" Fatherless behavior " = Regular Speech
' Motherless behavior ' = Thoughts
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Kidnapped.
Something the pair of siblings thought never would happen to them in a million years.
I mean, their parents did pay quite the amount so that they may study at a prestigious school were the whole environment was 100 percent safe. So an event such as this one was never suppose to happen.
Slowly coming too, Custodio wakes up in white room where one's breathe could been seen. Feeling an odd and heavy weight on top, he threw what ever was there before straighting out on the couch.
"What the!?"
Waking up in what seemed to be a 10x10 room with a wooden floors and paper walls and a single couch on the right wall, lit dimly by four lanterns. After adjusting to the dim, golden yellow light of the room, Custodio took a moment to recall how the fuck he got here. He'd been walking with the others in tour group before noticing that his sister had taken off somewhere.
Naturally, the platinum blonde went searching high and low for his brunette counterpart. After what seemed to be an hour or two, his searching came up nothing. Resting at a bench right by a large lake(apparently to the , the red sea is just a large lake), the boy was becoming anxious. They leave for heaven in five minutes and still no Custodia.
Maybe some won't mind her disappearing. After all, people like her aren't suppose to be in heaven.
Steeling himself to try once more, Custodio decided to search one last time.
That was going to be the plan. Till the water started. . . Started to whisper. . .
He didn't need to invest his curiosity. The voices had him in a trance. Hook, line and sinker. He was a slave. A zombie looking for fresh meat, heading to the sea. Once knee deep, laws of physics collapsed. The water around him had began to surround him, encasing him in a prison of water–allowing no escape–before swallowing him whole.
Everything was nothing more than a blur afterwards.
"Custodio! You're awake." A famililar, feminine voice calls out, seemingly groaning in pain, rubbing the back of her head.
He knows that voice. It's the voice of the only friend has."Custodia!" The lad jumps off the couch to attend to Custodia."Are you ok! Are you hurt anywhere!"
Throwing a 'are you serious' glare at her younger brother, Custodia sighes before comforting him."I'm fine, sure a bit sore after you threw me off the couch, but mostly fine. In fact, I'd been awake for a while now."
"Thank go- I mean, thank goodness." The answer had its intended effects, lifting an invisible weight off him."Wait, if you had been conscious, do you know where we are?"
Sitting next to Custodio, Custodia sighes, shaking her head."Unfortunately no. All I remember was going to try out some sweets, then, when I was going to rejoin fhe group, coming called out to me. . .before long, I found myself in kneep deep water, before ending up here. You?"
"Same." Looking around the room, the siblings find that there are no windows or a door at all, despite the cold breeze entering the place with no reasonable point of entry. The couch is bolted to the floor, there's no potential weapons. "Did you make contact with our kidnappers?"
Without hesitation, Custodia shakes her head. "No. Haven't heard or seen anything. Although. . . I may be guessing but. . ." She trails off with a frown.
"What? Do have an idea!?"
"It could do with our heritage."
It makes sense. Too much of sense. While he(Custodio) was the son of Thorne and the King's highest ranking advisor, Custodia was the last of the Shugyō, a race very much despised by the others, her being a hybrid made it a whole lot worse.
"That means whoever taken us hostage knows a lot about us."
"Way too much."
"Exactly. And makes what we do know about them a lot more. But at the same time less."
Taking a feel for the air around them, Custodio pales, not liking with what is happening. "I'm not sure. But their Sonzai-no-atsuryoku is ridiculously high."
"Higher than our own?"
"Way higher. Like the amount we leak out without our consent is a light breeze when compared to them. It looks like even if we get out, our lack of control would make it hard to hide."
"That means we have to learn how to control our Sonzai-no-atsuryoku. . . Sounds easy enough for two people that have been living around a race that doesn't emit any."
"That's one reason you both were brought here. And you both will; you both brought here for that, and among other things."
The flat, sophisticated voice startles them. Custodio jumps off the couch, getting in to fighting stance, fists and feet primed and ready to welcome the newcomer. Custodia forms a ball of kaisen, pulling it out till it looks like an arrow, taking aim at the man's head.
