Chapter 7: KNOWING THE SHADOWS

Raizel's expression was unreadable as he spoke. "Let's begin with the origins," he said, his eyes locked onto Hashira's.

Hashira nodded,"Alright then. QUANTA is a shadowy organization, hellbent on world dominance," he said, his voice dripping with venom. "They have their fingers in every pie, controlling the flow of information, technology, and power in ways that no one can even begin to imagine."

His hands clenched into fists as he spoke, the memories of his own encounters with QUANTA's operatives still fresh in his mind.

"They operate in the shadows, always one step ahead of the law, always one step ahead of their enemies," he continued. "And they'll stop at nothing to achieve their goals; no moral code, no ethical boundaries, no human decency. To them, the end justifies the means."

He paused for a moment, his eyes scanning the room for any signs of danger. "You can't trust them, can't reason with them, can't even hope to beat them on your own," he said, his voice filled with a sense of grim determination. "But one thing's for sure: if you want to survive in this world, you'd better learn to play their game, or you'll be nothing more than a pawn in their endless quest for power."

"What do you mean by controlling the flow of information and technology?" he asked, his tone curious but tinged with a hint of danger.

Hashira took a deep breath, his mind racing as he considered his words carefully. He knew that Raizel was a dangerous man, and one wrong move could spell his doom.

"QUANTA has its hands in everything," he said, his voice low and intense. "They control the flow of information, using their vast resources to manipulate public opinion, to silence dissent, and to keep the masses in line."

He paused for a moment, his eyes flickering with a mix of fear and defiance. "And when it comes to technology, they're even more insidious," he continued. "They have access to cutting-edge research and development, and they use it to create weapons, tools, and devices that give them a huge advantage over anyone who opposes them."

His hands clenched into fists as he spoke, the memories of QUANTA's technological prowess still fresh in his mind.

"They're always one step ahead, always pushing the boundaries of what's possible," he said, his voice filled with a sense of despair. "And they don't care who gets hurt in the process. To them, people are just numbers, pawns to be sacrificed in their endless quest for power and control."

He trailed off for a moment, his eyes locked onto Raizel's. "Believe me," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "You don't want to mess with QUANTA."

Raizel leaned forward; his eyes locked onto Hashira's with an intense curiosity.

"About the technology," he continued, "while extracting your power, I've observed that it is a stigmata dating back to my era. And I'm very much sure that this power, though not the original, is a replication of the power of the celestial of Corruption. How do you explain that?"

Hashira's eyes widened in surprise at Raizel's words. He had heard rumours of the celestial of Corruption, an evil figure from a bygone era, but he had never thought that his own stigmata would be connected to that ancient power.

"I... I don't know," he stammered, his mind racing as he tried to make sense of what Raizel was saying. "I've always known that my stigmata were powerful, but I had no idea that it was connected to something so ancient."

Raizel nodded, his expression thoughtful. "It's clear that QUANTA has been using this power for their own purposes," he said. "But why go to all the trouble of replicating an ancient stigmata? What do they hope to gain?"

Hashira hesitated for a moment, his eyes darting around as if he was afraid someone might be listening. But then, he leaned in closer to Raizel and spoke in a low, hushed voice.

"As much as I heard about, they wanted to create the ultimate stigmata to complete their plans," Hashira said. "However, one last major symbol of power is still missing from it, standing in its way to become the omni stigmata.

Raizel's eyes narrowed as he listened, his mind racing with questions. "And what is the use of this power, exactly?" he asked.

"It's a potent symbol of domination and destruction," Hashira replied. "Despite QUANTA's efforts to replicate it with experimental technology, the original power remains lost for centuries."

Raizel leaned back, deep in thought. "I see," he said slowly. "So, QUANTA is searching for this power to complete their ultimate stigmata."

"That's right," Hashira nodded. "And once they have it, nothing will be able to stand in their way."

Raizel leaned back against the containment cell, his eyes flickering with a mix of curiosity and suspicion. "I think it's time we dug a little deeper into QUANTA's operations," he said. "Who knows what other secrets they might be hiding?"

Hashira let out a groan of agony as he looked up at Raizel with desperation. "Please, is there nothing else you wish to know? These chains are slowly killing me!"

Raizel's eyes widened as he realized the severity of the situation. With a swift wave of his hand, the chains that bound Hashira were suddenly gone, causing him to collapse weakly to the ground, his face drained of colour.

"Forgive me," Raizel said, his voice filled with apology. "I had forgotten the pain you were enduring. Please accept my sincere apologies."

Raizel looked at Hashira with a keen look in his eyes as he saw the Genomorph struggle to get back to his feet.

"Would you like to live a new life?", Raizel questioned Hashira.

Hashira was confused at the question, "What exactly do you mean by that? I'm not someone worthy of your pity either. I've taken a lot of lives just for the sake of money! I'm truly evil and I don't deserve to live as if nothing has happened."

Raizel's expression didn't change as he listened to Hashira's words. "I'm not offering you pity, Hashira. I'm offering you a chance to start anew, to make amends for the mistakes you've made in the past. Your skills as a stigmata bearer could be used for a greater purpose, to help protect the innocent and defend against those who seek to harm them."

Hashira looked at Raizel, his eyes searching for any hint of deceit. "And why would you offer me this chance? After all the things I've done, all the lives I've taken?"

"Because I believe in redemption," Raizel said, his voice firm. "I believe that no matter how evil a person has done, they still deserve a chance to change themselves. And I believe that you have the potential to do great things, if you're willing to try."

Hashira looked down at his feet, his mind racing with conflicting thoughts and emotions. Finally, he looked back up at Raizel and nodded. "Alright. I'll do it. But I won't forget what I've done. I'll spend the rest of my life making up for it."

Raizel nodded, a small smile playing at his lips. "That's all I can ask for."

"Hold on... something's different about me... like something's changed. My head is a lot clearer than before. I don't feel the lust for violence at all, it's as if I'm feeling peaceful...", Hashira stared at his hands and then looked at Raizel, who held his stigmata.

Raizel smiled, "Looks like the side effects of corruption is declining. Now do you understand why I removed it from your body?"

Hashira felt a sense of clarity wash over him, and he looked at Raizel with newfound respect. The thought of a new life, free from the chains of violence and corruption, was tempting.

"The malevolent influence of the Stigmata of Corruption had insidiously warped my mind and desires, pushing me to commit heinous atrocities. The scales have fallen from my eyes," Hashira uttered with newfound clarity.

Raizel nodded in agreement, content that his intervention had saved yet another victim from the destructive influence of the Stigmata.

"Thank you," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I am finally free of this curse."

Raizel nodded, his smile widening. "I'm glad I could help you, Hashira. But there's still more work to be done. We must stop QUANTA from achieving their ultimate goal of world domination."

Hashira nodded, his newfound peace and clarity pushing him to fight for a better cause. Together, they would face whatever challenges lay ahead.

As they turned to leave, Hashira couldn't help but feel grateful for the strange turn of events that brought him to Raizel's doorstep. He knew that he had a long way to go to make up for his past mistakes, but he was ready to start on this new path towards redemption.

Raizel walked away, ordering Genesis to tend to Hashira's wounds.

"Zarephath... to think that I would encounter his presence in the stigmata...."