Chapter 50

Everything for the start of the plan went smoothly. Ichiro and Marie were inside, undetected, and managed to send us a signal that they were ready for us. Tsuki and I were garbed in the Apostle robes as we entered the invisible compound. To enter, it was an elevator that was right next to the regular customer one in the Skytree, but no one could see it without the proper perception and knowledge of it. Hikari provided us with everything we needed to see it, as well as how to shroud us from civilians. All tactics and tools used by the Secular to walk among the civilian world.

We entered the elevator and waited in it for Marie and Ichiro to allow us up. We had no idea what it looked like on their end, but eventually the elevator doors closed, and the elevator started to vibrate. It didn’t feel like we were moving, but rather it felt like the space around us was changing. With a warble and mist, the elevator doors opened to a dimly lit room with Apostles lining the walls. A magi Knight greeted us by bowing and gesturing us toward a hallway. We walked down it and met an Apostle standing in front of a door.

“Business?” The Apostle said in a monotone deep voice.

Neither of us spoke, instead pulling out the charred and sliced robes of Hikari. She never got damaged in the Shibuya incident, but we damaged it afterward to make it seem like she died during the fight. The Apostle looked at the robes and then stepped out of the way. We both nodded to him and proceeded through the door. The corridor we were in was long and the inner wall was curved, indicating the room next to it was like a large colosseum. We slowly walked down it, taking caution not to look too eager.

“Ryu, we just saw you enter the door to the Elder. We are in a control room that’s hidden from an outside view. Hikari really knew her stuff.” Marie said in a whisper over the earpiece.

I said nothing and just tapped my ear to indicate that I heard her and copied. The corridor we walked down seemed to go on forever, warping and turning as we approached the large intricate door that had carvings of mythical beasts from every culture on it. Outside stood two Apostles.

“Business?”

Again, we said nothing as I showed him Hikari’s robes. He looked down at it and then back to me, then over to Tsuki.

“Who discovered it?”

I bowed my head slightly, indicating that I did. As soon as I did, the other Apostle pushed Tsuki away and the other one opened the door, letting me in. As the door closed, I nodded to Tsuki and the stone gate slammed behind me.

The room was dark. Almost impossible to see in it. I enhanced my vision and let myself see in the room. Thunder echoed in the room, and I looked to the back corners and saw that against each of the far walls, tempest clouds were churning and shooting out lightning to the ground. I couldn’t see a purpose for this other than atmosphere, and if that was true, it was a truly wasteful use of mana. I slowly walked up to the throne. I saw a person sitting sideways in it, his legs resting over one of the armrests and his hand in his hair, as if he was stuck in the middle of brushing it with his hand. As I got closer to the throne and the person on it, I steeled myself as his face came into view. Once I got up to the throne, I knelt, averting my gaze from his face.

From my face.

“Who disturbs my presence and for what reason?”

My voice. His voice was my voice. But it was haughtier, loftier, as if he felt he was well and truly above everyone and everything. Is this truly how I turn out if I was given power from a young age and told I would be destined for greatness? Is this truly a person I am capable of being?

“Are you deaf as well as useless, Apostle? Why do you disturb me?” He shouted.

I said nothing and raised the robes up to him, presenting them to him. He shuffled around in his chair, sitting in it properly. He grabbed the robes, holding them in his hand, before a crack of thunder rang out, disintegrating the robes in his hand.

“So, the useless wench is dead. Raise your head, Apostle.”

I looked up at him and was thankful that the hood of this robe was shrouded. My eyes were wide and anger filled my face. He had my face, but it was different. It was arrogant, confident, prideful, self-righteous, and smug all in one. His hair was an electric blue, contrasting my fiery red, and his eyes were a vibrant orange, opposite my unusual purple eyes. It angered me beyond any possible belief seeing him, seeing me, like this. What immediately crossed my mind was in western cartoons when the ‘evil’ of a person is separated from someone and they have a different colour scheme. That’s what he looked like to me.

“What is the name of the Apostle that brought me this news? I may have a new role for you.”

I stood up and Kirin gave me an ugly look, as if I defied an order he hadn’t said, but commanded in his head. I reached to the hood of my robe, and grabbed it, but hesitated.

“You know my name.”

Kirin’s face contorted to an inquisitive smile mixed with an angered sneer. “Do I now?”

I threw my hood back, revealing my face. “I am Ryuki Yagami. And Hikari isn’t dead. But you will be.”

Kirin’s face distorted into one of pure bliss; an ugly smile filled with smug satisfaction. I conjured my manifestation, empowered it and shot it at him, point blank.