Chapter 53: A Few Easy-to-Understand Things.
A few days later, a scream of agony rang out, echoing everywhere. Kazuka, Airi, Aoto, and Ayaka were inside a transparent box-shaped barrier. At the foot of each barrier was a box of some kind, looking like a lamp. It emitted a bit of weak yellow light; perhaps that was the energy to maintain the barrier. Surrounding them was a pitch-black room, with only a candle on a table flickering in the dark.
They heard Takeshi's screams. All four stood close to the barrier wall, eyes worriedly looking toward the source of the sound.
With anger, Kazuka slammed his hand against the barrier. It immediately bounced back, making him fall backward.
"Damn it! What on earth do those two want to do to Takeshi?"
Aoto sat down. He was shirtless. After the previous battle, his shirt was torn and thrown into a corner of the barrier. His body was somewhat firm. Aoto glanced at Kazuka, who was looking at the ground with worry and sadness.
Aoto understood Kazuka was very worried, but he couldn't do anything either.
Airi and Ayaka still directed their gaze toward the sound that had just occurred. They were still very worried.
The right hand clenched tightly. Blood from the palm dripped onto the floor like drops of bright red ink. He looked at no one, only bowed his head. His gaze was empty as if being swallowed into an invisible abyss.
Takeshi's screams still echoed somewhere in the dark... wave after wave, like carving into his heart with a blunt knife.
"I... I shouldn't have dragged everyone into this..."
The words rose like a breath of wind, weak, choking in the throat. Kazuka gritted his teeth, his shoulders trembling slightly.
"I should have... gone alone... I was stupid... so stupid..."
Airi turned over, her eyes worried but not knowing what to say. Ayaka also left the barrier wall, sat down beside him, silent.
Aoto still didn't take his eyes off Kazuka. He was about to open his mouth but then stopped. He knew he had just joined the group and didn't know what the group had done before so he could give advice.
Kazuka gnashed his teeth. Blue veins bulged on his forehead.
"Takeshi... what is he suffering out there? Being tortured by them? Being turned into a test subject? What if something happens to him?"
He slammed his fist hard against the floor, but under the floor was also an invisible membrane, allowing no opportunity. He didn't bother to protect his hand with energy. Blood sprayed from his knuckles.
"What should be done? If something bad happens to him, what will I do?"
His voice choked. His eyes were red, full of anger and guilt.
"How ridiculous... I always thought I was strong. That as long as there is energy and will, I could overcome everything. But now? Just one scream... is enough to make me collapse."
He raised his head to look at the candle flickering in the dark. The faint light reflected in his tired, dazed eyes.
"I was wrong... it's all my fault."
His voice became a bit smaller.
"The world out here... still has no place for a kid like me."
He clutched his face with both hands. Tears flowed from his eyes drop by drop. They rolled over his hands and fell onto the transparent surface like a glass pane.
"Always saying I'm not afraid of death... But when my friend's life or death is unclear, and there's only the scream of pain. At this moment, I am afraid, very, very afraid."
Actually, Kazuka didn't say he was afraid of death. His fear was the fear that his friend would die.
His voice now was despondent, like wanting to let go of everything.
"I hope Takeshi will be okay... if... If possible, I think we should stop here."
"I can't take it. Just those screams have made me like this. If someone dies, how can I bear it?"
Airi gritted her teeth in anger. She stepped close to Kazuka without a word. Her eyes, angry and uncomfortable, looked down at Kazuka who was clutching his face facing the ground, crying.
Airi unleashed a kick that made Kazuka spit blood. He fell backward and slammed his head against the barrier. The barrier layer bounced his head back.
Airi grabbed Kazuka's collar and shouted loudly in his face.
"What the hell are you thinking? Why stop? If we stop here, you are destroying the dreams of all of us."
Kazuka, with one side of his face swollen from Airi's kick, looked dazed and glanced at Aoto sitting there silently, eyes looking at the ground. He glanced at Ayaka; she also sat there, eyes sadly looking at the ground.
Airi saw this and screamed even louder.
"Look, look at me. They went with us all hoping to have joy after living a boring past life."
"They hope we will be friends and have wonderful adventures and have no regrets."
"Even I am like this. I hope for it a lot. I've had to be with you for so long, every day hoping for a wonderful trip. Yet just as we've started, you say you want to stop? What's wrong with you?"
Airi burst into bitter tears. Tears rolled down her face.
When this person understood a bit about everyone. But didn't understand what was inside everyone.
"You are destroying our dreams. Do you still consider us friends? If you do, then why do you hurt us this way?"
Airi's voice trembled with anger and bitterness.
"You are so selfish, Kazuka. What do you want me to do when everything ends? Go back to my tribe? Do you want me to suffer once again?"
"Do you want Ayaka to go back to that dark and damp forest to live until old age in loneliness?"
"Do you want Aoto to adventure alone?"
