Keep the Window Up or Down

Okame wasn’t driving anymore, but she was still behind the wheel. I had used my final essence to PERSONIFY truck-kun, who began breaking a few traffic laws to speed us away from the Kawaguchi residence. Daichi was riding shotgun and I was sitting in the back. I didn’t feel good about leaving his sister and Okame’s brother behind but I didn’t know what to do.

Had we stayed, explaining to the platinum hunters who Daichi was would’ve taken a while. Why he was under house arrest, why I was there. How the chained-up monster had been impersonating his sister for two years. That it was actually the president collaborating with the arch monster. Other hunters would be on the scene too, to help any civilians and to fence off the area. More people would lead to more questions.

A horrible question welled up inside, was my own father worth this. He had already been gone for five years. Was I more interested in getting my brother back to my normal, could I do that without rescuing my dad. Did he really think he could live the rest of his life inside, and should I care. Should I let that stop me from living my life.

“Rei, soften your brow. I would’ve done this even if it wasn’t for your family.”

“What do you mean? You’re trying to make me feel better but just shut up and get some rest.”

‘No Rei, the President has plans that will turn the association upside down.”

He winced as truck-kun hurried around the traffic. A long time had passed since he was in a car.

“Knowing what I know now, I would have destroyed this relic. I thought if I could use my essence for a second, I would reach into my inventory and crush it.”

Kawaguchi Daichi, a researcher with an S-rank attribute, Space. He could store things in a subspace, switch thing’s locations and create a special barrier around himself. The inventory wasn’t created by his essence but rather accessed by it, so even with his essence suppressed the inventory wouldn’t disappear, and the items inside wouldn’t appear. If Daichi passed away the items would be lost forever, even if someone else had a similar essence or chant there was no guarantee they would be able to retrieve the items from the subspace.

“I’m really sorry about leaving your sister.”

“She’ll be fine, if they want to keep up that act, they’ll need to keep her alive. The president and his goons hate monsters, they wouldn’t do anything to a woman.”

He was convincing himself, but I think he was right. Would the association really be led by someone so brutal. I guess I actually didn’t know, I was learning a lot as a platinum rank. I saw now why Ms. Hiyori quit.

“I’m still sorry, you too Okame. This is the second time we’ve had to leave without your brother.”

Okame giggled, and that did make me feel a little better.

“Brother is strong. Just wait, he’ll pop up right when it’s funniest.”

That was always his move, he would make a grand entrance when he came back.

“Can you tell me? What did you risk two years of your life to protect.”

Daichi took a deep breath.

“It’s a relic from a plant monster with a sensation essence, we call it the flower of epiphanies. If consumed it can help you break into the realm of an Arch-mage. Do you know much about the fifth epiphany.”

It was a big discussion in the hunter realm, a dream most hunters had.

“Only that there’s less than ten arch-mages in the world. Kei told me that even if your head and heart are in the right place, if you don’t have enough essence or enough willpower you won’t be able to cross over.”

“Yes, we call it the summit. You can realize what the spell will do, be on the verge of an epiphany but then you’ll get essence reflux. The essence will clump around you but not take, people usually fall unconscious for a few days. After that you have to spend years meditating and focusing your essence. Building up large essence reserves and a strong willpower to harness the fifth chant. These chants can have huge effects on the world, they can build or break your legacy and alter lives forever. The legend is the fifth Chant is obtaining a part of the universe’s power.”

“And the president has reached the summit?”

“Exactly.”

He looked deadly serious, the same expression I’ve seen my brother make.

“He tried to convince me to let him have it, he’s been trying to become an arch mage for years. His final spell allows him to take people’s chants permanently.”

That would be a huge problem. There was no way of stopping people from chanting. Relics that suppressed essence were rare and expensive. If he could take away people’s chants he could decide who could use essence and who couldn’t.

“He would be able to stop monsters from manifesting in the city.”

“Yeah, he could do that and much more. Rei there are a lot of older people who were alive before essence started clumping around. They want to go back to a time or at least create a space with no magical-essence manipulation and certainly no magical monsters. If he got the flower of epiphanies, him and his circle could make it a reality.”

“That’s ridiculous, that would take forever, and monsters would still manifest outside of the city walls.”

