Age of Darkness

by Brandon Chen

  “What? He wasn’t?”

  “No,” Aladdin said. “Whoever caught him is outside of the law. Even if he were executed, it would’ve been recorded. But there was nothing, not even a single mention that he had been captured in the first place. That means that another group is pulling a secretive side-job, and there’s an undercover group in the government—a small handful of people who are secretly pulling behind-the-scene tests on humans. That’s why I’m here, actually. Yata, Gavin, I wanted to ask both of you … who was that person that you saw underground? What was his name?”

  Yata blinked a few times, deep in thought. It was difficult for him to remember such a specific name. It was some type of a general, wasn’t it?

  “General Mundo,” Eve heard the soldier, Gavin, say. “I remember it was him. I served under him.”

  Aladdin smacked his forehead with a groan. “General Mundo is a spy? That’s not good! Keimaro works extremely closely with General Mundo. If Mundo really is with the Bount organization, then he’s going to be easily able to wipe Keimaro out and take the key.”

  “But he wouldn’t risk that!” Yata exclaimed. “What if Keimaro didn’t have the key on him? General Mundo would’ve killed Keimaro without being able to find out where the key was, if that was his objective all along. Which means….”

  “They’ll search his room first.”

  ***

  Yata and all of his companions burst from the infirmary, leaving Buu and Z behind as they sprinted for Keimaro’s room.

  “Crap! If Mundo knows the location of this mansion, then everything is going to go to hell! And if they have Noah, they might be able to extract the information using some type of magic. We have to assume that they know where Z’s mansion is!” Aladdin exclaimed as they dashed down the hallway, throwing Keimaro’s door open.

  The room was completely trashed with everything knocked over and torn apart. The bed itself had been ripped open, and the mattress was tossed across the room. The pillows were slashed open with their stuffing pouring out onto the floor. Keimaro’s cloak had been tossed to the ground, and his wardrobe had been ransacked. In the center of the room was Noah, who glanced at them over his shoulder. He wore the black cloak of the Bounts, and his eyes were empty, completely deprived of color and emotion.

  “Noah?” Gavin blinked.

  Yata’s body immediately solidified, knowing what would happen next. A huge green fist that had been conjured out of the air rocketed forward and slammed into him, sending him flying across the hallway and ramming into the railing, almost falling off of the tower floor. He groaned, noticing he had completely bent the railing, which creaked when he got off of it.

  “Noah! What the hell are you doing?” Aladdin yelled as he was smacked backward by a wall of blue energy conjured by Noah. The noble slammed into the ground and rolled, grunting.

  “Guys, something’s different about him,” Gavin said, unsheathing his steel sword and brandishing it in front of him. He tensed up, taking battle positioning. “Look at his eyes!”

  Noah walked out of Keimaro’s room and flicked his wrist once more. In an instant, three things happened. A fist flew out and smashed into Yata once more, sending him flying off of the railing and out into open air, prepared to fall about fifty stories to the ground below. A blue rifle appeared in Noah’s hand aimed at Aladdin. Noah fired, burying a conjured bullet into the noble’s shoulder. A red blade materialized in Noah’s other hand. In an instant, Noah’s gun vanished, and he gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands, rushing at Gavin with his blade in the air.

  Yata’s heart was thumping rapidly as he clutched out at open air, not particularly fearing death but the pain that would follow when he smashed into the ground. Sure enough, when he hit the floor, the entire world seemed to spin in an abrupt turn, leaving ringing in his ears. “Ugh…,” he muttered, leaning forward and rubbing his metallic head. “That freaking hurt, you four-eyed bastard,” he growled and turned to see that many of the assassins were staring at him while others looked up at the burst of light appearing on the top floor as Noah engaged in battle.

  “Evacuate the mansion!” Yata yelled to one of the assassins. “Spread the word, everyone!” he said, gripping his bat and turning to look up.

  Noah had knocked Gavin to the side and leapt off of the large platform above. He fell down into open air, sweeping his hands outward. A conjured blue substance appeared in the air below him, creating some type of liquid. His body dropped into the liquid, slowing his fall. He slipped through layers of conjured fluid until he landed before Yata, slowly rising to his feet. The magical conjured substance vanished as soon as he was done using it. He adjusted his glasses with a single poke to the lenses and glanced at Yata.

