Sasaki was left speechless.
For once, he didn't know what to say.
"The three of you need something more important than strength right now."
The man continued climbing.
"And that is…"
"Discipline."
Sasaki slowly exhaled.
"Well…"
"I don't blame you for seeing me as someone who doesn't know how to take care of these kids."
He looked toward Alfie and Jackson.
"I've spent my whole life fighting and killing Darkside Spirits."
"I spent a long time in a dungeon too."
"So…"
"My babysitting skills aren't exactly the best."
The man didn't even look back.
"Making excuses for your wrongdoing is the way of a coward."
"Accepting your wrongdoing and learning to make a change…"
"That is the way a true man does things."
Alfie's expression immediately hardened.
"Don't call Mr. Reaper a coward when you know nothing about him."
He stepped forward while continuing up the stairs.
"He's been here for us all this time."
"I won't allow you to disrespect him."
The man glanced back slightly.
"Your hot head...."
Before he could finish—
"I don't care about my head!"
Alfie interrupted.
He climbed faster until he was closer to the man.
"I don't know who you are."
"And you don't know who we are."
"So you don't have the right to say whatever you want to us."
He pointed toward Jackson.
"Jackson has been through a lot today."
Then toward Sasaki.
"Same for Mr. Reaper."
"Don't ignore the fact that we're humans and then keep blabbing about discipline!"
Alfie was clearly angry.
The man suddenly stopped climbing.
Everyone stopped climbing.."
The man looked directly at Alfie.
"There is one mistake you made there."
Alfie stared back.
"You're correct."
"You don't know me."
"But you're wrong about one thing."
"I know you."
The man's expression remained calm.
"The entire temple knows about you."
Alfie's eyes widened slightly.
The man turned around and continued climbing.
"You'll find out soon enough."
Alfie remained surprised.
Jackson looked at him.
"What do you mean the whole temple knows about him?"
The man didn't stop.
"You'll find out soon enough."
They continued climbing.
And climbing.
Until finally.....
They reached the top.
The Temple
The three of them stared at the enormous structure before them.
Large ancient buildings made from stone covered the mountaintop.
It was almost like a small town had been built entirely around the temple.
The man led them toward one of the buildings on the left side.
He opened the door.
Inside was a well-furnished room.
Renshical lights illuminated the walls.
Three beds were arranged around the room, while a sofa sat near the center.
Everything was clean and carefully maintained.
"Rest and restore your energy."
The man turned toward them.
"Tomorrow will be a long day."
He began walking out.
"Hey…"
Sasaki stopped him.
The man turned slightly.
"Are you by any chance the guy behind the mask?"
"I'm just reconfirming."
"No."
The man answered immediately.
"I'm not."
He paused at the doorway.
"Don't talk about him so casually."
Then he walked out.
Click.
The door closed.
Sasaki sat down on the sofa.
Jackson sat on one of the beds.
Alfie sat on another.
For a few moments, nobody spoke.
Then Alfie looked toward Sasaki.
"What do they want from us, Mr. Reaper?"
Sasaki leaned back.
"I don't know for sure, Alfie."
"I've been thinking and thinking…"
"But I still can't figure it out."
Jackson slowly exhaled.
"I think something is starting to add up."
Sasaki looked toward him.
"What is that?"
"You remember back in Ashura?"
"When those Shinras set us up?"
Alfie nodded.
"Yeah."
"I remember."
Jackson continued.
"Those shadow guys that attacked us…"
"They were made of living shadows."
"More like…"
"Assassin living shadows."
Alfie nodded slowly.
"Mm-hmm."
"This place has been giving me that assassin-temple feeling ever since I saw it from down below."
Jackson started counting the clues.
"The place…"
"The statues…"
"That masked guy…"
"The man who brought us here…"
"And…"
He pointed upward.
"That."
Sasaki and Alfie immediately looked up.
A strange symbol was carved into the ceiling.
Two shurikens crossed over each other.
A kunai was positioned between them.
Jackson continued.
"One of the pro-Darkside Knight guys who wasn't on our side said something that keeps coming back to me."
He paused.
"'Why are the Silent Eliminators after them?'"
"I don't remember the full details."
