After having decided that discussing things on the beach is better than following those two monsters into the forest,
Sneha: "The first thing I found is that Vermillion has been transporting something other than war supplies to rest of The Dragon Alliance."
Ethan: "Huh?"
They both know that Vermillion only acts as a supply unit for The Ghost Nation and The Dragons. They are not going to fight. All they do is supply the other two with best quality weapons for fighting vampires as well as some talented-in-combat members. But,
Sneha: "It wasn't just the weapons or a few members; they were trying to also transport money."
Ethan: "Money?"
Ethan widens his eyes in surprise as he hears that. It is not uncommon for money transfers during times of war but it's a different matter in this situation. The Ghost Nation would have no need for money used by humans and neither would The Dragons use it for any reason. So why would it be transported between them?
Sneha: "It's strange, right?"
Ethan nods while pondering on what that could mean.
Sneha: "Should I go on?"
Ethan turns his gaze to her while still half in his thoughts and says,
Ethan: "Yeah, go on please."
Sneha: "Well, the next thing I found out was that Vermillion was trying to set traps around their territory as well as heightening the security to the maximum. In fact, they were hiring some dragons and Aurals as mercenary bodyguards for all the Hellfires as well as the leader, the Phoenix."
Ethan: "That's again suspicious."
He says as he narrows his eyes. The 10 Hellfires and the Phoenix are some of the most powerful psychics on the planet, so why would they need to hire bodyguards for themselves. Are they afraid of an attack? If yes, then by whom?
Ethan: "Are the Vampires that dangerous?"
Sneha: "I don't know. I don't think Vampires even stand a chance if the war actually begins. And yet, Vermillion seems to be so careful for some reason."
Ethan: "Hmm … hey, I have heard that members of Vermillion have some habits they can be recognized for. Do you know them?"
Sneha: "How did we get on that all of a sudden?"
Ethan: "Just answer me, okay?"
She sighs knowing that there's no point in arguing.
Sneha: "Fine. That is indeed true. We are known for some habits that each of us more or less has. For example, it is a pretty common strategy among Embers to try to gain a mental high ground."
Ethan: "I-Is that so?"
Sneha: "Yeah. If you want an example, when I, Ro and Mohammed were trying to gang up on Kais, I had hidden myself well in advance."
Ethan: "Oh?"
Sneha: "When the negotiations failed and it seemed like my help will be needed to bring him in after all, I tried to read the expressions on his face with little help from his aura and act like I was reading his mind. He, in a seemingly fatigued state, started to believe I was somehow using telepathy, so I played along to put more pressure on him."
Ethan: "I see. And from the results, it worked as well."
Sneha: "That it did."
She says while folding her arms and sighing.
Sneha: "So why did you bring that up?"
Ethan: "Well, it might give me some insight into the situation if we know how these habits came to be. I mean, it's not like you all are trained anywhere. Yet, these habits are found in most Embers, right?"
Sneha: "That can mostly be attributed to the fact that all Embers have their first five missions as assistants to experienced Embers where it is the job of the experienced ones to teach these things to the new ones."
Ethan: "Well, that certainly explains some things."
Sneha: "Does that somehow give an explanation as to why they were transporting money or why they needed bodyguards or why they sent someone like me on the mission to bring Kais in the organization?"
Ethan: "Well, not exactly. But an explanation is forming in my head. It's still not something I can place my bets on and I would like to hear other clues if there are any."
Sneha: "Yeah, there was one more thing."
Ethan looks at her as if to tell her to continue.
Sneha: "I also found that there is someone in the ranks of Vampires that the Phoenix himself has marked as a prime target."
Ethan stands there unable to speak. 'The Phoenix' is the title given to the leader of the Vermillion. He is, obviously, one of the most powerful psychics as well as one of the most powerful people in the world. And there is someone so dangerous that he himself has marked as a prime target.
Sneha: "From what I could infer, I think that man he has marked is the strategist of the Vampires."
Ethan: "I-I see."
Ethan lowers his head as he puts his hand on his chin.
Sneha: "Huh?"
Sneha furrows her eyebrows as she sees Ethan – with a smile on his face.
Sneha: "What are you smiling for?"
Ethan: "Don't become so hostile towards me now."
He says while putting up both of his hands.
Ethan: "I was just …"
He trails off as he smiles again.
Ethan: "There's someone who can scare the Phoenix, huh? That proves the fact that everyone can be afraid."
Sneha: "Hmm?"
She wonders why he would need to note such an obvious thing. But she is unaware of how much this "obvious thing" means to Ethan.
Ethan: "If everyone can become afraid of something, then that also means that everyone, no matter how powerful, can become vulnerable."
He says with his smile growing wider,
Ethan: "That also means that everyone, whether the strongest human or the smartest human, can lose to someone else."
