Time was passing quite quickly. It was almost sunset. Yet the two could not find a single lead. Mainly because they really weren't giving it their all.
"If I was a doctor, where would I be?" Tsuyoi caressed his own chin, trying to pick where they will go. Kori pouted in frustration and sighed. "This isn't going anywhere…"
Tsuyoi turned around to face Kori, and yelled. "That's nonsense! Don't you dare forget my name! Tsuyoi Ketsui, the undying phoenix! I'll find him in no time, just you watch!"
Then Tsuyoi turned around to walk forward once again. His steps became stomps.
Kori applauded him. "What a brave warrior! The prime example of masculinity!"
As the sun was slowly swallowed by the night sky, every light in Eldoria was simultaneously lit up. This catched their attention. "That was cool. Prolly the only thing that impressed me here."
Kori however, wasn't impressed. She was… curious. "That's interesting to say the least." She noted it on the top of her head.
The silence started to annoy Kori. Normally the loud and obnoxious phoenix never shut up. But this time, he was quiet.
"You think Pablo can take care of himself?" She blurted it out to break the silence. Tsuyoi didn't answer immediately and kicked a rock on the floor. "Honestly? I don't know."
Kori paused, she wasn't expecting this answer. Her question wasn't really serious anyway. She expected 'Ofcourse he can!' or 'My bro can do anything!'
If Tsuyoi wasn't sure, why did he leave him alone? "Then why did you leave him by himself? That is quite reckless of you."
Tsuyoi cackled and put his hands in his pockets. "He is too focused on proving his worth to me." But this didn't answer Kori's question. She doubled down. "Isn't that a good thing? That he is taking this seriously, unlike a certain someone?"
Tsuyoi cut into an alleyway, probably due to gut instinct. He really doesn't know where he is going. "That's rich coming from you. But no, that's not really a good thing. If he only focuses on making himself reliable to me, then what will he be without me? Say I die in the next 30 seconds. Who will he fight for" Tsuyoi turned back to face Kori, walking backwards.
Kori pondered at Tsuyoi's question and tilted her head. "Wouldn't it still be you? Pablo doesn't seem like the type to just move on,"
Tsuyoi's eyes widened just a little, taking in Kori's answer. "Huh?" he stopped walking.
"Wouldn't it be better for him to count on the living?" She stopped too.
Tsuyoi stared at Kori for a good second, a strong breeze passed them as Tsuyoi's mind raced for an answer. "...what happened to the silly babe from before?"
Kori giggled and covered her mouth, she started walking again. "What happened to the big dumb gentleman?"
Tsuyoi grinned and also started walking again. "Touchie, or whatever." he shrugged. Kori didn't even attempt to correct him. Instead, a new question came to her mind. "How did you two even meet? You seem awfully close."
Tsuyoi couldn't help but notice a swarm of flies collecting at lightposts. He didn't think too much about it though. "2 weeks ago, if I'm not wrong. We met while I was robbing a doctor's house after I heard they earn a lot. When I noticed how smart he was, I offered a partnership,"
Kori was amused by this new information, and smiled. "That's cute-"
"He refused obviously, so I threatened his life." Tsuyoi intervened. That left Kori speechless. "...and then?"
"I didn't really mean it though! I just said it to push him a little. Not like I'd follow up on it. After that we became friends, I think. Though, I can't help but feel like it's one-sided though. It feels like he is tolerating me more than he cherishes me." He added, a hint of annoyance in his voice.
The amount of flies kept increasing, but Tsuyoi really didn't care much about it. Now the sky was almost fully dark, the only thing lighting their path was the lightposts.
"I also noticed that. But maybe that's just how he is? I'd even argue that's normal. You guys just met 2 weeks ago and you threatened him into this mess. I think it's weird how… close you are with him. But that's what makes you so cool!"
Tsuyoi grunted and didn't reply to her, obviously annoyed and angry. The words were true, but it still hurts regardless. Kori noticed this.
"You're lonely, aren't you?" She bluntly said.
