"Ha... Ha... Haha... You've got to be kidding. Yeah, it's a joke, a terrible one at that."
Like a broken CD, he stopped malfunctioning, unable to process the information given to him. The same could also be said for the people with him at that moment.
"I understand that it comes as a shock to you," the elder said, "but it is what it is. There's no mistake about it, you are the true owner of the-"
"DON'T GET ALL TRUTHFUL WITH ME, YOU BASTARD OLD MAN!!!"
Dae and Yeong-ji held the boy, each on both sides using their physical strength to hold him from moving.
"Restrain yourself, Aosaki!" Dae shouted.
The winter blue-haired teen, however, refused to comply. He struggled and moved forward slowly, veins and muscles contorting in anger as he moved. The combined physical strength of Dae and Yeong-ji were not fully enough to pin him down.
"You tell me my actions were controlled, I was drawn to that stupid orb, and I am the owner of that despicable object, and you expect me to believe that?"
He grit his teeth, seething in anger.
"Of course I don't, but that is the reality, young lad. Everything that has happened so far, was in line with getting you to possess the Thessalonica." Byung-jin replied.
"WHAT ABOUT THE PEOPLE THAT LOST THEIR LIVES BECAUSE OF IT, HUH?!! WHAT ABOUT THOSE WHO DIED TRYING TO PROTECT IT?!! WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM?! WHAT HAPPENED TO THEIR FAMILIES AND THE PEOPLE THEY LEFT BEHIND?!"
"Aosaki-kun, please calm yourself!" Yeong-ji pleaded, still trying to restrain the boy, but the boy's voice started to break, sadness replacing the anger that had once filled it.
"So you're telling me, Junhyung died, because of that cursed object. Everything that happened to him was a result of that stupid orb?Dammit..."
'Toshirou-nii...'
'Toshirou-kun...'
He tried to hold it, he desperately tried to hold it in, and he did, coming to terms with the fact that there was nothing that could be done, and there was no way his anger would bring Junhyung back to life. Each time he thought about it, he only hated himself more and more. He didn't even know why was getting upset! He was prepared to take life, that much was certain, but he was also ready to save a life, that too was certain. Out of his own free will, he chose to do these things, but, hearing that it was in line with the purpose of possessing the Thessalonica, defeated the entire notion.
"And so what if everything that Toshirou-nii did was because of the Thessalonica?"
"Huh?"
Looking up at the owner of the voice, he saw Joel staring straight at him, with a somewhat sad yet annoyed look in his eyes.
"Joel, what are you-"
"When you took me in, did you feel like you were being controlled? When you decided to help Raynell-san, did you feel manipulated to do so? Or when you chose to help the village to fight their enemies, did you feel used by something?! No! You did not! You did everything out of your own choice! You chose not to kill innocent people in the Min-ae village, you chose to set Raynell free, and you chose not to use the Thessalonica for your own desires! So stop whining and stop throwing a fit! You did what you felt was right, and that is what matters! No orb can trample on our sense of right and wrong, or am I incorrect, Toshirou-nii?!"
His outburst shocked everyone, including himself. Realising what exactly he had just done, he shrunk back to his shy demeanour whilst pointing both of his index fingers towards the other.
"Ah, umu, I'm s-sorry. I didn't mean to-"
A shadow loomed over him, making him shrink in even further with both shyness and fright, but a hand simply placed itself on top of his head.
"I'm not going to hit you, Joel. However, you've got a lot of guts speaking to me that way."
The purple-haired boy flinched. "I-I'm sorry."
Toshirou let out a small smile.
"I'm just kidding. Thank you, Joel."
"Huh? Oh..."
The boy looked up to see Toshirou smiling down on him, and he was surprised to see that the blue-haired teen could make such an expression on his face.
Raynell walked up to Toshirou and held his palm, distracting the boy from Joel, and making him gaze into her ruby red eyes.
"These hands that broke my chains, could never be manipulated by another. They are yours and yours alone."
Sung-nim and both feudal lords sighed, allowing their minds to rest when they saw a somewhat peaceful look that came over Toshirou. However, the three adults noticed something else lingering in those eyes of his, the elder, Byung-jin, opened his left eye, also sensing that unfamiliar spirit. He looked peaceful, but he also looked pained, like he was forcing himself to feel pain.
