1 SENKAIMON

In the Arid Plains of Derethor, the Three Clans Coalition is regrouping to prepare their attack on the Morningstar Republic. Led by their leaders, Olive, Neemboo and Takasaal, the soldiers have been standing by for more than twenty minutes, and awaiting the enemy in stifling heat …

_ Still no sign? Ah ! For God sake ! What are they doing !? Olive grows impatient.

_ There they are. Takasaal replies looking at his holos panels.

_ Finally ! Prepare to fight! Shout Olive .

The combat zone changes significantly, announcing the imminent arrival of warriors. The air takes on a heavy atmosphere, the wind almost disappears.

The hearts and souls of the coalition resound in unison. Nothing can get in their way. Except that…

_ But what ...

_ ... Is that ...

_… Shit…

The silhouettes through the fog of sand are revealed and the enemy is there: an army of… five mercenaries.

_ You're not serious ... Only five ... Where is your army !?

_ Hi Hi Hi ! We're the army, boy. Speaks half-wolf with green hair.

_ Nagisa, we don't chat with the enemy. How many times do I have to repeat it kid ? React a samurai at his side.

_ I'm not a kid! Nagisa gets angry.

_ Say that to your mosquito bites ...

_ Dumbass! Nagisa reacts with tears in her eyes.

_ Ace… Stop, warns an elf in delicate armor.

They argue under the puzzled gaze of the three leaders, as if nothing had happened. Seriously ? This battle is however crucial for Morningstar.

Neemboo was going to lose his temper when he finally realised.

They were not ordinary mercenaries. They were nothing less than the Five Guardians.

Nagisa the Dark Princess, Hughes the Jade Dragon, Ace with Lightning Swords, Lelouch the Oleander, and… The Reaper!

Five mercenaries raised to Mythic rank, renowned, and more, for never having known defeat. When we called on them, we didn't have to worry about anything.

The five guardians, each master of his class and worth ten thousand men on the battlefield ...

Olive also understood who she was going to fight against. But her firm voice, in keeping with her semi-giant appearance broke the silence.

_ Takasaal, Neemboo are you with me?

_ The Martinis have never run away from a battle, this is not going to change today, Neemboo replied.

_ He is right, it is our honor. No abandonment will be tolerated. We have united our three clans! We're going to crush them, I give you my word!

In a single battle cry, a hundred thousand combatants rushed on the five guardians. The plain then becomes a living and furious tide, whose waves rise to slice through the enemy. The battle begins.

_ Exemplary coordination. But perfectly useless, I'm sorry ...

Lelouch steps forward, and pulls out his white blades. A strange wind swirls gently around her, as we can hear: Jasmine… Blade Storm.

The attack is simply mind blowing. The soldiers have no time to understand what's happening, no time to protect themselves, much less to retaliate. In a few seconds, the battlefield knows its first victims. And it results in a pool of blood and viscera.

The soldiers stop, almost recoil, as the three leaders watch, dumbfounded, as their army is being decimated.

Having forgotten their dispute, Ace and Nagisa make their entrance, in a deadly dance. They didn't let the soldiers get over it, they each take a faction, and activate their powers. Thousands of other fighters fall, the sword still in the scabbard.

Amid the growing chaos, the coalition leaders cry out their orders, and decide to focus on one enemy, the only human-looking one in the group. The target will be one of the men, obviously a flaw. An opponent with a handicap, but who demonstrates great abilities. And Hugues is blind.

_ What an honor for me, said the Jade dragon to himself, realising he was the target.

_ Do not underestimate him, shouted Takasaal.

_ We will be without any mercy, Jade Dragon, retorts Olive. We know you are the strongest! To attack!

_ Please excuse me, but ... said Hughes, drawing his sword. You are wrong.

The wind blows again, circling Hughes. A formula runs through the ranks. Millenium ... Blade.

Hughes then strikes a multitude of blows at superhuman speed.

_ The strongest is not me, he said sheathing his sword. It is him.

He bends, saluting his opponents who then explode, barely having time to catch a glimpse of The reaper behind the blind man.

The rest of the army watched, taken aback, the massacre of its own. They do not have the choice. As one man, they charge The reaper, while the other four others watch the scene, aside.