Tsuyoi paused, refusing to look at her. He sighed and didn't even bother to answer her question. He realised what she was trying to do. "I'm starting to think Pablo was right about you."
Kori didn't stop walking, she passed him by. "Too far." She thought to herself.
After walking together even more, Kori finally noticed the amount of flies was unnatural. For such a clean town…
Suddenly, Kori's eyes widened as he noticed the abnormal amount of flies. But she didn't break her composure.
"Tsuyoi, don't stop walking and act natural. Speak in a low voice and keep following me."
Tsuyoi was surprised by the sudden change of subject, but he followed nonetheless. He wasn't the type to panic. "What's the matter?"
The air went colder and even denser. Almost like the world was holding its breath.
She turned towards Tsuyoi and smiled warmly. "We are going to be attacked by a Treasurer any second now." she whispered.
Tsuyoi's heart skipped a beat.
But he didn't let the reaction leave his heart. "Is it about the flies? Because I've noticed them too. But it's a giant leap to say it's a treasure." he spoke quietly
She looked around curiously, but didn't focus too much on the flies to avoid suspicion. "Don't look, but some of the flies are directly looking at us while flying still. Flies don't do that. Some are focused on the light, while some are focused on us."
Tsuyoi tried to act casual and returned the smile. But his lips shaked just a little. "What do you think we should do?"
Kori kept her eyes on Tsuyoi, not directing them. "Back in the ship, when the two Magiborns blew up, did you notice any flies?"
Tsuyoi tried to remember, he looked at the sky. "I-"
Kori interrupted him, her voice went cold and desperate. "Don't stop looking at me. Try not to blink."
Tsuyoi gulped reflexively, trying to swallow the tension. He kept looking at her, trying to focus as much as he could. "As I was saying, I think I do remember. There were 2 flies. They landed on the bastards before they died, but I didn't think too much of it back then."
Kori's mind tried to make a plan in such a short time. She noticed a gap of information. "So it's the flies. But why didn't the Treasurer target you two instead of them? Magiborn anatomy is very different from Dawnthinker anatomy. Poisons that work on them will definitely not work on you. So my guess is that the poison they used only works on Magiborns."
Tsuyoi scratched his head, grunting in confusion. "So, a third party? Sanita wouldn't kill Magiborns. He fights for them!"
Kori pouted. She is clueless as Tsuyoi. "Maybe. But It doesn't matter who is attacking us. We are under attack, that's what matters."
She reaches for her pocket and sneakily puts her gloves on. Her treasure.
Like I said, I'm guessing we are immune to whatever these flies can do. But maybe there are other poisons. What we should do right now is try to leave quietly and group with Pablo-"
A fly landed on her shoulder. Tsuyoi's eyes widened, his robe started glowing. "Look out!"
He blasted blue flames from his palms, instantly turning the fly into dust. Kori didn't look too bothered by it. "So much for acting normal. Oh well."
Every fly in the area stopped what they were doing and focused on the two. All of them grouped and started charging at them as a swarm.
"Oh." Tsuyoi gulped. Kori hugged Tsuyoi tightly, like damsel in distress. "Oh no! They got a reaction from us, protect me!"
Tsuyoi put on his robe in anger, leaving minimum skin area as it gracefully glowed. "Of course! All we have to do is blast them to kingdom come! I have the firepower for that!"
Blue flames started to spiral around Tsuyoi, he started to charge his emotions up. Ready to serve.
Kori braced herself for the attack. "Such power!" she smiled.
Tsuyoi roared and lunged his fist forward. The flames around his body followed it. Every fly in front of him backed up and tried to dodge it. But surprisingly, Tsuyoi didn't follow up the gesture. "Dumbass!"
It was a feint.
"How is that for 'getting a reaction', huh?!" He yelled smugly. Kori didn't expect a call like that from Tsuyoi. "That's brilliant, Tsuyoi. Now we know there is actually an intelligent mind behind them, they are not regular flies."
