[Alte Welt Cemetery, The last of the remnants]
Gray was walking around looking at different graves. The grave looked disfigured, and out of order, taking out papers that he had worked on in the Diner. Sorting them out until I find the stack he was looking for.
Thinking to himself "Thirty percent is insane, but on grieving families."
Looking at one grave stone, it read "Kenzo Tenma" but oddly, this is one of the few graves that are clean and maintained, but the name was written in kanji. Flipping through the paper and not seeing the name was not on it. Planning to leave he hears an old lady's voice.
"You can read kanji?"
Turning around to see an old lady with flowers. Walking past Gray, she kneeled to pray in front of the grave. Standing up, she replaced the flower on the grave and asked the same question.
"Kanji is something I learned from my teacher, but it is not all perfect. Ken means health, and zo means three"
She smiled and said, "It is not every day to meet someone who can read it, especially from this country."
Sticking her hand out, she introduced herself as Aiko. Tenma shook her hand and introduced himself. As the rain began to cease, they both decided to walk together and put down their umbrellas.
Passing more of the disfigured grave, Gray asked, "Why is this place called the old world?"
Aiko was surprised because Alte Welt was German for the old world.
Clearing her throat, "It was called Alte Welt because it is one of the few places in the world that still does traditional burial.
"But why is it one of the few places to have traditional burial?"
"Are you familiar with the concept of Aether?"
"Aether is a powerful source of energy that is external, unlike Ether, which is internal, but it can only be found in Aether Ruins, which are temples, towers, tombs, and other ancient structures."
"And that is why you see many of the disfigured graves. This city alone has nine Aether Ruins and a few of them are found underground. Most cities and counties maximize space for this reason. They don't want to risk finding a ruin underneath an existing location."
"So, the limited use of land makes the burial plot expensive to a point where it is all they could afford or a loan that they took out."
Not exactly, most cities ban urban districts. When people move to a city that has one, the demand goes up and it forces the prices to go up as well."
Gray, seeing five people well-dressed in front of them getting closer, placed his hand in front of Aiko. Confused, she asked, "What are you doing?".
Looking at them, seemingly normal at first, but in Gray's eyes, they are enveloped in a red flame. As the group stopped in front of them, Gray asked "What do you want?"
One of them walked up, grinning ear to ear, and said "We are just here to escort Ms.Tenma."
"Quit lying, there is a lot more to it. Tell me the real reason that you are here."
The nearby puddles began to bubble, as ice chains emerged to bind both Gray's arms and legs. Gather water in his palm and shape it into a spear, and turn it into ice.
"All you had to do was not ask questions, you can blame me for what happened next."
Thrusting his spear at Gray, as the spear got closer, Gray broke the chain by swinging his knee upward and smashed the spear in the process. Looking at the broken chain he was in disbelief
"The ice chain was supposed to be as strong as steel, yet he broke it. Is he an enhancement type?" he thought
Breaking the rest of the chain, Gray leaned forward and reached his hand out, inches away from his face, until Akio shouted, "You two stop!"
"This is a place of mourning, not a fight."
Seeing how adamant she was, Gray withdrew himself.
"So what, you're going to run away you coward. Maybe we should go to the people you care about."
Gray sighs, "Ma'am, hold your breath and close your eyes."
Doing as she was told, the only thing she heard was people falling to the floor. Opening her eyes and seeing them pass out, asking "What did you do to them?"
"Nothing much, if they couldn't handle a little intensity, there was no reason to fight them."
Planning to walk away, Akio stops him not wanting to leave them on the floor. Gary asked what she wanted to do with them.
Smiling, she said, "Let's talk to my son at the Defensa. Now go pick up."
Gray put down his bag, decided to pick them up one by one, until one of them dropped a dagger with a jagged edge.
Inspecting the blade, it was high quality, but the handle looked like it was quickly put together. Checking the bunt of the handle it had a feather crest on it.
He thinks to himself "There is no way he is alive"
Five years earlier
"Head up brat."
A dagger was thrown in the air and fell in front of Gray. Looking up he sees a man with a beard and in a mercenary uniform.
"Oh, it's you again, instructor."
Smiling, he said, "I will be your new mentor."
Gray quickly grabbed the dagger and put his guard up, locking his eyes on him, as the instructor took out a coin with a feather crest on it.
"I was told what you did to the last one, and I have to say that you're even worse than a rabid dog."
The coin was transferred into a long sword; on its guard, it had the same crest.
"Now show me what you got."
Scrolling through the tablet, Isabella rubs her neck, which is now scarred. Deep in thought, someone tapped her shoulder. Startled at first, she turned to find out it was Charles.
Slapping him repeatedly, for sneaking behind her. Charles tried to show her something, but she just kept going.
Falling to the floor, Charles was holding his tablet up, and Isabella grabbed it.
Looking at it she asked "Is it all correct"
"Y-yes, for the past two months, No.125 has made a consistent amount of progress making him strong as a mercenary," Charles said as he got up.
"No.125 is also picking up multiple languages. By the looks of it, he's on track to become an Asesino."
"Yes indeed, maybe we can get him a real mentor unlike the other five"
A loud crash was heard, Charles took back his tablet to look at the security and saw Gray standing over the instructor.
"Well, it looks like he is finished. You've got to feel bad for the disposable we sent in."
"Well, I don't, but you want to bet on the amount part that he is missing.
"You're sick... I put forty for three."