Myra closed the diary and set it aside as she watched the door open again, and Hibiki walked in.
"How was it?" She sat down with a smile on her face.
"Rei didn't scare you, did he?" She asked. A slight look of irritation on her face, but it was mostly overshadowed by a calm and caring demeanor.
"N-.. No.. Not really.. He told me a lot, though.." She shivered as she recalled his words, about the Drowned, and the Oceans...
"I see.. Can't say I didn't expect that. He's really straightforward and doesn't really think before talking. But he's nice once you really get to know him." She gave her a reassuring smile.
"I can imagine that..." Myra muttered as she trailed off a bit. before looking back at Hibiki.
"What.. What do you guys want from me exactly...?" Myra asked. Expecting the worst.
Hibiki chuckled. "Oh, we want to keep you safe, child."
"You have powers now, you can't just push them away to try to live a normal life." Hibiki gently put a hand on Myra's head.
"You can see the drowned. And the drowned will be more attracted to you, they like to feed on the weaker Waveborn like you." She sighed.
"They took too many newborns like you. We can't let that happen. You'll grow. You'll get stronger. Until you can hold your ground against them." She smiled again.
"Then you may decide whether you want to stay here with us at The Mariana, or if you want to pursue a new path."
Myra slowly started to feel safer and safer as she kept on talking. "I understand..." She muttered. "I'll stay.. For now... Thank you."
Hibiki smiled. "Good choice, Ms. Vespera. Once you fully recover, we'll assign you someone to train you, teach you how to manifest and utilize your Ocean. Until you can fight.
"And if you would like it, become a member of the Mariana battle force, battling and ridding the world of the beasts that are the Drowned."
Myra couldn't help but to feel slightly excited at the thought of that. Being able to kill those creatures that killed her family.. She wouldn't want anything else...
"Yes.. Yes.. I'd like that..." She smiled slightly as her eyes lit up in a cruel sense excitement.
"That's the spirit." Hibiki said with a giggle as she pat her head. "I have a feeling you'll be quite the powerful specimen once you finished your training."
"Thank you, I hope so..." Myra smiled slightly as she imagined the power and the potential revenge. Temporarily forgetting the despondency of losing her family.
"Now let's get you up and recovered!" Hibiki flashed her teeth as she went over to a table, with a bunch of strange pills, powders, herbs, liquids, mixing tools, and other related items.
[Elsewhere.]
In a dark, barely lit room. save for a few yellow lights in the corners. There was a large circular table in the center. Hollowed down the center.
Rei stood tall in the hollow spot. A defying grin on his face as he crossed his arms, surrounded by a group of ominous men and women alike.
"Rei Kannazaki. You performed a wipe-out task without permission. This is the three-hundred and seventy-fifth time you go off with such actions since you've been assigned."
"And then you brought a teenager into our midst. Therefore risking the revelation of The Mariana to the world."
"How do you plead?" A man with a large grey beard holding an even larger wooden pole spoke out. He was clad in a cloak that is white from the outside and black from the inside. with the same "M" shape on the chest.
Rei stared the man dead in the eyes. "Guilty~" The surrounding people glared in anger at the audacity of Rei.
"How audacious of you, Kannazaki!" An ancient-looking lady yelled out at him. "You must face punishment, we let too many of your mistakes slide!" She stood up and slammed her hands on the table.
Rei's grin widened as he cracked his neck. "Would you like to test your luck, old lady?~"
The woman's eye twitched in anger. "I propose you be exiled from the Mariana!"
The room filled with whispers, mostly agreeing with the woman as they voted to exile Rei.
Rei just stood there. His grin not faltering in the slightest as they all went against him.
But then... The room suddenly went silent as they all heard a familiar voice.
"Silence." The voice rang out in their ears, followed by the loud clicking of heels as they all turned towards the staircase leading to the table.
A tall woman walked down. Her long blue hair almost felt like it was glowing under the dim light. Her emerald eyes glinting in the yellow lights. Her dress stretched taut against her chest. The "M" shape on it shimmered in a strange magical hue.
"Master! Why waste your time on such an incompetent person?" One of the men, a buff man with countless scars all over his body questioned loudly.
"I said, Silence." Her words shook the room the moment they leave her lips, tinted black with fine state-of-the-art lipstick. "If anyone here is incompetent, it would be you. If you're unable to understand such a simple order."
The man shivered slightly as he went completely silent. A stark contrast to his rough stature and looks.
Rei's grin simply widened as he looked at her. "Hey, hey! Big woman in the big chair graces us with her presence!" He gave a quick bow. "Been some time, Lady Sera!"