Kori stopped hugging him and started sprinting, trying to lose the swarm that was chasing them. "Now, we need to-" But to Kori's surprise, Tsuyoi didn't follow. "We are not running, damn it!"
He roared and raised his fist to the sky, sending a firebolt like a flare signal. It lights up like the sun in contrast to the night sky of Eldoria.
"What is he thinking? Did I flatter him too much?" she ponders, trying to make sense of Tsuyoi's move.
Windows open, rooms light up. Everyone inside their homes focuses on the flames lightning up the sky.
"Don't underestimate me, you rotten… whatever you are!" Resolve in his eyes, Tsuyoi looks at the swarm.
They slow their approach, and they look like they are more careful now. "Yeah, that's right! You don't like attention. You won't attack me in broad daylight, in front of everyone. I could take you, but I don't feel like it!"
As more people come out of their rooms and look at the flare in confusion, the flies disperse. They stop their charge and leave.
As they leave, Tsuyoi starts panting. A weird feeling in his chest. "Man, that was tiring." His expression seemed colder, almost a bit detached.
Kori noticed that. "Of course his treasure would be costly. I wonder if he knows what The Aura Link is."
Kori grew calmer and turned back to her usual behaviour. She turned towards the direction the flies flew to. "That was a good call, Tsuyoi. I can handle any other threats that approach."
Tsuyoi refused the offer, wiping the sweat on his forehead. "No, I can keep going!"
"Nope, I insist." Kori pointed at his chest. "We don't want you losing this, before we find Sanita, do we?"
Tsuyoi was confused by what she meant and stared at her. "Fine. But I don't feel good making a girl fight for me!"
They continued walking, leaving this encounter alive. But in contrast, Pablo's situation isn't really great.
He slowly wakes up and opens his eyes. His head hurts. Like a hammer smashing it from the inside. He finds himself in a white robe with nothing underneath. "...shit. That was pathetic."
He looks around and checks out his surroundings. He notices the room looks like a typical hospital but something is wrong. He just can't point out why. The air smells of blood.
He grunts as he gets up. He is cautious with every step. "Where the hell am I? I swear if I lost an organ…"
He hears footsteps and immediately hides behind a wall. He overhears a conversation between what appears to be 2 people. "People report flies appearing out of nowhere, sir. We might have to move you to somewhere safer."
The other person growled and swatted the man away. "Nonsense! I cannot waste this opportunity, we are so close! He won't leave anything behind when he is done. This mission is too valuable to just abandon. Especially after we found the anomaly."
Pablo is confused beyond words, but the flies being mentioned catch his attention. "Maybe the same flies on the boat? Why is the doctor afraid of them appearing on Eldoria? Could it be related to Sanita? So many questions…" he ponders.
"But the order is from Commander E-" before the guard could say anything, the doctor roared with all his rage. "Tell him to suck my educated balls! We are doing this. End of argument!"
"But sir-"
"END OF DISCUSSION!"
Pablo didn't move an inch and waited patiently for them to leave. Once that was the case he sighed in relief. He closed his face in despair. "What the hell am I gonna do now..? I can't die. But how can I not die?"
He lays down on his bed, waiting hopelessly. "Maybe if I wait for Sanita to come- no. He'll kill the doctor and everything that I need. Maybe Tsuyoi? No, he'll never find this place."
He looks at the lightbulb on the roof, faintly glowing. Barely glowing.
"Could the anomaly be me?" he thought to himself. "Probably."
He decided to get up and look at other beds around him. He lifted the curtains surrounding them to see if anybody was there. But what he sees immediately makes him nauseous. Upon looking at the bed next to him, he sees a transfigured body that faintly glows with the color purple. Its skin is fully dark, some organs are fully out and visible.
The worst part is,
It seems like it's breathing. Pablo went into shock and grew very nervous. The body reaches out to Pablo, the hand trembling as it's lifted.
"...kill… me…"
This takes him out of the shock. He gasps, and closes the curtain immediately. "I need him alive. I'm guessing it's a he. I can't tell when it looks like that."