Standing at the newly created entrance, was a tall man with a very pastel pink hair that reached his waist, dressed in a clean black hakama and matching thigh-lenght trench coat with a red armband that had a black eight pointed star embroidered in the middle of a white circle, finishing the look off with white boots. Despite his eyes being hidden by the white blindfold, the duo could feel the pure disinterest in them. A daitō hangs all so ominously from his right side from the belt at his waist.
They drop their fighting stance. Fighting him was out of the option. Not an option. The aura he is passively emitting while sophisticated, was terrifying, indirectly telling the duo that he is far beyond anything he has ever witnessed. It just digs into their skin, chiling fleash, blood and bone.As if he could swat them away with just his pinky finger and the end result being a pool of blood(mixed in with a bit of internal organ paste, bone seasoning and whatever they had for lunch as a semi-liquid sauce).
Clearly, in this new, unfamiliar territory, escaping may not be as easy as the siblings try to hope.
"I apologize for the intrusion, but I need you to follow me. His Majesty would like to have an audience with you both." The gentleman says as if it was a order rather than an actual request before turning on his heels and walked off.
They follow him without question. Fighting the man was so far off the table that it's back on the farm, ready and waiting to be plucked. And besides, if they know where they are, then planning an getaway would be as easy as burning food.
Walking through the new found area, the duo took in as to how. . . Alien it feels. For starters, instead of titled floors, dark brown wooden planks were used. The walls seemed to be constructed out of wood and some sort of paper. Lighting up the hallways were warm yellow lanterns–giving off the same 'feel' the seting sun would give.
But still, there are no windows.
Keeping up(staying a comfortable eight steps away from him)with the terrifying anomaly called pinky(The man never gave a name, so here's one the siblings came up with. . .although, they wouldn't dare utter it to his face), they reach and pass through a colossal hall held up by large stone pillars. A sudden chill runs down Custodio's back as alarm bells started ringing.
This is no longer just a ordinary kidnapping.
What makes it more disturbing is that, there are eyes on him, starting at him with very different emotions or no emotion at all.
And they may be far weaker than the man in front of them(either due to them being quite far or pinky's aura messing with their senses or both), they all could end the both of them before a single thought could even pass.
Escaping has just got a lot more harder now.
As if the same thought went through their minds, the siblings close ranks, they are really each other's only ally in this world seemingly filled with beasts and anomalies would decide whether or not they can even breathe.
After walking for a while, they reach a massive door."This is the throne room." He states with a flat tone of voice. "Be mindful of the words you say in front of his Majesty. He may be magnanimous, but is intolerant of disrespect." He process to knock on the door.
"Who is it." A voice, sounding like an adolescent boy who's voice hasn't cracked asked, causing a visible tick mark to appear on Pinky's head.
"It's me, your Majesty." Pinky responses, somehow irked that the voice even posed such a question. "I have the two you requested for."
"Send them in, Siegfried."
Then, the very gates of armageddon open.
Fuck whatever thoughts they had about the others. The presence of the others were frightening and pinky was terrifying, but they both were akin to sweet dreams when being compared the nightmare fuel drowning them, hugging in their bodies like a deadly embrace.
They doesn't want to go inside. They doesn't want to. That's the last thing they want to do. Pinky doesn't give them the grace to even think about fleeing, pushing them inside; no, He doesn't need too. The very power around them drags them, limb by limb like marionettes. They has no will to struggle against the sheer will being forced into them.
"Come closer," Now, on second hearing, the voice doesn't sound like that of an adolescent–it is still not deep– it sounds mature. Someone royal while being in-charge of an army. "I want to take a good look at my second son and second daughter."
Custodio nor Custodia, have the state of mind to dwell on that 'son' or 'daughter' nonsense, they are far too preoccupied with the pressure squeezing the air out of their lungs. Custodia is the first to collapse, dropping on all fours, head a mere centimeter away from the floor with a loud thud. Not even a breath later, Custodio finds himself in the same, subservient pose;one that made him look like he was groveling at the feet of 'king', who was sitting on his throne, right leg crossed over his left.
