12 Who is he?

Fourth began to pull himself together

he started to wipe away his tears from his face and brushed off the little dirt that had attached itself on to his pants. "I haven't cried for quite some time, well since the night my parents left."

Without realizing it fourth had said that out loud.

Fourth "I don't know why I said that to you... this I mean that has nothing to do with the matter at hand."

Asuta' just stood there not saying a single word but her posture gave off a somewhat of a welcoming form.

Fourth "I um so you said you'll tell me everything I need to know?"

Asuta "Yes and more."

Fourth "More? There's more to this?"

Asuta "Very much so."

Fourth "I can still do anything you wish from me since you're being so generous towards me."

Asuta"There's no need. There's nothing you can do that I can't do for myself." Asuta wasn't sure if she was telling him this because she truly did not need his help. Or because she had just remembered that the person she holds dear to her heart wouldn't approve of her actions.

Asuta "After all this time why am I thinking of him for?" she thinks to herself.

Asuta "What would you like to know first?"

Fourth "Oh well, could you tell me how I was able to survive being dragged underwater and to this place?

Asuta "The two that had brought you in, Kiken and Naifu, well Kiken has the power to create a force field out of metal that stops any form of matter or particles from penetrating. Then Naifu creates his air force field around Kikens."

Fourth "So that how they managed to bring me all the way down here, but does that explain how we're able to breathe down here?"

Asuta "Kiken and Naifu have given each half of their power to The boss in order for him to obtain the shield around the entire place."

Fourth "That explains things then. Could you explain to me why I'm here for?"

Asuta' "The same reason as everyone else is."

Fourth "That's a bit vague don't you think?"

Asuta' "You're here to fulfill The bosses ritual."

Fourth "Okay we're getting somewhere. What is this ritual and what makes it different from the other ritual?"

Asuta "I only know of the one ritual. The one that involves you. "

Fourth "But how? I thought you were quite high up when it comes to the "boss"?"

Asuta "He doesn't trust me enough for me to know all his plans."

Fourth "Yet it seems like everyone treats you like his queen. "

Asuta "Then they are just foolish insects." She quickly turned around and walked towards the window. "This isn't about me. Do you want my answers or not."

Fourth "I do please continue."

Asuta was hesitant for a few seconds but then she thought to herself "He's exactly like him.

Asuta "The ritual you are being apart of is to drain you off all your magic power and take your marking from your body."

Fourth "But wait? That can't be right?"

Astua "I assure you it is."

Fourth "No, that Kiken and Naifu, I clearly heard them saying they were going to offer my heart to some Almighty God. Then they planned to eat my organs. I think they said "Master says at the end of the blood feast, we shall carve open these insolent low lives with the symbol of our freedom and then we shall drink the blood from their veins."

Astua was not sure on how she should react to the information that Forth had given her. She did the only thing she knew she could do at this time.

Asuta "You are a complete fool. To think I thought you were going to be better than the others that can't through."

Fourth "What do you mean?"

Astua "I mean you are an idiot. The ritual isn't about getting your organs eaten and your heart presented to some God. "

Fourth "Wait seriously! That was just a lie."

Asuta"I didn't think those two idiots had it in them to come up with something like that. I'll give credit where it's due."

Fourth "Now wait a minute!"

Asuta "Let's get back to the matter at hand, Shall we? Or do you want me to just forget helping you."

Fourth "No, I apologize. You were saying that my marking could be taken away, but that's impossible."

Asuta "The impossible can become possible. I don't know the full extent of the situation but people have had their marks removed and well I'm sure you know the rest."

Fourth "I just can't believe it and my magic power?! But I thought that girl in the cell was taking it."

Asuta "That thing, she's just a decoy for the prisoners."

Fourth "A decoy? How so?"

Asuta' "She is there..."

Before Asuta 'could finish her sentence the door flung open. She turned from the window and faced the creature in the doorway.

Asuta "You? You came back early haven't you?"

The creature "The boss insisted that I come back. "

Fourth could barely make out who was standing at the doorway. The creature had a long grey cloak on his hood covering his face. The only thing fourth could make out was his eye. They were a dark blue color, almost like the deep ocean. Fourth could sense powerful magic radiating off the creature body.

The creature points his finger at Fourth "It's not nice to stare."

Fourth stumbled backward into Asuta "I..I wasn't starring!"

Asuta pulled Fourth up off of her "Tako! Could you not give him a heart attack before the ritual?"

Fourth "Tako? that's the guy Kiken and Naifu were supposed to take me to. "

Tako "So those irritating insects told you about me?"

Fourth "What's with everyone calling people insects," he thinks to himself.

Fourth "Ahh yes sir they did."

Tako "Asuta did you tell him anything?" He gave her a suspicious look.

Asuta composed herself together "As if I'd tell this low life scum anything. What do you take me for, a traitor?"

Tako "No, well not anymore we solved that little problem." Tako began to laugh. Fourth noticed how tense Asuta was getting. She clenched her fits behind her back.

Asuta "So you've come to take him off my hands? How kind of you to do so."

Tako "Not exactly. "

Fourth "What do you mean?"

Tako "I've just come by to tell both of you that The boss requests your presence down in the dining hall."

Fourth "The boss? What for?"

Taking "That you'll find out soon enough."

Asuta "Are you his messenger boy now?" She said in a snide remark.

Taking "Take as you want. I'm the one he trusts the most. Be there in an hour and don't be late." Tako turns back down the hallway.

Asuta quietly shuts her door still facing away from Fourth.

Fourth "I still have so many more questions to ask and now this.".

Asuta "There's no time for questions, not when he could still be around."

Fourth "You mean Tako?"

Asuta "Yes, I could sense that his magic power was little, so he couldn't use his Himitsu no kabutomushi."

Fourth "He didn't have all his magic power?!"

Asuta "No he did not."

Fourth "Well isn't that my luck."

Asuta "Once he has his full magic power back then he can release his Himitsu no kabutomushi."

Fourth "What does that have to do with anything?"

Asuta "The Himitsu no kabutomushi is Tako's stealth ability. He is a master in water style stealth."

Fourth "That guy?! Are we talking about the same guy here..."

Asuta "Yes and the Himitsu no kabutomushi is one of his most powerful ability. He uses simple insects such as the water beetle to gather information from individuals and then he either commands them to come back or the insects begin the crawl inside your body and eat away at your insides before taking away your magic abilities"

Fourth "If this place couldn't get any more strange. Okay then what do we do?"

Asuta "We act like nothing has happened and we met the boss."

Fourth "That sounds simple enough, could I ask you one quick question though?"

Asuta "Hurry up there's not much time."

Fourth "When Tako said that they took care of that little problem, what did he mean by that?"

The question had taken Asuta by surprise she wasn't expecting anyone to have asked her such a question about her past. Was she fully ready to tell him the whole story?

Asuta took a deep breath and faced Fourth "That little problem Tako said they took care of was my son."

Fourth taken by surprise just as Asuta was moments before but then he got this look on his face.

Asuta "It's a lot for me to tell at the moment. Let's just leave it be for now." She starts to walk away but turns her head to face Fourth. All she could see and sense was the anger in his face and how his magic power shot up.

Asuta "Fourth?!"

Fourth "Those bastards!"