He doesn't like the implication of the other beds next to it. 4 to be exact, excluding his and the one he already checked. He decides it's probably the same case, and he doesn't want to vomit and lose his strength.
"I kind of understand Sanita now. But I cannot afford to die."
"The lives of others can't be more important than yours, can it?"
"Get out of my head, damn it!" Pablo puts a hand on his forehead, trying to deal with the headache. He tries to think of his next move, as he can't stay here forever.
"If I stay here, I will die horribly. If I get caught when exploring, I'll get taken back to this room and die horribly. I have nothing to lose." he decides to leave the room. Before he does, he checks the hallway and then proceeds when he decides it's safe to move.
He pauses before taking a step outside the room. "Then why am I still afraid?" he looks down to his feet.
He takes a deep breath. "..."
He finally gathers the courage to explore. "I made a promise, didn't I?" He leaves the room, and walks through the hallway quietly. "They went left. I probably won't find something important there. I should go right."
He cautiously explored the building to try to find a way out. Or try to find something that could help him in any way shape or form. He found neither. There was no exit that he could see. "This is weird. Is this facility controlled by a Treasure, like Arzt's? I doubt it. Given how every treasure is unique…"
Eventually he found what appeared to be a weapons room. Entering it without a second thought. He now can find something to protect himself with.
"I can't use swords. Especially long swords. I hope I can find something like a gun-"
When he fully enters the room, every weapon except for a singular Zweihander is taken.
Pablo pinches his nose and sighs, but his desperation to live is bigger than the anger he has towards divine justice right now. "Beggars can't be choosers, or something like that."
He picks up the Zweihander with two hands. He notices it's lighter than what he expected. "That's not that bad, actually."
He tries to swing it with full force. Even for someone like Pablo, it's not that slow. But his stamina seems like the biggest problem right now. He doesn't know how to carry it with him, so he just rests it on his shoulder.
"If a threat comes and I can't handle it with the sword, I'll just eat the sword and use my Treasure." He looks at his palm like he is feeling something is wrong with his hand.
"I got this, I got this, I got this." He leaves the room, the moment he leaves it he notices a guard on his left.
The guard freezes, so does Pablo. They stare at each other, like a deer caught in headlights. They both do not make move, and just watch each other.
"...wait-" Before the guard could say anything, Pablo started sprinting in the opposite direction.
The guard quickly chased after him. Because the guard was fully armored, Pablo believed he had the upper hand when it came to chasing.
But what he didn't account for was superhuman speed. The guard caught up to him quickly. Pablo quickly swung his sword with all his might. The guard managed to dodge pretty easily. He closed in the distance and grabbed Pablo to slam him into the wall. Pablo cried out in pain.
"Listen." He demands. His grip on Pablo tightening. Pablo tried fighting back to break free. "No!"
The guard slammed him into the wall again. "I'm not with them!"
This made Pablo stop fighting back in surprise. But he still didn't fully give in. "Explain!"
The guard takes his helmet off, revealing his long spiky dark hair that was almost straightened under the helmet. His eyes show resolve, determination and animosity for whoever is behind this facility.
Pablo inspects his face as the realisation kicks in. "You're… the guy I bumped into on the street, aren't you?"
The man puts Pablo down, putting his helmet back on. "The name is Sanita. Sanita Infermum. I'm here to save you and every other magiborn here. Right after I kill the bastard behind all this, ofcourse."
Pablo gasps in surprise, not believing the Sanita Infermum is right in front of him. "Seriously? But- im not a magiborn."
Confused, Sanita raises an eyebrow. "How come? I can sense mana from you. Or are you trying to say you don't identify as one?"
His gaze turns threatening. "Are you implying that you're abandoning your blood..?"
Pablo raises his hands in defense, he starts panicking. "N-No! I don't understand what you mean! I'm not a Magiborn. I'm a Dawnwalker. I don't have mana. Not that there is anything wrong with being a Magiborn!"
