Ruby Tennojima

Morning of the second challenge

December 11th, 2050

Asakusa Boundary

“What is it you want exactly, Ruby?”

That was grandfather’s favorite question. Ruby never truly had an answer because life was ever changing and she haven’t found the reason to sit still.

Except, of course, when they were running tests on her.

“This is remarkable progress,” Akihiko said at the end of every monthly test Ruby had at the institute. The man was probably the most scrupulous student grandfather ever had. “I can see why Professor Matsumoto wanted you in his project. Your control of fire is unmatched. You can probably do it better than that exalt they worship at the Amazon Circle.”

“I’m not interested in his weapons,” Ruby replied.

“Neither is Daiki-sensei if I’m being honest.” Akihiko and the other apprentices didn’t seem to either, but they would always push. “The military is putting pressure on us, especially after General Hirano retired. Other countries don’t seem to have any qualms over it compared to Japan.”

“That’s because they don’t have as many exalts as we do,” Ruby snapped. “Tokyo Sky has the highest peak of ascension in all the world.”

But for how long? That was grandfather’s second favorite question.

“Honestly, I don’t know how Keisuke manages to keep the institute afloat,” Akihiko grimaced, “but we have to continue innovating somehow. Meanwhile, Daiki-sensei is more worried about whether the ascension should’ve happened or not. Lately, all we hear are the what-ifs and alter—”

“Boss? Hey, boss. You mind sitting still?”

Ruby blinked deliriously. Where was she? Did she just nod off? That was a weird dream to have. She rubbed her eyes and saw Yukari kneeling in front of her, replacing the makeshift bandage on her elbow.

They hid inside a small office building owned by the institute north of Asakusa Boundary. It was a computer farm, filled with rows upon rows of CPUs running complex calculations for the research group. It was too early for any of the employees to be arrive, so they decided to wait there instead of Tenno Hospital to the south.

Lucky for them, the building had large recreational rooms on the second and third floors for them to use. Unlucky for Ruby, there wasn’t a bed to sleep in but the sofa.

Ruby winced as Yukari cleaned her wound with an antiseptic. Embarrassing as it was, she had a nasty fall and scraped her elbow while trying to escape Kanda Summit.

That was two nights in a row of getting shot at. The police took care of the insurgents coming from the east, but another group ambushed them on their way out of the garden.

The Anti-Exalt Faction had always been a thorn at Tokyo’s side, but this was more like a rabid dog that kept on biting. It was as if they had a specific vendetta against the Tennojima family or the institute.

“Can you lend me your phone?” Ruby asked. “I broke mine getting here. I wanted to check something.”

“Oh, uh, my phone is… full of stuff,” Yukari said, blushing. “I can get you one of the security team’s phones after I’m done with this, though.”

Ruby groaned. “I don’t care what you have in there! I just need to see how Rei is doing. He’s my responsibility.”

Yukari grinned mischievously. “Aww…I didn’t think a bit of flirting would make you care that much, boss.”

What flirting?

“Don’t worry, Rei’s fine.”

“Have you spoken with Kiyotaka recently?”

“No.” Yukari rolled her eyes. “He’s been hanging out with his new ‘friends’ ever since they came to investigate the mansion yesterday. I’m surprised you even got him to join your team last night.”

Yukari finished wrapping the fresh bandage on Ruby’s elbow when footsteps echoed outside the room, followed by two voices arguing. A knock came at the door.

Masa’s face poked in, but before he could say a word, the old detective from Tokyo Police, Miyabi Fukuhara, made her way into the room with a determined gait. Gen’ichi loomed closely behind her.

“This is a disaster,” the detective said, her voice hoarse, her eyebrows knotted in a scowl. “I think it’s clear by now that the Tennojimas are the primary target of the terrorists. The death of the partriach was one thing, but the institute itself was attacked last night. I implore you to stop this game you’re playing and come under our protection immediately.”

Ruby massaged her forehead and stood up to stretch her legs a bit. She felt so heavy. So tired. “If I stop it, what happens to grandfather’s research?”

“I understand its importance,” Miyabi said, “but it will have to wait.”

“It could also be what the terrorists are after,” Ruby countered. “Can you make certain it doesn’t fall to the wrong hands?”

