AKIHIRO ATLAS
When one saw certain people, one remembered the past.
This was actually a strange thing. Because memories often returned not through specific events, but through feelings. A tone of voice. A smile. Even the way a person lifted his shoulder slightly could open doors deep inside your mind that you hadn't touched for years. And that's exactly what I experienced the moment I saw Vartin Voldert. For a few seconds, the chaotic corridors of Team 1's building, the crowd of people around me, and the weight of the upcoming meeting were erased from my mind. Because the man standing before me... reminded me of something I hadn't felt in a long time.
It reminded me of comfort. One of the few feelings through which a body can truly attain peace.
It reminded me of what it truly means to be comfortable.
When I was growing up in Cistern, there were many strong people around me. Generals, warriors, trainers, strategists... but the vast majority of them were the kind of people who weighed heavily on one's shoulders. You'd feel like you had to be careful around them all the time. You used to think about your every move. Because even their presence would create pressure. Especially if you grew up with someone like Master Shu... this feeling would be even more intense.
Because Master Shu wasn't just strong.
He was someone who made you feel like he could even weigh your thoughts. I have never seen anyone else with a perceptual capacity that could match his mind. Magnus was much more knowledgeable compared to him. However, the way my master controlled his mind, what he said, what he felt was nothing compared to Magnus. My master was on a different level, for me.
It would have seemed impossible to lie next to him. Even his silence was of the kind that makes one think. They could sit in one place for hours without speaking, gazing at the sky, and still make one feel as if they had taught something. Every sentence was heavy. Every look had meaning. I remember when I was a child, I was afraid to even breathe incorrectly next to him sometimes. Because Master Shu's presence constantly made one think about one's own shortcomings.
But General Vartin...
Vartin was the exact opposite.
It was actually quite the opposite. You didn't need to put much effort into understanding the contrast between them.
And maybe that's why I loved him so much.
Because I didn't have to think when I was with him.
I could only survive.
Of course, I didn't spend as much time with General Vartin as I did with Master Shu. From the age of fifteen until I was eighteen, I was completely devoted to my master. I used to train with him every day, listen to his advice, and chat and spend time with him. General Vartin, on the other hand, was someone we ran into from time to time. Dec. We would talk at those moments, or my Master would tell me about their past memories. That's how I would get information about him.
At first glance, people couldn't understand how Shu and Vartin could be such close friends anyway. To be honest, even I couldn't understand this for a long time when I was a kid. Because one of them was like a quiet lake, and the other was like a flooded river. When Shu entered a room, everyone involuntarily calmed down. Sometimes, they would be lost in deep thought amidst those wise words. When Vartin entered a room, it would turn into a battlefield within minutes.
And the interesting part...
Vartin wasn't doing this willingly.
He really was like that.
That was his natural state.
I still remember one memory very clearly. I think I was sixteen at the time. Master Shu took me to the training ground because he was coming to Vartin that day. Normally, Shu's training sessions were quiet. Long meditations, hours-long balance exercises, mental focus exercises... sometimes by the end of the day I would be exhausted not physically, but mentally.
But that day, as soon as we entered the training area, Vartin was already there.
And the first thing I saw...
It was the man doing a backflip in the middle of the training area and shouting.
"SHUUUUU! you've finally come!"
He shouted so loudly that several birds in the training area were frightened and took flight. Shu, with his usual calm demeanor, looked at him and said only this:
"Why are you doing a backflip at six in the morning?"
Vartin's answer is still fresh in my mind.
"We need to activate blood circulation!"
I've never heard a more ridiculous answer said so seriously in my life.
And the even more terrifying part was that Shu actually responded to this.
"This doesn't make scientific sense."
While saying this, my master placed his hand over his chin, and I could tell by looking at his face that he didn't take it as a sarcastic remark. I really thought he was used to General Vartin like this.
"BUT IT'S FUN!" he replied... it's already clear who he is.
We tried to hold training that day, but nothing went smoothly because of Vartin. At one point he said he would give me spear training, but the training he provided was truly terrible. Because instead of teaching me technical skills, the man kept saying I should act on instinct.
"THINKING FLOW! Shoot!"
"BUT WHERE TO—"
"ANYWHERE!"
And then he actually attacked me.
Before I could even assume a defensive stance, he swung his sword and threw me into the training area's water pool. I still feel ashamed when I remember that moment because when I got out of the water, the only thing that came out of my mouth was this:
"This isn't education..."
Vartin couldn't breathe from laughter.
Master Shu's expression is still in front of my eyes. He felt as if he had wasted years of training, bugger…
He had his head slightly bowed and his eyes were closed. A person could never understand what he was thinking when he made that statement, but I'm sure that day he was thinking, "why is he still my friend with this?" he was saying.
But here's the strange part:
I was really having fun around Vartin. Even if he didn't show it, I think my master felt that way too.
Because General Vartin was the kind of person who constantly made one feel alive.
Silence would not last long in his presence. In some way, it would make you laugh. In some way, it would lighten the burden on your shoulders. And it wasn't even done consciously. It was its natural state.
