The Enlightened - Ariyama Joins The Fight I

He was going to do it.

Despite what he had first thought about Jonathan Clarke, Ariyama had to admit he could motivate a legion of men to join his side if he wanted. Well, maybe that was an exaggeration, but he definitely convinced Ariyama at least. The feeling of determination and the feeling of inspiration coursed through his body like a sun's rays breaking through the obscuring veil of the clouds, breathing new life onto the land through their shining beams. 

Was what Clarke said true, though?

Could Ariyama truly redeem himself through taking up a spot in the Pilgrims' Society. Well, there was only one way to find out, and – as the director had said – Matsune already signed him into the Society, so he had to do it either way. But as he exited the director's office, Ariyama felt a weight that had been plunged into his chest for the past two months recede slightly. Even the most miniscule movement made him feel able to breathe a little easier. He didn't think he was anywhere near the peak of his potential, but he was ready to start.

"How was it?"

Matsune, once again, had been standing outside the room, her head bowed in deep contemplation as she awaited Ariyama's return. When she saw him as he came out, he quickly approached him with the question.

Ariyama just smiled, for what felt like the first time properly in ages.

"He was some hardass, but he… also helped me, in a way. This may come as a shock to you, considering what I've said in the past – and it comes as a shock to me too – but I'm ready to fight."

At his words and the energy that poured from them, Mastune looked so glad, the way her lips curled into a satisfied smile, her eyes twinkling with elation.

"That's great to hear. Yeah, I may have forgotten to mention the positives when it came to Mr Clarke. Let me tell you, he could convince a legion of men to join his side if he wanted."

Ariyama chuckled knowingly at that, and at Matsune's confused tilt of her her, he just said:

"You wouldn't get it. On an unrelated note, now that I'm going to be a part of the Society, tell me – how exactly does the system for all this work?"

Matsune led him to the elevator again and the two strode inside. Ariyama found it funny, how the tense and mysterious aura from before had altered to something more relaxed.

"So, Ariyama-kun, you need to know that the entire system spans the Society's reaches across the whole world. So, for now, I'll give a brief rundown."

"Please do."

"In short, the Japan branch of the Society is split into Divisions, each with a maximum of twelve members, with each member assigned a codename in accordance with one of the Chinese zodiac signs. Furthermore, those Divisions are split into two more groups. Divisions A to F are a part of First Defense, while Division G all the way through to Division Z are part of the Second Defense. The main reason for the split in the Divisions is because there's only ever been enough Tributes to fill out the first six Divisions. As such, they were labelled as First Defense, being the strongest amongst the strong. From Division G and downward, the numbers are drastically higher, but that's because they are all unpowered."

"Wait, so you're saying those in the Second Defense aren't Tributes? They're just regular people?"

"People with extraordinary natural talent, and are all in peak shape. But yes, otherwise, they are regular. That doesn't lessen the effect they have on the Society, of course."

"Yeah, of course, but what good can they do if they don't have any Enchanted Tool or anything?"

"Most are used as covert agents and spies to track unregistered Tributes, or pose as investigators in order to distract the public, in the case that someone is exposed to magic through a multitude of ways. As they have no Tool, they have no mana or visible aura to be tracked by other Tool wielders–"

"Oh, when they use mana detection, right?"

"Exactly. Very good, Ariyama-kun. You've progressed so much, even when you've only been training for a little over two weeks now. And despite the fact you went against my orders, it did seem that you were really cool when you fought Genichirou. And doing it to protect Kazura – what kindness."

At the mention of Kazura, Ariyama stood up straighter as the elevator came to a slow, methodical stop.

"Machi… I know she's OK, as you said before. But still, can I… see her?".

Matsune looked dismayed as the two of them exited the elevator, not onto the floor where Ariyama's room was, but a floor that looked like a narrow, long hallway. It was like a maze of marble, adjacent rooms and hallways splitting off from each other in every direction.

"I wish I could see her myself, but due to the rules in place, we can't interact with her until she's made her decision. Until then, we can't even know where in the Keep she's being kept."

