Chapter 27: The Stalkers / Foolish Arata

“Where…. are we? It's not destroyed, or rundown?” Evan asked

“This is our shopping district. The plaza is over there. It acts as a central hub. You can get anywhere in the city from there.” Line replied, pointing

Evan scanned the area in awe

“I promised to teach you creation magic, didn’t I? Let’s stop here for a second. It’s pretty nice.” Evan said, pointing to a table and chairs.

The workshop seemed to be a shop that’s always closed on the street. Line wondered why it had furniture in the first place.

“Uh, ok?” Line said

“Actually. No, we can do it when we get back. It’s better not to do it out here…people are staring” Evan said

“I don’t think that’s why they’re staring.” Line said

“Huh? Why are they staring, then?” Evan asked

“I’m used to this. But I’m guessing it’s because you’re with me this time.” Line said

“Eh?” Evan asked

“Weird thing about people is, they like beauty. A lot. I’m pretty sure me being with a man, clothes all messed up, is gonna seem kinda suggestive. Well, it is, but… If it gets bad enough, some of the people who stalk me will probably attack you.” Line said

“Wait. Stalk?” Evan asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh. Well, some are actual stalkers, the others just call themselves some kind of fan club.” Line said

“That’s… creepy. And they just… follow you?” Evan asked.

He wondered what torture technique he should use on them.

“Yeah, pretty mu-“ line started

A few people came out from behind a dark corner

“Was that corner always right there?” Evan asked.

“I… I have no clue.” Line said

“Are these the people, then?” Evan asked, shaking his head.

“Yes, these a-“ line started

One of them blew an air horn

“Move away from our queen, immediately!” One yelled into a megaphone

“I’m not dealing with this. That's cringey as hell.” Evan said

“What?” Line asked

“Line, do you by any chance know how to air jump?” Evan asked

“No. Of course not. Only the young elders' disciples can learn it.” Line said

“I see. I think I figured out the first place I want to go, then.” Evan said, suddenly scowling

“Where do the young elders live?” Evan asked

“That way, I’ll bring you there.” Line said. She grabbed his hand and dragged him with her.

The fan club blocked their path.

“I’ll count to three. You don’t move, I kill you.” Evan said, pointing at them

“Dear, lets not kill, ok?” Line said, gripping his hand

“Ah! Yes. Yes, of course. What about injure?” Evan asked.

He had been caught off guard, but he was happy with Lines words

“Fine. Hey, you guys, I recommend leaving.” Line said

“What the hell do you mean, injure? Also, why would we leave?” A couple burly dudes walked up, sneering.

“Classic. Never thought I would see something like this in person.” Evan said

“Dear, you were counting down.” Line reminded

“Oh. Right.” Evan responded

“3.” Evan started.

“Oi. Kid, just screw off. You aren’t allowed anywhere near our queen.” One of the big guys said.

“Alright, fuck the countdown. Line, I’m going to kill this one. Line ain’t anyone’s. Well, other than mine.” Evan said possesively and obsessively.

Evan picked him up into the air with mana.

It crumpled him like a can, condensing him inside of the process usually used to make a mana sphere. As Evan made it smaller and smaller, you could hear his screams distort with his changing vocal chords, and the sound of snapping bones, wet flesh, and squelching. It was disgusting.

He dropped the dead pile of… whatever… on the floor. The condensed mana sphere exploded, killing the other burly dude, and knocking the others back

“Scram.” He said to the, now severely injured, group of stalkers

They ran. Some of them laid dead on the ground other than the burly dudes, either out of pure bad luck, or a weak body.

“Uh. Did you really need to make it so gruesome, hun?” Line asked, squeezing his hand, her eyes glued shut.

“I’ll do it less painfully next time, and with less gore. Sorry, Line.” Evan said, apologetic.

“I know it’s weird to ask this now, but... you're used to killing, aren’t you?” Line asked

“Mhmm… very…” Evan said

“I see.... That doesn’t really change much, though. Not to me. As long as you promise to try your best not to traumatize me any more, I’m happy!” Said line, smiling

“That’s good to know.” Evan said. He patted her head.

