Saito headquarters, Tokyo Roppongi

“The truth you know about mankind’s evolution is only partially true. However, there is far more to that story than what you have been told.” Yamamoto said.

Everyone in the room had their attention focused on him and no one dared interrupt.

“The humans of ancient history were just like all the other animals they shared the Earth with. They foraged, they hunted when necessary and they survived. Mankind continued to live harmoniously with nature for thousands of years, that is until the Aethon’s came. They descended from the heavens and learnt how to communicate with mankind. The Aethon’s told mankind that they were a species that lived on a higher plane of existence in the universe. The Aethon’s were captivated by life on earth, like scientists who had made an extraordinary discovery and they wished to protect all life but their time on Earth was short and so they gave that most sacred duty of protecting life on earth to mankind. The Aethon’s taught mankind use science and technology to improve their chances of survival. Then, as mysteriously as they had arrived, they left. The ones who were gifted with knowledge from the Aethon’s were called wisdom holders. These were people who managed the use of the sacred knowledge, since mankind kind wouldn’t be able to use all of it, due to technological limitations. The wisdom holders later formed the council, which governed the use of the sacred knowledge, but as most of you can tell, they haven’t kept their end of the deal. Every day, we lose more life on this planet than we gain. What do you think the Aethon’s will think when they return? I’m most certainly sure they will not be pleased.”

Silence filled the hall after Yamamoto spoke.

“Unbelievable.” Rin Takahashi gasped.

Kiochi greed.

But there wasn’t much he could say to refute any of what he just heard.

“I understand how you feel. But what Kiochi experienced a few days ago confirms it. Mankind’s day of reckoning is fast approaching. The group of Aethon's that Koichi's men encountered were surely sent here to find out what mankind did with the knowledge they blessed us with.” Yamamoto said clearly.

Rin Takahashi stepped forward.

“So you actually faced some of those things. How were they? I’m sure the Kynigoi known as blood steel dealt with them swiftly, right?” He asked, his expression was one of shock and disbelief.

“No. My men were slaughtered right in front of me. They are strong, very strong and I don’t think that a team consisting of multiple A ranked Kynigoi could defeat one of them, let alone a whole group.” Kiochi said.

“So what are you saying? We can’t win?” Rin raised his voice slightly.

“Calm down, Rin. What we must focus on first is the council. I have a feeling they know more about the Aethon’s than I do. It would be best if we gathered as much information as possible before we take any action.” Yamamoto said.

“Ok. I get it. The council is messed up, but why would they hide this information and how do you know any of this?” David asked.

“Because I too am a wisdom holder and I was once offered a seat on the council.” Yamamoto answered and silence fell on the room again.

“Mr. Saito, you said that you trusted everyone in this room, but I don’t see you brother here.” Dalila pointed out.

Yamamoto lowered his head in thought, then raised it shortly after.

“That’s because as much as I love my brother, I do not trust him. He would most likely side with the council. He’s always been so hard headed.” Yamamoto explained.

No one spoke for a while.

Then Yamamoto’s phone rang.

He stood up and answered.

“Yamamoto here.”

“What?”

“Sure, let them in"

He placed his phone in his pocket.

“Ok. That enough for today. We’ll continue this talk later. Right now we need to solve another piece of this puzzle. I’m pretty sure you’re all familiar with the Ovum Vitae?” Yamamoto asked and everyone nodded.

“Good. It would seem that another one was discovered in Morocco a few days ago.”

Everyone out a gasp.

Kiochi was confused.

Didn’t he see those giants excavating another one in Myanmar?

“Yes, Kiochi. There’s another one. What your men saw was another Ova.” Yamamoto answered my mental question.

“So far all we know is that the Aethon’s left them before they returned to their home, wherever that might be. A scientist is currently on her way here with the fourth one.” Yamamoto said.

David tilted his head backwards and asked. “You said fourth. Unless I’m misunderstanding something, there should only be three. One that’s in a museum in the UK, another is currently here in Tokyo and the one Kiochi saw.”

Everyone stared at Yamamoto with curiously.

