Chapter 91: One last time
Fwoo...
The tension from Daito's punch lingered throughout the room long after the dust had settled.
Broken chunks of concrete lay scattered across the floor.
Hairline fractures spread across the walls where Mardale had crashed through them, while the soldiers, though no longer aiming their weapons, remained tense enough to react at a moment's notice.
For several long seconds, no one spoke.
Then Brandon broke the silence.
He scratched the back of his head as he slowly looked around the enormous chamber.
"...Alright," he said flatly.
Everyone turned toward him.
"...Why does your room look like a cave?"
A pause.
He gestured toward the surrounding walls.
"It's dark..."
His gaze swept across the empty space.
"...It's empty..."
Another pause.
"...And it's way too big."
For the first time since they'd entered, Mardale glanced around his own room.
He looked almost thoughtful. As though he'd never actually questioned it himself. After a moment, he simply shrugged.
"I need the darkness."
Wei-Wan adjusted his stance.
"...For what?"
Mardale slowly turned back toward them.
His silhouette slipped naturally into the shadows near the wall, making him appear almost invisible.
"...To charge."
Aerin blinked.
"...Charge?"
Champagne frowned.
"...Like..."
He tilted his head.
"...A battery?"
A faint smirk crossed Mardale's face.
"...Something like that."
He slowly raised one hand, as the room immediately reacted.
Not the light but the shadows.
They shifted.
Not because something blocked the sunlight...but because they were being pulled, drawn inward, like invisible currents flowing toward his palm.
The temperature in the room seemed to drop ever so slightly.
The shadows thickened and compressed. Until they swirled around his hand like liquid darkness.
"...In darkness..."
Mardale explained calmly,
"...space becomes denser."
His fingers slowly closed.
Shwoooff....
The black energy condensed even further before quietly dissolving into his body.
"...That density..."
He lowered his hand.
"...contains a form of space-like matter."
Another pause.
"...I absorb it..."
"...Convert it into energy..."
"...And use it to fuel my teleportation."
Nobody interrupted and nobody even breathed too loudly.
Fah-jin was the first to understand.
"...So that's why..."
Wei-Wan finished her sentence.
"...You live in darkness."
Mardale nodded once.
"...Efficiency."
Champagne scratched his head again.
"...Wait..."
Everyone already knew what was coming.
"...Does that mean..."
He looked genuinely curious.
"...You can't teleport forever?"
Brandon sighed loudly.
"...Seriously?"
Aerin pinched the bridge of her nose.
"...Of course he can't."
Champagne quickly raised both hands.
"Hey, I was just asking."
A soft chuckle escaped Mardale.
"...Don't worry about how many times I can teleport."
His expression became serious again.
Instead of answering the question directly, he took a slow step toward the window.
"...Worry..."
He looked back over his shoulder.
"...About what I can teleport."
Silence.
Nobody found that answer comforting even Daito narrowed his eyes.
He had expected limitations.
Instead...Mardale had casually hinted at something far more dangerous.
Captain Katas finally stepped forward again, folding his arms tightly across his chest.
"...So let me understand this correctly."
His gaze shifted between Daito and Mardale.
"...You're taking Mardale Aranos..."
"...The strongest Savage in Kingsville..."
"...And leaving with him?"
His voice became lower.
"...What exactly are you planning?"
The room waited but Daito remained silent.
It wasn't his place to answer.
Mardale did.
"...Relax, Captain."
He stepped forward with his usual calm demeanor.
"...If Kingsville is ever in danger..."
A faint smile appeared.
"...I'll be back..."
Another pause.
"... Before you even finish saying my name."
Captain Katas stared at him for a long time.
There was no smile on his face, nor confidence, only concern.
Finally...He let out a slow breath.
"...You'd better."
His expression softened just enough.
"...Because we're placing a great deal of trust in you."
Fah-jin stepped forward.
She placed a hand over her chest.
Her voice was steady.
"...We'll protect him."
A brief pause.
"...With honor."
Captain Katas nodded once.
"...See that you do."
And just like that...The decision was made.
There would be no more arguments and no more negotiations.
Mardale Aranos would leave Kingsville...with Daito's team.
* * *
The meeting had ended.
Together, they turned toward the exit.
The massive reinforced doors slowly opened before them.
SHHHHNK...
Then closed once they stepped outside.
THUD!
Sunlight poured over the courtyard.
Warm.
Bright.
Blinding.
The instant it struck his face, Mardale winced.
"...Ugh..."
He immediately raised his forearm to shield his eyes.
"...That's disgusting."
Brandon burst into laughter.
"...You're kidding."
Mardale grimaced.
