(Hiro POV)
When I woke up, I was in a bed. Cold. That was the first thing I felt, then came exhaustion. I felt dizzy and tired and I wanted to fall back into a deep slumber, but I knew that ship had sailed far, far away. Sitting up on the bed I scratched the back of my head, my eyes were adjusting to the light so I couldn't make out much around me. I was in a haze. I yawned a deep, satisfying yawn. Sunlight saturated the room with a warm glow—its white walls reflected light into my eyes causing me to rub them instinctively.
In front of me, a foamy figure sat opposite the bed. As my vision began to clear, I saw him sitting there in a white chair, resting his head upon his fist like a sovereign.
Haru..
My heart jumped out of its place. My stillness contrasted my fear as his domineering presence weighed over me indiscriminately. His gaze deadpan, his demeanour relaxed.
"Relax. She's downstairs don't worry. You should be grateful for my sister's fondness of you, otherwise I wouldn't have hesitated in removing you from the equation." He pointed out in a calm tone, lacking any hostility. His words set the tone for my situation going forward, I couldn't allow myself to slip up around him, not at any moment.
I rolled up my sleeves, examining my arms and hands, then I sighed a sigh of relief.
This is something Sora spoke of. Healing Nageru. I noted it down in my head.
"I've taken an interest in you, Takamura. The energy inside of you is, tremendous. Though you are clearly not strong enough to protect my sister, I wouldn't be opposed to helping you achieve such strength."
His words confused me, it was only yesterday he was attempting to take my life. I'm starting to notice a theme in this family, I thought.
"For now, I have to head out. Places to be, beasts to hunt, you know how it is."
He stood up, erecting a katana from his right hand, crimson in colour, and emitting an overwhelming radiance—The energy, palpably concentrated. The weapon seemed to have ancient runes inscribed along its blade, humming with energy. As he slashed at the air, a rift formed—a tear in the very space around us.
"Oh, she's been worried sick for you. It's best you meet her downstairs now.
After uttering his last words, he disappeared through the rift and it closed shortly after his departure, sending a slight shock throughout the building.
I was alone to my thoughts again.
A monster.. That's what I viewed him as. Strength incomprehensibly above the level I currently found myself stuck at. Jealousy echoed through my heart as I recalled that overwhelming power that subdued me only yesterday.
"I need to get stronger.." I whispered, grasping my hoodie with envy. For once, I was right. I finally found somebody willing to care for me, and I'm unable to protect them. Pathetic. Completely Pathetic. Anything less than Haru wouldn't suffice for me to accomplish my goal, to become Hope itself, to strike hesitation in the hearts of evil-doers across the planet. To inspire those who lack motivation. But to reach the pinnacle I so dearly yearned, I needed.. to get stronger. To devour those in front of me and behind me. And trap myself in a temple of discipline.
My inner monologue was discontinued by the sound of her voice, crying out to me from downstairs. My jealousy was overthrown by a strong relief. Relief that she was okay.
"Hiro?! Are you awake?!" Her voice was full of concern, I could imagine the worried expression that was likely plastered onto her face.
I rushed out of the room as fast as I could, limping down the luxurious stairs, I eventually reached the living room downstairs to meet her. She leapt onto my arms. I winced with soreness but met her embrace, unable to control my happiness I smiled with my whole heart.
"I missed you too." I said, holding her tight.
"I'm so sorry Hiro, truly I didn't mean to get you involved with my family." She apologised sincerely, her eyes beginning to well up with tears.
"There's no need to apologise, don't worry," I reassured, "and here I thought I was the crybaby." I chuckled comfortingly, ruffling her hair to tease her.
But our reunion was cut short by the appearance of the other 3. They stood just outside the living room door like statues watching a fragile moment unfold. The little girl looking guilty as she chewed on the right side of her cheek. The masked man, ever unreadable, gazed upon me as if I were a riddle yet to be solved. As for the Tall one—his head was barely visible above the door—his presence pressing against me once again.
Sora pulled away slightly, turning to them with a conflicted expression, "You guys don't have to follow me everywhere I go you know." She muttered, her voice barely a whisper.
"Haru told us to stay here with you and the brat while he was gone," the green-haired girl replied, folding her arms, "Said you two would probably need some time alone, but we were just too nosy." She added admittedly.
I was a bit offended by her labelling me as 'the brat' but I didn't mention it.
The tension in the room was strange—not hostile—but definitely there.
The masked man approached me, examining my every detail which caught me off guard and made me slightly uncomfortable. He seemed to be searching for something, but couldn't quite figure out what it was.
"Oh, that's Kyosuke. Don't mind him, he's a total nerd." The green—haired girl stated. "I'm Kira and the Tall blind dude is Orion." She continued.
There was a silence for a moment.
"You good..?" Orion asked me directly, regarding my state after the squabble that occured yesterday. His voice rumbled like a drumbeat, I was surprised to find there was no condescension n in it. It was genuine.
I nodded, although still sore from yesterday.
"Yeah. I guess. Thanks for not.. well. Ending me, yesterday."
Kyosuke, still ongoing with his deep scan chuckled faintly, "It would've been a waste of potential by the looks of it. Your Manta reserves are by all definitions, immeasurable." He muttered, pulling out a strange device from his right pocket. The device seemed to be constantly shifting in shape, ever transforming, its blue light reminded me of the warping stations in the Gai, and also Sora's holograms. He held it up to my face and it scanned me, projecting a blue light up and down my face. I stood still as to not interrupt the process, although I had no idea what was going on. Once it was done, it made a clicking sound to verify completion. Numbers were displayed on a holographic image gleaming above the device, their meaning was beyond me so I waited for him to continue.
