by Isu Yin
The dark-haired boy stirred slightly. His battered body still fought for survival, but he lacked the strength to escape.
Likewise, Akira lacked the reliability to break them out on his own. Fortunately, the plan in his journal accounted for his weakened condition.
“Take this,” he said, slipping a vial and a syringe through the bars.
The boy forced himself upright. “The magician....”
Akira glanced at the ring hanging from a chain on the boy’s neck, and smiled faintly. “Use the strength you have to escape.” After he finished, he went to another prison holding a young Caeles girl.
She reacted less than the boy.
“Wake up.”
There was no response.
Akira reached through and patted her arm. “Sera.”
This time, she awakened. “The Spirits... they said you’d come for me.”
“Cruel of them to say so and do nothing. Quickly, awaken.” He handed her a vial of adrenaline and a syringe. “Use that. They’ve trained you to be explosive, so... explode.” He stood, left, and returned moments later. “I meant that figuratively.”
The illusion rose again as he strode through the facility, checking for familiar faces. Most of the children had been impaired by genetic experimentation.
By the time he’d finished his investigation, the first explosion detonated. He followed a swarm of panicking scientists and medics to a sea of flames that had engulfed the destroyed prisons.
Amidst the crowd, the lead scientist feasted her eyes on the destruction of her research. She seemed to contemplate for a moment, but turned and left.
After she had gone, Akira slipped small metal rings onto his fingers.
The remaining scientists struggled to put out the fire, unknowing of the danger disguised in their ranks.
Akira lifted his hands and clinked the rings together. The shrill sound reverberated through the air, and the scientists covered their ears. Blood spurted from every orifice of their bodies, crystalizing in the misty air.
“Horrific,” Besil said, approaching from behind.
Akira removed all but the ring from Besil, slid his hands into the pockets of the white coat, and turned. The illusion dispelled as he spoke. “Did you catch her?”
“Jax and Reina did. They’re off doing clean-up with the Erasers. I’ve taken care of the rest of the children.”
“You’re the most tactful.”
Besil pulled the white coat off Akira and tossed it aside. “You’re not like them. You never were.”
“Sometimes I’m not sure,” Akira said, looking towards the woods.
“Did the children escape?”
“We’ll find out soon enough.”
An explosion flashed across the facility, the ground rumbled, and their teammates sprinted across the expanse.
Jackyl gripped Akira’s blazer as he ran by. “Mistake!”
Akira ensured that Besil was following before running along. The ground rumbled again. One after another, the buildings exploded all across the island.
Besil tossed a hissing metal device across their path. It sparked, spat out a bolt of electricity, and tore open a portal.
Finally, as the largest building detonated, the team slipped away. The force of the explosion propelled them through the opening.
Jackyl fell through first, striking his chin against the concrete outside of the barracks.
Reina fell on top of him, but Besil and Akira were launched in another direction.
Akira gripped Besil’s shirt to stop his friend’s roll, but, in turn, ricocheted off the ground twice, rolled across the pavement, and skidded to a stop on his hands and knees. The impact jolted him more than it had the other members. He staggered onto his feet, glimpsing the new tears on the pants he had earlier borrowed from Jackyl.
“Aki!” Besil jumped up from the ground and ran to Akira’s aid.
Jackyl wiped the blood from his chin, sounding as though he may cry, though he rarely did so. “Ow!”
This seemed the perfect opportunity for Akira to point and jeer. “That’s why you should wear your mask!”
Reina inspected her torn tights. “Nice going, Jackass.” Despite her commentary, she rose from the ground and tended to her partner. “Come on, you big baby. Let’s get you bandaged up.”
“I’ll replace your tights,” Jackyl said, accepting her hand.
Besil grasped Akira by the arm and swiftly led him towards their room in the barracks. “Hurry, we must disinfect your wounds.”
Reapers in Niall regularly moved through time and space, resolving various glitches—historical and universal. As a result, Niall, the Shadow Realm, was the only place they could call home. Those staying in the barracks were usually assigned roommates.
Akira’s condition prevented him from having company or friends, but Jackyl and Besil stayed in his room against regulation.
“I feel like a kid again,” Akira said, watching Besil bandage his knees.
“You act like one. You’re mischievous, facetious, and downright infectious.”
“Infectious? Like an illness?”
Besil thought for a moment, then smiled. “That must be it. Unlike most others, I’m not infected by miasma. Instead, I’m infected by my love for you.”
“I’m not sure if I should be flattered or concerned.”
He picked a piece of lint off Akira’s red blazer, pressed his hand over the fabric, and frowned. “Is this really your last mission with ARX?”
“They’ll be fine on their own.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
“Lady Heqet has summoned me to the Capital. I need to attend to my services as the Lady Fate’s mentor.”
“Are you there for Lady Heqet or Lady Fate?”
Akira slithered his way out of answering with a smile of his own, which he knew full-well Besil could spot through the mask. “Are you jealous?”
“Akira.”
“Don’t worry. This isn’t about Fate. It’s about my duty to the Queen.”
