The New Road

The waiting drew out while the hunters sought a hidden prey. Minutes fell to hours as the hunters scoured everything within sight unwilling to give up. The longer they remained the more that arrived to aid in the searching. Afternoon light held strong over the lands of Atlantis for the hunters making it appear like only a matter of time before they found their targets.

Ayumi struggled to keep everyone under control. She monitored everyone, keeping them all within her sight. ‘There’s enough hot headedness in several of the people here that I can’t let my guard down for a moment. We just need a few more hours. This would have been easier if it was just Yuki and me. We’re too big…’

Chapter 98 – The New Road

Yuki strained while staring at Seiji. Both of them had their veins nearly popping out of their heads from the stress. They ignored any of it and focused intently on their task. ‘Can’t blink… Almost there…’ It felt like sounds should have been coming out of them, but they remained in silence. Not even a groan of struggle left their lips. Yuki felt at his limit. Everything he worked for stood on the edge of collapse. He forced himself on not acknowledging it.

Just as his hope seemed lost a small light popped up displaying ‘Level up!’ over his head. Yuki raised his fist up at Seiji, taunting his success. He took a moment to breathe and accept the sweat bleeding down his face. ‘Look at that Seiji! You can’t beat me! My knowledge of manga is too vast for you to comprehend!’

Seiji rammed his fist into the dirt out of frustration. ‘Dammit! I can’t believe in just a few hours you managed to grind up to level ten already.’

‘Would you two stop with your childish games,’ spoke Saki telepathically. ‘It’s really unnecessary to be so high level for just talking.’

‘You’re just saying that because you’re already fifteen,’ teased Yuki, ‘You’re trying even harder than us!’

Saki glared back at them not about to let them get away with their insinuation that she let herself get dragged into their game just to show them up (even though it was totally what she did since she couldn't let them beat her). ‘Why don’t you look at Yori and Yumi, they’re in the fifties.’

Yuki waved it off nonchalantly, not taking her misdirection. ‘They’re just weird. They began in the forties anyway.’

‘But everyone knows it takes more experience to level up at higher levels!’

‘Looks like someone’s taking this game a little too seriously,’ mocked Seiji, smirking silently at Saki. Saki rose up from her crossed meditative state looking to be barely holding herself back from charging straight for Seiji to deck him.

Yori narrowed his expression a little disappointed that he had been dragged partly into their antics. ‘They’re all taking it too seriously…’

‘That may not be a bad thing, Brother…’ She smiled up at Yori when he looked back at her. His sister knew that despite their arguing that the waiting had them all on edge. ‘Besides I think it’s the way they play. They won’t hurt each other.’ Unfortunately, her timing proved poor when Saki flattened Seiji into the ground for his continued badgering. She forced his face through the dirt making a deep impression with him. ‘…too much…’

After watching all of them fool around Ayumi reached her limit of what she could stand. ‘Would all of you shut up! This isn’t a game!’ She punched the three of them in the head leaving steaming sores from her impacts. For a moment, Ayumi looked like a mother dealing with misbehaving children. However, the time passed as she checked on the movements of the border patrol once again.

Only a few moments were spared for it, but in that time Yuki, Seiji and Saki gathered around her. Yuki’s attention focused on Ayumi while the other two looked ahead into the fields. ‘Wow, that’s amazing Ayumi! You can do telepathy too!’ He saw a moment later examining her information the reason for it. ‘You’re level ninety-nine?! I didn’t know you were such a hardcore RPG fan, Ayumi!’

Ayumi rammed her elbow, not even looking, into Yuki’s head. ‘Enough with the jokes already and get serious. They’re getting closer.’

“You’re still talking telepathically, Ayumi. The joke’s ended.” He grinned back at her as she blushed embarrassed that she fell into their game. Their moment shattered in the face of their approaching danger.

The mood completely reverted back to the tense atmosphere as a few of the men from the border patrol made their approach for their cover. It had gone through previous passes with the lack of a Meso Prosecho user, since Ayumi turned them invisible. However, Yuki and the others could see that the reinforcements that arrived held one.

The difference between them as explained to them came down to the uniform. The white clothed uniform belonged to those with powers. The standard military used black. The style was identical otherwise. All queries directed at Ayumi revealed that it had ancient Greek influence. The lack of any real war also gave no need to change or improve the design, left stagnant in tradition.

The man’s white draped clothes stood out emblazoned brightly in the sun. He marched with an assured sense of confidence. The confidence came from repeatedly being successful without fail against almost childish odds. A normal unsuspecting human stood no chance against him, but he ignored that fact.

Yuki didn’t like the feeling that he had from watching the man approaching them. He wanted to do something, but knew that Ayumi insisted on keeping to her plan. “We need to move.”

“They’re too many of us to move. We’ll wait it out.”

“I’m getting tired of waiting.” Saki leaned up from being crouched. Her fists pressed together looking ready from action. “These guys are pretty weak. We should all be able to handle them without breaking a sweat.”

“Hell yeah! I’m with Saki on this!”

Ayumi glared at Seiji narrowly, hardly surprised. “Of course you are…” When Seiji made a move to stand up to join Saki, she grabbed his wrist tightly. “We’re staying right here. You’re not ruining all of my planning with your hotheaded ideas.”

