LOCKERS: CODE 0

“Farewell then, I have no doubt we’ll cross paths once more. Next time, Argint, I don’t expect you to hold back.”

Zyreth lifts a smile as he dissipates into the undetermined; absquatulate yet cautious.

“Thanks for saving me back there,” Riashi says, “I didn’t try  to fend for myself or anything, but you stood up for me regardless so you have my deepest gratitude. On another note, where’s Shori?”

“That’s a good que-”

Argint cuts off her speech abruptly as if coming to a realization, gasping and looking directly at Riashi.

“Riashi, it’s all coming together!” She exclaims, practically avidly.

“What do you mean?” He questions.

“HEAVEN X CRY has returned, is it not obvious!? All these signs… Revera’s back at last!”

“Is that good, or…”

“Don’t tell me Kira never told you about Revera!”

“What do you think?” Riashi asks insouciantly.

“I remember you mentioned the name ‘Revera Station’, and how you met Zyreth there, correct?”

“Yeah..?” Riashi responds with irresolution.

“That location’s never been recorded! Revera’s been manipulating you and working with Kira to carry out a plan! Not only that but with the Order as well!  Do you see what I’m getting at?”

“Um…” Confusion etches across his face.

“To break it down, Revera’s the deity of illusion. A deity is a being possessing a trinity stone, a stone that gives its holder the trivial control of an element. Fate, illusion, graduality, and destiny are but some of the elements that currently have respective holders. Because Revera is the deity of illusion, she can control the psyche of those she sees fit. I suspect that’s how Zyreth was able to use that illusion magic earlier, and why those buildings seemed to be chanting in esteem of her name. If I were to guess; that reality in which you came upon this ‘Revera Station’ was probably not even real.”

“I think I’m getting it,” Riashi says.

“Really? I thought you’d be confused.”

“It’s quite simple based on your explanation; plus, that’d explain why my piece is missing.”

“It’s gone…?”  Argint remarks.

“I don’t see it at least, I’ve checked everywhere… nothing. I think Revera’s stolen it and possibly has all the rest of the pieces.”

“Wait, now that I think about it…” Argint says, “Do you recall the buildings’ chanting I just spoke of?”

“Yeah,” Riashi responds, “When they were saying ‘Rev’ repeatedly, right?”
“Correct. I believe that was BLUE CODE, a brief recounting before an emergency transmission arrives. If the BLUE CODE revolved around Revera, Zyreth had to retreat to the Order, and your piece is missing; you’d seem to be quite accurate with your assumption that they have them all. Either that, or Revera stole them for HEAVEN X CRY, her group; like me and the Time Benders.”

“What reason would they have for the pieces?” Riashi asks.

“It’s simple, to lure us in. There’s a much greater plan beyond this subplot, one possibly out of this universe.”

“Okay, this is cool and all, but we have much greater issues ahead of us.”

“What do you mean by that?” She questions.

“I’m starving…!” 

“You, Kira’s robotic creation, can actually feel hunger?”

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I?”  Riashi asks.

“Oh, my, Riashi! An ever-advancing hungry warrior I see! For any hero, there must be a feast! Come, my darling, off to head of operations~!”

“I don’t like how quickly your personality shifted or how you said that,” he says, “but food is food!”

“Exactly! The Time Benders will be thrilled to have you in their presence, despite the rough start you all had gotten to. In addition, I’ve contacted Jose, so we should be en route to headquarters!”

“Who’s Jose?”

“Oh, I never told you, did I? Our errand boy and spy. He’s quite the peculiar one; he has the deepest understanding of magic and wizardry out of all of us. If you have any questions in those regards, you should pay him a visit sometime. His tarot cards allow him to create and transfer commands to the future via invisible proxy, so even if we don’t seem to be getting any closer, we should be transported there soon.” Argint says with a sense of relief.

“Wow, I didn’t know magic like that existed; do you think the Infinity Subway’s powered by something similar?” Riashi asks.

“I have no clue as to how it functions,” she says, “nor have I truly thought to ask. Jose’s been especially busy lately, so it’d only have been a burden on him. However, he’s back now, so feel free to go to him.”

“I see.”

“The proxy’s completed the command, we’re being transferred there now.”