Calm in the face of the avalanche coming his way, The Reaper almost seems oblivious to the army. He remains motionless in front of them. Of his body, only his red eyes are visible. His large coat floats in the sandy wind.

The army is near. There are still several thousand men moved by the force of despair. And as the monstrous mass of soldiers was about to reach him, the wind blew two words.

No pain ...

A huge scythe appears in his hand and a long dark coat covers him.

Wind… Of the death.

At these sounds, the wind begins to turn. An immense energy emanates from him, and crosses the crowd. In the blink of an eye, the eighty thousand soldiers were on the ground.

In the silence that reigns then, the scythe and the cloak disappear to restore its appearance.

Always so impressive, say the others.

At the end of the battle, a bright screen appears above their heads.

_ "Master of Death", not bad, retorts Ace. I didn't even know this level existed!

_ You may achieve it in twenty years, laughs Lelouch.

She teases the warrior, but herself is at least thirty levels under The reaper. They all are. Nagisa turns the conversation away.

_ Say! Are we going to celebrate? Asks the young girl excitedly.

The group, rather leaving, turned to The Reaper in anticipation of his response. He shyly declined and disconnected to find his room ...

_ And shit ... he said after removing his DSU.

The artificial sensations of heat, and wind on his skin, dissipate. He gets up from his bed, and goes to his window to contemplate the reddened city under the sunset.

Like an eternal child, he marvels, then sees his reflection. His face darkens as his gaze falls on the locket around his neck. It's painful to remember. But he refuses to take it off. He then begins to stare at it, lost in thought, when a synthetic voice interrupts him.

_ Here is your "post-party" glass Master ... Master?

The android tilts his head as he holds up a tray with a cup of the reconstructed lasci resting on it.

_ Pune, call me Kumail it will be fine, the young man sighed, insisting for the umpteenth time. If you keep going I'm going to have to take your free will card away to force you to do it. Is that the blue thing next to the battery?

_ This is my operating system ... Pune replied, not getting the second degree. And with all due respect, you are the host of this place, Pune replied tirelessly, stubbornly. Which makes you the master, as well as mine.

_ And as such, I advocate equality in this house.

_ Does that mean I have the same rights as you? Pune asked.

_ Exact.

_ Well, calling you by your first name makes me feel uncomfortable, uncomfortable. Do you want to force me to do it anyway?

_ Pune you're a robot, you don't feel that kind of thing, Kumail muttered.

_ Certainly, but my system can reproduce a simplified synthesis of human feelings. So that means that ...

_ It's okay, it's okay… Go for Master.

_ Thank you. You were still lost in your thoughts. Did something happen during your party?

_ No nothing.

_ You still refused to spend time with your friends?

_ They are not my friends ...

_ With all due respect, Master, this is the closest thing to it. Apart from them, you have no one.

"I have you," Kumail replies.

He even got it back for that, by the way. Pune was a badly damaged robot, with no legs, but still with its circuits and AI center. With lots of chatterton, hookup to a drone's flight system, and a good paint job, he had made it his personal robot. Secretly, he wasn't supposed to have one.

_ I am not a "person", it would be a mistake to include myself in this statistic.

_ I know I know. But I don't have time to be boyfriend-girlfriend. I have things to do… He said holding his medallion.

He grips the relic between his fingers, trying to imprint every detail in his memory.

_ Master, forgive me, but giving yourself time to live will not prevent you from continuing to look for what happened to your people. I'm sure they understand ...

_ Enough, Pune. Please.

_ Good, Master.

_ I'm going to take a bath, I'm tired. Let me know when dinner's ready.

_ Of course, Master ... Pune answers watching Kumail leave.

The young man looks at himself in the bathroom mirror, leaning on the sink.

_ Obcy, he whispers.

Obcy. Obcy is the outsider, the intruder, the outcast, anything that doesn't agree with society is considered an Obcy.

Obcy because he is from the Garvet people.

Once known as « Indians », they mysteriously disappeared during the rescue of mankind centuries ago. The only thing Kumail inherited from them is his old, worn out medallion. He is one of the few still on Earth. Placed in the city of Midgard, he is almost an alien in the eyes of others, he disturbs, he alone recalls an event too strange, that we prefer to forget. So to no longer suffer the almost instinctive rejection of others, he isolates himself.

