotiating with Fuji-nee so that I could get out to see Rias, here I am in front of the school gate, waiting for someone to open the door. I feel the pain returning as the cold attacks my fingers. I let out a long sigh, releasing a light smoke from my mouth.
"Sorry for the wait Senji-kun."
I turn to see Kiba opening the gate for me.
"Ah, hi Kiba, so, I'm going to get yelled at when I arrive according to you?"
"Well, she seems more worried than anything else, but she's not happy either, so I don't know." He said with an embarrassed smile.
He opens the building door for me.
"How are you feeling otherwise?" he asks me.
"Exhausted, and every time I close my eyes, I see this monster charging at me. It's no fun at all."
"Oh, so you... really faced him?"
"Didn't Boucho tell you?"
"She doesn't know herself, after all, this morning's news only showed the damage."
"Okay, I'm going to explain everything to you, hoping that everything I say stays between us."
We arrive at the door, Kiba knocks and Rias' voice is heard.
When I enter, all eyes turn to me. Koneko gives me a little nod, which I respond to.
Then I face Rias, sitting in front of her desk, with Akeno behind her, who smiles at me but seems upset. Just like Rias, who hides a completely different look behind her reassured face.
"What did I say Senji?" Rias asks me.
"About what?"
"About the murder we saw?"
"The murder and this monster have nothing to do with each other."
"Even so, I said no one should act alone, and look at you, you're covered in bandages."
"I wasn't alone."
"You... I couldn't believe it, but it's true. You fought alongside the hero Knight Makai?"
"Um, I was more of a helper, but obviously things didn't go as planned, so here I am in this state."
"Even though I don't approve of this situation, I can only be impressed Senji, but the result is the same, you should have avoided the fight."
"No. This stray devil had very specific targets of choice. Young redheaded women. So you can imagine that I couldn't back down, when I know you and Azuki-senpai, and then there was a young girl who was his target along with us, Sophie. By the way, I wonder how she's doing?"
Rias is surprised, touches her hair and then blushes slightly. I can hear Akeno laughing behind her. Realizing what I've just said, I panic slightly and decide to end the discussion.
"Anyway, I'm off school until I get better. So will you still need me for the devil's work or not?"
"Ah no, you're obviously off duty so no. Just get some rest okay?"
"Okay fine, on that note I'm going."
With a final bow, I leave, walking a little through the city.
Being used to the cold, I walk slowly through these traditional little streets. Alone, letting myself think of nothing, just enjoying the silence and tranquility.
As night begins to fall, and I reassure Fuji-nee on the phone, I arrive in front of the park. I could continue on my way to get home more quickly, but I decide to enter the park, following the rock path.
Approaching a can dispenser, I spotted a familiar red vest. The person comes into view and I recognize her immediately.
"Tohsaka."
"Hi, Emiya-kun." She said, greeting me. "You want to take a break?" pointing to a bench nearby.
Sitting down next to her, she hands me a soda can.
"Thank you. By the way, what are you doing here at this hour?" I ask.
"Well, I'm taking the opportunity to have a little look around the neighborhood before going home. You never know, maybe I can find this murderer. Anyway, enough about me. You worried Gremory a lot, I guess you noticed when you went to see her."
"She told you everything, didn't she? Ahhh, I forgot to ask her to keep it between us..."
"Hmm, even if you'd asked her, she'd still have called me anyway, you know why."
"Ah, I guess I can't help it then."
"But don't worry, it's still between us."
I don't answer, just take a sip of my soda. The gas rises to my nose, making me grimace. Then I slump onto the bench, raising my eyes to the sky, watching it turn from purple to black.
"So, you're sure it wasn't our murderer?" Tohsaka asks me.
"Yes, that stray devil wasn't as... precise about the corpses he left behind."
"I see, you don't need to tell me any more. Well, back to square one."
I turn my gaze to the path, watching people take it.
"Didn't you find anything of your own?" I ask.
"No nothing, this guy's a real ghost."
"A ghost huh..."
"Otherwise, how are you feeling? I've got some grandma's remedies that might maybe help ease your pain."
"Oh, um, don't worry, I'm fine, I'm recovering pretty quickly from my injuries so..."
I spot him running along the path, the guy I bumped into at lunchtime, in his wheelchair. Except I see him running, and fast at that.
"Emiya-kun?"
What is...? Was he faking it? No, impossible, his eyes and face didn't lie.
"Emiya-kun, is everything all right?"