Their bodies are overtaken by a radiant layer of light, soon vanishing out of perception.

“Woah,” Riashi says.

He finds himself lying on chilly, smooth ground, just opening his eyes before attempting to distinguish this area from the others he’d recently encountered.

“Riashi, take my hand!” A tall figure says cordially from somewhere, indeterminate. He could hardly differentiate this one from the other voices amidst his pure shock.

“Argint?” He asks.

He separates his eyelids as they slowly reveal a high-tech room, one that wasn’t comparable to anything he’d seen before. He lay in front of Argint, her hand reaching down seeking to link with his own, her affectionate and warmhearted smile shining through everything else. Beside her stands a clean white table that appears to have been taken utmost care of, a fresh ultramodern cloth cloaked on top of it. Two chairs, their legs indented with intricate designs, were conveniently awaiting on each side of the table for whoever they were to serve next. Hanging from the ceiling was a scintillating chandelier, illuminated and powered with a sophisticated system that appeared to have been created with some form of innovative advancement. The walls, creased with silver digital markings, formed an almost hexagonal border that made up the dining room. The ceiling lay just as smooth as the rest.

Riashi sits up, grasping Argint’s hand and rising to his full height.

“This is the dining room?” Riashi asks, awestruck.

“Correct,” a girl, one quite familiar says as she walks to Argint’s side.

“Otari!” He recognizes.

“LOCK ON!” He shouts, no result seeming to arise from his inutile efforts.

“Are you stupid,” Otari says, “the dining room negates all forms of magical power to allow its inhabitants to eat in tranquility. Your LOCKERS abilities are futile.”

“Who really are you and what happened earlier!?”  He asks, violently glaring at her as if she was a mortal enemy, “And why’d you do that crap to Shori?”

“That look you’re giving… no doubt about it. You have the eyes of a killer, Riashi.”
“What are you talking about? You’re not answering the question!”

“It’s nothing. As for your inquiry, I clearly took no role in this ridiculous endeavor that you speak of. To be frank, I don’t even recall this event you claim me to have taken part in, nor what happened. The last interaction I had with Shori was taking her picture on the beach for a magazine; I haven’t seen her since then.”

-Time Bender/ Otari: Financial Management

“Well of course you wouldn’t remember, you don’t even understand the concept of maintaining information, Otari.”

A boy with messy blonde hair and a cloak, concealing his eyes, walks into the dining room from behind Otari.

“Jose. I thought you were studying a cardinal fragment in the tech lab, what’re you doing here?” Otari asks.

“I heard we had a visitor and wanted to visit him, clearly. If you used context clues, you could figure that out.”

-Time Bender/ Jose: Magic Specialist

“Come on, you two. I know you love each other, but now’s not the time to flirt.” Argint says.

“Like heck we do!”  They exclaim coordinately.

-Time Bender/ Argint: The Sovereign (Ruler of the Matrix)

“We’re a smaller force, but with our extensive knowledge of technology, it’s hardly a drawback,” Argint says.

“What’s he doing here again?” Otari asks, her irascibility apparent.

“He said he was hungry, so we’re holding a feast. I apologize for not warning you beforehand, but as you know, he’s an important guest, and we shall aid him in his journey.”

How’d they know I was coming?  Riashi quietly thought, I don’t remember when Argint would’ve gotten the chance to tell them, unless…

Riashi recites a specific line from a while ago that arose from Otari’s mouth.

“Isn’t it obvious? We’ve been spying on you. We go by many different names, but I assume you’d understand us by the title of ‘Time Benders,’ correct?”

Riashi was uncertain, as per usual, but he had a feeling that something was going wrong. How would they even spy on them? Kira and the Time Benders seemed to oppose each other, so it seemed unlikely that Kira would allow them to manipulate and make use of her own technology.

But wait, he thought. Argint said she used to be business partners with Kira, did she take and install a chip into me, then use it to monitor my every action?

It was then he started to piece things together.

Kira hasn’t once taken control of my body or a chip within me, has she? It’s only been Shori. Why’s it only been her? If she claims that we’re both her creations, why doesn’t she treat us both as such?  Wait, is what Otari said earlier…?

“That look you’re giving… no doubt about it. You have the eyes of a killer, Riashi.”

