17 - You’re My Friend

[00:15 - 13 HOURS 26 MINUTES AFTER SAKUTO HITORI’S DEPLOYMENT]

“My my, would you look at that...” Fedor said, observing the crystal. A small pool of shadows began to form underneath it. “Monsters like you are always unpredictable.”

He rushed over to the console.

“Looks like things are going smooth, Sakuto Hitori. I can try pulling you out any minute now.” His concentration was shattered by the loud sounds of gunshots around.

“Heavy caliber weapons...”

“I thought I’d shut everything down with the blast, but it looks like they prepared for that. They have good enough guns to kill in one shot. With no soul prowess, everyone can die to lead.”

“Nah, screw this. You’re ready to get out.” Fedor said. “It’s wrong to do this, but I’ll give you a little push, and by that I mean I’ll rip you out of the crystal.”

“Yep. Everything’s good. Initializing emergency return protocol...yes, I’m sure...there, SID 8-0-0-8-5, yes, sure I’ll confirm the PIN code again...mhm...”

[PROCESSING EXTRACTION REQUEST]

[...]

[EXECUTING EXTRA-]

[ERROR]

[OPERATION DENIED]

Fedor sprung back in surprise.

“Yes, I’d like to try again- operation denied? What the hell? Come on, what’s stopping you from getting out you damn freak?”

[OPERATION REJECTED]

[...]

[ ✦ SINCE WHEN WERE YOU THE ONE CALLING THE SHOTS? ✦ ]

“Huh?!” Fedor was shocked.

[ ✦ I’LL TAKE AS LONG AS I NEED TO. ✦ ]

“Nah, something must’ve fucked up big time. Lemme check the logs...”

A bullet went through his head. His laptop shut down...

The old man’s windows were all boarded up, but he failed to account for the fact that he was still very much killable under the right angle. The wood was narrowly avoided, as the glass it tried to protect so desperately, had a gaping hole in it. Through that hole, the glint of a faraway sniper rifle could be seen.

“Geezer’s down.” Nacht said, reloading the weapon.

“You idiot, you weren’t supposed to kill him!” Katya yelled in shock.

“Fuck you. You’re next after I kill him.” Nacht said, running off.

“He’s gonna get himself killed before that.” Nightseer sighed.

“Whatever...” Katya said over the phone. “If he’s gonna go haywire, might as well make one hell of an opening and snatch the crystal.”

“Bombs away!”

The soldiers she was with fired off a rocket launcher across the street, hitting the building in front of them. The hard wall was blown apart, debris plummeted to the ground, revealing the squad hiding behind it.

“Shit, heavy fire?!” Zawadski said, jumping away and hiding just in time before a rain of machine gun bullets showered their location.

“Jian, still nothing?” Ichigo asked.

“Yeah.” Jian said. She had her own landline, this one was connected to a station that allowed her to report to Kaito himself. “That damn old fart...”

“The sealing condition is messing everything up.” Zawadski said. “Geezer was a little too selfish setting it up.”

“In that case, try to contact him. Get him to get that monster out of the crystal as soon as possible.” Jian said. “Not just to get him in the fight, but to regain our soul prowess back. We’ll crush Katya when she least expects it.”

Yuuka took over the phone as Jian grabbed a sniper rifle and took aim. She fired a few shots, considering her expertise at ranged combat, it’s safe to say that each bullet took its target down. After a silence, Yuuka relayed the unfortunate news.

“I think he might be dead. He’s not responding at all.” Yuuka said.

“Damn it!” Jian exclaimed. “What do we do then? If he’s dead, so is the terminal he uses to control the process. And without the opportunity of pulling him out, who knows when Sakuto will return, if he ever does...”

“We focus on getting the crystal.” Ichigo said. “The deadzone suppresses soul prowess, not souls. Maybe if he senses that he’s next to allies, he’ll come out voluntarily?”

“Right.” Jian agreed. “Good call. We get the crystal and then we figure out what to do with it.”

“Yuuka.” Zawadski said, trying to return fire with an assault rifle. “Tell the second division to move. If these are our only contenders for the crystal, the southern sector is free game.”

“Got it!” Yuuka said, picking up the telephone. They established their own landline connection. “Hey, are you guys alive? You should move forward if you are.”

“Got it.” Ausra said. The gunfire in the distance intensified. “Let’s go. Our turn now.”

The four of them moved positions, leaving their initial hideout and pushing closer to Fedor’s house from the south-east. As they were about to cross the street, they fell victim to an unexpected ambush.

“Get down!” Oskar yelled, quickly managing to barge his way back into a nearby building. One of the bullets pierced his leg, but he escaped before he was immobilized.

“Oskar!” Ausra cried. “Are you alright?”

“No I’m not, there’s a bullet in my leg...” Oskar said, reaching for a pair of bandages in his waist bag and trying to cover the wound.

“You got shot?!” Ausra asked.