Why is he running now, what happened during the day? He stops and lies down on the grass, a smile making him the happiest man in the world.
"Partner, there's not much human left in this guy."
(What?)
"Hey! Emiya-kun!" Tohsaka pulls my ear. "You've gone a long way there! What's wrong?"
"Um, I've got something to show you come on." I stand up and urge her to follow me.
We move away and when I think I'm at a safe distance, I stop us.
"Can you explain to me what's going on?" Tohsaka gives me a dark look.
"Do you see the guy lying in the grass?"
"Um, yes." She said, looking around discreetly.
"We saw each other this morning, we even bumped into each other, I even knocked him out of his wheelchair."
"What?"
"But now he's just run, right in front of my eyes, and has been for a while since he seems to be sweating a lot."
"Wait two minutes, maybe he needs his wheelchair from time to time, and can still walk or even run."
"Impossible, when he was on the ground, he couldn't get up. And above all his look, his face, he was ashamed of his legs, of his condition. That's something I'm sure of."
I have no answer, only a look, which doesn't believe me much.
"Look, I don't care if you believe me or not, but I'm sure about what I saw. There's something wrong with this guy."
"Okay Senji, don't worry I believe you. But for the moment, we can't do anything, and then you need to rest."
Tohsaka seems really worried about me. So I'd rather not push the evening any further.
"Very well, I'll take your advice then."
"Fine, come on I'll at least walk you to the park exit."
I look behind me one last time, at the person called Hardy, who is also staring at me, but I don't know if he recognizes me, because his gaze is no longer human.
Friday, October 28, 2022.
Accompanied by Chiyo, we go shopping for this weekend's meals. When we finish, we decide to head home. I notice out of the corner of my eye the woman who was with Hardy.
"Um Chiyo?"
"Yes, what is it?"
"Can you go home alone, I just saw someone I need to talk to."
"Oh yes no problem, but come home as soon as you've finished, otherwise Fuji-nee will be all over her again."
"Understood, sorry to have to let you carry everything."
I give the bags I'm carrying to Chiyo, then run to the lady. But she's been out of my sight for a while. I run until I reach a crosswalk. I keep going, entering a shopping street. Empty at this time of day, as all the stores have their curtains closed.
"Hey you."
Someone calls out to me, and I turn to see a man staring at me as if I were a problem. He's wearing a very long black jacket, the collar so big it hides the bottom of his face. He has brown eyes and snow-white hair with a sophisticated ponytail.
I step back, becoming wary.
"What's the matter?"
He doesn't answer me, but his hand goes behind his back, seeming to grab something.
Still feeling tense after last night, I prepare to attack.
"Excuse me?"
The man stops what he's doing. Recognizing the voice, I turn around to see the lady I was looking for.
"Oh young man, what a coincidence, how are you?" she asks.
"Hello ma'am, I'm feeling better and how are you?" I wanted to talk directly to her about Hardy but the presence of this guy prevents me.
"Um... Well, things aren't going too well on my end. Remember Hardy? He disappeared last night. Here's his picture." She approaches us and shows us her photo.
There's no doubt about it, it's him, the same person I saw in the park with Tohsaka Rin. The guy doesn't even answer and walks away, as if nothing had happened. She's obviously disappointed and looks at me, as if asking if she's done anything wrong.
But the person stopping him is none other than Sword.
"Hey, it's not nice to ignore it." Said he, grabbing him by the shoulder.
Mr White Hair doesn't seem to appreciate the situation.
"Hey, hi kid, you feeling better?" Sword taps me, gently this time, on the shoulder.
"Hello Sword, yes it's getting better thanks and you?"
"Niquel." He replies, giving me a thumbs-up. "So, madam, what's the problem?" He asks, turning to the lady.
"Well, the man in this picture is missing. All that was left was his wheelchair in his bedroom... There are quite a few kidnappings around here, and considering he was famous before..."
(Should I tell them I saw him running last night?)
"Not in the woman's presence, it's best not to give her hope again."
"Famous?" Sword asks.
"He was a sprint gold medallist."
(Huh, I managed to remember that.)
But the two men's reactions are different, they seem surprised.
"But... One day we had a fight, and when I started to walk away, there was an attack of villains. They unhooked a panel from a roof, and were falling on me. But Hardy pushed me off and took it for me. He started his rehab, saying he'd run again but..."
"Understood. We'll let you know if we see him." Sword replies.
"Thank you, that's kind." Hope returns to the lady's eyes.
"On the other hand, sorry to say this, but as you know, this world is indeed dangerous. You have to expect the worst." Sword explains as clearly as possible.
