July 20, 2175
5:30 P.M.
Jack returned to the house and found Diana still sleeping. Just to be sure, he reached into his item pouch for a device called Scanalyzer—a medium-sized white box with an opening for scanning the patient and a screen on the other side to display the results.
Jack put the tool to work, and as it scanned Diana, he got up and walked to a window. He tapped a button near it to check the weather. The downpour had started to die down slowly. In total silence, Jack began to reflect on how much had changed in a single day. He had lost almost everyone he held dear—his mother, whose fate was uncertain, and his best friend, who had died fighting, unlike him, who had just hidden. He thought he had lost Diana too, but thankfully, nothing major had happened to her—though he was still unsure what exactly had happened.
The device beeped a few seconds later, indicating that it had collected the diagnostic data. Jack turned and hurried over to read the results on the Scanalyzer's screen.
It displayed:
______________________________________________________________
| |
| Breathing: Slowed and relaxed |
| Injuries: Evidence of mild concussion on the left temple |
| Kana Energy Reserves: 90% |
| Blood Pressure: Normal |
|_____________________________________________________________|
Jack heaved a sigh of relief, Her condition was stable and she would be awake in a few minutes. He headed back to the window, The rain had almost stopped.
Jack had unlocked his powers. He looked at his fist, circulating energy into it. It was enveloped in visible, colorless energy wafting around it. He needed to think about their next course of action. His decisions wouldn't just affect his own life but Diana's as well.
Could they be the only Kratians alive?
The possibility of that was almost next to none. After all, there were Kratians in the military, and if a non-Ikanami user like him had survived the onslaught, then there was absolutely no way in hell that the invaders had managed to eliminate seasoned veterans and other combatants—unless an external force was involved.
Could the Augmenters be involved?
Augmenters had been a trending topic in the news lately, with the first reports emerging three months ago. They were humans who had somehow developed the ability to manipulate Kana energy like a Kratian. Their Kana pathways were similar to those of Kratians, except they lacked Kai centers and the Dantian.
Some believed Augmenters were just rumors. Others thought they were merely Kratians posing as humans. Even the government was at a deadlock—Augmenters were human, yet no human had ever been recorded as having the ability to use Kana energy. The Kratian government was concerned that humans might be experimenting on Kratians.
Their method of Kana energy usage was different too. Witnesses claimed they weren't like regular Ikanamis, but they couldn't quite define what made them different. Still, if they could wield Kana energy, they must be powerful.
Could they be stronger than Kratians who had been using Kana energy since their origins? Jack would have a harder time believing it if they turned out to be more adept at using the power.
Just then, Jack felt a pair of warm hands gently placed over his eyelids, making him unable to see. Jack put his own hands on them.
"You let your guard down, boo. You are dead," said a sleepy yet cheerful voice.
"Well, you got me. Are you sure you are a healer and not an assassin? But tell me, how can I not have my guard down when I am around you? You are probably the only person now with whom I can be myself. No facades when it's you—I am just myself," said Jack, gently removing her hands from his eyes.
"Fair enough, and it's good to know that the version of you I like is the real one," she said, grinning.
A sentence can have many different meanings, and when that sentence is said by a person one is in love with, they cannot help but overthink every detail. Jack was no different. The statement replayed over and over in his mind, Jack wondering whether she meant it in a friendly way or romantically. Jack just stood there like a statue, caught in a trance.
Diana's hands gripped Jack's palm tighter, and Jack felt her hugging his back tightly, jolting him to reality.
"Why... Why did they come after me?" she said in a low, sad voice.
"They didn't come after just you. They came after everyone," replied Jack, turning to her and patting her on the back.
She was a head shorter than Jack. Her smooth black hair had straightened down, and her face was buried in Jack's chest.
"What do you mean, everyone?" she said in a grim tone.
"They launched an onslaught against all the Kratians and Homo Kratians. They have killed almost everyone. Some must have survived, though—like us."
Diana didn't say anything. She tightened her grip around Jack, and after a few seconds, she said, "Is it true?"
Jack realized that, one way or another, she would have to see the gruesome trail of blood and death the Ortho Sapiens had left behind. So he decided to be blunt—after all, in the dawn of this new world, there was no place for weak-hearted individuals.
"See for yourself," he said, moving aside, leaving her facing the window.
Diana took a step forward toward the window to see. She froze halfway, then rushed to the window and grabbed the windowsill firmly.
"No... Mr. Otters, Mr. Samian, Billy... Nooo..." she whimpered in shock.