I remember another day.
It was a turn of duty, I think. I was hurt. My shoulder was severely cut, and I was in terrible spirits because I had made a mistake during the mission. It was one of those times when I hated myself. Vartin came to me while I was sitting alone outside the training room. Normally, people would fall silent when they saw me like that. Because since my childhood, the expressions on my face made it difficult for people to approach me.
But as soon as Vartin sat down, he said this to me:
"You didn't die today. Therefore, let's eat."
It was such a ridiculous sentence that I didn't know what to say for a few seconds.
"What kind of motivational phrase is this?"
"Did it work?"
"…Sort of."
"Okay then."
And he really dragged me to the food section. Even though she barely knew me, she found my favorite dishes and had them prepared for me. I was so happy.
Now that I think about it, I understand.
This was the reason why Vartin was good for people.
He wouldn't constantly pry into people's wounds.
He would help them breathe.
Master Shu would teach you to understand life.
Vartin, on the other hand, taught us how to live.
And to be honest... sometimes one needed the latter more.
Especially for someone like me. I consider myself very lucky to have received training from both of them...
Because I've been thinking about it constantly since I was a child. I was constantly feeling that I needed to be stronger. I was constantly carrying the responsibility of protecting someone. But with Vartin, the weight of them was easing, even if only for a few hours.
Maybe that's why the tension inside me dissolved the moment I saw him.
Because the man standing before me was not merely a powerful general.
He... was one of the few people who reminded me that I could experience the childhood I couldn't live through in the past.
Seeing Vartin Voldert brought back a lot of old memories in my mind, but I think what really surprised me was... that he hadn't changed at all. He really hadn't changed at all. Cistern would change people over the years. Especially the generals. Wars, losses, political pressures, tasks and the lives of hundreds of people they constantly had to carry on their shoulders... all this would change even the tone of a person's voice after a while. Some people would be quieter. Some would be harsher. Some would just get tired. But as I stood before Vartin, strangely enough, that childhood feeling from the past returned because the man still carried the same energy. The same ridiculous comfort. The same endless mobility. It was as if the entire weight of the Cistern was bearing down on his shoulders, but he could never quite bear it.
After looking at me for a few seconds, the smile on his face widened. Then suddenly he put both hands on my shoulders.
"THE NECK IS LENGTHENED!"
A few people turned and looked at us in the middle of the corridor.
I looked at him without blinking.
"General Vartin…"
"You've also gained muscle!" he said seriously. "But your face has become more depressed."
"What kind of observation is this?" I asked, twisting my face absurdly.
"A very professional observation." he replied by puffing out his chest and in a boastful tone of voice.
"Didn't Master Shu ever teach you professionalism?"I asked in embarrassment."
Vartin stifled a laugh. That was a really loud, hearty laugh. A few attendants around him involuntarily turned around and looked, because it felt like the man's energy was physically changing the atmosphere of the space he was in.
"Shu has tried to teach me professionalism for years," he said, pretending to wipe his eyes. "Then he gave up."
The expression on his face while saying this was so natural and proud that I couldn't help but laugh.
I really did laugh.
And as soon as I realized this, a strange relief came over me. Because I haven't talked to people like this in a long time. During my years in the Sacred Domains, most conversations were either about death, duties, or the suffering people endured. I've lived in places where even laughter felt heavy. But now... now, in the heart of Cistern, in the middle of Team 1's chaotic corridors, talking to Vartin, I felt truly normal for a few seconds.
Vartin stared at me for several seconds without saying a word. Their eyes were wandering over my face, examining even the smallest detail as if trying to fit the missing piece of a puzzle into place. His eyebrows slowly furrowed, then his eyelids were slightly squinted. I knew that expression. This was the expression he used when he made an utterly absurd but self-proclaimed ingenious connection in his mind.
"Wait a second..." he said, his tone full of suspicion, as if a detective were about to solve a great mystery. He extended one of his fingers toward me. "you... are you going to a meeting now?"
I paused for a moment.
"Yes?"
Their eyes suddenly widened as if they had won the biggest lottery in the world. The edge of his lips turned into a huge smile that stretched all the way to his ears.
"THAT'S IT!"
Before I could understand what was happening, a heavy hand fell with all its might on my shoulder.
With the force of the blow, my entire body was thrown forward. A sharp pain shot through my shoulder; for a few seconds I felt like it had actually dislocated. My face involuntarily wrinkled as I reflexively held the sore spot.
"You're going to break my arm!" I exclaimed, retreating a few steps. "Normal people hug when they're happy, are you trying to break a bone?"
Vartin, on the other hand, did not show the slightest remorse. On the contrary, his eyes were shining like a child's. He couldn't sit still, shifting his weight from one foot to the other with excitement, waving his hands around randomly.
"Aki!" he said, as if out of breath. "This... this... General's Meeting!"
"I'm aware!"
"ALL THE GENERALS WILL BE IN THE SAME ROOM!"
"I know that too!"
"This... Unbelievable!"
I tapped my forehead lightly with my hand and took a deep breath.
"Why are you so excited?"