Ariyama ground his teeth together as annoyance pricked at his brain. He felt an overwhelming sense of selfishness spread through his veins, igniting his insides on fire. Why did Kazura get to make that decision? Ariyama had fought until he nearly died, just so Genichirou wouldn't harm her any more than he did. But if she decided to remain knowledgeable about the secret world – which, knowing Kazura, was likely – then she'd just be putting herself in harm's way again. Ariyama relented and was ready to give up his own body for this mission, but no way in hell did that apply to his friends.

Kazura didn't even have any of the basic strength and weapon training he'd been doing for the past five years, so she'd be at an even bigger disadvantage. Furthermore, she didn't even have a reason to stay. Ariyama was doing this for redemption, but all she'd be doing to for would be for fun.

That idea sparked an ember of anger deep in Ariyama, but he managed to quell it, then eye Matsune quizzically.

"So, what exactly is this place supposed to be? I think I noticed the elevator ride took a little longer than what it took to get to the director's office, so what gives?"

"I took us down to one of the lower sections of the Keep. It's a large tower, mainly, so it extends vertically up a lot, but vertically down, below ground, even more. This is the morgue."

Ariyama blanched.

"Matsune, What in the fuck are we doing in the morgue?"

"Ariyama-kun, language. This place is sacred, believe it or not."

"Fine. Matsune, what in the frigid corpse are we doing in the morgue?"

Matsune smiled humorously at Ariyama's attempt at a joke. As she led him deeper into the maze of white marble, they came to a stop in a room with a whole wall lined with metal trapdoors, each engraved with a weird string of words Ariyama didn't understand in the top-left, and then a four-digit number on the top-right.

This was the mortuary.

Ariyama was just glad it smelled faintly of strawberries, instead of rotting corpses.

Matsune approached one of the doors to the refrigeration units, running a finger absentmindedly across the galvanized metal surface.

"As you said, you're properly ready to join in the Pilgrims' Society's mission, right? Well, you've already been assigned your Division, so I'll show you over to your dormitory later. For now, I need you here so–"

"Wait, wait, hold on a sec. Dorms? You mean that room I woke up in isn't going to be the one I'm staying in."

Matsune looked at him, trying to hide her expression which made him feel like he'd just asked the dumbest question possible, failing miserably.

"Well, no. Not entirely. That wing of rooms are used for recovering personnel, who have been injured in a fight. If you need medical assistance, you may spend a day or two there, but otherwise, you'll be with your Division members in your dorm."

"Oh, I see."

Ariyama was happy to have his own room, but now he had to share a dorm room with others? He'd never slept in that type of room before, so he could only hope he would adapt to it.

Matsune's hand moved from roaming the steel entrance of the unit, to grasping the handlebar set into it. She reached under her collar where the hood and cloak met with a golden clasp, and pulled up a snood of the same gray color of her cloak. It covered the lower half of her face.

"No matter how long I've been here, I can never get used to this part. I would recommend you cover your mouth, Ariyama-kun. The formaldehyde we use to embalm these bodies gives off quite the pungent odor."

His stomach already doing flips, Ariyama quickly pulled the yoke neck of his shirt up to block his nose.

When Ariyama was done, Matsune heaved at the handlebar, slowly prying open the refrigeration unit and sliding out the platform. On said platform lay a figure, covered head-to-toe in a pristine white cloth. Hesitating just enough to make it noticeable, Matsune pulled the cloth back halfway, exposing the upper torso of the body.

Even with that pungent odor diluted through the use of his shirt mask, Ariyama still reeled back and felt bile rise in his throat. He had seen dead bodies before, but there was something unnerving and uncanny about seeing a still corpse, freshly pulled out from the morgue, peaceful and pale-faced..

But this body had skin that left no space to show that paleness. 

The skin had been healed, but it still showed signs of being horribly burnt. The flesh was sagging and cracked as charred marks ran across its length. The eyes were closed, although one of them was just a hole in the corpse's face. The nose was nearly completely burned off too, as was the hair, leaving faint traces of blonde locks.

Ariyama knew who this was. By chance, he glanced at the left arm, which was uncovered from the sheet, and saw that it ended not with a wrist and hand, but a meaty stump.

And the most glaring part was that hole – which seemed too big for a fist to fit through – that was torn through the stomach. It looked more recent than the other wounds, and Ariyama purposefully looked away to avoid the sight of body's rotting insides through that hole.

This was Genichirou Shoei.

The first person Ariyama had ever killed.