And that is why, Ethan Kales can keep going. That is why, even when monsters stare at him with hostile intent and every thought in his brain is only of running away, he still finds some sliver of courage within himself.
The fear he feels every time he faces a monstrously powerful person, the fear he felt that day 12 years ago when his eyes showed him a sight that he shouldn't have been able to see, and the fear he felt when later his life was threatened again because of that very incident; that fear means something. That fear means his humanity.
Being weak and being afraid are two completely different things.
The two things have nothing to do with each other, because even powerful people get afraid. The reason for fear is not weakness or power but the survival instinct. And when because of him, that survival instinct starts ringing in the heads of those very monstrously powerful people who look down on weaklings like him, that is when he can truly prove his point. That is when he can truly believe in himself when he says a human, and is surrounded by humans, no matter if they call themselves a god or a devil.
Ethan: "It's all thanks to Dyne … and of course, him."
He says as he remembers the incident 12 years ago that took place after he had seen Barry's carnage – the incident that truly changed his life.
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It was a rainy night. Even though it was a full moon, it wasn't visible. So, there was no light coming down from the sky. There was no light that could illuminate that darkness. There was no escape from that darkness.
Police Officer: "It's not safe to be here, kid."
The officer said as he moved closer to the boy. He looked to be around 7-8 years old and was sitting on a bench alone in that rain.
Police Officer: "What's wrong? Are you lost?"
The officer asked in a voice that should be comforting for the boy to hear, a tone of voice that he should feel comfortable listening to. Furthermore, the officer bent one knee to look at him in the eye.
Boy: "I … I am … not lost. But …"
The boy pursed his lips as if to indicate that he wouldn't say anything more.
Police Officer: "I-I see. Then, are you waiting for someone?"
Boy: "I … don't know."
The boy said. The officer didn't understand what had happened and so all he could do was to offer him a hand.
Police Officer: "Come on, come with me. It's dangerous to be here."
Boy: "It … is?"
Police Officer: "Yes, this rain is not good for you. And it seems like lightning can strike too. Although that's not likely, better safe than sorry, am I right?"
The boy looked at the officer blankly. The officer started to take the boy's hand as the boy didn't do anything to resist.
Police Officer: "Don't worry, you'll be fine. I'll listen to whatever your problem is and will do my best in solving it for you. So, come now."
The boy didn't resist. In fact, he didn't make any movements at all. He just kept staring blankly at the officer. The officer understood (or at least assumed) that the boy was going through something really troubling. He had no idea what it could be but he understood that he couldn't leave him all alone in the rain.
Police Officer: "So, what is your name?"
The officer asked in a soft, gentle voice. That voice was meant to comfort the boy. But instead, it shocked him. It reminded him of a different voice, a voice that was in no way comforting, but in every way – eerie.
Police Officer: "What's wrong? Tell me your name."
Boy: "I …"
The boy struggled to say anything. Half of his mind was occupied by the thoughts of the incident that had led to him ending up there. He just couldn't focus.
Boy: "My name … is …"
And all of a sudden, tears started flowing down his cheeks.
Police Officer: "Uh!"
The officer was left bereft of words as he saw that. "Just what in the world happened to this kid?" he wondered.
They continued walking. In a short time of about two minutes, they were at the police station. While the officer took the child into the station by hand, other officers enquired about him and they all got worried when they heard what had happened.
Cases of kidnapping, murder as well as child torture was nothing very new to the place they worked in. One or two of them popped up every two months. However, that doesn't make it any less horrifying.
Police Officer: "Hey, could you go and sit over there while I take care of something?"
The officer asked of the boy as he pointed at a bench within the station. The boy looked at the officer with the same blank expression and nodded.
Police Officer: "Okay, don't go anywhere. I'll be back in a second."
The boy nodded yet again and started walking towards the bench the officer pointed at. His tears, by that point, had dried off.
Police Officer: "Hey, you …"
He trailed off as he checked the boy's forehead, before going, to make sure he doesn't have a fever.
He didn't have a fever. The officer felt relieved.
Police Officer: "Okay, that's good. Now, I'll be …"
He said as he started to leave but stopped mid-sentence. He stopped because he got a good view of his eyes for the first time.
Police Officer: "Y-You're … blind?"
The officer said as he saw those eyes with no light in them.
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The boy wasn't born blind. He was born with a rather good pair of eyes. But he lost the sight he was born with. Furthermore, he didn't lose them because of some natural loss of sight or overexertion of them. His sight was taken from him. It happened in the morning prior to that night – before the rain started.
"Hey child, can you hear me?"
He heard a voice. It was a rather pleasant voice. But he didn't know whose it was, who it was addressing and where it came from. The boy looked around but couldn't find the one who said that.