Besil shook his head. “You don’t follow anyone, not even me. Three turns is far too long to be in the Spinner’s presence. You know this well. Don’t make a mistake. You’re ill. If you just stay with me—”
“Bes, that’s enough. Thank you.” Akira checked his pocket watch, which matched the time back at the Capital.
There was still a final notation to make before he returned, so he took out the journal again and jotted down a note.
Oga Island. September 21, 1993.
Tatsura and Sera broke out of their prisons.
ARX member, Jackyl, caused irreparable damage to the research facility.
Besil observed the entire process. He might’ve even seen Akira’s notations.
When he finished, Akira sighed and closed the journal. “With this, the past, present, and future are almost perfectly aligned. I can finally be at peace.”
“Can you really?”
He dropped the journal into his blazer pocket.
Besil always had a way of seeing through him, he didn’t know if it was because of the Vem’s unique vision, their pact, or because he loved Akira so dearly.
Only one of those things had the power to stop Akira in his tracks.
They left the room and traveled through the orbs and wafts of darkness that covered the Reaper City. The long halls of the barracks and the other buildings all looked similar—straight and dull—but Akira knew his way around. He climbed the steps of a platform that held a portal to the Capital, and passed through without speaking to the posted Reapers.
Dawn still hadn’t broken in the Capital. It seemed strange that a place so big could be so still and dark. At this time of day, Akira felt alone in the world, so he was relieved to have Besil by his side.
Besil’s form dispersed into shadows, shaping a black cat, which meowed at Akira’s feet.
“Yes, yes, of course,” Akira said, plucking his friend from the stone path.
The front steps of the palace
were vacant except for the two guards standing outside. They ignored Akira, as always.
Even the ceremonial hall was dark. The Ussan’s light reflected from the glassy floors as Akira crossed the hall, examining the intricate patterns of the viewing window. He rarely enjoyed anything because of his general lack of time. It was odd to have so little of it, given that it comprised so much of his existence.
He reached the guest room and stood outside the door, preparing to enter. As he extended his hand, a red haze caught his eye. He let Besil down to the floor and followed the trail down the hall to the kitchen.
Besil hurried after him. “What’re you doing? Akira?”
Akira parted the kitchen drapes and glanced around. “Something’s here.”
“It isn’t real. You mustn’t fall victim to it.”
He murmured. “Who is it?”
A shadowy figure crouched in the corner of the kitchen, picking at a split nail on its finger. As it picked, the nail bled and its cracks deepened. Bloodied bits of skin tore away from its finger. Shortly, the creature noticed Akira and shivered.
He squinted at it. “Vermin.”
The creature before him radiated the stench of injustice.
The red haze shrouded his vision as he conjured his scythe. The world hung in suspense, each particle of dust stopped in the open air under the miasma’s red shroud.
Besil shapeshifted into a young boy, without his mask, and wrapped his arms around Akira’s chest. “Stop.” His touch eased the miasma exuding off Akira’s body.
A ticking sound echoed through Akira’s ears. His body trembled and locked into place, the scythe hanging above his target, in alignment.
A question hung in the balance: Do I compromise my pact with Bes or strike down my target?
After some intense deliberation, Akira lowered his scythe and exhaled.
“Remember, Justice Mode,” Besil said. “If you’re the only person in the world who sees something a certain way, there’s a high chance that you’re the one who’s wrong.”
Akira pulled his mouth to one side. “I’m not wrong. Are you doubting me again?” He pointed at the shadow trembling in the corner. “Can’t you see it?”
Besil watched the shadow, his eyes unblinking. “There’s no shadow, Akira.”
Akira scowled. “But you can see the malice, right? I can see it. I’m not wrong. Why do you doubt me like this?”
Besil leaned closer to the shadow, staring hard. Finally, his gaze shifted to the shadow’s broken nail. “Now I see.” He stepped back, crossing his arms. “It’s fine. Kill her.”
Akira beamed. “You worried me. I’m glad you came around.”
Besil pursed his lips. His gaze fixed onto Akira, watching his every movement—the swing of the scythe, the blood spilling across the floors and walls, and the shadow’s hand that clutched the air. He sighed. “Better to be killed than frightened to death.”
Akira opened his eyes and found Besil stroking his head. The light of the Ussan shone through the window of the guest bedroom, where Fate still rested.
He brought me here instead of my room?
Besil spoke softly. “Muora, Akira.”
“I am awake.”
“You had one of your blackouts, but worry not, I took care of everything.”
Besil really was Akira’s only true saving grace.
I did it again?
“You’ve been summoned by the Grim,” Besil said.
Akira’s skin still felt clammy. “I’m not going. They’ll say the same as they always do. I’m on borrowed time, or time is catching up with me. I already know.”
“You have another summoning,” Jackyl said, stepping out of the shadows.
Akira sat upright. “Another?”
“Mayuri,” Besil said, glancing at Akira. “He’s in Niall, and he’s looking for you.”
Akira cringed.
Besil stroked his head again. “We can get you through this, just like before. You’re going to make it.”
“If you say so, it must be true.”
Jackyl frowned. “Bes, don’t make promises you can’t keep.”
Besil huffed. “How do you know which promises I can or can’t keep?”