And plunges excessively into the waking dream.

Today's games offer more than immersion. They offer almost real sensations. Powers that must be mastered, and no longer just acquired by accumulating points, as in the past. And Kumail, though he is no one in the eyes of other students in his high school, becomes a legend once in the game.

The clock beeps clearly, indicating the meal.

Kumail sighs, and fills the tub.

...

He wakes up after a nightmare, as usual. He can never remember it but a feeling of unease persists every time.

As if he had survived an explosion. He felt his stress turn into force, plunging him into complete confidence for a moment, before the impression dissipated. As if he could have been himself for a few moments ...

_ Hello Master.

_ Hello, Pune.

_ You didn't have dinner last night.

_ No, I went to sleep after my bath.

_ Did you rest well?

_ Yes…

_ Another nightmare?

"I told you I slept well," Kumail says.

_ Very well…

_ It's almost time, I'm going.

_ You should stay, Master. You don't look happy on the outside.

_ The world is as it is, Pune. And I would never find the answers to my questions, just standing here twiddling my thumbs.

_ Fine, Master ...

Kumail leaves the school hall to go to high school. Arrived at the gate, he already feels the urge to turn around despite the beautiful weather ahead. He can feel the stares of people he meets on him, and it's like that every time ...

He feigns indifference, and gets so deep in his thoughts that he doesn't notice her in his path, and walk past her. The girl with the amethyst eyes remains dumbfounded, pained. She'll find a way to talk to him.

Sitting in his usual place by the window, listening only with one ear to the professor explaining the intricacies of electronic circuitry in common language, Kumail lost himself in thought.

Looking far into the city, he tries to see what is beyond. Or maybe imagine it. A place he would like to live. Where even his future profession would not be decided for him.

It seems like an eternity passes before he hears the noon bell. His frobse must be spoiled, it doesn't taste like… pear anymore, Kumail reads on the wrapper. It was that, or dehydrated protein, that was all he could afford to buy. If at least he had a small job, he could at least eat properly, only he couldn't afford to miss his schooling. It's his status as a student that keeps his roof above his head. He couldn't wait to get out of it, he told himself as he finished his rusk fruit. With the gust of a dead chicken, go and face the rest of your day.

Paradoxically, coming home is a real breath of fresh air. He nibbles what Pune prepared for him the day before, and immediately returns to connect.

Awake, it is now that his real life begins for him. He blends into his character, feels the wind, inhales the smell of dust, relishes the sun bite on his skin. Here he is The reaper. Here he can let go of his frustration and let his true self comes out. He climbs, almost childishly, a hill, and after an uncontrolled smile, launches several massive attacks, just to let loose. There is, to his knowledge, no one high enough in rank to give him a real challenge. That doesn't mean he belittles what he can accomplish. He ends up concentrating his strength to go to the end of his limits.

His power shakes in his hands, he twitches, it's almost hard to control him, but Kumail is confident. When he releases it, letting it take whatever form he desires, like a living entity, he understands that he has managed to freeze time. A beautiful novelty, he said to himself, proudly.

He was going to try again with maybe a different result, but he gets a message. A mission offering for his support in defending a city against high level monsters. It's generously paid, Kumail accepts.

He teleports near the city using an item placed in the message. At first glance, this place didn't mean anything to him. That's pretty weird… Cause he knows every nook and cranny of this world… it must be an update he told himself. He is heading towards the city, when his aura detects approaching enemies. He summons a familiar and controls its surroundings. He frowns when he sees that the army is already there. Which means that his mission is a trap.

Fuck it, Kumail thinks, preparing for the fight.

He rushes into the crowd, confident. It cuts, burns, freezes, disintegrates. He is experimenting with all his abilities and having fun like a child until the general arrives.

A simple scan, and his signs tell him he's a Master of Death level, the same as Kumails.

He then attempts to duplicate what he did a few minutes earlier, to stop time. The other even lets him prepare his power without flinching, in the midst of the mass grave Kumail has caused.

But just as he was about to cast it, the general automatically canceled that ability. Kumail frowns again, and for the first time, he doubts.