"Ah, so you can hear me. That's delightful."
Hearing the voice showing glee, the boy felt uncomfortable. He was standing in a public park filled with people on all sides. So even though he continued to look, he couldn't find the one who said it.
"You don't need to look around to find me, child. I'm right here."
He heard that voice. It seemed like the voice was addressing him. But if so, whose is it? What is the speaker trying to say?
"You won't find me even if you keep looking around, child. If you really want to find me, look within your heart."
The boy gasped at those words. For an eight-year-old like him, those words didn't sound all that creepy; but they still gave him a bad feeling.
Boy: "W-Who … are you?"
"Shouldn't it be obvious, child? Who else could you find when you look within your heart? Who else could I be?"
Who else could he find when he looked within his heart? There was only one answer that anyone could come up with.
"I'm god."
Boy: "W-W-What!?"
"Is it really that surprising? I think you should have heard that the god lives within a person's heart, within their soul. I am the one they talk about."
There was no way the boy could just readily accept that as if it's nothing. He may have been a child, but he was not so ignorant of reality that he could just believe someone who calls themselves a 'god'. So,
Boy: "Y-You … don't lie to me. You can't be god. I can't just believe you if you call yourself a god."
"No, no, child. You are wrong. I am not a god."
The voice said very calmly,
"I am the god."
The voice continued before the boy could think anything.
"If you want me to confirm it to you, then come."
The boy was doubtful. He was suspicious. He had always been told to not associate with strangers. And this was a stranger who didn't even show his face. He couldn't do just as the voice told him to. And yet,
Boy: "W-Where?"
He could not help himself. The boy asked where he needed to come because he just couldn't control his curious mind.
"Come to the shrine nearest to this park. You know which one I am talking about, don't you, child?"
He nodded. There was only one shrine that can be called near to the park. Every other was at least 10 kilometers away. So that one shrine can only be what that voice asked him to come to. And the boy, knowing he shouldn't, started to head there. It was as if his legs moved without even his consent.
*******************************
Boy: "This must be the place, right?"
He asked himself as he stepped foot in the shrine. There weren't many people in the shrine. In fact, the only ones there were the people who lived at the shrine and a couple of people who had come to pray.
Monk: "Have you come to pray, boy?"
Boy: "U-uh, I …"
"Go on. Say you have come to pray. It is not really untrue, you know."
The boy felt the urge to ask "How?" but he controlled himself and nodded to give the monk the answer to his question.
Monk: "I see. Come here."
The monk walked ahead as he asked the boy to follow and he did. The boy followed him and entered the tomb. He was barefoot as he was walking in the shrine he had never been before. Needless to say, he was pretty nervous.
Monk: "Don't be afraid. Come here."
The monk motioned the boy to come to a place he was already headed towards. As he reached that place, the monk pointed at a statue. It was a statue of the god the monks prayed to.
Monk: "See. He is the god known as Ozyllus."
The boy felt a shiver run down his spine as he heard that name,
Monk: "He is, in fact, the only true god."
The monk said. The boy heard.
Monk: "He is the one who brought prosperity to the world when it was being ravaged by the demon known as Abyss."
The monk continued to say. The boy continued to hear.
Monk: "He defeated that demon and brought an end to the war."
The monk kept singing praises. The boy kept listening blankly.
Monk: "Mankind has now strayed from the path he opened up for us – the path of peace that would lead to salvation. But if you pray to him, you can still find that path, and you can still find salvation."
Boy: "S-Salvation?"
The eight-year-old boy didn't completely know what that word meant. But he did understand that it was something good, something that a lot of people would want to find.
Ozyllus: "See. Now do you believe me?"
The voice suddenly spoke.
Ozyllus: "That statue, in front of you, is a statue of me. The monk just told you about me too. That saves me some trouble."
The voice continued leaving no time for the boy to process everything that was being told to him.
Monk: "So boy, join your hand together in order to pray. Like this."
The monk said as he joined his hands. The boy had no choice but to follow suit. That's when,
"I hate YOU!!!"
A voice came. It was a much different voice than what the boy was hearing in his head again and again. It was the voice of a girl.
Monk: "Uh, I suppose she is in a bad mood. That was to be expected though."
The monk said as he heard that voice as well.
Monk: "Don't worry, boy. It's just a girl who lives here. We are going somewhere but not taking her so she's angry."
Boy: "I-I see."
Ozyllus: "My, my. That girl he just mentioned is an Aural. I thought this shrine only had casual believers but I suppose that's not true."
The voice told him as he heard the girl running away angrily. Shouts of "Sneha, come back" or "Don't be such a brat, Sneha" could be heard.
Hearing them, the monk sighed confirming his guess.
Monk: "Don't mind them, boy. Come now, where were we?"
*******************************
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