A few meters away, there was an intact alley with few residences hit and ground that seemed safe to walk on. After crawling to the alley, Koji heard something mildly confusing. A piano sound caught his attention, and he calmly approached the gate of the place where the music was coming from.
"When the night has come, and the land is dark, and the moon is the only light we'll see..."
As Ben E. King's song played, Koji noticed the gate was open and murmured curiously about the place's intactness.
"It hasn't suffered anything, how lucky this place is."
He entered and realized the place was a space for grand musical rehearsals. The orange lighting inside gave a retro atmosphere to anyone looking from the outside.
"No, I won't be afraid. Oh, I won't be afraid. Just as long as you stand. Stand by me..."
To his surprise, someone unexpectedly said,
"For a moment there, I thought I'd need to come to you."
Koji looked around and saw the person's leg. Raising his gaze, he recognized it was Sam, the same man who found him on the day of his father Norman Fuller's death and raised him for a few years after losing his parents.
"I'm also surprised by what I saw. Surviving against two Gyakus isn't easy," said Sam, risking a discreet smile but clearly content.
Koji, still unsure if Sam was really in front of him, asked,
"Why are you here?"
"I was compelled. Well, things haven't been going well for a few years."
The atmosphere between them was marked by a veiled discomfort, a result of the shared past. Koji never forgot the days he was left behind: first by his parents' death and then by Sam's abandonment after raising him for five years before disappearing from his life.
These unresolved pain and resentment permeated every interaction between them, making the environment tense despite their sociable behaviors.
"So darlin', darlin', stand by me, oh, stand by me..."
Further into the space, the music played on the piano by a still secretive man with antique lighting around, probably intended to create an ambiance to lead the music.
"Oh, stand, stand by me. Stand by me..."
"Who's that guy?" Koji asked, getting up slowly.
"His name is S. James. He's an independent bearer, just like us. The difference is, he's third class," Sam explained, helping Koji to stand.
"Third class?" Koji didn't know that term.
As the two walked slowly towards S. James, Sam took the opportunity to explain.
"Classes are levels of power that bearers integrate into. You're definitely in the fifth class."
"I guess that's the lowest," Koji commented, dusting off his face.
"That's right."
As Sam said, S. James was a third-class bearer. He was 1.80 meters tall, wore a casual black cury hat, had wavy black hair that went to his cheek. His almond-shaped green eyes with straight eyebrows and a fitting beard. Besides that, he had immeasurable talent with all the instruments one could imagine.
Meanwhile, Sam, as Koji already knew, was also an independent bearer, of an unknown class. Taller than S. James, with brown, layered hair and a serious look that demonstrated his responsibility and confidence. He had a simplicity in his demeanor that made him go unnoticed.
"Brought a guest for rehearsal?" S. James joked, smiling amiably as he walked to the chair in front of the piano.
"This is Koji. An old acquaintance," Sam introduced Koji to his friend.
"A friend of Sam's is my friend too." With a handshake, S. James and Koji finished the introductions.
Koji quickly sat in one of the few chairs in the room and asked,
"Sam told me you're also a bearer. Does your technique have something to do with music?"
"Is it that easy to tell just because of the piano?" S. James commented, putting gloves on his hands and already sitting, ready to play another song.
"Koji, how did you end up here? As far as I knew, you were in Kayka," Sam asked, interrupting the possibility of continuing the conversation between Koji and S. James.
"I came for work. I didn't expect the Gyakus to show up again in the country."
A brief silence fell over them as S. James, focused on his piano, rehearsed the melody he would soon sing. But a pertinent question still lingered in Koji's mind, prompting him to ask Sam.
"Do you know that guy who controls the Gyakus? Any idea who or what brought these creatures back?"
Despite his indifferent expression, Sam realized he needed to answer.
"I know him. His name is Tramen. He's a prism user, a different type of bearer."
Koji pressed on with the second question he asked.
"But who's causing all this? Is Tramen responsible, or are there other people involved?"
"I... can't say for sure, but you don't need to worry about it. Tower agents are already here in the city," Sam reassured, with a disinterested willingness to touch on this topic.
On the tenth floor of an abandoned commercial building in Dynami.
"What information do you have to tell me?" Nahome asked the Tower drone flying over the entire city, with smoke from his cigarette and a serene posture, Nahome sought to find out who was responsible for the appearance of the creatures.
"I have the identifications of those responsible," said the drone.
Nahome took the cigarette out of his mouth and felt his curiosity increase.
"Responsible? There's more than one person involved..."