Kozuna
Twenty minutes passed during our drive to The Primary, all of which was spent explaining in great detail the situation to Yvira.
"Is that it?" she inquired, after the lengthy back-and-forth discussion.
Kaiten briefly shot her a glance through the rearview mirror.
"Yeah, that's it. Do you have any questions?"
"Plenty, first of all-"
Yvira's words were cut short by the sudden and loud screaming coming from Nikai, though he was still unconscious. His body lurched up and down like he was gonna regurgitate... His fingertips were turning black, and the color steadily traveled up his hands while his fingers were curling and twitching...
Yvira backed away as much as she could, though there wasn't much room to do so in the first place. And in watching her do that, my silent worrying was growing...
"Commander, how far are we from Zara's lab?"
"Not too far, we won't have time to swing by the hospital and pick up Anari though... I'll call her to meet us behind the scouts office, along with someone to guide her. You two, try to keep Nikai under control somehow… We can't have him causing a scene..."
Is this… really what happens when a curse seal… manifests..?
"Yvira... did this happen to me when I was hospitalized?"
"Well, um… I think so... The doctors had me leave the room. I was standing outside and heard you screaming, they were shouting something about using a sedative to calm you..."
Using a sedative to calm me? Was I acting like this without even knowing? What kind of sedative suppresses a curse? How did those doctors possibly calm me down...?
I felt a sudden surge of curse energy, enhancing my senses but simultaneously causing pain to flow through my body. My eyes reflexively closed for a second, and my head leaned forward a bit; there was a single, intense heartbeat that caused me to lose focus momentarily...
I soon fixated on my curse seal while my teeth unconsciously came to a grit...
"What's wrong with you?" The mark on my left hand was glowing, and only then did Yvira take notice. "Kozuna, I think... Your seal... is reacting to Nikai's! That mark on your hand, it's glowing, just like his."
The energy coming from the seal appeared to be flowing into the air, like dust in the wind. The crescent marking itself felt... drawn to Nikai's seal, and my hand subconsciously hovered over his face... Something about doing that just felt… natural and… familiar. And as I did, Nikai stopped screaming and settled to breathing calmly.
"What did you do?"
"I.. I don't know... It just kind of happened... It's like the curses are linked or something… That must be why my seal feels drawn to his..."
Yvira raised one eyebrow in suspicion, but the commander didn't complain at all.
"Whatever the case, keep him quiet. We're entering The Primary now and we'll need to take the main road for a short while. So until we reach the less populated backroads, let's try to keep a low profile."
"Yeah, I'll keep my hand over his head if it makes a difference."
***
Soon after entering the crowded city streets of The Primary, Kaiten slowed down the buggy and turned from the main road to a back alley. In no time at all, we were twisting and bending through dark, narrow corridors. And before three-fourths of us knew it, there was an open section in the city's backroads, with a closed-off gate.
Kaiten stopped at the gate and waved to the camera, showing his face and holding some form of identification outside the buggy.
The gate opened moments later, and immediately after we entered, it shut automatically.
Kaiten parked near the wall behind the gate.
The off-limits zone had high-rising walls extending from the gate, forming a small square. And opposite the entrance was the tower that held Commander Kaiten's office… as well as Helix's. Inside the borders of those walls roamed laboratory guards. And being as that particular area was right behind the commanders' office, it commanded no attention from having so many soldiers behind the elevator window...
The three of us hastily climbed out of the buggy, the commander and I carrying Nikai together. We brought him to a hatch at our left leading underground, hidden from view via another vehicle that likely was never meant to be driven.
Yvira knocked, and following a short pause, some tall masked man in a dark, worn cloak greeted us with a wave.
"Welcome. Here to see Lady Zara?"
"Yes," Kaiten's gaze shifted to Nikai's curse seal. "We need her help…"
"Right, follow me."
Yvira headed in first, with Kaiten and me carrying Nikai down the steps after her.
Just beneath the door was a set of stairs leading down into a compact, dimly lit hallway. There were three doors on each wall at our sides and one door at the far end, opposite the stairs. Seven in total.
The masked dude swiftly closed the entrance again and led us to the end of the hall.
"This way, Commander."
***
Upon opening that door, we found ourselves staring into what appeared to be a family room. There was a fireplace to the left, with a television hanging above. A couch not far from it, complete with even a coffee table. And to our right was what appeared to be a dining area, as well as a kitchen. All of that fit into a single room.
Sitting on the couch with her legs folded and feet resting on the coffee table was a woman of caramel skin. She looked to be maybe in her thirties. Yet there was nothing but an attractive appearance about her, from her silky black hair to her attention-grabbing silver eyes… I almost brought myself to believe they were contacts, but nope… Those eyes were definitely genuine...
Rocking a dark overcoat with skinny pants and boots, Zara was thumbing through a book and glared over as the door creaked. When I saw her, I almost dropped Nikai on the ground. I had to consciously stop my jaw from also falling...
Damn... Her eyes are mesmerizing...
"Thanks for bringing them in, Shin." Zara fluttered her eyes at the masked guy with a smile. "So, Kaiten. It's about time you arrived. What's the situation this time?"