Vartin was silent for a moment. Then the smile on his face got even bigger. That smile was the kind no rational person would want to see; because there was definitely a bad idea behind it.
"Because..." he said, creating a dramatic silence.
He raised his index finger in the air.
"There will be chaos."
I closed my eyes.
Of course.
What else did I expect?
"This isn't a good reason."
"A perfectly good reason for me!" he said with a laugh. "Think of it! Dozens of Generals in the same room! Each one is more stubborn, more arrogant, more powerful than the other! One of them will definitely make a dig at the other. The other one will get angry. Then someone will hit the table. Maybe someone will even use force! "ah... it's going to be great."
While speaking, he was frantically waving both hands in the air, acting out the disaster scenarios he had envisioned in his mind as if it were a grand theatrical performance. In his eyes was the excitement of a child who had won a free entertainment ticket, rather than that of a commander about to enter the battlefield.
I shook my head from side to side.
"You are really troubled."
"no." he said with a confident expression. "I'm just evaluating the possibilities. "
"You're expecting disaster. "
"It's not a disaster..." he said, grinning.
"Quality entertainment."
I took a deep breath.
"One day someone will kill you just because of your mouth."
"It may be." he said with a shrug. "But the chaos I will watch until that day is worth it."
Then he spread out both arms to the sides and raised his head to the sky, as if addressing an invisible audience.
"You know what they say!"
He showed his chest with one hand, raised the other in the air making a fist.
"If there is chaos... There is also justice!"
When he finished, the corridor fell silent for a few seconds.
As for me, I just stared at him with blank eyes.
"...This statement makes no sense."
"It doesn't have to be that way." he said, unable to suppress his laughter. "It sounds cool, that's enough for me."
He was really shouting and talking. A few officials who passed by us turned around and looked again. When one of them recognized Vartin, he decided to walk directly to the other side. Most likely, he didn't want to get into trouble.
Vartin, on the other hand, still looked excited like a child.
"Do you remember the last meeting?" he said, his eyes shining. "The Team 6 General had broken the table!"
"I remember because the pieces of the table had hit me."
When I said that, I got angry because I was really hurt. I had splinters in every part of my body.
"IT WAS SO GOOD!"
Why does this guy find this so fun?!!!
"No it wasn't!"
Vartin burst into laughter again.
One couldn't remain serious for long in his presence. This was physically impossible, I suppose. The man's energy was contagious. And to be honest... I needed it. Because in the back of my mind, Jared's room was still there. There was Mizu's silence. There was Magnus. There was the weight of the upcoming meeting.
But for a few minutes now, it was as if a veil had been drawn over these things.
Vartin suddenly squinted his eyes and then leaned towards me.
"By the way," he said in a lower voice, "it doesn't bode Decently for all the generals to be called up at the same time."
The slight smile on my face faded a bit.
''I know." I could only answer, and quietly.
The noise of the corridor was felt further away for a few seconds.
Because we both knew what that meant.
The Meeting of Generals at Cistern was not an ordinary thing.
These meetings were held only when the city faced a major threat. Major wars. Political crises. Riots. Sacred Domain anomalies. Supreme Five movements.
And lately...
It felt like all of these were happening at the same time.
After staring at my face for a few seconds, Vartin managed to grin again, as if consciously dispersing the heavy atmosphere.
"ANYWAY!" said Vartin, as he struck his two hands hard together. The sound echoed through the stone corridor and filled the air for a few seconds. That extremely relaxed expression on his face, he was acting as if nothing had happened a moment ago. "Let's get there first."
I raised my eyebrow slightly and looked at him. His current attitude... was making me unnecessarily uneasy.
"Stop..." I said, squinting my eyes suspiciously. "Do you know the way?"
The smile that appeared on Vartin's face at that moment was one of the most unconvincing expressions I had ever seen in my life. One corner of her lips was turned upward, but there was not the slightest hint of confidence in her eyes. It was more like a caught child trying to improvise.
"Absolutely."
I stared blankly at him for a second.
"…This answer didn't give me confidence."
"Because I don't want to spoil the element of excitement."
"General…" I began slowly. I no longer felt the need to hide the doubt in my voice. "Could you really be lost?"
Vartin remained silent for a few seconds. Then he shrugged.
"Maybe."
"GENERAL."
"Okay okay, I know!"
I let out an angry breath. This man was truly commanding an army. I was seriously beginning to wonder if people had no fear at all when taking orders from him.
As we passed through the stone walls of the corridor, the pale lights of the old lamps on the ceiling shone down upon us. The wind from outside was filtering in through the gaps in the narrow windows, gently ruffling the long cloaks. Vartin, on the other hand, was acting as if he had completely forgotten the seriousness of this whole situation. Judging by the look on his face, he might even be having fun with it.
Just as I opened my mouth to say something else to him, he suddenly grabbed my wrist.
And started running.
"WAIT—"
"WE ARE LATE!"
"THERE IS NO NEED TO RUN!"
"But it's more fun!"