“Wow. You can barely reach me!” Line laughed

“I'm 16, and underdeveloped. You are 22. Not to mention, you’re very tall for your age. Of course it would be hard.” Evan said, pouting

Evan was around 5 feet and 1 inch tall. Very short. He was still growing, though. His body at 19 would be of average height, but rather thin.

Line was around 5 feet and 8 inches tall.

“Are you always going to look 16?” Line asked, slightly concerned

“Eh, it will probably stop my growth at around 19, max. So... kinda. I’ll look Normal, but a little thin and skinny. Not that it can’t be fixed by being fit.” Evan said

Line thought for a moment.

“Well, I guess you are my type.” Line said giddily

“That’s good to know. Is it too big of a coincidence that you’re my type, too, at this point? Oh, right. I forgot something incredibly important. Not nearly as much as you, but it concerns the fighting force of our soldiers. Do you know anything about the young elders? Like their names?” Evan asked.

He was now the same height as line.

“Uh, yes. I believe it’s Arata, Suzu, and Ryu.” Line said

“Got it.” Evan said. He pat her head again

“What the?” Line said

“What?” Evan asked, laughing

“Wait…. are you able to walk on air, too? You can use air jump?” Line asked

“Yes. I figured it out a long time before those elders did.” Said Evan

“So.... you were the one that taught them?” Line asked

“No. They developed it on their own. They do have skill. Though, I was technically the director of the academy they developed it in. I may have had Kate install something to help them, but that’s it. A bamboo thing.” Evan said

“Just a... small question.” Line said

“Yes?” Evan said

“Exactly how old were you when you were the academy director? I feel like my math doesn’t add up.” Line said

“Ah. From what I said earlier. I was around 8.” Evan said

“Oh dear god. It’s not like I didn’t believe Phil, but….” Line said

“Yeah. It is kinda unbelievable, I must admit. If I wasn’t the person in question, I wouldn’t really believe it if someone told me that the minds behind the greatest company in the world were two kids, either.” Said Evan

“Two?” Line asked

“Yeah. Oh. You know the second world project, right?” Evan asked

“Of course I do. It’s a required subject.” Said line

“Well. I made and designed the entire thing for my friends, at first. Then, for all of the people in the world. It only reached the 60% compatibility rate, unfortunately...If I had more time...No. Anyway. I had my friend Kane sent in there, so he could use his ability to do maintenance on the other side. I imagine that right now, he’s probably with Anne, relaxing on a beach or something. He's the other mind behind the success of LimeTech.” Evan said

“Wait. That was you? Hold on. You mean Kane, the master builder?! The god of those who work with their hands?” Line asked

“Yeah.” Evan said

“How much of the stuff in the world is here because of you?” Line asked

“Hmm... This entire base would have never existed, even as a concept, without me. The entire world would have been long since destroyed, nobody even knowing that a war was going to occur. They would probably still have been fighting their tiny little wars against other countries up until the end. They wouldn’t have any of the tech that limetech made, and limetech would never have existed. All of the stuff that helped with, say, getting rid of world hunger? Gone. The world was...no, is dependent on limetech. On me.” Said Evan, theorizing possible scenarios in his head.

“Who...are you exactly?” Line asked

“Someone who likes limes, way too much.” Evan said

“What’s that mean?” Line asked

“I'm not sure....I haven’t found mine yet." Evan said

"Where are we headed to?" Line asked

"Arata's place." Evan said

They arrived after a few minutes

“So, this is where Arata chose to stay as a damned hermit.” Evan said, looking around

“I wish I could refute that.” said line

“Who the hell are you to disrespect the elder like that?!” A kid asked arrogantly

“And who the hell are you to disrespect me?” Evan asked

“Dear, it’s not a good idea to turn this into a big deal.” Line said

“This is a bigger deal than you can possibly realize, Line. I didn’t have them train in my damn academy and make them immortal, just so they could sit around, teaching barely anyone! I intended for them to be teaching the younger generations at the academy! What the hell happened to that! They were supposed to ensure the strength of the people, generation after generation! How many people died because they didn’t have the fighting skills to do something as simple as escaping a fucking crocodile, damnit! Line, I even asked you if you knew air jump. You didn’t. They are supposed to teach that technique in the academy. It is stated very explicitly in the job description I gave them. You could have died, or gotten hurt, line! That is NOT okay!” Evan said, frowning

“Academy? Ha. They left that place ages ago.” The kid said

“They…. what?” Evan asked, freezing

“What kinda ancient knowledge do you have? What are you, 3 centuries old?” The kid scoffed

“Older.” Evan said coldly

“Eh?” The kid said

“Take me to Arata. Now. Or I’m forcing my way in.” Evan said

“Guh! Like hell I'm letting you in here. Listen to your voice! You seem ready to kill the elder at a moments notice!” The kid said.

