Chapter 23 - Trainers
Point-of-View: Zoraize Rafayet
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Okay, so, not gonna lie, that was a little uncomfortable, but at the same time, it was kinda refreshing to have a meaningless conversation with someone...small talk or whatever it's called.
"Hey, I meant to ask you," Alexis suddenly addressed me, walking next to me, "You've done a bit of training on how to control your Aura, right? Mind giving me a few pointers? These sparks crackling around me are really annoying, and I'm getting tired too."
"O-oh, uh...sorry, I didn't really get the hang of it. Um...apparently there's several steps in getting there, I, uh, didn't even fully get the hang of the first step yet," I responded awkwardly.
"Guess I should have figured, you've only been here for, like, less than a day longer than I have," She sighed in response, looking more and more irritated each time electric sparks crackled around her...also, since she was walking next to me, the sparks were kinda stinging me.
They felt like weak static shocks and didn't really hurt or anything, but not gonna lie, it feels pretty annoying. But I'd rather not unnecessarily start a fight, so before I reach my breaking point and snap, I should try resolving this civilly...
"H-hey, uh...those sparks, they, uh, they kinda sting," I said to her.
"Huh? Oh...my bad, I'll give you some space," She responded, taking a couple of steps off to the side.
Not bad, I managed to say something without offending anyone...but hardly worth celebrating, I stuttered like crazy through that. Hm? Oh, looks like we're back to the area where Neo initially dropped us.
"And, um, that about concludes the tour," Surmised Kiyana, as she came to a stop.
"Seriously, this place seems way too high-tech for a supernatural organization," Remarked Inoka in bemusement.
"Ugh, that's like the fifth time you've said that, enough already," Groaned Alexis.
"Yeah, well, if you don't like it, then just ignore it," He countered dryly.
"Tch, you're a real pain," She muttered in response, glaring at him.
"A-anyway, now that the tour's over, um, you're free to do as you please!" Interrupted Kiyana, looking a bit alarmed as the two of them glared at each other, "Just, um, try not to use your powers unsupervised, it could be dangerous. Mr Cronje will be back tonight, along with those that are going to be assigned to train you."
"You address him with 'Mr', huh? I figured that a Category 0 would have a fancy title or something, at least something like 'Sir' or whatever," Remarked Inoka curiously.
Huh, I thought the same thing when she said 'Mr'.
"Oh, um, no, we don't have anything like that. I mean, um, some do call 0s 'Sir' or 'Ma'am' out of respect, but it's not a rule or anything," She explained in reply.
"Hey, I noticed and was wondering...you use a lot of abbreviations, like 'Metas' instead of 'Meta-Humans' and just now, '0's' instead of saying 'Category 0's'. I'm guessing those are common abbreviations?" Inquired Alexis curiously.
"Well, they're relatively common, I think, but as far as I know, more people use the full terms rather than the abbreviations, at least as far as I know. I, um, just got used to using the abbreviations, I guess," She responded.
Should I ask a question too? I'm kinda too nervous, but at the same time, I also don't want to be the odd one out. I'm curious about a lot of things, what should I pick to ask about?
"Hey, uh, how do Monsters work?" I blurted out, almost instantly regretting it.
"Hm? Um, I'm not sure how to answer that...could you, maybe, be a bit more specific?" Replied Kiyana uncertainly.
Crap, that's a tough ask. Okay, come on, I just need to say the words in my head one after the other, simple as that!
"Like, uh, why can't normal people see them? And, like, if someone kills them, won't the, uh, bodies rot? And, uh, what if a normal person bumps into a Monster, will they, like, feel anything?" I asked her...okay, not bad, I sounded super robotic there, but at least it was clear...kinda.
"Wait a sec, uh, that was a lot...," Responded Kiyana with a slightly overwhelmed look on her face, before taking in a deep breath and exhaling slowly.
"Hey, what were the Monsters you ran into like?" Inoka asked me curiously.
"Oh, uh...they looked like trees, but had faces, arms and legs. Uh, if I remember right, Neo called them Treants or something," I answered, as Kiyana composed herself.
"That sounds...honestly, really creepy," Frowned Inoka, looking a little relieved...guess he was grateful that he didn't run into any Monsters like I did.
"Okay, um, to answer your questions...," Began Kiyana, before continuing, "Normal people can't see Monsters because their Auras and Meta genes are dormant, I don't know beyond that. And when a Monster dies, they return to their dimension-...oh, Monsters live in a world that mirrors our own, known as the Mirror Dimension, it apparently looks like a distorted version of our world. They can freely pass between both worlds, and are at their most powerful in their world. There are methods for humans to go to the Mirror Dimension, but surviving for more than a handful of minutes is impossible."
"Huh, so that's how it works. Makes sense, otherwise you'd think there'd have been sightings or something," Mused Inoka in fascination.
"Um, actually, the general assumption is that stuff like poltergeists and reports of haunted activity in regular society are caused by Monsters. Normal people may not be able to see Monsters, but if a Monster bumps into them or something, they'll feel it," Explained Kiyana, before asking me, "So, um, does that answer all your questions? Is there anything else you want to know?"