“Well, you see the council also has one. They’ve had it since the near beginning, but once they learnt that they didn’t know what it was or what it did, they kept it sealed within a secret place that even I don’t know of.”

Before anyone could process any of what Yamamoto had said the metal door slid up revealing a beautiful dark skinned woman and an average looking man of similar complexion, who was carrying a large case.

“Dr. Tahiri, welcome. Nice to meet you again after all these years.” Yamamoto walked over to the woman and gave her a polite handshake.

“It has been a while since I’ve seen that wrinkly face of yours.” The woman replied.

None one mentioned anything about the conversation they had just had as they introduced themselves to the professor and her assistant.

[Something is off about that one.]

Eve said.

‘Who? The professor?’ Kiochi asked.

[No. The man. Keep an eye on him.]

‘Noted.’

The man known as Yassine Alami placed the case on a nearby table and opened it, revealing the Ovum Vitae.

It looked exactly like the one Kiochi saw in the forest and the one in the museum in the UK.

“Now, Mr. Saito, we only have a couple of days so we should maximize the time we spend working on that thing." Dr. Tahiri announced.

“I agree. Everyone go finish off whatever it is you were doing and return here at four o’clock sharp.” Yamamoto said.

Oh right! Kiochi remembered that his sleep had been disturbed by Dalila.

He rubbed my eye’s and walked over to her.

“Hey, I’m starving and since you ruined my sleep, you owe me lunch.” Kiochi said half jokingly.

She stood up and gave Kiochi a salute.

“Yes sir! The dining hall is on the second floor. This way, sir!” Dalila said cheerfully.

“Enough with the salutes. Remember: I’m not a Kynigoi anymore.” Kiochi clarified as he followed her out of the hall.

“That doesn’t matter. You’re Kiochi Suzuki, the legendary blood steel. If I don’t show you the appropriate amount of respect, my blood may end up coating your swords blade, right?” She didn’t look back as she spoke.

“That’s an exaggeration.” Kiochi said as the two took the elevator down, this time they used the normal elevator.

They walked down a few corridors and then Kiochi’s eyes fell on the most beautiful sight I had seen since waking up.

Even the professor Tahiri’s beauty paled in comparison to what he saw in front of him.

It was an all you can eat buffet.

Various aromas filled the air and Kiochi could feel his saliva glans kick themselves into high gear.

“I’ll need more than a few minutes here.”

.

..

Yassine Alami, had never been more intimidated in his entire life than he had been the moment he passed through that metal door.

In front of him stood a ruggedly handsome tall young man wearing a bullet vest, a well dressed man who looked about the same age as the other one, a angry looking blond man, an old man and a beautiful young woman.

Yassine thought that they were supposed to be meeting some nerds in lab coats.

This was the complete opposite of that!

The professor didn’t even seem phased by any of it.

Well, she did seem acquainted with the old man, but still.

The atmosphere was too intense for Yassine’s heart to handle.

Not to mention when he shook the hand of the man known as Kiochi, Yassine felt as though his hands were on fire.

“Are you done setting everything up, Yassine?” Dr. Tahiri asked.

Most of everyone had already left, leaving only Yassine, Dr. Tahiri and the dirty blond man.

“Yes, I’m done.” Yassine answered as he crouched under the table where the Ovum Vitae was sitting.

Various machines and devises were set up to measure and observe the Ovum.

Yassine’s job was to ensure that all of them functioned properly.

“Mr. Freeman, why don’t you take a break, I’ll handle the rest of the preparations.” Dr. Tahiri suggested.

The blond man agreed and left.

“You too, Yassine. Why don’t you get acquainted with everyone and we’ll meet back here in a few hours.” She said as she peek under the table.

It was only momentarily, but Yassine could have sworn he saw the colour of her bra underneath her blouse.

Purple was indeed a lovely colour.

Yassine coughed those thoughts away as he connected the last of the devices.

Why did Mrs. Tahiri send everyone off like that?

Yassine would have been able to get his work done and still have time to get to know everyone.

Oh well, he was quite hungry, so he didn’t question her.