"...Too bright."
Aerin couldn't help smiling.
"...You've basically been living like a vampire."
Even Wei-Wan allowed himself a small grin.
"...You'll survive."
Mardale clicked his tongue.
"...Unfortunately."
The team laughed quietly as they continued walking through Headquarters.
For the first time since meeting him...Mardale actually felt less like a legend..... and more like another teammate.
Even if he was an incredibly strange one.
Before they had even reached the outer gates of Headquarters, the lighthearted atmosphere slowly faded.
The laughter died.
The smiles disappeared.
Fwooo.....
A cool breeze drifted through the streets of Kingsville, carrying with it the scent of fresh timber, repaired buildings, and a city still healing from the scars of battle.
For a few moments, no one spoke.
Each member of the team walked in silence, their thoughts fixed on everything that had happened over the past few weeks.
They had survived Gregor Naught.
They had defeated the Silver Moon.
They had recruited another ally.
Yet somehow...it still felt like they were only standing at the beginning of something far greater.
Mardale broke the silence first.
He slipped both hands into his pockets and glanced sideways at Daito.
"So..."
His tone was casual.
"...Where to now?"
The team instinctively looked toward their leader.
Daito slowed his pace.
Then stopped completely, the others followed suit.
For a long moment, he simply stood there, allowing the wind to brush past him as he looked toward the distant skyline.
When he finally spoke...his voice carried a quiet certainty.
"There's only one Rebel left."
Everyone listened carefully.
"After we find them..."
His eyes hardened.
"...we take back what's ours."
Silence followed.
The words settled heavily over the group. They all understood exactly what he meant. This journey had never been about survival. It had never been about revenge alone. It was becoming something much larger.
A war.
Not merely against Freakers, not merely against rogue Savages, but against the people hiding behind Disorder itself.
Against those pulling every string from the shadows. Against the world that had allowed all of this to happen.
Brandon folded his arms across his chest.
A grin spread across his face.
"About time."
Wei-Wan adjusted his glasses.
"...Then we'd better make sure we're prepared."
Fah-jin nodded once.
"We won't get another chance."
Avenor remained silent, but her hand instinctively rested on the hilt of her weapon.
Even Mardale's expression became more serious.
"...Fascinating..."
He looked at Daito.
"...I was beginning to wonder if you actually had a destination."
Champagne suddenly stepped beside Daito with a knowing smile.
His hands rested casually inside his pockets as well.
"...You forgetting something?"
Daito blinked.
Then...his expression softened.
The tension in his face eased.
For just a brief moment he stopped looking like a commander, stopped looking like a warrior, and stopped looking like the man carrying the weight of an entire world.
Instead...he simply looked like Daito.
"...Yeah."
A faint smile appeared.
He nodded once.
"...I did."
The next instant—
FWOOOSH!!
The air burst apart beneath his feet.
A violent gust swept through the street as his body disappeared into a blur.
Gone just like that.
Aerin blinked several times.
"...Wait..."
She looked around in confusion.
"...Where did he go?"
Wei-Wan slowly turned toward Champagne.
"...You knew?"
Champagne let out a quiet sigh before smiling to himself.
"...Yeah."
He looked toward the distant horizon.
"...He'll be back...."
A short pause.
"... he just has to say goodbye."
Nobody asked another question, and nobody needed to.
Deep down...they all understood.
* * *
Far across Kingsville away from Headquarters...away from the soldiers...away from the rebuilding districts... there was one quiet neighborhood that seemed almost untouched by the chaos surrounding the city.
Children laughed somewhere in the distance.
A gentle breeze stirred the leaves of old trees lining the streets.
For once... there were no screams or explosions, or even battles.
Only peace.
FWOOSH!
Daito appeared silently at the end of a familiar pathway.
He stood perfectly still looking ahead.
There it was.
The same small house, the same wooden fence, the same flowers carefully growing beneath the windows.
The same place where, for a little while...he hadn't been a leader.
Hadn't been a fighter, and hadn't carried the burden of saving anyone.
He had simply...been himself.
His gaze softened.
A quiet breath escaped his lips.
"...Heh..."
A small smile formed.
Not because the war was over since it wasn't.
Not because everything was alright since it wasn't.
But because...before stepping into the next battle... there was one person he wanted to see.
One person he wanted to thank.
One person he wanted to leave with something more than silence.
Step.....
Step.....
He walked slowly toward the front door, each step lighter than the last.
Fwoo...
His hand rose.
Then gently knocked.
Knock...
Knock...
Knock...
On the other side...footsteps approached.
And Daito waited for Mei-Mei Warona.
One last time.
To Be Continued...