2 Fate

The day was peaceful for me, the one residing in the city of 'Shinjuku' which exists in zone 15 of 'Mythica'. My house was a 2-BHK flat in a 5-Floor apartment. The day might've been perfect only until I suddenly woke up after hearing an explosion or so type of sound. I rushed to the balcony to see what was happening and was shocked over the view of miscreants roaming on the streets, killing and infecting people. Many people were running for their lives and some were even hiding. I was scared and I rushed over to the living room to block the main door with furniture. But a group of armed people broke into my house and one held me captive at gunpoint.

There were totally eight people in that group, each of them dressed in heavy arms and loads like terrorists or soldiers but their dresses underneath their bulletproof vests was grey in colour.

Then, a person, looking similar to that of an army general entered into my house saying,"Nice to meet you, Akane Kojou" with a smile and continued,"Hasn't it been a while?". The person who was like a general was having white hair, strong build, fair complexion, no mustache nor beard as it seems to have been shaved and he was 5'10" in height.

"Who're you?" I asked him.

"Sorry about the late introduction, My name is Matvey Roman. Pleased to meet you" he replied humbly with a grin and said," I've come to take you kid, as per the foolish leader of this faction orders so."

"Why?" I asked him.

"Just do as I tell you" he said and the person who had held me gunpoint had put his finger on the trigger of the pistol he was holding.

"What if I declined?" I said in an arrogant manner.

"Then you'll deal with the consequences" he said and continued,"Men if you'd please" and the remaining armed people pointed their 'MP-5' Sub-Machine guns which was attached with red dot sight at me.

"Do you resent now, kid?" Matvey said in a polite way and I was thinking of surrendering until the person to my rear end was shot in the head by a bullet and then a smoke bomb had stunned the people around me and the one who held me a gunpoint giving me enough time to be free. A person wearing a gas mask barged into the house and killed the remaining armed people with a butterfly knife except Matvey who blocked that attack with 'rapier' and said, "So that how you choose to play." in loud and angry tone. His rapier was tinted in purple and was glowing with purple kind of aura.

"You army dogs are the worst" the masked person said. The person was dressed in a white shirt, a darkish green type of short, had long hair and was 5'6" in height. the perosn pulled out a dog tag and it was glowing in pink aura. The dogtag transformed into a 'Claymore' sword which had its blade tinted in pink. The masked person went forward to attack Matvey but he repelled the attack and they both clashed each other's swords, which created an intense pressure in the atmosphere. The masked one had swung his sword to Matvey's cheek and had made a scar on his right cheek. Matvey grinned and said,"Is that all you've got?". Matvey came forward to stab the masked person but the masked one repelled his attack and used a smoke bomb which took the masked one out of Matvey's sight. The person had come to me and had injected me with a drug to which my vision started to get blurry.

"Everything' s gonna be fine...." were the last words I heard before passing out.

Then, I found myself in a dark place after passing out. A strange voice which was similar to mine said,"Welcome, the existance which which lost all it's loved ones." in a cold tone. I was scared and looked around in fear.

"What're you talking about?" I asked and continued,"Who are you? Where are you? What are you?" in a loud tone.

"I am you, the alternate version of you." the voice said and continued," Remember what happened a week ago?"

"What're you talking about?" I asked.

"Stop playing dumb..." the voice said.

"Shut up" I said in a low pitch and looked down.

I woke up on my bed in my room in my previous home. The home was a villa in which only me and adoptive sister 'Carine' resided as my dad, mom and younger brother who were related by blood had been on business trips because of dad's work. It was a short term vacation after finishing my junior high. I was '14' and Carine was a few months younger than me. Carine was an adolescent girl, having dark raven hair with brownish edges, and was fair in her complexion. That day, I woke up at 8:15 pm after sleeping at 6 o'clock in the evening. Carine woke up after preparing dinner and I went downstairs to the dining room. I sat and started to have dinner, so did Carine. She asked me "So when are mom, dad and Aito returning?"

"I don't know" I replied after chewing.

"Big Brother, I've got a question." Carine said.

"What is it?" I asked.

"What would you do, if I were dead?" she asked me.

I swallowed my bite and said," If you were killed, I'd find the person who murdered you. If you'd die due to a health problem or an accident, I'd cry and believe that you are gone and it could never be undone". Carine cheered up and said,"Well, I am your younger sister, not by blood but I am your family though". Then, the house was suddenly destroyed due an explosion and I and Carine were injured. I fell far from Carine due to the explosion, i could hear the sirens of war, gunshots and explosion. I cried,"Carine-e-e-e-e, where are you?" and ran once I got sight of her. She was lying a few meters away from me. I ran shouting "Carine, Carine, I'm coming...." and reached her just to see that she was fatally injured and was bleeding nearly to death.

