(A/N: Takahiro within third person is now ‘Takara’ because that’s his actual name not his surname, explanation is at the end.)
More than half. That is the number of Knights that died in their fights. From the original twelve that fought, only four survived their fights against their adversaries.
Callum, Rhys, Fidelis and Oliver were the ones who survived.
By the end after looking at each of the deceased Knights’ face’s, I could clearly determine that they had a fulfilling life. They all had smiles after all.
‘...Would I be fulfilled once I get my revenge?’
Such happiness seemed to run away from me…
“...He was a father, a husband, and more importantly… a friend.”
The skies were dark gray and the heavens cried.
‘...Why am I here?’
A sudden confusion overcame me as I slowly realized just out of place I felt. My body woke up from a sudden call from the old antique phone andArthur had called me out to this funeral.
Right now it was only eight o’ clock in the morning and the rain was unrelenting.
All around me were people crying and grieving at the death of their loved one.
He was the Knight of Bedivere, Gabriel. He was one of the quiet ones that didn't involve himself in the meetings that much and looked to be only in his late twenties to early thirties. But he already started his own family and has this many people grieving for him…
It made me wonder if my own funeral would be organized in such grandeur and be grieved by loved ones…
I could only see myself dying in a ditch or some dirty place by one of the Nine rather than a peaceful death with no regrets like this one.
The rain drowned out the cries of the people around me and soon everybody left and I was still there, pondering and thinking.
“...You know, for a person who didn’t cry the entire funeral you look like the one who grieved the most during the entire process.”
The clear and straight-laced voice, Arthur called out to me.
“...Do I? I don’t even know this man well enough that I didn’t even know his name until he died…”
Twenty-thirty years worth a story, dead, just like that…
“You may say that but your ‘strings’ beg to differ.”
‘ ‘Strings’? ‘
Even though he had said it many times and even explained the night before we left to fight Jack, I still couldn’t wrap my head around that vague term he used, ‘Strings’.
“Even if your personality may be a mess I can tell you are a compassionate man, Takahiro.”
‘Compassionate? Me?’
It felt like a joke. How could I, a person who killed more politicians and ruined more families than I could even count, ever be a compassionate person?
My brows furrowed as I thought more deeply about what Arthur had said.
“...How come you didn’t cry?”
I had looked at Arthur more than a few times during the entire process and he didn’t shed a tear once.
“Because I had already grieved enough, I already knew some of the Knights would die but never would I have thought that it would be this many.”
I could tell within Arthur’s eyes that he was crying and in a mild depression, as they say, ‘the eyes are the windows to the soul’.
Pitter-!
Patter-!
The rain became one of the only things I could hear.
I looked at the fine groves that made each letter in the English alphabet with the words spelling out, ‘Here lies Gabriel Willow, a father, a husband, and a friend’...
“The reason I brought you out here was because this is most likely the last time we’ll be seeing each other. I wanted to thank you for the help you have given. If not for you, this entire war could have been disastrous.”
‘Don’t say that…’
I felt crushing guilt. After all… ‘I’ was the one who caused the war. But… if not for this war, the United Kingdom would have been in Jack’s iron rule… so was what I truly caused a detriment…?
“...No problem, that was the deal after all.”
This entire war, the one who wanted to merely test to see if I was ready… Asa.
My mind became engrossed and looped the memory after the fight with Virus.
*
*
*
The room was filled with the smell of various fumes from machines. A variety of large, thick iron tubes were connected into a single person sitting on her throne, dead, Virus.
She fused herself with technology and became a kind of homunculus, one half human and another half of a cold calculating machine.
Ring~!
Ring~!
Takara took deep breaths, sweat and injuries riddled his body as he stabbed his arm with a needle and let the green healing liquid do its job.
‘...A call?’
The phone ringtone seemed out of place in such a technologically advanced room, filled to the brim with cyberpunk-esque machinery.
Click-
“...”
‘The phone picked up itself?’ Takara was utterly confused at the scene.
“Hello Takahiro Takara…”
It was a strangely calm and clear voice, unlike Arthur who always had a loud voice filled with hope, this one felt almost… monotone, like the Victim he fought at the abandoned school.
“...”
Takara didn’t respond.
“...No response? I suppose that’s fine, I know you're listening to this so I’ll say this once. Would you like to join me, One?”
“!?”
‘How!?’
“Are you shocked?”
“...Who are you…” Takara said.
‘No one should know me by that name…’
“Would you like to hear a story?”
“Answer me, who are you?” Takara repeated again.
“...I didn’t introduce myself? My name is Asa, I’m the one who made you.”
Takara sat still on the ground, looking at the smartphone as it lit up whenever ‘Asa’ spoke.
‘ ‘Made me’?’ Takara felt confused by that statement.
“I was the one who started this war. I was the one who ignored Jack which allowed refuge of Virus under him. I was the one who gave out hints of Virus’ location which led you here. This was all a test, Takahiro-kun.”
“...What…?”
Takara’s brain came to a stop but Asa continued.
“...Then… Let’s go back shall we? A few hundred years ago…
Back then I was merely a father with a daughter. A daughter so extraordinary that she was a living treasure…”
‘A… ‘living treasure’?’ Takahiro felt more and more confused as time went on.
