Noel: “That’s too many questions. I need you... to ask them slowly.”

Leos: “Hehehe, why...is the guilt eating away at you or something??

Can’t you stand all these questions, back to back?! Are you that dumb? Huh? Murderer??

Fine! Then explain ONE thing to me!”

His fists clenched so tightly that his slightly overgrown fingernails managed to draw blood.

They trembled. Ever so fiercely, they trembled.

If it wasn’t for his own understanding of this seemingly innocent 12 year old possibly being someone who murdered Dr. Watts and 23,000 randoms, then he’d have thrown a vengeful punch already.

Yes. One punch for Chuma and Fabian each. Maybe two or three following right after.

But he didn’t want to die.

He only came to this… stupid hero school because it promised him some semblance of normalcy with guaranteed protection against possible remnants of Professor Watts’ supporters – a relatively new piece of info that only surfaced thanks to Madame Time and her remaining work with the Hero Police.

Leos: “...(Rebeccah jinxed me!)”

Noel: “Can we speed this up a bit? I really don’t wanna waste my time watching you quiver.”

Leos: “...You think this is EASY for me?! Fuck you! I lost two of my closest friends during that...that..! *Sniff* Whatever that was back there!”

Noel’s chest tightened in a fierce sequence of knots. His mind was ravaged with a guilty conscience while his heart panged with fear.

This… was a conversation that young Noel dreaded for two whole years. Oftentimes during his mission breaks, he would imagine having this sort of conversation with a group of survivors, or family members of the dead. He would be pitied, consoled...and eventually blamed in the end.

He would be hated.

He would be scorned.

He would be feared. Feared in a similar fashion to the very victims who he attempted to save, but were instead faced with hopelessness as they all dissipated in despair before contact.

Everybody blaming him…just like on that day.

Was it his fault? He didn’t know.

Twenty-three thousand souls attacking his own with misdirected wrath: or maybe their wrath was justified, since the youngest hitman wasn’t even sure if they would have been killed, had he not appeared on the island.

The attacks on his soul, however, were very minor compared to the voices. The voices of all victims carried not only a collective of chaotic emotions, coagulating inside of his 10 year old brain: but each victim’s memories.

…

All twenty – three thousand of them, from birth to death…Forcefully entering his mind and nearly threatening it to explode. Thankfully he’d received two chips to the brain prior, multiplying the boy’s mental capacity just barely enough to process it all.

Even for Noel: somebody with extremely high levels of computation, intelligence as well as thought-processing skills: witnessing the lives, the happy memories, the bonds each of them formed – then lost.

The pain. The torture and the agonizing deterioration in their hope.

Then their saving grace.

A single man that saved all of them and almost succeeded in a large-scale rebellion.

And once more – everything collapsed into despair right as they again, dreamed and TASTED freedom’s shore.

That wretched boy...he who took their souls away. He who brought them to the highest peaks of happiness after killing Professor Watts, only to drag them all back down into the pits of hell. And all of that hateful regret…

Those dying, precious moments…

Noel tasted all of it.

Noel: “Hah...hahahaha!”

Leos: “Wh-What’s so funny..?”

Noel: “AHAHAHAHAHA...!”

Leos: “I...I said what’s so funny?! Are you LAUGHING at their deaths?! You despicable bastard!! I HATE that somebody like you can walk around free! I HATE IT! You deserve to ROT IN PRISON for that day-”

Noel: “All I remember that day is saving your ungrateful life.”

Leos: “..!”

Noel: “Hahaha, what’s so funny, huh? *Wipes tear*

Do you really want to know exactly what I find so fucking funny? That I SAVED people like you, yet I’m scorned for it.”

Leos: “…”

Noel: “I KILLED the oh so important and untouchable by law, Professor Molodov Watts. I know about the rebellion, do you really think Mr. Watts didn’t account for infiltrators breaking his prisoners out? You all nearly succeeded because I had the unforgivable professor cornered! But, judging by your reaction, maybe you all preferred being under his rule, with your heads on a chopping block.”

Leos: “*Stomp!* Dammit, dammit, fucking dammit all YOU KNOW FULL WELL what I’m talking about! Don’t play dumb you arrogant 12 year old piece of shit! There’s only so much dodging I can take! You said you’d answer all of my questions earlier right??

Then STOP FUCKING DODGING and answer me!

Did you kill all 23,000 people on that fake island or no--?!”

*Clang!!*

A feral claw tore through the air, with a ravening wind trailing behind.

Untamed rage echoed through the forest and vibrated against the nearby bark.

The clawed strike drew blood, and the vocal shockwave stunned all who heard it.

However, neither Leos nor Noel became the primary victim of the deadly combo – only casualties from the howl’s aftershock. Instead, it was a young man with spiky black hair on both the left and right of his head, while the very center of his scalp sported a flattened yellow mohawk, that received every bit of malice from the Wild child.

Both of his forearms sported deep gashes across them: brought about by his hastily thrown guard. Bits of metallic shrapnel fell out of the ripped sleeves and fell to the dead leaves and variable soil.

*Clank!*

As both limbs dropped to both of the man’s sides, two long militaristic resembling knives clattered against his steel-toed boots before burying into the earth. His proud vest barely sported damage, but it’s pockets were in similarly ugly condition as the arm sleeves.

...It failed?

He of all people...failed?

