PART III–JUSTICE
-The Next Morning-
"Wakey wakey...time to get up, Yozora. Ouch...it still hurts…" Akira shook me gently.
"Oh Akira, you're awake already…" I blinked and heard birds chirping and the gentle rush of water from the nearby river.
"Hayato had cooked some food, go get them before it's cold!" Renjiro ate meat cooked by Hayato while exploring the forest.
"Wow Hayato, you really cooked, it smells absolutely amazing!" I walked towards Hayato, my stomach was growling.
"Yeah I told you I'm tough, here's some freshly cooked fish meat I found this early morning just for you." Hayato smirked, and handed out a plate of sizzling meat to me.
"Amazing! You really cooked, this is scrumptious!" I ate the meat, it melted in my mouth.
My thoughts drifted to Kaito. There was no time to grieve—justice awaited.
"Oh yeah, where's Kaito? I haven't seen him anywhere around here. What happened last night?" I panicked.
"Promise me to not overreact but...he's gone, he sacrificed to save us all from Akugoka." Hayato sighed.
My mind stopped.
"I-Is this a joke?" I stuttered.
"Why do you think we got here "safely"?" Renjiro spoke in a quavering voice.
The truth hit hard. Grief turned to rage.
"I will burn them all." I spoke softly to the tranquil forest.
"Sorry, Yozora. But it is the reality, no escapes." Hayato reached out his palm to pull me up.
"I'll join the mages, and kill them all." I clenched my fists and punched the ground.
"If you're willing to do it...I'm with you, it's OUR responsibility to avenge Kaito, not yours." Akira spoke softly.
"Let's escape the forest together, shall we?" Renjiro pointed at the depths of the forest.
Justice awaits…
"Follow me guys, I've found a way." Hayato gestured at us to follow him.
"Last night? While I was sleeping?" Renjiro questioned.
"By using the survival skills I've learnt from my orphanage camp, it is simple, by using the wind for directions." Hayato smirked.
"Thank you for saving our dear lives." Renjiro chortled.
-The Basement Of The Warehouse-
Kaito's eyes snapped open.
Pain surged through his body—but not the sharp agony he expected. Instead, a dull, restrained ache pulsed beneath layers of bandages wrapped tightly around his wounds.
The sun was shining bright, Kaito was kept in a dark, isolated space, tied on a chair.
"Why...am I still alive...?" His voice was rasp, like a burned oesophagus.
"You're perfect for my new experiment, Kaito Takahashi." Akugoka sneered.
Kaito tried to move his muscles, he glimpsed at Akugoka's lifeless face.
"I'd choose to die rather than working with you...fool." Kaito spit on the ground.
"Does it look like you could choose to die? This is your demise." Akugoka stepped closer to Kaito, pulling out a syringe with a mysterious fluid inside.
"What are you gonna do to me? Turn me into an inhumane monster?! That's only for the weak!" Kaito giggled.
"Not an inhumane monster...but a killing machine. Through collecting the dead parts of deceased anomalies, forming it into an ultimate serum that turns you into a killing machine!" Akugoka laughed out loud.
Akugoka injected a syringe filled with the fluid. The fluid flowed through Kaito's bloodstream. His skin became pale and cold in an instant, veins popping out and eyes turning bloody red.
"Stop...it, you monster.." Kaito struggled to speak.
"I've gotta admit, I admire your spirit, Kaito Takahashi." Akugoka grinned at Kaito.
Kaito transformed, his skin turned dark red, his eyes became white along with his body that expanded into a muscular build.
"Yes...! It worked! The one who denies everything...The Anomaly Prince: Kaito Takahashi." Akugoka spoke loudly, his voice echoed throughout the basement.
As Kaito rapidly transformed, he used his last bit of energy, by strangling himself, it was no use. Kaito's mind was completely taken over.
"Welcome to your new world, Kaito- No. Muteki. Obey me, my new abomination." Akugoka opened his arms.
Muteki roared, Kaito tried to regain control, until his consciousness began fading away.
"Our triumph card...is right behind me." Akugoka turned around, and the lights of the basement broke.
-The Forest-
"Almost there..ugh..." I climbed onto the rock.
"Our parents must be very concerned for us. We must get back as soon as possible!" Hayato rushed and gestured to the squad to be faster.
"No...I think the whole town's concerned and they probably deemed us dead since they couldn't find us." Renjiro coughed.
"Looks like we will be in serious trouble after we get out of here." Akira groaned.
"What should we do when we get back? We will probably be arrested right away." I clung onto a tree.
"Arrested or not, our lives are what matters most!" Hayato glanced at the fading sun.
"We're basically in a stalemate, the consequences shall be faced no matter what." Renjiro huffed for air.
"Justice was a joke all along, this world is injustice." Akira stopped by a tree.
"There it is! The exit of the forest!" Hayato pointed at the exit of the forest and yelled.
"Yeah...we'll have to face two final bosses at our houses. Or directly interrogated by the cops." I groaned.
Meanwhile…
"Well, will our Ultimate Plan work tonight?" Akugoka drank a cup of beer.
"I'm certainly sure it will." Scientist X smirked.
"Our biggest obstacle yet...is still Zenichi Tenshin, or Lightbringer Master Zen. That's what the citizens call him." Akugoka poured another shot of beer into the glass cup.
"True, but we'll swarm him together, it is risky but effective." Scientist X placed his bets.
"A few hours left, I hope Hoshizora's ready." Akugoka looked at his watch and smirked.
"Remember the deal, fifty corpses by the end of the week, no excuses." Zan took a glimpse at Akugoka.
"This will be the beginning...of the new era. The rising of anomalies!" Akugoka laughed.
-The Forest-
We managed to get out of the forest, it was evening. The sun was fading and the town was busy.
"Finally! We've got out of that hell!" Akira couldn't resist laying on the ground.
"It's been a while, Hoshizora." Renjiro opened his arms.
"We'll probably be interrogated by the time we've got home" I shivered.
"Kaito's death being the cherry on top." Hayato spoke in a deep tone.
"At least we're facing it together, right?" Akira walked forward.
"We should avoid crowded places, they might recognise our faces-" Renjiro whispered.
"Enough chatting, there's no time to waste, let's get going." Hayato interrupted Renjiro.
As we walked home together, we walked through shady alleys and took clothes to cover our faces. The neighbourhood was busy. We went home one by one, until I was left with Hayato.
END OF PART III-JUSTICE