“She had cherry blossoms growing out of her, beautiful light pink cherry blossoms… She could cure any disease by merely reaching out her hand, heal any wound and even revive withered flowers…
Her name was Tsubomi Yozakura. The predecessor of the Yozakura Family and the one who made the Yozakura Family.”
“...If that is true, how are you alive?”
“Did you know? Just a sliver of Tsubomi’s heart could give a person hundreds of years of life.”
“...Are you saying you cannibalized your own daughter?”
“...Yes but for a good cause.”
Takara wanted to yell but doing so would impede the healing process.
“But let's not go that far… Over five years ago, I gave a boy named Kawashita the idea of making an elite squad to capture the Yozakura for ease in order to research them more… Of course I was the one who gave him the idea but you, you are the perfect assassin for me.”
‘He also knows about Kawashita?’ Takara remembered the scientist and his abductor.
“I wish to help humanity. Join me, One.”
Takara gritted his teeth. The man on the other side of this phone was the one who ordered the death of hundreds of children? The one who gave a reason for his revenge?
“...Why me? Even with all the others we still failed to bring any of the Yozakura to Kawashita.”
The light on the phone turned brighter. “Yes, but you hold the most potential. I have watched each and every one of you children prosper… but not enough. I’ll make you strong enough so that you can bring the Yozakura to me. You wish to kill the eight others, yes? I’ll make that happen. Join me, One.”
“...What do you mean by ‘help’ exactly?”
“Each Yozakura produces a special protein called the Someinine protein. This is what allows the Yozakura to have abnormal powers, I wish to give humanity the cumulation of my research. And so I need you to help me ‘harvest’ them when they are ripe.”
“So… not only do you claim to be over a hundred years’ old. You also wish to ‘help’ humanity, and you were also the one who sparked the war to test me?”
“Yes, although it may seem absurd, once you join me you’ll understand.” The monotone voice concluded.
“...” Takara stayed silent.
“If you wish, I will give you time to think-”
“No, I already came to my conclusion. Whoever you are, I don’t care. Whatever this rambling was, it was useless because my answer is a firm no. Not only that but you’re going to be a roadblock in my revenge? I’ll crush you sicko, stay away from me or I’ll gut you like a fish.” Takara gritted his teeth and looked fuming with anger.
“...I see. We’ll have this conversation once again after you complete your revenge, until then, Takahiro-kun.”
Click-
*
*
*
Pitter-
Patter-
I looked up and into the drops of water coming down like it was never going to stop.
‘Asa, huh?’
My mind recalled that man’s name, the father of Tsubomi Yozakura. I couldn’t tell if anything he had said was true but I felt this information was wasted on me.
I was going to each and every funeral for the Knights.
Earlier, each Knight except for Arthur were crying but now their own tears dried and nothing came out. I could hear my umbrella blocking the rain and rain hitting the wet grass and dirt underneath.
“You look like stupid Oliver.” Arthur said, a slight smile on his face.
“Ah, shut up you bastard!” Oliver replied, his eyes were red and puffy from all the crying.
Looking over at Callum I felt a tinge of pity for the youngest Knight. He had saved one of the Knights but only came across corpses and the remaining injured Victims and Suspects.
‘He’s strong, but I hope he doesn’t break.’
He was the youngest yet he was also the one with the most trauma because of it. Callum’s eyes looked lost and his fist was clenched in every one of the funerals.
Oliver was emotional but Fidelis looked the same as usual. He hid his emotions well. It seems only Arthur’s closest friends survived, I couldn’t tell if that was a bad omen.
The day continued with each and every funeral as gloomy as the last.
I met with some of the families of the Knights and consoled them. Fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, wifes, and children who couldn’t comprehend what was happening.
‘So many different people…’
It was truly an eyeopener to see how many different people each of the Knights knew. Their story came to a close, an unfulfilling ending for the reader but a fulfilling one for the writer so to say.
Eventually every funeral came to a close and the sky had not cleared but the rain had stopped. Here, in a graveyard I was saying my goodbyes to the King of England.
I was face-to-face with Arthur.
“It was nice working with you Arthur.” I said, now completely awake and eyes clear. I stretched my hand out to shake his.
“Yes, you too as well, Takahiro.”
He shook my hand. It felt awkward since our conversation came to an end but a Knight helped keep it at bay.
“Arthur! Are you ready?”
Oliver called out from a distance, pulling a car up in order to pick Arthur up.
“Yes! I’ll be right there.” Arthur turned back to me and said, “May we meet again, Takahiro Takara.”
Arthur with his black suit walked away and toward his car.
I turned around and stared at the sky with indescribable feelings. My revenge has only just started yet conspiracies, plots and plans seemed to gravitate toward me…
~~~~
End of Arc 2: Everlasting War In England
~~~~
Uh, so apparently I was so used to following Japanese customs that I forgot that ‘Takahiro’s’ own first name was Takara, which is what the third person should have been saying. (I realized this earlier but didn’t care enough) So I’m changing it now.
Anyway, how was the reveal? Too sudden? Disappointing?
This was how my character is going to tie into the main plot, was it smart? No idea.
I just pumped this chapter out because I wanted this Arc over with and the reveal to be done… Phew…
(UNEDITED)
