Eyes above All Men

"Coffee and cookies?"

"I…"

"Ahahaha! Relax, relax… No need to feel so cautious with me now, young man."

Currently, I am inside a place that I can only describe to be a library in heaven. A building made of pure white marble that contains rows upon rows of towering bookshelves and whose dome emit faint yet comfortable rays of sunlight.

"W-Well then… pardon me."

"Go on. Enjoy them while they're fresh."

And the being who just handed me a plate of cookies and is sitting across me at the table in the middle of this library was someone covered in an aura so ethereal that one would mistake him as an angelic being.

"Now then… For our conversation…"

"Right. I suppose you wouldn't let me in here just to taste test your cookies and coffee."

"Hoh? Why do you think so, young one?"

"I find it hard to believe that the spirit of Knowledge and Logic would do something like letting in an outsider in his place for a pointless reason like that."

"I see, I see…"

As soon as he snapped his fingers, the plate of pastries and the tea set on the table disappeared, much to my surprise.

"You're quite sharp to perceive these things in that way, young one… Perhaps, he really has chosen you well amongst the sea of dregs in the mortals."

"He… Are you talking about Law?"

"I am."

"…"

Right now, I am at the mercy of a being whose allegiance I am not aware of…

Whether he is a friend or an enemy, I intend to know without having to put my neck on the guillotine. After all, I have already vanquished two powerful figures from our enemy side just recently… I can't afford to fight again now that I am exhausted to the bone.

"Now that we're talking about him… I can't seem to hear his voice or even feel his presence."

"That's because you're not in your Physical or Spiritual form."

"Huh?"

"As his Vessel, Law is bound to you through your Spiritual and Physical form, but even he can't tamper with your Soul. I believe you're familiar with this due to the lessons you received from your teacher about the Sumeragi group's "Tripartite Human Form Theory", yes?"

"I think I have heard about it a few times… Something about humans having three separate forms, namely the body, spirit and soul."

"Correct! For something that you heard simply in passing, you are quite sharp to remember it."

"Thank you… But can I ask why he isn't here if this is a part of Caelestia that he keeps on teaching me about?"

After I gave out that question, I sensed that his smiling expression wavered for a moment before he forcibly lifted his smile back up. A clue about what is truly happening out here.

"Law is… not yet done with a business he has in the human world."

"What kind of business?"

"…Shouldn't it be obvious to you since you are his vessel?"

"Ah!"

"That should be clear to you as his vessel… That Spirit has something that he wishes to do in the human world before he goes back here. Something that is important enough to warrant handing over a portion of his power and authority to a mortal like you."

"I see… then what about you?"

"Me?"

"I know that it was something that Reiji did that brought I and him here before you stopped him from entering the library and I killed him…"

"…"

"Which makes me question why you would just let me in here instead of kicking me back out into the real world."

"Alrighty then… since you seem to be one of short patience."

"-!"

""

In but a single moment, scores of books from the shelves flew out and floated in mid-air before opening their pages quickly. One by one, its pages fluttered out of their bindings and gathered like a whirlpool above our heads.

"What is that…?"

"My answer for your question."

"Answer?"

The pages that were gathering round and round in the whirlpool of wind began to slow down their fluttering until they eventually reversed their flow and one by one, returned to the book covers where they came from and neatly returned their selves to the shelves.

"That page was left behind."

"Catch it for me, would you?"

"S-sure…"

The lone page that was slowly fluttering down towards our table reached a height that I can jump to and after catching it, I read its contents.

"You can read and understand the language, right? Well then, answer my question about that."

"This is…"

"A promise is a promise and some of them run in the blood from ancestors to descendants… wouldn't you say… Child of Cecilia?"

I was in shock after reading and understanding what was in the contents of that piece of ancient-looking paper.

"Lady Cecilia did this…?"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Thank you very much, Sir Lucas! It is a pleasure to be under your tutelage!"

"The pleasure is all mine, Fujikawa-chan. I cannot ask for a better student as you do. Alright then… Go forth and join your comrades! Show them your newfound strengths!"

"Yes, sir!"

After two grueling yet rewarding months of training under Sir Lucas here in the city of Sapporo, I have finally finished my training with him.

"Agent Fujikawa… You look happy."

"How can I not be, Chaa-san? I just finished my training to become stronger… and I can finally go back to Tokyo with my friends and family."

"Hehehe! Good thing I was passing by for a delivery, huh?"