"Indeed it has, Kannazaki." The lady smiled slightly as she approached an empty seat on the table. Pulling it back and sitting down as she crossed her legs and put the tips of her fingers together.
"On my authority, Lady Sera, I order that Rei Kannazaki's errors and mistakes as a member of the Mariana be wiped from the records completely." Her tone sharp and commanding as she kept on talking.
"And I order that Myra Vespera, who has been brought in by Rei Kannazaki, to be healed and trained by Rei Kannazaki himself to become a rightful member of the Mariana."
The room filled with shocked whispers and objections. "But, master! He caused too many problems to be simply overlooked! And that girl, does she even have an Ocean!?" Said the same old woman that suggested Rei gets exiled.
"Yes indeed, she does. Though it's not yet manifested~" Rei replied as he sat down on the floor.
"Yet still, master! We cannot just let his mistakes slide!" Said the old bearded man.
Sera sighed. "My apologies... But I do not recall saying any of you is allowed to object." She glared very subtly as her tone grew slower and more commanding.
The room went completely silent. Save for Rei's cackles. "Lady Sera saves the day once again!"
Sera then stood up. "Very well. Now that we've all come to an agreement. I shall take my leave." She turned around and walked forth. approaching the same staircase. Then she rose up.
"Rei, come with me." She ordered Rei to follow her, without even looking back for a moment.
"On it!" Rei quickly jumped up and struck a few poses in mid-air before landing right next to Sera as they climbed the stairs and left the room. Leaving everyone else in complete shock.
"That bastard.." The woman gripped the table tightly. The wood started cracking as she almost tore off a chunk of it.
Outside once Rei and Sera left the room. Sera stopped as she looked at him, crossing her hands.
"What's up, boss?" Rei leaned against the wall. Resting his elbow on it.
Sera approached and stood just inches away from his face. "Can I trust you with that child? Will you make her powerful?"
Rei's eyes widened, he didn't expect that. But his grin quickly widened into a warm smile. "I sure can, Lady Sera. I wasn't waiting for your order to do that. I'm simply waiting for her to recover."
Sera smiled slightly, letting go of the earlier intimidating demeanor.
"Good." She reached out and cupped his cheek gently, running her thumb against his skin. "Then I assign you, Rei Kannazaki, as Myra Vespera's captain and mentor."
Rei chuckled lightly as he leaned into her touch. "And I accept, boss. I'll make her stronger than you are!~"
Sera let out a small giggle. "I'd love for that to happen. After all, I need someone to take over after I pass."
Rei scoffed as he leaned forward. "There you are again, talking about the far future. You're just above 30 years old! You got like... A few hundred years more before we even start thinking about that."
Sera sighed as she pulled her hand back and approached an elevator with the Mariana symbol on it. "Yes, that is correct. But I also have countless enemies. You never know where the finishing blow will come from. Or when it will come."
He nodded slightly as he followed her. "You also never know if it even will come or not. I'm not saying it's impossible. But with us around, it'll definitely be hard."
"I'll hold you to that." Sera said as she gave him a wink and flashed her teeth before disappearing into the elevator.
"Well... Another added to the list." Rei chuckled as the floor below him started yielding under his weight. Temporarily turning into a liquid. He started slowly descending into it as he disappeared. Then the floor went solid again.
Rei rose up again in the treatment sector as he started walking past each door. Until he stopped at a certain large door. pushing it open and walking into an office where Hibiki sat
"Hey, Angel of Mercy! When's the girl gonna be ready to train?" He asked as he approached and sat down, perking his legs on the desk.
Hibiki smiled, used to his straightforward and unmannered actions. "At her pace, give her a week."
Rei clapped his hands together and stood back up. "Great, thank you, Angel of Mercy!"
"You're never gonna stop calling me that name, are you?" Hibiki chuckled.
"Never going to happen!" Rei said as he approached the door.
She leaned back in her seat. "Guess I'm gonna have to get used to it, huh?"
"Exactly!" He walked out, shutting the door behind himself.
"I guess that'd be nice..." Hibiki muttered to herself as she rested her elbows on the desk. And her chin on her hands.
[One week later.]
In a large field full of training dummies that looked like Drowned, kin to those that chased Myra. She shivered slightly at the memory, but regained her composure as she faced Rei.
"You ready?" Rei grinned as he put his hands in his pockets. Assuming that as his battle stance.
Myra smiled slightly as she raised her fists up. She was excited to get stronger.
"Never been more ready in my life!"
[Chapter five: END.]