Hidden Cries

"Heh, not bad younglin." The masked man stood tall over Alan, who was holding his right arm in pain. "I can see why you are the one they want. But to be honest, you have no strategy. You charge into a fight with a large blade and kinda expect to win, don't ya?"

"Damn it…" Alan said quietly.

"I told you, if you allow him to get close to you, then you are screwed." Alice spoke to Alan, "In medium-range combat, you should win, but in short-range you are at a complete disadvantage. The Crimson Princess was created to cut down large foes and to keep polearm users at bay. However, due to the size and weight, a close-range weapon such as a dagger will put you on the ropes."

"I know that…" Alan slowly rose to his feet. "It's just... I feel so powerless. Especially against this old geezer." Alan carefully examined his foe. The old man stood there silently as if we wore a grin behind his mask watching his prey struggle in vain. "Something feels off about him."

"Yeah...all I can pick up about him is that he is not a wielder. His body is modified to surpass the normal human limit. He's dangerous."

"SOOO~~~ BORING!!!" The masked man interrupted Alan and Alice's analytical conversation. "Look boy, I don't know what you are thinking, but I'm in a time crunch here." He waved his hand in frustration, "And as a father, I will save them." The man dashed towards Alan and swung out his weapon.

Time froze and Alan quickly moved out of the way. As time unfroze, Alan collapsed to the ground in agonizing pain as he held his right arm.

"So that's how your powers work. How lame that it comes with a price." The man then walked over to Alan and placed his foot on his head. Alan groaned in pain. "You're probably wondering what happened? Well, my kusarigama is always coated with a slow-acting pain stimulant that aggressively targets the nerves in the body after each hour that passes." The man then shoved his heel deeper into Alan's face. "And judging by your lack of movement due to pain, I'd say that twelve hours have passed."

The man then removed his mask. The face of the devil was all that Alan could think of when he saw the man's face. The right side of his face was covered in burn scars. He wore a small eye patch on his right side with a devilish stare from his left eye. He had white facial hair that was kept neatly, with no signs of being disturbed from the mask.

"I used to be a doctor, but that was before the quake. During the great quake, I risked everything to save my family but it was all for naught. After the quake, I had to be rushed to an emergency hospital due to 3rd-degree burns and a large metal pole embedded into my right eye. I was unconscious for 3 weeks and when I came to, I had learned that my family did not survive. After a year I was discharged and left a broken man. I roamed the streets, watching the new city be rebuilt, living off the ignorance of the workers who threw their half-eaten lunches everywhere-"

Alan attempted to move as the masked man was giving a summary of his life.

"DON'T!!!" Alice shouted in his head. "I understand that you are in a lot of pain, but don't interrupt him. We need every little bit of information possible."

"What the hell do we have to learn from an old man's monologue?" Alan said in irritation.

"A weakness. Old people have a strange habit of telling long stories to strangers that they trust. This has been a weird trend even in my time. This man, however, is cocky, he believes that he has won the fight. But his eye feels off to me, it feels as if his soul is alone within the deep sea of life.

"So now you're giving this old bastard pity!?" Alan was close to snapping. A mix of emotions swirled in his head. From pain to fear, Alan felt as if he needed to break free from this old man. But deep down Alan knew he needed to not act, he knew that being slothful in this situation may be the best approach.

"-That's when he told me. That info broker managed to hack into the government's files and pull records of two children very familiar to me. As I looked at their photos and their descriptions, I felt something inside me snap. The words 'experiment' was enough to awaken a dark feeling deep within. A few weeks later is when I had started killing. My targets were always government employees. I would capture them, and then torture them for information and once I was done I gouged their right eye and tossed their bodies out in the open for the world to see." The old man then lifted his foot off of Alan's face.

Alan slowly sat up but made no attempt to run as he knew that the old man would cut him down the second he tried to run. The man flashed a questionable look but then smiled as he continued his story.

"I have been killing higher-ranked officials for years, looking for the answers I seek. But unfortunately, I was caught a few months ago and underwent a secret trial. They sentenced me to death and tomorrow was the date of my execution. However lucky for me, Mr. Seamon approached me with a deal. I would participate in this 'experiment' and he would let my children go. But I'm not stupid, I know that he will not comply with those terms as I am set to be executed tomorrow at noon." The man's eye burned with a passion as he stared into the sky at a strange distortion. Then he slowly panned to Alan and flashed a worried look that appeared to be a cry for help before shifting back to his normal demeanor. "I will free them from this experiment of lust, but my target is you, sloth.

"See, I told you," Alice said with a smug tone, "we have the ability to restart the day. Therefore, we need to make the most of it."

Alan rolled his eyes at Alice's comment and looked towards the old man, "So in other words, your child is a government pawn." He asked in a relaxed manner as if he wasn't aware of his situation.

"Children." He corrected Alan, "But yes." The man then lowered his guard.

"Hmm…?" Alan noticed his stance and attempted to run. But just before Alan could move a muscle, the old man interrupted him.

"But just because you can 'travel through time' doesn't mean it'll affect the present or future." The man dropped his kusarigama and balled his hands into a fist. "We'll settle this through good old fisticuffs."

"Huh?" Alan was dumbfounded by his proposal.

"Man…" The man sighed, "Read in between the lines." He then pointed at a strange anomaly in the sky above them.

"Alan...you are a dumbass." Alice quietly whispered in his mind. "What he is trying to say is that he will probably let you go, if you bet him in a man-to-man fistfight. But he probably can't say too much due to being watched."

Alan nodded to the old man and raised his left hand. The old man saw this and placed his left hand behind his back. Alan flashed the man a small smirk as he slowly walked up to him.

"Too bad he doesn't know," Alan said to Alice in a cocky tone.

"Know what-" Before Alice could finish, the old man dashed towards Alan and threw a fast and heavy punch. Alan foresaw this and dodged to the right and countered with a left jab. Alan's fist collided with the man's face and he jumped back with a smile.

"Heh, that was unexpected. To think that a scrawny, edgy teen such as yourself is a decent unarmed fighter."

"That's because my best friend is a muscle head. So I know my way around a fight. But enough chit-chat," Alan's eyes glisten with excitement, despite the intense pain in his right arm, "let's continue!"

The two exchanged blows to the face and chest for what lasted for hours. Eventually, Alan managed to land a heavy, finishing blow to the center of the old man's nose and he swiftly fell to the ground. Alan checked his body for a pulse, once he made sure the old man was alive, black markings appeared on his body as Alice took control. Alan gave no resistance as he knew he was at his limit. She then walked towards Audrey and carefully lifted her onto her back. Alice then walked towards the abandoned house that they once found the body of the unknown woman in.