Blank accepted the explanation of the current situation easier than Zon and agreed to help us. According to the red book, Blank was the most "Sir, yes, sir!" person of all the Crusaders, but she would expect the same determination from us.
Unfortunately, what was supposed to be a day of resting and planning our next steps turned into hell, as Blank made sure we met her expectations.
-XXXXXX-
"WAKE UP!"
I stood up startled, almost falling out of bed due to the unexpected scream. Calming my breathing and searching for the source of the noise, I saw the white grimoire glaring at me with what I thought was irritation.
"This is no time to relax, soldier! You need to improve your skills to continue with your missions and avoid repeating the same mistakes!"
"Please don't tell me you will act like Mars. What time is it, isn't it too early for that?" I grumbled, rubbing my eyes as I yawned.
"It's four in the morning." Blank replied, making me freeze as I widened my eyes in surprise.
"Four in the morning?! The neighbor's rooster hasn't even woken up yet! I'm sorry, but I almost died repeatedly yesterday. I want to rest now! Wake me up tomorrow!" I said irritably, grabbing my blanket and lying down again.
I closed my eyes and let sleep return, I felt my consciousness disappearing and my body becoming lighter, as if I floated among the clouds, but I soon shivered when I felt a cold breeze and realized my blanket was missing.
Frowning in discomfort, I opened my eyes and noticed that the floating sensation was not my impression, as I laid on an energy board. I only had time to scream when the board tilted aside, sending me towards the ground.
"FUCK!"
"Watch your language, I don't want that vulgar words under my roof, the same goes for your laziness!"
"Under your roof?! Since when do you own anything here?! Jekyll and I bought this house!" I exclaimed, struggling to stand up, and glared at the book.
"Those are just unnecessary details." Blank replied with a hint of embarrassment, returning the glare.
"What the hell is all this noise, can't anyone sleep in peace in this shit?!" Zon shouted, invading my room with his usual bad mood.
"Watch your tongue!" Blank scolded Zon.
"PSH! Don't give me that talk! What are you doing here, military training?" Zon joked, but he backed away slightly when he noticed our impassive looks.
"For God's sake! Don't tell me you're going to do this!" The red book exclaimed.
"You'll be participating too! Jekyll and Hyde told me about your poor performance during the rescue operation. It seems that centuries of inactivity have rusted you and made you forget your training!" The white book responded in the same tone.
"Don't think I'll be a part of this nonsense! The Legion lost, we're not at war, most of our superiors are dead and we're no longer human! What's the point of this?! Let's just save what humanity remains and move on with our lives!"
"And how we will do that if you faint every time you use too much power?!"
"Listen here you…"
Soon both books got into a long and heated argument, much to my despair and frustration. It was too early for this, but there was no point in trying to sleep again with these two screaming in my ear.
I rubbed the bridge of my nose, put on my slippers, and left my room, heading towards the kitchen to prepare my breakfast.
"Ready to start the day, Hyde?" Jekyll spoke in my mind, slightly surprising me.
"Not now, it's too early for that," I mumbled tiredly, grumbling as I heard the Gestalt laughing at my suffering.
-XXXXXX-
I left my house, closing the door behind me as I dressed in light clothes with the addition of the hat I got from the military base. According to Jekyll, this was a camouflage cap, part of the standard uniform of the old soldiers who fought there.
He also explained to me about the strange toys I found, pieces used together with maps to develop strategies. Hm… I believe the village guards must do something similar, but that didn't matter now, I placed the pieces as decoration on the shelf in the living room.
Well, time to start my routine torture from today on. I breathed deeply and ran around the village.
I ran across the grassy plain while greeting the neighbors and farmers I met along the way, receiving a confused wave in return or incomprehensible whispers.
Surprisingly, nothing unexpected happened so far, walked around while my breathing and heart gradually accelerated, along with the sweat running down my face.
I lost count of how many laps I did, but I believed I would already be exhausted if it weren't for Jekyll strengthening me. And to think that I will only get stronger in the future, I wonder what my limit will be.
