There goes a tale that transcends even the barriers of this mortal realm, bypassing all possible reason and logic in this world, there existed divination. A being more radiating elegance, grace, and benevolence, that smile of hers sent subordinates who served under her command to a chilling sensation that cooled their nerves. For if she dared to put even a finger to her lips, shushing the incessant chatter of those who called themselves lower-ranks... Hana Saiai, the Beloved Flower, righteously naming herself the Requiem Master, commanded total and utter respect to everyone she met.
Well, everyone except for one man, though, if he could truly be called a man, it was unknown. The disrespect for authority he held was not unwarranted, though it held no bounds, for the toxic fangs of disregard originating from the Requiem Reaper had sunk into his very son, the Scarlet King, in more ways than one.
May 7th, 2022. The first mission would be the so-called easiest, regarding Ace and Kim's planned rendezvous with Saiai-san at the peak of Mt. Everest. Below the mountain scraping the skies, granting those who dared to enter the presence of that distant Temple passage to the Heavens, the campsite was dry, luckily. However, unfortunately, there was a plentiful amount of rocks scattered across the terrain… though, that was to be expected.
"We packed a tent, right?" Kim rose a brow as she asked the ginger to her right, who nodded... then shrugged.
"No," Ace replied, stepping forward, tightening the bag's strap over his shoulder, wincing at the touch of it seeping into his skin.
"The hell's that supposed to mean?" Kim's arms fell limp, then again, trying to understand August's son would prove to be a hassle for anyone.
"Yes and no. Keep up, will ya?"
Ace waved to her from in front, for she was there, behind, unable to capture whatever emotion conveyed by his variants of micro-expressions. Maybe she'd known him for far too long to guess it, maybe her eyes were playing tricks on her; whatever the case, there remained the fact that it looked like... Ace was smiling. The reasoning was compelling, the rationale was random, but even so, despite it defying all logic, Kima found herself unintentionally mocking his actions.
With that smile over her lips, the same as his, she couldn't help but remember those times, back last summer when Katie was only a sampling of what she was now. Maybe he was blinded by those sins, by the vastness of this terrain, tents with a scattered amount of colors, picked cleanly from the rainbow's infinity. Lives moving on with such easygoing nature, wives with husbands taking pictures with bystanders, teenagers gathered around to do a stunt that'd ensure their lives would stay lost.
Even children with parents sightseeing this wondrous sight of Everest peeking through the clouds to declare its reign, for the highest thing in the world, Ace stared up at it, now, at a complete standstill. What was going through his mind, she wondered, as she stood just behind him, this feminine pose of hers, with arms behind her back, casually waiting for the man to do everything for her.
"Ace… let's unpack, okay?" She beckoned to him, aiding him in releasing the bag from his shoulder, letting it thud on the rock-littered ground.
Soon, the curtain of the night would descend once again over this foreign land, and so, they prepared their tent together. As they did, there were unaware of the prying eyes watching over them from above Everest. Her hair moved with the wind's chilly flow, pink eyes glistening, the sun's setting affecting the tint of the sky from a normal azure blue to a calmer orange. It was almost like she could see the cherry blossoms flying past her face as she stared down at that red tent from above.
"This should be interesting."
It took a bit, but just a bit before sundown, Ace and Kima got their sleeping bags settled in their tents' comfort.. despite it feeling like they were sleeping on literal rocks. On the Dawn of the day before the climb, a serpent circled her body. Maroon-red scales scattered its lengthy body, as the tiniest breath of flames flew from its fangs, a shish-kabob was granted a warmth this also affirming a well-heated snack.
"What's this one's name?" Asked Ace, holding up his kabob, watching the sight of more flames reheated the cold meet, sourcing from that serpent's fanged teeth.
"Have you ever heard the myth of Yamata-no-Orochi?" Kim scratched the head of the snake with but a sole finger, hearing it coo in response.
"Yeah. The infamous eight-headed Japanese serpent? Lemme guess that's one of the heads, just smaller."
"So smart, wanna cookie?" Kim teased, with her teeth casually seeping into the chicken engraved onto the stick, tearing it off with just a tiny pull.
"Yes, actually, I'd kill for a cookie in a place like this. Anyway, do you have some weird monologue you're going to go on?" Ace leaned against some of the bags, an extra blanket peeking out the half-open entrance, taking another bite of the steaming meat.
"No, I… I don't know. Truthfully, I'm scared," Kim admitted to her partner, feeling the snake's head rub against her chin, cooing sweetly like a dog to their owner.
"What about?" Ace curiously questioned, sitting up quickly, crossing his legs while continuing to eat.
