Areyos Orionis's Point of View
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I then took Nia into my arms. Using my mastery of air and ice, I used a glacial wind as a propellant instead of flames. Due to my Crescent Moon form, my body was cold, making the use of fire impossible. I flew to the Belserion house, entering at high speed through Yoko's bedroom window, fearing her parents would worry at the sight of an unconscious girl with blood-soaked clothes. To my great surprise, Kaiser was also in the room.
"Areyos! What happened to her!?" Yoko exclaimed, approaching with a worried look. She must have guessed that something serious had happened to Nia.
"Is she going to be okay, I hope?" Kaiser asked, his fist clenched, tension palpable in his voice.
"She's better now. I've healed her wounds and taken out those who were after her. But those were just Marlow Moore's bodyguards."
"What!? The owner of Moore Hospital!? How did he know Nia was there?" Yoko asked, her face paling at the mention of that name. Kaiser exchanged a look with me, probably understanding that Bastion Santalio might have breached our agreement.
"I don't know how he found out, but it doesn't matter, he's our target now," Kaiser said with determination. "Do you have a lead, Areyos?"
"Yes. The guard I interrogated told me about a large farm to the south where we could find someone named Valem, Marlow's steward. We just have to make him talk," I replied, my voice cold and resolute.
"Perfect. Did he say anything else?" Kaiser insisted, his gaze searching mine.
"Yes. Marlow is also responsible for the kidnapping of children in Crimsonfall. The guard I eliminated was one of those who kidnapped Seidon and me. He recognized my Crescent Moon form. He told me they were testing various substances to create the most potent poison, then synthesize the most effective remedy from that super poison. But unfortunately for him, Seidon and I prevented the completion of the remedy."
"What!? What kind of monster is this Marlow!? Doing that to children for a remedy, it's unacceptable," Yoko exclaimed, her anger palpable.
"For whom was the remedy? If it was for him, we could exploit that weakness, given he didn't get it," Kaiser asked.
"The guard didn't really know, but it wasn't for Marlow. The remedy was intended for the person he was working with."
I saw Kaiser's expression harden. "I see. We'll interrogate the steward then. Yoko, you can stay here, rest, and take care of Nia."
"Okay. Be careful, guys." Yoko looked worried, but her support was evident.
"It'll be quick, don't worry," Kaiser reassured, though his own gaze betrayed underlying tension.
"I'll see you there, Kaiser. I'll make a small detour beforehand," I said, determined, my gaze piercing.
"I see what you want to do. We'll meet there then. Hurry."
I transformed back to my normal form, and then we parted ways, Kaiser racing swiftly to the farm. I had a visit to make first...
Bastion Santalio's Point of View
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I returned home, a dull sadness overtaking me at the thought of what Mr. Marlow might do to that kind old lady. After all, she was his aunt.
"Good evening, I'm home," I said as I entered the house.
"Dad!" my son exclaimed, running to hug me.
"How are you, son?" I said, smiling.
"I'm doing great, come on, there's someone looking for you," he said, his enthusiasm palpable.
"Oh, who is it?" I asked, intrigued.
"Good evening, dear. You have a visitor from work. I didn't know you were so popular at work," my wife responded with a smile.
"Indeed, he told us how you saved a patient today, you're a hero," added my son, his eyes shining with admiration.
"In fact, he saved an old lady and her granddaughter, ensuring they were okay. Your father isn't one to break his word, is he, Dr. Bastion Santalio?" said the mysterious young man, his voice calm and relaxed, yet masking a threat. A chill ran through me. That voice... I knew who it was.
"Uh... well, yes, that's true," I began, sitting in the armchair, anxiety rising within me. "I made sure they were okay too, but today, a symptom suddenly appeared. We can only hope it passes without causing harm. There's nothing more I can do at my level," I replied, my eyes fixed on the young boy.
"Oh, and is this symptom dangerous? It would be a shame if the lady got sick again," my wife asked, a look of concern on her face.
