The Hidden World

Akira disconnected from Yuki and returned her attention onto her target. Shindol was still conversing with a few staff members that Akira didn’t recognise. In her right hand, she held a black sword as she waited for Shindol to move.

‘I wonder how long they’re going to chat.’

Night was fast approaching as the temperature dropped and the sunlight began to fade. This didn’t bother Akira as she was quite resistant to the cold and, being a chimaera, could see in the dark. But she wanted things to be done quickly so she could return home where Yuki was. 

‘And sitting in this tree isn’t the most comfortable thing.’

Finally, Shindol waved goodbye to the other members in the room and walked out. Akira took a small metal circle from her pocket and flicked toward Shindol as he walked by underneath her. The circle latched onto the back of his clothing and shifted colors to blend in with his shirt. Akira found this with Yuki when she was out raiding with him. They were stuck inside the boxes and containers in the trucks. With a little device, she sat in her tree as she watched Shindol walk back to wherever he lived.

When Shindol finally stopped, Akira checked his location using a map. He had stopped at a restaurant, probably for dinner. The thought of dinner started to make her stomach growl.

‘Yuki, can I go buy something to eat?’ she asked. ‘Shindol went to a restaurant so I’ll probably follow him there.’

[Do what you want,] Yuki replied. [Just make sure you do your task as well. You can buy whatever you like. Buy a car if you need to.]

‘Alright, bye,’ she said, disconnecting. 

She dropped down from her hiding spot in the tree, her knees bending and the tight onesie she wore bending with her. With a snap of her fingers, a dress materialized around her and a purse popped into the air. She grabbed it and nonchalantly walked through the Academy into the city. Looking at her tracker, she located Shindol and entered a restaurant named Veggie Town.

‘Oh, a vegan restaurant,’ Akira sighed. ‘Well it’s better than nothing.’

She sat down and ordered the first item on the menu that she could recognize. A few minutes later, a vegan pasta appeared on her table and she dug in. While she was eating, she kept her eye on one table that was near the corner of the restaurant. Shindol was sitting there as he ate what looked to be a salad. 

When Akira finished her meal, she saw that Shindol was only about halfway through his plate and was on the phone. She raised her hand and a waiter came to her table. Then she ordered a glass of wine and sat at her table as she sipped her drink slowly. She tapped on her watch that Yuki gave her and made herself look busy flipping through pages. 

From the corner of her eye, she saw Shindol stand up and wave at a server. She watched as he walked out of the restaurant and into the busy streets of Junction. Akira waited a moment before she paid for her meal and left the restaurant. Looking at her watch, she tracked Shindol’s movements. She glanced around and walked into a dark alleyway where she got out of her dress and activated her stealth spell.

‘Now it’s time for the show.’

She jumped and launched herself into the air before she landed on top of the twenty feet buildings. Peering through the darkness, her eyes locked onto Shindol as he walked. Akira followed him as he went through the city until he walked into an apartment building. Looking at her tracker, he traveled up to the third floor. 

Nodding, Akira jumped lightly from the roof of one building and gracefully started to slide along the metal wall of the apartment building. Once she was at the third floor, she stopped her momentum with earth magic. Then she found the apartment building that Uriel told her Shindol rented.

‘Now if you don’t mind me~.’

She liquefied the metal and it spread open like a curtain, letting her in. Checking her watch, she saw that Shindol was fast approaching the room. She walked over to the side of the door and waited in the pitch black darkness of the room. A soft beep came from the door and the handle twisted open as Shindol walked into the apartment talking into his phone. He was a rather handsome looking elf with black hair and green eyes. He walked right past Akira who was still under her stealth spell. 

“Look, I know what you said but I got orders that I needed to carry out,” Shindol said with a sigh. “If you want to blame someone, blame them.”

“I don’t care about them,” a voice growled from the phone. Akira strained her ears to listen. “I am higher than them. You listen to what I tell you to do.”

“I’m sorry, sir, but I was told to carry out that task before you ever said anything,” Shindol replied. “I already set everything up and I can’t cancel it without a good reason.”