'This is not good', the elder stroked his long beard, 'It's about time we did it, maybe then, he can come to terms with the past that makes him uneasy.'
Byung-jin stood up, hitting his cane into the ground, and drawing the attention of the people present to himself, including Toshirou.
"Aosaki Toshirou, do not misunderstand, the Thessalonica wasn't designed to make you suffer. Everything that has happened so far, was to build you up to take full control over the artefact. It is indeed sad that comrades were lost and lives were taken, and I sympathize with you, I truly do, but the outcome was something no one could perceive. As the children said, you and you alone are responsible for your actions. Just as you chose not to kill the warriors that duelled against you in Jinhae, and just as you as went out of your way to help these two villages, you've taken up the mantle of 'your destiny in your own hands'. What you are about to do, your goal, cannot be accomplished without the Thessalonica. I know that much you understand."
Toshirou nodded his head in the affirmative, his composure returned to normal as he reverted to his usual aloof self. With a monotone voice (which made Joel smile), he said to the elder.
"I do. I understand perfectly. Is it safe to say, however, that you are unaware of my goals?"
"Indeed I'm not," Byung-jin replied.
"Then that's good," said Toshirou.
"My elder, though I am glad this matter has been resolved, there is still one matter that remains to be addressed. Whom did you say Aosaki-kun was the son of?" Yeong-ji asked boldly, laying down the question that was in everyone's mind, including Joel and Raynell. They thought they misheard and wanted to rectify what exactly they heard.
"The young lad, Aosaki Toshirou, is the son of the eighth Host. The being that gave up his life for humanity, and the Archangel that bestowed one of the three heavenly artefacts on Sekaila, the Thessalonica upon Min-ae. The Archangel Nathaniel is the father of this young man."
The shock was an understatement to fully express the emotion or expression that went across their faces, but it wasn't devastation either. It was something more of disbelief, accompanied by reverence, that struck them to their very bone.
"You-You are..."
"But that's..."
"Is... Is that even possible?"
Words refused to come out of their mouths, too stumped with bewilderment to utter a single coherent thought.
Joel suddenly moved, and knelt on one knee, bowing his head towards Toshirou.
Gradually, the rest followed suit, and knelt down on one knee, with their heads bowed.
Toshirou clenched his teeth slightly, his head hung low and his bangs covered his eyes.
"Just what the hell do you think you're doing?" He muttered. "Stand up and raise your head. If that is how you address the so-called Archangels, then I want no part in it. I am not a Host, I am not an angel, and I am definitely not an archangel either. Save your respect for the people of those positions, besides, if I ever took up that mantle, I'd only be lying to myself."
Joel opened his mouth to speak. "B-but-"
"Joel stop... Please, I beg you."
'Toshirou-nii...'
His words hurt the young boy. To him, that was an expression he never wanted to see on Toshirou's face. That look of sorrow and depression.
They all rose, at the very least, granting Toshirou his request.
The elder, Byung-jin, could only wish to hasten the process. Whatever made the son of the eighth be like this, had to be addressed, and fast. He could not go on like this, and he could not move forward like this. Moreover, there was something in the air that he felt, the temperature was surprisingly cool and clouds were somewhat darkened, despite it being the early evening. A storm was brewing, and it was brewing quickly.
"Follow me, Aosaki Toshirou, to the place where everything will be decided."
...
Jinhae was riddled with destroyed buildings and rubbles everywhere. The ground was levelled at numerous locations within the town, and mixtures of dirt and ice lay everywhere.
A yellow tape had been put around the town, signalling construction and that no man or woman should cross or interfere. Soldiers, medical staff, and labourers worked together to rid the town of the rubble and mess caused by the war earlier, joining hands to rebuild the town and restore it to its former glory.
One soldier, in particular, walked over to a boulder that rested on top of a decimated house. The boulder was large, but not so large it was too much for him to handle. He placed his hands on it and lifted it with a strength befitting of a warrior. Careful not to slip on the wet patches on the ground, he carried the rock away to a site on the ground where anything disposable should be kept for future use or destruction.
"No one will be safe, from the coldness of my heart."
"Hm?" The soldier turned his head around. He was pretty sure he had heard something from behind him, but there was nothing to be seen or heard.
"That's strange. I was sure I heard something." He said, gazing intently at the spot he had just left with the boulder.
"Oi, Jin, get it over with! We haven't got all day!"