“Ok. I’ll be in the dining hall.” Yassine said as he crawled out from under the table and walked out of the hall.

But then Yassine remembered he wasn’t wearing his jacket.

He had taken it off while working the machines.

He got into the hall and heard Mrs. Tahiri's voice.

“Yes, I’ve just arrived with the Ovum.”

“who?”

“Kiochi Suzuki? Yes, he’s here.”

“That would be difficult. He is A ranked after all. But something seemed off about him. He’s really skinny. Aren’t soldiers supposed to be huge?”

“A defect? Oh, I see.”

“Understood.”

She hung up the phone and Yassine pretended to have just walked in.

“I thought you said you’d be in the dining hall.” She asked with a raised brow.

“Ah- y- yes. Of course. I just forgot my jacket. I wouldn’t want to embarrass myself. Hehe.” Yassine let out a weak laugh, grabbed his jacket from the table and walked out of the hall.

What was the professor up to?

What did it have to do with that Kiochi person?

He was rather handsome so it would make sense if she was interested in him.

Arrg! Yassine imagined something preposterous.

None of it made any sense to him, so he went to the dining hall, ignoring what he had just heard.

What Yassine found once he reached the dining hall was quite the sight to behold.

He saw the blond man, Yamamoto Saito, Rin, another woman and Dalila Omar surrounding Kiochi as he ate.

“That’s his tenth serving! Is that even humanly possible?” Rin exclaimed while pulling at his hair in amazement.

“I’m pretty sure that he can eat more than that at this point.” The blond man predicted.

Apparently his name was David Freeman.

“How much are you willing to bet that he can eat three more plates full of food?” Yamamoto asked to anyone who was listening.

“Two hundred says that he can only eat two more servings of rice.” Dalila said while gently patting Kiochi on the shoulder.

Kiochi himself wasn’t concerned with any of what occurred around him.

He kept his gaze on the meal in front of him and devoured the food on the plate.

It was almost nightmarish.

Wasn’t his jaw tired of all the chewing?

“Three hundred dollars says he’s done.” Rin said confidently.

Everyone, including random Saito staff members watched in anticipation as Kiochi ate.

To everyone’s surprise he ate five more servings before storming off to the bathroom.

No money was exchanged since no ones prediction was correct.

A couple of hours of useless banter passed and once everyone settled down, Yassine checked his watch, which showed that the time was fifteen minutes to four.

He made his way back to the elevator, but he was taken by surprise when Mrs. Omar greeted him and joined him in the elevator.

She was extremely beautiful and he heard that her father was a big shot businessman.

“Mrs. Omar, Kiochi is amazing. I’m curious as to what he does for a living.” Yassine said politely.

The last thing he wanted to do was to piss off the daughter of a rich and powerful man.

“Hey, you can just call me Dalila and I can’t tell you anything about Kiochi or what he is. If I did, you’d probably be killed.” She said casually.

Sweat beads formed on Yassine’s forehead as he made a mental note not to anger Kiochi or Dalila.

The two arrived on the eighth floor and made our way to the hall where the Ovum Vitae was being kept.

Everyone but Kiochi was there and the professor had already begun taking measurements and readings from several devices.

A couple of minutes passed and Kiochi eventually arrived.

The metal door closed behind him.

“Ok. First I’d like to run various amounts of current through the Ovum Vitae. Starting with-"

Dr. Tahiri was interrupted by the sound of a massive explosion coming from below.

“What was that?” Yassine asked, his voice was more frightened than curious.

No one answered his question and another loud explosion sounded off below.

“The boom brother’s.” Dalila whispered.

“Kiochi, over here. I did some tests on the Nodachi, but sadly the results won’t be back for a while.” Yamamoto lifted a long case and placed it on a desk.

Kiochi opened the case and pulled out a long curved sword, hidden inside a beautiful black scabbard.

Kiochi quickly attached the scabbard to his waist and walked over to the door.

Rin Takahashi followed closely behind him.

“No, stay with them just in case something goes wrong.” Kiochi suggested and Rin complied.