"Thanks for not abandoning me,....." she said in a painful tone as tears ran through her eyes. I fell on my knees and went closer to her saying,"Nothing will happen to you. We are gonna be safe" and I wept her tears.

"Nothing will happen right?" she said and caressed left my cheek with her left hand.

"Oi,oi,oi,...don't lose hope, you're going to live even if it costs my life" I said and was about to cry.

"I'm happy, big brother." she said and continued," Even if I'm dying or am about to die, I am happy to spend the last moment with you. Atleast you did not abandon me as my blood-related family did."

"Nothing is gonna happen to you, I swear." I said in a sad tone.

She smiled and said,"Big Brother, its okay if I die now. I'm content to alteast not be dying alone".

"Don't talk like that, we are going out of here alive." I said out of sadness and lifted her on my arms.

"Why are you...." her sentence broke as she coughed out blood and continued,"Why are you doing this for me?" as blood was coming out of her mouth.

"Don't worry, nothing will happen to you...." I said to Carine while carrying her. I could hear gunshots and I ran while carrying her by my arms. It was tough but I could less care for myself than for her. I only ran that she could be safe, I ran as my legs were in pain. It was only moments my leg gave up when I was shot there but I still ran to a much safer place to rest while still experiencing the pain.

"Why are you doing this for me?" Carine asked me

"I cannot abandon my only family..." I replied quickly.

"Thank you, big brother" she said and coughed out blood.

"Don't talk" I said to Carine and wiped off her blood on her mouth with my hand.

"Big brother,..." she said and I asked her,"What?" in an afraid tone.

"I hope that I meet you in my next life...." she replied and passed away.

"Oi,oi,oi,oi,....you are not going anywhere...." I said to her as I was about to cry and a drop of my tear which had come from my left eye fell on her eye. I took her closer to me and clasped her saying,"Why is this happening? What wrong have I done to get this punishment?" as I started crying and continuing,"No,no, this wasn't supposed to happen.....".

"This is what happens, no this what will happen to all your loved ones in the future." the strange voice said in calm tone.

"Who are you? What are you?" I asked and continued,"I swear on one thing, if I know who you are. I'm gonna definitely kill you."

I could hear the sound of a person grinning and the strange voice said,"Can't you see..." and continued,"I am you" as I saw myself with my body and face almost covered by tattoos.

I woke up with shock on a bed realising it was a dream. I was in a hospital room and I realised that I was lying on the hospital bed. There was a girl who was laying her head on the bed and was sitting on the floor. I caressed her on the head. The girl had brownish hair with orange edges, fair in complexion and was dressed in casuals.

"Got a nice taste, huh" a person who was standing near me who had concealed his prescence, said in a jovial tone. I immediately turned back to see who said that after getting shocked. "No need to worry" the person said and continued,"My name is Aryan Raj, pleased to make your acquaintance."

"My name is Akane Kojou, its a pleasure..." I said to Aryan. He was fair in complexion, had growing mustache and beard along with cat's hair, was having wave like hair and was 5"9" feet tall. He laughed saying,"That was a funny reaction of yours. Truly..." and continued," The girl who is sleeping, her name is Angela Forecrust, the person who saved you." with a smile.

"So she saved me" I said and grinned continuing,"I'm really thankful to her."

"You'd better be." Aryan said.

"First of all, where am I? Who're you guys." I asked him and he replied,"You are in a safe place, a place away from infected and we are 'JOULES'." in a calm tone

"You are what?" I asked him.

"We are 'JOULES', a corporation which protects people from the evils of the infected and royalty." he replied and continued saying,"Welcome to JOULES, Akane.The boss is waiting on the last floor."

"When did I become a part of this corporation?" I asked him

"Well, Angela did save you. She might've seen potential in you as she brought you here." Aryan replied and I thought that I might be able to save people from experiencing the death of their cared ones like how I had experienced Carine's death.

"I'm ready to join the corporation, but I don't about the routes of this area I'm in." I said and he replied,"Don't worry, I will escort you there."

I got up from the bed and followed Aryan out of the room. The building I was in was an apartment which was destroyed a quarter."Where is the boss man?" I asked him.

"On the last floor of this apartment" he replied in a serious tone. I followed him to the elevator which was in the middle of the floor exactly a few meters away from the destroyed part of the building. We went inside the elevator and Aryan pressed the button of the 25th floor of the apartment but it was not the last floor and the gate of the elevator closed.

"So,umm,...how's the boss like?" I asked him as the elevator was going upward.

"You'll get to know" he replied and said,"He is a good man and a perfect leader.His age is 38."

The Elevator went up and we reached the floor which we were supposed to. 25th floor was the last one as it had no roof, because the remaining and the topmost floors might've been destroyed. "So, what've you got for me now, Aryan?" said the boss man who was at the edge of the floor facing toward the city only us his back.

"Not me sir, but your daughter" Aryan replied in a serious way.