Then he dodges at breakneck speed. The general seems to have mastered his level for a while, and is launching attack after attack. Kumail has just entered it, and still struggles with how to defend himself, trying not to take too much damage. The general continues the blows. Kumail needs to think, and quickly.

He dodges again, throws whatever he manages to create at random, to no avail. And without his own understanding, he suddenly freezes, feeling something burning inside him ... He opens his eyes, hadn't realised he had closed, looks at the general.

Dead.

There is only one huge crater around it for miles around. What just happened ? A feeling of unease takes him then.

However, he intercepted an arrow that was going to get stuck in his heart. Honestly, at his level, it is as dangerous as having been thrown a cooked noodle. But he still cannot find the archer. Another novice who wanted to try his luck believing he would be vulnerable after the fight, he told himself. He tries to analyse the arrow, but smoke comes out, without dealing damage. Really, this guy should have his material revised ...

...

_ I listen ?

_ Sir Arexy, I think I found the one you are looking for.

_ I will not tolerate another failure, Manan.

_ Believe me, you will not be disappointed.

_ All right, start the process.

_ Yes sir.

Manan closes his communication panel, and puts his quiver away. A good catch for today!

...

Class is over, Kumail is quietly putting his things away when his wrist vibrates slightly. He received a note from a certain Asaria, it seems. And more specifically a love letter. Ah? He should deal with it, he thinks, aware that he is looking for an excuse not to return home to connect again.

It's been a week since he logged out. The fight with the general made him uncomfortable, he couldn't explain what happened. He is still curious to know who this girl is. And especially how she must be felling knowing that she surely send it to the wrong person, he told himself, half amused, half embarrassed.

As he sits in the cafeteria, the meeting place, Kumail notices two young girls, his age, watching him, then getting up to meet him… He has no idea who they might be. He tries to appear detached when he speaks to them.

_ Asaria?

_ Yes, answers the smallest, very shy.

Behind a sporty redhead who exudes self-confidence, her friend comes out. She is short and curvy, and although she is dressed and styled discreetly, she has absolutely gorgeous and rare, amethyst-colored eyes.

"Sorry… Arh… It's more embarrassing than I thought," he said with a smile. I think you must have get it wrong, it happens it doesn't ...

_ No, actually ... Asaria cut, before looking for her words.

The young man frowns, confused, waiting for her to speak. What the hell am I doing here he said to himself.

_ Do you ... You ... You see ...

Asaria stops on her own, and closes her eyes to avoid the sight that suddenly strikes her. Kumail, clenching his fists without moving, covered in garbage. She remains petrified as two senior students laugh behind him, still holding the cafeteria trash.

_ There, you're better off Obcy. What do you think Maare? Said the taller of the two.

_ Haha! Oh yeah ! So much better ! Retorts the young girl who accompanied Asaria.

_ Obcy! Rotten! Obcy! Rotten! They sing euphorically together under Asaria's dumbfounded gaze.

They leave immediately after, laughing, leaving Kumail on his own, staring blankly. Without a word, he removes the food scraps from his face, gets up and walks away. It wasn't like he wasn't used to this kind of treatment.

Asaria doesn't dare to react. She looks at her best friend and the two older ones who used her in a cruel prank. She freezes as Kumail pulls away, and clenches his jaw.

...

What assholes… They would be less clever on the other side of the screen. Aah! Real life sucks! Another year ... They will see who is the Obcy ...

Kumail has been grumbling for twenty minutes as he walks haphazardly through the streets. He washed some of his humiliation in the high school cleaner. But he can't go home right away. No matter how much he tries to hide his emotions, that doesn't mean he doesn't feel. He has to calm down, let his anger out, because here his only desire is to slowly twist the fingers of these two motherfuckers until he hears everything crack.

The streets pass, the icy wind accompanies the night which begins to fall… and he finds himself dreaming, as too often. Becoming number one, stay number one, break all records. Show all these assholes what he's really capable of. He will finally be respected.

The more he thinks about it, the more his contempt for school is felt. He wants to drop his schooling. Devote himself to the virtual. But how could he quit school without being homeless? He could ... He could ...

By the way, where was he?