“Come on everybody, back here. We’ll hide behind the equipment.” Yamamoto pointed at the large drum shaped containers at the far side of the hall.

Yassine and the others hid, but various gaps in the equipment gave them many viewpoints to still have Kiochi within their line of sight.

Kiochi walked over to the halls main control board and switched off all the lights in the hall.

“Yamamoto, this floor is reinforced right?” Kiochi asked.

“Yeah, the whole building is built like a bunker but this floor was made extra tough. Don’t be afraid to go all out.” Yamamoto shouted out in response.

What were these people talking about?

How could they be so calm at a time like this?

Who had the audacity to attack a building in Tokyo?

Dalila said boom brothers?

Were they terrorists?

Yassine’s thoughts froze as another explosion went off.

This time it was on the floor they were on.

Explosion after explosion went off until the sounds came from right behind the door.

“Kiochi, are you in there? It’s me, Trevor.” Yassine heard a mans voice.

“Yeah, I’m in here.” Kiochi responded.

Why were they having a casual conversation? Yassine wondered.

“We’ve been sent to kill you. Nothing personal, just the councils orders. You know how it is.” Another manly voice said.

They both sounded peculiar.

Were they Jamaican?

“Yeah, I know. Let me guess, you’ve brought more guests with you. Is A-2 there?” Kiochi asked.

“Nah, he didn’t wanna come. But we do have twelve B ranked Kynigoi with us. Yep, almost all of Japan’s B ranked Kynigoi are here.” The first voice said.

“Ok. Thanks for the heads up.” Kiochi said.

Then silence followed.

Followed by more silence.

Then a deafening explosion came from the door and flung dust and pieces of the door everywhere.

Yassine looked over and saw that Kiochi was still standing still in front of a hole that was once the door.

Just what the hell was that guy?

.

..

‘Is he lying?’ Kiochi asked Eve.

[No. I detect fourteen people. Twelve of them are the B ranked Kynigoi.]

Kiochi understood his situation and he knew that needed to act accordingly.

His plan was to use the darkness as a cloak and kill off all of the B ranked Kynigoi.

That would leave him with the Boom Brother’s to deal with.

Kiochi needed to be fast, very fast, because Trevor had a very dangerous weapon that could blow Kiochi to pieces if given the chance.

[Your current speed will suffice. Due to your reduced weight and extraordinary physique, you should be able to easily deal with B rankers.]

Eve said.

[Oh, and I will be able to enhance your body during combat.]

‘How will that work? I thought you purged all of my arguments.’ Kiochi asked as he tightly gripped his Nodachi.

[Remember that unidentified metal in your body? Well, it has integrated itself into almost every part of your body, including your muscles. It’s light, yet durable. This means that your muscles can withstand higher workloads, meaning that you’re now faster and stronger than before.]

Kiochi understood what she was saying, but how would he power these new tissues?

[Just take calm, deep breaths and everything should be fine.]

Eve reassured him.

Kiochi decided to trust her and took deep breaths.

He could feel the air enter his lungs and almost instantly, Eve went to work.

She took the oxygen Kiochi got from the air and turbo charged his muscles.

His body trembled as his muscles twitched and convulsed due to the intense energy boost.

A sole Kynigoi entered the hall.

He was Kiochi’s test subject.

Kiochi dashed towards him.

His speed was far faster than he thought it would be and in no time, he reached the heavily armoured soldier, swung his Nodachi and cleanly separated the Kynigoi’s head from its body.

This speed was truly something else, because stopping myself was proving to be quite labour some.

The thick cloud of dust that hung in the air, proved very useful.

“You idiot’s! Don’t go out there one by one, go as a group and kill the him!” Trevor shouted.

Eleven of them came this time.

Kiochi jumped into the air and landed behind one of the Kynigoi and twisted his neck.

[I’m currently evaluating your overall combat effectiveness and measuring your speed and strength, as well as energy consumption. Keep up the good work and I’ll have tonnes of data in no time.]

Kiochi gave her a mental nod and rushed to his next target.