"Yes Sir! I'm on my way!" Instantly dismissing the thought, he walked with the boulder towards the man that called for him.
"Just dump it over there. We'll come back later to check it out."
"Yes Sir." He dropped the boulder on a spot where other rocks were also dumped. Walking over to his superior, he dusted his hands on his work clothes and suddenly let out a sneeze that shocked even him.
"Everything okay, Jin?" His superior asked.
"Sorry Sir, it suddenly felt cold all of a sudden," Jin replied.
"No need to apologize, but you're right, it is getting chilly." The superior officer looked up at the clouds, and marvelled at how they had darkened, despite it being the early evening. "I've got a bad feeling about this, Jin. A very bad feeling."
The worker, Jin, looked up at the sky and stretched out his palm. A speck, just a speck of snow, fell slowly on his palm.
He understood where his superior was coming from. He too had a dreary feeling about that one speck of snow.
...
The building resembled an abandoned warehouse. Both inside and out were painted grey, with darker shades of the same colour strewn like faded stripes on the surface. The construct was empty and hollow. If one spoke inside, his voice would resonate uncontrollably throughout the building.
At the entrance of the large building, the feudal lords, the elder, Byung-jin, Toshirou, and Joel, stood by, with the Thessalonica in Yeong-ji's hand.
After much insistence by Joel, Toshirou let him tag along, under the condition to stay by Yeong-ji and Dae's side, to which the orchid-purple-eyed boy consented to. Sung-nim and Raynell remained in the palace, by persuasion from both Yeong-ji and Dae. They did not want to risk putting them in harm's way, especially Raynell. The girl, though regaining her former healthy self, was still frail, and could easily be affected by the massive burst of divine energy that would soon be released by both Aosaki and the Thessalonica, and most possibly themselves, if things went south.
"Are you ready, son of the eighth?" The elder asked.
"Yeah, though I would appreciate it if you didn't call me the son of the eighth," Toshirou replied.
"Hoho," Byung-jin chuckled. "That's who you are, embrace it as a part of yourself."
"Aosaki-kun," Yeong-ji handed over the orb to him, which resonated with a glow in sync with Toshirou's touch. "Please be safe in there. I can't have something happening to you before the feast tonight."
"Is that right? I'll be back. I won't stay too long." The teen replied.
Yeong-ji looked towards Dae's direction, pressuring her to say something as well.
"How troublesome," she muttered, then sighed. "Come back safe, Aosaki. There's something I want to give you, so at least come back whole... I guess."
'You guess?' Including the elder, they all sweatdropped.
Joel didn't speak. He didn't know what to say. He desperately wanted to say something, but no words came out of his mouth.
Toshirou walked past him, patting the little boy on his head. "I'll be back." He said simply.
The purple-haired boy almost shed tears but held them in, nodding his head frantically in support.
Toshirou stood before the entrance with the Thessalonica in hand. According to the elder, all he had to do was touch the orb and concentrate. Easy enough to do. He couldn't afford to fail here, not one bit.
"Here goes nothing," He sighed, and walked into the building, shutting the door behind him as he entered.
After he entered and a click sound was heard, Byung-jin suddenly spoke to Yeong-ji.
"Set the barriers up, Yeong-ji."
Using two fingers, he swiped them from top to bottom in the air, and then sideways. He performed a series of hand signs and clasped both his hands together, like in prayer.
"Air Creation: Turbulent Shield."
The breeze blew powerfully around them, going round and round till it finally come to a halt.
Joel removed his arms from his eyes and saw the building covered by a visible torrent of wind. Like a dome, it encompassed the entire structure, down to the ground.
Dae touched the wind dome with her index finger.
*Slish*
The dome cut her finger and she quickly retracted it.
'If he had used this in our fight, it would've been difficult to get by. All he had to do was wrap one or two of this around my men and they would all be incapacitated. Dang it all, it's really a good thing Aosaki stopped us before we got in too deep.'
"So all we can do is wait?" Joel asked.
"So it seems, young lad," Byung-jin replied, stroking his beard.
The four individuals waited by the entrance, in high expectations for Toshirou's results.
'It's getting cold.' Joel thought, wrapping his arms around himself to gain body heat and seeing how visible his breaths were. 'Too cold in fact. Please hurry, Toshirou-nii. I have a very bad feeling about this.'