Ch 19: PLEASE HELP ME!

“PLEASE HELP ME!”

Ace and Hiro whipped their heads, alarmed by the sudden intrusion.

A middle-aged woman with dishevelled hair burst into the room, her eyes sunken into her skull. Standing with her was a child whose face was plastered with worry, only as tall as her waist.

“What’s the matter?” Ace stood up from the cushioning of the burgundy chair.

“Where’s the doctor? My son, he’s gonna die!” she screamed, her voice filled with desperation.

Curious, Hiro crouched down to inspect the child. While he wasn’t a doctor, he knew first aid, although in this instance, the patient didn’t seem to be in immediate danger.

Seeing the anxious look on the small child’s face and his small hands trembling, Ace gently patted his head.

Without saying a word, Hiro’s eyebrows shot up, his gaze turning into a wide-eyed stare, interrupted by another person entering the room.

“I’m here, let’s have a look,” Mira said, her brown boots tapping against the wooden floorboards.

“You? Doctor? Are you kidding me?” Hiro said mockingly, but Mira paid no attention to his comment.

“He keeps having visions! PLEASE! Surely, as a member of the Phoenix Spearhead, you can help him? You know special magic, don’t you?”

“First of all, I need you to calm down. What did the other doctors say? Tell me all his symptoms.”

“Visions. He k-keeps having visions. Visions of d-death. All the other doctors they…” The woman stammered, her breaths quick and shallow. “T-they’re dead.”

Mira turned toward Ace and Hiro. “Thankfully, it doesn’t seem like Scourgenesis, but I can’t talk to her when she’s in a state of panic. I’m going to ask you two to give us some privacy.”

Ace nodded, while Hiro shot him a sideways glance. Walking past, words were whispered into Ace’s ear.

“The Pinewood Tavern, 7 pm.”

                                                                                 ***

The Phoenix Cradle - Central

The cacophony of voices scratched at his ears.

Loud and overstimulating.

Ace was never good with large crowds, and this was no exception. Brushing shoulder to shoulder, he weaved through the horde of people, the heat from the mass of bodies causing sweat to form on the back of his neck.

Is that the place? The Pinewood Tavern? Finally.

Walking through the khaki doorway, a woman with black hair extended her arm in front of him, holding a black card with a red, star-like symbol.

“Excuse me, sir would you like-“

“I’ll pass.” Ace sidestepped, a sudden breeze fluffing his cloak as he entered.

Thank God for air conditioning.

“If you change your mind, the old clocktower awaits.” She said, her voice blurring into the sea of hearty laughter and crackling conversation swirling around the room.

The heavy scent of booze rushed up Ace’s nose as his eyes scanned the tavern. Suspended by heavy chains, marigold lanterns draped from the ceiling, bathing the scattered crates and barrels in a warm light. The walls were lined with weapons, paintings, and shelves stocked with different coloured bottles. An image of glass shards and blood flashed before Ace’s eyes, causing a shiver to crawl down his spine. He shook his head before continuing, his eyes softening as he saw someone he recognised, sitting right in front of the bartender in his signature black and neon green trench coat.

“Sorry I’m late,” Ace said, planting onto the stool next to him.

“Two Bocari Sweets, please,” Hiro said, gesturing to the bartender.

The bald, muscular man juggled the glasses before setting them down on the table with a clink.

“Over here!” A shout was barely audible from across the room, calling the bartender away.

“Took you long enough,” Hiro said, raising his cup.

“My bad, I didn’t think it was going to be this busy. The sign was hidden behind the crowd. Why’d you pick the tavern anyway? You could’ve sat at home if all you wanted was a Bocari.”

“Well, it’s loud, too many conversations happening to eavesdrop.”

“Then why not just pick somewhere quiet?” Ace asked, swirling the drink in his cup.

“Too risky. You never know whose listening in.”

Narrowing his eyes, Ace glanced over the room. Though at this moment, everyone seemed to be occupied in their own conversations.

“So what did you want to talk about that’s so…secretive?” Ace said, raising his cup to his lips.

“That kid from this morning, he’s dead.”

Choking on his drink, Ace burst into stifled coughs.

“DEAD? We saw him literally this morning?!”

“There was no aether in his eyes. Soulless. All humans have aether flowing through them. It’s a miracle he was still standing this morning. Mira must’ve known that, but…that’s the strange thing. She didn’t say anything.”

Hiro reached into his left pocket, breathing a small sigh as he pulled out an empty box. Patting down his trench coat, he found another pack in a hidden zip on his right side. He pulled out two cigarettes—one for him and one for Ace. Whether it was due to stress or as a coping mechanism, over the past few weeks, he had picked up Hiro’s bad habit.

As Hiro handed the cigarette, he motioned Ace to come closer, his voice fading to a whisper.

