"Hello Nia," Yoko said as she entered the store cheerfully.
"Hello Miss Yoko," Nia replied shyly.
"Hey Nia, how are you?" I said, entering with Kaiser.
"Hi Nia," Kaiser greeted as well.
"Hello to you, Mr. Rey and Mr. Kaiser," she responded with a timid smile.
"Come on, none of that between us. You can call us by our first names," Kaiser said.
"Understood," she replied.
"I've prepared what you like," she said, bringing out three boxes. The smell coming from them was incredible. No doubt, she had an exceptional gift for cooking.
"I'm running out of ingredients. I need to go buy some. Would you mind watching the store for a bit?" she asked.
"Not at all. We've got the whole day anyway."
"I'll come with you," Yoko said with a kind smile.
"That's sweet. It's not far from here. I usually go early in the morning to avoid the thugs scattered along the road. But I woke up a bit late today because I stayed up all night taking care of my grandmother. So I couldn't make it earlier."
"Isn't she supposed to be in the hospital?" Yoko asked.
"No. I tried to contact the hospital so they could come get her since she can't travel that far, but because it's a noble hospital, they frown upon the idea of someone like me, from the lower class, being able to cover the medical expenses for my grandmother," she said, lowering her head with a sad expression.
"There are plenty of hospitals in Baringer though. Why only that one?" Yoko asked.
"Well, that's because it's the only hospital with the necessary equipment to treat my grandmother. It's the best hospital in the kingdom."
"What's the name of the hospital?" I asked.
"It's Moore Hospital."
"Moore!? Like Director Gold Moore?" Yoko exclaimed.
"Yes, the Moore family has wealth spread all over, but they're not all as kind as Director Gold Moore. Many of them end up becoming arrogant due to their immense fortune."
"How do you know Director Gold?" Kaiser asked.
"Well...how do I say this...He's my uncle. But he doesn't know that, and he must never find out. He has a good heart, but he's not the most powerful in his family. If he learned I exist, he'd likely do everything he could to take me under his wing, and I don't want to ruin his life," she responded with a sad, pensive look.
"I'm afraid I don't understand...how would it ruin his life, and are you saying you're a Moore? Is your full name Nia Moore?"
"Yes, my name is Nia Moore. My life is...complicated...forgive me for not going into detail, but the Moore family are the reason for my difficult past and that of my parents. I don't want story to repeat itself and cause future suffering for Uncle Gold." She responded, looking both pensive and disturbed. Whatever had happened to Nia, we couldn't just leave her like that. Anyone could have fallen into madness, taken their own life, or become lost. But she had the courage to hold on, which I greatly admired.
"But I don't understand one thing—how could someone as wealthy and powerful as Mr. Gold be destroyed overnight?" Yoko asked.
"At a certain level of wealth, money is no longer just a means of buying things. It becomes a weapon. When you have enough of it, you can not only build empires, but also destroy them. One check is enough to send someone's life into chaos," Kaiser replied.
"Wow…" Yoko murmured in awe.
"But why don't you let them know you're a Moore?" Kaiser asked.
"I'm a rejected Moore, just like my mother was. And the owner of the hospital knows it. So if he found out that I want to have my grandmother treated there, he would shut the hospital doors on us forever," she said.
"I see," Kaiser responded.
Nia Moore's Point of View
--------------------------------
I don't know why, but I felt comfortable talking to them about my troubles, even though I kept some things to myself, afraid of disturbing them.
"Nia, prepare your grandmother. Tomorrow you'll be admitted to the hospital, and she'll receive all the necessary treatment," Areyos told me, with such a natural tone that it seemed like he had control of the situation. He exuded a charismatic and assured aura, while remaining relaxed and nonchalant. Normally, I would have doubted such a request, but there was something different about him. It was almost as if I couldn't refuse. I began to wonder how Yoko could be so calm and at ease with them. Was it because they had known each other for a long time?
"O-okay, I'll prepare my grandmother for an appointment tomorrow," I replied simply, doubt still lingering in my mind.
"They'll come pick her up from your place, don't worry," he added.
"Rest assured, Rey will handle it," Yoko reassured me.
"Does he have a contact there, or someone who could get me in?" I asked.
"It's unnecessary. I've never been to a hospital, so I never thought it important to have a contact there," Areyos responded, sounding so natural, as if it were normal to never have visited a hospital in one's life.
"Huh? But then, how are you going to do it?" I asked, confused.
"You can't ask Mr. Gold out of fear that he'll eventually discover everything, and even if you knew someone in a high position, they'd still need to fill out certain forms to indicate your grandmother's full name and the person who would be allowed to visit beyond visiting hours. Even if you managed to keep that information private, it would still be in the hospital's database, and if Marlow Moore found out, who knows what he might do to my grandmother?" I asked, worried.
