KENSHI
The news about what happened at the theater spread like wildfire. As much as the Mayor wanted to contain the said news within the walls of Aste City, he knew so well that no one could stop the spread of a word.
The news included the famous film director, Akihiko, who was actually a mad and evil researcher; the infiltration of the Dark Order; and lastly, the first-ever case of human corruption.
Among these three, the latter surprised everyone more, followed by the first one—especially to those who were avid fans of his masterpieces—and the second came last because everyone knew that this evil cult was everywhere, lurking and conspiring.
The uncorrupted, those who survived, would have to undergo a series of post-exposure examinations. These series of tests would ensure that they were totally free from the influence of the Evil Remnant and would not suddenly become corrupted.
This was initiated by the devotees of the Divinities of Light, a group of mages dedicated to worshiping the benevolent divinities. They were non-combative mages and would only tend to the injured, especially those inflicted with wounds caused by the Evil Remnant. Their principle of not participating in battles was due to their belief that acts of hostility displease the divinities. And as devotees, displeasing the divine was the last thing they wanted.
As for the corpses of the corrupted, the Mayor ordered them burned to rid the city of every influence of the Evil Remnant. Although a few corpses were salvaged for research, knowing what happened to Akihiko, the researchers involved in studying human corruption were strictly regulated and monitored. They even had to pass a psychological assessment before being given access to study the remains. They even had a phrase for that: "One must be sane and would not easily fall into insanity to conduct research and study."
Along with these was the repair of the theater as well. Although the great and famous Akihiko would no longer show his masterpieces there, that didn't mean the theater would stop entertaining audiences. However, all films directed by Akihiko were permanently banned by the Mayor, believing these films might still have dark magic embedded in them.
I knew all of this because of Uncle Avidius. As someone who led the city guards of Aste, these pieces of information were nothing but gossip to him. Up until now, I still couldn't believe that he was a captain.
"To tell you all honestly, I always watched Akihiko's films not only to enjoy them but to guard him as well. As the famous filmmaker and pride of this city, it'd be just right to have the captain guarding him," Uncle Avidius confessed while we were having breakfast in his mansion, located behind his hotel.
"Then why did you oppose him? Isn't it against your principle as an employee to go against the order given to you by your employer? And as a captain with pride and honor, defying your employer is something you would not do... and yet, you did," I stated.
"I am indeed a captain. I have the pride and the honor of being one. I swore to protect no matter what," Uncle Avidius looked at me with a stern and serious expression. "But I didn't swear to tolerate evil. A captain cannot be called a captain if he chooses to side with evil. No. They are criminals."
"And we thank you for that, Uncle Avidius," Shino mumbled.
"You're welcome." Uncle Avidius beamed a smile at Shino, but it instantly turned into a frown when his eyes landed on the boy who was silent at his seat, his food untouched. "Breakfast tastes better when it's hot, did you know that, Tanshiro?"
All of us looked at him with pity. Indeed, he did us wrong before, but I was sure he didn't deserve this kind of pain. To be disowned by your own parent was the last thing every child wanted.
"How can you still eat, laugh, and smile with me here? Aren't you mad at me because of what my father did?" Tanshiro finally spoke, but his head remained low. His body was shaking, and at any moment he would burst into tears.
"Tanshiro, the fault of the father is never the fault of his child," Kana lectured.
"But we are similar!" Tanshiro shouted, and just as I expected, tears came rushing from his reddened eyes down his cheeks. "I scammed you, he scammed everyone—we're basically both evils! Like father, like son!"
All of a sudden, Uncle Avidius stood up from his seat and walked over to Tanshiro. He knelt to match the boy's height and placed both of his hands on the boy's shoulders.
"Similar but not the same. They are two different words. Listen, Tanshiro, indeed you did something wrong just like your father, but there's a huge difference between what you did and what he did—and that difference sets you apart from him.
"You're not a murderer like your father. You never sided with the Dark Order like your father. And lastly, you never sided with your father even though you knew he would disown you. And those make you different from him.
"Your father had already figured things out in his life and decided to be evil. You, Tanshiro, are still young. You still have to experience a lot of wonderful things and make countless decisions. And it's up to you how you are going to live your life and which path you want to stride.
"Right now, it's normal to feel conflicted. That's a valid emotional response for a child who learned the harsh truth. But I hope you wouldn't let those thoughts get the best of you. At your age, you are bound to do great things in life! Probably take after your father's title as a famous filmmaker. Stay strong, Tanshiro."
Hearing those beautiful words from Uncle Avidius's mouth felt like listening to my late father. I couldn't help but smile.
Tanshiro's cries intensified, and Uncle Avidius pulled him into a hug. Perhaps he longed for that gesture, as Tanshiro wrapped his arms tightly around Uncle Avidius's neck—a message of a child who missed the warm embrace of his parents.
***
"What are we going to do now, Kenshi? Now that the only person who could help Daku was actually an ally of our enemy, how are we going to help Daku now?" Shino asked as we took a stroll around the city.