The Kynigoi tried shooting Kiochi, but by the time soldier squeezed the trigger, Kiochi had already sliced off both of the soldier’s arms.

The Kynigoi’s cries filled the hall as he curled up into a ball on the ground.

Kiochi faced his remaining target’s.

Their guns were already pointed at him and so it was only a matter of time before they rained a storm of bullets at Kiochi.

[I have an idea.]

Eve said and Kiochi felt a tingling sensation across his entire body.

Kiochi’s kin darkened considerably and developed a thick, rock like texture.

The Kynigoi fired several rounds at Kiochi, but even Kiochi was surprised when all of the bullets bounced off his body.

Of course he still felt traces of the impacts, but other than that he was fine.

What did eve just do? Kiochi wondered.

But he didn’t have time to question Eve’s actions, yet.

Kiochi dashed towards one of the Kynigoi firing at him and grabbed him by the neck.

Using the Kynigoi as a shield, Kiochi walked towards the man’s comrades.

They’re faces were frozen stiff with fear, but they fired regardless until their clips ran dry.

Kiochi dropped the lifeless body in hand and looked at looked targets one by one.

They’re weren’t moving, but something felt familiar about their reaction.

Kiochi looked at his hand and saw it was a dark grey colour.

But before Kiochi could think about his appearance, a small object hit him in the face and detonated.

“What the hell is wrong with you idiot’s?” Trevor yelled.

Kiochi don’t know who Trevor was yelling at since he had blown away all of his men.

“Kiochi! Is that your augment? Why the hell is your skin blacker than Aaron’s?” Trevor asked was he walked into the hall.

He emerged from the smoke and dust, revealing his body, which was fully covered in tactical gear.

Trevor was tall, standing at around six feet, three inches.

His thick arms resembled great oak branches and his dreadlocks gave him an untamed vibe.

Kiochi steeled myself for the coming battle.

“I’m not sure either.” Kiochi replied.

Trevor raised the grenade launched in his hand and aimed it at Kiochi’s head.

“How many of these do you think you can handle?” He asked curiously.

[If you take anymore of those things, your internal organs will become porridge.]

Eve cautioned Kiochi.

“Not as many as I’d like.” Kiochi answered Trevor.

Trevor nodded.

Time seemed to slow down and he focused his attention on all of Trevor’s movements.

Trevor fired two grenades at Kiochi.

Kiochi dodged swiftly and closed the distance between him and his opponent , leaving the two grenades to go off behind him.

In that time, Kiochi swung his Nodachi and aimed for Trevor’s neck.

Trevor acted quickly and aimed his launcher at Kiochi as he approached.

Trevor fired another grenade at point black range.

The grenade hit Kiochi in the face and exploded, sending him flying backwards.

[I cannot sustain your armour for too long, especially if you keep talking that kind of damage.]

Eve warned Kiochi as his head rung.

He could barely make out Trevor’s silhouette as it approached him.

“Have you already forgotten? I’m a walking tank, ha! This things barely have an effect on me.” Trevor said proudly.

Kiochi knew Trevor’s augments allowed him to take large amounts of damage, but for him to be completely unfazed made Kiochi’s head spin even faster.

Kiochi steadied himself and prepared for another attack.

Trevor’s launcher could only fire five grenades and he had already shot four.

Kiochi ran towards him again, faster than before.

Then Kiochi heard an explosion behind him.

He glanced over and saw Aaron standing near the table where the Ovum Vitae was.

“Hey, focus!” Trevor yelled.

Before Kiochi realised it, Trevor’s fist had already reached his face, sending him flying backwards.

[Kiochi, I’m disabling your armour function.]

Eve said.

Why now of all times? Kiochi complained internally.

Trevor walked over Kiochi’s body and pointed his launcher at Kiochi’s head.

“You are our superior? The legendary A-3 blood steel is nothing more than a sheep wearing the skin of a werewolf. Aaron, grab the professor and the egg. We’re leaving.” Trevor yelled across the room, while placing his leg on Kiochi’s chest, like a hunter taking pride over a glorious hunt.

