"I think he's waking up."
"Really??"
I was greeted with four, hopeful and eager gazes the second I opened my eyes. Morgan in particular was leaning in uncomfortably close to me as if to show off the sincerity of his relief.
"Thank goodness..."
I couldn't stop myself from smiling at him, or the other three people standing by my side. Jeremy, Niall, and Suri...they all seemed immensely relieved, too, which somehow made me feel a bit guilty for having worried them.
"You've been out for quite a while now," Niall said to me. "We were unaware when you would wake up, so we all stayed here. We're glad to see that you're alright."
These guys are unbelievable. "Thank you..."
"What happened anyway?" Asked Jeremy. "One second you were fine, and the next you just collapsed."
"I-I don't know..." I replied, turning my head away.
"As long as you're okay now, that's all that matters."
I smiled again and looked at everyone's faces to let them know that I really did appreciate their concern for me. Nail placed his hand on my forehead and ran a thumb gently across it. "You feel well enough to get up?"
"Yeah," I said immediately, not wanting to cause them any more trouble. "I can manage on my own now." I carefully threw my legs over the side of my bed and stood up. They weren't shaky anymore, and I felt as though I could walk again without falling.
"That's good to hear, 'cuz we got plans and you're coming with."
I shot Jeremy a puzzled glance, failing to hide the sense of uncertainty creeping upon my expression. "I-...is something wrong?"
"Maybe..." He replied ambiguously. "I guess you'll have to find out. But I will tell you that there is most certainly no time to lose. So grab your coat. We're headed to the train station pronto."
My eye began to twitch as I watched Jeremy leave the room merely seconds after having made this conspicuous statement. He doesn't really expect me to-
"Come on, Hanako," Suri ordered, and she took the liberty of retrieving my coat and tossing it on top of me. Niall appeared ready to follow Jeremy out the door, and Morgan was simply awaiting my response, eyes once again sparkling with excitement.
I let out a sigh of defeat. might as well get this over with...
•••
A four hour train ride was spent in awkward silence between the five of us who came. The entire time, I felt as though Jeremy's eyes were fixed solely on me, staring at me with this look of intense perplexity. Why? I didn't know. He was curious about the book and why I randomly passed out, I assumed. I decided to push away the thought upon realizing the train had come to a stop. Jeremy was the first to stand up.
"We have arrived at Litville," he announced. "For those of you who don't know, it's a quiet little village with few citizens, so try your best not to stand out, okay?"
"Says the robot with the mechanical eyepatch..." I said under my breath.
"What was that, brat?"
"Nothing." I stood up, as did Morgan and the others. There were no other people in this specific train car, so we quickly and easily filed out one by one. As the train began to pull away, I looked to my left and saw a young boy with dark hair and a pale face who had gotten off a different car. He was wearing a brown vest and a beret, and he appeared to be all alone. Maybe he lived here, I thought.
"Hey. Brat." Jeremy smacked the back of my head. "Quit daydreaming and listen up. I got something to say to you all."
I narrowed my eyes at him angrily. But he didn't seem to notice.
"Okay, so I might as well start from the beginning. I got word from a friend of mine that Sora's in town..."
Niall's interest was piqued at this. "Sora?"
"The 12th member of the Midnight Legion," Suri whispered thoughtfully. "That could be trouble..."
"That's why we're here," said Jeremy. "And the good news is, because there's so many of us, that should make it easier to find him. Firstly, we'll split up. I-"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up," I interrupted him, waving a hand in front of my face. "You're going a little too fast for me to keep up. Could you start over and explain the whole thing in words I can understand?"
I jumped at the moment I felt a hand touch my shoulder. It was Niall. "Sora is a very frightening boy," he said tersely. "He single-handedly wiped out an entire army of demons when he rebelled against Satan. He walks alone for the most part, but if he's with his little sister—the 11th member of the Midnight Legion—then we'll all be in trouble. Big trouble. Sora and Eaden are almost as powerful a duo as the twin demons. So be afraid, and be alert, Hanako."
I felt the blood drain from my face. Almost...as powerful as the twin demons? Karm and Charis?? And he's just a little boy? Niall is definitely right. I should be afraid...
"Hanako."
The general's stern voice brought me back into focus. Looking down at her, I could see now that Suri's eyebrows were arched, and she seemed thoroughly pissed at me for some reason. I was about to ask why, but she answered this question before I even opened my mouth.