  This magic of his is really something. Being able to create anything that he wants out of thin air, Yata thought and smiled. His last fight against Yuri had been a loss. This time, he would go all out and show his opponent that he was not to be messed with.

  “You really have pissed me off, four-eyes,” Yata growled, his right arm changing from its original metal to diamond. “Maybe a good whack to the head will bring you to your senses, Noah.”

  Noah raised an eyebrow and held out his hand, a massive green hammer materializing in his palm. He held his weapon outward and frowned. “You guys seem to know me. Who are you?”

  Yata blinked a few times. He doesn’t remember me. What did those Bounts do to him?

  Noah grunted, dashing for the door to the mansion in a desperate attempt to flee. Yata intercepted him by swiftly stepping in his path. “I’ll admit that your magic truly is something to be proud of, Noah, but my magic counters yours. You won’t be able to hurt me when I’m in this form,” he said, nodding to his diamond skin. “Now, I’m going to beat the crap out of you until you’re ready to wake the hell up!”

  Yata shot forward, swinging his metal bat at Noah. His bat slammed against Noah’s hammer with a loud bang, echoing through the mansion as assassins evacuated around them. Whoever had sent Noah would surely arrive with backup soon. He had to finish this up quickly. If the Bounts were coming, they could wipe out all of these assassins around him in an instant. He rotated his body and swung with his diamond arm, launching a hard punch at Noah from the side.

  Noah released his hammer, which vanished, and took a step back in response. He held up both of his hands so that a giant green wall appeared between Yata and him. Yata’s diamond fist smashed into the wall and shattered it instantly, sending glittering green shards raining down around them. Noah flew back and hit the ground, sliding across the marble floor, grunting. He gripped his ribs, his bones aching from Yata’s heavy blow. Even with the shield, the diamond was hard enough to smash through it and land a devastating blow.

  Yata pumped his diamond arm, exhilarated with the heat of battle. A grin spread across his face as he straightened his back and clenched his fist tightly. This was only the beginning! It was about time he got some action. He began to advance when he saw a slight shimmer in the air in front of him. His heart thumped, and he raised his arms in defense, knowing that something was coming.

  A man appeared from nowhere, teleporting in front of him with hardly even a sound. His spiked black hair came down over his red eyes, and Yata immediately recognized him. Tobimaru Hayashi. The Bount rotated his body, his black cloak flapping in the air as he drove a heavy kick into Yata’s diaphragm. A burst of force emitted from the sole of his foot and ejected into Yata’s stomach, sending the diamond body soaring through the air before slamming heavily into the ground.

  Tobimaru slowly lowered his leg from the kick and brushed the hair from his eyes to glance at Yata as if the boy wasn’t even worth his time. “You’re still alive, huh?” he said with a scoff, his hands lowered at his side as he glanced around. “So, where’s Keimaro? I have a fight to settle with him.”

  Yata rubbed his dented stomach and chuckled, pushing himself to his feet. “You sure are strong, Tobimaru,” he snarled, swaying lightly as burning rag
e coursed through his veins. For once, he knew what it was like to be in Keimaro’s shoes, completely filled with hatred. “Keimaro isn’t here right now. But I’ll stand in his place, if that’s all right.”

  This is the guy who destroyed our city, killed our friends, and obliterated everything that I’d ever known. Sure, I hated the place, but that gives no one the right to take away the lives of everyone that I’d ever loved. Fourteen years of my life, wiped in a single hour. Yata’s eyes began to morph into gems, his eyes gleaming like two sapphires. His entire body also transformed into glittering diamond to match his right arm, until he was a living statue of gem. “I’ll kill you for what you did.”

  Tobimaru raised an eyebrow and gave a small smile, raising his hand. His blade unsheathed itself and floated in the air in front of him. The Bount grasped the hilt of his weapon, his eyes shining like two burning coals. “It seems that you have indeed changed over the years. This will be a memorable battle,” he said and sighed, “but do you honestly think that you’ll be able to handle me alone?”

