15 - Broken Memory, pt. 1

[YEREVAN, 2022]

Under the uncertain sun, and in between the busy roads...

“Are you sure this thing is even supposed to exist?” Otto asked, observing the unusual food item in his hands.

“If it tastes good, why not?” Hayk replied, having already unwrapped and taken a bite of the goodness. “Here is one of the only places in the world where you can find something like this.”

“I’m sure that’s not true.” Otto replied, trying to make sense of the paper. “Shawarmas are middle eastern food...remind me again why make them with pork?”

“Firstly, you can find it in other places, but it’ll never be as good as it is here.” Hayk said, happily taking another bite. “Secondly, who cares? Just enjoy the damn food.”

The buildings that surrounded them all had a special pink tint to them - courtesy of the special volcanic stone that was used to construct them. That, and many other common facts about the region that were told to Otto about the place came out to be the truth - Otto felt both mesmerized and curious about just what type of little paradise he ended up in. For a man used to living in glass and concrete jungles, this type of break was very refreshing. Despite the overwhelming stress of a quickly changing world, courtesy of the global soul event, he could at least relax a little.

For Hayk, however, this was homeland. He knew every metre of the city by heart, someone like him would be a perfect tour guide for an easily fascinated tourist like Otto. Despite his own troubles, he also had some fun showing Otto around.

“You’re right, it is pretty good.” Otto said, after taking a bite.

“And that’s just the street food. Imagine what happens when I take you to a restaurant with all the good stuff.” Hayk commented.

“Let me guess, more meat and flatbread?” Otto chuckled.

“Everything and flatbread. I mean, really, we pretty much have everything. Come on, make some time in your schedule. You’re not leaving until you’ve tried everything.”

“Should I be concerned by your kindness?” Otto asked, laughing. “It’s usually a bad omen.”

“It’s not an omen for sure.” Hayk yawned. “So then, why even come and see me here in the first place?”

“Because you’re a fascinating man, and a powerful soulful.” Otto said. “But the truth is, what I wanted to discuss with you cannot be discussed through the phone.”

“I see...by the way you’re eating, I can tell that you want an extra.”

“Is it shameful to ask for one more?” Otto asked.

“Once I tell the cook you’re a visitor, he’s gonna make you not one, but a dozen.” Hayk said. Though, he noticed that Otto felt a little...concerned.

“Hey, what’s up with you?” Hayk asked. “Something stuck in your throat?”

“Hayk, I think we should really get our business out of the way first before enjoying ourselves.” Otto said. “My men in Berlin are waiting for my response.”

“Then tell me where you want to discuss it.” Hayk sighed. “My apartment is free, but if you’re so concerned, we’d much rather talk about it in a place that isn’t associated with us.”

“I’m impressed by your cautious nature.” Otto said. “Let’s just discuss it in some remote street or alley. I’d love to see more of this city anyways.”

“Yeah, it’s a nice place.” Hayk said. “For you, at least.”

“You don’t like it?” Otto asked, surprised.

“No, I do like it. More than anyone else, in reality. It’s just...a bit painful.” Hayk replied.

“Fair enough.” Otto said.

“Otto, you’re a man of justice and sentimentality, right?” Hayk asked. “What do you think is right? Should you see heroic sacrifices with the eyes of admiration, or guilt?”

“Hm? What kind of question is that?” Otto was confused. Though, a moment later, he continued. “It should be seen with the eyes of admiration. A sacrifice is an act of will, not obligation.”

“An interesting viewpoint indeed.” Hayk continued. He didn’t even feel like taking another bite of his food, while Otto had almost finished devouring the poor roll.

“Hayk, the reason I came to talk to you is because the world has changed. And as people with power, it is our-”

“Just get to the point.” Hayk interrupted.

“The Global Soulful Coalition.” Otto said, annoyed. “One of my men tried to get closer to its leader, Kaito Kamiki. He reported some...questionable behaviour and decision making coming from him.”

“And?” Hayk questioned. “What if the man is just socially awkward?”

“He has not been heard of after he sent me that information.” Otto said. Hayk stopped in his tracks, trying to digest the news.

“So...that’s what happened...what was the information about, though?”

“All he could report was that Kaito had some type of ‘divine power’ as a soulful.” Otto said. “Not just strength, like me and you. Something above and beyond that.”