"You're doing well for your first day of training." Blank spoke from inside the bag hanging on my shoulder.
"It's not my first day, Jekyll trained me before you even joined the group." I replied between heavy breaths.
"If that's the case, then I hope you don't mind if I increase the number of laps." Blank joked, making me stumble in surprise in the middle of the run, but I soon regained my balance.
"DAMN IT!" I shouted with all my might, surprising some men who tended the fields, but that didn't stop Zon from worsening my mood even further.
"HAHAHA!"
I did my best to ignore his laughter, almost entering into a trance that only broke when I heard someone calling me.
"HYDE!" Jekyll shouted, making me shout back without thinking.
"WHAT?!"
I shut up and blushed in embarrassment when I saw a white-haired boy running beside me. It seemed like Nier would faint at any moment while trying to keep up with me, so I slowed down, making him sigh relieved.
"I'm sorry!" He quickly replied as if he had done something wrong.
"We passed Nier five minutes ago, he followed us and tried to get your attention ever since. I think he wants to train with you." Jekyll summarized the situation as I nodded internally.
"No need to apologize, it was all my fault for not paying attention. What are you doing here?" I said, smiling slightly.
"I usually train early in the morning and I saw you doing the same, so I thought there would be no harm in doing it together." Nier replied, returning the smile.
"Don't get me wrong, but aren't you a little young to be doing this kind of thing? I know I'm not that old, but I only started my heavy training recently." I said, shuddering internally as I remembered my little adventures.
"Oh, it is okay, I do this to get stronger and better protect and care for Yonah, I also do SHADES elimination missions with the guards sometimes, to ensure the village's safety and its surroundings."
I gritted my teeth and blew air through them after hearing the answer, feeling Jekyll go silent immediately, but Nier seemed to notice my strange reaction.
"Is there a problem?" He asked with a mix of confusion and concern, so I thought of a lie.
"I just find it wrong and worrying that Devola and Popola would allow you to do something so dangerous. Shouldn't that be the guards' responsibility?"
"They made very clear that they don't approve my actions, but Yonah and I don't have our pockets full all the time, so every little bit counts. Besides, I don't do the missions as often thanks to the money you gave me. I don't know how to say this, we save as much as possible, but…" Nier trailed off, looking away as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"Do you want to know if I have any work available for you?" I asked, holding back a laugh.
"Yes, if it's not a bother!" He replied with an expectant expression.
Hm… Nothing come to mind now, maybe later… No, wait! There's one thing that might help Jekyll and I.
"You can help me with something, but I don't know if it's the kind of work you're looking for." I spoke hesitantly, wondering if it would be a good idea to involve him in this mess.
"Tell me, please, it's like you said, maybe I can help."
"Okay, I'd like you to be my informant about strange things." I sighed tiredly.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Have you ever noticed the ruins scattered around the world, the strange colossal buildings crumbling and falling apart?"
"Yes, although my parents warned me since I was a child about not entering such places, they are said to be haunted by ghosts from the past." Nier spoke seriously, looking around as if the ghosts in question would appear before him.
Oh, I thought the same until I discovered that these ghosts are real and made of metal, ready to kill you in any way possible. If only you knew what I did lately.
"Luckily for you, I don't want you to enter that kind of place, but I do need you to keep your eyes and ears open for any rumors related to them. You could say I'm a bit of an amateur adventurer, and I enjoy exploring these ruins to find valuable treasures and relics from the past." Which isn't exactly a lie.
"I don't know, wouldn't that be robbery?" Nier asked, grimacing.
"Is it robbery if everything has been abandoned and left to the elements?" I asked in return.
"That begs the question at what point does it stop being grave robbing and become archaeology." Jekyll commented as Nier fell into deep thought.
Great, archaeology! Another word I don't know the meaning of.
"I just need to tell you about the rumors, right?" Nier said, pulling me out of my thoughts.