"Well, you see? This is the world now. We have to watch our every step, or we could end up joining them before avenging them," Jack said, turning the glass opaque once again. He grabbed her hand and escorted her to the bed. He turned on the lights and sat down in his chair.
No one spoke for a while. Jack just sat there, looking concernedly at Diana, who was sitting on her bed, face buried in a pillow.
"Why... Why did they do it?" she asked weakly.
"Greed. Jealousy. Envy. Anger. Who knows? Even if there was not a single reason, a genocide would never be justified," Jack answered.
"But the police... Why are they not acting?"
"Who knows? We will look into that too."
"Alright. Well, at least tell me what you saw today," Diana demanded.
"I will, but before that, tell me—how did you get your injury? The wound doesn't seem like one that the Ortho Sapiens would give."
"Well... When I came out of my hiding place on the ground floor, after making sure they left, I headed upstairs to call you. But when I climbed up, I saw that Juno had... that they..." She couldn't continue forward.
"I am sorry," Jack said to her.
Diana buried her face again in her pillow. She looked up after a few seconds with a weak smile.
"Well... I can't be weak now, can I? They have eradicated whole families out there. I should not give in to my emotions this easily. Well, anyways, when I headed up and saw Juno's body, I was shocked, so I backed down a little. I stepped on a bullet shell and slipped. My head hit the railing, and I fell unconscious," she said.
"I see," said Jack, looking pitifully at the tear marks left in the pillow.
"I think my report can wait. Let's go and give Juno a proper funeral."
Jack and Diana came out of the room. Jack lifted Juno's lifeless body, her tail dangling and moving around limply. Diana opened the door. The rain was starting once again. They went to Diana's backyard, where they buried Juno.
Diana herself buried Juno after giving her a last kiss and pet on the head. She then stood near the grave, facing the clouds. The downpour was slowly picking up the pace.
Jack walked to her side and softly whispered, "It is not raining enough to hide your tears, Diana. You have no need to hide them to begin with. If you need a shoulder, you can always borrow mine."
Diana flung her arms around Jack and burst into tears. Jack stood there, consoling her and patting her on the back.
Juno was practically a family member to Diana. Since her parents were out on duty most of the time, she and Juno had been keeping each other company for about eight years now. It must hurt a lot.
They stood there for a few more minutes, then headed back inside.
Jack made dinner for them, and they ate together. Diana refused at first but gave in later because of Jack's nagging. Then they headed to the living room.
Jack asked Diana to put all her important belongings in the item pouch. He gave her the item pouch, and she returned an hour later. She handed Jack the item pouch and sat on the sofa with a thump.
"Since you seem to be in a better mood now, I will tell you my report," said Jack.
"Alright."
Jack droned and droned about what he saw and heard. Diana's jaw dropped in shock and despair. Her eyes widened, and she put her palm over her mouth. Jack finished his report and left Diana thunderstruck at the end.
"So... what now?" asked Diana anxiously.
"We need a plan of action. Otherwise, if we just make random moves, then we are as good as dead."
Diana nodded.
"We are going to need a team—a good one. That's the only way we are surviving."
"What?" exclaimed Diana.
"What do you mean 'what'? If we don't, we will get overwhelmed by the numbers of the Ortho Sapien people... Unless you want to play Adam and Eve."
"Nope. I pass on the latter part. I just said 'what' because—do you even know whom to trust and whom not to?"
Jack looked like he had just swallowed a sour lemon.
"Well... Fair enough," said Jack, hiding the pain in his voice.
"Also, you said you would do something about the police. What's the plan?"
"About that..." Jack told her the plan.
"It's dangerous!" exclaimed Diana.
"Yes, but don't worry. I have my Ikanami now. I will make them eat dirt," exclaimed Jack confidently.
"Alright, fine... Well, let's go to sleep then."
"Okay."
Jack went off into the guest room, and Diana went into her room. Jack was exhausted, so he fell asleep almost instantly. But Diana had some trouble sleeping, for she missed the cuddling sensation and purrs Juno made when they slept.
July 21,2175
3:00 A.M.
Jack's sleep was broken once again by the sounds of gunshots. They weren't inside the house, thankfully. He hurried off to Diana's room and knocked. She too had awoken from her uneasy slumber.
"Alright, come in," she said softly.
Jack entered the room and hurried off to the window, turning off the opaque mode. The moon was shining brightly; the sky was clear, with a few clouds veiling the stars. The moonlight cast a warm glow on the ground, gradually mixing and disappearing into the streetlights. Even if there were no streetlights, he would've seen what was going on—the ground was painted orange from the roaring flames rising on the lawn of a house.