*SLAM*
The sound of a door slamming open can be heard. Gabriel may be seen sprinting into a building as if looking for something. 'Where have they gone?' 'I explicitly told them all to stay in this building!' The blonde went through the home, opening every door he came across and searching every room. Father Laurence gave him the order to take the children somewhere safer, so he went back to where he last saw them. It's clear that things aren't going in his exact favor.
After eventually investigating every room within the building, Gabriel realized that the three children, Mizuki, Sona, and Toshiro, had all departed. Gabriel dashed out the building's front door, oblivious to their positions, hoping to find the three kids somewhere else. 'You'd better remain put, you three! Father will not be pleased in the slightest!'
XXX
"Are you sure that this is a good idea, Sona?"
Mizuki appeared to be apprehensive as he walked alongside the other two children, each of whom appeared to be sneaking away from somewhere. Toshiro's expression could only be defined as befuddlement, whereas Sona's might be briefly described as defiance. A retaliating glint in her eyes as she marched forward, leading the other two to somewhere unknown.
"Yeah, Sona. For the first time in a while, I'm sorta agreeing with Mizuki here. We don't even know where we're going." Toshiro said as he cast a knowing look toward Sona.
Sona huffed angrily, her hands clenched hard as she marched defiantly forward. She then returned her gaze to the two boys behind her, almost frightening them with her gaze alone. "Go ahead and chicken out if that's what you want to do! But I'm not going to stay here any longer! We've always been hidden from the rest of the world! Father Laurence isn't interested in defending us! It's only because of Mizuki and what happened to him that he's kept us around!"
Mizuki's movement paused in response to her vehement remarks, the wrath embedded in them plainly hitting Mizuki hard. Mizuki began to tremble anxiously, clutching his right arm in the same way he does when he's terrified. "S-Sona, I didn't ask for it to happen!"
Sona remained quiet as she marched. Mizuki, however, remained still. He was still visibly shaking in place, grasping onto his right arm tightly. Toshiro suddenly stopped, turning back to look at the shaking Mizuki. "Are you coming, Mizuki?"
Mizuki tilted his head to look toward Toshiro, parting his quivering lips to speak out loudly, "Y-yeah. Just g-give me one moment."
Toshiro merely nodded, before proceeding to turn around and continue walking with Sona. Once Mizuki finally got the strength to walk again, a look of glum could be seen staining his features. As he slowly began to trek through the trail he was on, harmful thoughts began plaguing his mind.
"You, Mizuki, will be my next creation! You will be my creation that rectifies all my past problems!" A voice that was familiar to a certain view spoke out in a giddy tone.
"You are exactly what I needed! The Gods must be proud to send me one of their glorious gifts!"
"What did I tell you children about running about like that? I need to keep a keen eye on you. Especially you."
"Don't cry, my child. What I'm doing can advance our world for the better! Don't you understand? I'm making you a child of prophecy! You'll be thanked all throughout our nations! Think about it, child. You wanted to be a warrior, yes? Well, I got one better; how about a national hero?"
"Just remember, what I gave you is a blessing. Not a curse of any sort. Don't tell anyone you have it. Bad things will happen if you do."
Mizuki hesitantly glanced back up at the other two, noticing how much farther they had gotten on the trail. 'I don't know what to do.' And with that, Mizuki shook his head and sped up his pace, lightly jogging to catch up with the others.
XXX
Two guys in recognizable black cloaks with red lines flashing down the sides and the name 'Furusato' imprinted on the back could be seen from afar peering towards Mizuki. One of the men slowly raised their hands to the hood that concealed their face, gently taking off the black hood from their head. With the hood removed from their head, we can now see that this particular man is Regashi Ketsueki. His brown hair swayed in the light breeze of the outdoors.
Regashi's eyes seemingly glowed as he observed Mizuki, who was still jogging toward Toshiro and Sona, appearing to have found something interesting about the child. Regashi's eyes suddenly widened slightly. 'There. There's the person we're looking for.'
To Regashi, Mizuki's surprisingly visible aura was glowing and fluctuating. Compared to other aura senses, it would be an obvious outlier. But to Regashi, this was exactly what he was looking for. The man right beside Regashi, Imawashiki, put his left hand on Regashi's shoulder. "King, what do you see?"
Regashi remained quiet, still observing Mizuki until he eventually got out of his line of sight. Regashi then felt an abrupt force on his shoulder, prompting him to glance over to his right and spot Imawashiki slightly shaking him. "Y'know I can't see what you can, King. Did you find something important?" Imawashiki questioned once more, eyeing Regashi from under his hood.
Regashi formed a small grin on his lips, moving his hands to drape his black hood over his head once more. With the sudden movement of Regashi's feet moving forward, seemingly in the same direction that Mizuki went in, Imawashiki removed his left hand from Regashi's shoulder. The brown-haired king then raised his right arm in a beckoning gesture. "Come, Shiki. I believe I know where our person is."
Imawashiki nodded hastily, proceeding to follow Regashi through the village of Ryakudatsu once more. But instead of merely meandering; a certain destination is in their minds.
'We're almost done.'
XXX
Kaminari Nozomu. A man who has had an unquenchable thirst for a good drink throughout the duration of the trip. Even with his trip to the village's local bar, he still appears unsatiated. Currently, he was walking over to the training grounds, where the first-year students are supposed to be. Upon arriving, he noticed that none of the aiding warriors were present at the entrance of the training grounds. Raising an eyebrow, he decided to look around.
He wandered through a few of the trails, searching for certain individuals clad in chalkboard-grey armor. During his wandering, he ended up strolling down a certain path. Upon strolling through the path, a certain individual came into his peripherals. The minister of Ryakudatsu: Father Laurence. Nozomu's facial features hardened at the sight of the elderly minister, the expression he held at the front of the Montgomery Church returning. Pure hate.
Father Laurence was speed walking down the path Nozomu was currently on, appearing to be in a sort of hurry. Nozomu kept his eyes locked on the minister, even as Father Laurence passed him. Nozomu had to tilt his entire head to keep his eyes on the elderly man, signifying that he was walking quite fast.
Father Laurence suddenly came to a halt, turning to glance at Nozomu. Nozomu remained unmoved as the minister eyed him. Father Laurence's lips quickly separated, indicating that he's about to speak, "You, young warrior! You're from our newly aligned village, Buraun, yes?"
Hesitantly, Nozomu nodded slowly, turning his body around to completely face the minister of the village. "Yes, I am."
Father Laurence didn't pick up on the cold tone of Nozomu. "You… seem familiar."
Nozomu scowled slightly. 'Damn it. I nearly forgot how observant this bastard is.' He then shook his head to clear his thoughts, looking back up to see Father Laurence. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid that we haven't met before, Father. Perhaps you recognize me from my group's entry into the village."
Father Laurence held a dubious look in his eyes, then slowly began to walk once more, signing a few religious gestures with his hands at Nozomu. "Oh, I'm sorry. Then have a blessed day, young warrior."
With Father Laurence leaving, Nozomu's scowl increased. 'Damn bastard. I'll never be able to forget what you put me through.'
XXX
Hola! I hope you enjoyed today's chapter! I'm trying to get back into the flow of writing new chapters again. Hopefully, I'll be able to get to the juicy parts of this arc soon! We're only a few chapters away till the good stuff arrives! It's all currently coming together. Stay tuned for more!
Have a Great Day!
Peace - Cr1ticalz_