“What?! No, actually, someone just threw it at me.” Oskar yelled, squeezing the wound. “Sorry.” He added.

Rin and Ausra got their rifles out and tried to return fire, but they were once again fully suppressed.

“God damn it, we can’t get out...” Ausra said. “Wait...where’s Ichika? Ichika?!” She called out, but her friend was nowhere to be seen.

“Mukawa’s prediction worked...” Sofia said, almost charmed by that fact. Asami was right next to her, spraying the mounted large machine gun to her heart’s content. “The north is busy, and we’re shutting down the south...he’ll make it in time.”

“His plans always work.” Asami smiled.

“The Heisei got their hands on something in the northern sector. They split their forces, likely between the spearhead and the second division.”

“While the spearhead holds off the main threat, the second division is to flank and attain the crystal.”

“But they only think they have one competitor.”

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“And their competitor is doing the same. Making noise and going for a flank. But I’ve got enough firepower to hold off two separate flankers.”

“Now, fast!” Mukawa signaled. He, Haruki and Kana all rushed across the street. They were positioned in the southern sector. If they successfully move out without being intercepted, they’d reach the crystal first...

And amidst the war outside, inside the crystal, the strange encounters continued.

“Sakuto?” Smallkuto asked, leaning over the latter’s shoulder. “Who is this guy?”

“He’s the guy unfortunate enough to be my friend.” Sakuto said. “And it looks like I gotta talk to him. You should probably leave us alone.”

“Right...” Smallkuto said, vanishing into the shadow. The shadow transformed into a small bird and flew up into the cracked sky.

“Congratulations on your new ability.” Oskar said, sarcastically clapping, but his smile felt sincere. “You’re one step closer to becoming a cheap power-fantasy protagonist.”

“Let me guess, you’re about to explain why exactly I gained shadow manipulation.” Sakuto said. “And more specifically, why I also managed to steal a part of your electricity.”

“What’s your guess?”

“It feels so random that I don’t have one.” Sakuto sighed. “Go on, spill the beans.”

“The bond between you and Jackal is special. Both of you had your acclamations active when you killed him...well, yours was partially active. Right now, he’s the shadow of your soul. He’s not sentient or alive, he’s just there as a solidified part of what gives you others’ abilities. He became one with you.” Oskar explained.

“It’s the more extreme application of your ‘passive trust factor’. It lends you a limited version of the soul expression of the people you trust. In a way, it’s you adapting to what’s attacking you, that being whatever’s going on in your head. Don’t ask me why or how this works.”

Sakuto took a while to digest that information. He glanced at the shattered azure skies, golden beams of sunlight escaped the cloudy blanket. He started laughing.

“Life’s quite the fucking joker, ey?” Sakuto asked, calming down. “My soul adapted to my trust issues...and gave me a trust-based buff. You can’t make this shit up.”

“It explains a lot, doesn’t it?” Oskar said. “You felt almost as proficient as Jackal himself with your shadow manipulation.”

“Yeah, but...” Sakuto fell silent for a bit before glancing at Oskar.

“Go on, spell it out.”

“It’s hard for me to manifest electricity.” Sakuto said. “Which means...”

“You don’t trust me.” Oskar said.

They entered an awkward stare-off.

“Look man, it’s not that you’re not close to me, okay? It’s just...” Sakuto started speaking, but he found it difficult to find the right words. “I’ve known you for so long, and you’re the only one who knows who I really am. I’ve told you way more than I should to anyone.”

“Then what’s the issue?” Oskar said. “Come on, talk to me.”

“It’s just...” Sakuto looked into the sky. “I feel like I’m a burden to you, Oskar.” He looked back at him. “I can’t help but feel like I’m this annoying parasite that keeps craving for things like validation or acknowledgement from you. And that makes me feel like you hate me.”

“Is that it?”

“Pretty much, yeah.” Sakuto said, smiling, laughing at his own weakness. “Seriously, I’m surprised you’ve managed to keep up with all my depressive rants back then and my unhinged fantasies. I wouldn’t blame you if you had enough of it one day.”

“Well that’s not true.” Oskar said. “You’re not a burden.”

“How come?” Sakuto asked. “I hurt and drain everything around me. That’s what a burden is, I’m an obligation and not a person.”

“You’re not a burden, man. Calm down.” Oskar said. “And no, I don’t get annoyed when you call me late at night telling me that you want to stop breathing. Maybe it’s sometimes hard to put it into words, or sometimes it might seem like I have no energy left, but I care about you, dude.”

“Huh?”

“Why are you surprised?” Oskar chuckled. “I’m not standing by your side because I’m obliged to, I’m standing there because I want to. I’m here for you, man.”

“Really?” Sakuto asked, as if not believing his ears. “But...why?”

“Because you’re my friend.” Oskar smiled.

“Hah...” Sakuto took a step back, at a loss of words. “Talk about a crit build...what, you’re trying to get me to cry?”