"Yes, it's more dangerous than one might think. Its appearance could be due to chance..." he said, straightening up "...or perhaps due to a procedural error during the patient's treatment. Follow-up is necessary, hence my role." His gaze became more piercing, his words choking me. By mentioning these two ways of appearance, he was indirectly asking me if the symptom, namely Mr. Marlow, had appeared suddenly, or if I had breached our agreement by warning him, which he implied with his "procedural error."
"Don't worry, colleague. You know how meticulous I was in applying the procedure. One wrong step and the disease could become infectious, endangering other innocent lives," I replied, my voice trembling under the weight of the implicit threat. This was my way of telling him I was aware of the risks I was taking and that I wouldn't want my family and me to pay the price.
The young man scrutinized my face for a few seconds, searching for any sign of deceit.
"I trust you, Doctor. I know how much you care about people's lives, and I don't doubt you applied the procedure correctly during treatment," he said, but I sensed that the trust he placed in me was fragile.
"With that, I'll leave you. I just wanted to ask some questions about the symptom," he said as he stood up, the threat still resonating in his tone.
"Oh, you're leaving already? You haven't even eaten," said my wife, her gentleness contrasting with the anxiety that gripped me.
"It's fine, don't worry. I've already had lunch where I come from. Another time."
"Oh, that's too bad," she murmured, not realizing the gravity of the situation.
"Goodbye, sir. Have a safe trip home," said my son, his innocence making him even more touching.
"Yes, goodbye, colleague. I hope that old lady gets better thanks to you," I wished, my fear slowly subsiding.
"Where she is now, she won't worry about her illness anymore," he said, his piercing gaze fixed on me. I then understood she was already dead. The young man left, leaving me with a sense of relief mixed with overwhelming sadness for the old lady.
Kaiser Mendoris's Point of View
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Upon arriving at the farm, I was attacked by about thirty men in black. I easily subdued them until I encountered someone tougher. He had short brown hair and yellow eyes.
"Interesting, you hit hard, not like your friends," I said, my gaze cold.
"Ahahahaha, I'm not even at 10% of my strength. Entertain me, kid."
"I don't have time for games, tell me where Marlow Moore's steward is," I said, my gaze piercing.
"Why should I tell you?"
"If you value your life, you should talk," I retorted, igniting my fist.
"Ahahahaha come on, I'm waiting for you."
I ignited my aura and propelled myself towards him. We began to fight in close combat. While he covered his arms and legs with metal, I had ignited my fists, then I unleashed a series of rapid attacks hitting my opponent several times, who decided to keep his distance.
"You're very good in close combat, I must admit, but you won't last long against me," said the enemy, his face showing the pain from the ignited blows I had delivered. He fired an orange beam from his finger, which I dodged, but immediately an explosion occurred where the beam had hit.
"Mastery of explosions? Interesting," I murmured.
"Not bad. But try not to move next time, I don't like missing," said my opponent, an arrogant smile on his lips.
" 'Golden Meteors'," I said. A rain of energy balls made from Ki came out of my fist, hitting my enemy head-on, sending him crashing to the ground.
"Sorad!" cried a man in black approaching.
"Sorad? So that's your name," I murmured.
"Get away! He's stronger than we thought, warn Mr—" Sorad said when I suddenly attacked the person he was talking to.
" 'Explosive Shards'," I said, extending my hand, and black volcanic stone spikes materialized through my chakra, piercing the man in black. The spikes began to glow like molten rocks, then an explosion of fire followed. I had just used the gift of fusion, merging an earth and fire ninjutsu into one attack.
"What was that!?" Sorad exclaimed.
"A demonstration of what will happen to you if you don't tell me what I want to know," I replied.
"Arrogant brat," he said. After a war cry, he entered Overcharge mode.
"I feel like we're going to have fun," I said, also entering Overcharge mode.
"The Overcharge mode multiplies power by 10 as long as a higher mode isn't unlocked. Additionally, it multiplies Ki power and lightning-type abilities by 100. So, it's wiser to use lightning and Ki techniques when in this mode. That's certainly what Sorad intends to do," I thought.
" 'Ki Orb'," Sorad said, approaching me at high speed.