Without showing any emotion, Kaiten introduced us all. Giving concise descriptions of Yvira, Nikai, and myself. After that, he told her about our problem and its dire nature.
Zara grabbed her small bookmark and placed it in the book. She let out a slow, unhurried sigh, then marked her page and left the text on the table.
With no hesitation, Zara walked over to us- oozing a confident aura- took hold of both Kaiten and me by our chins and seemingly gazed deep into our souls.
A… sexy type of intimidation..?
Her eyes abruptly met Yvira's gaze.
"Pretend I'm doing the same thing to you."
"Y-yes ma'am..."
Zara strutted past us, grabbing Kaiten's wrist after initially letting us go.
"Bring Nikai to the containment room. I doubt we can have Kozuna holding his hand over his head all day, we need a place to hold him."
I looked over at her.
"Woah woah… You're right, I can't hold my hand over him all day, but... Just because he has a curse doesn't mean he's a monster. Let's just get him to bed."
"Oh? Well until we identify his curse, we're better safe than sorry. Curses have different effects on a person, based on where the seal appears on the body. Your seal is on your… left hand... so it's on the weaker side of curses. I've seen curse marks located on the face, and every time, it results in some kind of horrific transformation. The second he wakes up, he'll transform. Or transform something else..."
Yvira gulped out loud, garnering everyone's attention.
"Um… A transformation? Is it... temporary or permanent? And how do you know so much?"
"The transformation is temporary, he'll revert to his old self after a while, but during the transformation... He'll have no control over himself. Depending on the transformation, Nikai might not recognize any of us... I built a containment center for curses like his, to keep the rest of us from being, well... murdered."
Damn… Zara doesn't waste time with small talk. I kinda like her… She's down to business, and she's intelligent… No wonder she's the head of research.
Zara paused for a moment as she continued walking.
"As for how I know, well... Kaiten has brought me several people with curses before, and we've dealt with curses like his. We're part of a small secret division in the Ozukashi Clan that supports the use of curses. However, in every case, these people have been found to have curses, by the wrong people."
"If Clan Lord Izanai found out we were researching curses, he would have us all executed, just like he did with those who were found to have curses... Even though the purpose of our research is to strengthen the clan," Kaiten added, turning to Yvira and me.
"I get it. I can hide my seal easily, but Nikai isn't so lucky, and for now... Keeping him locked away is the best thing for not just us, but himself as well."
We carried Nikai to the middle door on our left- the room designated as the containment center. Inside, there were several tanks of bubbling fluid to the right, an old table with a few chairs, and a small bedroom at the left, encased in a separate set of walls- complete with a tempered glass window.
"That room was designed with facial curse seals in mind, so Nikai won't be able to do much damage in there. Leave him in the bed and let him rest for now."
"But if I move my hand, he'll start acting up again..."
"Let him scream and shout, then," Zara scoffed, shaking her head. "His body needs to adjust to having the curse seal's manifestation. I'm sure you did the same thing."
What she says matches up with what Yvira said. I was screaming but unconscious, just like Nikai. After I woke up, my curse activated on its own at a random point... When I was in the midst of battle...
"Yeah, you're right... I was... screaming. Same as him."
Kaiten and I laid Nikai onto the bed, and instantly, after I moved my hand away from him, he let out an anguished shriek. One that showed no signs of stopping anytime soon.
"Let's clear the room. The walls are soundproof, so we won't have to hear his... incessant noise..."
Zara, Kaiten, Shin, and I wasted no time leaving the room. But as Yvira left, she pressed her palms against the window and stood still. Worry was written all over her face, clear as day.
With a deep breath and a back turned, I gently rested my hand on her shoulder.
"Nikai is stronger than me. If I could recover... so will he."
From the corner of my eye, I could see Yvira crack a tiny smile, but she kept staring through the glass. First, she had me to worry about, and then Nikai right after. She wasn't gonna budge...
Nothing we can do now other than wait...
"Well, in the meantime, we can get to work deciphering your curse, Kozuna. I hope you're ready, cause I'm not wasting any time."
"Am I gonna have to take a test of some kind?"
"Nope, I'm gonna place you inside of a machine I designed myself, and turn it on. It'll activate your curse for a short while. Once you exit my machine, you'll have about ten minutes to experiment with your abilities before your curse deactivates on its own. Oh, and Shin," Zara glimpsed back at him. "Do me a favor and keep an eye on Nikai?"
"No problem."
Zara could clearly sense the stress coming from Yvira and didn't even bother saying a word to her.
"Alright. Kaiten, Kozuna. Follow me."
***
When we entered, I realized just how expansive that seemingly tiny underground facility really was...
Not far from the entrance was a machine large enough to fit the average person inside. And just behind said machine, was a relatively spacious testing zone- walled off with more thick, tempered glass. According to her own testament, Zara operated what she dubbed the "Holo-Room," via a command center of devices placed several feet to the left of the testing unit, in the corner of the room.
"Here's how it'll go. That cylindrical hunk of metal is what you stand inside of, Kozuna. I'll shut the door and activate it from my console. Once your curse seal starts glowing, that means it's active, so after it is, I'll open the door to the simulation room. Got it?"