Taking a quick look, the 'emperor', by first looks, appears no older than eighteen, looking quite feminine, with long, wild hair that seemed to eat the light, chocolate brown skin untouched by any sort of imperfection, only a scar? Birthmark? Running across his face horizontally. deep violet eyes that eroded holes into one's soul, no matter how soft, feminine and seductive they are.
Like pinky, this 'king', wore a black hakama, matching thigh-lenght trench coat, dark violet boots. However, didn't have that red armband on his left arm.
Catching his gaze makes his body shiver, shake and squirm, losing all feeling as the numbness takes hold. Custodio immediately averts his stare back to the wooden floors, trying to find his breath.
"Please, don't be afraid. I won't hurt you." How could a voice be so calming despite the aura singing a different song? Custodio would never know how. "I suppose you do have to right to be. You have no clue what is going on. I am Ludachris Kenzaki, God-emperor and father to all Shugyō. "
Custodia breathing becomes quick and shallow, cause being either her whole world collapsing or the pressure in the room is becoming too much for her, although Custodio doesn't get the chance to ponder before the King starts speaking.
"You were brought here to me as you both are Shugyō , thus my children. Today, I make you my direct children; you both will join my side and army, receiving training in necessary fields and assisting me in my goals."
Bold. He didn't even try to put up any form of pretense making it like they had a choice. But it wasn't like they were going to answer anyway; they couldn't, their mouths feel wield shut.
"Custodia, you are the last of a long line of who so happened to be quite close to me. Glad to see you have some awareness of your heritage."
Custodia's breathing becomes more rapid and hitched, only sound she has ever made since entering the room, clearly, being under that attention and suffocating power only worsened her state.
Was it the pressure of his Sonzai-no-atsuryoku? Or was it the weight of his gaze? Custodio couldn't tell. After that stunt he pulled to see who is dealing with, he won't rise his head. He rather hold this pathetic, lowly subservient pose. If it means that he'll live to see another day, he'll gladly do to.
It's not his first time dealing with authority figures, most of the encounters he had, ended up with him sticking it up with them.
The creature in front of him. . . Doesn't so much even strike him as more of an authority, but much more as a natural disaster. A calamity with flesh, blood, and a conscious.
Fighting a calamity is impossible. One can only hide from its wrath and pray to whatever higher being you acknowledge so that it may avoid you.
"Tell me Custodio, do you have any clue to the truth surrounding your father?" The king asks with. . . A skin crawling amount of amusement. "He. . . He was one of us, a proud , my chosen general. . ." He pauses, seemingly rethinking something. "And since he was one of mine, you are mine as well."
What in the hell?! His father was a what!?
This one statement, one statement, caused Custodio's mind go blank. He would like to think, ponder on this new revelation. But the king doesn't allow that to happen.
"I'll keep this brief; he was one of my generals during the war against the heavens. Later on during the second invasion, he met your mother, saving her from being killed and kept her a pet. After what seemed to be years, as we were making our way to seventh heaven, he. . . betrayed us. . . He casted aside any loyalty to us in favor for them, that betrayal ended up being one of the many nails in our defeat. Flash forward a few millennium later, you came long after they said their wedding vows."
This was. . . More than too much as once. So much so that Custodio couldn't make heads or tails of anything. His father was a general? Was one the worse killers of the ? None of it was sticking or making sense to him. Assuming that it was all true . . .
"You both, Santoshi(Custodio), have the potential to learn abilities and techniques from both Kerafim and Shuygō, making you quite a threat once fully matured. You, Kaoru(Custodia), have the potential to not only learn abilities and techniques from as Shuygō while having the unlimited potential of humans. Another example of a natural disaster waiting to happen. I trust that you both will live up to my expectations. This is for the future of the Mirāwārudo . You are dismissed."
Being dismissed. The siblings, for the lack of any proper words; were over the moon. They don't want to be here. The subjecting aura disparates. It still floats around them like a thick fog. But it no longer orders them to stay still.
They stumble back onto their feet as gracefully as they can must. They dare not turn their backs to Ludacris when they leave, their mind and instinct screaming and howling at them that will be their last mistake if they do.