Outside of the outpost estate of the Sumeragi group, I met with Chaa-san. An officer in the agency that I am working for. Apparently, he is in Hokkaido to meet with some arms dealers who are supplying the S.S.S with ammunition and spare parts for our guns while there is still a temporary pause in our arms trade with America. With him being in town, I decided to hitch a ride with him instead of going back on my own.

"I'm sorry if the truck's a bit uncomfortable to ride in. I only use this to transport our supplies, so I don't really ask the motor pool guys to prioritize comfort here."

"No need to feel sorry, sir. I'm the one who asked for a ride without any prior notice anyway."

"Ehehe… Thanks for putting up with it."

As he and I drove off back to Old Tokyo through the expressway, I began to ask him about recent events back there in order to catch up and also help pass time for the both of us.

"Your report about the local Sumeragi Kanbu contacting his comrades in Old Tokyo helped all of us out. Especially Rai-kun who led the operation."

"Huh? Wait, Rai led the operation?"

"Yep. Yuri and the others debated about why the Sumeragi group would want to take him away from the place. As our allies, they must've had a good reason for it, whether if it was for his safety or the safety of those around him."

"Then why did Yurippe let him lead?"

"Because he's the only available Psychic agent there."

"Ah."

"There's also the case of him being around that place before it became a dangerous area. Because of the investigation he did there, he had prior knowledge about what is happening inside."

"Speaking of which… what actually happened there? I watched the news coverage where they recovered the dead bodies of the victims… but with the channel and news program being run by the Miyazono corporation, I know that most of the statements must've been cover-up lies or watered-down truths."

After I said those words, Chaa-san sighed deeply before answering me.

"It was a very horrible scene, you see… From the reports that Yuri and Hinata shared to us Department chiefs, the victims are all young men and women from New Tokyo academy who was there for… a particularly unsavory gathering."

"…I have heard rumors about it back in our school… but to think that it was actually happening in real life…"

"When I heard about it, I was caught aback myself… Even I can't easily believe that such a thing is true. I am someone who has faith in humanity and the youth who will one day take charge of the things that I do… but…"

"But?"

"The truth really hit me hard, even as just someone who was there to discuss it with my fellow officers… I was put off… no, I would go as far as say that I loathed it."

"…"

"Who knows how much more of that aversion did Rai-kun felt since he was the one who saw all of it first…?"

Now that he said that… Rai-kun did send a text message to me, thanking me for sending those recordings and warnings for his own sake. But he never mentioned anything about feeling disgusted of what he saw there.

"Speaking of which, where is Rai-kun now?"

"Oh. I think Yuri already handed him his new job while our Agency is restructuring itself. I heard he's providing security for a girl who got mixed up with him during his Psychic Awakening."

"A girl?"

"Yeah… The name is… Ah! Akamine Kaori."

Akamine Kaori… isn't she one of our underclassmen?

"By the way, Minister Fujikawa said that he wants you to stay at home while the last member of your team hasn't come back from his training yet. Seems like he wanted you to clear up some stuff at home while you're on break."

"Why are you the one who's telling me about this, Chaa-san? I haven't received a text message or call from him about this."

"I dunno… He just told all of us to mention this to you since you'll report to Yuri first as soon as you get back to Tokyo. I'll be honest with you, kiddo… I don't want to put my nose in other people's personal affairs, so let me take a few steps back on this."

"Hmm… What could father be asking from me?"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

I made a bout with Law regarding what exactly my family's connection with Spirits is, why the language that I was taught keeps on popping up whenever I encounter these ethereal beings and what all of this means for me who is now deep into this rabbit hole.

"To put it simply, your ancestors were acquainted with us Spirits since ancient times… So ancient indeed was that era that nothing in that far, far past can ever be found to prove that it existed."

"At least in the earth, that is?"

"Right. With this being the library archive of Caelestia, it has records of that time that wasn't erased in history… This is the only place in existence where you can find all the answers to all the questions that you can possibly come up with, all written down by yours truly."

"I'm honestly still in shock though…"

"What?"

"The fact that the things that my mother and father taught me back then wasn't actually meaningless… it scares me how everything about this line up so well as if someone has already written this down to the dot."

"…I guess I can't fault you for being in shock. After all, you are a mortal who used to lead a semi-normal life just almost a year ago. No normal human can adapt so easily with these revelations."

After learning what Spirit Knowledge had to teach me regarding the secrets of my family and what might be in store for me as the Divine Challenger, I felt powerless and exhausted already about all of it.