“Ok, bro.” Aaron replied, after closing the case with the Ovum Vitae.

Rin Takahashi stood heroically between Aaron and Dr. Tahiri.

His fists were raised and his stance was low.

But what happened next surprised even Kiochi.

In a instant, Aaron disappeared from sight, then reappeared behind Rin and before Rin could even turn, Aaron gave him a karate chop on the head, sending Rin crashing down to the floor.

After confining that Rin was no longer moving, Aaron turned around and extended his hand towards the professor.

Kiochi couldn’t hear anything they said, but Dr. Tahiri followed closely behind Aaron as they passed Kiochi and left the hall.

Kiochi heard the feint sounds of a helicopter coming from somewhere.

“You know what’s funny about this? Mrs. High and mighty said that it would require several A classed Kynigoi to pin you down and yet here we are. I alone, Trevor Wilkins, have single handily taken down the alpha wolf.” Trevor boasted.

His voice became more irritating the more he talked.

Why didn’t Kiochi kill him instantly?

He was out of energy.

It would seem that the buffs Eve gave him consumed large amounts of energy, leaving him in a defenceless state.

“Too bad everyone back at HQ won’t be able to witness this historic moment.” Trevor continued.

[Kiochi, I’ve been sensing a strange energy source for a while now. Its coming from the Ovum Vitae. I’m not sure, but its closely linked to you in some way. If you can reach it, I’ll able to help.]

Eve said.

‘Ok. Leave it tome.’ Kiochi replied.

At this point, Trevor had been stepping on Kiochi’s chest with a considerable amount of force, so breathing was becoming a arduous task.

Kiochi took as deep a breath as his compressed chest would allow and tried to raise his body.

“No you don’t!” Trevor Fired his launcher, but in that instant Kiochi jammed the hilt of his Nodachi down the barrel of the launcher, resulting in an explosion that sent Trevor flying upwards.

Kiochi wasn’t any luckier as tremendous amounts of pain assaulted every part of his body.

But to Kiochi’s surprise, he raised his head and saw that he didn’t have a single burn mark.

Yes, his clothes were torn to pieces, but he was still intact.

[I used armour mode briefly to shield you from the blast.]

Eve reported.

Seeing Trevor rolling on the ground, Kiochi took the opportunity and ran out of the hall.

He took the emergency stairs and went to the roof of Saito headquarters.

There he saw a helicopter preparing for take off.

Aaron and Dr. Tahiri were in the rear compartment and a single pilot sat in the cockpit.

Kiochi ran as fast as he could, climbed over several rails and got onto the landing pad.

He could see Aaron telling the pilot to take off, but then the door opened and Aaron jumped out, closing the door behind him.

“Is big bro dead?” Aaron asked.

“No. I blew us both up and ran here as fast as I could.” he answered.

Aaron nodded, then in an instant, his big body which was five or so meters in front of Kiochi was now in within arms reach.

Then a sharp pain assaulted Kiochi’s left cheek.

He had punched me, but when? Kiochi wondered.

Kiochi blinked and Aaron disappeared.

Kiochi looked around but found nothing, only to have a knee slam into his face.

He fell helplessly onto the ground and blood started dripping from his mouth and nose.

“For someone so highly ranked, you’re pretty slow, you know?” Aaron said.

Kiochi tried to get up, but Aaron decided to kick him In the ribs.

Fortunately, Kiochi had seen that coming, so he grabbed Aaron’s leg and launched the two of them into the helicopters side.

Aaron elbowed Kiochi in the back and in exchange, Kiochi punched him in the ribs.

The pilot must have panicked because the helicopter started swaying mid air.

“what is that guy doing?” Aaron yelled, loosening his grip on Kiochi momentarily.

Kiochi used Aaron’s confusion against him, placed his Nodachi behind Aaron’s legs and cut through his Achilles tendon on both his legs.

“Arrg!” Aaron screamed in pain, but Kiochi wasn’t done.

He gave Aaron’s legs several slashes with his Nodachi, effectively turning Aaron’s legs into mincemeat.

“Please! Stop! Stop it!” Aaron screamed into the night as Kiochi continued his frenzied strikes.

