Mizuki was frightened. As he was guided through several halls by Imawashiki, his countenance never betrayed his true emotions. The child lost count as to how long he had been locked up—could have been days, weeks, perhaps months, even.
He was promised to be set free from his curse. His ability to see what he thought were ghosts and have the power to revive the dead. Mizuki never desired the curse, not for a moment. In fact, he dreaded it more than anything in life.
But that much was already apparent.
Imawashiki peered at Mizuki from the corner of his eyes. A small smile tugged at the fiery abomination's lips.
"Cheer up, kid. You wanted to be released from the Kekkan no Sosei, didn't you?" Imawashiki asked, awaiting an answer from the hesitant child beside him.
Mizuki took multiple moments to respond, his lips quivering from tremendous anxiety. Gripping his arm nervously, looked up to the smiling man with red sideburns.
"...Am I going to die?"
Imawashiki's pace slowed. Despite his ever-lasting smile, his mind drifted elsewhere. "What's with the morbid question?"
Mizuki kept his head low, but his eyes struggled to shift. His fear of what was to be his future wrapped the child in a stressful hold—preventing Mizuki from relaxing in the slightest.
Mizuki's lips parted as he spoke: "I… just wanted to see my siblings again. Gabriel, too."
Imawashiki clung to Mizuki's words. Gabriel; wasn't he the golden-haired teenager they had previously locked up? Along with "Father" Laurence.
Thoughts began to register in the fiery abomination's head, prompting the man to only look ahead, leaving Mizuki with silence.
"Who was this 'Gabriel' to you, kid?" Imawashiki abruptly questioned, his eyes glued to the hallway they walked through.
Mizuki rubbed the skin on his elbow autonomously, fidgeting with his arm in an attempt to alleviate anxiousness. "I always saw him how I saw my siblings. He may have stuck close to Father, but he was always nice."
"A brother, then?" Imawashiki tried to pin-point a succinct answer, his vision finally being drawn to the dark-haired kid.
Mizuki's eyes flickered. "I always thought so."
Those words made Imawashiki pause, halting in his tracks. Mizuki soon did the same, his eyes tracking the fiery abomination. The child grew scared at the sudden stop, his body proceeding to shake erratically.
To Mizuki's surprise, Imawashiki smiled lightly. "Well then, who am I to prevent you from seeing a missing brother?"
A torrent of shock and hope brimmed in Mizuki, droplets of salty tears surging from the corners of his eyes.
The sudden declaration confused Imawashiki, albeit it was his own. He briefly remembered Regashi's orders, but his thoughts extended beyond that, and what would soon take place.
In complete honesty, Imawashiki couldn't say what would occur to Mizuki and if extracting the curse would indefinitely kill him. So, the fiery abomination dug deep within his human heart and went along with his own words.
"We'll have to make it quick."
*FWOOSH!*
XXX
*KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!*
Three loud knocks resonated throughout the new Nozomu residence, catching the immediate attention of the patriarch of the house: Kaminari Nozomu.
The white-haired man strolled to his front door, wrapping his hand around the doorknob and opening the entrance to his home, revealing two very familiar people.
Commander Haishi and Lieutenant Kou.
Nozomu frowned. "What the hell do you want now?"
Kou smirked, her eyes darting between Haishi and Nozomu. "You guys would be the best of friends if you tried. You act the complete same!"
"Shut up, Kou. We're not here for that." Haishi scolded the lieutenant instantly, his eyes sticking to the white-haired man before him.
Nozomu deadpanned. "What are you here for, then?"
Haishi cleared his throat, raising a fist close to his lips. Normally, the chief of Buraun's warriors—also the Council's second-hand man—wouldn't casually greet villagers at their front door. So, Haishi understood the confusion.
"We're here to ask a few questions if you don't mind." Haishi clarified, retracting his hand.
Nozomu's eyes became half-lidded. "Haven't you guys bombarded me with enough questioning within the past few days?"
"Nope!" Kou said, walking passed Nozomu, entering his home.
Old Man Nozomu grumbled, annoyed. "Let yourself in, I guess…"
Shortly after everyone ventured into the home, leaving Nozomu with utmost frustration, Haishi situated himself on a white couch. Then, he looked toward the white-haired man once more.
"I've been meaning to ask this, ever since we came to the conclusion that you are, in fact, a Tansu Beast's vessel—who was the man who wielded the element of fire in Ryakudatsu?" Haishi said briefly, watching Nozomu's countenance steel.
