Chapter 29: Motives

Toma then stood up, clapping Kazuya on the shoulder. "Enough talk for now. Let's get back to training. The more you understand your abilities, the better prepared you'll be for whatever comes next."

Kazuya nodded but wanted to ask one more question. "Toma... you said the Temporal Order also take people with abilities? Right?... what do they do with them."

Toma sighed deeply "Kazuya, the Temporal Order's mission isn't just to maintain the natural order. It's to control it, and that means getting rid of anyone who poses a threat to their authority. Which means Outcasts, like us."

Kazuya's brow furrowed. "What do you mean by 'get rid of'?"

Toma's gaze hardened. "The Temporal Order sees outcasts as anomalies, disruptions in the flow of the universe. They have a policy of eliminating those who can't be controlled. But it's worse than that. They don't just kill powerful outcasts; they repurpose them."

"Repurpose them? How?"

Toma continued with his expression more than seriousas ever. "The Temporal Order has developed technology to harness the abilities of outcasts."

"They capture the most powerful ones and turn them into weapons like swords, batte axes, spears, etc, sometimes Outcasts are infuse into objects like – rings, necklaces, earrings."

Kazuya's eyes widened in horror. "You mean... they turn people into weapons and accessories?"

"Yes," Toma confirmed grimly. "The process is agonizing. They possess a device that can turn outcasts into objects, making them into artifacts that they can use."

"These artifacts grants the wearer abilities of outcasts, making them extremely powerful"

"You know Mousa's battle axe? It's an Outcast Artifact. Mousa got it when he saved me from those agents."

Kazuya was surprised, "Really? No wonder why I felt like it was alive whenever I looked at it"

Toma nodded "That's right, it was once an outcast but got turned into a weapon by The Temporal Order."

"Even Jun's gloves is an Outcast Artifact"

When Toma mentioned Jun's name, Kazuya blushed slightly. But he snapped out of it immediately.

Toma continued. "That's why the Temporal Order are feared, they have powerful weapons and artifacts that grants them crazy overpowered abilities.

Kazuya shuddered at the thought. "But why? Why go to such lengths?"

"Control," Toma replied simply. "By turning outcasts into objects, they eliminate threats and simultaneously empower themselves. It allows them to maintain a tight grip on the world and enforce their will with ruthless efficiency."

Kazuya felt a surge of anger and revulsion. "That's monstrous. How can they justify something like that?"

"They justify it in the name of order and stability," Toma said bitterly. "To them, outcasts are dangerous and need to be managed. They believe that by harnessing us, they can prevent chaos and maintain the natural order."

Kazuya was angry. "The Temporal Order and The Chrono Reapers are all evil."

Toma nodded.

Kazuya then asked. "But where do you guys stand in all of this? What are your motives?"

Toma smiled as he gazed into the distance. "We just want to make the world a better place, Kazuya..."

Kazuya looked at Toma thoughtfully for while, he then resumed training. his determination had been renewed, as he trained with purpose.

He still didn't have all the answers to his questions, like his parents background and the event that granted people abilities, but he had the support of his friends. For now, that was enough.

As the sun climbed higher in the sky, the clearing filled with the sounds of effort and encouragement. Kazuya knew the road ahead would be challenging, but he was ready to face it head-on, one step at a time....