She looks down, then, regaining her strength, looks up again.
"Thank you for listening to me."
"You're welcome."
"On that note, I'll leave you to it. Take care of yourself young man."
"Ah yes thank you too." I reply.
And with a smile, she leaves. When she's far enough away, Sword's smile changes to a serious tone.
(I conclude that they know, and that he's no longer human, as you told me last night).
"I had my doubts, but now I'm sure. I have no idea how he got that way so quickly, though."
(We'll find out soon enough).
"An ex-sprinter who disappears when he can no longer walk... Tell me Senji, you wouldn't happen to know anything about this, would you?" Sword asks me.
"Yes, I was originally going to talk to her about it, but when I saw her I realized it was a bad idea. But now that she's gone..." I glance around and don't see her at all. "I saw him running last night, her guy."
With a satisfied smile, Sword turns to Mr. White Hair.
"See? He and I can be counted on."
The guy approaches us and in an annoyed tone "When you've found him, lead him into this rat hole."
"Huh? Why?"
"I can't count on you." Then, before leaving, he gives me one last look, as if I were a nobody.
I recognize that look, I've seen it far too many times, an anger starts to seize me, I want to punch him in the face.
"What's wrong with this guy?" But I calm down, knowing full well it wouldn't go anywhere.
"He's always like that, and then I feel like he's going to make it worse." Sword comments.
"Twisted people tend to stick together." Zaruba says nonchalantly.
"Really? Even the kid?"
"Hmmm, yes, that throwing himself into an unequal fight to save a child, to me that's not a healthy person."
"Hey, it was the only thing to do at the time!" I try to defend myself.
"See?" Zaruba said mockingly.
I can only sigh, knowing I won't win, and then Sword's laughter makes the situation even more comical.
"You're included in the lot, you know that?" He said to Zaruba. "Anyway, Senji, are you in?"
As requested by Sword, I discreetly follow the lady to her home. Luckily for me, she doesn't lock the door, so it'll be easier for me to interfere if things go wrong. I put my ear to the door to hear what's going on inside, and for several minutes nothing happened, when suddenly...
"Ennis." That's Hardy's voice.
"Hardy!" A warm reunion... which unfortunately won't last.
"You weren't there, I got worried." He said.
(And she's been looking all over town for you.)
"That's my line! You're safe and sound..."
It hurts my heart to know what's going to happen next... I hope with all my might that we're wrong.
"I was able to run again" He said as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
"How?" Ennis is shocked.
"Doing so much exercise has given me an appetite. I'm starving!" Hardy's tone is so creepy. "No matter how much I eat, I'm still hungry." I hear them moving toward the front door. "Even if I eat again and again..."
"Hardy?"
I get ready, start charging my magic circuits.
"I'm hungry... Really hungry... I'm starving!" He yells.
Then the sound of someone struggling and running. Something breaks.
(For fuck's sake.)
I open the door and see the monster, or at least its outline. I dash towards Ennis, seeing her stumble as she flees. At the same moment, Sword appears from a window and rushes towards the monster, hitting it and throwing it towards the door. I take the opportunity to grab Ennis and place her gently on the ground, unconscious. I hear the door creak, well, he's destroyed the door and fled.
"Zaruba!" Sword wastes no time and runs after the monster. "Come on Senji, let's go!"
He grabs me with one arm and jumps out the window. Zaruba throws his sword, he catches it and directly equips himself with this golden armor. Then he throws me towards his bike. Which catches me instantly. As for Sword, he uses the whips on his back to throw himself at the monster.
"Hang on and let me do it." Zaruba said, starting off like a missile.
In a few seconds, we catch up with them. I can see Sword on the monster's back, racing towards us. It's all going to happen in a matter of seconds. I project a sword in my hand, ready to strike. Zaruba pulls skeletal arms out of the sides of the bike. I'm hanging on as tight as I can, knowing that the shock is going to be tough.
Zaruba catches the monster. I feel all the kinetics throwing me forward but I hold on. The ground beneath us sinks with the power of the impact. Seeing Zaruba resist as best he can, I take advantage of the opportunity to deliver a violent blow to his head, piercing his skull. Then Zaruba stepped back, and I looked back to see Sword running towards us, having been thrown quite far.
He jumps on the motorcycle and Zaruba takes off again. I'm in the front row of an absolutely insane chase. We're going far too fast for roads limited to 50 or even 30 km/h. The sensation of speed overwhelms me.