"Exactly, leave the rest to me." I replied, raising my thumb.
"So, when do I start?" Nier asked excitedly.
"As soon as possible, if that's okay. Stop by my place later and I'll pay you in advance as a token of trust, but how about we leave the details for later and continue our run? I doubt you'll be able to keep up with me." I joked, smiling arrogantly.
"Is this a challenge?" Nier asked in the same tone, returning a smile.
Then, with a nod, we ran at full speed, racing around the village until we were exhausted, stopping near the library in the distance. I admit I had fun, but I couldn't ignore the tightness in my chest for using Nier like that, he didn't deserve to be involved in this mess.
-XXXXXX-
I said goodbye to Nier, waving to the boy who returned to the village, while drinking from my canteen. Hm… Maybe I should invite him and his sister for lunch, I'd like to repay the hospitality from before.
"He seems like a good boy." Blank spoke inside the bag.
"Mph! I find him annoying with his goody two shoes attitude!" Zon grumbled.
"Don't talk about him like that, he just wanted to talk to his friend!"
"He wanted our money, that's it!"
Soon, both books argued again. I ignored both of their shouts, focusing on the library in front of me while I still stood on the break that Blank gave me.
"Getting an informant was a smart move." Jekyll spoke.
"Yes, but I feel horrible for doing this, I'm using someone else for my benefit."
"But didn't we do the same thing in Seafront?"
"Yes, once, I don't want this to become a habit."
"Your concerns are valid, Nier won't enter any of the facilities, but it's like you said, this can't become a habit, otherwise you'll end up like… Like…"
"Jekyll?" I asked, worried.
"Nothing! Weren't we going to enter the library to search for maps?"
I narrowed my eyes in suspicion since something was wrong, but I didn't want to force him to answer. Putting that aside, I reviewed in my mind the reason for our visit to the library.
We didn't know exactly where the next facilities were. Jekyll had a general idea, but his fragmented memories and the violent change in the geography of the region over the centuries made it difficult to find.
Maybe the library has some maps or records of locations with strange ruins, similar to the Aerie military base. However, there was a problem, Popola, the librarian, and Jekyll. I didn't want to repeat the same disaster as before.
"Are you ready?" I asked the Gestalt.
"No, but we don't have much of a choice. I'll try to keep myself under control, I still don't know why I react so chaotically to the presence of the twins."
"I just hope you don't do the same in front of other girls, or I'll never get a girlfriend." I joked, trying to lighten the mood.
"Hump! I could give you some advice."
"Advice from a thousand years old man?! No, thanks! When was the last time you went on a date?" I asked and laughed with all my might when Jekyll groaned and fell silent.
So, I entered the library and saw rows of bookshelves and walls with shelves full. A few people sat at the tables, reading, but I searched for the keeper of this place.
I spotted a red blur on the floor above, so I went up the stairs to my left, and found the red-haired twin organizing some books on the shelf in front of her.
I raised my arm, ready to get her attention, but I frowned when I saw the limb moving without me wanting it to. Fortunately, Jekyll controlled himself and I moved normally.
"Popola!" I shouted her name, but I flinched when she jumped in surprise and dropped the books she held.
I ran to help her, mentally kicking myself as my face heated up, and crouched down beside her.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!" I said quickly.
"Don't worry, it was just a slip." Popola replied, giving me a comforting smile.
"Right, I believe we've met before, right?" I asked as I stood up, returning the books.
Popola stared at me for a few seconds, until her eyes widened slightly and she nodded in confirmation.
"Yes, I remember that, but you panicked and ran away right after."
"That wasn't my best moment, I wasn't feeling well."
"Does this happen often?" She asked, her face softening in concern.
"More than you think." I laughed nervously, feeling a spasm in my right leg.
"Have you ever thought about seeing a healer or an apothecary?" The twin continued, holding my wrist and making a concentrated expression.
We stayed like that for a few seconds. I wondered if she did something to me, but Jekyll gave me a negative answer. Then, Popola released my wrist and smiled slightly.