"Just as I suspected.." Kyosuke muttered to himself.
I raised an eyebrow, "Thanks?"
Sora interjected, clearly trying to change the subject, "Can you cool it, Hiro doesn't need to be dissected right now."
Orion shrugged, "We're just here to understand. It's not everyday Sora brings someone new into her life."
His words surprised me, looking at her, I would've thought she was popular with people. But then again, she wasn't that much of a people person, you could easily mistake her as such due to her appearance. I didn't have much time to dwell on it though. Kira sat cross legged on one of many couches within the expansive room, sitting as if she owned the place, "So what now? You gonna train him or something?" She spoke without much interest, at least not for my situation.
They all looked at me including Sora who had pulled away from our embrace moments before. I felt as though I was a student, being silently watched over by invigilators in an exam hall, awkward.
I decided to free myself from all the attention, something I wasn't used to,"I'm gonna go get a breather outside." I left the room, their gazes following me all the way through the door which made me feel uncomfortable. This whole situation felt uncomfortable. It was all so strange. I made my way through the maze-like twists and turns of the first floor, entering a variety of different rooms before reaching the front door at the entrance.
I grasped the handle, feeling the cold bronze metal object against my warm hand. Pulling the door to me and stepping through it, my eyes saw a spectacle my mind seemed to reject was real—a compound sized expanse spanning as far as the eye could see. Immediately in front of me there were two pillars supposedly holding up the massive structure, and a semi-circled row of steps that lead me down onto the granite floor surrounding the entrance. I gazed in awe, indulging in the honey dipped air that was blowing all around me, taking in my surroundings in full. Off behind the gates and behind the crystal like road, were layer upon layer of crops, all reflecting golden sunlight. The entire area had a surreal atmosphere, my expression blank but a stark contrast to my inner thoughts.
Magnificent, I thought, still dumbfounded by the beauty of it all. But strangely, it felt fabricated, too perfect. I didn't think on it much, it didn't matter.
I appreciated times like these, where there were no worries at all, like as if the world itself had stopped for me. I was grateful for it. But eventually, I found I'd had enough. Stepping back into the mansion, I found my way through the different rooms and pathways, eventually leading to the living room. To my frustration nobody was there, I sighed in annoyance, knowing I'd have to get through the maze that was this 'home' just to find where they had gone.
I raised my hand to my palm, irritated, "When I say breather I don't mean leave."
Removing my palm from my face, I felt the very world around me dissolving, rippling and fading away into something that looked like an abandoned estate, everything was blurred—including my mind, frozen in perplexity. But as a veil of untruth was lifted, the truth came to light.
I was about 20 meters away from the group, we were all stood in a grass opening, with no buildings or residential structures in sight. Mountains surrounded us, covered in thick undergrowth that spread across the jagged terrain. The air wasn't as sweet, but it was still fresh, the atmosphere not as welcoming as before, but indifferent. They all stood lined up in a row in front of me. Confusion was still in the air as I scratched my head, approaching them hesitantly. Cheeky smiles were stitched onto the faces of both Sora and Kira, who both couldn't seem to contain their laughter; they chortled fervently at my confused face, I was clueless, but their joyful expressions put me at ease. The other two stood stoically at their side, with Orion having his arms crossed, looking at me like a supreme judge, and Kyosuke painfully attempting to mimic him.
I pointed back to where I was standing, hoping to get some semblance of understanding of what the heck had just happened, but Kira dismissed my request.
"Don't worry about that we'll explain later. For now, it's time for your real training to begin." She begun, excitement written across her face.
I nodded in acceptance, although still skeptical about the previous 'transition' I left it for another time.
"Combat training," she continued, "Sora has brought to me a recording of the flow of Manta throughout your body every time you have used your Trigger, of course with you in her presence."
I felt used, like my dignity had been stripped away from me. I turned to her and was about to go off at her, but Kira continued. Sora had a sly smirk on her face that angered me, her demeanour a mixture of playful and free from any wrong. I gave her a look almost as if saying 'You'll pay for spying on me!'. Orion also gave a look, this time directed at me, telling me almost telepathically to pay attention. Almost instantaneously, my attention narrowed down on to Kira's lecture, fearing Orion's scrutiny.
"Along with your control of Manta, another big problem for you is Stamina. The two go hand in hand really. Physically your body isn't used to such intense expenditure of Manta, let alone the physical distress you undergo while using your Trigger."
I paid close attention to her words, making a mental note to myself.
"The course we're about to take you through will last 7 days. Across that timeframe, your ability to control and manipulate Manta, your physical endurance, as well as your connection to your Spiritual Rift will all vastly increase. Call it an initiation if you will."
I had intended to reserve my questions till the end of her speech, but my curiosity had been piqued. Initiation?
"Initiation?" I thought and asked at the same time.
"Well yeah. Oh, seems Sora forgot to tell you," she stepped forward, into the middle of the group, "Our group, we call ourselves Midnight." She gestured to everyone.
Searching for a connection between the three and Sora back in the mansion, I had realised they all wore the same circled star symbol, but being the stupid oaf I am I couldn't connect the dots. But now it made sense..
Midnight huh? What a sick name, I yelled out in my head as if I were some fan, but I made sure to keep my expression neutral. each of their symbols glowed a different color; Orion's White, Kyosuke's Yellow, Kira's Green and Sora's Purple. Come to think of it, they were more of the Rainbow Gang as opposed to Midnight.
"Well, it's time for Day 1 of your training to begin!" Kira projected enthusiastically.
My excitement was real, but my trust was small—only knowing these three for a few hours let alone a day, I was cautious yet beaming with eagerness, ready to start my Journey..