"Oi, Itami, have you got any word from Boss?"
Lounging lazily on the Furusato castle's stone wall, Doryoku eyed his green ring jadedly. It had been quite some time since any of the Furusato Unit members had been dispatched for anything. Once they acquired the Kekkan no Sosei, or whatever it was called—Doryoku didn't have a good memory—Regashi, or Boss, and the fiery butler had been busy; everyone else sat around or went for "excursions," which typically resulted in blood-stained clothes upon their return.
Itami, who rested against his wooden staff behind the ring-wielder, peeled an eye open to stare at his brother. "No, I've been with you the entire time, dumbass."
Doryoku sighed, creating a small green hand from his ring with the middle finger erect upward. Itami glowered at his fellow green-haired brother, then turned away.
"Still don't know why we left the kid alive," Itami mumbled, "Boss never minded a little killing, and it supposedly hastened his plan as a result."
Doryoku shrugged. "The butler asked nicely, that's why. You know Boss favors that maniac."
Itami chuckled, leaving his brother clueless, "His various personalities keep breaking free!"
"Huh?" Doryoku responded, perplexed.
Itami stopped laughing, his enjoyment purged from his brother's idiocy. "Haven't you noticed? The dude acts differently every time I see him. One moment, he's a cordial little toy—the next, he's a homicidal freak!"
"That just sounds like Gimu." Doryoku replied.
"Gimu," Itami began, "still has his emotions in check—mostly. No one here does, really. The fiery abomination can't even hold a steady mindset; Gimu, on the other hand, still knows where his morale lies."
Doryoku yawned. "Seems like you keep an eye on everyone; didn't peg you as the kind to care about the others~" The green-haired ring-wielder teased, shifting his tone to annoy his brother.
"Keep talking and I'll reap my vengeance of missing a hand onto you instead." Itami declared gruffly. The green-haired staff-wielder positioned his body upward, standing tall. "Besides, the way they act might reveal how they could die—it's pretty interesting to think about."
Doryoku's eyes glinted at that. "Oh? How do you think Boss is going to die?"
Itami raised one hand, sticking two fingers up. "Two ways: either everyone in this stupid unit dies first, leaving him nobody to rely on; or his plan fails and results in him becoming wanted by every village in the nation."
Looking out into the woodlands that encircled the destroyed village of Furusato, Doryoku paused for a minute to reflect. Regashi had killed hundreds of people, directly or indirectly, so Itami wasn't mistaken. He must have committed a war crime already just by using the curse Kekkan no Sosei so half-hazardly. To act in such a manner with anything that was once a god's creation is frowned upon in most religious communities, particularly in villages; killing was simply regarded as a universal sin.
"I guess I can't think of any other reasons. Man, your mind isn't much cleaner, is it?" Doryoku finally spoke, tilting his head to the side to peer at his brother.
Itami started to walk away. "When you kill to place your mark on life, it's kinda hard not to be stained."
XXX
In a forest toward the west side of Adonai, a team of warriors convened, forming a circle with each of the members. On their armor, a particular crest was embedded in the chestplate—Buraun.
"All right! The last trace of Tanjo Nozomu was south of here! Though his Aura Sense was masked, he was still menial enough to leave a path of his exuded magic. If we hurry, we can still catch up to him, even if he is on the other side of the nation." One of the men said, standing tall above everyone else.
"Captain," a member called out abruptly. "Should I contact Commander Haishi about our findings?"
Captain steeled his countenance. "We are to report to him about every minor detail. Since we have a lead, he'd like to know."
"What about when we find the kid?" Another member asked, her tone questionable.
The man in charge cracked his neck. "Apparently, we're getting an addition to the Signal Branch—Kaminari Nozomu; he originally tagged along on the Ryakudatsu trip and proved to be quite strong, but he resigned shortly after. The Council of Buraun permitted him to hold a rank as a mid-class warrior for the time being."
This prompted a confused reaction from the Signal Branch.
"But isn't this mission only for High-Class'?"
"Haishi placed his trust in Nozomu," Captain said, turning around. "That's all we need to know. Now come on, we wouldn't want to tell Nozomu that we lost his kid again."
XXX
They were going quite slow, Tanjo thought.
Currently, Asami and Tanjo scoured the forests in hopes of finding Furusato—but, apparently, Asami didn't have that much of a grasp over her directions.
"Dammit! I'm starting to wish that I at least visited the damn village once!" Asami hollered, lunging from several branches, Tanjo following shortly after.
Tanjo wished he could help, but he was just as clueless as the blue-haired woman was. "I've never been there, either; I'm not going to be much help in this case."
"We're not too far from the east—I know it's over there! We scrambled from the South to North, so it's hard to tell where exactly we are without any mountain ranges or villages." Asami stated.
Tanjo smiled sheepishly, mentally apologizing for the destruction of the mountain ranges. The boy felt glad that Asami was helping him, despite it being so sudden. If she could ward off Yuso with ease, saving Mizuki could potentially be a breeze!
Without warning, Tanjo's eyes caught something drifting through the air; the shape was rectangular, its white coloration blending in with the clouds. Wordlessly, the teenager leaped upward and snatched the item, landing back on a tree to observe it.
"What was that?" Asami asked, arching an eyebrow.
Tanjo held the item close—it was a piece of paper! The side he held was blank, so he flipped the paper, instantly spotting a neatly written sentence in ink. On the paper it said:
"Turn left and head forward for fifteen kilometers; a lake should be present; traverse rightward upon discovery. The village you seek is just over yonder."
"What is it, Tanjo?" Asami inquired once more, her patience running thin.
Where could this note have come from? Obviously the sky, but how? Did someone lose it, the paper getting lost in the rapid pulls of the wind? It was quite ironic, though, as Asami and he struggled to find a village of their own.
But then, Asami's words hit him: 'without any mountain ranges or villages.'
Bingo!
"Hey, Asami, let's turn left here—I think there is a lake that is not that far away; I could use that to find where we need to go." Tanjo reasoned, his eyes drifting up to Asami.
Asami narrowed her eyes. "What's with the sudden idea? Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
Tanjo scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Well, if there is a lake, we could use it to find a local village that might be using it for a fresh water supply?"
Asami continued to stare at Tanjo, her unrelenting gaze pressuring Tanjo to shake slightly. Then, she let up. "Fine, I guess it would help."
Tanjo heaved a heavy breath, relieved. Thank his mind for formulating such a feasible excuse. He didn't want to lie, but Tanjo severely doubted that Asami would want to be directed by a piece of paper—especially one that came seemingly from the heavens. Knowing a stubborn person isn't exactly easy.
"Well, what do we have to lose? Save for time, I guess." Tanjo murmured, hopping away onto different trees.
XXX
Floating above where Tanjo and Asami once were, a figure surveyed the land, their eyes following the duo as they traveled swiftly through the trees.
With a closer look, the figure had feminine attributes: long brown hair, reaching down to her knees; she wore a yellow and white dress, swaying from the nation's gentle winds.
"So, this is the boy Kronos has his eyes on?" The feminine figure spoke.
"The boy who can balance reality…"
XXX
More perspectives than usual, but hopefully it is okay! I struggled with lengthening some of these facets of the chapter, as I only wanted to implement the key parts from each of the characters. Itami and Doryoku's part was to fill you in on the Furusato Unit and what they're up to, the Signal Branch was to finally push out the team sent to find Tanjo after running away from Buraun, and Tanjo and Asami's was to show their struggle on finding Furusato—only to be assisted by a mysterious figure! Stay tuned for more!
Have a Great Day!
Peace - Cr1ticalz_