Sanita scoffs and starts walking, passing Pablo by. "Dawnthinkers don't have mana. Either you're lying, or you're lying. But I don't really care. Just follow me."
Pablo reluctantly follows him, he knows Sanita will kill the doctor. He knows he won't listen to Pablo. But for now, he decides it would be best to move with him.
"Are… the flies-" Pablo is interrupted by Sanita. "Yes."
As the two move, there is an awkward silence. For the first time, Pablo misses Tsuyoi's loudness. He decides to break the silence, maybe to build trust with Sanita in order to convince him later. "So uh… it's my first time seeing Sorcery. How different is it from Treasures?"
Sanita didn't respond, his footsteps echoed in the hallway. Eventually, he sighed and turned around to face Pablo. "For the last time, you're not a Dawnthinker. You're a Magiborn."
After claiming that, he turns around once more to continue walking. "Besides, I wouldn't know. I never used one."
Realising Sanita has a 'conversational' side, Pablo decides to break into it even further. He decides to not double down on him being a Dawnthinker.
"You think you can take them on?" Pablo tried to catch up with Sanita, but he didn't waste any time replying. "Shut."
In response, Pablo sighed. "So friendly."
Just how long is this hallway? Sanita sharply exhaled. "Hide your mana presence. Something is wrong."
Pablo felt like 'I don't have mana' wasn't the correct response, so he decided to lie. "Sure."
Pablo closed his eyes and clenched his body, letting out a weird sound. "I'm doing it, I'm concealing it so well."
Sanita turns around and almost spits at him. "Quit it. Hide it." No matter how angry Sanita got, Pablo was just helpless. He grunted in annoyance. "I don't know how!"
Sanita doesn't even face him, as if looking at him is enough for him to get mad. "What do you mean 'how?' you just hide it!"
Eventually, Sanita stops walking. "Tsk."
He decides to help out Pablo, he really doesn't like leaving stuff without a conclusion. "It's just like covering your body with your mana but the opposite! Or like depositing your mana in one spot of your body but you do it inside your soul."
Pablo yelled, raising his voice unintentionally. "I don't know how to do those either! I'm not a Magiborn! I don't even believe in souls!"
Sanita raised his voice as well. "Why are you yelling?!" He shouted. "So are you!" Pablo objected.
"Something is manipulating this hallway! That's why I wanted you to conceal your mana so they can't tell where we are without seeing us directly!" He faced Pablo fully, stepping closer.
"Good thing I don't have mana then!" For some reason his fear of Sanita from before was gone thanks to his superior annoyance.
Out of nowhere, a loud explosion sound echoes through the hallway. A projectile pierces Sanita's skull. Pablo takes a step back in shock.
"...fuck…"
Sanite checks his forehead with his hand, he seems unusually calm. "So we are under attack."
This surprises Pablo even more, and he goes pale (even though he already is).
"H-How?" is the only word Pablo can say right now. Sanita just pulls him into a room nearby to exit the hallway. "We don't have brains, remember?"
"Huh? I don't know about you but I have brains! I may be pathetic in many ways, but I'm smart as hell! It's the only thing that got me this far!" Pablo objects as he is offended.
The hole in Sanita's head is slowly filled with flies, those flies turn into 'flesh' that seems to regenerate his head. "Magiborns don't have brains. We're made of mana, genius. WE."
Pablo was too annoyed to keep saying he is a Dawnthinker, so he eventually just gave up. "Okay! What do we do now?"
Sanita gets out of cover and calmly walks towards the door. He opens his palms and faces it towards the hallway. "They cannot shoot a fly."
"Let alone a swarm." His eyes glow faintly. His hand slowly turns into flies, and so does his arm right up to his elbow. The swarm enters the hallway and flies towards where the noise came from. "I can use them like drones since they are a part of my body."
Pablo observes in awe, not seeing anything like it before. "That's insane. And gross."
As flies fill up the hallway, Sanita confidently enters the hallway. Walking towards the danger with no fear.
"I will kill Doctor Blessings myself. And then save everybody here."