Akira waved a hand. “Shh.”
Fate awakened with a start, causing Jackyl to retreat into the shadows. She rubbed her eyes and responded in a drowsy manner. “Good morning.” This seemed purely instinctive, as she had not yet fully awakened.
“It’s still early. Rest while you can,” Akira said.
She nodded sleepily and rested her head down again.
Jackyl pointed towards the door, and the group exited to the hallway.
Akira hugged himself with one arm. “You two must stop your squabbling. I’ll go and see Mayuri, so try to get along.”
Besil and Jackyl glared at each other, then feigned smiles.
Akira shook his head and almost laughed. “Good enough.”
“I’ll report to Mayuri first,” Jackyl said, and disappeared into a cloud of black smoke.
Akira lingered in the hallway, leaning against the wall.
Besil stood so close their shoulders touched. “What’s wrong?”
“Bes, am I evil?”
“What? No. Why would you think that?”
“I’ve been thinking... what if my way has been wrong all along? Did my efforts mean anything, or did I end up a monster just as they believed?”
“You can’t think like that. That’s what they want you to think. Remember, your purpose is what makes you who you are. If you lose sight of it....”
“I’ll perish from existence.”
Besil nodded and hugged Akira, pressing a hand against the back of his head. “Even if the whole world turns against you, I’ll be on your side. Always.”
“Then... I’ll try and speak with Mayuri.”
Besil smiled. “Thank you.”
“You’re the only one who’s never let me down. Anything you ask of me... I’ll do my best to achieve.”
Besil squeezed Akira’s arms. “You’ve exceeded my every expectation. All I’d like from you is for you to stay by my side.”
“That’s all?”
Why must you hope for the one thing I can’t give you?
“Absolutely. Now let’s hurry to Niall. Otherwise, Mayuri will come looking for us.” Besil led Akira away again. “You know he can be cunning. Do you really want to provoke that side of him? As you well know, his appearance defies reality. He’s not the type of person you’d want to upset.”
Akira observed the ring on his finger while they waited for the portal to develop. If he could spoil anyone, he’d wish to repay Besil for everything he’d done.
Why can’t I give you what you deserve?
Akira studied Besil’s profile and sighed inaudibly. He knew deep down that he should do as Besil wished. If they stayed together, Akira might be able to live longer.
Anything that he wished for, Besil would deliver. If Akira wanted to see the world fall, Besil would grant him this wish.
That’s why I can’t turn you into a monster like me.
Whenever I ask myself what I’ve done to deserve my punishment, I think of all the things I could’ve done differently. I understood how you felt. Perhaps my affections for you weren’t dissimilar, but I couldn’t drag you down. I didn’t want to see you become like me.
Akira thought back to several turns prior, on the day of his eighteenth birthday. He’d sat staring at the chasm in the middle of Niall, unknowing of how much time he’d spend there throughout his life.
Besil had joined him, beaming as usual. “Do you know what today is?”
“Is it important?”
“Absolutely! I’ve been awaiting this day for a long time.” He turned his body and hung one leg over the edge of the chasm.
Akira would’ve been alone if not for Besil. No one in Niall paid him much mind then, and ARX hadn’t been founded yet.
Besil had removed the silver ring he always wore and slipped
it onto Akira’s tainted hand. “You’re finally an adult, so I’m giving this to you. It’s infused with anima. It’ll protect you. I’d like you to wear it, if you don’t mind.”
Akira had looked at the ring and lifted his gaze. “Isn’t this important to you?”
“Remember that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more.”
“Gift... adult... It must be my birthday.”
Besil chuckled. “You couldn’t tell? You’re already eighteen. It’s been... five turns since we met.”
“That’s untrue. We met when I was still an infant.”
“Oh, wow! You remember.”
Akira remembered many things about his friend. He had met Besil prior to meeting Fati, so it seemed as though his affections should’ve been focused on Besil.
This was just one of many reasons that Akira considered himself unworthy of Besil’s love.
“Akira?” Besil pulled Akira by the hand. “The portal will close. Come quickly.”
Akira stopped observing the ring. It had become an artifact for both of them. The small object held many memories that shaped the person he had become. “I’m coming.”
I’m depraved and, therefore, undeserving of your love. With this life of mine, I must give back to you in any way I can.
The Reaper City expanded across the shadowy landscape of Niall. Portals rose from platforms around the dark sky, hissing and glowing as Reapers came and went. Buildings sat aligned roof-to-roof beside a massive chasm leading into the Abyss, where Akira often sat viewing the phantoms. These creatures came in all shapes and sizes, some as small as dust and others as big as the tallest buildings in Niall. They radiated light and color, hardly more than a translucent shimmer in the darkness.
Akira enjoyed the phantoms. He shared the same insatiable spiritual deficiency, and even their lack of identity. Many others took as much pleasure in watching the glory of the phantoms as he did, but few felt that way about him.
Besil’s body dispersed into thick shadows, a spectacle evocative of ink dribbling across the air, and returned to Akira’s arms in the form of a cat.
Akira focused on Jackyl as they approached a group of Reapers huddled around a fire near the opening of the city.