"I hope you know that I'm not through with you," Suri said darkly. "Remember what happened earlier today? Yeah. You haven't forgotten about the reason I traveled all the way from the S.Y.N. to Ironmage's crappy home, have you? The phone call, Hanako. Once we're done dealing with this Sora kid, you and I are going to have a nice long chat, okay?"
She makes me uncomfortable. "...y-yes, ma'am..."
"Good. Now, Ironmage, please continue."
Jeremy nodded at Suri before resuming his instructions. "We'll all split up individually and interrogate the citizens. No matter what the cost, we must find Sora and take care of him before something drastic happens."
"No way!" Morgan exclaimed, seizing my wrist and clutching it tightly. "I'm not leaving Hanako's side!"
Annoyance was painted clear as day across the cyborg's face, and I could hear him gritting his teeth as he muttered, "Fine. You brats can stick together. But if you cause any trouble..."
"We won't!" Morgan assured him, a smile forming on his face. "C'mon, Hanako!"
With that being said, my friend took off towards the town at full speed, practically dragging a very reluctant me behind him. To my surprise, he actually managed to skid to a complete stop before we nearly collided with an elderly woman at the entrance of the village. This did, however, startle her.
"Oh, why, hello there!" She said, smiling brightly at us. "And what brings you fine young men to a place like Litville? Have you by chance come to visit family for the holidays? Christmas is always such a wonderful time of the year."
Christmas. Just the sound of the name made my heart skip a beat. Just a few weeks, I thought, and I'll be able to see my father again. If he was telling the truth, that is. "Um, ma'am, we're actually looking for someone," I said nervously, yanking my hand out of Morgan's grasp. "His name is Sora. Have you heard of him?"
"Sora, you say?"
"Yes."
The old woman tilted her head thoughtfully and hummed quietly for a few seconds. "I can't say that I have. But I'll tell you what, if you boys could run a quick errand for me, I might be able to point you in the direction of someone who could help you out."
I heard Morgan groan at the sound of the word 'errand', so I elbowed him in the stomach to shut him up. "We'd be glad to," I said, smiling politely. "What is it that you would like us to do?"
Without hesitation, the woman reached into a plastic bag she was carrying around her arm and took out what appeared to be an expensive wristwatch. My eyes widened as she held the diamond-studded accessory out to me. "U-uh, w-what...what is this?"
"I can trust you boys, can't I?" She said, her eyebrows raised.
"Well, yeah, b-but I-I mean, s-shouldn't you-??"
"This precious watch belongs to my dear grandson Matthias who lives on the other side of the village. It's just too much trouble for an old woman like me to go such a long distance on foot. I'd like you to deliver this to him. In return, I'm sure my grandson could help you find this boy you're looking for. Matthias has traveled far, and he never forgets a face, or a name for that matter. He lives just next door to a flower shop. If my memory serves me well, his house has a blue door, and probably a reef around this time of year. You can't miss it."
"Understood." I carefully accepted the wristwatch from the woman and slipped it into my coat pocket. "Thank you. We'll be sure to deliver it to your grandson. You can count on us." After thanking her one last time, I set out along the cobblestone road that led further into the town of Litville, determined to find the woman's grandson and discover Sora's whereabouts. Morgan, dazed for a moment, followed clumsily behind me, shouting at me to slow down. I didn't stop, though. I strode with wide, careful steps down the quiet streets scarcely occupied with people. Red bows, Christmas lights, and presents visible through the windows kept on reminding me of that once-so-special holiday that was soon to arrive. But as I passed them by, I wondered, is it really all that special anymore? It won't be how it was back then, that's for sure. It won't be with my mom and Aki...
There was a faint sense of bitterness and disappointment lurking in my thoughts. But then I glanced at Morgan. His eyes were filled with childish wonder and excitement as he stared at the Christmas decorations. It was clear to see that he wasn't giving up on the thought of the celebration. And I couldn't help but think that maybe...just maybe...spending the holiday with Morgan and Dad wouldn't be so bad after all...
"Hanako. Blue door."
"Hmm? Oh. Right."
I hadn't even realized the door until Morgan's voice broke my train of thought. Just to the left of where we were standing, there was a flower shop, just as the old woman had claimed. That meant we had arrived at her grandson's house. I knocked three times on the blue door with the reef and waited.
