Hmm... I feel deja vu, but it's difficult for me to recall who or when.
Taksaka sighed as he cleaned his wounds. He might have been feeling sentimental regarding his co-worker. If I were to join a lot earlier I probably would feel the same thing as well, however would he experience the same emotions if the situations are flipped around? I mean it's easy for God to flip anything upside down, and the thought of it is surely mind-boggling. Didn't mean to trigger a bad meaning, it's just some moment where you'd like to think out loud after a huge accident that almost cost you the entire economy. In a way, I feel guilty because I should've joined that fight with him. It's nearly sunrise and tonight's memories surely occupy plenty of spaces inside the mind. Too many learning curves and imperfections, is it really my fault? Why am I so weak, do I really deserve to be in the Ghost Secret Service with all of these people? I thought being an outstanding sharpshooter was enough to produce valuable output on the table. Curse to whoever wants him dead, I promise I won't let this happen in the near future.
"You owe me an explanation..." I said.
"Do you really wanna know about the fight or do you just want to know about your caretaker?" Joked the older man.
"He mentioned paying a high price when he saved me from Bram..."
"Beware of what you wish to know-"
"Curiosity kills the cat yeah blablabla does it really matter? I mean I'm already in the squad so why not just expand the trauma branch while I'm still alive"
Taksaka let out a long sigh, preparing himself for an answer. He gazes at the distant sky before finalizing his sentence and the knowledge he has about that certain white-haired man. It might be a tough and heavy topic to start a morning, in a way feels like a taboo that would freeze a boiling hot cup of coffee and make a monk fast longer than anyone could ever think. But that is just how the main compositions of truth hit you in the heart, I feel like other than that it's a grey area that someone should be careful of. "When people say that death is a mercy, I guess that thing applies to him really well..." The man said with a somewhat heavy heart.
"What does that mean?"
"You see, Airlangga... Every time he's cursing himself, he increases his lifespan. Convenient as it is the catch is related to the theory of energy conservation"
"Energy could not be created, it jumps from one to another and shifts into many forms"
"Wherever those lifespans were obtained is obviously not something a normal human should acknowledge. Somewhere down the line, Herjuna unlocked the key to eternity. Srikandi theorized that the key to Godhood is eternity, an all-knowing mind, and a heavenly vessel. The apple is the source of knowledge, and the Company-"
"Researching on how to create such vessel"
The pieces are starting to connect. The length they would go just to be the righteous conqueror of them all is just too much. Kingdoms fall, all Kings die, and when that happens the Sons are the ones who will stain the crown with their own malice and strife. A strife created by the intention of deliverance, not to mention that there would be no human in today's era who will ever see God let alone bear a divine responsibility. In a way no matter the reason, it's just a game to lose, if you ever believe in One, or many.
"His tab would only grow longer day by day. He told himself and others that he needed no sympathy, but anyone would agree the statement itself would trigger an even longer debate about him"
"Unconventional men like him surely are hard to cooperate with. How long have you been working with him?"
"Enough about that guy. It makes me sick already. Perfectionist but he leaves mass destruction wherever he goes"
"Fun at parties are you.."
"I don't even drink. If you'd like to know more just visit his house. No one can miss the beauty of Miriam Meier anyway, it's fucking weird how that prick isn't in love with her"
"So why are they together if it's unrequited?"
"BAH! Stop asking, beauty is a waste if the beholder has no taste"
Mighty as Taksaka says, I'm pretty sure that it's just a mask to hide something that classifies as a weakness. Similar to a bug and insect, tough skin on the outside but nothing more than a pile of mushy organs on the inside. Brute forces and stuff, all bite without bark, huge pain tolerance, I might as well ask him personally when he regains consciousness. What Joseph said might be the reason why Herjuna's head is on their priority list, dead or alive, those pagans surely will find something out of his carcass. In the middle of sunrise, a caw was heard from a nearby tree. Joseph raises his hands, seeming to know what kind of 'bad omen' approaches us. A huge raven, with a piece of paper tied down to its foot. He took that paper before letting the blackbird go.
