Reality of black and white: Fushinakai

Before Shoun could greet Robin, Robin quickly grabbed him by the shirt and slammed him against the lockers behind him.

—Ugh—Shoun responded to Robin's action by glaring defiantly.

—What were you thinking!?

—Hey, Robin. Looks like you woke up on the wrong side of the bed today.

—Don't mess with me!—Robin punched the locker next to Shoun's head, veins visibly popping on their forehead from anger—How could you do something so stupid as making Sein a Codex bearer!?

—Robin, that was my choice. Calm down—

—You shut up! I'll deal with you later... Well, Shoun? Did your brain get filled with crap one day, and you came up with this brilliant idea?

—You're making a scene right now—Only then did Robin realize that everyone in the hallway was staring at them. After a sigh, Robin reluctantly let go of Shoun—Sein was aware of the risks. He didn't take unnecessary dangers during his fight, so you can't say anything to me.

—No, I can. You know what you got him into when you decided to make Sein fight.

—You say that like you haven't spent the last year trying to recruit me.

—It's different. Your situation is different. You didn't have to give a child such an important choi—

—I was a child too!—This time, it was Shoun who raised his voice. At his outburst, both Robin and Sein, who had been trying to intervene, fell silent—You know what I went through that day, and what they did to me afterward. Don't come at me with your moral high ground when you're still here every damn day with your stupid little card.

—It's my job, you kn—

—No! I don't know, and if you'll excuse me, I have class... See you later, Sein—Without saying much more, Shoun grabbed his things and walked away from the scene. Both Robin and Sein stood in silence until the recruiter turned to the boy.

—Sein…

—What Shoun said is true. It was my choice. I knew the dangers... He even made sure I had a proper weapon and knew how to use it.

—I know that, damn it... But you're just a kid. Just because the law allows you to become a bearer doesn't mean you should.

—I won't be a kid forever, Robin. I want the strength to protect people. Even if Shoun hadn't given me the chance, I would've found a way eventually.

—Tch... Sein, there are things you don't understand yet. Becoming a bearer will affect your life more than you think... especially considering your uniqueness—Robin, having an appropriate rank within the government and being assigned to the school, was fully informed about Sein's abilities. The government and the guild were eyeing the boy like hungry wolves.

—I know, Robin. I'm ready for that—Sein said bravely, looking Robin in the eye.

—...I hope so—Without further regret, Robin was about to leave but was stopped by Sein.

—Before you go, Shoun mentioned something in your conversation. Something about them doing "something" to him. What did he mean?—At that question, Robin hesitated for a moment before finally answering:

—...I've already stuck my nose where it doesn't belong too much. It's better if you ask Shoun and let him tell you... I'll just say it's not pretty—After those words, Robin walked away, leaving Sein confused.

After school, Sein went to Shoun's house. Finding the door open, he walked right in. Kaze was watching TV, and Shoun was lounging on the sofa.

—What's this? You didn't wait for me to come here together, Shoun?—The boy left his things at the entrance. He had told his grandmother he was staying at Shoun's house for the weekend as a sleepover, a clear excuse to explain his absence.

—I was tired and wanted to come here first to rest a bit before tonight—Shoun explained briefly before making room for Sein to sit.

—I see... That argument you had with Robin was ugly.

—You had an argument?—Kaze asked, pausing what he was watching. Recently, he had become quite good at handling technology, even managing to use a washing machine without ruining most of the clothes.

—Just verbal... and I don't want to talk about it now.

—I get it, but I have a question about something.

—Shoot.

—At one point, you mentioned that they did "something" to you. What did you mean?—At that moment, the room fell into complete silence, quickly making the situation uncomfortable. After a few moments, Shoun sighed and spoke:

—Sigh... Sooner or later, you were bound to find out. I need a coffee before talking about this. Do you want anything?

—I'll have a coffee with milk and bread—Kaze answered.

—A hot chocolate!

—You two are going to ruin me at this rate—After preparing the snacks, the three young men sat at the kitchen table—It's definitely hard for me to talk about this. You both know how I became a Seeker, right?

—Yeah, I still remember—Sein responded affirmatively. Shoun had confided that secret to him some time ago.

—Well, I was only 10 at the time. When someone 15 or older becomes a Codex bearer, they're legally considered an adult. Since my situation was special and I was under the minimum age, I was taken to a government orphanage until I turned 15... or that was the initial idea—Shoun paused to take a sip of his black coffee and consider his next words. Sein had barely touched his drink, while Kaze, though attentive, kept eating—As you probably know, my two initial abilities did two things. The second one allowed me to control and manipulate electricity—a classic electrokinesis that made me more powerful. My first ability, however, is more unique. It makes it so I don't have spiritual energy and instead manage electricity in my core. But it has another function: it makes that electricity in my core interact like spiritual energy with objects that require it... To continue, do you know how travel between the elven land "Amalor," the demon realm, and human territory works?

—A bit.

—I saw it on TV, but I didn't understand much of what they were saying—Kaze replied, lowering his mask back to its original position after finishing his bread.

—Well, let's start with the fact that Amalor is far from all human territory, and it's dangerous to travel on foot or by vehicle due to the vestiges. The demon world is even more unusual. Sein, you probably know this, but I'll explain for Kaze. Basically, the demon world is similar to the mirror world in that they coexist on this planet but can't be reached by ordinary means.

—What do you mean?

—Simple. No one can walk or drive to the demon world. It's like the mirror world in that sense. While it's logically connected to our world, we can't just come and go. That's why portals exist to maintain a trade line between the two nations. They're expensive and mainly used to transport goods since they don't require as much energy to activate.