Although Kiochi’s attacks were frantic, his focus was intact and so he quickly snapped back into reality.

Kiochi remembered the professor and the Ovum Vitae.

Kiochi ran over Aaron’s motionless body, ran towards the helicopter and grabbed the door handle.

“Eve!” Kiochi yelled.

She responded and Kiochi felt immense amounts of energy surge into his arms as they bulged and convulsed.

He tore open the door and his gaze fell on Dr. Tahiri. She was frightened beyond words, but she was of little consequence in the current situation so Kiochi ignored her.

Kiochi took the case containing the Ovum Vitae from her and opened it.

He could definitely feel what Eve was talking about.

There was a warmth coming from the Ovum Vitae.

It felt so comforting that Kiochi almost lost his ability to think for a brief moment.

The pilot whipped out a sidearm and pointed it at Kiochi.

Unfortunately for him, Kiochi stabbed him in the temple.

The pilot’s body fell onto the console in front of him, causing the helicopter to tilt forwards.

The helicopters blades were hovering dangerously close to the roof at an incredibly high speed at this point.

‘Do your thing!’ Kiochi urged Eve as he placed his hands on the Ovum.

That’s when it happened.

Kiochi felt something very similar to a jolt of electricity go through his body.

[Siphoning Unknown energy source into cells.]

..

[Energy type: UNKNOWN]

..

[Energy source: Ovum Vitae]

..

[WARNING!]

..

[Primary nervous system at critical risk of overload.]

..

[Handing control over to secondary consciousness.]

..

[Designation: Eve.]

..

[Don’t worry Kiochi, I’ll take care of the rest.]

Kiochi felt his body become numb, then after a few seconds he couldn’t feel his body at all.

‘What did you do?’ Kiochi asked but Eve ignored him.

“Kiochi, you bastard!” Kiochi heard Trevor’s voice from outside the helicopter.

Kiochi or more correctly, his body jumped out of the helicopter and faced Trevor who was standing in front of his brother’s body.

He had two combat knives in his hands and the flames of rage came out from hid eyes.

Kiochi’s body raised the Nodachi in a slow creepy motion.

“What the hell are you?” Trevor yelled.

Kiochi could have sworn that he had seen that look before, but where?

He tried moving, but his body remained unresponsive to his commands.

‘Eve, what’s going on? Why won’t my body do what I want it to?’ I asked.

[Don’t worry, I’m currently in control of your body. This is because your central nervous system is currently unable to withstand the energy we just absorbed.]

Eve explained.

Kiochi understood some of what she said, but still... It was a weird experience.

Kiochi looked at his arms and they were dark grey again.

This almost resembled the skin of the demonic giants.

Wait a minute!

Is it possible that Eve was the product of the technology that the Aethon’s left behind? Kiochi wondered.

[No, Kiochi. Like I said, I feel like I’ve been a part of you since you were born, however I only recently woke up.]

Eve explained.

“So you’re going to ignore me? Moments ago you were crawling like a bug beneath my feet but now you’re all so tough, huh?”

Lots of blood was coming from Trevor’s head.

He was barely standing and yet he still wanted to fight me.

Yes, he was he walking tank but taking a grenade to the face would cause some sort of damage, even to Trevor.

“Harrg!” Trevor let out a fierce cry, then lashed out towards Kiochi.

Eve didn’t hesitate and in an instant, she dashed forwards and with a single lash, she cut of Trevor’s left arm.

“Arrg!” Trevor cried out in pain.

“Surrender or die.” Eve said, making Kiochi’s voice sound slightly robotic and feminine.

Trevor clutched his arm in pain and fell on his knees as blood spayed out from his wound.

Kiochi heard something wiz by but by the time he realised that it was one of the helicopters blades it was too late.

Or so Kiochi thought.

The blades missed his head by mere centimetres.

Without even turning to face the helicopter, Eve grabbed one of the huge blades, causing the entire mechanism to come to a complete stop.

The concrete where Kiochi stood developed several cracks and the force from the impact forced the air around him to expand rapidly resulting in a loud bang.