"Something tells me you'll have a healthy future ahead of you. But leaving that aside, what brings you here?"
I felt uncomfortable with the strangeness of the situation, but I swallowed my feelings and got straight to the point.
"I'm planning on traveling and I want t know if you have maps here since I couldn't find any with the merchants in the village."
"Oh, follow me, please." Popola replied, tilting her head aside and leading me to a different section of the building, filled with dusty scrolls and parchments.
"This is our map section. Unfortunately, you can't take them home, but you can make copies if you wish."
"Thank you, Popola!" I replied, removing a few maps from the shelves, sneezing as the dust hit my face.
"I'm happy to help…" Popola smiled but stopped and stared at me intently with an impassive face.
I noticed her eyes focused on something above me. I would have asked if something was wrong, but the twin was quicker.
"That hat, where did you get it?" She asked, extending a hand, but I stepped back, out of her reach.
"This? A friend gave it to me as a gift." I lied for obvious reasons, adjusting the object in question on my head as Popola frowned.
"Oh, could you tell me where he found it? I would like one too." She asked innocently, but I knew she had ulterior motives.
"Unfortunately, no, I don't like to question the kindness of others, so I just accepted it." I shrugged, praying she would drop the subject.
"A shame… Well, I'll leave you alone, as I have other matters to attend to. Call me if you need anything!" Popola returned to her cheerful demeanor as if nothing had happened and bowed politely before leaving.
I waited for her to disappear before sighing in relief and wiping the sweat from my forehead.
"W-well, that was intense." Jekyll stammered.
"Really? Do you think I didn't notice?" I said sarcastically, walking towards one of the tables with the maps in my hands.
"Popola knows something, and Devola probably does too. I suppose it has to do with my aversion to them."
"Do you see them in your memories?"
"I don't know, I remember two women, but not their features."
"Do you believe they are people who do not age?"
"Yes, but we cannot prove it yet. We must be more careful, especially if we continue collecting souvenirs."
I hummed in acceptance, sat down at the table, and opened the maps, beginning our long search for our next destination.
-XXXXXX-
Hm… We could try the Lost Shrine. An isolated ancient structure that stands alone on a carved rock and is surrounded by water, it is also believed that the legendary Lunar Tears used to grow there.
The Junk Heap. A colossal metal construction, which, if Jekyll is right, is a large abandoned factory.
The Abandoned Mansion on top of a hill to the south. A haunted gray building with a horrible past.
The City of Facade, its desert, and ancient temples. The residents of the city are called the Masked People and are protected by the King's Soldiers, called the Men of the Mask.
Finally, The Forest of Myth. A small village filled with intelligent, talkative people, and houses built into the bark of the trunks of its large trees. The Divine Tree is an iconic landmark of this village, located in its center, and said to be the guardian of the village's history and memories.
At Zon and Blank's request, I opened them over the maps when no one was looking, and to my surprise, perfect copies of the maps appeared on their pages.
With that done, we left the library while discussing which location we should explore first. Facade would be last due to the distance, almost two days of travel through the scorching desert.
That left the Shrine, the Heap, the Mansion, and the Forest as they were close to the village.
-XXXXXX-
"Come on, Hyde, you can do it!" Jekyll cheered, crouching down beside me.
"That's easy to say! I wish I could see you in my place!" I exclaimed irritably as my body screamed for me to stop.
"The brat is going to die!" Zon shouted in a disturbingly happy tone.
"Nonsense, I passed through the same training before I did missions as a Crusader!" Blank spoke soon after with pride in her voice.
We found ourselves at our usual training spot, continuing the routine Blank had planned for me. In this case, doing push-ups with boulders on my back, to increase my strength and endurance.
I saw the darkness and glowing lines enveloping my body as I struggled to continue, it felt like the rocks would crush me at any moment, and that was a reason not to stop.
"You're almost done! Only fifty more push-ups!"