"THIS IS NOT A REASON!" i shouted as he was pulling me and running. I need someone to understand that it hurts to hold me and make me run... the whole world now!
As our footsteps echoed off the stone floor and dispersed along the corridor, I involuntarily tried to regain my balance. Vartin was grinning almost like a child in front of me. Her cloak was billowing behind her, and she didn't even care as her hair was disheveled from the impact of running. He looked like a problematic student who ran away from the academy, rather than a great general.
While I was trying to keep up with his pace, I was struggling to control my breathing.
"General Vartin!"I shouted again, trying to free my arm from his grip, which resembled an iron vise. "At least tell me where we are going!"
He didn't slow down at all. Without even turning his head, he waved his hand randomly in the air.
"You'll find out when you find it!"
"THAT'S NO COMFORT AT ALL!"
Our footsteps echoed through the long stone corridors, each step reverberating off the walls and filling my ears. Vartin was moving at such a speed that I almost had to run to keep up with him. The problem was that I wasn't running, I was literally drifting. He had no intention of letting go of my hand, and every long step he took involuntarily drew me after him.
As soon as we turned the sharp corner of the corridor, I noticed at the last moment the thick stone column rising in front of me.
"What—"
I reflexively threw my entire body backward.
My nose stopped a few centimeters short of the hard surface of the column. Even the wind hit my face.
"Ugh..."
My heart accelerated for a moment, as if it were about to leap out of my chest.
The only thing I expected from behind was for him to apologize.
Instead of...
General Vartin was actually laughing.
And it was heartfelt.
His shoulders were shaking, and he was laughing so hard he was having trouble breathing.
"Watch out!" he said between his laughter.
I opened my eyes wide.
"SHOULD I PAY ATTENTION?!" I cried out. "YOU ARE DRAGGING ME!"
"This is what teamwork is all about!"
"This isn't teamwork, this is downright kidnapping!"
"Technically, you're coming voluntarily."
"I'm not considered a volunteer because you didn't let go of my arm!"
"Details..."
"No! This is exactly the main topic!"
Vartin glanced briefly at me over his shoulder. That relaxed, indifferent grin on his face hadn't changed an iota. He raised his eyebrows slightly, as if all this was extremely normal.
"You exaggerate."
I took a deep breath and looked at him with empty eyes.
"That's what you were all saying before I died."
"Look, you're not dead yet."
"Yet!"
I was literally being dragged along the corridor after him. I couldn't see in front of me properly, I was just trying to keep up with Vartin's pace. The soldiers and officers we encountered would reflexively step aside as soon as they noticed us. Some were looking after us in astonishment, while others gave way silently because they knew Vartin.
The files in an officer's hand were scattered on the ground by the wind as we passed by.
"We apologize!I shouted after him.
"I didn't ask for this!" Vartin said without stopping.
"I noticed!"
We turned down another corridor. The coats of arms on the walls did not look familiar to me. The windows had decreased in number, and stone columns were being replaced by narrower passages.
I frowned.
I had an uncomfortable feeling inside me.
"...One minute."
I looked around carefully.
"This place doesn't seem familiar to me at all."
Vartin didn't answer.
This further increased my suspicion.
"General Vartin."
He slowly turned his head towards me.
"Shouldn't we have entered the wrong corridor?"
The man continued walking without the slightest hesitation.
"No, dear."
"This answer gave me no confidence at all."
"I trust my inner voice."
"Your inner voice had led you to the women's ward last month."
"The doors looked alike."
"It wasn't the doors that were the issue!"
There was silence for a few seconds.
I continued to examine the surroundings with suspicion.
"...Is this really the right path?!"
Vartin paused for the first time.
He slowed his steps.
He scratched his chin.
He looked to the right.
He looked to the left.
Then he looked at the ceiling.
As if noticing the place for the first time, he began to examine his surroundings.
The hope within me began to die rapidly.
"General ...Vartin."
"Sir?"
"You know the right way, right?"
He turned to me and nodded with an extremely confident expression.
"Most likely."
My world fell silent for a few seconds.
"...What did you say?"
"Most likely."
"MAYBE?!"
My voice was so loud that even the stone walls of the corridor echoed it several times.
Vartin merely shrugged.
"Life is also about taking risks."
"This isn't a risk!"
"Okay?"
"This... chasing after a maniac with no sense of direction!"
When we finally reached the main corridor with the huge black doors, I was trying to catch my breath. The corridor was much quieter than the other sections. The ancient Cistern emblems were engraved on the thick metal walls, and heavily armored guards stood guard on both sides. The atmosphere here was different from all the other floors. It was heavier. It was more formal.
Because this is...
It was the place where the most powerful people of Cistern gathered.
The doors opened slowly.
And the moment I entered, my eyes involuntarily widened.
Inside the round meeting hall, the seven generals had already taken their seats.
In the center of the huge hall stood a long black table. Rings of energy running along the ceiling illuminated the environment with pale white lights, old war embroidery on the walls added a historical weight to the atmosphere of the hall. Some of the generals were talking among themselves, some were sitting quietly. Dec. But they all had one thing in common:
Each one was like an army on their own.