“How perceptive of you. That’s exactly what I intend to do, if he doesn't give me a satisfactory explanation. Line. I’ll shield you from this, but be careful. It’s rather hard for me to contain my anger right now. Stay back.” Evan said.

He was smiling. Grinning? Sneering? None of those seemed right. It was as though the devil himself was there, hiding behind the cruel smile on a young, 16 year old boys, face.

Line felt bouncy. Evan seemed to be pouring mana towards her, protecting her. Giving her strength, even.

Then she noticed. It shouldn’t have been possible, but it was right in front of her. The air, the mana around Evan, had turned into a condensed red. An aura of killing intent strong enough to frighten god himself was spilling out. The kid at the front door died. Instantly. From the pressure alone, he got crushed, causing an indentation on the ground. It looked as though he had been flattened by a hydraulic press. Except, there wasn’t any blood, and nothing looked gross. Just a flat shirt, line noticed.

Evan let his voice be carried through the crimson mist of ambient mana, towards Arata.

“Arata. Come out here. I’d like you to explain a few things.” Evan said, making the mana pulse with pure, unbridled rage.

Arata scrambled towards the front grounds.

Evan seemed to suck all of the pressure and mana back into himself, as well as the killing intent, in a second.

“Alright. Arata. I came here first. Tell me. I gave you a job. Why are you not doing it?” Evan asked, leaning down, right beside Aratas head

“I’ll give you some face, and let you live, considering my wife is here, and she dislikes being traumatized. But explain this to me. I left you guys in charge of the younger generations. I wanted you guys to give the people access to easy fighting techniques, knowledge, ethics, and to give them hope. Tell me what happened. Or I won’t hesitate to send her away, so I can kill you, gruesomely.” Evan whispered into Aratas ear

Arata was shaking. He had nearly no control over his body, and it had gone completely numb. He had goosebumps across his entire body, and it felt as though he had just been released from a giant chunk of ice that had held him captive for millennia. He had been sitting on his knees, because he couldn’t move. His mana was invaded by pure fear. His soul was scared to the point of being removed from the cycle of life and death, all worlds trembling in fear. His brain understood what was going on, pumping more and more fear into him, endlessly. His arms went limp. He couldn’t even control his mouth. He stuttered gibberish.

“Ah. I went a tad too far, didn’t I? Apologies. It’s just that I had this plan set in motion, centuries ago. I think being a little mad is... slightly understandable.” Said Evan

“Sli-tlee? Djcn.. That aura could probably even frighten god himself to death. Oh. I can talk. You… you are Evan, correct?” Arata asked

“Yes.” Evan said.

A small glare, full of killing intent, washed over Arata slowly, as Evan opened his eyes and stared at him. The wider they opened, the worse it got.

“Wait, hold on.... Wife? What?” Arata said, confused, and frightened.

“Don’t worry about it. Answer my question or you fucking die.” Evan said calmly, smiling.

There had been no increase in the volume of his voice, or even scarier, almost no change in his normal voice. He didn’t sound mad. But the pressure behind him that was being suppressed, begged to differ.

“Ah! I actually don’t know what you mean! I’ve taught it to the main inner disciples so they would teach the outer disciples and so on. What do you mean by 'I’m not training them'? Well, I guess I’m not directly training them.. but…” Arata said.