"But still, Law chose you as his vessel. Justice met you and deemed you worthy enough to watch over through the eyes of your teacher… and now, even I got to meet you in person to tell you all about these things that I decided you are strong enough to take in."

"Is that really the reason why you did that?"

"It is. After all, it would be illogical of me to do something that makes no sense in the form of telling you something that you cannot comprehend or accept. And as you may know, I cannot do that since I am the Spirit of Knowledge and Logic."

"I see…"

I contemplated about everything that I discovered and tried to find my place in all of this mess that is around me right now.

Simply put, I am now an important piece in this battle between not only two great human factions, but also the feud between Spirits who has been at war with each other since ancient times. Whatever I do from now on would reflect greatly in the board… that was how much of a problem I am to both enemies and allies alike.

"For now though, I don't think it is proper for you to make your moves. I cannot speak about what the other Spirits on our side may think about this situation and your position as the Divine Challenger, but for me personally, going on battle after battle with no prior preparation is a sure-fire way to lose the overall war. As such, I recommend that you prepare yourself ahead of the time… before the real battles come your way."

"I'll take that suggestion seriously… I plan to do that anyway."

"Good. That means you have a good brain in your head… And it will make things easy for all of us later."

"All of us…?"

"Yeah. You and Law aren't the only ones whom our enemies owe some beating up… You'd be surprised whose toes those fools stepped on while they're on their power trip. Trust me, the list is very long."

"I'll remember that too… Oh, now that I remember. Can I go back here again some other time?"

"Here? You mean you wanna go back here in Caelestia?"

"Yeah."

"For what reason?"

"I can't really say for now, but I just want to know if I can talk to you again like this or find answers to things that I don't know."

After I said that, Spirit Knowledge suddenly chuckled loudly as if he heard something so hilarious that even he forgot to put back on his neutral expression and tone.

"I'm sorry kid… I can't do that."

"Why?"

"The Hall of Words is my domain here in Caelestia. A room given to me as both a reward and responsibility by my Divine Principles."

"…"

"No one… even my own comrade spirits can normally set foot in here. You know, even Law respected that rule and ever since its creation, never set foot in this place out of the blue."

"Then why did you let me in this time?"

"Because the situation called for it."

"What?"

"Miyazono Keiji is someone who has thirsted for the contents of The Hall of Words since he discovered its existence. Time and time again, he has used Psychics who had a strong connection with Caelestia to try and enter this place, and time and time again, I needed to make my own moves to drive him away before he can even touch the door of my domain."

Knowledge looked up to the dome above us who is giving out a faint yet bright enough rays of sunlight down to us. He gave out a long sigh as if he's exhausted by just remembering all of it.

"Earlier, he used you to send his soul towards here. Something that I already expected for a long time. You know what happened next by this point. I drove him away, broke your soul bindings and you destroyed his soul form."

"And that's the "situation" that you are talking about?"

"Yeah… If it was any other Psychic, I would destroy their soul to end their agony after he used them as disposable transportation to this place. But since you are a Spirit's vessel and the Divine Challenger, you survived him using you as one… There's also the part of me wanting to get some answers from you. By that, I mean the answer you gave regarding the parchment that Cecilia left to us Spirits."

"So, I can't get back here anymore?"

"Willingly, no. But if I found the situation in the human world worrying enough to warrant another audience with you in here, I would call for you and guide you back in here."

So, in the end, I can't depend on Knowledge to bail me out during difficult times. I am no pessimist, but I can't help but see the road ahead of me to be full of dangers and hardships… not that I would back down from them anyway.

"I see… I have one last question before I go then."

"Go on. I'll treat this question as returning of the favor for keeping me company for a while."

"…I want to know everything that you know about the Original World."

There was silence after I asked that question. For a few moments, it was as if everything became frozen in time.

"I apologize…"

"…"

"…but I don't know anything about this Original World. What are you talking about, anyway?"

"Huh?"

"It may seem ironic for I, Spirit Knowledge, to admit that I don't know something. But I am being serious… I know nothing about this thing or place that you call the "Original World"."

It did catch me off-guard when he said that. I never expected him to not know that place that Law and I saw when I tried to form a mental link with my own self out of curiosity and ended up going to that apocalyptic place.

"I see… I guess it was my mistake to take what I saw back then seriously."

"I would like to know about this as the Spirit of Knowledge, but with the expression on your face, it seems like it would be futile to ask if you yourself are seeking answers about it."