"Let me handle it," Areyos said with a smile.
"Didn't you have supplies to restock?" Kaiser asked, implying that I was worrying unnecessarily and should focus on the task at hand.
"Come on, Nia, the supplies won't restock themselves," Yoko said, taking my hand.
"Alright...let's go," I said, looking at Areyos for a moment before leaving...who is he, really?
Areyos' Point of View
--------------------------------
"Do you need help?" Kaiser asked me.
"If you could help me track down the name of the head doctor, that would save me some time."
"He should be in dad's database. He has informations on everyone in the kingdom. As long as you're not looking for someone high-ranking, it should be easy to pull up the info."
"Great, thanks, Kaiser."
Suddenly, the door opened, and a group of three people walked in, accompanied by a familiar face. It was Melo, the guy from Erina's team who hadn't said a word during the history debate.
"Well, well, isn't it Areyos and Kaiser," he said with an arrogant smile.
"Sorry, but who exactly are you?" Kaiser asked, sounding uninterested.
"I see you have a short memory. I'm Melo Stinger."
"Oh, that's why I didn't recognize you. I have a hard time remembering the faces of underlings," Kaiser replied, digging his pinky finger into his ear and looking away.
"Say that again !? How dare you talk like that to the boss?" said one of the three guys accompanying Melo, stepping closer to Kaiser.
"Ahh," Kaiser sighed, eyes closed, before opening them. A red gleam shone in his gaze as he activated his Kengan. He looked at the ground, and a crack appeared, marking a boundary not to cross.
"Cross this line, and I'll make sure to sever your veins with surgical precision," Kaiser declared, his voice low and icy, each word carrying a palpable threat.
The guy immediately took a step back, terrified. "Easy, we were just stopping by to buy something for tomorrow. But it looks like the shopkeeper isn't here, so we'll leave," Melo said, still keeping his arrogant smile, though it poorly masked his fear.
"We're leaving," he ordered the other three. They left the shop. We waited about 15 minutes before the girls finally returned.
"Did you find everything you needed?" I asked.
"Yes, this should last until next week," Nia replied.
"Cool," Kaiser said.
"Did you have any customers?" Nia asked.
"Yeah, some weird guys," Kaiser said.
"Ah, probably Melo and his gang," Nia said.
"Do they bother you sometimes?" Kaiser asked seriously.
"No, as long as he gets his orders on time, there's no problem, and that suits me just fine. Please don't get into trouble with him," Nia pleaded.
"Don't worry, we don't want to put you in danger," I reassured her.
"Alright, enough talk. Let's taste this delicious meal our little Nia made for us," I added, opening my box. We decided to have our snack at Nia's before going to train. We left as soon as we finished. Finally, we arrived at the garden of the Mendoris Manor and began training.
"What weapon did you bring, Yoko?" Kaiser asked.
"A longsword," she said, pulling it out of her dimensional ring.
"Wow, that sword is amazing!" I said, admiring it. It was a magnificent gold sword, with engravings along both sides, and between the blade and hilt, a pair of golden wings pointing upward.
"Where did you get it?" Kaiser asked.
"It belonged to my sister."
"Your sister must have been rich to afford a weapon like that," Kaiser said, surprised.
"And what about you guys?" Yoko asked. So, we pulled out our weapons. Kaiser brandished his golden axe.
"Wait!! That's Sky Breaker, your dad's axe, isn't it?!" Yoko exclaimed.
"Yeah, how do you know that?" Kaiser asked, surprised.
"I studied everything there is to know about the army members, their operations, and the weapons they use, including personal weapons," Yoko replied passionately.
"You're a walking encyclopedia," Kaiser said, surprised. "Sky Breaker… I like the name," he added, looking at his axe.
"And what about you, Areyos? Let's see your weapon," Yoko asked. I then pulled out the Chaos Blades, and she recognized them immediately.
"Do you have any information on this weapon?" I asked.
"Yes, but you won't like it," she replied.
"I'm listening."
"In general, weapons are classified either based on their effectiveness or the materials they're made of, ranging from F to SSS rank. In terms of effectiveness, Kaiser's axe is rated S, because anyone who wields it sees their chances of winning a fight increase drastically. My sword is also ranked S in terms of effectiveness... but the Chaos Blades are in a different category," she said, taking one of the blades.
"First of all, their size. Each of these eight blades is only 15 cm long. Weapons like these are primarily used as projectiles, and if you don't have a way to retrieve them, you lose them. It's not like a bow where the ammunition is easy to find, make, or buy. The Chaos Blades aren't replaceable, and their shape can't even be modified. Not to mention the handles—if you can even call them that—are too short to be held and used like small combat knives. Because of all that, this weapon's effectiveness drops to D rank," she added.