"Fifty? Are you trying to kill me? I'm just a guy!"
"I doubt a guy could do what we've done so far! Human limitations no longer apply to you, remember?"
"You call this motivation? I'll show you how it's done!" Zon said, interrupting the conversation as he approached.
What was he planning… I abandoned that train of thought the moment the book talked.
"That's ALL YOU CAN DO?! I COULD DO BETTER WITH JUST ONE FINGER WHEN I WAS HUMAN!"
"PSH! Is that your plan? As if I'm falling for that!"
"OH, THIS IS JUST LOSER TALK TO ME!"
"SERIOUSLY? THEN WHY Don't YOU GET THESE ROCKS OFF MY BACK AND I'LL SHOW YOU THE LOSER HERE?!"
"FINISH YOUR PUSH-UPS FIRST BEFORE YOU ANSWER ME, BRAT! THEN COME TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!"
"I'm THINKING ABOUT SHOVING MY FIST IN YOUR FACE!"
"SO CUTE, LOOK AT ME, I'm SHAKING WITH FEAR! MY GRANDMA WAS SCARIER AND STRONGER THAN YOU!"
"AAAHHH!" I intensified my efforts with a scream of fury, intending to make the damn book shut up when I was done.
-XXXXXX-
CRASH!
CRASH!
CRASH!
Sweat and rock fragments flew away with each blow I delivered toward the boulder in front of me. Simultaneously, the rest of the group watched attentively, shouting words of encouragement, except for Zon, who remained closed on the ground with Jekyll sitting on top of him.
Probably to prevent me from vomiting again and almost passing out due to overexertion.
My arms and legs ached, heavy as the rock I hit repeatedly, leaving marks on my fists and feet. It was so strange, all this power in the palm of my hand, an addictive feeling, which only worsened when Jekyll and I fused even more during fights.
I don't think any normal person could stop me, but my thoughts returned to the poorly dressed girl from the Aerie, she also has a Gestalt in her body, but how did that happen?
She was strong, extremely strong, but we both didn't fight with everything. It's bizarre to think that there is someone like me out there. Should we reveal our situation and make peace?
Do they have some kind of agreement like we do? Did the SHADE helped her somehow or did he took an opportunity and invaded her body? Are they both getting stronger too?
I hope I don't run into her again, but with my luck, that won't be the case. The same goes for the facilities, what does the next crazy AI have in store for us?
We are improving, but we still make mistakes, it can't go on like this, I need to overcome everything that gets in my way, I can't depend on Jekyll and the books forever.
-XXXXXX-
"You know the basics Hyde, focus and shoot it." Jekyll whispered calmly.
I closed my eyes, following his instructions, and felt the MASO around me, the heat of Beastbain igniting in flames, and then opened my eyes with determination, stepping forward with a war cry while thrusting my sword.
Intense heat overtook the region and a flaming beam left my blade, burning the grass in its path and hitting a rock. When the fire and smoke dissipated, I saw a scorching melted hole in the center of my target.
I couldn't believe what I saw, but a smile crept across my face, and pride burned in my chest. I threw my arms up and shouted in victory.
"Congratulations Hyde! You are improving in your mastery of MASO!"
"I know, and I'm one step closer to surpassing you!"
"Dream about it!"
"I believe congratulations are in order because you've surpassed my expectations, soldier. I'd clap my hands if I could." Blank spoke proudly as she approached.
"Stop calling the brat a soldier, we're not a team anymore!" Zon complained, now free from his prison.
"Not yet, but we'll be reunited with our old comrades soon." The white book replied.
"What makes you think they're the other grimoires?"
"Call it intuition." Blank joked.
"Hmph! I hope you're right, half of them owe me money! Just don't try to protect everyone from danger like last time, we're not defenseless children and we both know where that got you!"
Blank stayed silent due to the book's words as she stared at the ground. I reached out a hand to her, asking if everything was okay, but she changed her attitude, trying to hide it, and declared the end of training for today.
