Once again, the world seemed to grow harsher; as time passed, second by second, minute by minute, the unwieldy weight of life crushed those who could no longer lift it. Grievances emerge when one is deprived of something that helped lift the sadness of the world, such as a person, pet, or sentimental object, as proof for those who experience the soul-crushing reality.
As for Itami, his heart collapsed under all of the pressure. Currently, the green-haired rogue, wielding his wooden staff, towered over a patch of dirt in the earth, his eyes vacant of much emotion. Within the passing days, the Furusato Unit was hit with an unsuspected blow: the death of Doryoku.
"Out of all the people…" Itami spoke in a hushed voice. "I believed that you'd be the one to make it. What a foolish thought, huh?"
His brother. The moronic and impulsive rogue that followed Itami anywhere, no matter the length or tribulations. From the past to the present, his life-long partner never regarded him negatively.
Now he lies six feet under, lifeless.
"You weren't even given an honorable death; whisked away for an item that was a part of you." Itami grew sentimental, inhaling.
His grip on the wooden staff tightened, his emotions about the cursed object waning. As a child, Itami was told that the nations were no longer in a state of war or inequality, but that did not seem to stop the heinous people who still resided in them.
"Perhaps Regashi is right about his plan, brother. You can not fix this world entirely without drastic change, and even then, it would prove fruitless when pushing for paradise." Itami murmured, sliding his feet to walk away.
As the green-haired rogue marched on, departing from his brother's dirt-made tomb, his mind never drifted.
"But to alter the way reality works—that's a solution that could work."
As the sun started to place itself at its highest point of the day, shining down on the Earth, a figure could be seen standing several feet away.
Adorned in a black and red cloak, his netted shirt exposed underneath, Imawashiki stared at the grave of Doryoku, his expression unconcealing. He didn't appear sad or empty, just there to exist.
Once Gimu was no longer near, Imawashiki sauntered over to the burial of the deceased rogue, his cloak waving in the wind. For numerous moments, the fiery abomination was motionless, merely eyeing the small patch of dirt that represented the final destination of Doryoku.
Shortly after, Imawashiki bent his knees and lowered himself down to dig two fingers into the dirt.
"No longer will we face these challenges. Doryoku—you are not done fighting just yet."
XXX
"So that's the Heiwa no Kabe…"
In an analytical daze, Tanjo surveyed the lengthy civilization positioned miles away from where he stood.
Asami hummed. "It indeed is."
The Heiwa no Kabe consisted of thousands of buildings, tall and short. Around them, a wall stretched along the border between Adonai and Shanti, farther than Tanjo could currently see. It was as if the wall outlined the entire western side of Adonai.
However, to say it was massive would be an understatement.
"It's a conglomerate of several villages," Asami informed, her eyes sweeping over the Wall of Peace. "Some owned by Adonai and some owned by Shanti. It's a shared land to keep the hostility between land as low as possible."
"How do you usually sneak through all of it?"
Asami chuckled. "Don't be mistaken; the moment you pass the first wall, you're in Shanti. The Heiwa no Kabe is meant to slow down any outsiders from getting all the way through."
"How far do 'you' need to go, though?" Tanjo reiterated, his blue eyes meeting Asami's.
Asami's eyes steeled, her gaze darting to the tallest tower of Heiwa no Kabe.
"Five miles in, that's it." Asami answered, proceeding to crouch. "Don't worry—we'll be in and out!"
Tanjo simply exhaled, turning to face Heiwa no Kabe once more. If Asami had done it numerous times before, surely she could and would do it again. The jet-black-haired boy, however, was nervous about the fact that he could not mask his Aura Sense entirely—or not professionally, at the very least.
Sure, Tanjo could sneak in and out of a village—but that's just it: a village. Heiwa no Kabe was much more massive than any ordinary village in any of the three nations, as he heard from Asami. Tanjo was able to dash right through the senses of warriors and mask himself for a few minutes, but the concept of remaining in a seemingly endless territory felt impossible for the boy in his current state.