"Seriously?! Why did Barrios create such a special weapon that's so useless?"
"Apparently, Thaleus himself requested it and even provided the plans," Yoko said.
"Maybe the power these blades hold is really strong," I tried to reassure myself.
"I don't think so. The powers of weapons come from your energy systems. So, if you don't have significant power, don't expect these blades to have any," Yoko said.
"How did Thaleus fight with them, then, and why were they among his favorites? It was still his second-best weapon. The guy's strange," Kaiser said.
"I'll find a way to fight with them... I just need some time."
"Honestly, Areyos, if I were you, I'd change weapons. You're great with a sword. I still use the techniques you taught me when I was younger. Use a saber or something like that so we can be two," Yoko said, handing back the blade.
"It's fine, don't worry, I'll find a way. Though I don't plan on abandoning my swordsmanship," I replied.
"But why are you so determined to fight with them? Is it just because Thaleus used them?" Kaiser asked.
"Not at all. It's just that if even the army considers this weapon ineffective in close combat, but that didn't stop Thaleus from becoming a legend, it means there's a unique way to fight with it that would be counterintuitive for opponents. It also means no one will be prepared for this weapon because they've never seen it. It gives the advantage of surprise," I argued.
"Wait... yes, you're right. Normally, if you're a swordsman, you can recognize certain moves from your opponent because sword techniques are well-established. But in the case where you'd find a way to fight in melee with a weapon meant to be a projectile, that could be very dangerous for the opponent, but also for you if your method doesn't work," Kaiser told me.
"Let's see. We'll improve with today's training," Yoko said.
We spent the whole afternoon training. I tried many different ways to use the blades effectively, but too often, I had to retrieve them after throwing them. But then I had an idea.
"Give it up, Rey. You can see you're wasting your time," Yoko said, pointing at me with her sword.
"Hahaha, you don't know me well," I replied. I threw one of the blades directly at Yoko's forehead. She blocked it with her sword, sending the blade into the air behind her, but this time, instead of trying to create distance between Yoko and myself, I moved closer and threw a second blade at her foot. She jumped back, dodging the blade, and at that moment, while she was still in the air, she felt something cold brush the side of her neck.
"What was that??" she asked, shocked. She saw one of the blades returning to me, seemingly from the air.
"It's just the first blade you deflected. It was still in the air, so I just recalled it with my metalbending," I said, smiling as the remaining seven blades levitated in a circle behind me.
"I found an interesting way to use them. I won't touch them anymore," I said, pointing the blades at Yoko while crossing my arms.
"You've got to be kidding me," she said, rushing at me. She struck a direct blow with her sword, but I dodged the attack to the side. She followed me with her eyes and prepared to slash horizontally in my direction, but Kaiser shouted for her to stop.
"But why are you stopping me, Kaiser? I was about to get him again," she asked, confused.
"He got you... look at your jugular..." Kaiser said.
She then lowered her gaze to the opposite side of where I was standing and saw the silver blade pointed at her jugular.
"He drew your attention by dodging to the side to create a blind spot through which he could attack you without you noticing. The movement was so fast that you didn't even realize he had only seven blades floating behind him. If you were an enemy, you might already be dead," Kaiser added.
"No way... when did you... Grrr, I always lose to you," she pouted.
"But Yoko, you won all day long. I had to win at least once," I said, trying to comfort her.
"It doesn't count. You were testing a new weapon, you weren't fighting optimally, so of course, I won," she said, still holding the same expression.
"You'll win next time, I think we've trained enough for today. Besides, I can feel it's going to rain," I said, storing my weapons in my dimensional ring while looking up at the sky.
I walked Yoko home while Kaiser was gathering information about Moore Hospital and its staff. The wind was picking up, signaling an incoming downpour. "Hey, I'm home!" Yoko said as she opened the door.
"Looks like no one's here," I said, glancing around her house. Yoko's house was moderately sized, but still much bigger than the one she had before we met.
"Come on, let's go up to my room while my parents are out. I need to show you something," she said.
"Okay," I replied indifferently. We walked up the stairs until we reached her room. It was extremely tidy; even the blanket on her large bed was perfectly smooth without a single wrinkle. "Sit on the bed, I'll show you something." I sat on the bed while she rummaged through her drawers. She then went into the bathroom for about two minutes.
"Uh, Yoko? Everything okay?" I asked.
"Yeah, yeah, just wait a minute," she replied.
She finally came out holding a journal.
"You sure took your time," I said, sounding relaxed.
"Sorry about that. Here, take a look—it's my sister's journal. I found it in her ring when my parents gave it to me this year."
"And why should I be interested in this?"
"I want you to take pictures of the journal so we can continue the investigation she was on before she got killed."