"Council meeting tonight, so I guess it's going to be your first time meeting everyone in the squad," he said after reading the whole message.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
"Can't you just help me with the Notulen?"
"Dutch cunt, you're not my responsibility. Just fucking attend, what's so challenging about it??"
"Tch, old people-"
"FINE! We will go together," he cuts me off before I can finish anything.
Irritated much. I guess that he's not in much of a mood to discuss anything further. Well, they say not to play with an angry bear during his rest time. On top of that, the old man seems like he's up to something else aside from talking with his junior.
"Where are you going?" I know that I've been asking a lot from him but anyway,
"Bath."
He needs it, nobody will blame him for being grumpy. It was a long night, and by a slight miracle we survived. The old man stood up and walked with his limping right foot. Hmm, it feels like I recognize a pattern but it might be just a hunch. I should be at home before coming to the assembly, a small rest. But come to think of it, what power did I gain from exterminating a Manifestation? I should've obtained astral power from all of those actions, right? The thing is I feel just like usual, maybe the first interactions are in random events? I hope the nurse lady in this place can help in cracking interrogatives out.
"Oh, you're here, uh.. I- I was looking for you..."
A nurse? No, she's way too pale for a human. I looked down only to find out that her feet were indeed touching the ground, clearing the suspicion that she was somewhat of a different kind of breed. Her clothes are dictating that she's among high ranking Royal servants, I assume that she has spent a lot of time working here but there's not a single aging factor on her face. Nothing unusual about her except her skin colour, even Tendean is not this kind of pale. Perhaps it has something to do with her power, just like how a crazy fireman loses his jaw in exchange for abilities.
"Yes?"
"I... my name is... no! Th.. They call me Ratnaningsih!"
Why is she so nervous? Could it be that she has stuttered her whole life?
"Uhm... Her- I mean B- Banaspati told me that y... you can see future through d- d- d-"
"Yes, dear. Are you in need of something?"
"N... no! I'm... i-in ch-charge of the Sanctuary... I re-received a ta-ta-ta-"
"Task?"
"Yes, toseeifyouhaveanyprogressinyourability"
Huhh???
"Dear, come again?"
"HWAAAAA! No I CANT!! I... why does it have to be me!!?? I'm struggling a lot and you look so much nicer in real life!!!"
She's- she's crying? What did I do wrong?? What is happening?
"P-please have a seat first!" I guided her to a chair on the balcony.
She immediately covered her face, hiding the reddish face behind her pale hands. Ratnaningsih wasn't it? Well yeah, I think somewhere down the line the Lieutenant mentioned a thing or two about her, to be fairly honest I think she's more likely to be a medic and not the skirmish type of person. She's not a soldier anyway, why is she in the Secret Service? It's kind of weird no?
"Apologies... but like I said... uh.. he... wants me to check on your developments," the girl calmed down as she fiddled with her finger, drifting her nervousness away.
"Well, this is awkward... I haven't felt anything weird so far"
"Uhm... I- I have prepared some tests for you. So whenever you're ready, you can see me at the male hot bath. D-Don't get me wrong!! Some... g-guards will be helping... as well"
Quite a character, I guess not all people in the Secret Service all about being serious about killing the Dutch faggots in the club. Now that some things are about to have logical explanations, I might as well jump to visit the crazy fireman. Huh, since when did I give him this kind of nickname? He's just insanely selfish with an attitude and whatever demon he has inside surely is not giving anything good to him, what a poor guy. I should give him a visit.
"Is he awake?" I asked Ratnaningsih.
"HUH? Oh! Y... yes, he's resting but can hear people clearly. I.. it's just that he became a bit... photophobic for the time being. You can visit him if you want!"