“They don’t care, at least a select few would be able to live in a place with no essence. They’ll pay any price for that privilege. There are people that feel cursed by it, they don’t like what their essence reveals. Others just find it creepy.”

Daichi stared out the window as we got closer to the outskirts of town.

“Me and your brother can’t imagine a world without magical essence. There are other people in the association that are on the side of monsters, and integrating essence into our society. The president is a hard man to go up against, so it’s been a struggle.”

“He’s on the news every day, with every politician and celebrity.”

“He’s a national treasure.”

He had the same sense of sarcasm as my brother.

“I was saving this flower for your brother, if he could cross into the realm of an arch-mage. He’d be able to summon the spells he wanted, he could finally do everything and anything. He could rival the president’s position as top hunter.”

“And he could revive my father.”

He gave me a weak smile.

“Yes, that too. That was the original goal. Your father was also very good to me, I wanted to help him as much as Keisuke did.”

He fiddled with the car window, rolling it up and down absent-mindedly.

“During house arrest the president and his men kept torturing men, in the last few years they started bribing me. Kidnapping my sister and using her look-alike to get close with my former allies, and have an insider in the labs if any more relics that could help with epiphanies came about.”

“If they hate monsters, why would they be working with an arch-monster?”

Daichi laughed.

“My only answer to that is Sukimoto is full of himself, that monster manifested from his own essence. He probably views it as an extension of himself rather than a monster. Those in power don’t mind being a little hypocritical if it helps them reach their end-goal.”

It was setting limitations for others, that he could be above. It was probably not even about monsters; it was about choosing who and who couldn’t use essence.

“We went on that research trip to try and get your brothers second epiphany. He was twenty-seven without ever having it. That’s really late for a hunter. He doesn’t really get emotional, and his first spell could already do so much. If he could get his second, and maybe his third or fourth, he could really be Sukimoto’s rival.”

He stopped playing with the window.

“But then we um, accidentally turned your father to stone.”

“I know about that, I had that statue of him tell me about you since Keisuke wouldn’t.”

“He’s still sick huh.”

His eyes were wide, either from the talking statue or Keisuke’s condition.

“It is kind of funny how things work out, if your father hadn’t turn to stone. I would’ve just given the flower to Sukimoto.”

“That is funny, I wouldn’t want either of those things to happen.”

“I don’t think any of that is funny! Where’s the joke, where’s the punchline!”

Okame was pouting in the front seat listening to the grown-ups talk. We were almost back to Keisuke’s house. Daichi reached over and ruffled her hair.

“We’re still looking for it, I think we’ll find it real soon.”

Thump!

There was a large dull sound, as a man appeared out of thin air and crashed into the front windshield of the car.

“Oh my face.”

Truck-kun grumbled.

“We hit someone!”

Okame pointed as the man rolled off of the hood of the truck and onto the ground. He was shaken, but as he got up I couldn’t believe my eyes.

“Oh my whole body!”

Keisuke put his hand on his knees, and moved his hair out of his eyes. Then blinked a little bit as the sun hit his face.

“KEI!” “Keisuke!!

Me and Daichi raced out of the vehicle, and flanked him on either side with a hug.

“You’re outside!”

“How did you get outside!”

“Let’s not make a big deal out of it.”

He was beaming though.

“I had my third epiphany. I figured if I couldn’t imagine myself taking a step, I just wouldn’t walk at all. Look at this.”

"You got your third!"

Daichi looked excited at the news from his best friend.

"Dude, watch this."

He covered one eye with his hand, looking in the direction of his house.

“POP-UP!”

He disappeared and reappeared down the alley, just like Odd-ball had when he ran away from me and Ms. Hiyori.

“Odd-ball showed me what to do, and I couldn’t face you both if couldn’t come outside. Sorry I’m late.”

He began to cry, when did my brother become such a cry-baby. But in the sunlight, he didn’t look that weak anymore.

We tackled him again, this time with Okame.

“Huh I thought the reports said he wasn’t leaving the house.”

Appearing up above the roof, laying on a cloud was Captain Kawakami. Vice-Captain Kirigaya appeared next to him. Essence began clumping around Daichi and Keisuke. Captain Kawakami grinned.

“You guys are hilarious!”

Vice-captain Kirigaya hit him in the arm.

“We’re here to help.”