“You can do that if you want to, I wouldn’t mind it.” Oskar said.

“Friend, huh?” Sakuto said. “Why would you ever want to be friends with someone like me?”

“I asked myself the same thing, Sakuto.” Oskar said. “Eventually, I realized that we both know the answer. Why wouldn’t we be friends? We’ve got a lot in common. We almost grew up together, even if we were separated by distance until recently. We were there for each other, we saw each other at our highest and at our lowest. We’re like brothers at this point.”

“Right...brothers...” Sakuto said. He seemed a little relieved.

“Hey, a lot of people want to be friends with you too.” Oskar said. “Kouta saw you as a kind and genuine guy who was there for him. Jacob wanted to help you out. Even Ryan, who knew you only for a little bit, saw you as a good-hearted guy.”

“Maybe...” Sakuto sighed. He felt a little zoned out now that he remembered Ryan’s and Kouta’s deaths again, but Oskar quickly snapped him out of it.

“Like I said man, I’m here for you.” Oskar said. “I’m maybe not the best at expressing it, but I do care about you. I know that if the whole world decided to hunt me down, you’d have my back ‘till the end.”

“Damn fucking right I would.” Sakuto laughed.

“So you can trust me.” Oskar smiled.

“You just had to say that word again, didn’t you?”

“Well, you do trust me, right?” Oskar asked.

“Yeah, I guess I do...” Sakuto replied. “But I still hate that word.”

“Trust is a shitty thing, I agree.” Oskar said.

“Huh?” Sakuto was surprised, he scratched his head a little. “I thought the crystal would try and convince me that it’s actually a good thing.”

“It’s a double-edged sword.” Oskar said. “If you trust the right person though, good things will happen. But finding that right person is extremely difficult, you might never even find them at all.”

“Right...”

“And if you do find the right person, you could give it a try. If you’re confident, that is.” Oskar continued. “I know what type of person you are, Sakuto. You feel like everyone’s out to get you. And it probably is the case, I’m no one to judge. But even among all of them, there’s still gonna be that person you know will never cause you genuine pain. Maybe you’ll even find someone you’re not just friends with, but lovers.”

“I get it now.” Sakuto said, rather abruptly. “It’s all about her, isn’t it?”

He glanced at her silhouette in the distance. It was the same as the one he saw when he first realized that Ichika was a mountaineer just like himself. It quickly sparked and faded away.

“It’s also about her.” Oskar said. “What happened between you two was a result of awful circumstances and failed communication. I’m sure she’s had enough time to realize that.”

“I say trust is worthless.” Sakuto said.

“So why do you crave something worthless so much?” Oskar asked.

“Fuck you, you know me too well.” Sakuto said. “It’s part of the ironic clusterfuck that is my existence. Trust doesn’t exist...but all I want is to have someone in my life that is fine with the type of person I am and doesn’t backstab me. So that I don’t feel alone anymore.”

“I hope there’s at least one person who you see that way.” Oskar said.

“Yeah, but...” Sakuto sighed. “It’s complicated.”

“True. Life’s hard.” Oskar said. “Not everyone has relationships. For every content and happy person surrounded by people that love him, there’s a loner who’ll fold at the slightest sign of affection. Actually, there’s probably way less loners out there.”

“Hey, I mean, at least we have each other.” Sakuto said. “When I feel alone, I know that at least I can complain to you about it.”

“You’re right.” Oskar said. “At least we have each other. And there’s always the next day to look forward to, cause we know that neither of us will leave the other one.”

“That’s true.” Sakuto said.

“Hey...”

“Thanks for being my friend.”

“And you’re the one telling me to stop saying corny stuff?” Oskar laughed. “It’s not something you have to thank me for. It’s just something that...is that way. Dunno, hard to explain.”

“Nah, I know what you mean.” Sakuto said.

“You’re the one hiking with me up in the mountains...”

“Even if I’m convinced that I’m a reject, an outcast of society...”

“There’s at least one person that I know will stick by my side. At least one person I can trust.”

“I hope I’m not interrupting you, Sakuto.” The voice that followed Sakuto and occasionally made its presence known had finally decided to reveal itself. Before Sakuto turned to face him, Oskar was gone. The platform looked more and more pale.

A large quake devoured the ground, as if the fabric of reality itself was shaken to its core. The lines and shapes in the sky momentarily lit up, and the figure descended, appearing next to Sakuto.

It looked exactly like Sakuto, except instead of being composed of flesh and clothes, it was made up of a flowing energy colored black and white.

“And who are you?” Sakuto asked. “Are you also me?”

“Yes. I’m the closest thing to you other than you.” The figure replied.

“You’re made up of soul prowess, right?” Sakuto said. “I’ll call you Soulkuto for simplicity's sake.”

“You can call me whatever you want.” Soulkuto replied with a smile.

“So why are you here?”

“To tell you that you shouldn’t die.” Soulkuto said.