Nova Dos/Durato
Inside the beautiful restaurant, I remained seated while my companions engaged in an escalating confrontation. I've never been one to relish conflict, only deeming it necessary when all other avenues faltered. Yet, amidst this turmoil, my thoughts were consumed by the enigmatic events unfolding in this city. My research had been meticulous, shrouded in discretion akin to secrets whispered in the night. But our collective presence here painted a target on each of us.
The restaurant had become a fortress, teeming with guards, their penetrating gazes felt like probing needles, prickling the depths of my being. Even a mundane gesture like scratching an itch drew wary glances, fingers hovering precariously close to weapon hilts. The suffocating surveillance gnawed at my patience, a maddening situation. I sighed, my exasperation a quiet symphony amidst the escalating tension.
Thoughts flitted to Rome, his stoic facade belying the turmoil within. The weight of this negativity he bore, an unseen burden seeping into every crevice of his existence, feeding something far darker within him.
"Negativity is a source of power for his alter ego," the realisation struck me like an ominous premonition. "Today might demand an unwanted confrontation."
An involuntary gesture found my left hand raising to scratch my head in frustration, drawing immediate attention from a vigilant soldier.
"You, cease your movements. You're under suspicion. Don't provoke us," the soldier's voice sliced through the tense air.
"Can't even scratch an itch, can I? Is your fear that consuming?" I retorted, attempting to inject a hint of sarcasm.
"Fear? You? Weakling! We've vanquished countless high-level monsters. You're nothing," the soldier barked with misplaced bravado.
"Ah, the golden back gorillas and four-arm gorillas, right?" I replied, a trace of wry amusement dancing in my tone.
"What do you know, fool? Those were advanced class monsters, not your child's play," the soldier sneered, his companions chuckling at his attempted jest.
"In our realm, such creatures are mere stepping stones, playthings for our skills. But you wouldn't comprehend," I replied, dismissing his arguments with a subtle shrug, my attention shifting to Miss Irene.
"Your tales of heroic men and vanquished villains are charming. But, truthfully, you're in the dark," I directed my words at her, sensing an air of distrust between us.
"What do you mean?" she inquired, her curiosity piqued.
"Before I say anything let me say this. Trust is a commodity, Miss Irene. There's something amiss about you, and Zero senses it too. But I'll indulge nonetheless," I stated, a hint of wariness in my voice.
"Tarif, remember the prison? You felt it didn't you, the power within Zero, at the prison." I turned to him.
"Indeed, a fleeting sensation. Dark and foreboding," Tarif responded, his voice tinged with uncertainty.
"Imagine being betrayed by those you once called friends, left as a sacrificial offering to a monstrous threat capable of annihilating your entire town within the blink of an eye. You miraculously survive, find solace in newfound allies, endure nightmarish ordeals, and forge a bond with an elderly man, a connection that fills a void, granting you a sense of kinship that a true grandfather never bestowed upon you. Then, tragedy strikes—losing a friend and witnessing your makeshift grandfather's demise in a place so desolate and twisted, it's aptly named 'hell.' And now, after what you believe is two years, but the world claims as five, you re-enter civilization only to be greeted by incarceration, unjust accusations, and a daunting task—saving a city of people who detest you," I conveyed with a solemn tone, the weight of the past bearing down upon each word.
"Your tale is laden with unfairness and sorrow. Zero has borne an unjust burden," Miss Irene acknowledged, her voice tinged with empathy. "I stand by him as a friend, but I'm still a soldier, and duty demands he comes in. I cannot partake in this battle out of respect for him as a friend."
"But there's more," I continued, a tinge of foreboding slipping into the conversation. "This person, Zero, harbours a profound, dark power. A force that thrives on darkness, feeding on negativity. An attack on him would only serve as another negative event in his tumultuous life. If pushed to the brink, tonight might unveil something unforeseen."
"Fear this?" scoffed the soldier, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Please, with our mighty prowess, I'm quaking in my boots," he quipped, his words oozing sheer confidence laced with biting sarcasm, dismissing any notion of concern with an air of bravado.
"Your manpower may seem sufficient, but you misunderstand. Uno and I might become your saviours if events spiral out of control. You're ill-equipped to face what might transpire," I cautioned, a mysterious aura enveloping my words, hinting at a power beyond their comprehension.
As we conversed, a tremor rippled through the surroundings, the ground quivering beneath our feet. Startled, one of the soldiers glanced around with uncertainty.