The armageddon gates close, the oppressive pressure plummets, allowing the duo to finally catch that breath they never knew they were holding. Pinky may be overwhelming powerful, but he has nowhere near the dominating aura like that. . . Like That. . . Like that thing he calls 'his Majesty'.
Even though the ocean of power had vanished, Custodia couldn't find her footing, her knees fail her.
"Custodia!" Custodio catches her before he hits the floor, but he doesn't feel any better. In fact, both are sure that they're supporting each.
"I see that went well." Siegfried says as if it to be expected. "Your meeting had actually made his mood far better. Do please keep up the performance from this moment on. It's one of the few ways you could avoid his ire."
So all the demonic aura that basically bitched them into submission with no effort on the part of the source was just the source being chill? That sounds very good to know. Now they know not to piss him off; feeling the aura of something like that when anrgy was not on their wish list.
"Please follow me, I'll guide you to your new residence. Training will begin at seventeen o hundred hours tomorrow. Don't be late."
Even through he gave off gentlemanly vibe, to them, was far from being one. Pinky doesn't grant them time to get back up, already walking away, not so much as even gracing them with a single glance. Not wanting to be left alone in this hell hole, the siblings follow suit as gracefully as they can.
Pinky takes them to a what seemed to be a different area of the palace they were in, a more livly area(according to Custodio). Once there, Pinky showed them to a room. The room was not like what they were familiar with. The room appeared to be a flat large enough for two. A common sized living room with one three seated couch, one two seater, and one one seater with a medium sized dark oak table and a 80' flat screen plasma TV with surround sound system. Heck! It was even air-conditioned! Like shit! It also came with two bedrooms, a bathroom and a open-planned kitchen. It was too luxurious for a prison cell.
Click. The door is locked.
Custodio and Custodia don't give a damn about if leaving was possible at all. Custodio drags his tired body to the nearest three seated couch and collapses on it. Turing onto his back, Custodio covered his eyes with his arm. Custodia settles herself down on the single person couch, shifting positions till she settles for the fetal position.
For what seemed for eternity, the ticking of the clock being the only other thing other than their breathing echoing throughout the room. Custodia breakes the silence.
"So . . . Mr Albert . . . Was a Shugyō ?" Custodia's face twists into one of disgust and betrayal. "Who would have thought."
That sent him over the edge.
In the face of all that happened today. The whole series of events came rushing in, each repeating hundreds, thousands of times simultaneously.He starts giggling, that giggling turned into full blown madman like laughter; his chest hurted from the spasms, his lungs lacking air. But he still continues to laugh on hysterically.
Peaking out over her knees, Custodio watches on as her little brother dives deep into lunacy with worry and understanding. Oh right, wasn't her world was upended as well? Last of an entire race that nearly succeeded in making heaven no more than a faint memory? That was bullshit.
"This is ridiculous! This is ridiculous! This is ridiculous! This is so ridiculous that it makes sense!" Custodio regress back to chuckling like a loonly man. Once the lack of air kicks in, Custodio stops. Once his lungs fill with air, he immediately goes back to ranting. "That's why people avoid me like the black plague! So that's why he refused to tell me anything about them!"
Assuming that Ludachris was speaking the truth, and nothing but the truth, this answers so many questions he had. But also created new ones in their place.
. . .But nows not the time. He doesn't want to suffer a burnout now. He can feel the ringing in his head grow prominent. He doesn't want to go insane; he has a sister to watch out for.
He isn't going to leave his sister in a place where beasts roam around without any leash.
" . . . " Custodia grimace. While not having psycho episode like her brother, she's everything but sane. She wants to comfort him in an embrace, but her body refuses to move. Taking a deep, needed breath, Custodia turns her glaze to the ceiling, staring at it with quite the blank stare."Well, no use in trying to figure anything out now. . . We have, far more pressing matters now."
Oh great, one more stressor that Custodio needs currently.
Silence takes hold of the room as the siblings just stay there, one laying on couch, one huddled in fetal position, wandering aimlessly in their heads. Both would like the talk. . . That feels like a daunting task in its own right.
Later. That can happen later. Having a talk can come later. It's not like they are going to leave anytime soon.