"You're right. I'm sorry for asking that to you."

Before he returned me to the real world, Spirit Knowledge gave me some warnings about the things that I may encounter ahead of me.

"Your children and your family would undoubtedly be brought into this mess sooner or later. That's why I suggest you gather as much power and allegiances as possible with your side… After all, you may one day end up fighting the entire world and need to make crucial decisions."

"Thank you for the reminder, Spirit."

"You're welcome, young one. I'll be watching you as much as I can…"

After that, my vision became filled with light and my body became weightless as I lost consciousness for a moment.

"…"

"You're finally awake."

When I finally regained consciousness, I woke up to see Kirin-sensei's face and chest. It seems like she rested my head on her lap while I am unconscious.

"Kirin-sensei…"

"Don't move too much… Your physical body is unharmed, but your Spiritual form seems to be beaten to a pulp."

"I am… The fight was pretty brutal."

"I see…"

As my senses cleared up, I saw that we are inside a van. It seems like the Subspace that Keiji made had a low time-suppression setting since it is nearly high noon.

"I'm sorry for making this decision by myself, Rai-kun. But I think it would be safer for you and your children to take refuge in our estate until things calm down. After all, we still don't know the extent of information that traitor gave to our enemies… Best case, he only knows what he's supposed to know as a newbie… Worst case, he may have used Renjiro's identity as a Kanbu officer to extract high-value information."

"…"

"As a parent to another parent, I know they are your utmost priority, so I decided to bring them with us. I'm sorry if you have other plans on your mind for this scenario."

"No need to apologize, Sensei… You did the right thing. And yes, Mio, Yukari and Rea's safety is my priority. I need to keep them safe from all of these problems."

After I gave that answer, I felt Kirin-sensei combing my hair using her fingers. I felt a bit shy because of it, but what she said a moment after made me smile a bit because of the gesture.

"I'm glad you're safe and you won in that fight… I'd be devastated if you died in a battle that I could've helped you with."

"You're just as wounded as I am, Sensei… Don't push yourself or be disappointed for not being able to do enough."

"It's exactly because I am your Sensei that I feel this way… If a student is more competent that his teacher, it would be a shame to her, you know?"

"I see, I see… Uhm, Sensei… a favor, please."

"A favor?"

"Y-yes… can you let me sit up already? I feel awkward with resting on your lap."

"Oh? It's alright with me."

"But it isn't to me."

"No need to feel shy, Rai-kun."

"This isn't about me feeling shy, Sensei. Other people may get the wrong impression by seeing us like this."

"I told you already. It's alright with me."

"Please listen to me, Sensei…"

In the end, Kirin-sensei let me sit up and told me that she just wanted to tease me to see my shy expression for a change… But I somehow deduced that she also wanted to dote on me to relieve the stress we both had after our respective life-or-death battles.

Perhaps Kirin-sensei isn't as resilient as other people made her out to be.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"…that is all that I have for my report, Director Nakamura!"

"Hm, hm… Excellent work, Agent Fujikawa. You have done well as a part of our organization."

After I arrived in Shibuya bunker of the S.S.S, I went straight to Yurippe's office to report the success of my training trip and officially state that I am ready for deployment again.

"Now… let's drop the formal tone and the superior-subordinate talk… Mana, take a seat right there."

"Mm."

After the conclusion of my report, Yurippe told me to forget about our positions and offered me a seat in front of her table.

"How was it? What did you find out in their outpost estate in Hokkaido?"

"There is nothing that different in comparison with their stronghold here in Old Tokyo. It is as Chief Eri Shiina said before, the Sumeragi syndicate sends their members who are of foreign descent in the Sapporo outpost in order to pacify the traditionalists and xenophobic clans in their group. Although there doesn't seem to be outward discord between the two sides, I can still sense some disappointment with their foreign members regarding the treatment that they get from the said party."

"I see… Although our alliance with the Sumeragi group is in the general sense, it would be to our disadvantage if they get fractured or disorganized…"

"I think Sir Lucas has mentioned once that the current leader of the group treats everyone equally unlike the previous leaders who truly favored local members. Perhaps there has been a shift in the power balance between the Sumeragi leader and the clans who form the inner circle of the group."

"Right… that's the only way all of this would make sense."

The unspoken "this" that Yuri mentioned was illustrated in the monitor of her computer. A detailed record of movements that the Sumeragi group made for the past few weeks as collected by their intelligence department.