“You think there’s soul expressions that are stronger than mine or yours?” Hayk asked.

“Without doubt. What my fallen comrade had also told me was that Kaito is obsessed with something along the lines of creating a soulful world. He was also planning on how to start influencing political figures more and more.” Otto explained.

“He’s been on a roll so far.” Hayk commented.

“He’s also started to look for soulfuls to recruit to a supposed special forces unit.” Otto remarked.

“Soulful soldiers? Sounds cool, I like that.” Hayk yawned.

“Take this seriously, damn it!” Otto said. “Tell me, with all this information, what do you think he is planning?”

“I...don’t know!” Hayk shrugged. “That’s not enough information to figure out anything.”

“Hayk, I’ve come here because I trust you.” Otto said. “Ever since Adler Group was founded, we’ve been working together to ensure that the coalition remains in check, and that nobody gains too much power. Soul-related abilities are unpredictably powerful, and we must assure that no madman can have access to something that threatens the integrity of the world.”

“You have a surprisingly agile brain.” Hayk commented.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

“If you do not have a solution to this problem, I will simply take my leave.” Otto said.

“And who else am I gonna take to restaurants? I need you as an excuse to eat fancy.” Hayk sighed. He took out his phone, showing Otto someone’s contact information.

“What is this?”

“You know Tsunehiro, right? He’s an overseas friend of mine and a soulful that knows a lot about the world. This is Victor, one of his allies.” Hayk explained. “His soul expression lets him be invisible for a prolonged time. It’s an almost perfect version of stealth.”

“What do you want me to do with this?”

“What you want to do, duh.” Hayk said, annoyed. “You make a phone call to him and tell him to sneak directly into Kaito’s office. There.”

“Do you think he’ll accept such a dangerous job?” Otto asked.

“He told me that he’s ready to sacrifice himself.” Hayk replied. “Just make sure to slide him some extra cash.”

“I understand. That will not be an issue.” Otto said. “I’ll head out to make some calls. Thank you, Hayk, for trusting me.” Otto remarked, before heading out.

“Wait, Otto.” Hayk stopped him. “How are you so sure that something’s wrong with him?”

“You’re right, I have no reason to do so.” Otto explained. “He’s a man who tries to support us, soulfuls, and he’s also a family man. But something about his actions does not sit well with me. It’s much better to make sure.”

“He’s...a family man?!” Hayk was shocked.

“Yes. He has an adopted son.” Otto said. “I’ll look into him as well if I get the chance.” With that, he left his partner.

Alone, Hayk stood amidst the street. He looked down at his food but found no will to eat it. Eventually, he wrapped it in its own paper and shoved it into the deep pockets of his coat. He looked around himself, the scenery that was so closely bound to his heart was just as eagerly destroying him.

He walked along the street, drowned by the noises surrounding him. He thought of taking drugs to fight them off, but never found the courage within him to do so. He never even considered getting help, for that matter. The question he asked Otto regarding guilt wasn’t one out of curiosity, it was one asked out of pain.

He walked, and in his ears, instead of car sirens honking, he heard sirens that warned men of impending devastation. Instead of the footsteps of the civilians around him, he heard gunshots. Instead of distant conversations, he heard screams. And instead of the eyes of a random, careless pedestrian, he saw the eyes of a scared man who didn’t want to leave this world.

All of that overwhelmed him.

Though, thankfully, instead of the usual sequence of losing his breath and even losing control of his actions, he managed to keep himself together. Hayk, who at that time wasn’t as proficient with soul prowess, couldn’t control his soaring presence. He snapped out of it, still looking confused and lost.

The air felt slightly colder than usual. His hands and feet didn’t listen to him, he had to put in extra effort just to take a few steps. He felt perfectly aware of himself, yet at the same time, barely retained control over his physical vessel.

Amidst the burst of emotions, he took his phone out, and made a call.

“Hello?”

“What’s up?” Tsunehiro asked from the other side.

“Are you with Victor right now?”

“Yeah. I assume you know about the phone call he just got.”

“Yeah, I do know about it. I’m the one who gave Otto his number.” Hayk said, slowly regaining his functionality and walking towards an unknown direction.

“Yeah, it makes sense. Well, Otto better get a full paycheck ready for our boy. You know an infiltration like this wouldn’t be cheap, right?”