"I can tell you're unnerved, Tanjo. Don't worry, once we are in, we don't need to conceal our magic most of the time. Just blend in with the crowd. We'd probably be caught faster if we were seen but not detected, you know?" Asami assured the teenager, a gentle grin on her lips.
The boy nodded. "Yes,"
The brevity coming from Tanjo made Asami aware of just how serious he was.
"Well then—no need to stall, yes?" Asami asked rhetorically, continuing to leap toward Heiwa no Kabe.
Without responding, Tanjo hummed and lifted himself into the air with a mighty leap, following his mentor toward the expansive civilization. The Wall of Peace awaits.
XXX
'Damnit, damnit, damnit!'
Vexed, Commander Haishi paced around the entrance of the barracks within Buraun, his head angled downward, his chin cupped by his right hand. The pony-tailed chief was angered and annoyed that Tanjo had managed to escape before backup arrived, and he no longer had tabs on Kaminari Nozomu's whereabouts. The man vanished.
'He should know that he can't act alone anymore.'
Haishi did not need proof to know that Nozomu would be greatly displeased—despite it being an understatement—at the fact that his "brat" could not be returned. Understandably, the chief had every right to grow anxious about Nozomu and his behavior. As a Tansu vessel that has as much freedom as a villager but more anonymity than a higher-up, this was concerning.
Principal Manabu was no longer the strongest in the village.
Or at least that was what Commander Haishi believed. Realistically, Nozomu and Manabu would be around the same level, but by merely looking into the white-haired Tansu's eyes, the chief could spot the discernible discipline within him. The ferocity that man potentially held was frightening from a militant standpoint.
'This probably won't end well next time we meet—!'
"Chief." A familiar voice called out to Haishi, making the chief freeze.
Shifting his body to face his left, Commander Haishi's eyes locked onto the Kaminari Nozomu. The man wore his flashy white cloak, swaying in the wind along with his black-tinted hair.
With clenched fists Haishi replied, "Hello, Nozomu."
Haishi could visibly see the brimming fury within the man—the bubbling rage that made the chief question whether their village would be swept away in seconds or if Nozomu had suddenly decided to outright assault him.
Both were quite unpleasant.
"The mission was a bust." Nozomu spoke shortly.
The chief could only nod.
Nozomu could feel the tense atmosphere, most of it flowing from the Commander. The white-haired man merely brushed it aside.
"But, I heard that Mizuki was returned, yes?" Nozomu asked abruptly, his tone unchanging.
Haishi folded his arms securely. "Yes. Mizuki had arrived moments before we learned of Tanjo's presence."
Nozomu sighed exasperatingly. "Good."
Haishi grew confused. "May I ask why that information was relevant to you?"
"I failed to bring Tanjo back, if you couldn't tell, Chief. But knowing that he was at least successful carries a little bit of merit behind his leave." Nozomu reasoned, his head tilting to the side as he rubbed his neck.
A pregnant silence appeared within a moment, prompting the two adults to stand in an ocean of their thoughts and emotions. After a short stretch of time, the pony-tailed chief inevitably glanced at Nozomu with a curious gaze.
"You're angry, right? That's what I can see, at least."
Nozomu nodded. "I'm always angry, Chief. This time, it's more so disappointment."
"Whatever it is," Haishi spoke, his voice soft. "Don't let it change you, Nozomu. We need you to be level-headed."
As Haishi eventually turned around and ambled away, Nozomu stayed quiet for several seconds, his complicated mind preventing the Tansu vessel from speaking.
"That's what I'm good for…"
XXX
This chapter may seem a tab bit odd, but throughout the latter half of this, I was interrupted and had to go on leave for a few days and I really did not want to disrupt the flow of the chapter, so I opted to shortening one facet of this and supplementing a whole new part—a part showing Haishi and Nozomu after Tanjo successfully escaped. However, the first part with Itami is not something to overlook so soon. Stay tuned to find out why!
Have a Great Day!
Peace - Cr1ticalz_