  “He’s not alone,” Buu said, suddenly appearing in front of Tobimaru, rotating his body into a rocketing punch. His gleaming brass knuckles flashed in the air as he swung out at Tobimaru, who tilted his head in a reactive dodge. The boy vanished and reappeared beside Yata, adjusting the metal on his fists with a small smile. “Don’t forget that this is also my battle to fight,” he growled, brushing the hair out of his eyes. “That was my village you screwed over four years ago, Bount. I’ll see to it that you’re killed. I’ve trained hard for these four years. I’ve cast away my own humanity to use this magic so that I could beat you terrorists to a pulp!”

  Yata smirked, tapping his bat against his shoulder. “To think that we would be working together. Now that is something I never would’ve expected.” He glanced over his shoulder and saw that Noah was staggering toward the door to flee. Yata was about to intercept him, but Tobimaru rushed forward with incredible speed and swiped his sword in an upward slash.

  Yata simply allowed the sword to smash against his hardened skin. The diamond parried the blow for him with a loud clang as Tobimaru stood there, rather surprised. Yata swung a diamond fist at the Bount’s stomach, but the slippery man quickly placed both of his hands on Yata’s shoulders and propelled himself into the air, flipping over his glittering opponent.

  Tobimaru landed behind him and continued forward at Buu, whirling his sword. Buu used his magic to teleport above the Bount in the middle of his slash and swung downward with a heavy kick at Tobimaru. The Bount blinked, raising his forearm to block the kick, grunting in response as a shock of pain burst through his arm. He turned to see that Yata was punching at him. Two opponents were truly overwhelming. Tobimaru swiftly spun away from the rocketing punch. He flicked his wrist and smiled.

  Yata blinked as a wall of invisible force smashed into him and Buu, sending them flying across the large tower room. The diamond boy smashed into the floor, cracking the marble. He bounced like a skipping stone on water until he landed heavily on his back, grunting. He shook his head, slightly dazed, and looked at Buu.

  “What the hell was that?” Buu groaned as he pushed himself from the ground into a sitting position, grasping his bleeding forehead. “His magic?”

  “Telekinesis, that’s his magic,” Yata said, swaying as he stood back up. “Sure, it’s a good offensive, but what can he do about diamonds?” the boy snarled, slamming his fist into the floor. The ground shook as diamond spikes burst from the marble floor in the direction that Yata was facing, moving in a straight line at Tobimaru.

  Tobimaru began to move away from the line of fire, trying to avoid the attack. The path of the spikes followed him, curving. The Bount grunted as he leapt into the air as the final spike came upward, slashing at his legs. He exhaled deeply, satisfied with his evasion.

  Then Buu appeared in the air above him with a wicked grin on his face, spinning his body. Tobimaru’s eyes widened in surprise.

  “Looks like you aren’t going to be able to dodge this one, Hayashi bastard!” Buu yelled, performing a flip as he slammed the heel of his foot down into Tobimaru’s back. There was a sickening crack as Tobimaru was sent flying to the ground, smashing into the earth and the spikes. There was an explosion upon impact, and dust flew in all directions from the force of Buu’s attack.

  “We got him!” Yata exclaimed.

  The dust was swept away in an instant, and Tobimaru stood in the center of a cracked crater with blood splotching the corner of his mouth. His eyes were shining brighter than normal as a dark shadow loomed over his face. “The only thing that you’ve gotten,” he glanced up and met Yata’s eyes with an evil glare, “is me angry.”

  ***

  Keimaro adjusted his tie and coughed a few times, straightening his back as he stood with Judal. His captain was going to lead him into the ballroom. To be honest, the boy was quite nervous. His hands were shaking at his sides, and he felt abnormally hot in this suit. He brushed off his pants, even though there wasn’t a single speck on them, and exhaled as he turned to face the captain outside of the open door to the ball. Fancy nobles and rich property owners were walking through the doorway, chatting together, and not a single one of them seemed nervous at all.

  He looked into Captain Judal’s eyes and smiled nervously. “Time to get this over with,” he choked.