“I will,” Miyabi replied bluntly. “I’ll have the shrine closed off within the hour. Not a single person would be able to advance the game until the Anti-Exalt Faction is dealt with. The government is already aware of the situation, a it’s only a matter of time before the military is mobilized.”

“I can attest to this as well,” Gen’ichi followed. “I may be retired, but I still have my connections.”

Ruby paced around the room, weighing her options. At least she tried to. It was so hard to think.

“Fine,” she said, finally. “This isn’t fully in my control, but fine. Contact the lawyer, Jirou. And Keisuke. He might be able to do something. I don’t know where they are, but you can tell them I consent to postponing this challenge. They can contact the rest of the participants.”

“Thank you.” Miyabi gave Ruby a stern nod, looked at the others, then left.

“You did the right thing,” Gen’ichi said. “I, uh, I’ll go wait with Hidenori and the rest of the security team downstairs. We’ll stay put for now just to be safe.”

“I suggest getting some rest, boss,” Masa said. “Hopefully the police can provide a better place for us to lay low, but for now I’ll see if I can get us food.”

Masa followed after Gen’ichi and closed the door behind him, leaving Ruby and Yukari alone in the third-floor rec room. It was too big for just the two of them, but it was probably better for Ruby to isolate in case she gets targeted again.

“I need to sleep,” she said, her eyelids getting heavier with each passing second. “Can you… can you wake up… if anything happens?”

“Sure thing, boss,” Yukari said, “I’ll be right here.”

Ruby lay down on the sofa, her thoughts drifting back to memories of her grandfather. It was probably the smell that did it. They may be in the rec room, but the subtle scent of computers and heated components prevailed across the entire building.

“What do you need?”

Ah, yes. Grandfather’s third favorite question.

Ruby’s parents were the nicest people in the world, but they never got along with grandfather. She never asked why, but she didn’t need to. Daiki Tennojima was mostly absent in her father’s life.

“Ruby, she… ascended,” father said, sounding somewhat disappointed. “She’s still young, and we’re really worried the aether would be too much for her to control. We figured no other person knows about the exalted than you do.”

It must’ve been a difficult decision for her parents, neither of which were exalted. Ruby still lived with them in Nakameguro, but every single day after school a limousine would pick her up and drive her to Asakusa where the institute was initially founded.

“The choice is yours,” grandfather said as he crouched down to meet at eye level. “Think of it like a video game. You have status points to expend in order to grow your abilities. Strength, Speed, Magic. From there you can hone it and gain different skills.”

Grandfather didn’t actually play video games, and the analogy was surface level at best. But Ruby understood it in her narrow-minded view at the time. She wanted magic. She wanted fire.

Why? Because it looked cool.

Embers reflected in her eyes as the scientists in the laboratory clapped their hands.

“Fire like the sun,” she said, “it burns the clouds away as the day comes!”

Pride. She saw it in grandfather’s eyes.

Of course, Ruby simply didn’t know at the time that the earth spun, and the nebulous clouds were on the other side opposite the sun.

When she started high school, her parents decided to leave Japan. Mother was Japanese but she grew up in Great Britain and wanted to move back. It was partly because of work, but also because she’d gotten tired of all the exalts and ascension and the expectations the city had for its citizens. A lot of people in Tokyo Sky shared that sentiment.

“Come with us,” mother insisted. “You have good control of your powers now. And if you’re outside the circle, you’d have less things to worry about.”

Ruby couldn’t.

Father offered to stay with her, at least until she graduated school, but she told him to go with mother instead. Despite all the research and tests and experiments, Ruby did have the talent for controlling aether. She thought that if she stayed with the institute she could help progress their understanding of the ascension.

“I heard some of the scientists asked you to join their research projects,” grandfather said. “You turned them all down.”

“I’m not interested.”

“Even Tsukino? I thought you liked her experiments.”

“All Professor Kurokawa wants is to make complex fireworks. It’s good for practicing control, but I fear she’s more concerned about how pretty the aether looks.”

“Hmmm… pattern of aether dispersal is rather interesting, yes. What about Sasaki? He made great strides improving Haruto’s healing abilities.”

“Oh, I know. The boy’s become quite the celebrity. Keisuke thinks its good for our institute having produced such a successful exalt loved by the masses. Makes for good publicity.”

