Disruptor used the same strategy to make everyone in the room pass out. They didn't have suits, so it was easier. When they were almost dead, she returned to the air to take off her astronaut helmet. She wasn't used to wearing helmets, so she had to take them off.
The efforts paid off: no one suspected that someone was breaking into the cannon's control room anymore. She sighed, finally resting. She looked at the satellite cameras. In Tokyo, there was a huge energy building up. It was so powerful that even the space station could sense something coming towards it.
At Osaka:
— Darling, tomorrow is Yuto's birthday! How could we forget?
— Damn, you're right! We were so worried about him that we forgot!
Yuto's parents were in their apartment, discussing important matters. The mother suggested:
— Let's go! Tomorrow is special, we can't leave it for another time!
— Yeah, we can think about the other things later. Should we tell him?
She thought for a moment and then smiled smugly.
— Nah, let it be a surprise.
The two went to Tokyo to meet their son. Since the city was quite large, they had difficulty getting around. They got off the bullet train, wondering where to go first.
Yuto was agonizing in his bed, staring at the ceiling aimlessly.
You know what? I really don't care about anything. They wanted to be my friends, they knew they were going to die... it's their fault...
He thought of that photo he saved on his phone. They were happy together. Even Unizard, his old enemy, was enjoying the trip. He began to cry silently.
Who am I trying to fool? If I didn't care, I wouldn't be thinking about it...
A message was sent to his phone. He picked it up, thinking it would just be a useless notification. But he needed any kind of attention to stop thinking about immutable facts. It was almost midnight.
I thought it was still day... I feel like I killed my best friends minutes ago...
The message came from an unknown number. It said:
— Hi, Yuto, I'm Akari, Tatsuya's son. I know this is sudden, but I need to talk to you as soon as possible. Can you meet me?
Akari sent his coordinates.
How did he get my number? Tatsuya must have given it to him in case he died... I need to go.
Yuto finally got out of bed and headed towards the building where Akari was. It was a bridge between two skyscrapers. The walls were made of windows that looked out onto the night city.
— Ah, Yuto! Thank you for coming here, and sorry for disturbing your sleep!
He saw Akari across the long hallway. His golden hair and blue eyes were the same as the ones Genesis saw at the convenience store.
— Hi...
— You know, there were a lot of people I wanted to ask before you, but I had no other choice. The Boss suggested I meet you.
Yuto widened his eyes in confusion. Why would the Boss say that?
— The Boss? How does he know you? I mean, you're the son of a level 7, but you have nothing to do with the association...
— My dad... he's the reason I asked you to come here.
I knew it... it's hard to say it to his face, but I can't back down. He's just a kid. A very unlucky kid, because of me...
When Yuto looked into Akari's eyes, the boy was no longer smiling.
— You know those games where you choose a dialogue, but nothing significant changes? This moment is not one of them.
— What do you mean?
— What happened to Tatsuya?
— He... he's not alive...
— And Koharu?
— Your mother? She's... dead too...
— Because of whom?
Yuto froze for a moment. He knew he was the one to blame, because no one would have died if he hadn't returned to Tokyo. He was the root of all the problems, but not the gardener. Someone nurtured this root for their own interests, while keeping their hands clean.
Maybe they wanted him to feel this way? What about the others? They also nurtured the tree, while pruning the tree to solve some of the other problems, while sacrificing their own branches. They smiled at their own decision, blaming themselves.
But... what if Yuto deserved all the blame? He was strong enough to kill basically anyone in the world, but he kept restraining himself to "observe" the situation, doing nothing when he needed to.
This tree was now about to fall to pieces. The branches were used to make a bridge to the other side, but what would be the point of crossing it alone? He had to do something, but he was unwilling.
That's why everything bad happened around him. He had the power to change things, but he refused to see the bigger picture. Doing nothing changes things, usually for the worse. Doing something has a chance of making them better.
He always liked to blame others, to feel less pressured. But deep down, the emotional residue went to his head. He wanted to believe he was doing the right thing, but everything pointed to the opposite. He wanted to feel included, loved, but that had to be earned. He deserved nothing more than blame. Not for doing the wrong thing, but for refraining from doing anything at all.
Even if he tried to do something, it would never be enough. Why? Because there were things that even he couldn't do. His all-powerful sister was also incapable of doing many things. Doing nothing is much easier than doing everything. Settling for less than everything is unacceptable for young people.
Is it their fault? Obviously not. But they are the roots of a young tree, waiting to be nourished by the gardener's guilt. The branches eventually fall off and feed other trees, passing on the blame.
— Yuto?
— Ah, yes... I am the root.
— Of what?
— Of all the bad things that are happening now. Your father died because of me.
— I thought Slade killed him.
Yuto hesitated for a moment. That boy was certainly not a normal boy. He knew more than he seemed.
— Slade...? Wait, how do you know that?
— Have you ever heard of karmic value? It is when you are the center of many important events. They may make you stronger or weaker, but your karmic value increases. It always affects the bearer in some way.
— What...?
— Do you know why the strongest always remain the strongest? Because they are very important to the world. Since they are already strong, their karmic value only increases their power.
— So... my sister, she...
— She protected you, while being protected by otherwordly beings. Do you know why you are stronger than most level 7s, despite being ranked as the weakest years ago?
— Because... I got stronger with time?
— How? You didn't exercise any more than Slade, but you managed to hold your own for the most part.
What's he talking about? 7-Up, my power... he's right, they shouldn't have evolved so much in a few wasted years... that means...
— You are the center of many major events, Yuto. Your karmic value increases with every second.
Wait, that can't be true... was my sister's death a major event? Were my friends' deaths major? To whom, the Boss?
— As you may know, you are not the only one in the spotlight.
Wait, is he talking about Haji? I still don't know anything about her past, but she's as fragile as a child. Does that mean her karmic value has been protecting her all this time, not me?
Akari pointed his finger at Yuto, like someone blaming a criminal. A small ball of light appeared in front of his index finger.
— Yuto, you're not the only special being in this world. My father returning in time multiple times because of me and my mother... increased our karmic value, not his.
Was he talking about himself? He may be the son of a level 7, but he's just a child. A child with a simple power to summon balls of light... wait, light...?
Yuto remembered the incident at the mall, where he, Genesis, and Haji were blinded for minutes. The onlookers mentioned a child on top of Caliel before she disappeared. Light... a power related to light...
No way, this can't be-
— I'm Hakkiri, the strongest level 7.
Hakkiri increased the light at his fingertip. It became so bright that everything turned white. Not just the corridor, which was now destroyed. A quarter of the city disappeared instantly. A light stayed there for a millisecond and then nothing, not even ash. The surroundings were burned by the heat, but what was consumed simply turned into nothingness. The air current changed drastically because of the heat, causing a storm to form.
— Darling, it's midnight now!
— Let's send a message to Yuto, then we can meet-
Dead. Just two out of millions.