“Right. Forgot you guys were idiots in the wierdest of ways. Do you never go out, at all?” Evan asked

“I go to Suzus pretty much every other day, and vice versa. We visit Ryu pretty often, but that’s about it. I guess I don’t really go out all that much, no.” Arata said

“Well, I’ll let you know something. Your disciples are saying that the technique is only for them to learn. Not only that, but they have no discipline, and are cocky assholes. Death is what happens to those kind of humans. I was watching over you guys while you were still in the academy! I didn’t think you’d make such a stupid mistake. I guess I can’t completely blame you, but you never made sure that the training the other disciples got was even correct. What if they got taught a single step wrong when they’re up in the sky? Death. No wonder we have been losing the war! And I had gotten excited at the thought of being able to live a peaceful life with my beautiful wife, Line. Now I have to beat up a god damn army of stupid fucking crocodiles!” Evan said, frightening reality itself with his pressure, cracking it slightly.

“What? Are you kidding? Seriously? I.. don’t know what to say to that… I have completely and utterly failed at doing my job.... There really isn’t an excuse for that, when it’s to ensure the survival of the human race.” Arata said, feeling even worse from guilt than he was from Evans killing intent

“Great. Do your job properly from now on. Tell Suzu and Ryu. Ryu seems to be doing fine, though, considering the amount of knowledge the general public has, as well as their physical fitness. I’m not sure if Suzu has, either, but the general population seems to be, for the most part, informed of history, ethics, and beliefs. As long as the library is still intact, it’s fine. But, aside from that, I’m going to clean up your disciples later. At least the ones who were a part of this. Their actions amount to them commiting a crime against every person, alive or dead. I don’t care what they say, or if it’s some kinda tradition. Round them all up. Every. Last. One. Ask them how they want to die. I’ll take the ones who have no involvement out. Other than that, I’m killing them. With a death ten times as cruel as what they said. The ones who choose decently interesting choices, maybe I can spare them. For a few more hours, at least.” Evan said

“What? Wait, you weren’t this kind of person!” Arata said

“Ah. There is the exact word I’m looking for. I like people, Arata. But, I despise and hate humans to my very core. I’m fine if you’re both, but the ones you’re rounding up? They aren’t people. They have chosen to damage the safety and future of everyone. They are, by no means, people, good or bad. Even bad people are redeemable. Trash like that, isn’t.” Evan said

“Uh.. wait, what? How can you? No... I… guess there just wasn’t any opportunity for you to show this side of you to us, was there. And I thought I knew you, at least a little. Tell me, please. What the hell have you gone through, to make you like this? This type of twisted perspective isn’t natural. I know that much.” Arata asked

“Nothing. I’m just a person who likes limes way too much. Without people, limes are sad. So live. Or I’ll kill you.... For what I love, forget killing a person, I would kill our reality itself for them! Shatter it. Destroy it. Kill millions, billions, trillions, infinite. It doesn’t matter. They aren’t my limes! They don’t matter.” Evan said, the smile on his face growing even darker than a demon.

Arata made a very foolish mistake. He looked that demon in the eyes. I have no idea what he saw, but it drove him to the brink of insanity in a millisecond. Less.

“Pitiful.” Evan said, watching Arata with a look of disgust

Evan left Arata to crumble in his little quivering pile, on the ground. He had already forgotten about the disciples.

“Line, let's go home. I’m tired!” Evan said

“Yes. Did we need to go shopping, though, dear?” Line asked

“I think we have everything, right?” Evan asked

“I guess we can just put what we don’t have down on a list. We can go and get it tomorrow.” Line said

“Yeah! Sounds pretty good to me.” Said Evan

“You’re acting like a kid again!” Line said, laughing

“Hey! I’m only 16! I’m technically still a kid!” Evan said

“Oh. Huh. I guess you’re right. Wait… does that mean you aren’t of legal age?” Line said

“I am, don’t freak out.” Evan lied

“Oh. Ok, that’s good.” Said Line

“By the way, even if I wasn’t, it doesn’t matter. I’m in charge, after all.” Evan said, flashing a smile

“True. For good reason, too. You may brush it off, but you saved us. I heard about what happened to the people who refused to listen and didn’t get in the glass bubbles…” line said

“Yeah. We lost 2% of the population to stupidity. I honestly expected better. I guess humans and people are different indeed.” Evan said

“Why do you say that?” Line asked

“Hey line, have you ever met an alien? Talked to one?” Evan asked