“Nobody had broken into my house that day…”

  # April 4th 2076

  Asashi’s eyes snapped open as his head jerked up from the bed. His hasty breath came in large gasps, and his hands gripped the blanket aggressively, his veins popping visibly. With wide, frightened eyes, he sat half-leaning up longer than he should have—but he couldn’t quite help it. The nightmare was still vivid in his mind. At least... he called it that.

  That wasn’t a nightmare, Asashi sighed, massaging his eyes. No, everything truly happened. That sick son of a bitch, he did all of it.

  Asashi gritted his teeth and pushed the blanket aside as he sat up. His muscular, toned body, sculpted from hundreds of hours of training, was exposed since he usually slept shirtless. He groggily found his way to the bathroom and took his electric toothbrush from the levitating cup holder on the counter. He sighed, turning on the sink to wet his toothbrush. Asashi silently brushed his teeth in front of the bathroom’s large mirror, unfortunately noticing the scars that covered his body—one being a large purple slash across his chest, and others being different-sized stab wounds that appeared smaller on the surface but took much more time to heal due to how deep they were.

  Many assumed that people with Touch were invincible, but that was far from the truth. There was no such thing as an invincible man, and his scars were proof of that.

  After finishing, he walked into his large closet to select his wardrobe. Examining the various suits hanging in a beautiful wooden armoire, he admired the quality of both the closet and the attire. Adjusting to this change in lifestyle was going to take a long time since he had recently been promoted to a Gold-Rank Knight. Consequently, the association upgraded his personal room inside the AOK headquarters. Although the spacious room—or even apartment, if he could call it that—was significantly more prestigious than his own home, it was hard to adapt. This place is too fancy for me, Asashi thought, and cold.

  His wife had made their home cozy and warm to the point where even the most lavish mansion seemed dull and lifeless in comparison. But perhaps he was being too greedy and complacent. He disregarded the white Knight suits that he should be wearing and took a black trench coat instead. Asashi found it far more relaxing to wear these days. Besides, he wasn’t going on a mission today, so it wasn’t mandatory; he planned to meet someone. Someone who had witnessed the betrayal of his best friend.

  Asashi hurried through the high, vaulted-ceiling hallways of one of the many AOK castles. This particular castle mainly contained offices and living quarters for important AOK individuals like himself; once again, adapting to being permitted to enter was quite difficult. He turned left, stepping into a rather large steel elevator, and pressed the button for the tenth floor, the highest level in the castle. Soft jazz played as he waited, arms crossed and black dress shoes nervously tapping against the steel floor. The higher the elevator ascended, the more his heart raced in his chest. I don’t want to believe what I heard. There has to be some sort of mistake.

  Asashi clenched his fists as the elevator doors opened to reveal a smaller hallway—doors with name tags lining both walls. Asashi proceeded to the last door on the level, where the name tag displayed: Kira Yun

  Chief of the AOK base stationed in the heart of Tokyo.

  Before Asashi could knock, he suddenly paused, feeling an overwhelming pressure wash over him. It was as if a hundred pounds had been placed on his shoulders, forcing him to the ground. But it wasn't the weight of the pressure that silenced him; rather, it was the sinister and eerie presence within it.

  Asashi knew that no one was looking at him, yet for some reason, he felt eyes upon him—the gleaming and hungry eyes of a monster. He gritted his teeth, battling his muscles that cried in resistance, and finally knocked on the door. A second later, a bald-headed man with a white mustache answered.

  Unlike many of the Knights who wore white uniforms, Kira wore a pure red one, though similar in style. He had no badge indicating his rank due to his current status as Chief. However, Asashi had heard that he had climbed his way all the way to a Gold-Rank Knight with two Senses under his will.

  “Sir,” Asashi pulled his two fingers just above his eyebrow in a customary salute.

  Kira’s eyes creased as he smiled. “Asashi, good to see you again. And please, no need for such formalities, boy. You’re a Gold-Rank Knight now. Come right in.”

  Asashi didn’t know if he liked being referred to as a boy, especially since he was twenty-nine. He nodded appreciatively as the man opened the door, revealing his office. Like his own, the room featured tall, arched windows that showcased a scenic view. A broad mahogany desk faced the door, and a hooded figure sat patiently across from it, waiting for Kira’s return. Asashi froze as the malicious pressure intensified, pounding against his very soul and preventing him from taking another step. He didn’t even know what the man looked like except for the back of his hoodie, and yet he was petrified.

  So this is the culmination of Yami’s illegal experiments... Asashi gritted his teeth. He managed to suppress his fear and took his seat beside the hooded man. Asashi wasn’t sure how the man would look, but he certainly wasn’t expecting to see an eerie white mask.

