Tides Of Protomis CXX

Amidst the Demonic Siege

Despite the numerous changes in the world, but, somewhere, there was at least some thin veil of normalcy. People attempting to go about their days as if nothing was taking place. Whether it be those in the many shops, and restaurants, or simply walking down the streets. But the truth of the situation was hard to ignore. And there were certainly whispered discussions. One of those within this group was Asami Hoshi. Though, it was needless to say that a sense of sadness had not left her, considering what happened just days beforehand… Kasumi’s last moments remained fresh in her head. And a number of questions ran through it.

“... Kasumi. I find myself questioning. How do people like Taius, Alarick, Zhao, and Kazimir find themselves in high spirits? They have no families to go home too, and yet, they seem to press on unaffected…” Had they simply grown used to such loss? If so, then how could she do the same? Though her parents assured her, telling her she wasn’t exactly expected to just throw the memory to the side, and cheer up, some part of her wanted to have it… Wanted to have the strength to do so. Once more, things had been torn from her, and she was powerless to stop it. While the one she loved was somewhere attempting to find his own way to prevent such things from happening again. The question of whether she could do the same was something she pondered. But it was something she'd put aside for now.

Her gaze inched toward her TV, where the world's leaders were apparently meeting, a discussion about the demonic invasion, and what would be done… She knew Arctaius had some connections, but for The president of the NAF to make demands on his behalf was something else entirely. Something that was likely unprompted, he wasn't one to care, after all. What was she to do now, was the question. It wasn’t as if the worries in her head were just going to disappear. Eventually, she heard her door open, and entering was a small, chestnut haired girl, her younger sister, Kotone.

“Onee-san.. I’m hungry".

Well, that answered that question. Her mother was at work, and with her father being a military officer, he was very busy at the current time. Which was of no surprise, considering the battles that just happened worldwide. It wasn’t exactly uncommon for her to take care of such things before.

“Alright then… We still have Some Kawa-Mame Left over… I’ll make that.” The child smiled with glee in response, going to hug her older sister. To no surprise, her sister reciprocated the contact. The girl apparently decided that it was time to go about her day, given she made her way out of the room, parroting lines from one of the many children’s shows being aired. apparently content with waiting. That was more than one could say for a lot of younger siblings. Asami began exiting her room, and making her way downstairs. The kitchen wasn’t far from the stairwell, a few steps, and a left turn.

As she stepped toward the refrigerator and opened it, it was there that she saw the meal. Ewa Agoyin, a Bean dish which made its way over to Yamato, from the West African Federation. Specifically, from the Niger Delta. A stew formed of beans cooked to softness, combined with peppers, chillies, palm oil, and onions. Usually eaten with some sort of bread. Of course, there had to be some modifications for what was able to grow in the climate, in the past, at least. How the meal got here was a mystery, but it was there regardless. After reheating it, she found the, frankly, delicious smell creeping into her nose. Her questions seemed as if they’d remain unanswered for a time. So perhaps she’d enjoy herself as much as possible. She had good food with her, that was a plus, at least..

“Kotone, The food is done!” Asami shouted. To no surprise, her younger sibling rushed down the stairs, and took her seat at the table. While she herself, portioned out the meal in two different bowls. Her sister’s much smaller. As she made her way to the table, she placed one down in front of her. While she sat beside her.

“Onee-San… Where’s Taius?” She questioned. Asami’s eyes moved toward her younger sister, as she noted the worry in her expression. While she doubted her younger sister knew the full scope of the situation, she’d likely heard bits and pieces. And apparently, she’d begun to worry. What was the best way to explain this to her?

…

Mitsuda tower, a towering residential building located in the very center of Tokyo, standing at 1 kilometer in height. While it wasn’t exactly unique, it was by no means a place the non-elite could hope to live. But, one of those families within, was the Yoshida family. Shinto, Akashi, and Yudei sat within the living room. Where a holographic display showed a movie which had some sort of cult following in Yamato, though, significantly more popular in the country of its origin, Delmenforde. One which told the story of how the first king, Heinz, took power, in the early 1600s’ Including the formation of the Neue Kirch, formed of protestants, and even a rising star of a general, Alarick Von Zaisen. The ancestor of the one they knew.

“Y’know, It’s crazy that we’re all buddy buddy with him… Alarick’s a big deal, even if he isn’t acknowledging his ancestors. Even after the kings and other nobles were removed, they still kept their titles and whatnot.” Yudei Commented.

“That it is… I do wonder how they’re fairing. It’s not as if any contact is possible. If it were so, I’d have done it posthaste.”

“Talking like that again…?” The other two occupants of the room questioned. Their eyes returned to the screen, as they watched the battle taking place. A forest burned around the two, filled with the sounds of clashing steel, fired guns, or activated proto-human abilities. They themselves stood with faces bloodied, no doubt a result of their battle.

“Make no mistake, Meinhard Von Baust, You will fall here!”

“A lowborn who fights against papal authority is no match for me, Alarick…” The two promptly charged at each other, and began a melee. A stream of fire shot from Alarick’s hand, while the gigantic blade in his hand split it in two. Alarick began a quick ascent, his aura building around him. The battle was entertaining to watch, and the effects were certainly good, if they were effects. Had they gotten proto-humans with similar abilities to play the two? These were some of the questions raised in Akashi’s head. But, chief among them, was the one he voiced.