Despite the recent incident at the theater, the liveliness and busyness of the people remained undisturbed. The only difference was that more guards were patrolling around the city, hoping they could catch an accomplice of the Dark Order.
"I don't really know, Shino," I honestly replied. "My mind worries too much about Daku that I can't think of a backup plan."
"It's okay, Mister Kenshi. We'll figure things out soon," Kana comforted, and with that thought in mind, I could only nod.
"This journey was probably the most intense I've experienced so far—and probably the most interesting. Because what do you mean I get to travel with you two: an early awakener and a reawakened! Not just one but two rare occurrences!"
"And we expect you not to say a single thing about it to anyone," Kana reminded Shino.
"Of course! I won't forget!"
"Because if you did, you'll have to fight us," I warned jokingly.
"Now that's a warning! Just thinking about fighting you both, brrr~ I bet I wouldn't last a minute," Shino guessed.
"I don't think you'd last even a second," Kana corrected.
"Hey! I'm not that weak! I still know how to run, you know!" Shino protested, earning a laugh from Kana. "Ahh~ I wish someday we can all laugh without worrying about the Dark Order."
Our simple stroll turned into window shopping, which later turned into actual shopping. The two decided to buy cute and girly accessories while I just watched them, my thoughts still unable to stop thinking about Daku.
I couldn't believe we arrived in this city hopeful, but would leave hopeless. This was undeniably a failed mission. What would the King think if he knew that we failed? What would Grosi think of us? Shiro? And above all, Daku?
Was there no other person we could ask for help? What about the other researchers? I doubted it. They might be in a different field or discipline.
How about the devotees of the Divinities of Light? I'm sure they know a lot about the Evil Remnant more than anyone else. But they were just ordinary mages who were religious—what help could they offer for someone like Daku?
"Mister Kenshi!" Kana shouted, pulling me up from the depths of my sea of thoughts. "We're supposed to be having fun now."
"You're killing the mood, you know that, Kenshi?" Shino also protested.
"Sorry. I just can't help my mind from thinking about stuff."
"This is why we're here—to divert our thoughts."
"Then, perhaps, the thoughts are just too strong to be ignored. It just doesn't feel right that we're having fun knowing the Dark Order is plotting evil and Daku needs help."
Kana dropped her shoulders as a sign of defeat. But she spoke words opposite from it, "Sometimes, we need to have some fun. It's a breather. The reason your mind can't think properly is that it's bombarded with unnecessary thoughts of the future that we're not supposed to know yet."
"Kana is right, Kenshi. We kind of deserve this. We fought the Dark Order and defeated their Dark Orb Wielders. I think that victory is enough for us to celebrate. We always preach that we should celebrate small wins, and yet we can't on bigger ones? Come on, Kenshi. Loosen up! I say we go to the amusement park. I heard there are a lot of fun games and rides there!"
"I like the idea! Let's go, Mister Kenshi!"
I heaved a deep sigh. "Alright, let's go."
***
It was around sundown when we decided to go back to the hotel. And I hated to admit it, but I had so much fun. Aste City was indeed a city of fun.
Kana enjoyed her last bits of cotton candy while carrying a medium-sized stuffed bunny. As for Shino, she was dazzling—literally sparkling—when she coiled the rope of blinking lights around herself. She also had cotton candy, which she nibbled little by little.
I brought nothing with me because, for some reason, I was awfully unlucky with the games I joined. But as a man of pride who sometimes couldn't swallow defeat, I kept playing. Shino and Kana even had to interfere and stop me before I bet all of my doquis.
When we arrived at the hotel lobby, we were greeted by Uncle Avidius and Tanshiro. When he saw us, he couldn't help but smile and let out a chuckle.
"You look like a yuletide tree with those lights on you, Shino," Uncle Avidius commented.
"I get that a lot, Uncle," replied Shino.
"Anyway, I have some news regarding the Dark Order. Tanshiro helped me search through his dad's office and laboratory, and we found this." Uncle Avidius handed me a rolled parchment, which I received. I unrolled it and discovered it was a map with five markings on it. Three of them were further marked with an "X."
"The markings are familiar. That's Geiya Village," Kana pointed at one of the markings, and I agreed with her.
"This one is Tragiffa Village," Shino also pointed out, which I confirmed for the second time. "And that's Thorn City."
"It's the location of the artifacts," I concluded.
"It makes sense since the artifacts located at Geiya, Tragiffa, and Thorn have already been discovered—hence the Xs. That means only two are left: one at the Suttoh Territory, and another at the West Region."
"Assuming they'd go after the artifacts, the members from here would definitely go to Suttoh Territory since it's nearer."
And in an instant, my mind thought of an idea.
"We'll go to Suttoh Territory," I announced.
Stopping the Dark Order from reviving Dolum would buy us some time to think of ways to bring Daku back to his usual self. Looks like you were about to have a breather, Kana and Shino. I owe this one to both of you.