“Well that’s your problem,” the voice said coldly. “I gave you orders. I said not to let anyone touch her. We need her if we want to keep an eye on things. Understood?” The last part sounded more like a threat than it did a question.

“Yes, sir.”

“You’re lucky nothing happened, Shindol. I hope there won’t be a next time.”

The phone fell silent and Shindol sighed as he lowered his hand. He put the phone back into his pocket.

“Hello there,” Akira said cheerfully as she drew her sword, the tip lightly touching Shindol in the back. “Having a bad day?” She heard him inhale sharply.

“Hello,” he replied with a slight shaking in his voice. “Who might you be?”

“Oh, just someone looking for some answers,” Akira answered. “Would you mind giving me some? I’m sure it would be well worth your time.”

“I’m not sure,” he said slowly, his body tensing. Then in one fluid motion, he spun around and drew something from his waist. 

Without a moment’s hesitation, Akira’s arm blurred as she slashed upward, her blade meeting no resistance. There was a brief pause before Shindol began to scream. Akira flashed forward and jammed her finger into his throat, cutting off his cries. Her fingers glowed briefly as she connected herself to his mind. Now she would be able to tell if he was lying or not, a trick Erica had taught her.

“Now, now. Let’s be a little quiet,” she said calmly. “There are people trying to sleep.”

She turned and flicked on the lights in the room. The lights turned on slowly and the room gradually became brighter and brighter. Akira turned back to Shindol who was on the floor cradling the bleeding that stump that used to be his hand. She squatted down next to him and grabbed his arm, the bleeding stopping moments later.

“Want to answer my questions now?”

He nodded, a whimper escaping from his mouth.

“You’re from the Shikaku,” Akira stated. Shindol nodded even though it wasn’t a question. “Did you ever do any dirty work for them? Anything violent?”

“No,” he said in a small voice. “I just took care of the forest and arranged things. I would never hurt a thing.”

“So that’s why you’re vegan, I see.”

Shindol squinted his eyes then groaned. “You were that girl in the dress in that restaurant.”

“You have to be more specific than that,” Akira smiled. “There are many girls in dresses that eat at restaurants. But that’s not important. Who was that on the phone?”

Shindol didn’t reply.

“Hey now, I’m asking you a question,” she said, tapping his face lightly with the flat side of her sword. “Who was that? Don’t make me repeat that question again.”

When he still didn’t say anything, Akira smiled again. The air around her grew heavy and her eyes began to give off a deadly stare. 

“One of my higher ups,” Shindol gulped. “I don’t know his real name.”

“Agent name would be fine. Along with rank.”

“He’s a Lieutenant. They call him Firestorm.”

“Good, now onto the other questions,” Akira said. She kept her pressure active in the air. “I want to know something. Were you the one that found that troll nest?”

“For the school assignment? Yes.”

“Did you give that nest to the team formed by Jared?”

“How do you know this much?” Shindol squinted. “Are you a student?”

“Oh, no. I’m not a student but I have my sources you see,” Akira replied lightly, her sword being waved around as she spoke. The edge came close to his face, sometimes grazing it. “But that’s not important. Answer the question.”

“No, I didn’t give them the nest,” he said. “I don’t have that power.”

“Well, that’s technically true,” Akira admitted. “You only recommended that they get that nest. Why were you targeting them?”

“I don’t have a reason, okay? I don’t have any answers,” Shindol cried, his voice getting shaky. “I’m just an underling. They give me orders and I follow them. They promised me that I wouldn’t have to get my hands dirty.”

“Why did you join them if you can’t kill?”

“The Shikaku want peace. I don’t like death. I don’t like killing. That’s why I take care of the forest and the monsters inside of them. Everyone sees them as evil and savage but they’re just creatures that want to live just like us, you know?” he rambled on. “They told me that they’ll protect them and that killing will end. Monsters don’t want to die and they can be quite friendly if you just get to know them.”