—How expensive is it to transport a person?—Kaze asked.

—Well, it consumes much more energy, and therefore Crests. To give you an idea, I think it's around 10,000 Crests per person. This changes if the person is a Codex bearer, since you could say we're composed of a greater amount of energy. So, transporting a Seeker would cost around 20,000 Crests. That's the net individual value. Ideally, more than one person would travel through a portal, which costs even more, and so on... As you can see, it's all very costly.

—That's true. That's why all nations constantly invest in portal research—Sein explained to Kaze.

—Exactly. The most efficient way to make a portal work is with spiritual energy, but the amount in the air is relatively small, and using the energy from a bearer's core is far from enough. So, they use energy sources like electricity or nuclear power to supplement it. That's where I come in. Since my electricity functions like spiritual energy, it can be used to power a portal with the same efficiency. And if I run out of electricity, they just feed me an external source. Basically, they used the same electricity but spent less because it was more potent.

—So, the government forced you to power portals?

—Partly, but they didn't stop there. They wanted to find a way to better harness electricity to power portals without relying entirely on me. So, they experimented on my body—Shoun recalled what he went through during that time but held back, gripping his coffee cup tightly to avoid exploding—The experiments pushed my body and core to the limit. I was overloaded more times than I can count. They used me as a conductor... among other horrible things.

—Shoun... I had no idea—Sein's heart filled with pity for his friend's situation. Kaze, on the other hand, also looked somewhat downcast.

—That's because I didn't tell anyone about it. Robin probably knows because of their position in the government and because I'm the recruitment target at school. But otherwise, the experiments they did on me are classified—Shoun explained with little enthusiasm before taking another sip of his coffee—Those years... were torture. Overloading my core causes me incredible pain... That's why I avoid talking about this. It's painful.

—Sorry for asking, Shoun. I didn't think it was such a serious situation.

—Don't worry. Like I said, it was something you were bound to find out eventually.

—I have a question—said the usually silent Kaze, who had barely spoken during the entire conversation.

—Shoot.

—How did you get out? If they experimented on you, it seems strange they'd just let you go when you turned 15.

—Well, you're right. They didn't at first. But thanks to a good person who happened to be in the right place at the right time, I got out—Shoun replied with a smile on his face—You both should know him. He was famous before, but now he's even more so. Alex Valen, "The Last Bastion."

—Alex Valen!?

—The Rank 5?

—That's the one. As you probably know, he's recognized as a hero of our nation. He always punishes evil and helps the innocent. When he found out about my situation, he came and personally got me out of the labs where they were keeping me. He also helped me organize things like getting this house functional and my return to school. I owe him a lot. Sadly, it's been a long time since I've been able to talk to him, but I'm forever grateful for his kindness. He's probably the only person in the government I truly respect—Shoun said, a bit more animated.

—I've heard stories about him too. Is he as amazing as the news says?—Sein asked excitedly. Since he was little, he had grown up admiring the defenders of humanity and the world, of which The Last Bastion was a part.

—Well... he's more humble than he seems...—Shoun began to share what he knew about the famous Rank 5, somewhat relieved to change the subject. What they did to him during his time in the orphanage left a permanent mark on his body and psyche, almost as big as the day his family died.

After hours of talking, night finally fell. The time to go to the mirror world had arrived. The three young men walked to the usual spot in the park and began making sure no one was around.

—Hey, Shoun, about this morning... I think you should apologize to Robin. They were harsh, but you weren't exactly kind either. You know they didn't mean any harm—Sein said as he checked the area.

—Sigh... You might be right. It's just that their hypocrisy annoys me...

—Shoun, didn't you yourself hesitate to invite me?

—Wait, you hesitated to invite me?

—Well... more like I doubted my ability to protect you. Robin wasn't lying when they said becoming a Codex bearer involves more than it seems from the outside.

—Shoun... you're strong. You don't have to worry about protecting me. I'll protect myself, you, and Kaze. That's a promise!—Sein responded with great enthusiasm.

—Haha, alright, I'll take your word for it. But to keep that promise, I think you'll need this—They had finished checking the area and were almost ready to go. Shoun approached Sein and pulled something out of his pocket, handing it to the boy.

—Gloves?

—Yep. They're for your butterfingers. The sword is deadlier if it's in your hands at all times. It's a gift from me, so take good care of them.

—Thank you so much, Shoun! I'll cherish them with my life!—Sein said excitedly before hugging Shoun.

—Alright, alright. Put them on so we can go.

The boy put on his new gloves. They were black and covered Sein's hands completely. Once he adjusted them, Shoun and Kaze exchanged a glance and nodded, activating the journey to the mirror world.

The world contracted and began to distort, gradually losing all color—from the perspective of the young men. From Sein's perspective, nothing seemed to be happening at first. He only gradually became aware of the lack of air in the space, noticing step by step the changes brought by the interworld travel.

—This... so this is the mirror world. I think if I hadn't known about it beforehand, I would've been pretty scared.

—Like Shoun when he first came here.

—Hey, he didn't have to know about this!—Before they could continue arguing, they heard the sound of footsteps approaching their location. Quickly, the three prepared for a possible fight.

—Hmm, this place looks quite interesting. Tell me, guys, what is it?—From behind a tree, a young man appeared. He had black hair and eyes of the same color. A gray beret rested on his head, casting a shadow over part of his face. He wore a gray coat and a white shirt with a few holes, along with black pants and elegant black shoes.

What surprised the group the most was that when they used "Inspect" on the mysterious young man, it revealed that he was a Codex bearer—an Apprentice, no less.