“Just...I don’t know.” Hayk said. “What if he ends up like-”

“You say it for everyone.” Tsunehiro interrupted him. “It’ll be fine. He knows what type of job he’s doing, and he’s smart about it.”

“Right.”

“Anything else? I’m trying to take a shit right now, you called at a bad time.” Tsunehiro said.

“You...really had to say that?”

“Oh come on, why would I pretend I’m in a five star restaurant when I’m taking a shit? There’s no point in lying.”

“Fair enough.”

“Stay safe, Hayk. Call me if you need anything, or...if you just want to talk, I guess.”

“Yeah...”

Hayk hung the call and took a deep breath.

“It’s gonna be alright.”

...

Hayk retained that sense of concern. Even up until the night, during which Otto himself came to pay him a visit. He rushed into Hayk’s apartament, breaking the door open. He found Hayk laying on the couch, in his living room, all alone. He had no partner or motivation to get one, he had no children or even friends or pets around.

“You're gonna pay me back for the door, right?” Hayk said, not taking his eyes away from the ceiling he loved staring at during nights like this.

“The operation is over.” Otto said. “Victor got as much information as he could.”

“Spill the beans.” Hayk replied.

“You’ll need to get your act together before that. At least sit up.” Otto said.

“But this is coooooomfortable...” Hayk yawned. “The view is nice too.”

“He overheard Kaito talking about causing another Global Soul Event.”

“...huh?” Hayk asked. A statement like that was thankfully enough to make him sit up, and even regain his composure. “Bullshit.”

“You think your ally would lie about what he saw?”

“The Global Soul Event wasn’t caused, it just...happened.” Hayk said, slightly in denial. “It’s impossible to just cause one. It’s literally impossible.”

“There are two theories on the Global Soul Event. One states that soul prowess itself did it, due to the imbalance and potency of souls. The other states that a divine entity did it.” Otto said. “If it comes out of the mouth of someone who is deemed to be the foundation of the soulful world, then it is best to believe that he might be telling the truth.”

“So you’re basically saying he’s God?”

“Something along those lines.” Otto said. “There is more.”

“I don’t believe it.” Hayk bit back. “I don’t know about divine power, but someone is bullshitting.”

“I myself don’t know what to believe.” Otto said. “All I know is that Victor heard Kaito utter a sentence that spells what I told you.”

“What else did Victor say?”

“He told me that he stayed around after that information. Even after that statement, Kaito kept on rambling and rambling to himself about some type of soulful world he was aiming for.” Otto explained. “Do you understand what the problem is?”

“Spell it out for me.” Hayk said, standing up.

“A hateful and obsessed maniac with divine powers who is climbing to the top of the world.” Otto repeated. “Do you understand what the problem is?!”

“I’ll call Victor.” Hayk said. “I’ll ask him what he heard directly.”

“You...can’t call him.” Otto sighed.

“Why?”

“Well...he didn’t tell me that information directly. He wore a wire, and all of Kaito’s unhinged rambling was broadcasted directly to a control room. But...he stayed longer than he should have.”

“What do you mean?!” Hayk asked.

“He chose to sacrifice himself.” Otto said, looking down. “He hung in there for long enough to relay those words and certain other snippets of information. After that, he was intercepted by Kaito. I assume that he couldn’t hide his soul presence well enough after the shocking news, his own shock forced his presence to increase and become detectable.”

“No way...” Hayk said in disbelief.

“It’s the same...”

“This gives us even more of a reason to do something, Hayk.” Otto said. “Right now, Kaito is relatively weak. He doesn’t have his elite unit yet. He himself seems to be uncertain about the extent of his ability.”

“No...I did it again, didn’t I?” Hayk thought.

“It might not even come to the point of killing.” Otto said much more proudly. He summoned his blade, which, at that time, looked a little smaller and less polished. “If there is a chance, I will replicate his powers and use them against him.”

“If I keep going like this...Tsunehiro will die too, won’t he?” Hayk pondered, a drop of sweat rolling down his neck. “He’ll be the goner instead of me.”

“I...”

“I’ve made enough sacrifices...I...”

“Hayk Nakama!” Otto exclaimed. “Join the Adler Group, and assist me in taking down that devil!”

But Hayk did not respond with the same energy. In fact, he was quiet. So quiet that Otto caught onto his answer before he even uttered it.

“I can’t.”