"No, uh...I think that about covers it," I responded...actually, I did have more questions, but it was way too much trouble.
"I've got a question. Let's say a really big Monster shows up, one that's like, big enough to shake the ground when it walks. Based on your explanation, am I right in assuming that a normal person would be able to feel that rumbling, and see any footprints left behind by the Monster?" Inquired Inoka curiously.
"Yeah, that's right," Nodded Kiyana in response.
"Wait a second, do Monsters of that size even exist?" Chimed in Alexis apprehensively.
"Yes, they do...the Monsters that Zoraiz encountered, Treants, are classified as, um, Common Tier Monsters. The majority of Monsters fall under this category. Then there's the, um, Intermediary Tier, Prime Tier, Pseudo-Divine Tier and finally, the Divine Tier," Replied Kiyana, before adding, "With the latter two Tiers, um, encountering one of those Monsters is practically a guaranteed death, especially Divine Tier Monsters. They're, um, very, very rare though."
"Huh, it's kinda strange that 'Divine' and 'Monsters' go together," Said Inoka in surprise.
"Well, um...both God and Satan are Divine-Tier Monsters. Oh, and um, not all Monsters are from the Mirror Dimension...most of the higher Tier Monsters are from the dimensions known as Heaven and Hell," She informed us.
Oh...wow, uh...that's a lot to take in.
"So, what you're saying is...religion is bullshit?" Surmised Alexis, after a brief, stunned silence.
"Well, I mean...yeah, um, I guess you could say that."
"Woah, hold on, God is a real thing!? And, wait, you said that it's possible to travel to the Mirror Dimension, so, then...is it possible to travel to Heaven or Hell too? You know, without dying," Asked Inoka with a fascinated look in his eyes.
"Y-yes, it is possible, but, um...it's forbidden. See, even though we classify them as Monsters, um, those that reside in Heaven aren't aggressive...unless you trespass into Heaven, in which case they, um, show no mercy. Hell is more on the lawless side. When a human dies, either normal or Meta, they, um, inevitably go to either Hell or Heaven, with the majority ending up in the latter...in either case, they lose their memories and, um, are either reincarnated as a baby or reborn as Angels or Demons, depending on where they went after dying."
"But, uh, if religion isn't real, then what's the, uh, criteria for going to Heaven or Hell?" I asked, genuinely intrigued.
"Apparently, um, it depends on your soul. If you're more good than evil, then, um, God takes you when you die, and if it's the other way around, Satan lays claim to you instead...but that said, um, there's no guarantee, a good person could end up in Hell and an evil person could end up in Heaven, it's far from impossible. In the past, Angels and Demons would regular interact with our world, but, um, it's pretty rare these days," Surmised Kiyana in response.
"Huh...with every question you answer, I just end up having even more questions," Remarked Alexis, wide-eyed.
"Hey, I just remembered...Neo only told me a basic level of information regarding Monsters and stuff, but he did say that Vampires and Werewolves weren't considered Monsters. Seems kinda weird, since, you know, God is considered to be a Monster," Added Inoka curiously.
"Yeah, they're classified as Demi-Humans, or Demis for short, and-...," Began Kiyana, before trailing off as a portal opened and Neo walked out, a tired, grumpy look on his face, "Oh, Mr Cronje, um, you're back sooner than expected."
Neo just grunted in response, as two other people walked out of the portal. One of them was Mike, the other was a woman who I hadn't seen before, with dark brown hair. She had an unpleasant expression on her face.
"I know that look...it's the look of a man whose sleep was interrupted, there's no rage quite like it," Remarked Inoka with a grimace, as he looked at Neo's face.
"You're goddamn right," Grumbled Neo in response, before nodding at the two behind him, "These two are gonna be your trainers. You've already met Mike, and this lady with the resting bitch face is Tara Williams, another Category 0 like me...though, unlike me, she failed to capture the Outlier she went after."
"Huh!? You got something you wanna say to me, Neo, you piece of shit?" She growled in response.
"Shut up already, you never stop being a bitch, do you? Ugh, whatever, fuck it...I'm out," Muttered Neo, holding up the peace sign as he let himself fall backwards and into a portal that he opened up on the ground behind him.
"Why, that goddamn-...!" She began to exclaim, trembling with rage, before trailing off with an irritated huff.
"By the way, Neo forgot to mention this, but we'd like you to assist us, Miss Waller," Mike informed Kiyana.
"Oh, um...okay, I don't mind helping out," She replied with a nod.
The other two and I had our attention on the woman who was pacing around while muttering with a dark frown on her face...she's really attractive, but uh, seems kinda foul tempered. And right on cue, as she noticed us staring at her...
"Huh? Hey, what're you little shits staring at, huh!?" She snapped threateningly, and as we all looked away, a little taken aback, she added, "Yeah, that's what I thought!"
Man, I've met my fair share of awful people over the years, but I gotta say...what a bitch!
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