“I wonder how alarick feels about this. It’s his family members they’re portraying, even if they’re gone by now. For all we know, there might be movies about those four coming out. Perhaps a manga and anime.” Ketamura noted.

“Possible, but I don't know if it's likely.” Shinto responded. The room fell back into silence, save for the sound of the film displayed. Until Shinto broke the silence.

“So, Akashi, whatever happened with your pilot training, have they decided to remove you permanently, given the Incident with the Raijin?” Shinto questioned.

“Surprisingly not… They didn’t give me a reason why, but in the first place, it was more intended to be a prototype unit than anything else, and my battle did end up giving them the data they needed. Even if it wasn’t against the usual enemies it’d be fighting.”

Akashi nodded at the answer, re-entering the conversation.

“Yeah, it could have been worse. At least we’re still here in the end… Hopefully by the end of all this, that’ll include everyone who left.” That much was a thought shared by all three of them, and a particular pair of children on the streets of tokyo. For the time being, it was decided they’d take residence in Alarick’s apartment. Something the last Von Zaisen had very little issue with. While the rather Spartan room wasn't exactly an impressive lodging, it was something Yuji and Emi appreciated. As the two looked down upon the street from the balcony, watching the people that passed, there were certain sights that had caught their attention. Specifically, a man who’d raised a bit of a ruckus.

“Come to your senses! How can you all sit around like nothing's happening, and there are creatures that can fight high tier proto-humans running around! Even the Kaemerge didn’t pose this much of a threat!” His voice was quite grating, and more than noticeable, but his words weren't exactly acknowledged. But that wasn’t enough to deter him, apparently.

“The end times are upon us! We must make preparations! What if they manage to get into space, and from there, into the colonies! The USN Is a glorified advisory board, and the government simply expects us to accept that their directive will be able to change anything? Open your eyes!” Apparently, someone had grown tired of the prattling, and took hold of his shirt collar.

“And what exactly do you plan to do about it? Are you a leader, are you a soldier, Are you a proto-human capable of wielding any abilities?!”

“No, But i’m somebody who cares about our current state of affairs, That’s more than I can say for most of you!” The situation was only beginning to grow more out of hand by the second. Many had decided to take the first man’s course of action, in countering his statements with their own. BBut it seemed, there were some in the crowd who even agreed with him. And they themselves began to come to his defense. Starting a symphony of shouts and yells. How long would the situation remain calm for, that was a question none of those involved had an answer for. But given how it seemed to be going as of that second, it would not be for long. The two children who observed this, did so with some sense of surprise. After all, it was not as if they’d seen a riot, or any sort of Civil strife. Their underground home was one where only a few were old enough to even completely understand why this was happening.

“Why are they fighting like this? They should be acting more worried about the demons, shouldn’t they, Yuji?”

“I think so too, Emi… “

“Unfortunately… Some things are not so simple.”

This broke the two out of their conversation, as their eyes darted around in search of the bartionevoice’s source. Above them, they located the head of the Silver Lions, Watanabe Taiki. At first floating above them, a quick descent and soft landing placed thim between the two.

“Wait… You’re,,, Watanabe Taiki, of the Gin Shi-Shi!” Yuji shouted with glee.

“Indeed I am… Don’t know how I ended up being a babysitter, but Zhao requested we check on you two when we have time,.. He did say he had food left in here, but, You two hungry?”

Emi nodded at his question.

“Yes!”

“I know you two lived in that underground city, but I suppose it’s worth asking. Ever had Yakiniku?” Which only resulted in the two tilting their heads in apparent confusion.

“First time for everything, I suppose. Let’s get you two fed…” They didn’t know Taiki watanabe well, but the fact that he was associated with the four tides wasn’t something unknown to them. The talks between them they’d observed had mentioned all the members at some point. He seemed kind to them. The subject of their thoughts placed the two on their back, swiftly making his way to the street by use of his flight, softly placing the children down.

“There’s a place not too far from here. Let’s go.” The soldier began to make his way down the street, and the two followed him, Talking amongst themselves. The subject of their conversation, not something he paid attention to. Rather, his thoughts had begun to move elsewhere, to the predicament the kids behind him were in. Two Kuhaku no Kodomo, “Blank Children” Those unregistered as children, and with no apparent living family. A situation that, while not common, was large enough to have become recognized as an issue. Getting them a family name and citizenship, that much was simple enough, but to say what of who would raise them, where they would live, and how they could grow was another. Corde, his… Associate, was already more than self-sufficient by the time he’d met with him.

But even he was recognized as one who cared not about his studies, or any sort of authority. Only very recently did the Former change a bit. He even saw some of himself in them, given his own loss of parents in his younger days…. Perhaps they would be able to live differently than those around them had. Given their apparent innocence, he hoped that was the case… Taiki was snapped out of his thoughts, as he took note of a flash of red in his peripheral vision. Enough to make his head snap to the right, looking to see just what it was that had appeared.

つづく

To Be Continued