  “Don’t be such a party pooper, mate,” Judal said, patting him on the shoulder with a chuckle. “You’ll do great! Just do all the things that I told you to do! And you’ll snatch the princess’s heart like that!”

  “Eh? Who said I want her heart! I mean, have you seen what they did to Aladdin?”

  “Yeah, that’s to scare off other nobles.” Judal winked. “Aladdin had it coming to him. The way he pissed off the king was an atrocity to watch. But do you think the king would lay a hand on you? First, you would probably kill all of the men who tried. Second, you have the power to do whatever you want here! The king doesn’t really have the power to control you because it would take an army to cut you down. You’re too valuable to him, anyway. Just go out there and have fun, okay? I’ll be right here if ya need me.”

  Keimaro nodded and chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. “You’re right. Thanks, Judal. I owe you one,” he said, high-fiving his roommate before he turned around to walk toward the door. Before he was allowed to step into the room, a short, scrawny man stopped him.

  “Your name?” the petite man said, adjusting his tie, and scanning his list swiftly over the small pair of glasses resting upon the bridge of his nose.

  “Riku Hikari, but you won’t find me on—”

  “You aren’t invited. Therefore, you are not allowed to pass.”

  “Wait, I work here, though! I mean—”

  “Security!”

  Keimaro sighed as two burly men began to step from inside of the doorway and block his path. He rolled his eyes, sliding his hands into his pants pockets. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  “Riku!” Aika’s voice called, and the princess walked over to the doorway. Immediately the guards and the doorman dropped to their knees, as did some of the nobles who were standing behind Keimaro. “There you are!”

  The princess was dressed in a long white gown that draped to the ground. The back was open, and her brunette hair was tied into an elegant bun. Her royal blue eyes beamed when she saw Keimaro, and she waved, her hands covered in the small white gloves that marked royalty. Diamond earrings dazzled from her ears while three gold necklaces curled around her slender neck as well. The amount of jewelry that she was wearing made her seem so much different than the girl he remembered from four years ago, but he wasn’t complaining. He walked past the large guards, linking his arm with the princess. Keimaro bumped into the short doorman purposely, nearly knocking the man over. “Whoops,” he laughed as he walked into the ball.

  Keimaro’s face felt extremely hot as eyes fell on him while he and the princess walked arm in arm. “I’m really not accusto
med to this, princess,” he muttered, his face flushed as his eyes darted about. “I’ve never really been to a festivity like this, and particularly my first being at such a huge event….”

  “It’s not that big of an event,” Aika said, poking his ribs playfully. “And don’t be so worried! You’re red as a tomato right now. Just calm down! I’ll lead you through every second of it,” she said with a reassuring smile that made Keimaro feel even hotter than he already was while wearing his suit.

  “I’ve never seen the infamous Riku so flustered before. Fearless in battle, yet shy as a cat when you’re around my daughter,” the king guffawed as he walked forward through the crowds of people with three guards surrounding him. “Ah, my beautiful girl,” he said with a smile at Aika. “You look simply ravishing today.”

  “Thank you, father,” Aika responded with a small giggle.

  “Now, where is the man of the hour? My son?”

  “Here, father,” Darius said as he appeared at their side, wearing a tuxedo with a bright rose tucked into his coat pocket. His hair was curled in such a fashion that made him seem simply a model of perfection. The women were all watching him as he sauntered through the ball without any need of an escort. Even though Darius insisted on traveling alone, Keimaro knew that his father had arranged for soldiers to stay at a distance, constantly watching him. The prince had tucked one hand into his pocket and smiled when he saw Keimaro.

  Keimaro and the prince shook hands swiftly, and Darius smiled. “Ah, so you’ll be giving my sister a dance then? Well done. It’s quite rare that my father would let my younger sister prance off with a young man such as yourself. But I trust you. I can see the sincerity in your eyes. As for my father, I’d like to have a small meeting with General Mundo quickly in private, if that’s all right.”

  “Sure, that’s fine. But, might I ask, what for?”

  “Simply a business matter … you know, catching this Keimaro figure,” Darius said with a smile. Aika shifted awkwardly. Darius looked at his sister for a moment but said nothing. He gave Keimaro a wink and disappeared into the crowds of people.