“Isn’t that hypocritical?” Akira interrupted. “You don’t like death but you’re fine with setting up deaths?”

“But it’s to stop further deaths,” he said. “And I’m not killing them.”

“So if I put a hole with spikes in it and someone falls into it, I’m not killing them?” Akira laughed. “It seems that you need to get your head checked.” 

Shindol didn’t reply, his face wearing a guilty expression.

“Let me give you some advice,” Akira continued. “In this world, killing is not a choice. It’s a way of life. Strength rules all. You say that you hate death but are willing to participate in causing death. That’s hypocrisy. In this world, you’re going to have to kill to survive. Do you have to enjoy it? No. But you can’t ignore it. You have to either adapt to this way of life or you have to fight it head on. You can’t run from it.”

They sat there in silence as Akira watched Shindol for a few seconds. He was still clutching his handless arm and couldn’t seem to be able to raise his head. 

“Enough with the philosophy,” she said. “Let’s get back to the main topic and then I’ll release you. There’s a lady in the Libra Forest. A lady that created the golem that attacked the Academy and the barrier that surrounded the troll nest. Tell me about her.”

“You’ll...release me?” he asked slowly.

“I promise,” Akira smiled. “Now who is that woman?”

“We call her the Witch,” Shindol said. “She isn’t an actual member. She’s just someone that we contact if we need her services and in return we offer her protection and materials.”

“How powerful is she?”

“She’s one of the strongest mages I’ve ever met but I haven’t met many so that doesn’t say much. But she is a little, um, odd.”

“Odd, is fine. When you say that she isn’t a member, does that mean her ideals aren’t in line with the Shikaku? Or does she just not like the way these ideals are implemented?”

“Erm, I’m not sure,” Shindol said hesitantly. He gave Akira a quick glance before looking away. “I could guess but I don’t know.”

“Humor me.”

“The Witch is a bit radical,” he explained. “She wants to destroy civilization and have everything start again from scratch with someone leading the way. We want to gradually take control and nudge people into the direction we want to create our ideal society.”

“I see, so the Shikaku have conflicting ideas on how to act,” Akira said. “And so this Witch is a loose cannon of sorts and so the Shikaku try to appease her as best as they can.”

“This is just me guessing,” Shindol repeated. “I actually don’t know anything.”

“But you do know her views since you’ve talked to her, right?” 

“Well, yes.”

“So you know how to visit her. Yes?”

Shindol hesitated and Akira waved her sword a little, enough to make it look like it was only her readjusting. 

“You know how, yes?” she repeated, smiling.

“She’s in that area where the trolls were,” he said hurriedly. “She moves her base around everyday but it’s always somewhere in that area. I have an enchanted compass that gives me her location once I’ve gotten within proximity.”

“And you have that compass right now.”

“Yes.”

“Thank you for your cooperation,” Akira said brightly. “I appreciate that you let this whole thing run smoothly. Besides that little blip in the beginning, you answered these questions quite straight forward.”

“Thank you?” he replied.

“Now as promised, I’ll be releasing you from your duties,” she continued. “I hope you gain a better life in the future.”

Before he could say anything, Akira touched his head and he fell unconscious as she stabbed him through the heart. When she withdrew her blade, the skin sealing over but the inside damage not being repaired.

“As promised,” Akira whispered. “This world isn’t the right place for you.” 

She sat by Shindol as he died slowly in his sleep, the pain being dulled by Akira’s spell. When he took his last breath, she uttered a small prayer in the magic tongue. Then she stored his body away inside his ring, promising to herself that she will give him a proper burial.

‘Yuki, I’m finished,’ she said.

[Good to know,] he replied. [Are you coming back soon?]

‘Miss me?’

[I can’t really say no.]

‘I’ll back soon,’ she said, her smile clear and genuine. ‘Within the hour. I promise.’

[I look forward to it,] he said. 

He disconnected and Akira went to the lights in the apartment and turned them off. Then she went out the same way she came in, leaving behind the quiet room behind.