And as soon as I entered, several pairs of eyes turned toward me at once.
An involuntary pressure formed inside my chest.
Because most of the people here were figures I had only seen from afar throughout my childhood.
But then...
I noticed something.
My eyes wandered around the table, which was getting longer and longer.
There was something missing.
My eyebrows furrowed slightly.
Because the person who was supposed to be here wasn't here.
Master Shu.
Suddenly my mind paused.
This was impossible.
Shu wouldn't miss such a meeting.
Especially when all the generals had been summoned.
My gaze involuntarily shifted to Vartin.
A bad feeling began to stir inside me.
"…Why isn't my master here?"
As soon as the doors opened and Vartin and I entered the meeting hall almost half running, the weight of the atmosphere inside hit me like a physical pressure. Until a few seconds ago, I was having ridiculous conversations with Vartin in the corridor, getting caught up in his energy and involuntarily laughing, but as soon as I stepped into that huge hall, reality reminded itself again. Because this was no longer one of the complex corridors of Team 1. Everyone who was here was one of the main pillars of Cistern. The people who could change the city's fate were sitting around the same table. And when those people's gazes turned toward us at the same time, one couldn't help but feel one's spine straighten.
But to be honest...
The scariest thing inside wasn't the generals.
It was Major General Yayati.
The tiny figure sitting in the main seat positioned near the center of the hall appeared so small at first glance that it almost seemed comical. His short legs dangled slightly over the edge of the seat, his old face was covered with wrinkled green skins, and his long white beard reached almost to his knees. However, the moment one looked into his eyes, all thoughts of that "little old man" in one's mind vanished in an instant. Because Yayati's eyes were not like the eyes of a normal being. These were the eyes of someone who had witnessed wars for hundreds of years and seen the rise and fall of civilizations. It was silent, but it had an overwhelming weight that touched one's heart.
And those eyes right now...
They were looking directly at us.
More precisely, to me and Vartin.
Especially to Vartin.
Because it was obvious that he was most likely responsible for all that noise coming from the corridor.
Yayati's small hand tapped lightly on the top of his cane.
Toc.
The energy inside the hall suddenly became heavy.
"You're late," he said in his old but incredibly clear voice. "And your entrance was... too outrageous to suit a meeting of generals."
Vartin opened his mouth.
"Technically, we were running because—"
"Sit down."
That single word alone shook the air.
The grin on Vartin's face froze for a few seconds.
I bowed my head slightly.
"I'm sorry, Grand General."
''I know." Yayati said with a tired expression. "That's the trouble, anyhow."
Suppressed grunts were heard from several parts of the hall. Sao's face, in particular, bore a contemptuous expression. Ben and Vartin quickly made their way to their empty seats. Vartin still looked energetic, but as soon as I sat down, my inner soldier instincts were fully restored. Because now I could truly examine the environment.
And the moment I did that...
I realized or remembered how frightening this room was.
The most powerful people of Cistern were sitting around the same table.
The table was designed to extend forward, with 10 chairs arranged around it and one large chair reserved for the captain at the head corner. It was made entirely of a piece of column that was hard but strangely comfortable.
Two chairs were empty. One of them was 11. Since the team no longer existed, it must have belonged to Urizen.
The first person who caught my attention was Team 10 General Austra Apollon. In addition to being the captain of Cistern's last-place team, he is also one of their strongest captains. It had been a long time since I saw him, but the man's presence still weighed heavily on me. He was a huge man. Truly huge. Even when seated, he looked bigger than most people. His broad shoulders filled out the edges of the table, and even the old battle scars on his arms looked threatening on their own. What really set it apart was... the fact that it was unarmored today.
This was an almost disturbing sight.
Because I've always seen Austra in her armor all my life. Even in Cistern. Even in meetings. Even on the training grounds. It was as if that man and his armor could not be considered separately from each other. But today... for the first time he was sitting without black heavy armor. Despite this, it still looked like a tank. Her short, dark hair was combed back, and the stern expression on her face conveyed the silence before a battle.
For a moment, this thought crossed my mind:
"If this man came without armor… the meeting is truly serious."
Even though I looked at Austra for more than a few seconds, she didn't turn around and say a word.
Then my eyes fell on Team 9 General Phyra.
And as usual, a slight irritation welled up inside me.
Phyra was an incredibly quiet person. He was so quiet that sometimes you'd forget he was in the room. Her long white hair cascaded down her shoulders, and the blue and red earrings in her ears glistened faintly in the hall's light. Her face looked almost flawless, but beneath that perfection lay an unsettling coldness. The stories told about him were terrifying even within the Cistern, for it was said that he transformed into someone entirely different on the battlefield. Its silence would vanish. Something wild would take its place.
But my clearest thought about it was different.
The man was a complete egoist.
Whenever I tried to talk to him, he made me feel like he was looking down on me. He saw most people as below his level and didn't even feel the need to hide it. Even now, he was sitting with his back slightly leaning against the chair, standing with an expression as if he found the presence of most people here unnecessary.
While I was looking at him, he was looking at me.