I’m starting to think, just maybe…

“I’m not like her, am I?” He says in retort.

“Wait, what? Like who, and where’s this coming from?” Argint asks.

“You see, he’s insane too. This is why you don’t invite a stranger to dimensional HQ.” Otari remarks.

“No, you’ve got it flipped,” Jose says smugly.

“Oh, yeah!?  I heard you blurting out crap earlier today! Oh, I’m so gorgeous, or Astrologian or something like that!”
“Number one, those are two entirely different things, dimwit. Number two, my beauty is something a worm like you wouldn’t understand.”

He raises his hand and forms a sort of peace sign, sparkles appearing all around him.

“How did those even get there!?”  She shouts.

“Magic, clearly. To be more specific, fusion magic. I removed the barrier just for this occasion; a slow commoner like you wouldn’t understand.”
“What do you mean, commoner? I’ve been here longer than you!”  She says exasperatedly.

“I like how Otari was upset about the sparkles and being called a commoner but not being called a worm,” Argint says observantly.

“Leader, are you really watching us dispute like it’s a movie? I thought you were better than that!”

Otari appeared to have been somewhat upset, whether it was regarding Jose, Argint, or both.

“Riashi, we must not fall behind! Do you see their love quarrels? We must outdo them!” Argine states boldly.

“Wait, what, why!?”  He asks in shock.

“Start arguing!”  She demands, “We must win! We can’t lose to people like them!”

“What do you mean by that?” Jose asks skeptically.

“Yeah, what do you mean people like them?”  Otari repeats.

Meanwhile, in a tenebrous area, mysterious figures lay as if planning, discussing recondite topics.

“The first seal,” one of the voices states, “is near. The sanctum, the forbidden…”

“If it’s truly as they say,” another voice responds, “the course has already been set. The book of 11th… the 11th book.”

“Currently its whereabouts are unknown, correct? No matter. The solution is apparent, anyways.”

“Do you think you can handle them?”

“Positively so,“ they respond.

Back in headquarters…

“Well frick this!  If you think you’re so much higher than me, why don’t we have a duel, Jose!” Otari declares.

“Fine idea,” he agrees, “because then I can not only mentally, but physically humiliate you.”

He lifts a smirk.

 “Oh, shoot!”  Argint shouts, “Riashi, we’re getting off track. We must commence the feast posthaste, and I must inform you regarding your inquiry earlier.”

“What impeccable timing,” Jose says, “while they eat I can obliterate you. How exciting.”

“Oh yeah!?  Well, how about you let me at least explain the rules first!”

“Okay, then explain the rules.” He responds.

“We’ll fight in the training room, without a simulation; each of us beginning on parallel sides of the area. Then, I’ll install TAGS on each of our backs. Whoever’s the first to pull off the other’s TAG achieves victory. Simple, right?”

“I’m following,” Jose says.

“However, if the TAG is damaged or broken in any way, you lose.”

“So what’s the point in taking the other person’s tag if you can just break it?” Jose questions, eyeing her curiously.

“It’s simple. If either TAG breaks while it’s still on someone’s back, both people lose. However, if a TAG’s broken any moment after it’s been removed from the opponent's back; the assailant is the only one that suffers.”

“I see. So you’re saying both people have to actively make an effort to preserve their tags, all while trying to take the other’s. After that, whoever lost the TAG has to aim to break it or take it back while whoever has it must keep it in perfect condition for as long as they can.”

“I’m surprised an idiot like you could follow along,” Otari remarks.

“I have one question,” he says, “how long must the assailant retain the TAG until they achieve victory?”

“A minute,” Otari responds, “a singular minute. If they lose the TAG and get it back, the time doesn’t reset.”

“Very well then. I accept. You have no chance anyway. Might you forget that I’m the one who taught you how to use your abilities in the first place?”

“And you seem to forget that our abilities couldn’t be any more different, Jose. I harbor LIMIT BREAK magic that surpasses yours by far.”

“LIMIT BREAK magic?” Riashi asks.

“The M.A.D. Theorem; that’s what dictates it. This singular matter determines all means of magic and witchcraft, it’s the very epitome of fantastical science. Those that can efficiently manipulate the varying formulas can make use of said LIMIT BREAK magic, as well as fusion.”