Airi cried loudly like that. Ayaka also cried along, hurriedly using her hand to wipe away tears. Though Aoto was a newcomer, his eyes were also glistening with tears.
Kazuka cried even louder than Airi. He spoke almost unintelligibly.
"Then... Then what should I do? I'm so scared."
Airi gritted her teeth. Her tears flowed more. She yelled in Kazuka's face.
"You must fulfill your promise to us. You must go... Must... Must adventure until you die of old age."
Kazuka was like being awakened by an invisible blow. In his mind, the sincere words of each person when they asked to join the group suddenly rang out—the trusting eyes, the expectant smiles, and the hope they placed in this trip.
He whispered, almost only for himself to hear:
"...I... was I wrong? Why at a moment like this... am I so weak..."
A bit of regret surged inside Kazuka. He felt he was stupid when at such moments, he could say words that betrayed everyone.
He regretted. He knew he was wrong. But he was also helpless before this desperate situation.
The phrase "Not afraid of death" was like a greeting of a promise. it was a highlight in the first time, and the first time is often the hardest to forget... But the first time is also just a period to forget, whether short or long. But... a sentence with weight, or an action impressive enough, is sometimes even harder to forget.
He became more mature when he realized he was still too small for this world. But he only matured a tiny bit. He was still too raw to realize everyone's emotions or what lay deepest.
He understood everyone a bit more. He understood more about placing trust in himself. He understood more that he needed to have responsibility. He understood more that they placed the weight of his words or promises in their hearts to be a guiding light…
Kazuka raised his head. The light from the candle cast on his bruised cheek, reflecting eyes still brimming with water. But this time, in those eyes... there was no more despair. Between the two wet eyelashes, something was igniting—like a small flame, weak but stubborn.
He used the back of his hand to wipe his tears, then placed his hand on his chest, clenching his fist as if wanting to hold onto something about to leave his heart.
Kazuka slowly stood up. Airi also released his collar, eyes wide, quietly following every movement.
"...Right... if we give up here, then everything will truly end..."
He looked at everyone, his voice less shaky, carrying a bit of determination.
"My dream... also lies in this trip."
A short silence passed. Then he bowed his head deeply. His voice lowered, slightly trembling but strangely sincere.
"I'm sorry... truly sorry everyone. I shouldn't have let fear dominate me like that... I..."
His voice choked, but this time it was out of emotion—no longer collapse.
Everyone has fear. Whether that fear is truly horrific or small, the important thing is knowing how to perceive it and stand up. Fear!... definitely still afraid. BUT, being afraid yet still standing up to move forward... that is called courage.
WHOOSH!!!
BOOM!!!
A slash flew in and slammed into the barrier, cutting through that water-drenched atmosphere. The whole group was startled and turned over.
Clack... clack!
Sound of footsteps approaching. It was Maia. She stepped forward, face expressionless but tone extremely uncomfortable.
"You guys are too noisy. Shut up."
The four of them panicked and ran to the barrier wall.
Kazuka with an angry voice, eyes of hatred looking at Maia.
"What have you done to Takeshi? Release him immediately."
At this time, from the darkness, footsteps slowly stepped closer. Stepping into the illuminated area of the weak candle, like a small flashlight shining down on the silent night sea of a monster. The candle illuminated him slowly before he entered the area where the candle light radiated.
The whole group stood there surprised by his face after he removed the mask.
He looked like a young man about eighteen. His skin was pale like early morning frost touching a corpse. His features were sharp in a perfect way: high bridge of the nose, thin lips as if carved from precious stone, high and balanced forehead. Every line was delicate, so beautiful it wasn't real.
Beautiful... but not carrying life.
His eyes... the only thing that didn't change, were still two dark deep pits, silent like the bottom of an abyss. No emotion. No light.
And what made people shiver more than anything was the very small smile drawn faintly on his lips. Not a smirk, nor arrogant. But a type of emotionless smile, like a crack etched on a cold stone statue.
Even without the mask, he still seemed as if hiding something... as if the real mask lay inside that face, not the one removed.
Not a sound. Just a glance made the air in the room feel thick.
A beauty that could enchant... but within it hid death smiling.
He spoke, his voice calm, quiet, not loud and very slow.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Velmuth Draeven. You must remember my name. We will meet again."
When his mouth spoke, one could clearly see the white teeth as sharp as blade tips. Just thinking about him smiling and revealing his shark-like teeth made one shiver.
Airi frowned looking at him.
"What did you do to Takeshi?"
Kazuka with anger:
"Release him immediately, you bastard."
Velmuth smiled.
"Calm down. I didn't do anything."
Then he glanced to the side, where he had just come from.
"But if you want your friend, Takeshi. Then I think you guys should prepare your spirits."
Airi spoke loudly with a suspicious voice:
"What do you mean by that?"
Aoto stood there thinking. He immediately thought of the lines he had read in the book earlier.