And there was the same thing in his eyes again.
That silent disdain that looks down from above.
I raised my eyebrow slightly.
Phyra gave me a brief, head-to-toe glance before lifting one corner of her lips slightly upward. He spoke with his usual arrogant, irritating calmness.
"Wow... So you still manage to not die." The worldly task doesn't seem to have completely shattered you, though when I look at your face, I doubt it's just technically accurate. Still, welcome, Aki. Cistern's standards must have fallen even further than I thought."
You're still annoying. I can say I was shaking with anger inside myself. I was having a hard time not responding. And I couldn't take it anymore. Just as I was about to open my mouth and say every bad word that was on my mind...
Grand General Yayati struck the ground with his cane and drew attention. Meanwhile, I examined the surroundings a little more.
Then my gaze fell on Team 8 General Ryugu.
And when I saw him, I involuntarily thought:
"I don't know this guy at all."
I really didn't know him.
He was probably appointed general while I was on Earth duty because his face was completely unfamiliar. She had long dark hair and appeared calm, but beneath her silence, a careful tension could be felt. He didn't seem as relaxed as the other generals at the table. This made me think he might have just been appointed. Because to behave comfortably in this room, you would either need to be insanely self-confident or someone who has been ingrained in this system for years.
And Ryugu...
He didn't seem to have decided exactly which one it would be yet.
He smiled at me and waved his hand. I nodded back. I think I forgot how to smile. It was normal for me to get nervous in such a serious environment.
Then I looked at Team 7 General Hiroshi Matsumoto.
And my mind involuntarily drifted to Magnus.
Because Hiroshi used to be Magnus's lieutenant. There was more to it than that. He was my brother's closest friend. Additionally, he was Mizu's assistant at the detective agency.
Even the thought itself seemed strange.
Hiroshi was a calm-faced man. He had gathered his long blue hair at the nape of his neck and his eyes were constantly carefully watching the surroundings. I had seen him a few times years ago. He also liked me very much. However, we couldn't see each other much due to my training and work commitments. Still, I knew he admired me just like Jared. Even Jared's... anyway. Now, sitting in his place at the generals table, he looked completely different. It's heavier. He's more tired. Harder. It seemed completely different. And I think I knew why.
And to be honest…
It wasn't surprising that someone who had stood next to Magnus for years looked like this.
Then...
My eyes drifted to the empty seat.
Team 6.
An involuntary cold feeling crept into me.
Because that seat was still empty.
It had been vacant for a long time.
Shortly before I went on the Earth mission, the Team 6 General was found dead. And his death was so sudden, so strange, that Cistern suffered from the shock of it for weeks. Official statements had still been made, but most people thought the truth wasn't being told.
And now...
That seat was still empty.
It was as if it physically made the absence in the room felt.
As my gaze slowly shifted from that emptiness...
The doors opened again.
And when I saw the person entering, all my thoughts stopped for a moment.
Master Shu.
Contrary to what I was used to, he was late today.
However, he was as usual, he didn't seem at all uncomfortable.
Wearing a long coat and clothing in a mix of white and black, he walked directly to his destination while moving silently. What explanation did he give? What an apology he made. Nor did he care about people's looks. It carried a natural weight, as if the atmosphere in the room had to be affected by his presence.
The moment I saw him, I felt an involuntary sense of relief in my chest.
Because everyone in this room was strong.
But Master Shu...
Shu was different.
He wasn't just a strong person.
He was the person I trusted the most throughout my life.
The other generals' facial expressions were very different. Austra was frowning. Phyra closed her eyes and exhaled as if disturbed. Ryugu looked tense. And Sao…
Sao's gaze was downright angry.
When I saw this, a slight grin involuntarily crossed my face.
Because Sao Imoria's dislike of Shu was one of the few things that hadn't changed in years.
And then my eyes involuntarily drifted to Sao.
Team 3 General.
Cistern's "most talented general."
And at the same time...
The man who hates me.
The one who truly hates me.
His long pink hair was combed back flawlessly. There was arrogance even in his sitting. Even in the way he looked at people, there was a sense of superiority. Because Sao was truly incredibly talented. There was no denying that. He was a former student of the Great General Yayati and was considered a living legend in Cistern for many years.
And he knew this himself.
Perhaps that was the problem after all.
Our gazes met for a few seconds.
And the expression on his face told me only one thing:
"I still don't like you." I hate you."
I leaned my back slightly against the seat.
Wonderful.
I really had returned home.
The atmosphere inside the meeting room became even more tense after all the generals took their seats. This weight did not stem solely from the strength of the people in the room; an invisible tension was circulating in the air. One could physically feel this. It was as if everyone held their breath at the same time and knew that what was about to be said would change not only the people at this table, but the whole Cistern. The long black surface in the center of the table reflected the pale white lights on the ceiling, the old war Decals on the walls looked more menacing among the shadows. No one was really sitting comfortably. Even Austra's huge body seemed to stretch. Phyra appeared to have closed her eyes, but the rhythmic movements of her fingers revealed that she was thinking. Ryugu's gaze was constantly wandering around, while Hiroshi was silently staring into the space in front of him. Shu was as calm as always, but as someone who had known him for years, I could tell how slightly stiff his shoulders had become. Even Vartin had somewhat suppressed his usual energy.