  “Um...” Asashi said, eyeing him to his side. The masked man turned to him, absent of any facial expressions that would indicate how he was feeling.

  “Hey there, nice to meet ya. I’m Storm.” Storm extended an arm as they sat. Asashi was too shocked to accept the gesture for a moment, but once reality dawned on him, he nodded and shook his hand.

  “Likewise, I’m Asashi.” Out of all the possibilities imaginable, Asashi would have never expected the man to sound so young and oddly joyful, especially in contrast to his menacing aura. It was very off-putting.

  Kira smiled as he sat on his desk, resting his elbows and interlocking his fingers thoughtfully. “I appreciate both of you for coming today; I only wish we would have formally met under better circumstances.” Kira’s eyes grew serious. “As you may know, Asashi, your friend Yami Huya has committed vile crimes in secret, ones that truly pain me to reiterate. Are you aware, or would you like to be briefed on some of them?”

  Asashi grew silent, a shadow falling over his eyes. “No need, I was briefed by the detective.”

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  Kira nodded. “Good, now—”

  “Human experimentation, kidnapping, endangerment, entrapment, drugging, bribery...” Asashi cut him off as he let the long list of crimes roll off his tongue. “And most importantly of all, first-degree murder while conducting human experiments. A lot of it.” Asashi clenched his fists as Kira stroked his white mustache thoughtfully.

  “I… appreciate the summary, Asashi,” Kira sighed. “Then you must know that Storm was one of the lucky survivors of his cruel experiments and escaped just yesterday. Storm, if you may retell what occurred and what led up to this point to the best of your ability, that would be much appreciated. After all, there are still many unanswered questions that we need information on.”

  Storm grumbled under his breath but nodded. “As you may know, Yami was hired by the government to research the White Tiger monster they had captured some time ago. He continued his research under their watchful eye, and they trusted his capabilities as a newly recruited scientist. But it was all for show.

  “Simultaneously, he conducted illegal experiments underground, attempting to gene splice the White Tiger with humans to create a vessel that shared its powers, likely because the government prohibited him from doing so.” Storm paused. “Hearing that alone would make any person condemn him. However, in my eyes, that isn’t nearly the most egregious thing he has done.”

  Asashi’s ears perked, curious about what else there was on the list of crimes he had committed. He felt like he had gone through all of them and doubted there was one that could make it even worse.

  But he was horribly mistaken.

  “He’s experimented on his very own four-year-old son…” Storm said emotionally.

  ...

  Asashi’s face froze in dismay as he stared at Storm, his pupils shrinking and his body becoming stiff like a plank of wood. Sen? he thought absentmindedly. The smart four-year-old child he often met when visiting Yami’s household, and also someone his own daughter was quite fond of—that Sen? Was there another son Yami had never told him about?

  “I-Is… Jen’s son…” Asashi blurted out, fumbling his words.

  “Yes, he’s fine. I managed to free him and return him to his mother without any substantial injuries. You’d be surprised, but he’s a very resilient young boy.”

  Asashi’s eyes flashed blue as he clenched his fists, a wave of Sense Energy exuding from him.

  If I ever find him… Asashi thought. If I ever find Yami, I will kill him.

  Asashi forced himself to compose his emotions and slowly nodded his head. This wasn’t the time to show impatience and recklessness in front of a prominent Chief. However, he couldn’t help but think there was something missing from Storm’s context.

  How did he know where Sen lived?

  “I see.” Asashi decided not to ask for clarification and moved on to the next question. “How did you escape, if you don’t mind me asking?”

  Storm let out a tired sigh, sick of retelling the same story. “I’ve told this to multiple detectives and government officials already, but tenth time’s the charm, I guess.”

  Asashi didn’t like how arrogant and carefree Storm was when retelling such a serious event. It rubbed him the wrong way, but unfortunately, he was in no position to call him out on it.

  Storm continued. “Although Yami knew the possible outcomes, he wasn’t prepared for my retaliation. Actually, perhaps he didn’t even care if I did, or if he got caught for that matter—as long as his experiment was successful.

  “In the end, he never truly achieved his actual goal, but in the process, he created us—the supposed failed vessels.”

  “Failed vessels…” Asashi whispered under his breath. “What kind of powers do you have, exactly?”

  Storm remained silent, not a trace of expression on his blank mask.

  Asashi waited patiently for a response, his arms folding uncomfortably and his eyes closing. When Storm finally revealed his powers, they seemed too absurd to fully comprehend. It sounded so ridiculous that not even a foolish child would joke about it.

  Asashi slowly opened his eyes and glanced at Kira, who was frozen in utter shock.

