Clouded Minds

Yumi leapt out a little trying to stretch towards him while something invisible seemed to hold her back. “Seiji!” She had nothing to help in his fight. It had to be done alone. There was no one else.

He threw out his arm to stop her. His eyes stared forward, while he struggled to keep his breathing under control. “I’ll be fine, Yumi! Don’t worry about me!” Settling what he had to do, Seiji marched back off into the distance towards his fight. After a few moments, he started into a jog then a run, which easily surpassed an Olympic runner. He remained in sight the entire time until becoming too distant.

The look on Seiji’s face bothered Yumi. She could tell there was something wrong with him. Something blocked him. ‘Are they that powerful? Is it someone that Seiji can’t beat?’ She wondered about sending in Fumiko to help him with the fight. Unfortunately, Fumiko’s state wasn’t suited for combat. ‘She’s still shaken by the sudden release of her new power. It killed a lot of men and women…’ Yumi knew she needed to get Fumiko back, but didn’t know what she could do that wouldn’t end up making things worse for her. She seemed the most levelheaded of the group and ready. ‘Reality is harsher than we expected…’

Chapter 224 – Clouded Minds

A fresh mind and body restored the balance to the fight Saki began. In spite of such facts, the battle didn’t improve any for Chiharu. Her opponent remained hidden. All the attempts to smoke them out proved empty. It was a stubborn individual and skilled.

Chiharu dodged or deflected the next round of arrows. ‘They’re getting more accurate and harder to stop. Impressive, they’ve maintained such a pace for hours already. This must be the difference of those from the Omega Division.’ Even as someone she needed to defeat, she could admire their skills. They had a very simple setup, but it was so well honed that there was no waste. It was completely efficient. A talent given the chance to refine and sharpen. The combination was deadly.

Her current situation would leave her falling into the same trap, fatigue. She needed a way out. However, everything about them defied what they knew about them. ‘Normal conventions won’t work, they’re on a completely different level than we’re used to…’ She had no information to form a strategy, only failures. They didn’t add enough to give her a clue. ‘With their power anything is possible making it impossible for me to analyze the situation logically…’

Things dragged out in the battle. Yumi wanted to do something with each minute it continued. The slow arrival of Saki brought a little bit of hope to the situation. She rushed out to help her back. “Saki! Where’s Yuki?” Glancing around, she had hoped the sign of Saki meant that they finally caught up with Yuki’s group.

Saki grinned a bit, clearly tired. “Still a one track mind when it comes to him,” she teased.

“I didn’t mean it like that! Are Ayumi and Haruo with you as well?”

A small laugh came up from Saki. “No, I’m the only one. I stayed behind.”

“Why?”

“Yuki had somewhere to be. I could protect him. That was enough…” Saki slipped in her walk and stumbled to the ground. She caught herself in time before falling flat. It took more effort than it should have to stand up.

Watching Saki, Yumi grew concerned about the battle Chiharu and Seiji went into. ‘If Saki’s this exhausted from the fight…’ She helped her back to safety.

While letting Saki recover a little, Yumi looked around the scene trying to see how the battle fared for Seiji and Chiharu. All she could see was that things didn’t change. Each minute they spent the harder things would become. She turned back to Fumiko. ‘We’re going to need her… I have to push her even if she doesn’t want to…’ Yumi pulled back to Simonides and Nerine, their only resources. “Do either of you know anything about who they’re fighting based on what you’ve seen?”

Nerine shook her head. “I can’t see what’s going on. I’m not sure without more information.” She tilted her glance over to Simonides with hope.

“I haven’t seen enough to narrow anything down. I know they use arrows as their primary weapon, but that’s not enough information.”

Yumi knelt down to Saki. “I’m sorry to do this, Saki, but can you think of anything from your fight that could give us an edge?”

It wasn’t something she could help with too much. Saki knew as much. She shook her head slightly while still trying to find something. “No…they aren’t like the others…” It didn’t make any sense to her. Images of her fight replayed trying to understand it.

‘This might be something…’ Yumi probed further. “How do you mean? What makes them different?”

The heavy breathing dissipated for Saki. It felt like her chest was no longer trying to break her ribs. “They aren’t where they should be.” She lifted her eyes up towards them seeing that her words didn’t give enough context. “They’re invisible. I’ve seen it done before with Ayumi. But when I struck the center of their Field nothing happened. It was like they weren’t there.”

Saki’s words raised Nerine’s curiosity. She leaned over. “Are you sure you hit exactly the center? Maybe you missed.”

Saki’s eyes narrowed sharply when confronted by Nerine. It came from two different sources. She didn’t know who the woman was, but the uniform made her out to be an Atlantean. It made her realize that there were two Atlanteans with Yumi. The second reason was her doubt of Saki’s abilities. Hesitation sealed up her lips.

“It’s okay, Saki. They’re allies. A lot has happened, but I don’t have time to explain it all now. Please tell us what you know. It’s very important.”

She still had some doubts about the whole situation, but Yumi’s earnest look convinced her for the moment. “Yes, I’m certain. Even Seiji tried.” Saki immediately received from looks of doubt over trusting Seiji. “I’m serious. They aren’t there. It doesn’t make sense.”

Simonides stood back up. He looked over at Nerine, ideas already moving. “Even as someone from Omega, they can’t break the basics of how their power works.”

“Exactly, there is no one that can relocate the center of their Field. It’s always under our feet.”