And at the center of all this...
was Grand General Yayati.
When the old dwarf slowly tapped the end of his cane on the floor, the hall fell completely silent. It became so quiet that for a few seconds only the faint vibration sounds of the energy rings could be heard. Yayati slowly moved his eyes around the table. He looked at each of us one by one. The feeling that those old eyes gave to a person was very strange. It was as if he were looking not only at her face but also into her mind.
Then he spoke.
"First of all," he said in a slow but incredibly clear voice, "Thank you all for coming here."
Nobody answered.
Because even this thank you didn't feel normal.
Yayati was not someone who thanked easily.
"You all know the importance of this meeting," he continued. "The periods in Cistern history when all the generals were called up at the same time... have always coincided with the beginning or the end of disasters."
A slight pressure formed inside my chest.
No one was moving anymore.
"As for the situation this time..." he said and fell silent for a few seconds, "...it's not just a crisis."
His gaze became heavy.
"This is one of the biggest riots and thefts in Cistern history."
At that moment, the atmosphere inside the hall changed.
It really has changed.
Ryugu's eyebrows furrowed. Austra's hand hardened on the edge of the table. Hiroshi sat up slightly. Even Phyra opened her eyes. I, on the other hand, was trying to fully understand what I had heard for a few seconds.
Rebellion?
Theft?
At the cistern?
This seemed impossible.
Because Cistern wasn't just a city. He was the center of the order. It was a place where people lived disciplined, even out of fear. Especially a large-scale riot... even this thought was abnormal.
Yayati leaned lightly on his cane.
"And especially," he said, turning his eyes toward me, "we waited until Akihiro Atlas returned."
Suddenly my spine tensed.
A few glances in the room also turned toward me.
My heart beat faster involuntarily.
Why specifically me?
Yayati continued.
"Because the people at the center of this incident… are Team 2 members."
My mind cleared for a few seconds.
No.
No...
General Yayati's voice continued. As the words came out of his mouth, I felt as if I were falling into a vast black hole.
"Kazami Korane."
There was more to it; I felt something hard in my chest. As if my beliefs had been proven false.
"Kuren Y."
And at that moment…
It was as if someone had struck lightning into my mind.
My breathing actually stopped for a few seconds.
My gaze involuntarily widened.
What?
No.
No, that was nonsense.
Kazami?
Kuren?
When these two names came together in my mind, the feeling I experienced was not merely surprise. It was... it felt like a shattering of reality. Because their faces were coming to life in my mind. Educational areas. Duties. Discussions. Laughter. Team meetings. Kazami's stern voice constantly trying to remain rational. Kuren's sometimes annoyingly casual demeanor.
These weren't treacherous people.
They couldn't have been.
The thoughts inside me began to collide with each other.
No.
This is wrong.
This must be a mistake.
Someone is blaming them.
A conspiracy.
Lie.
Because Kazami wouldn't do such a thing.
Kuren would never—
I was just about to speak when...
The sound of a chair being moved was heard.
And then Sao Imoria's voice rose, breaking the silence in the hall.
"Do you really need to look surprised, Akihiro?"
I immediately turned my head towards him.
Sao was leaning back slightly in his chair. There was a condescending smile on his face. When one first heard his way of speaking, one would think he was calm, but poison was constantly lurking beneath his words.
"To be honest," he said, joining his hands, "I'm not surprised at all."
The nerve in me moved slightly.
Sao continued.
"Because how a team is made up of people... it's often about what its general is."
The air in the room became a little more tense.
Vartin stirred slightly. Shu's eyes slowly shifted to Sao, but he remained silent.
As for me, I was just looking at him.
Sao's voice calmed down.
"You've been playing the hero role for years, Akihiro. You're talking about saving people, protecting everyone, changing the world." The edge of her lips lifted slightly up. "But the truth is... you've never thought like a leader."
My jaw is starting to stiffen.
"Because a leader," he said, looking at me without squinting, "learns to control his own team first."
The hall was silent.
But that silence was no longer heavy.
It was cutting.
"And now what has happened?" he continued. "Two key members of his team are at the center of one of the biggest betrayals in Cistern history." He bowed his head slightly. "To be honest... I'm not surprised that someone like you turned traitor from your team."
Something moved inside me.
No.
It was more than just moving.
Something was breaking.
Sao hadn't stopped talking.
"Because you were always a child who was moved by his emotions. A naive child who thinks he can protect people, believes he can save everyone." His eyes got heavy. "And the greatest disasters throughout history... happened precisely because of people like you."
One of the glasses on the table cracked slightly.
I wasn't even aware of it.
The lightning bolts began to move inside my body.
But the real problem wasn't my anger.