"He's super fast! We're no match for him!" Says Zaruba.
"Can we corner him?" Sword asks.
"We have no choice!"
Just as Zaruba says this, he jumps up and rolls over the building, throwing us into the air.
After a chase lasting several minutes, we arrive at the railway line. Sword drifted to arrive straight and follow the tracks, his armor lit up with lines of pink light.
"Now!"
Zaruba take a boost, riding at a speed I thought impossible on a motorcycle. Just as we pass the monster, Zaruba drifts back to face him and flash him.
But instead of stopping, he engulfs himself in an alley. After a few second, I hear a loud shot. A sniper's shot.
We keep going after him, but I have the impression that we're keeping our distance.
(Ah, now it's Mr. White Hair's turn.)
A second shot is fired. When we arrive in front of the monster, he's rolling on the ground after the shot that hit him. Sword holds out his sword and cuts him down. Then the monster evaporates into dust, leaving nothing behind.
Sword stops and his and Zaruba's armor disappears. He turns his gaze skywards, and I follow him to see Mr. White Hair on a rooftop, looking down on us.
I watch the monster's dust disappear one last time, feeling a deep sense of remorse.
Ennis cries her eyes out and Sword comforts her as best he can, supporting her. A light rain begins to fall.
(How cliché...)
"Shall I take you home?" Sword asks, approaching me, still sitting on his motorcycle.
"I'd like to, yes. But Ennis..." I lean over to see that she's already gone home.
"She'll have to mourn, but she's grateful to us for saving her life, I think that'll help. And then she thanks you for saving her door."
"I'll try to visit her sometime later."
"Good idea, it'll do her good. Anyway, off you go."
Saturday, October 29, 2022.
After visiting Ennis, I enter the restaurant to join Sword and Luke, Mr. White Hair.
"So how's she doing?" Sword asks, making room for me next to him.
"It's hard, but she pulls through, she's really a strong person." I said, sitting down.
"Hmmm, the rest will depend on her unfortunately." He said, sipping his coffee.
The waitress arrives, a meal on her tray.
"Here are your meals. Oh hello young man! I'll be right there with the menu!"
Sword quickly puts down his cup and, happy as a child, clasps his hands to the waitress's chest.
"Thanks for the view!"
"This is from the boss for a job well done last night." The waitress ignores him and sets down a red fruit and cream cake, with small figurines representing Sword and Luke. "It was great teamwork." She said, patting my shoulder.
Apparently I'm included, even if I haven't done much.
"According to Zaruba, it's because all three of us are twisted." Sword said mockingly.
"It's another way of saying you're friends." Replied the targeted person in his mechanical little tone.
From the start, Luke remained motionless, arms folded and eyes closed. But hearing Zaruba's remark, he decides to react.
"Nonsense," He says, picking up his cutlery.
"Great teamwork!" Then the maid winks at me. "I'll be right with you."
"Quiet." Damn that Luke is really getting on my nerves.
"I don't care." Sword said as he took a portion of peas from Luke's plate, which enraged him. "I know he likes to take the piss." He eats a few peas and his face lights up. "This stuff is good!"
"Thank you for the compliment!" Said the waitress.
"Go ahead and taste it!" He said to Luke, taking another handful of his peas.
Here Luke holds back from exploding. Sword, with his bewildered face, doesn't understand and looks at him, not understanding what's going on.
"Well then? You're not eating?"
"These two I swear, thank goodness you're here Senji. Otherwise things would have gotten out of hand by now." Zaruba says to me.
I can only sigh and ask for my meal, ignoring the bickering between the two.
Volume 3 End.
Hello everyone and thank you for reading this chapter, which concludes the third volume of the story. So there was a slight problem with this chapter, my software decided to go berserk, and saved anarchically, so certain lines and dialogue simply disappeared and since I write on impulse, I forgot the things I wanted to write. but then, I figured I'd written most of what I wanted to write in this chapter, so it's not too bad, I just hope you like it. I'm sorry if some sequences seem to be cut short.
This chapter and the one before it are intended to bring Senji face to face with his future, just as Ddraig tells him at the beginning of the chapter. And this chapter is also in a way a metaphor for what Senji will experience in the future. A man, a former athletic champion, who loses the use of his legs and decides to sell his humanity to get them back.
And Senji, a young man with absolutely nothing but his own life to give to others, who has sold it to a devil to become stronger, will he too turn into a monster, both physically and metaphorically? That's the message I hope to convey through these stories.
Anyway, until next week.