He lifted his hand to his chin in pensive consideration. “Which means there are only two answers.”

“Either they have a very specific Addendum set that deflects incoming attacks while maintaining the illusion of nothing. It’d be hard to detect a difference.”

“I’m certain there was nothing!” asserted Saki. She focused on her fist. The attempts she made to locate her opponent always felt the same. The two Atlanteans seemed to doubt Saki, no matter how certain she sounded. “I would have noticed the difference. I can tell…”

Simonides and Nerine exchange a couple of looks in silence. They still had a second option, equally possible. “It might be them, sir.”

“They are known to use arrows and ranged projectiles. It fits with what we know.”

Yumi stepped into their conversation. It was clear they knew something. “You know who we’re dealing with don’t you?”

Nerine nodded to her. “It might be the Twins, two Omega agents.” The Twins were well known among other MPs, not for their deeds (most of those remained secretive), but for their unique talent. “They are the only MPs that can break the rule with their Field.”

An exception to the rule they just stated made Yumi a little suspicious. “What are you talking about? I thought you said no one could.”

Wrinkles wove into Nerine’s brow. The struggle came out in her face too easily. “This is going to get very technical very fast if I explain and even I don’t understand functionally how they do it. I just know the theory, what makes them special.” Her disclaimer didn’t relieve her of the stares. “All MPs generate their Field at their feet and the Twins are no exception to that. However, according to the theory if someone with exactly the same frequency, density and strength of mental energy as the person next to them their Fields would merge rather than clash. The two Fields would weave together becoming one and as a result exponentially increasing their power.”

“And you’re saying these two can do that?”

“Yes, it requires complete precision as well as identical frequencies. Something that was only considered theoretical until they appeared.” Nerine glanced back toward the forest. She felt a bit of fear if they were right. It wasn’t someone that she wanted to face, the power of two minds. “When a Field merges the accepted rules change. It is still a sphere shape, but it is no longer centered since there are two MPs.”

“So where are they?” The reality of such a pair made Yumi’s mind spin. Any sort of plan on locating an invisible person had to be completely rethought. They faced something their experience couldn’t calculate.

Nerine stared deeper at the forest. She didn’t like the answer she had given Yumi. “It’s variable. It would be based on the density and their known strength, but even if you know that this sort of Field completely changes standard placement. They will still have a place they can only stand, but it is on a circle rather than a point.”

None of them liked the situation as they began to understand it. All of them cast their gaze back in the direction of Chiharu’s battle. They couldn’t do anything to change their position into an advantage. The reality actually made things even worse for them.

Yumi’s pierced hand tightened responding to her emotions. “The two could be anywhere on that circle at any moment.” She couldn’t know for certain, but it was a safe assumption to make. The Twins were Omega members, meaning they would have refined their powers to account for such situations. Each thought made the situation seem even worse than the moment preceding. “The only way we have a chance of finding them is with luck.” The odds were against them.

As reality settled in for her, Yumi glanced over at Fumiko. Several thoughts came to her, but she had to dismiss them.

‘You’ve got the right idea. Luck is something the ignorant rely on.’

The voice made Yumi’s eyes widen for a moment. It felt familiar, yet different. She glanced over at the others just to be sure. ‘It wasn’t them. But it’s not the same voice.’

‘That’s right. Masa isn’t the only one in here.’

‘Masa?’

‘Explanations are for later. I came to give you an out. You already thought about it, but were missing a piece.’ Suddenly, flashes of ideas or words blew through Yumi’s mind. She struggled with all of it. However, something stood out in front of her among the vortex of chaos. It made her step back unsettled by it. ‘You would have come to the conclusion eventually, but you don’t have the time. So I’ll give you this freebie.’

The thought made Yumi’s body go cold. She understood finally, what the voice gave her. It was an idea or more closer to a piece. The last piece to the puzzle for their victory. Yet she couldn’t accept it. ‘I can’t do that! It’s cruel to do!’

‘Reality is cruel. You’re the one that asked for all of this. Don’t ask if you can’t handle the weight of the consequences of your wish.’

‘I didn’t wish for any of this!’

‘Yes, you did. It is all your wish. You’ll come to understand in time.’

‘I don’t want to understand! I don’t want any of this!’

‘Lying won’t shield you from the truth. If you expect to lead, you must be willing to get your entire self steeped in filth. Nothing you want can be attained by remaining above it all. This is your reality. You will become dirty. White turned to black and gray as far as you can see. But you will have what you want. It is the only solution to your impossible victory.’

Yumi bit her lip. The voice forced her to hear everything she said. There was no averting her eyes. She saw a cloud rise in the distance along with a low rumble. Seiji’s battle raged on. All Chiharu could do was remain on the defense against her hidden pair of Atlanteans. At her side, Saki still tried to recover from her long fight. ‘Chiharu will end up like Saki in time. And something’s wrong with Seiji.’ Everything seemed turned against them. Her only solution was one she could not take.

‘The longer you delay the worse the situation becomes. You know Chiharu’s stubborn and not as physically strong as Saki. She’ll make a mistake and it’ll cost her. You know what you must do.’

‘I can’t! I couldn’t look at myself if I did it!’

‘What’s more important to you? Your friends or yourself?’

It was an impossible question to answer. The voice stymied Yumi. Any answer felt wrong to her. A no-win situation she never wanted. Yumi squeezed her hand feeling the cold metal against her skin. She needed an answer. She wanted a third option. There had to be another path to take. ‘…I…’