"Is this an earthquake?" he questioned, the tremor unsettling his earlier bravado.
"Haven't felt an earthquake in ages," another soldier remarked casually, attempting to mask any underlying concern with nonchalance.
While our discussion continued, a powerful surge of energy suddenly pulsed through the air, an overwhelming force that reverberated through the establishment. The very foundation seemed to tremble as glasses rattled, tables and chairs shook, and cutlery clattered to the floor in a discordant chorus.
An ominous shift in the atmosphere enveloped us, an unsettling darkness looming over the once-static air. This was Rome, yet another unexpected spectacle unfolded before my eyes. Amidst the chaos, one of the soldiers furtively communicated through his comms, engaged in a secretive conversation.
"Boss, what was that.....that power, but wait.... they're all distracted in their battle now. We're all set to proceed," he murmured into the device, his words barely audible but not escaping my keen ears.
"Interesting spectacle indeed," I muttered to myself, a flicker of suspicion igniting within me as I observed the clandestine exchange.
The NovaComs use Nova Force the same way our old phones once relied on radio waves. Voice, text, and data, all carried invisibly between devices and towers. Different power source, same principle. Once I understood that, tracing the other end of his short conversation became simple. I just followed the nova force signal.
It was coming from below.
Without the context I had, that detail would have sounded ridiculous. But I knew better.
While Rome, Laylah, and Mr. Shoto were busy running their investigations; I was doing the same, just in my own way. I've always been more hands-on. Direct. The information I gathered pointed to three locations as the heart of the problem. Three places tied to every disappearance. And yet, not even the world's best detectives could touch them. No witnesses. No evidence. Kids vanished after visiting the stores, but the owners and employees were clean on paper. Solid alibis. At the exact times the children went missing, everyone was accounted for, still working, still visible.
They could have had someone follow the kids afterword. That was the only loose thread. And threads like that don't unravel themselves.
So I decided to pull it.
I followed the kid discreetly. It was like he was a zombie walking mindlessly but he had a destination in mind. I slowed my breathing and matched his pace, letting the forest swallow the sound of my steps.
This place was unfamiliar. Not just to my memory, but to my instincts. Trees leaned inward, branches knitting together overhead, blocking out the sky. The air felt dense, charged, like it had been waiting. The kid moved through it without hesitation, brushing past thorns that tore at my sleeves, his feet never slipping, never pausing.
Then the forest opened.
It was sudden. A hollow carved into the trees, wide and clean, as if something had pressed down on the land and forced it to part. Pale light pooled in the center, though there was no clear source. The ground there was unnaturally smooth, untouched by leaves or roots. It felt wrong in the way silence feels wrong just before something happens.
The kid stepped into the opening.
For a moment, he stood completely still.
Then he vanished.
No sound. No disturbance. The space where he had been remained unchanged, like he had never existed at all.
My body reacted before my mind did. Nova Force stirred beneath my skin, a low hum I had learned not to ignore. I closed my eyes and let it spread outward, sinking past what my eyes could see.
And that was when the illusion broke.
The kid had not disappeared.
His energy was still there, faint but unmistakable, sliding downward. Not fading. Descending.
I opened my eyes and dropped to one knee, pressing my palm against the ground. The soil was cool, compacted hard beneath the surface. Too hard. As if it had been walked on from below.
I focused.
The earth answered.
I felt it then. A hollow space beneath the clearing. Wide enough to stand in. Smooth walls. Air moving slowly through it, carrying traces of oil, metal, and that same artificial cleanliness I remembered from the store.
A passage.
Hidden perfectly beneath the forest floor.
My gaze swept the clearing again, and this time I saw it. A faint distortion in the light, barely visible, like heat rippling above asphalt. A false surface. A veil laid over an opening, tuned to fool the eye, not the senses.
I pressed harder, channeling Nova Force into the ground.
The illusion flickered.
For a split second, the truth showed itself. I sensed a dark circular opening, reinforced with stone and steel, descending at a shallow angle. Deep enough that once someone stepped inside, the forest would seal itself above them. I could sense the novsa force in everything around, both animate and inanimate for those few seconds. Thi is the first time I sensed it so vividly.
A road underground.
Not leading deeper into the wild.
Leading back toward the city.
That was when it clicked.
No witnesses. No noise.
They were not taking the children away from town.
They were pulling them beneath it.