Yuki tapped Ayumi on the shoulder to break her out of her reprimanding of Seiji. “I’m afraid Saki’s already doing that.” He pointed to where Saki used to be a moment before. She disappeared from their sight only for a blur streaking across the field where she barely could be seen.

An uncontrollable squeal came out of Ayumi as she had no other reaction left frozen. The rest of the group gathered around hearing the noise. Before a minute had passed Saki returned standing in the light away from the shade of the forest. She seemed very pleased with herself. “It’s done! I cleared out everyone I could find in about a kilometer around us!” Everyone stared blank faced at the feat.

“How did you do that?!” Yuki stood out from the brush. “I couldn’t even see you!”

“That’s my ability. Speed and strength!”

“Huh?! Since when did you have that?”

“You should know that, Yuki. This isn’t the first time I’ve used it in front of you, you know.”

“Huh?!” Yuki’s mind flashed back trying to figure out when he might have seen Saki’s speed. “That day with the street gang’s leader!?”

“Yeah, but even before then.” She saw that he looked confused. Even that day it confused her. The awakening she had was sudden and not until later did it fully make any sense to her. “It was a rough day for you. I’m not surprised you didn’t realize it.”

The way Saki talked to him went around the truth while leading him forward stirred up something familiar. The reluctant memories surfaced for him making him understand. His eyes widened in shock when he knew. “The first day?! At the school!”

“Yeah.” Saki looked down at her hand held loosely together. “That was how I was able to break Ayumi’s barrier and send him flying. The speed and power of my fist wounded him, forcing him to retreat. That’s why he left. He was gravely wounded by me even though I saw him trying to deflect me. I think it ended up being just enough to save his life…sorry I never told you Yuki.” She hesitated to see how Yuki looked.

No words came from Yuki. He stood still as though frozen unable to think. Everyone around him didn't know how he would react. The truth seemed to have a deeper impact on him than they thought. They waited to see what he would say rather than forcing him.

Yuki pulled his head up and focused his vision back on Saki. “I thought it was just a comedic gag being played. I didn’t know it was for real!” He laughed at himself looking sheepish and embarrassed.

“Huh?!”

Saki dug herself back up from the deep pit she made from her shocked reaction. The sight of him looking like he did before all of the trouble began made her feel a little better. She missed seeing the carefree attitude that he used to have, even if that was a cover. Saki gave him a wide smile, pleased to see Yuki. “Yuki…”

Ayumi leapt up with most of her face darkened out, but two glowing circles for eyes pierce through the mist. She staggered over to the two carefree souls. The air from her breath had an opaque quality almost like it could surround and choke the life out of someone. “How can you two…just stand there…laughing?!”

“Oh hi Ayumi!” Yuki replied with a mere wave of his hand. The fact that Ayumi’s face was the scariest he had ever seen went completely ignored by him. “Now that Saki’s taken care of the patrol we don’t have to worry anymore!”

“…Yuki,” questioned Saki, drawing out her words slowly, “How blind are you right now?”

“Huh?” He looked around confused by Saki’s question. The riding heavy pressure from behind him threatened to completely enclose him.

“He’s so afraid he’s blown completely past terror and passed into denial,” commented Yori. Along with the rest of the group, he had recovered and maintained a safe distance away.

Everyone else nodded in agreement and a little surprised. They all chimed in together, “Impressive.”

Yori’s sister rushed over to them. Her efforts fell to deaf ears. However, Yori came up from behind calmly. “If the enemy’s gone we should probably start moving again, right?”

His words somehow snapped in Ayumi bringing her back to reality. She discarded Yuki. “Yes, we have to keep moving. All that this has done is confirm to them that there’s a threat they must hunt down. Your efforts were wasted.” Ayumi stared over at Saki hammering down with the weight of her criticism.

For a moment Saki knew that what she did caused them all problems. However, she didn’t let it crush her down like Ayumi wanted. “It’s not like they didn’t already know that. I did it your way until it became clear it was going to be a fight. We face them head on now and crush their will to follow us!”

Seiji came up around Saki and slung a heavy arm around on her shoulders grinning with pride. “Shit! I knew there was something about you that I liked, Saki! You’ve got the right idea!”

“That’s certainly a solution.” Yuki kept his voice soft, still working off Ayumi’s frustration.

“It’s a simple tactic, but it can be the most effective,” added Chiharu. “From what I’ve seen our goal is much further in. Running and hiding will only cause us to be slowed down and have numerous small battles along the way. Strike hard and fast so they can’t follow seems like the best course of action for us.”

Ayumi saw the winds changing against her. ‘If they have their own plan I’ll lose any control I have left. We can’t delay.’ The system that laid out over them was something that only she understood. “We don’t have the time!” She made her voice rise over everyone and to a volume none of them had ever heard from her.

“Huh?!”

She calmed down with a deep breath. “We are on a deadline. With all of the time spent we only have eleven days left before Yuki is unable to claim himself the rightful heir to the throne of Atlantis. I know those greedy politicians have already found someone to take that seat. They just have to wait out the time and then everything will have been in vain! Everything will crumble!”