After the incident at the banquet hall, Kuroha got home late. It was already the next day. Luckily, for her, it was her weekly day off.
Kuroha did not bother to take any of her clothes off. The fatigue of the day and all of her work had caught up with her. She dumped herself onto her bed and closed her eyes, dozing off to sleep.
As per usual, she had a nightmare. Kuroha always had the same nightmare.
It would begin with the times when she was experimented on and tortured. Then, she met Shoya. She changed and had fun with him. In the dream, they would overcome every challenge they faced together and even defeat Weissmann, preventing the summoning of King Solomon. It was the best—most ideal—reality.
Although it was a good dream, it was a bad one because it was positive. Because every time Kuroha would wake up.
"Hah!"
She would remember that Shoya was not in this world anymore. However, this time was different.
When Kuroha woke up, it was already the afternoon. Even though she had slept for over ten hours, she felt tired. It was not enough to trouble her.
She got up and made her coffee.
Kuroha always regretted going on the expedition mission to save Emika. Not because they did save Emika, but because if they had let Weissmann do what he was supposed to do, King Solomon would not have been awoken and Shoya would still be alive.
"I think that but if we didn't, then we wouldn't have gotten Emika back."
She finished making her coffee and sipped it while going over to her sofa and turning on the television. As she watched television, she had an idea. Kuroha set her coffee down and searched for something on the internet.
She looked through the results while furrowing her brow.
"To get rid of the nightmare I need to get rid of the cause. That's easier said than done. My nightmares would be gone if Shoya was alive. If Shoya was..."
She paused and remembered something that she had forgotten before.
"That masked man had the same face as Shoya. He didn't recognise me though. Did he lose his memories perhaps? No, that wouldn't explain anything."
Kuroha muttered to herself, unknowingly entering her cat form.
"Maybe some sort of doppelganger? That's the best thing I can think of. There's no way Shoya's alive. I mean, he would remember me."
That was if everything was fine. Kuroha decided to stop thinking about Albatross and carried on with her day.
·———·
At an SSB branch, Medovukha sauntered through with a woman by her side. Medovukha sighed as many eyes turned toward her.
"Tanya,"
They spoke in Russian so that no one could understand.
"How much do you get paid?"
"¥78,000,000."
"Huh? Do I barely pay my subordinates?"
"Anyhow, Lady Medovukha, where are we going? You told me that we were going to meet someone of great reverence. If someone like you were to say that, that means they must be of the Council."
"No, they are not of the Council."
"Hm?"
Tanya raised her brow. Medovukha switched back to Japanese.
"They are a vagabond, to say the least. However, I have a warning for you, Tanya."
They got onto the elevator and headed for the 50th floor of the building. That floor held the meeting room, where multiple branch leaders would converge for reports.
"The warning is...?"
"Don't look into the man's eyes. Although he is someone of great respect, he was cursed by the devil. You joined three years ago, so you probably don't know. Although Weissmann Mori, Hunter, was recognised for concluding the incident with Excalibur nine years ago, this man was both the brain and brawns behind it. He was cursed by the dragon that he helped kill."
"The curse of a dragon... You mean he possesses a stigma?"
The elevator rang as it reached the 50th floor. Medovukha faced the door.
"Just don't look at his face. Even someone as powerful as you will get caught in his rhythm."
She walked out of the elevator and walked down the long corridor to the last door. Medovukha opened the door—a man turned to the door.
Tanya furrowed her brow. She did not look at his face but looked at his chest. Even so, she could still tell.
The man did not have the presence of someone worth grand respect. He was shabby and dirty. His horrid stench could be detected, even from afar.
"Hello, Vera."
"It's been a long time, Master."
"Master?! This person is your master, Lady—"
Shocked by Medovukha's greeting, Tanya instinctively looked at the man's face. He had a fierce beard and jet-black hair. Not to mention, his intimidating amber eyes.
Tanya's heart skipped a beat. She froze. Simply looking into the man's eyes tensed all of her muscles. It felt as though something was clogging her throat. Tanya could not breathe.
She shivered as a dark presence crept behind her. It closed in, enclosing its arms around her. It was the feeling of death.
"TANYA!"
Medovukha shouted, snapping her back to reality.
"Master. Do not test my subordinate."
The platinum-haired woman threatened the man.
He shrugged and looked away from Tanya. Tanya breathed heavily in an attempt to calm herself down. She had never felt so nearer to death than in that singular moment.
"Sorry, it's just a natural tendency. She is a cute one."
"I couldn't bring any of my male subordinates because I know you would make a move on them. So, what did you want to talk about, Master?"
The man sighed.
"Have you heard of the boy named Shoya Sasaki?"
"Yes, I believe it was in a newspaper some years ago. I also have a subordinate who knew him."
"Well, I visited the Emperors and they shared some interesting information with me. That boy was the Black Emperor."
Medovukha winced.
"A boy like that was? Well, it doesn't matter. He's dead, is he not?"
"That's what I thought. Until a few years ago."
Tanya listened silently, thinking about the boy she had met, for a brief moment, back in Altheria.
"Until a few years ago? What do you mean?"
"I found a boy while on my journey. He was dressed in scars and was horribly injured. Although he was a boy, the darkness inside him was unrivalled. At first, I didn't see the resemblance, not until I encountered the White Ankh with them."
"What are you...?"
Medovukha stopped, noticing what he was hinting towards.
"You mean that the boy, Shoya Sasaki, is alive?"
"Yes, and he is one of my subordinates, although, he has no recollection of anything."
"What's the use of coming to me for this? I haven't even met the boy."
"King Solomon is beginning his first move."
Both the women's eyes widened.
"We need all the firepower we have and I believe that if my subordinate remembers who he was, he'll be even more powerful than he already is."