Trevor crawled to his brother and hugged him as tears fell down his face.

Aaron’s legs were butchered beyond recognition and Trevor’s hand was missing.

They had lost.

Eve was about to walk over and execute them, when a familiar face revealed itself.

A beautiful woman rose from below the landing pad.

“Would it bother you if I asked that you didn’t kill those two?” Camila Rosenthal asked coldly.

“They would have killed us- me.” Eve said, using Kiochi’s voice.

Camila walked over to the Boom brothers and looked at Trevor who was still conscious.

“What are you waiting for? Kill him!” Trevor screamed.

“No, the council has ordered a full retreat.” She said flatly.

Trevor groaned and clutched his brother tightly with his remaining arm.

“What could I say or do to change or mind?” Camila crossed her hands over her chest.

“Answer’s. I want answers. You go back to the council and ask them about the Aethon’s. If they tell you the truth, I’ll gladly roll over and die, but if not… I’ll ask them personally. That is what I require.” Eve said coldly.

“Seriously, do you have a death wish?” Camila asked with a dumbfounded expression.

“No.” Eve said and suddenly Kiochi felt his body become his again.

[Primary consciousness reconnected.]

Kiochi felt a strange power coursing through his entire body.

It was incredible.

But Eve had silently tasked him with something, so he didn’t have time to admire the new power.

Kiochi walked over to the Wilkins brothers.

What was once a duo of super soldiers, known for bringing terror into the hearts of many of their enemies had been reduced to two piles of meat.

Trevor looked at Kiochi with his rage filled eyes.

The boom brothers had always been so carefree and so this was truly the first time Kiochi had ever seen that look on Trevor’s face.

Kiochi raised his Nodachi and placed it on Trevor’s neck.

Then raised it again and placed it on Aaron’s neck.

“Wait, what? Camila- I mean A-1, you’re not really going to let him kill my brother, right?” Trevor’s voice trembled as he spoke.

It was such a sad sight, but Kiochi needed all the Kynigoi who would be sent by the council in the future to receive this warning.

That was what Eve suggested.

Kiochi slid the edge of his blade across Aaron’s neck and blood poured out as he let out gurgled screams of pain.

Trevor used his remaining hand to grab Kiochi’s blade, loosing several fingers in the process.

“No! Lil bro! Aaron! Stop! Please stop, Kiochi! Please!” Trevor’s screams clawed at Kiochi’s soul but he ignored them and completely decapitated Aaron.

Trevor wept loudly over his brothers corpses.

His voice choked and he mumbled unintelligible words as he wept.

Kiochi faced Camila.

Her expression hadn’t changed.

“Go, tell them that I’m coming. They can prepare their armies, they can crawl and hide in the deepest caves, but I will find them and I will get the answers to all this.” Kiochi’s voice came out several octaves lower than he thought was humanly possible.

Where is this rage coming from? Kiochi wondered.

He was sure that he had long disabled his ability to feel so deeply.

So why were his emotions returning with such force.

“Understood. I will relay your message.” Camila said as she hoisted Trevor onto her shoulder, getting blood all over her surprisingly casual clothes.

She walked to the edge of the building and jumped clear off.

That woman was strong and Kiochi wasn’t sure if he could maintain his new form for very long.

So fighting her then was not advisable.

Seeing as the helicopter had stopped working, the only sounds that filled the night sky were those of sirens and various vehicles.

But then Kiochi heard the sound of something dripping.

Kiochi looked down and saw little red spots on the concrete.

Is my nose bleeding? Kiochi wondered.

He touched his noise and felt something wet.

One look at his finger confirmed it.

His eye sight started fading and his body got extremely heavy.

[It’s ok, Kiochi. Rest now.]

Eve said.

Her voice was so warm, comforting and sounded so familiar.

Kiochi’s thoughts blurred and soon after, he lost consciousness and fell to the ground.

Although his body was on the cold hard concrete of the roof of Saito headquarters, he felt a warmth, a comfort that he hadn’t been able to feel for the longest time.