"Alright, thank you for informing me, Ratnaningsih. I will see you right after I'm done with the guy"
"E-EHH?? Yes, s-sure!! No problem, I'll be taking my leave now"
It's good that somehow her speech game is getting stronger with each conversation. I guess she's just not used to talking with strangers or people she's not comfortable talking with, like a small child. How old is she? Looks like something around my age but her attire doesn't add up. If she's at that rank she's probably started when she was 4 years old or something, a prodigy? Eh, why do I bother, but it's an understatement to say that she's happy to see me. Just a hunch but the evidence is pretty clear, though I think most likely she's just trying to be a decent person to begin with.
The Balcony is just two rooms away from the ward, but there's no such joke when Ratnaningsih said that his sight becomes terribly disturbed by a small amount of sunlight. Ambiance changed in mere seconds after stepping inside and it felt like some dead man or a monstrosity was hidden inside the ward. Doorknob, however, is warm on the skin. Sincerely I do not know what kind of fuckery this guy would create in such incapacitation that he would turn a doorknob to a lukewarm degree of heat. As I opened the door, I was greeted by a scoffing air and a room dimly lit by tons of candles. A holy figure much? Perhaps, who knows what kind of people that would actually worship him. Immortality my ass, this 'God' bleeds and people should know. Torso was wrapped in dressings, with dried blood as the paint for the canvas. A plain black drape blocks his vision while his neck is on a brace. Blood bags hanging and needles piercing, he has lost so many that he needs three bags at the same time to survive.
"Aren't you a stupid fuck tryna-"
"Shut up..."
Not even letting me finish my sentence? I'm fine with that.
"You should have been dead by now, Herjuna..."
"I'll die when time calls..."
Weak as his voice, the jaw looks very uncomfortable for him. Bloodstains alongside the cheek, I don't blame him if a slight sunlight would turn his head dizzy. I sat on a bed next to him, trying to recall what it felt like to be sick.
"What did you do back then?" Curious, I asked as if Taksaka's answer was worth nothing to me.
"Nothing..."
But it turns out his answer is worth less than nothing. I'm trying my best to express my gratitude yet here he is acting as if he did none of that explicit dark magic upon himself. Man only cared about completing the mission, as long as there's a small percentage he would fight for that delightful victory. Again, the brain he lacks but what is abundant within he turns into something that makes him unvanquished. Flexibility to adapt immediately when everything goes down in a bad manner, still heavy on the price he has to pay. There is pain in his breath and a struggle to keep himself sane in the middle of the tension he's having, each inhale is short yet every exhale is long accompanied by a relief of something in between stitches edged onto his skin.
"Joseph filled you in I suppose..." he said
"Yeah. How old are you actually?"
"Twenty-something..."
"Liar"
Herjuna pulled a tiny smile. I know he's 25 and there's no lie in it, on top of that a man married to some random Dutch in the neighbourhood. The 'Tab' surely would turn and flip some minds around the block, but the relevancy of this thing surely needs to be validated. No one would unlock the Pandora box just by making a random pact with a random spirit that lives in your house. Obviously, he can take the secret away with him to his grave, but it's not like he's going to expire anytime soon. The man turned his face, finally trying to make any sense in his mind work. Fresh wounds on his face from the reconstruction, unbelievable that this man is willing to speak some words out of his mouth.
"I sense... malice... from you," The fire breather said, gently turning his head back in line with his body.
"It's nothing but a thought"
"Talk to me..."
I got up from a laying position, exhaling as much air as the lungs could handle, letting all the good fortune go away as the air left my body. Rage brews, emotions storm deep within, disgust and loath, denial and rejection.
"I found a decapitated head at the source of the manifestation..."
"I have noticed..."
"When we brought the head to the forensic, people bowed down to it. But they give no details"
"Maybe it's because... some things are better... to be said behind your back..."
"They said that they would send a crow,"
"Does not matter..."
"Why?" I asked the fire-breathing man.
Herjuna grasped the bedpost, his fingers were frail but it was enough for him to raise himself and lay his back against the wall. He grunts as movement flows, moving his stitches and wounded flesh around accompanied by heavy breaths.
"Do you really wanna know?"
"Why not?"
The man let a small laugh, "Have you forgotten the letter already..."
"Cut the crap, Herjuna. You're stressing me-"
"It's your mother..."