"If that was an experiment, and he says that. Then the experiment has reached a certain step, and we need to control it."
Velmuth snapped his fingers.
Snap!
"Exactly. Just a small experiment that got a bit out of control."
Maia at this time was drawing a circle of some kind on the ground. Placed around were blue stones. They were teleportation stones used to draw circles.
Airi immediately realized.
"That's a teleportation formation."
Kazuka shouted:
"Hey, where do you want to go?"
Velmuth and Maia immediately stood in the circle. It immediately emitted blue light.
Maia threw a stone at the square block like a lamp box. It immediately fell over. The barrier wall immediately disappeared.
But Velmuth and Maia had also teleported away.
No one said a word. They all understood. The whole group ran toward the place where Velmuth had experimented.
Aoto immediately wrapped energy around his body.
Ayaka running behind was also a bit confused.
"Why wrap energy around your body, Aoto?"
"I sense Takeshi's energy now. But it is extremely strange."
Kazuka: "What do you mean?"
"Likely we will have to fight."
Kazuka: "Fight who else?"
Aoto's eyes were serious.
"Didn't you hear just now? Likely that experiment has a problem, and we will have to control it."
Kazuka: "But is there anyone else here besides Takeshi?"
Aoto: "No. It is Takeshi."
Kazuka widened his eyes in surprise, his voice a bit disbelieving.
"Are you serious?"
Airi: "Likely so."
Kazuka finally felt Takeshi's energy while running in this dark path.
His voice stammered.
"I... I feel it now. But... why is it like this? It's very different, yet it's still Takeshi."
After running for a while, they arrived. The lab was messy and full of the smell of blood.
The whole group stood there frozen seeing Takeshi in a giant green water tank.
Takeshi inside had only his pants left.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes.
The group was a bit terrified, instinctively swallowing.
Takeshi's eyes rolled continuously around. It was still that familiar orange energy of Takeshi. But the feeling it brought was extremely different.
SHATTER!!!
Suddenly, the glass layer cracked and fell to the ground. Water flowed everywhere. Takeshi stood there looking around.
Kazuka stepped forward and smiled, a friendly voice welcoming his friend. But there was still a bit of caution remembering what Aoto said earlier.
But regardless, it was danger, and approaching it. It certainly wasn't safe. Though alert, he still lost his guard.
Seeing Kazuka step forward, Takeshi stopped rolling his hollow eyes and stared intently at him.
The energy surrounding Takeshi radiated stronger. The ground below cracked.
Suddenly, Takeshi lunged straight at Kazuka, making him startle in panic. The group standing behind could not react in time to that speed.
Takeshi lunged with hands pressed together and straightened like the sharp tip of a spearhead. Kazuka didn't have time to defend. He only had time to radiate energy to wrap around his body.
The fingertips covered in energy pierced through Kazuka's energy layer.
But Kazuka's reflex was also very good. He had managed to reinforce the energy inside even thicker than the outside. When Takeshi's fingers stabbed to within a tiny distance hard to see clearly. The thick energy layer helped him avoid receiving a fatal blow.
WHOOSH!!
BOOM!!!
But his body also had to bear extreme force and flew far away, slamming into the wall, making it explode. Rubble flew everywhere.
"What?"
Airi and Aoto seeing this entered a state of alert.
Airi summoned the Blood Night Sword and took a combat stance.
Aoto shouted:
"Guardian God!!!!"
Energy wrapped around him and formed the shape like a god with the upper half surrounding and protecting him. The Guardian God's hands summoned two energy spears.
Ayaka stood behind drawing her bow. Energy continuously transmitted into the arrow on the bow.
Airi with a tense face, spoke loudly as if to warn.
"Listen. Especially Kazuka. Likely Takeshi is under some influence and we need to control him. Don't lose focus."
Kazuka stood up, his face still grimacing from the pain in his stomach.
"Understood. I will remember."
"Takeshi, what's wrong with you?"
Ayaka opened the battle with an arrow carrying a large amount of energy, flying past Airi and Aoto who were standing.
Takeshi lunged straight to confront the arrow directly. The hand covered in energy grabbed the arrow and threw it aside.
BOOM!!
This was an arrow without disruptive energy. It slammed into the wall, making it explode.
Airi lunged forward. A sweep of energy slash glided across. Takeshi immediately grabbed the blade before it cut through his stomach.
Aoto immediately appeared behind Airi. His Guardian God stabbed two energy spears down from above.
BOOM!!!!
Takeshi rolled backward and avoided it. The ground was stabbed by the two energy spears, creating a large hole.
Airi knew that was Aoto but she still glanced back. She shouted:
"Ayaka! Use arrows with disruptive energy to support us!"
Ayaka nodded and channeled disruptive energy into the arrow.
Takeshi standing in the distance began to have strange behaviors.
Takeshi used one hand to cover one side of his face. He bowed his face toward the ground and laughed loudly:
"Hahahaha!"