Was their information off?

Who was it that attacked him? Was it this guy?

Did somebody tip the enemy off?

Was their informant… a double agent?!

Do I...have to really kill children...again?

All of his thoughts piled up on top of one another: creating a tower full of boundless anxiety and wordless anger. The surprise attack was foiled: and now, that meant he risked having to hear them screaming right before their deaths.

However a mission is a mission. All the same, he found himself already waiting in a new position to strike. His face showcased hidden anger, but a pair of goggles covered his two eyes, perfectly obstructing them from view.

4: “...Dammit what was that?! Who just got involved with my work – are you a hero?! Show yourself already!! You’re only delaying the inevitable: EVERYBODY is going to die today: without exception and without mercy. THAT INCLUDES YOU!”

Rise: “Hero? Don’t be stupid. I would never stoop so low and join that ragtag gathering of role-players.”

Out of the brush stepped a familiar figure. With long, dark brown and wild hair that appeared more like a mane. With a scar under his fierce left eye. The non-combatant’s uniform decorated his very toned and honed physique, while his shoes appeared worn out and on the verge of breaking.

This young man was clearly Rise.

Except, something seemed...completely different about him.

His reaction time just moments ago were fiercer, his eyes glowed with anticipation instead of boredom and he created stomping quakes upon the simple act of walking.

This wasn’t the normal Rise that either of them knew from this morning’s introductions.

This guy… just what the hell is wrong with him?

Noel didn’t care about that though. Exactly where did he come from? How was he able to appear here so quickly when his speed just moments prior was paltry at best!

Unless he was always in the area..?

No, not that either. Noel would have picked up on the guy’s presence. Nobody could hide from him that easily!! Nobod-

Oliviera: “AAAAAHH!! OH MY LEECHUMS what the plub is going on?!?!”

Noel: “…”

Leos: “Wha- Exactly WHERE are you all popping out from, and who is thi-”

Before he could finish talking, the older man immediately shifted his steps and vanished.

Moments later, he appeared right behind Leos, only to be smacked away by Rise’s momentum – filled kick. The blow didn’t deal any noticeable damage though, and this mysterious man proceeded to prowl about for a few steps before disappearing again.

It seemed to the innocent Oliviera that this bleeding stranger and then after him, her new classmate Rise, suddenly were using Mr. Abrams’s teleportation technique. The resemblance was eerily eye – catching. To her untrained eyes: the males clashing about right now were too hard to predict, let alone trying to catch sight of.

Oliviera: “Oh my leechums-- Wh-what’s going on here?! Daddy! Daddy!! I’ve got to get in touch with my father right NOW!! Are...are we being attacked, or is Rise attacking HIM?! I thought...I – I thought that Rise was a non-combatant??”

Noel: “Being a non-combatant doesn’t mean that you’re weak, just not fit to be a hero, even though you still want to help somehow.”

Leos: “*Stares*”

Noel: “A-Anyways! Ahem!

...We’re being attacked. While Leos and I were in the midst of talking, that guy charged at us with two knives. *Stares back* Right now, Leos would be dead if it wasn’t for Rise. You have him to thank for that.”

Leos: “*Shiver* Y-Yeah...I see that.”

Noel: “More importantly...where exactly did you come from?? Were you there the WHOLE time??”

Oliviera: “...Maybe.”

{...What the hell happened to my senses! Am I broken..?

AM I SERIOUSLY BROKEN??

It’s impossible to not detect somebody watching me from so close a distance! I should be able to detect anybody’s gaze..! Haah, one more topic to investigate. I’ll have to remember that later. Maybe I can ask Aeron. For now...I should eliminate the intruder.

.

.

Ah, wait! I said I wouldn’t kill while here – no more killing!! Besides: kids my age usually wouldn’t think about killing so easily. Oh well, I’ll let Rise keep at this. He seems to have the upper hand somehow. They’re both pretty fast now though.}

Oliviera: “Who...Who do you guys suppose is winning?”

Noel: “Hmm? It’s obviously Rise, can’t you tell?”

Oliviera: “...NO, I can’t, unfortunately.”

Noel: “Well to be accurate, that guy isn’t doing much except running away. He can barely hold the two knives while utilizing his speed to get close to us. For some reason he keeps aiming at Leos.”

Leos: “*Shiver* Wh- Why?!”

Oliviera: “What… What’s his power?”

Noel: “Dunno. He hasn’t really revealed it ye-- BE CAREFUL RISE! Behind you!!”

Thanks to Noel’s timely warning, Rise unquestionably jumped to the side and BARELY managed to avoid a number of serrated blades, oddly resembling saw-toothed scalpels, rushing at him through the forest surrounding. He received a small number of scrapes, but that was all.

4: “Dammit. Thank that kid punk! If it weren't for his help, you’d have been turned into an unsightly cactus by now.”

Rise: “Grrrah! Help? I don’t need any help, ESPECIALLY not to take you down! I haven’t even BEGUN to make my move yet!”

Leos: “Is… Is that his ability..? To take control and manipulate needles?”

Noel: “No. Probably to manipulate metals or something. I dunno what grade it is either.”

{Still, even though this guy is a chump not really worthy of being in my eyes…

Why do I have this strange, and very scary sense of foreboding?? The last time I got this was…

...Was back in the unforgivable Watts’s island…}

---