-XXXXXX-
I decided to do as I suggested and invited Nier and Yonah for lunch in the next day, to repay their kindness from earlier. I set the table while the food cooked on the stove, asked Zon and Blank to stay in my room, much to the displeasure of the red book, and waited for their visit.
KNOCK!
KNOCK!
KNOCK!
That was quick! I readjusted my clothes and ran towards the door, opening it and finding the siblings in question outside. They both wore more formal clothes, nothing too fancy, as the village and its inhabitants were not rich.
"Hello, I hope we're not late!" Nier smiled, bowing politely.
"And we brought pie!" Yonah said next, holding up a pan with the steaming dessert.
I resisted the urge to pinch their cheeks and invited them inside, where they stared in amazement at my decoration. It was nothing special to me, but it was a completely different story to them.
"Surprised?" I asked, holding back my laughter.
"Yes, it's a cozy home." Nier said dumbfounded.
"Are you rich?! Can we live here?!" Yonah asked with childish joy and a gleam in her eyes, much to the dismay of her brother, who scolded her and sent a thousand apologies my way.
Her questions surprised me and I couldn't hold back my laughter, but I quickly calmed Nier down and led them both to the kitchen while I answered.
"I'm not rich, I just have a little more money than a normal person. If I were rich I would live in a mansion. Sorry, but I prefer to live alone, my pets give me enough work already."
CRASH!
I widened my eyes and gritted my teeth in anger when I heard a loud bang coming from my room.
"What was that?" Yonah asked curiously.
"My cat!" I quickly answered.
"But didn't you have a bird?" Nier said confusedly.
"Yes, but my cat ate it!" I said, cringing slightly at the terrible excuse.
"I love cats, can I pet it?!" The little girl asked, jumping eagerly in her place.
"Unfortunately, no, it doesn't like strangers and… Oh, the food is ready, how about we have lunch?!" I said when saw the pans bubbling on my stove.
The siblings looked at each other and shrugged, but didn't insist, so we all sat down at the table, where I put out pasta and meatballs for everyone, a recipe that Jekyll had taught me for this occasion.
They both looked at the food strangely and tried it with hesitant bites, but their eyes widened and they soon ate their meals in wonder.
So the day passed uneventfully, we talked, played, and exchanged embarrassing stories and jokes, except for the moment when Yonah coughed violently.
Jekyll and I watched with concern, but the siblings assured me that it was just a cold. However, I saw dark marks on Yonah's arm as she adjusted her sleeve.
DAMN IT! / DAMN IT! We screamed internally.
Unfortunately, Nier ended the visit after this event, much to Yonah's dismay, and we said our goodbyes.
I waved to them both from the doorway of my house, watching them disappear into the distance as I munched on a slice of pie. It was delicious, but I felt like it could have been better without the ache I felt in my chest.
Well, that was a cruel reminder of why we're fighting.
-XXXXXX-
We let things cool down and waited a month before heading to the next facility, the Junk Heap. We crossed the plains north of the village and climbed a large metal construction, crossing a bridge and passing through a large metal gate.
We reached our goal in just two or three hours, spotting a colossal building falling apart and covered in rusty pipes, but I hid behind a pile of scrap metal when I saw something worrying.
"It seems the supervisors have decided to act."
And Jekyll couldn't have been more right, because there were people here. They wore camouflage uniforms with a rust pattern, similar to the buildings around us, with armor pieces made of an unknown metal protecting their torsos and joints.
The same material hid their faces, with a smooth helmet similar to the Crusaders at the military base, but with the color matching the uniform.
As if that wasn't enough, they also carried firearms and melee weapons, but they differed from the robots', emanating a yellowish glow from their openings or some kind of strange energy from their blades.
"We could return and try a different location." Jekyll suggested.
"Yes, but I'd like to try something first." I said, watching one of the people walk away from his group and approach my hiding place.
Time to put my thieving skills to the test.
END OF CHAPTER