Asim's steps were slow, but steady. Each movement hurt just a little bit more, but something tasted… different. Taking his own attack head on and tasting Pablo's desperation felt different.
Aside from the taste of ashes, he could… feel something else.
He couldn't exactly point it out yet.
Pablo's words echoed through his head. He couldn't ignore it.
"Maybe you weren't the taste I was chasing for. But you were the appetizer for it." Asim smiled softly.
"...Kaelthwyn." He muttered. "I heard the food there is nice." His voice came out raspy.
Before getting to the stairs, the door opened to reveal him, The Third Commander… Erik Eishelm. Asim froze, and so did Erik. But one was amused, while Asim was shocked.
"Hm… Asim." Erik hummed. "You were the last person I expected here. Why would someone like you indulge in the riot?" He raised an eyebrow.
Asim didn't respond at first. He then pulled out the last bit of his cigarette; the rest had been turned to ashes. His body was hot enough to light it by putting it on his skin. "I had a feeling." He took a long drag.
"You? Feeling? That's new." Erik chuckled.
"Yep." Asim nodded and looked at the floor.
"So uh… should I get this over with or-" Erik raised his hands, but Asim quickly dashed forward and swung his fist. In an instant, Erik was behind him. "Sorry. What happened to you was a real shame… and it shouldn't have happened." A sword made out of pure light appeared in Erik's hands, and before Asim knew it, he was struck in the heart by it.
And that was his end.
"Cruel world we live in." He pulled out the sword and it disappeared into thin air. As Asim gave his last breath, he moved aside and went back to the stairs. "I came here looking for them but…" His smile dropped as he stared at Juryo's unconscious body. "...I guess someone was here first."
Erik stared at Asim's burning cigarette, and hesitantly took it. He took a nervous drag only to cough it up afterwards. "Tastes like charcoal."
4 guards arrived and immediately saluted Erik. He waved his hands to dismiss them. "Get The Third out of here, he seems to be in critical condition but his King Cells should keep him alive. Did the Twelfth give any updates?" He dropped the cigarette.
"Yeah. Number 12 said that the mission wasn't ready yet." One of the guards stepped up. "Eh, I'll see that for myself." He moved through the guards and got on the stairs. "I don't like cat-and-mouse games."
Meanwhile, Haisha was split from Kori. While running in the Brimstone Wing, she saw a very big wounded woman resting her back on the wall. She was bleeding from her stomach. Haisha stopped immediately. It was the giant from the cafeteria, the one who messed with Tsuyoi.
"Miss? What's wrong?"
"What the hell is a kid doing here?" She groaned in pain and looked at Haisha in confusion. "I'm trying to save my brother and escape. What about you?"
"Good luck with that." She winced. "I got shot while trying to escape, they didn't even confirm if I was dead or alive. I survived by absorbing the magic from their armor. Us giants can do that."
Haisha exhaled worriedly. He looked at his backpack to see if he had anything that could help the woman, but realised he had nothing. "Sorry. I don't have anything that can help you. But I've got donuts, if you want to share." He pulled out the expired donut that was flattened by his journey.
He split it in half and reached out for her to grab a piece. She didn't; she just looked at him like a deer caught in headlights. "I promise they don't taste that bad." He chuckled.
Reluctantly, she took her part and started eating it. "It's okay. I've been here for a good minute. I already accepted what's coming for me." It tasted horrible, but she let it slide.
"Though it's probably still scary, right?" He started eating as well while sitting next to her amidst the chaos. "...What's this?" She looked at the piece of donut in her hands. "A donut."
"No, I can see that." She rolled her eyes. "That's not what I meant."
"Oh." Haisha scratched the back of his neck. "I figured it'd be too sad to just leave you here to die by yourself."
Her eyes widened slightly. She took a deep breath and another bite. "Thanks."
"...These are horrible though." She finished the donut.
"Yeah it's been in my backpack for a while…" Haisha sighed and finished his donut as well. "But I think these are nice."
"What were you in for?" He looked at her and wiped the crumbs off his hands. "Forget it. You'd leave me, like everyone else."
"I probably wouldn't." He looked at his backpack to see if there was something else. "Dang." To no one's surprise, nothing was left.