"Got it. I'm ready to start."
Kaiten stepped out of the way and leaned against the wall as Zara strolled over to her station and opened the machine's front door.
I took a deep breath before stepping in, and as I did, the door slammed shut behind me instantly. Voices echoed outside the chamber momentarily, and when everything went quiet, I got suspicious, my curse seal began glowing. It was letting off black smoke-like energy with a faint trace of orange...
I didn't see or feel anything... How exactly did this thing activate my power?
A few seconds after activation, Zara granted me access to the glass unit. I was hit with a large blast of wind when the door slid open, one that was… entirely unexpected...
Apparently, the testing facility had several environmental factors I didn't know about.
Zara's voice bounced through the area with the help of an overhead speaker.
"Listen up. In this room, I have access to various controls to test your abilities. SO, in other words, I'm gonna throw a ton of stuff at you. Try to not die- or disappoint me- for ten minutes. Understand? Good."
My eyes enlarged with quickness; the floor had begun shaking out of nowhere.
"Woah, Woah! ZARA!"
While hearing snickering across the loudspeaker, two translucent pillars shot out of the ground at opposite ends of the room and rose high above my head. Curious, I touched them, and they felt physical, but not fragile… It was weird to think the Ozukashi already had holographic technology, but not so strange when I remembered that it wasn't the kind of thing they'd show to the public...
Damn it, she's probably running a test based on where my seal is located... Since the location of a curse seal tends to determine how your body will be affected... This simulation must be made according to the curse ability I possess, right? I know I can move fast, but there's only so much I can do with that... Oh right... and Orion mentioned something about explosive force...
"Stop pondering, and start moving, Kozuna!"
I snapped out of my mind and back to reality, realizing my feet were starting to burn… Which actually didn't shock me as much as Zara probably thought it would. I was already getting accustomed to the facility...
Okay, okay... Pillars around me, the ground is getting hot... I get it. If I use my speed correctly, I should be able to get up there…
Almost instinctively, my legs lowered into a crouch, and I could literally feel the curse energy flowing into the soles of my feet… Like I was... charging up...
Without a second thought, everything just... came naturally. I bolted to my right and pushed my foot up against the glass. Using my momentum, I sprung between the wall and holo-pillar several times until successfully reaching the peak.
When I landed, I came to one knee and placed my left hand on the ground, watching the orange energy swirl within the black outline of my crescent seal. It was… an... amazing feeling... I couldn't help but smirk; I was starting to feel proud of myself a little...
"Easy stuff. What's the next challenge?"
Zara chuckled and smiled.
"Good job... That speed of yours enables you to have an immense amount of energy between jumps, plus, you tend to leave a trail of orange energy as you move, Kozuna... Quick on your feet, both physically and mentally... Even a bit flashy for someone so inexperienced with curses… Very fun... Now then..."
The ground below me rumbled again, then the floor surrounding the pillars retracted, revealing a bottomless pit below with no end in sight. With the two columns already standing, two more seemed to materialize from the darkness and rose, reaching about the same level as the initial two.
At that point, the holo-pillars stood in the shape of a square's corners.
"Kaiten mentioned you being able to dodge an attack coming at the speed of light..."
I looked in every direction, not keeping my gaze at one position for even a minute.
Stay alert, Kozuna...
From the corner of my eye, I caught sight of what appeared to be a holographic PERSON standing on the pillar diagonal from me. Bearing a pistol, they fired a single bullet at me.
Once again, I noticed that things faster for other people felt slower because of my newfound speed. Surprisingly, there was time to react, and I leaped to another pillar with a loud bang upon landing. Meanwhile, the bullet bounced off the wall and ricocheted into the abyss below.
High speeds affect relativity for me and these objects...
But despite my evasion, the simulated enemy turned to me and started rapidly firing off bullets at me, another pistol forming in his other hand out of thin air...
Damn, I've got no time to leap again!
Without thinking, both of my arms reached to my hips and flicked my knuckle knives over my fingers. I could see everything coming my way, clear as day. The shots fired were not fake; the test assessed how well I could fight using my new power in the heat of battle.
My speed enabled me to maneuver my blades fast enough to not only deflect every bullet coming my way but also slice some of them in half. And after blocking several consecutive shots, I twisted my body- in a purposefully flashy motion- and hurled one of the blades at the simulated enemy. Of course, the weapon flew right through and stuck into the glass wall behind him.
However, the holograph DID flicker and disappear when the object passed through him. That much was a win for me and led Zara to clap into the loudspeaker.
"Nice moves, but no need to be a showoff. You've only been inside there for less than two minutes, Kozuna. Don't relax just yet..."
The microphone sounded muffled for a moment, but I could still hear the conversation outside.
"...Kozuna is doing a decent job... but I'm gonna mess with him a lot more!"
"...give him hell. Make sure the kid learns, and make sure you learn too. Don't just play around with him… Anyway, I think Anari should've arrived by now. I'll go check on her..."
"...yeah, yeah... I know that..."
Did Kaiten just say Anari's here? Been a few days since I've seen her…