There was a feeling some couldn't describe with mere words, even writing it down, how would that help? But there was a pit in her stomach, an abyss forming infinitely to absorb everything, a sense of dread sending chills to form over her pale skin… as if she were sent in the middle of a blizzard, naked. The very thought of it sent flashes of the past back to her mind's forefront, that time when she stood at the sidelines, a mere bystander as that black-haired girl accepted the transgressions of the past.
All courtesy of but one man who helped her, for if it hadn't been for him, maybe she still would be wailing away at the thought of her weakness. Sins inadvertently committed with dead bodies hovering over his soul, in his guilt, he'd forgotten about her face, a gentle smile gleaming like the sun's rays, her unrivaled acceptance, she could feel it within her heart.
"Did you sleep when we got back from lunch?"
Maybe it was abrupt and out of nowhere, but, he likely forgot that time where he wasn't just Ace Wilder to one person. Ace's head stood still, white spikes that served as hair shielding his eyes from outer view, the shadows cast so darkly that even Divergence's scarlet glow couldn't peer through the shade.
"How could I?"
Something as simple as that spoke volumes, no matter how small a reply it was to her question. It was clear that if she wanted a clear question, she'd need to push further.
"Can I ask why you feel guilty… now of all times?"
Ace turned his head to her, curious at this, he raised but one finger and revealed a spark of his scarlet light. The outlined red, but the inner energy is as dark as the night sky. However, as a few seconds passed, it reverted… back to the usual brightness of casual red lightning.
"I made a pact with my humanity. Whenever I use Divergence, Eternal Sight's entirely inactive, but I easily bypassed that with a covenant that allows me to dwindle my humanity in exchange for more power. It only worked for two battles, the pact was never fulfilled, and my life energy gradually returned to normal over the past few months. Meaning… now I can feel emotion."
"That doesn't only include guilt, though. Ace, what happened wasn't your fault- you told me yourself! You were cornered and you couldn't do anything about it. Don't… don't let this take away from all the good you've done for all the people around you, too. Katie-" Kim was interrupted.
"WHAT ABOUT KATIE?!" The scream sent the peering crows outside the tent to flutter away, their eyes reflecting the bloody abode they temporarily resided within, but as their blackened wings guided them above the clouds to vanish into the never-ending darkness- Kim held her ground, "Katie… what does it matter what I did for Katie? Why would I feel prideful about that? Proud of myself? Happy…? What I did was the right thing and I shouldn't feel anything about it rather than…"
His voice started to break, Kim's pupils shrinking, his eyes invisible to her as shrouded by the spikes of his hair. Lips trembling, teeth clenched, the tears falling from his eyes' corners were as continuous as the rain's descent in the spring's random downpour. But maybe that downpour could be wiped away by the right hands, such tender and soft skin, like that of the sunlight obliterating the clouds to declare its natural reign like a king seated nicely on his ruling throne. Or rather, not a king, but better yet, as his head raised and he could make out the sight before him, it was clear what he was peering at, now.
'It'd been so long since I'd felt the warmth of her arms around me. Like she was the sun in the dead of winter, ridding the season of such an irritating chill… she was the spring. And though rain might fall from her emergence, it never matters. You're here now, and you care. If only I could tell you… how much I love you, Kimmy.'
"And even so, despite everything you did for Katie, everything you helped her with, you… thought you were unlucky. You, too, wanted to have a father. That's why, in August, you were the same, after you beat those agents that came after us. You are such a kid, aren't you?"
Kim's lips held the most gentle smile, one with teeth so bright, with lips so supple they could resemble that of a mother's, just barely pecking the forehead of her child. Maybe this was what he'd wanted, for someone like that to care about him, but with the world, they lived in, those types of opportunities didn't come for everyone. Only in such circumstances, could those carnal desires be fulfilled.
'You are… so admirable, Ace…'
It seemed, through all the tens of thousands of foes and friends having been fought and made over his lifetime, none of them rivaled this moment. The desire to be wanted by someone, to have a parent be proud of you, say that they can truly love you. In this distorted world where he put another's well-being before his own, he hadn't realized… he, too, was beginning to decay, just as this world was, as well, singing away at the seams.
As time went on, the clock's hand slammed at one in the morning, the interior of their tent expelling nothing but sleepy snores from their nostrils, their mouths. From at the peak of Everest Mountain, snowy strands the same shade as her robe, flowing in the winter atmosphere of this infamous environment, the Master stared off into the distance as the moon's luminescence shined against her face. The stars peeking out for this specific nightfall, the numbers of light illuminating her face felt like she was surrounded by that infinite void, leading to nothingness at the center.
"What a saddening night."
To Be Continued.