Grandfather grunted. “Well, he’s not wrong. Have you… considered…”

Ruby touched the eyepatch over her right eye.

“I didn’t turn the professors down because they were all bad. Some definitely are. I turned them down because I wanted to continue working with you. Whatever it is you’re working on, I want in.”

Grandfather smiled painfully. The drooping melancholy in his eyes, the creases of burden upon his brow, they were all burned in her memory.

Was that when he started toiling with his secret project? She couldn’t remember anymore.

“Get out,” grandfather growled, his voice trembling. It was after she heard from Keisuke that grandfather had an accident in the laboratory. He wasn’t physically hurt, but she found him broken. “I don’t need you here, Ruby. Your aether… your abilities… none of it should have existed. Get. Out!”

Isolation. Paranoia.

Ruby busied herself with law school while Daiki Tennojima disappeared from his colleagues, his friends, his family. Perhaps it was around the same time the corrupted seeds rooted within the institute began to sprout.

“We could make weapons with those abilities of yours,” Professor Matsumoto said behind scheming eyes. “We have other exalts that can control the elements, but none so painstakingly precise as you. And why hesitate? Fire can only be used to destroy. You would’ve known this when you chose to hone it.”

No.

“How is Daiki-sensei doing? I hear he’s working on something big. Rumor has it, it has great potential to change the world all over again. Can you try and find out for us?”

Enough of this.

“Trust in our leadership have steadily declined since that disaster in the lower ward! Now this… thing with your grandfather. We’re losing to the other circles, Ruby. Have you seen what they have over at Nevada? Some of our best and brightest have left already.”

Snakes. All of them.

“Get out. Get. Out!”

No!

“Fire, Ruby. It’s the only thing you’re good for. Fire.”

Stop!

“If Daiki Tennojima dies… a large part of the company’s burden will fall on your shoulders. Will you be ready by then?”

I said stop!

“You want me to investigate the institute? Where did you even hear about me?”

“From grandfather.” Ruby was desperate. She needed to know the truth. Everything. “I found records. He hired you in the past for something.”

“Oh, I’ve been hired for many things. Well, this wouldn’t be the first time. I must warn you, though. What I’ve learned in the past… it wasn’t pretty.”

Grandfather knew. The bad things. All of it.

Why? Why did he let it happen?

Was he… a part of it?

No…

“But this must be fate. Perhaps it’s also time for him to—”

Bang!

Ruby’s eye slammed open. She was breathing heavily, drenched in sweat. How long had she been asleep? Was there a—

Bang—Bang!

Dammit.

Ruby got up from the sofa and saw Yukari slumped next to her legs, snoring. She shook her awake, and the girl got up with drool in her mouth. “Wha… what’s happening?”

“Get up,” Ruby said. “I heard gunfire just now. Something’s going on.”

Yukari shook her head and got up immediately.

Anti-Exalt bastards… what did they want with her? How did they even find this place?

“What time is it?” Ruby asked as she got up to check her clothes and belongings. Aside from her broken phone, everything seemed to be in place. “Yukari. What time is it?”

“Y-Yes, ma’am! It’s five past ten in morning!”

They actually got a good amount of rest. Ruby strode towards the door and placed her hand on the doorknob. She tried sensing for aether, but she couldn’t do it as good as Rei. Few people probably could. She slowly turned the doorknob and opened the door.

Nothing.

Ruby crouched slightly, then peeked outside the hallway. There was no one there. Masa should’ve been on guard duty.

“I’m not getting any signal on my phone,” Yukari said. “Boss… I think there’s somebody outside.”

Outside?

Ruby turned around to see Yukari standing next to the window. “What do you think you’re doing?” she hissed as closed the door. “Stay out of the window!” Yukari immediately ducked, while Ruby made her way to the leftmost end of the window to look. There was a burst of rain last night, but now it was pouring hard.

She saw trees in the distance, as well as the roof of a nearby temple. She looked down at the parking lot and saw the person Yukari was talking about. There was a lone… man… wearing a white jacket standing in the rain… something shiny was moving around him. What was that?

Before Ruby could blink, the man moved as if he was choking, his body overtaken by the shiny thing floating around him. It was then she realized that thing was bronze smoke.

The man was ascending.

“How the hell did they get their hands on that…”