It was a painful, terrifying and horrifying ten minutes that Pablo, Otoru and Tempus would never forget for the rest of their lives.
After Crudelis, or the figure speaking through her, left, they just stood there for what felt like an eternity, when in reality it was just ten minutes.
Ten minutes of not being able to move. Not due to magic, but due to fear.
"We need to get out of here, Otoru!" After countless attempts, Pablo finally managed to speak.
"I can't move my body. How are we supposed to leave?" said Otoru.
"Tempus, who the hell was that?!" Pablo yelled, his eyes tearing up.
"I don't know," Tempus breathed out.
"Like hell you don't know!" Otoru wouldn't take that for an answer. It had to mean something. Though one sentence lingered in his mind longer than everything else…
'My Commanders.'
"I don't know, you fool! All I know is that whoever that was… it wasn't my mother. All I know is that I'm supposed to call it 'your highness'. Nothing else. I swear." He began shaking once more.
"So you knew about me being The Anomaly? Since when?"
"Since the beginning. I won't tell you why. If I could move, I'd kill you!" He grunted in frustration.
"You heard her. Something is coming, and I don't think it's good. Enemies or not, we have to move–" Pablo was right. Something was coming.
Or to put it more accurately, something was here already.
His footsteps echoed through the hallway. Steady, confident and terrifying all at once. They were coming from behind Tempus.
The figure stepping out of the darkness was Kai, The First Apostle. "The Caedis." He drew his blade.
"By the Great Commander Erik Eishelm's orders, I, The First Apostle 'Kai', came here to exterminate every single one of you." After calmly stating his mission, he began approaching Tempus.
The sheer desperation to will created willpower strong enough to break them free of the being's control, allowing the three to stand up and move.
They backed up and kept walking backwards with each step Kai took. Otoru had heard the stories, and Tempus had only heard the rumors, but Pablo was the one fully oblivious to who Kai was. "An Apostle?" His mind dug through the words she had said. "She said the later punishment would be chosen by Erik. Is this it? Then where is the… never mind." He created a Zweihander with his sorcery once more and raised it. "We can fight him. I took down an apostle before."
"Running counts as losing, so I ain't going anywhere!" Otoru squared up as well. Tempus, however, fled without looking back.
Annoyed by their defiance, Kai scoffed. "I have no business with you two. Where is Imito The Imitator?"
"Right fucking there." Pablo pointed to the exact location where Imito's body was left. "He is all yours."
"Pablo! We can't let him take Imito! If he is the captain's friend, I'll defend him with my life!" Otoru's fists didn't budge. They were still clenched, ready to punch.
"This isn't a fight you want, Otoru The Undefeated." The next step Kai took was a bit longer than the others. "You don't want a change in the title now, do you?" His thumb brushed the edge of his blade. "And you." He then faced Pablo. "You may be untouchable, but he isn't. If you don't move out of my way, I'll kill him and make you watch."
They were now face to face, with inches between them. Kai was slightly taller, so Pablo had to look up a little. "After all, all you want is to just live and find a cure, right? Politics shouldn't concern you."
The words were clearly meant to mock him.
It was true. That was… all he ever wanted.
The lie he told Infamy, just to get the information he wanted, had haunted him for the past few days. He never wanted to take the 7 Families down.
The cries of Imito, the way Caitlyn idolized Sanita and the terrible tragedy that had turned Imito into the man he was now… why did they make him feel like this?
Pablo looked down at the relic forged by Imito, his gaze filled with conflict and guilt. A strange, unexplainable feeling stirred in his gut. When was the last time he had felt like this?
"Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck." He exhaled sharply, then looked back up at Kai.
Suddenly, he swung his sword at Kai, catching him off guard, though Kai still managed to dodge just in time. "What is it that you think you are doing?" Kai's voice was laced with disbelief.
"I…" His mind raced for the appropriate declaration, the expression of his resolve. But the strange feeling chasing him made it hard to do so, his ego clashing with his guilt…
…just made him say random shit in anger. "I WON'T LET YOU TAKE MY WATERMELON!" Pablo screamed as tears fell down uncontrollably.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Kai and Otoru said at the same time.
"I said I wouldn't kill you, Pablo. I didn't say I wouldn't hurt you." Kai used his superhuman speed to get within range and swung his odachi.
Pablo managed to parry it, but the sheer force behind the strike almost broke his shoulder.
"You talk too much shit for an overglorified doll!" Otoru's earrings glowed. The ghost struck Kai's shoulder and sent him sliding across the floor.
"I can't use my intent as Pablo is here. That makes things a bit more annoying." Kai directed his attention towards Otoru and attempted an overhead strike.
Otoru weaved to the side, avoiding the blade and jabbing forward as a counterattack.
"Oh. Looks like I overestimated the problem." Kai grabbed Otoru's arm easily and raised his blade to slice it off.
Suddenly, Imito appeared out of nowhere and dropkicked Kai before he could slice Otoru's arm off. "Let go of him, you foul creature!" Imito said.
Kai flew through the hallway and pierced the ground with his sword to halt his momentum. "I was told you wouldn't be awake." The attack caught Kai off guard, and he could feel the sheer power behind the impact. The pain in his ribs flared.
"Uncle!" Otoru yelled in surprise and relief.
"How are you awake?" Pablo said.
"Pablo, the sound of your conviction reached me all the way up there, where I was lying. When I saw this timid, weak nobody gather the courage to fight for Otoru… it allowed me to break out of my insanity."
"Ouch, but okay," Pablo said to himself.
"Ten years ago… whatever The Caedis did to me, I don't remember it. But it caused me to abandon all my friends and massacre my people. It caused me to torture you." He looked at Pablo. "I won't run away from my sins by rejecting the guilt. No matter what state of mind I was in… I won't use it as an excuse." He clenched his fists. "I will do whatever it takes to make sure you two leave here alive. A terrible– No… Two terrible people are approaching. I will protect you from them."
"How noble." Kai rolled his eyes and listened anyway.
"He is strong, unbelievably strong. You could die." Otoru gulped, feeling worry for a man he had zero memories of.
"This guy?" Imito cackled and pointed at Kai. "This guy is supposed to kill Imito The Imitator?" He turned towards Kai with newfound resolve.
The love for his friends, the guilt for his crimes and the regret he had for his life… had been boiling up for ten years straight.
It's said that beasts from that era carry a conviction that no one else can possess.
With that in mind, what filled the dark hallway were the flames of a man ready to fight for what he wanted to protect. Ready to do whatever it took to achieve his goal.
Flames that could burn the entire world within seconds flared up in Imito's eyes. Kai instinctively took a step back.
"Give me a break." A cocky grin grew on Imito's face. "I've seen worse."