"I've killed people. Lots. They didn't deserve it." Her voice shook. She doesn't know why she is being so open next to this random kid, but I guess donuts really help.
"That's horrible, miss." His smile dropped.
Haisha didn't go anywhere and stretched in his spot. "Agh, my back…" He said to himself.
"I know." The giant looked down once more, realising her vision was getting blurry. Maybe from her eyes tearing up, or maybe from the fact that she was about to die really soon. "Did your brother kill people?" She couldn't help but ask.
"I've never seen him kill someone before. He never told me, but I never asked either. Anyway, he is still my brother." Haisha smiled again.
"You'd love him even if he killed many people?" The woman looked at Haisha, and slowly realised she was running out of time.
"I mean, I did share my last donuts with you." Haisha chuckled. "Because I think you'd do the same if you saw a kid bleeding out."
The woman nods and looks at the ceiling, letting the tears fall. "I probably wouldn't." She closed her eyes.
"Well, I like to think that you would." Haisha kept smiling.
Many guards were rushing down the hallway. Seeing that, Haisha stopped smiling, realising he needed to leave now.
Haisha slowly got up. "Alright..." He struggled to do so due to his stiff body. He looked at her with a hint of sadness, but moved on and faced the guards.
"Sorry for this, but it'll hurt!" He clenched his fists and grinned.
Tsuyoi and Pablo made it to the Ash Wing to see Dante again because Tsuyoi wanted to return his Treasure.
"Hey!" Tsuyoi called out. The weeping Dante looked up. He threw the bracelet at him. He caught it. With a disappointed expression, Tsuyoi reluctantly left. "Let's go, Pablo!"
The door to the Brimstone Wing was surrounded by guards. These weren't the average guards; their armor looked different. Tsuyoi and Pablo stopped after they peeked inside. "Let's go through The Hollow. It'll be a shortcut to The Invitation."
They stealthed their way to the Hollow. Upon entering the empty courtyard, they looked around to see which gate would lead to the Invitation.
But to their surprise, as they made it through, someone interrupted them. "Oh, there you are." Erik smiled. Tsuyoi and Pablo stepped back instantly in shock. The well was right behind them. It was the only thing inside the courtyard besides them and Erik.
"The Twelfth said you weren't ready yet. But I felt like I needed to see it for myself." Erik fixed his glasses. "Why do you want me? To make mana-powered supersoldiers or something? Or a more efficient way to make Magisteel? Why me of all people?!" Pablo's voice shook.
"Neither." Erik took a step forward. Pablo and Tsuyoi took a step back. "Your disease… you're not the only one suffering from it. But of course, what makes you The Anomaly isn't that you're using mana… it's that you have a bottomless ocean of it and somehow it isn't killing you. That's one hell of a guinea pig if you ask me."
"You don't care about the lives of sick people, you're just taking orders from above, aren't you?" Pablo yelled. "What he said!" Tsuyoi yelled too.
"How would you know?" Erik's smile dropped. "What do you know about me?"
"..." Pablo gulped; the sudden change in his tone got him even more nervous. "You don't know what I live for, who I work for, who I love and who I hate." Erik took one step further, like always. "But I'm just your enemy, right? That's what you call me. Why? Because I stood in the way of your goal?"
"What's the plan, smart-guy?" Tsuyoi whispered to Pablo. "...I don't know."
"As long as someone is standing in your way, you don't hesitate to kill them." Erik's smile returned. "We're so alike, aren't we?"
"You're a mass-murderer! Don't you dare compare us, you killed thousands… you admitted it yourself!" Pablo's voice barely came out. "Oh, so you do know what a thousand is." Erik placed a hand on his chin. "What's the difference between someone who killed one person versus someone who killed two?"
"I don't know." Pablo raised his hands, tired of him talking. "I do." Erik raised his hands as well, so did Tsuyoi. Both of Erik's hands glowed, but also something in his pocket did.
Flames lit in Tsuyoi's palms as he breathed out fire, surging with power.
Pablo created another Zweihander with his sorcery.
A sword of light manifested within Erik's hands. "The first time it's emotions, the second time it's a decision." A flame lit in his eyes.