"Huh? An investigation?"
"Yeah. My parents kept the journal, afraid that I'd find out her killer is still alive. She and her squad were on a private matter, an unofficial mission. And here's where it gets interesting—she talks about infiltrators in Baringer trying to steal energy crystals."
"Energy crystals? What are those?" I asked.
"I have no idea. I was hoping you'd know, but since Kaiser can access the military archives… I thought maybe…"
"…Maybe I could ask Kaiser to research them."
"…Exactly. And since you're a genius and all, you might be able to connect the dots between the investigation's data and figure out the killer's true identity," she said, sounding a bit shy.
"What makes you think the killer is still alive?" I asked. She sat on the bed and leaned toward me, flipping to the last written page of the journal. She pointed to the final lines that read:
"General, this may be my last message. The enemy has killed all my men. I can no longer sense their Ki and I detect their lifeless bodies on the ground. I managed to escape, but I fear he will soon find me with his shadow army. The enemy plans to seize the energy crystals, though I couldn't discover for what purpose. The enemy strikes like a shadow and can—"
"Unfortunately, the end is illegible. That's probably when she got killed. She must have put the journal away instinctively before it happened," Yoko said, her voice a mix of sadness and anger.
"But there's something odd about all of this… Apparently, there was one survivor, and he was the one who brought us the news of Megane's death. He also brought back her weapons and her dimensional ring, as per protocol. I would recognize that tearful soldier's face from that night among a thousand. I'll tell you the whole story another day, but that's not what matters right now. What I find strange is that when you go back a few lines before the end of Megane's message…"
"The enemy has killed all my men."
"What the…? Her squad was wiped out, just like she said. So, who's the soldier who came back and delivered the news to everyone?" I said, shocked.
"You know what this means? Megane's killer is still at large and is even here, within Baringer, continuing the mission," Yoko said, her voice icy. Thunder rumbled right after those words, and it began to pour.
"I'll inform Barrios. I know how strong your sister was. Her killer must be someone we can't take on alone. Plus, between classes and our training, we won't have the time to fully commit to this. It's the best thing to do," I said.
"...Yeah, you're probably right," she said, lowering her head.
"We'll still do our part, don't worry," I said, ruffling her hair.
"Thanks, Rey, for always being there for me," she said, a melancholic smile on her lips, her eyes brimming with tears that refused to fall.
"You're like the little sister I never had, Yoko," I said, standing up from the bed. "I have to go. There's something I need to take care of."
"Is it about Nia?" she asked, wiping her tears while I took pictures of the journal using my ring.
"Yes. I wish you a good night," I said, then kissed her on the forehead, making her blush. I left her room and walked out of the Belserion house. What I had just learned at Yoko's was spinning in my head. I couldn't wait to talk to Kaiser and Barrios about it, but it would have to wait. Kaiser had found what I asked regarding Moore Hospital. He sent me the address of Mr. Bastion Santalio, the head doctor of Moore Hospital.
Bastion Santalio's Point of View
--------------------------------------
The night was shaping up to be very stormy. It had been a long day at the hospital. My wife and son went to bed early that evening. I went downstairs from my room to grab a glass of water. It was pitch dark, and the light from the lightning bolts pierced through the large windows of the living room, revealing a humanoid silhouette in the middle of it.
"Is someone there?" I asked, stepping closer, slowly losing my composure. Another flash of lightning illuminated the room for a brief moment before the deafening sound of thunder followed. During that short instant, I saw a man standing still, right in front of me.
"W-who are you?! And how did you get into my house?!" I asked, panicked.
"Calm down, you wouldn't want to wake up your wife and son upstairs, would you?" he said in a chilling voice. No doubt, this was an assassin, and I was probably going to lose my life tonight.
"What do you want from me? Money? I can give you some, but please let me live."
"Is that so? Well, perhaps we can come to an agreement. I've written an address on a piece of paper that I'll place on the table. Tomorrow, I want you to go there and retrieve my grandmother for treatment. Burn the piece of paper—no trace of it must remain, or you're dead. My little sister will also be coming for the visits on my behalf. I do not want either of them to be registered in the hospital's database. Furthermore, don't ask for their family name. Do we have an agreement, Mr. Bastion Santalio?" he said in a calm yet chilling tone, making my breath slow and my legs tremble.
"I-I understand, sir," I replied, my voice trembling.
"Good. But be crystal clear on this—if you seek help to catch me, if you let my grandmother die, if you break the rules of the agreement, or if you try anything funny, know that you won't have to wait until your hair turns gray to rot in a coffin."
Just after those words, another flash of lightning lit up the room, but it was empty. The mysterious man had vanished as silently as he had appeared. Thunder followed, snapping me out of my thoughts…
To be continued…