"Both their strongholds in Old Tokyo and Old Kyoto have been making strange moving of equipment and personnel. It would be normal if it was just a change of members who are in active and reserve duty, but instead of maintaining their numbers, there has been a notable swell in those who are in active status."

"This is just my personal assumption, Yurippe… Please don't take this as a guaranteed information from me."

"Don't worry, kid. Speak up and let me know what you make of these things."

Mana looked down for a moment, seemingly contemplating how to properly state her assumption.

"I think what happened in Aokigahara is just the start."

"The start? Of what?"

"Of the all-out war that we are dreading for a long while."

"What… makes you think that this will happen?"

Mana spoke about the conversation she had with Chaa earlier that day and the things she noticed during her stay in the Sumeragi group.

"I thought it was just them looking out for Rai-kun after they heard that he headed to Aokigahara… but the sense of urgency from both Sir Lucas and Renjiro-sensei made me suspicious about whether or not it was his safety that they are concerned with."

"Lucas and Renjiro… why didn't you include Imamura Kirin?"

"I know Kirin-sensei. She and Rai-kun has some kind of mother-son relationship that makes them pretty close with each other. The call she made may have been instigated by the two other Kanbu officers, but I find it hard for her to have other concerns except for Rai's safety."

"I see…"

"Because of that, I tried to dig up some data by asking around and reading the instructions and reports in Sir Lucas' office under the excuse that I want to read some of the books in his personal collection. That's when I came across an old folder from the Miyazono corporation."

"What does this folder contain?"

"The formula and step-by-step procedure for making Replicants."

"Clones, huh?"

"And worse still, is that the ones who penned the documents are someone who should be familiar to you because of Rai-kun."

"Who is it?"

"Professor Miyazaki Akihiro and Doctor Jonah Seliah Chronia."

"What?!"

As soon as she heard those two names, Yuri stood up from her seat and realized what it was that was missing from the picture.

"It seems like Rai-kun hid the truth that he has known about the Miyazaki family from the start. Whether it was for the sake of his children whom he didn't want others to find, or there is a greater underlying reason to it, it is clear that both Rai-kun and Hiro-san's fathers knew each other well enough to write a research record together."

"B-But… If Ephraim knows what his father and Hiro's father did together… does that mean that he is-"

"I don't think that is the case, Yurippe."

"How can you say so?"

"Because he's taking care of Hiro's sisters and one of his reasons to fight is to find and punish the ones who killed Hiro."

"But since he must have known that his father is part of the cloning project, he could still be-"

"That's the part that I fear, Yurippe…"

As Mana said those words, she slipped her phone near Yuri where a video of a computer screen with a notepad program is shown.

"What is this?"

"Remember the Replicant that Rai-kun and the others recovered in their interception mission in Morioka that we let the Sumeragi group to keep? I have frequented her holding room for a while and one night, both I and Sir Lucas has been "talked to" by that cloned person."

"Talked to?"

"Yes… Through this computer's notepad program."

I played the video where I deleted the words written on the notepad and without the keyboard being pressed, several katakana characters began showing up in the empty notepad program.

"These characters are…"

"That's how Ephraim's name is written in Katakana… Which means that this Replicant knows him."

In the upper levels of the place that he is working at, Ephraim is currently being suspected as someone withholding critical information. But even when presented with incriminating evidence for his possible rebellion, these two women wanted to think about the best-case scenario.

Perhaps, they don't want to imagine that someone as strong in character and resolute in spirit as Ephraim would turn out to be an enemy that they have to one day fight against.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"The previous tests and therapy sessions has been successful. So, in conclusion, I believe that Young miss Akamine can be discharged now."

"Thank you very much, doctor."

"Ahaha… You're welcome too."

In Miyazono Medical Research Institute, the approval of her attending physician marked the end of Akamine Kaori's hospitalization.

"About the expenses, Doctor… Can we negotiate for a monthly down payment of-"

"Oh. Your company's agent did not mention it to you last month?"

"What?"

"The young man who visited miss Akamine went to the billing office after his visit and paid all of the current and future bills using a debit account. That's why there's no more unsettled balance in your name."

"That lad…"

"He paid our fees?"

"Huh? Why are the two of your surprised? Isn't he from your company's medical insurance?"

Upon hearing what Ephraim did after his last visit, Akamine Kaori looked down and muttered something beneath her breath.

"Just who are you really, Rai-senpai?"