" 'Speed'," I said. I used a lightning-type affliction to multiply my speed, and thanks to the Overcharge mode, the 'Speed' affliction, which is a lightning technique, was 100 times more effective, allowing me to dodge Sorad's Ki Orb at high speed, then I counterattacked with a 'Roaring Thunder', a technique that allows me to call down lightning on a target. He was hit head-on, which crushed him to the ground, leaving a gigantic crater.
"It... it's impossible, you can't be faster than an aegyl!" he managed to say.
"Are you going to talk or not?" I said, with continuous yellow lightning running through my body due to the 'Speed' affliction. I slid down into the crater, and Sorad attacked me from a distance with a barrage of Chi Orbs, which I dodged with disconcerting ease, moving around him, landing lightning-fast punches.
"If you think I'll let myself be beaten by a kid like you, you're wrong, 'Explosive Wave'!!!" he shouted. A violent and destructive expulsion of aura in all directions enlarged the crater. But thanks to the 'Speed' affliction, I was able to jump fast and high enough to be out of reach of the explosion.
"What, don't tell me he dodged it!!!" he exclaimed.
"Yes, and I'm in perfect shape," I shouted from high in the air. "I won't use all my power, don't worry."
" 'Omega Blaster'," I shouted, and a large beam of Ki fused with lightning came out of my hand. Sorad tried to move, but the effect of my 'Roaring Thunder' activated. Indeed, ninjutsu can be changed into afflictions before or after their impact. The 'Paralysis' affliction caused by my ninjutsu prevented Sorad from making any move. My 'Omega Blaster' hit him straight on, causing an energy explosion that further enlarged the crater he was in.
"So, are you finally going to talk? Either tell me where Valem is, or tell me where Marlow is," I said once on the ground.
"Kaiser! You're really not discreet!" Rey shouted, flying towards me.
"No time for discretion," I replied, looking annoyed.
"So, any news?" he asked.
"No, when I arrived, Valem had already left. And on your end?"
"Bastion Santalio is innocent, Marlow's arrival was by chance."
"Damn, what bad luck."
"You're very strong for your age, indeed, but don't underestimate Marlow's power. Power can take many forms, and money is one of them," Sorad said before passing away.
"Damn! Wake up! We're not done yet!" I shouted, kicking his chest.
"Stop, he's already dead," Rey said.
"Damn, I thought he'd be more durable." I said, disappointed and annoyed with myself.
"It's not a big deal, I'll call Erina. If Marlow is involved in dark business, there's a good chance she knows something," said Areyos, holding a silver urn in his arms.
"What's that?" I asked.
"Nia's grandmother's ashes. That bastard Marlow forced her to sacrifice herself in front of Nia, then ordered her body be thrown into manure." Areyos replied, the desire to kill Marlow reflected in his eyes.
"What a scumbag, Marlow." I said, clenching my fists. Areyos activated his signet ring and called Erina.
"Hello, Erina?" he said.
"Hi Rey, this better be important for disturbing me in my bath," she immediately responded. I'm not sure what surprises me more, that she answers Areyos even when she's in the bath or how quickly she responds.
"Oh, you're in the bath, let me see," said Areyos, sounding natural.
"Wait," said Erina from the other side.
"Are you guys crazy or what, where's your sense of privacy, Rey!!!" I shouted at him.
"Relax, we were just messing with you," he said with a mocking smile.
"Ahahah, I can't believe that worked, Rey," said Erina from the other side.
"Enough joking, do you know who Marlow Moore is and where we can find him?" I asked.
"That depends, what do you want from him?" Erina asked.
"We want to eliminate him," I said sharply.
"What do you know about him?" Erina asked.
"He's responsible for the Crimsonfall incident, the city where I was held captive when I was 12. He was trying to create an important remedy for a client or ally, I don't know," Rey explained.
"Oh no... you were in that city... I'm sorry but you can't kill Marlow Moore." Erina said, her tone becoming more serious. "The remedy he was looking for was for me, at my brother's request. He promised to find the remedy in exchange for full protection. With his numerous industries in the Aegyl continent, Marlow Moore covers all my brother's businesses on this continent, making him a very important ally for Kayn. Going after Marlow means going after Kayn Shelter."
To be continued...