Chapter 18-Recovery

My body is sore...I can hardly move, something happened. The Tolu. What happened to it? Did it get away?... The civilians, are they okay....Mina, did she survive?

" Found him!"

" Roger...Any location on Mina!"

"Over here, sir...Shit, we need medical!"

" I'll keep an eye on this guy!"

" Captain Telon. Why not just-"

" He looks human right now. Doesn't he?"

" Tsk!"

Who is that?... Captain Telon. That's who Mina was speaking to over the radio. Our backup finally arrived huh?

The rain seemed to have stopped. The ground is wet and cold. My outfit was soaked. I was lying face down and as I opened my eyes I saw the foot of someone standing in front of me. I looked up to find a somewhat familiar face. Orange hair lay flat on his head and his eyes almost looked to be closed...A white cloak. He must be Captain Telon.

I pushed up with my hands in an attempt to stand. My arms were burning with pain but I pushed through.

" I wouldn't do that."

My eyes widened. Quicker than I could blink a shining silver blade was placed across my neck. It had a slight curve to it resembling a katana. I looked up and met Telon's eyes, barely visible through his bangs.

No sympathy or concern for my well-being. All he was waiting for was a sudden movement, and then he would kill me...What's his problem!?

" Can I sit down at least?" I asked being careful not to move too much.

"...Slowly."

His voice wasn't very deep but carried a commanding tone. His strength was visible through the way he stood. A drop of water fell from one of his bangs down to the ground, even that felt intimidating.

I sat down on the wet earth, I checked out my arms and didn't find any open wounds. This means that all this pain was from being sore, but I remember being in intense combat with the Tolu. How could I escape with zero injuries?

" What happened to the-"

" It got away."

He kept his sword at neck level. Seeming to distrust me...Like I could even dream of getting close to this guy.

" I've got a question for you."

" Huh?...Okay?" His face seemed irritated like I was speaking rudely.

" Tsk. Acting dumb are we...Either way, I'll still ask."

" Huh?"

" What exactly..." His eyes shot straight through me, and anger boiled within them, shaking me to the core. " Are You!"

" Huh...What do you-" A sudden pain shot through my head. " Argh!" I grabbed my head as the pain came with something else...Memories.

["What are you"]

Mina's voice, she asked the same thing...I'm starting to remember...Liza died and then a rush of energy...I then fought the Tolu. I smashed through these various buildings. Something happened to me...My skin changed and I grew angry.

" Are you Tolu or human!?"

My eyes widened...What the hell is he talking about!? Tolu or human, " You look human." He brought his blade to my neck once more. " But right now, you can never be sure."

" I-I'm..." Thinking back, those roars weren't from the S.S., rank, and my hand grew claws...Am I....Tch! What the hell is going on!?

" Hm." Captain Telon looked at me for a couple of moments longer before lifting his blade from my neck and returning it to its sheath on his back. " Well, you seem just as confused as the rest."

" Huh?" Is he letting me live?

" You'll be taken back to T.H. for examination."

Captain Telon started to walk away in the direction where a soldier located Mina. I rose to my feet and watched his cloak glide against the ground as he walked. Each step carried so much power, he didn't look that old—maybe in his late twenties.

I looked around the battlefield, the already destroyed city looked way worse now...Me and the S.S. rank did this. I remember the battle completely now...The civilians. the little girl and her mom.

" Hey," I called out to the Captain. " How many civilians have been rescued?"

He stopped in his tracks and looked at me with one eye from between his bangs. He squeezed his fist tight and then looked to the sky, the dark clouds still hung over our heads only without the rain.

" 55 have been located."

My eyes widened as he turned around swiftly, his eyes were full of sorrow and pain...That many people are out of this massive city. That means...

" This city has a population of 30,000... It might have been possible to save more if..."

He looked sharply at me and I understood why. I didn't try to save anyone in my fight. I deliberately avoided saving people to peruse the Tolu, leaving a little girl behind.

[" Be better than me."]

Liza's last words that I never actually saw her say, but they play through my head constantly...I have already failed this task...Liza gave me the ability to fight yet I failed to use the abilities the way she would have wished, the reason she gave me them was to protect the ones who couldn't protect themselves like how she always did for me.

Xavier lost his life protecting a little boy, who I probably killed while recklessly fighting without regard for others' safety...I should be- I should be killed! Why spare my life when...

" Why." My thoughts leaked out of my lips into the Captain's ears. I collapsed back to my knees. Partially out of pain and tiredness, but mostly to despair. " Why spare me when I deserve to die."

" Because," He didn't hesitate with his answer. " Despite what civilians think. Our main goal isn't to save them."

" What!?"

That makes no sense. Then what purpose do the Tolu hunters serve if not to protect the people?

" Even though you didn't succeed in our true main goal either...Out of everyone you seem to be the only one to put up a fight with the S.S. rank. That makes you valuable."

Tolu hunters...It's right in the name...Then their only purpose is to hunt Tolu.

" Saving the weak comes with the business...You aren't ridiculed or punished for failing to do so." He turned away once again his white cloak gently bobbing in the wind. He looked at the destruction in front of him.

" That...Seems selfish. You have all this power and choose not to use it to protect the-"

" You can choose who or what you protect, you can choose to simply do our true duty. You have the power to do as you wish."

"..."

I guess in a way...That makes Liza an even better person then I could ever hope for. She had the power to do so and did. While I only worried about killing...How the hell am I supposed to be better?

" So no matter how badly." He squeezed his hand tightly once more, so tight his vainse began to pop out. " I want to kill you...I have no real reason or right outside of you being a possible Tolu."

"...So why didn't you-"

" Wasn't my call...The people back home want to learn some more about you. So they ordered me to bring you back alive."

" Huh. They want to study me."

" You have the potential to bring the Tolu down for good,,, You also have the potential to be the biggest threat the world has ever seen...Your fate will be decided once we get back."

I sat for a moment, Captain shot me a soft gaze through his bangs and I suddenly became dizzy. I felt all of the tiredness I had held back come forth at once. Again the world grew black and I felt my body tip as I fell face-first onto the dirt.

" Transport Mina and him back to T.H. quickly. So they can examine him and get Mina fixed up."

" Sir."

" What is it."

" Two of the bodies are missing."

" Huh? Maybe they got incinerated in the Tolus power beam or whatever."

" I don't think so. We should still be able to find remnants of them...Like Xavier."

" So then, where did they go? Did the Tolu take them for some reason?"

" No clue. All we know is that Liza and Kalas's bodies are nowhere to be found."

" Tch. Then we'll mark them as M.I.A for the time being."