"But I'm certain he said that part."
Sasaki slowly stood up.
His expression changed.
"That only leaves us with one answer."
Alfie looked surprised.
"They're…"
Sasaki finished the thought.
"They're the assassins that attacked us back then."
Sasaki immediately grabbed Alfie and Jackson.
BOOM!
He kicked the door open.
The three rushed out.
SWITCH MODE!
They appeared on the staircase.
Sasaki jumped down several steps.
SWITCH MODE!
They appeared near the building's exit.
He opened the door and ran outside.
The entire area was silent.
Not a single person could be seen.
Sasaki immediately used Switch Mode again.
WHOOSH!
They appeared in front of the massive stone staircase leading down toward the town.
Jackson looked around.
"What's the plan, Mr. Sasaki?"
"If we make it to the ground…"
"How do we even get out of this place?"
"That weird masked guy teleported us here."
"Remember?"
Sasaki stood there frustrated.
He slowly lowered both boys.
"This is bad."
"Really bad."
He rubbed his head.
"I have no idea why I trusted that guy in the first place."
He looked toward the stairs.
"We'll figure something out."
"Come on."
Sasaki grabbed Alfie and Jackson again.
He prepared to use Switch Mode.
But—
Nothing happened.
Sasaki frowned.
He tried again.
Nothing.
"What's going on, Mr. Reaper?"
Alfie looked at him.
"I don't…"
Sasaki tried once more.
"I don't know."
"Switch Mode isn't working."
He kept trying.
Nothing happened.
Then...
"It's no use, Sasaki."
"It's no use."
A calm voice came from behind them.
Sasaki, Jackson, and Alfie immediately turned around.
The man who had led them to the temple was walking toward them.
"I'm impressed."
He stopped several meters away.
"You actually figured out that the attack from those minions was related to us."
He looked toward Jackson.
"I'm impressed."
"I underestimated that little brain of yours."
Jackson narrowed his eyes.
The man continued.
"Any attempt you make to get out of here will be a complete waste."
"If we wanted to end you three…"
"We could have done it without bringing you here."
Jackson folded his arms.
"You tried once."
"But you couldn't succeed."
"I guess this is another trick."
The man gave him a faint smile.
"Don't think that if we tried to kill you…"
"You would live to tell the tale."
He paused.
"We're the Silent Eliminators."
"We earned that name for a reason."
Sasaki remained silent.
The man turned around.
"Head back to your room."
"The door has already been fixed."
"You need to rest."
"And wait for your answers tomorrow."
His body slowly began fading into the air.
Then—
He disappeared completely.
Sasaki exhaled.
He looked back toward the enormous staircase.
"Thanks for spotting this, Jack."
"But…"
"There is a little sense in what he just said."
Jackson looked at him.
"If they intended to kill us…"
"They wouldn't have brought us here."
Jackson shook his head.
"There's always something more important than killing sometimes, Mr. Sasaki."
"Don't forget…"
"My papa tried to capture Alfie for his Renshi."
"That was how you guys met."
"Remember?"
Sasaki nodded.
Jackson's expression became serious.
"If they don't kill you…"
"They always want something from you."
"That's the way of the enemy."
He looked toward the temple.
"Whatever they're planning…"
"We need to be mentally ready for it."
"The assassins from back then didn't mean any good."
"Neither will these guys."
Alfie had remained silent the entire time.
Finally, he spoke.
"I don't know what to say, Jack."
"But there's one thing I'm certain of."
He looked toward the temple.
"These guys…"
"They want something."
"And we don't know what it is."
His fists tightened.
"If it's against our will…"
"We're going to fight our way out of this."
Sasaki slowly exhaled.
"Let's just hope it doesn't resort to fighting."
He looked at the three of them.
"Because we're at a big disadvantage."
Sasaki grabbed Alfie and Jackson.
SWITCH MODE!
This time, the technique worked.
They appeared back at the building they had escaped from.
Sasaki opened the door and led them back into their room.
Jackson immediately lay down on one of the beds.
Alfie sat on another, crossing one leg over the other.
Sasaki returned to the sofa.
Silence filled the room.
Nobody spoke.
Each of them was lost in their own thoughts.