“I did some snooping around in the Syndicate’s database.”

Of course you did, Hiro. Of course. Always sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong.

“Apparently, the kid’s father is some bigshot; his entire profile is classified. Not only that, but all previous doctors they’ve seen have died within three days, reporting the same symptoms. Being trapped in the same day over and over, before finally dying.”

“That sounds…horrifying.” Ace said, exhaling a thin stream of smoke that curled through the air.

“But that’s not the kicker. Searching through the database, attached to the profile of the kid’s father, I found profiles on both of us. Most of the data was encrypted. I think I’ll have it cracked within the next week. But from what I could see, they were both marked for interrogation.” Hiro’s words lingered in the air as he spoke.

“Interrogation? It must be a mistake.”

The glint from Oden’s kind eyes resurfaced in Ace’s mind.

Surely if they wanted to do something like that, they wouldn’t have been so nice?

“There were files among files of encrypted data on murders and missing people. I think they’re hiding something from us.”

Ace turned to scan the room, his eyes darting from table to table. All the happy faces morphed into deceitful masks. Hunting and stalking from the shadows.

“It’s likely that they have us on close watch. To them, I'm pretty sure we’re disposable, so they’ll kill us if given a reason. Don’t get too attached. And certainly, don’t give them a reason to suspect you of anything. They’re on high alert right now.”

Hiding something? Aren’t we all, Hiro, aren’t we all.

Smash!

Ace flinched from the abrupt shattering of glass, and the tavern lapsed into silence. The bartender kneeled to sweep the shards, then the rambunctious atmosphere returned, and everyone resumed their conversations.

Am I just being paranoid?

“Hey, enough of this depressing mood,” Hiro said, patting Ace on his back. "Do you wanna take a look around the night markets?”

“Sure. I wanted to check out the library too.”

“The library? What for?”

“Oh, just err books. Yeah books. I like history books.”

I can’t tell Hiro. Not yet. Not until I find out what he and the Commissioner are after. We’ve all got secrets, but it’s only time till one of them gets forcibly dragged into the light. I don’t care how many secrets and lies I have to expose. I will find her.

The pair stepped outside under the dark sky, yellow streetlights guiding their path.

Thankfully, the swarms of people were beginning to quell since the sun had set on the horizon. Now the bars were full and lively while the streets were slightly quieter.

Approaching the market, an overpowering aroma floated through the air. Bitter yet sweet, salty yet sour, floral yet tangy, the blend of fragrances amalgamated into one.
The stalls were bustling with colour, advertising spices and herbs, fruit, and various other fresh produce—the likes of which Ace had never seen before. Despite the exotic-looking fruit, there was one stall that caught his attention. Shiny and opulent, the stall glittered like stars sewn into the night sky.

“How much for this?” Ace said, inspecting a pearl-studded ring.

“Forty-thousand Zen.” The shopkeeper said, puffing his chest proudly.

FORTY THOUSAND?

“What’s the cheapest one you have?” Ace asked, placing the ring back down delicately—a treasure he couldn’t obtain.

“Cheapest?” The shopkeeper scratched his thick beard, pursing his lips together. “Ah, Tungsten. I normally sell them for Fifty Zen, but I’ll do a special offer just for you. Ten Zen, how does that sound?”

Synthetic, the tacky ring had a glassy surface, a poor attempt at mimicking its more lustrous counterparts.

“I’ll take it,” Ace said, slipping the ring into his pocket.

Without warning, Hiro yanked Ace’s cloak, pulling him into the shade.

“What are you-“

Putting a finger to his lips, Hiro gestured for silence.

Following Hiro’s eyes, Ace saw a family of three just across the street. His breath caught in his throat as they turned.

Wait…isn’t that…

Cheeks sunk inward, the man had a tall and skinny figure, almost to the point of looking sickly. Stroking the child’s hair, the man then split ways with the woman and child, striding further down the street.

“We're following him,” Hiro whispered, a sly smile forming at his lips.

“Wait, what happened to not doing anything suspicious? Hey, are you even listening?”

Hiro scurried between cover, meandering through the shadows from the stalls.

I can’t believe we're doing this.

With no other choice, Ace trailed Hiro’s silhouette, suppressing his footsteps.

Tailing the man all the way down the street, finally, he had stopped moving. Standing under a looming streetlamp, he exchanged cards with a woman with black hair. Their mouths were moving, but they were too far away to hear what they were saying.

Peeking around from the dark alleyway, Hiro leaned forward, edging closer to the muffled sound.

SWISH!

A streak of silver slashed through the air. Hiro ducked, the blade hissing as it caught the ends of his hair. His life flashing in the reflection of the blade.

CLANG!

Unsheathing his dagger, Hiro narrowly avoided decapitation, both blades colliding to a standstill.

“What are YOU doing here?!”