The response was quick. A little too quick for me to handle. After a brief jumble of loud noises from inside, Morgan and I soon found ourselves standing face to face with a tall, broad-shouldered, expressionless man.
"Um, h-hello, are you...Matthias? Your, uh, grandmother sent me to deliver something to you."
The man squinted questioningly at me as I carefully took the wristwatch out of my pocket. "That ol' fool," he spat, snatching it out of my hand. "Trusting a complete stranger with something as precious as this...sometimes I wonder what the heck is wrong with that lady."
He scoffed, then turned around, his hand reaching out to shut the door as he began to slip back inside his house. But I stopped him. Using my foot. I admit, it wasn't the smartest thing to do, but in my defense, I did stupid things all the time. Perks of being a teenager, I suppose....okay, what am I talking about?
"Wait! Uh, Matthias..." I took a deep breath and strained to look the skyscraper of a man in the eye. "I have a question for you. Do you, by any chance, know of a boy named Sora?"
"Sora..." Matthias whispered this name with his eyes closed, looking as though he were trying to remember something. "Sora...and Emily Lockwood. Is that who you're looking for?"
I wasn't sure who Emily was, but I nodded anyway. "Yes." Sora's not a common name. It's got to be the right one. "Do you know if they live here? Or maybe, do you know where they've gone?" I should be asking what Sora looks like. You know what, I have to be thorough with this. "A-also, do you know what they look like? I'm sorry...I probably sound really stupid right now..."
"He doesn't live here, but I asked him once, and he said he pops in every now an' then to visit a girl named Emily," Matthias told me. "Devilish looking kid, that one, I'll tell ya..." He squinted again, then leaned in closer to me. "I never trusted him. Never will. Short kid, hair as black as the night sky, wears a hat an' vest like someone from Brooklyn in the 1930's."
I inhaled sharply, suddenly recalling the boy from earlier who matched that exact description.
"I...saw him then..."
"What, you mean he's here?" There was curiosity in Matthias's voice. "Right now?"
I nodded. "But I have no idea where he went."
"That's okay!" Morgan exclaimed, once again seizing my wrist, but I quickly reclaimed it. "Now that we have his description, we can find him much easier."
Just as I was about to agree with him, I heard a familiar cry resound from somewhere in the near distance. It was Jeremy. At first it sounded as though it were out of agony, but then I heard him shout something along the lines of, "What are you doing to Niall, you little gremlin?!"
"Jeremy?" I exchanged frantic glances with Morgan. "We should go. Thank you, Matthias, sir, but duty calls."
"Uh, yeah, sure...no problem...good luck out there, you two. Oh, and Merry Christmas."
He didn't sound the least bit sincere. But I wasn't bothered. I had other things on my mind: for example, what was going on several blocks away.
Morgan and I raced towards the cry of distress and soon came across something akin to an unfenced park, where we happened to find Jeremy, Niall, and a certain black-haired little boy. But something was wrong. Horribly wrong. Niall was on his hands and knees, trembling eyes seemingly occupied by a void of hopelessness.
There was a smirk forming on the little boy's face, immediately making him a prime suspect for the cause of Niall's suffering. He grabbed his beret and began twirling it in a circle on the tip of his finger, cackling quietly to himself. "I do believe the day is coming soon, don't you, Niall? My dear brother...our sister is coming back! Aren't you overjoyed? It'll be in time for Christmas, too!" He laughed again, his young-sounding voice frightening me a lot more than it probably should have.
"No..." Niall whispered, his head slowly tilting back. I could tell he was desperately struggling to fight back his tears, but the physical and emotional pain induced by this was tearing his voice apart. "Reiha...Reiha can't come back...she can't..."
"You should have known it would happen from the start, Niall," said Sora, shaking his head in disappointment with his brother. "Come on, don't you remember? The first to fall...."
"-shall be the first to rise..."
A girl with equally dark hair as Sora revealed herself from within the shadows lurking behind the boy. She came and stood beside him, and the two joined hands. This instantly reminded me of a certain pair of twins...
"Sora...Eaden...please. She can't...Reiha can't..."
"Niall, what is going on?!" Jeremy demanded, his voice cracking. His eye was trembling as he stared at our blue haired friend who was practically in a shambles. "What do you mean she's coming back??"
"Reiha is returning..."
All eyes fell on me once I had absently uttered these words.
"H-Hanako?" Morgan said quietly, gazing at me with deep concern.
"She is...she is returning...and she'll be coming for you...Niall..."