The problem was not the map in front of me. The problem was not the generals sitting around the table. The problem wasn't even the accusations coming from the Grand General's mouth. The real problem was that indescribable feeling that slowly formed inside me while listening to all this. It was a feeling that weighed right in the middle of my chest, as if an invisible hand was wrapped around my heart, that grew a little more with every breath I took, that even calling it fear was insufficient. Because sometimes one wasn't truly afraid of what one heard; one was afraid of the possibility that the truth might be true, the first time it took hold in one's mind. I was standing exactly on that border. One part of me wanted to shout that all this was nonsense, while the other part was trying, albeit unintentionally, to make sense of what it was hearing. This was exactly the moment when one began to fight against one's own mind.
My mind no longer belonged to me. My thoughts were not moving in a certain order, they were crashing into each other, falling apart, and then merging back into the same point. Kazami... Kuren... rebellion... theft... treachery... Each word should have been just a few letters on its own, but they weren't like that anymore. Each one had become a severe blow to the sense of trust I had built over the years. Every time I think of those names, the missions we undertook together come to mind; the battles we fought shoulder to shoulder, the training sessions that lasted through the nights, the moments when we took care of each other's backs without thinking, came to the surface one by one from the depths of my mind. Then those memories seemed to be torn apart by an invisible hand, leaving their place to a single question: "What if all this was a lie?" "What consumed people wasn't the answers. What consumed him was the fact that questions that had been impossible to even think about just a few minutes earlier were now beginning to take hold in his mind.
One of the most important things I was taught throughout my life was that trust is earned over time. A person's character could not be understood in a single day; to understand who he was, it would have taken years of walking next to him, sitting at the same table, fighting in the same rain, sharing the same fears. That's what I believed in. I thought I knew Kazami and Kuren. I thought I knew how they would behave in any given situation. But at that moment, for the first time, I realized how great a mistake it can be to think one knows others. Because people tend to see others the way they want to see them, rather than seeing them as they truly are. Maybe the people I thought I'd known for years hadn't really changed. Maybe it was just me that changed. Perhaps for the first time, the veil was lifting before my eyes. I didn't want to accept this idea, but my mind kept listing the possibilities I didn't want in front of me.
What shook me the most wasn't the accusations themselves. If someone had stood up and angrily slammed the table, saying, "This is impossible! Kazami wouldn't do that! Kuren never betrays!" if he had cried out, maybe I would have stood next to him without even thinking about it. Because sometimes a person's faith draws strength from the faith of others. But nothing like that happened in the hall. Dozens of Generals were sitting around the same table; people who had spent most of their lives on battlefields, had suffered countless losses, had seen countless betrayals... None of them stood up in anger when they heard these accusations. None of them said, "False information." None of them said, "It's not possible." he did not object. They just fell silent. That silence was heavier than all the words ever spoken. Because sometimes what convinces people isn't evidence; it's when people remain silent at the same time. The silence of a crowd is much more powerful than the shout of a single person. When one is alone, one trusts one's own thoughts; but when everyone falls silent, one begins to doubt not one's surroundings first, but one's own mind.
That's exactly what I was going through. My own mind was betraying me. My heart says, "Don't believe it." when I say "my logic is "What if it's true?" he was whispering. As those two voices tried to drown each other out, I was crushed in the middle. The values I had been taught since my childhood—friendship, loyalty, and trust—began to crumble gradually within a few minutes of conversation. Sometimes, before losing someone they loved, one loses faith in them, and this feeling is even more painful than death. Because you could mourn a dead person, but you wouldn't even know what feeling you would feel for a person you thought you had known wrong for years. This uncertainty weighed heavier than all the definitive answers.
The pressure in my chest was increasing with each passing second. Breathing became difficult; it was as if even the air filling my lungs couldn't bear the weight of my thoughts. What was slowly growing inside me was no longer just fear; it was a profound emptiness brought on by doubting my own beliefs. A person could learn to be afraid of the cliffs outside. He would stand on the edge of them, retreat, change his path. But the abyss that opened up in one's own mind was much more cruel. You couldn't escape it because wherever you went, you carried it with you. That abyss would widen a little with each new thought, and deepen a little with each new possibility. And at some point, one begins to fear not falling, but being unable to convince oneself that one is still standing.
At that very moment, amidst the heavy silence that filled the room, a chair slowly pulled back. The sound that emerged was actually quite ordinary; the short, dry sound of wood rubbing against stone... But when it echoed in the midst of such intense silence, it seemed to me as strong as thunder. Then a hand was calmly raised in the air. All eyes turned in that direction at the same time. I involuntarily turned my head too.
My breath stopped at that moment.
The person who stood up was my master himself.
There was no anger or worry on his face. He straightened up with that unshakeable calm that people have who don't need to raise their voice. It was as if everyone in the room could be guilty or innocent, but the truth stood firm, unchanging regardless of anyone's feelings. He turned his gaze directly upon the Grand General and spoke without the slightest hesitation:
"Could you explain the evidence that Kuren and Kazami did such a thing?" Then I want to know whether you investigated why they did such a thing. If you have researched it, what information do you have regarding the reasons behind this decision, Grand General?"
These words were spoken by my Master himself.
END OF CHAPTER