  “Why so silent? Cat got your tongue or something?” Storm joked at their silence.

  “Sorry…” Kira cleared his throat, fidgeting with his mustache. “It’s just very hard to take in. Thank you for your cooperation, Storm. We are indebted to you.”

  Asashi noticed what Kira was trying to do. He was trying to gain Storm’s trust, knowing what a big asset he could be if he decided to help them, as well as the dangers he could cause if they ever provoked him.

  Right now, the AOK was a slave to the hooded man standing before them.

  And it was all his best friend’s fault.

  “No need to thank me, really. I’m only trying to rewrite the wrongs that Yami committed,” Storm said.

  Kira nodded his head in appreciation and then sustained the conversation with more questions.

  “When you escaped yesterday, did you manage to gather any information that may tell us where Yami ran away to?”

  Storm shook his head. “I don’t have the faintest clue. I should have finished him off when I had the chance. I’m sorry.”

  “No, no, it’s best that you didn’t, actually. We need to interrogate him to get the answers that we need, and… I’m not too sure if a dead corpse could do that,” Kira said uncomfortably.

  Although Asashi’s heart was filled with rage and hatred for his former friend, it was still strange to see him discussed in such a cruel manner. He had to remind himself that Yami deserved everything that was coming after what he had done. However, all the memories Asashi had shared with him simply couldn’t fade away so easily, and that made his emotions so conflicting.

  “Moving on,” Kira said, slapping Asashi back to reality. “Asashi, I assume that the detective asked you all the questions regarding your ties with Yami, correct?”

  Asashi slowly nodded, recalling the rigorous number of questions he was asked.

  Storm turned his head slightly and tilted it. “I was wondering exactly why you were brought here, but it seems you both were close, yes?” Storm asked. “Tell me, what kind of relationship did you have with him?”

  ...

  “He was like a brother to me.”

  “I see,” Storm nodded, his fingers interlacing thoughtfully as his elbows rested on the wooden chair’s arms. “You must feel very guilty right now, thinking you could have done something to stop him from going down this path.”

  Asashi gritted his teeth, but Storm persisted.

  “You’ve known him for so long, yet there was a secret even he kept from you. If you view him as your brother, that means he was there for you in your darkest times… yet even so, he betrayed the most important part of brotherhood—trust.”

  Asashi stood up from his chair, his green eyes mixing with the blue hue of his sense activating, creating a glowing teal color.

  “If that is all for today, I’ll be taking my leave.” Asashi bowed his head to Kira, who looked at the escalating tension between the two.

  Asashi whipped around, heading toward the office door, his trench coat fluttering. Before he could reach for the door, however, Storm called out to him.

  “Before you go,” Storm said, “I’d like it to be known that I’m considering becoming a Knight for the AOK. If my power scaling is correct, I’m easily over a gold-ranked Knight, perhaps even a diamond rank.”

  “And what does that have to do with me?” Asashi said, still facing away, just like Storm as he sat.

  “Because I would like certain conditions to be met.”

  Asashi chuckled. “You’re asking for compensation to join us? What makes you think you’re entitled to that? People train for years just to have a chance at becoming a Knight, and yet you have the audacity to demand something in return for your strength? Excuse my language, but fuck off with that.”

  “N-Now, now, settle down, you two.” Kira cleared his throat, obviously nervous. “Storm, I’m sure we can work out some sort of compensation for your help.”

  As expected, Kira is infatuated with Storm’s abilities and potential usefulness to the AOK. Pathetic. No person with the arrogance of that man should have the opportunity to be a Knight while expecting all of us to bend the knee to his demands––

  “I don’t want money. I don’t want fame. I don’t want status…” Storm cut off Asashi’s thoughts. His words gave him a pause of confusion. When Storm said he wanted certain conditions met, what else could that mean except one of those three things?

  “As I said,” Storm’s voice grew awfully cold, compared to his normally exaggerated tone. “I am merely here to rewrite the wrongs of my creator.”

  There was something about Storm’s words that sent a cold shiver through Asashi’s body. He wasn’t overwhelmed by fear as before; instead, it felt like the weight of significance. Something inside him urged him to listen closely to Storm’s words. Asashi’s hands froze around the doorknob because, deep down, he oddly sensed that ignoring Storm’s request would lead to consequences beyond his imagination. The black panther was cowering before the mighty white tiger.

  “So… what is it that you want?” Kira managed to blurt out.

  Storm stood up, reaching his arms over his head in a deep stretch, and for some reason, Asashi felt as if he were smiling underneath that blank white mask.

  “I want Yami’s existence to be wiped clean from any records…”