Nozomu's eyes matched with Haishi's within moments. "Why're you asking me? What does being a Tansu vessel have to do with identifying a rogue?"
"It's easy to identify a Tansu Beast vessel, Nozomu. You, for one, wield lightning. Who else can naturally produce such a thing? That rogue had the power to discharge fire. Who else would I ask in this matter?" Haishi claimed, authority leaking in his tone.
Nozomu shifted in his seat. "I have no idea on the whereabouts of that rogue. My suggestion is to leave him be—Manabu or I would be the only people here to possibly take down another Tansu vessel."
Kou suddenly butted in. "You see, we might've been inclined to act as such, but we were quite unfortunate. I'm not aware if you learned of the destruction of Ryakudatsu's Montgomery Church, but a second rogue, who tore the building apart with wind—another natural element, had appeared. That's two Tansu vessels, Nozomu."
Nozomu was hit in the face with a revelation. 'Of course. Why else would a rampant tornado suddenly emerge from the ground? I was too busy trying to rescue the kid who nearly got crushed.'
"Even if I did know a smidge of information, fighting them would be idiotic." Nozomu stated, breaking out of his thoughts.
Kou didn't stop. "Yes, it would. But recently, we learned something that is in direct correlation to the Ryakudatsu incident. Commander Haishi has been experiencing headaches ever since his revival. Any time he closes his eyes during the aching, vivid images appear within his mind for a split second."
Nozomu wasn't catching on. "Sounds annoying, but what am I supposed to do?"
"Each image looks like a picture taken right from someone's perspective. Notably, a child's perspective. With these images, I have a distinct feeling that ushers me in a certain direction—with this, we keyed together that something the child, Mizuki, did to revive me somehow linked my mind to his." Haishi explained, watching as Nozomu's expression morphed into a dumbfounded look.
Nozomu's mind clicked. "The Kekkan no Sosei?"
Haishi nodded. "The very same one that those group of assailants talked about during our trip through the Fukuga forest. With that curse linked to me, we mapped out where Mizuki is being held. Or, where we believe he is, at the very least."
*CLANK!*
A loud rattle reached the ears of every adult in the room, warranting steady eyes to flick toward the entrance of the living room…
…Where Tanjo could be seen, eyes wide open.
The teenager still wore his blue hoodie, but his face was entirely unconcealed. Next to him, a metallic trashcan had toppled over, and the lid popped off from the rest of the cylinder-shaped can, spilling the contents inside.
"You… found Mizuki?" Tanjo asked, befuddled.
Haishi groaned. "Scram! This conversation isn't for a student—!"
"Now, Haishi, this warrior-in-training was the very same kid who valiantly tried to rescue Mizuki. It's normal for him to be shocked after seeing him taken away." Kou smacked Haishi's shoulder, making the commander grit his teeth.
Nozomu sighed. "Tanjo likes to stick his nose in places he doesn't belong. Don't know where he got it from."
"Well, for a warrior, that's quite heroic!" Kou proclaimed loudly.
Nozomu's eyebrow knitted. "I'm surprised you and Manabu aren't closer—you're practically the same."
A tick-mark appeared on Kou's head.
"Wait! Where is Mizuki now?" Tanjo interrupted, his eyes concentrated on the commander.
"East from here, leaving very few villages up to speculation," Haishi answered, scratching his head lazily.
Nozomu then asked, "How do you know he's in a village?"
Haishi shrugged. "He's in a cell. And, by our map of Adonai, there are no secluded structures within any mountain ranges or forests in that direction."
"What are you planning to do, then?" Tanjo hastened to ask.
Kou could only smile nervously. "We haven't thought of how to move forward. We don't really have all too much to go off of. We came here to ask your dad about the rogues that were present in the kidnapping of Mizuki because they might still be with the child now."
Tanjo's breath was caught. They didn't know how to proceed? How would Mizuki be saved if they don't even know where he's being held? The teenage boy's mind blanked.
Suddenly, past words hit Tanjo like a magic beam.
'There are far too many problems on Earth—more specifically, the three nations: Adonai, Shanti, and Zebulun.'
XXX
Hola! Another chapter is done, and it's a smidge longer this time! I've been getting a little lazy, I'll admit. But now the novel is really about to progress! Hopefully, for the better. The pace of this story will increase slightly, but it'll be worth it! What will Imawashiki do with Mizuki? What will happen during the extraction? How will Tano fare with this new information? Will Mizuki really be saved? Who knows! (I do, but no spoilers!)
Have a Great Day!
Peace - Cr1ticalz_