Seeing the scenery darken he realises he has walked into the night without having any idea where he has gone. He stops in the middle of the street. Great, now it's dark. He tries to activate the functionality of his homophone, but he has hardly any batteries left, almost all functions are disabled. When we have bad luck ...

A hubbub attracts his attention. He lets himself be guided ... A party?

By listening better he thinks he recognises voices, but which ones? He eventually remembers Maare and the two assholes in the cafeteria. You had to run into them, he laments.

_ ... that was awesome !

_ Seriously! He kind of shit on himself I think, you were perfect, a girl's voice said. He looked so stupid, all alone in his seat, oh come on! She said with euphoria.

_ But for real, what's his name? A boy asked.

_ We don't give a fuck ! Come on, it's Obcy, why, you want to marry him?

A general fat laugh reaches Kumail's ears. He swallows with difficulty. And another began to speak.

_ Anyone got Asaria? I didn't hear back, I thought she was coming ...

"She must be pissed, give her two days, and she'll be better afterwards," one of them said with a sigh.

_ Blablabla he is cute, Blablabla Maare come help me with him ... imitated said Maare. She really needs to be treated for craziness. Frankly, we did her a favor, we saved her' social life there ! I mean come on ! Obcy for God sake !

So Asaria had nothing to do with it, Kumail thought to himself, bitter and yet with his heart a little warmer.

He resumed his way, preferring to stay on this good note, which will allow him not to spend a catastrophic evening. Maybe ... Maybe he could go back to Asaria, talk to her, and why not, maybe become friends ? He doesn't dare imagine it anymore. He is alone, by choice, he tries to convince Pune. In reality for lack of choice. He feels a new wave of frustration and injustice rising in him. Why does everything have to be so difficult for him? Why does he have to struggle so much? He screams and hits a wall near him. Oh ! He hurts himself, it seems painful. Fuck… As if that weren't enough. He holds back the overflow of emotion that tries to escape his eyes, massaging his wrist furiously, when a message pops up on it and distracts his attention, furiously flashing the dying battery.

"Authentication request. Accept? ".

He almost automatically confirms, before realising a wall has sent him a message. A wall…

Well. Why not ? Maybe it was just an old sign that hadn't been disconnected before the update, the kind that offered taxi services, or sightseeing. At least he could go home in peace.

Another question pops up: "Are you Toshiro Hyorinmaru 733? "

His ID in the virtual world? It doesn't come from the game, though. And it's encrypted. What is it, a virus? A scam ?

He is hesitant to authenticate, and looks around, everywhere. Nothing, it's deserted. But curiosity takes him, removing his dark thoughts for a time, when he notices next to the text, the same logo that accompanied the message of his last mission. A golden arrow.

He authenticates himself.

A third question pops out: "What is the original incantation to free Hyorinmaru's shikai?"

_ Seriously ... Kumail is surprised.

"Do you confirm this answer? "

Not wanting to let this error slip, more and more curious, he hastens to correct the incantation: "Sôten ni zase". And to confirm it, with a strong sense of pride. But a new question appears: "Give it its most appropriate meaning".

_ Ah, you want to play it like that ... Turns on Kumail.

He lets himself be caught up in the game and immediately responds: "reign in the frozen sky". It wasn't like it could be useful to anyone, you could find that answer by quickly searching the web, but he wanted to be able to say he was answering tit-for-tat.

When he confirms the answer, nothing more is displayed. Disappointed, he sighs and decides to go back home, when the wall lights up. He jumps up, and looks with awe-mingled curiosity at the door that has just appeared before him. Above it is marked "Toshiro Hyorinmaru 733, you can cross the STG. ".

Wait. What? What was that ? A wall asks him for his IDs in a game, asks him questions about high-level attacks and there ...? Well, he's not totally stupid, he suspects that this all has something to do with his last mission, but ... A wall?

He stands in front of a turn, asking himself hundreds of questions. And then he returns to his own introspection. He was the one who wanted change, right? So… whatever could be behind that door, could it be any worse than what he's going through now? Yes it could, a small voice told him. And at the same time ... his battery dies.

And then, what the hell he said to himself.

He takes a deep breath. 1… 2… And 3… He closes his eyes, and crosses.