Pain and sorrow

Kage's attack causes dust to completely engulf the camp, and after the attack, he lands on the ground.

"Ok, maybe that was too much; he did have no way to defend himself. Tch, nah, honestly, I didn't hit him hard enough."

The dust clears, and Kage sees Nest knocked out with many bruises and his head bleeding.

"Oh, I see we're sleeping now! I guess that accelrate technique didn't help you much against me!"

Kage sits down on the ground and takes his shirt off.

"I think your poison is getting to me because why do I feel so sleepy?"

Kage hears a familiar voice scream his name in the distance.

"Kage!"

Kage looks behind him and sees Unknown, with many injuries, running towards him, with the kidnapped children that were left alive following right behind him. Unknown makes it to where he is sitting, and both boys look at each other with tears in their eyes.

"Bro, Unknown, you're ok!"

"Of course, man, my back hurts a little and the poison is making me dizzy, but I don't care; I'm just happy you're alive and well!"

"Yeah, I'm feeling dizzy too, but first things first, we need to get these kids back to their families, where they belong."

"Yeah, you're right. So you already called the police, right?"

"What I thought you called the police."

"No, I thought you would have called the police, so I didn't bother."

"Why the hell would I call the police? Aren't you supposed to be the smart one here? Plus, I was busy busting this creep's ass."

"Oh hell, nah, don't try to use that as an excuse; I was fighting him first. Why didn't you call the police after you beat up the guys that surrounded us before?"

"Oh yeah, why didn't you call the police after I cleared the way for you to get to this camp, huh?"

"Oh, um, shoot, I don't know."

"Haha, I win. Now go ahead and make yourself useful and call the police."

"Nah, screw that; I'll never admit defeat. Rock, paper, scissors, shoot right now; whoever loses out of three has to call the police."

"Fine then, but I'll let you know I'm the rock, paper, scissors shoot champion!"

Kage and Unknown get in a position to play rock, paper, scissors, and shoot, but then get interrupted by the six children that were left alive by Nest.

"Um, tall people, can I please see my mommy?"

The child starts crying, and then the other five kids start crying as well. Kage looks at the crying kids and looks back at Unknown.

"Ok fine Unknown, I'll call the police."

"Yeah, do it quickly before they start crying even louder."

As the sun sets, Kage pulls out his phone and calls the police. About ten minutes later, many police cars pulled up to the front of Grava Forest. The policemen have Nest, Burgus, and his men in chains, escorting them all into cop cars. A white-skinned detective with shaggy brown hair wearing a brown suit and a long brown coat is having a conversation with Unknown and Kage.

"So what you boys are saying is that Nest, who leads this shady group of men, kidnapped these kids, and you both fought them off."

Both Kage and Unknown shake their heads up and down, confirming what the detective says. The detective pulls out his notebook and starts writing things down.

"Ok, and I need to confirm one more thing with the one with the mask."

"Me?"

"You said that Nest was talking about getting a promotion for kidnapping these kids. So now that I know that, I need you to answer this question. Do you know who ordered him to kidnap these children?"

"Sorry, sir, I have no idea. All he said was "the boss"; he could have been talking about anyone. Do you know Kage?"

Kage shakes his head sideways. The detective puts up his notebook and looks up at the sky.

"Fuck! I thought this time for sure! Whatever, back to square one."

Kage and Unknown look at each other in confusion.

"So, sir, do you have any idea what's going on?" Unknown asks.

The detective takes notice of Unknown.

"Well, I'm asking because, from your reaction, it sounds like you know more than we do."

"Oh, sorry, kid. I didn't mean for you to see that you shouldn't worry about it; there's nothing for you to worry about. But for you two, do I need to call up a hospital? You both have multiple injuries, and didn't you say that Nest guy had poison? If you let that sit for too long, it could become deadly."

"Nah, don't even worry about it! Kage has already called someone for our injuries; he's on his way now."

"What the hell are you talking about? You were supposed to call him!"

"Bro, what the fuck are you on? You called the police, and after you got off the phone, I told you to call him."

"Dude, calm down; I'm kidding. Of course, I called him, and you watched me do it."

"Oh right, I did watch you make the phone call."

The detective, while watching Kage and Unknown go back and forth, shakes his head in dismay.

"You two kids were made for each other. I can't believe you two, not only single-handedly beat down two strong level-one OGI users, but you also helped us solve a case that's been a mystery for many months. That's pretty impressive, but I guess that's what you expect from kids that go to Grava Academy."

Kage and Unknown smile proudly as Luthor speaks of them. 

"Ok, wait one more thing. You all are police, right?" Unknown ask.

"Well, when it comes to me, more or less."

"Ok, so how the hell did you not check Grava Forest for those kids? If you all searched better, maybe those kids would still be alive!"

"Hey, kid, don't you think I know that? For your information, we did check Grava Forest; we checked it multiple times but never once found the camp you found."

Kage and Unknown's faces turn to shock.

"What the hell how?"

"I know it's hard to believe, but just look at this, and you will understand."

The detective pulls out a strange, round brown capsule and shows it to Kage and Unknown. Both of them look at the strange object in confusion.

"What the hell is that?" Kage asks.

"Of course, kids like you wouldn't know about this object. This right here is a high-tech miragerator! I found this piece of high-tech in the camp Nest and his men made in Grava Forest."

"What a stupid name!"

"Hey, I didn't name it; some rich guy named it, but back on point, this piece of tech is a powerful one; it can make an area look like something completely different. For example, I believe Nest and his men used this device to make their camp blend in with the rest of Grava Forest, and if my theory is right, then that means every time we searched for them in Grava Forest, they were using this miragerator to hide from us."

Kage and Unknown look in awe as the detective speaks. Unknown now, knowing this information, ask the detective a question.

"Ok, if they had this thing the whole time, what was the need for that fake sign and them attacking us?"

"It's simple; I'll show you."

The detective shows the boys a crack on the back of the capsule.

"You see, the capsule has been broken, so I'm guessing Nest had to make adjustments."

"Wow, so we just got lucky?"

"Yeah, it's kind of crazy when you think about it."

"It is crazy, but all I want to know is how a guy like Nest got his hands on this type of tech," the detective says with a suspicious tone.

As the detective, Kage, and Unknown are brainstorming to get a clearer picture of this whole case, they all hear a scream coming from the area where the police cars are sitting.

"No! You're lying; this isn't my baby."

The group looks over at the situation and sees a stressed old woman on her knees, crying over one of the children Nest killed.

"Hey, Unknown I know I don't have the best memory, but isn't that the same lady we saw on TV at the gas station? The one who threw a big fit over her child going missing."

"Wait a minute, Kage; you're right, that is the same woman, but it doesn't seem her child is missing anymore."

The detective runs to the police officer standing next to the frail woman.

"Hey, what the hell is going on? Why is that woman here?"

"Sorry, sir, I don't know how she got in here; somehow she made it past security."

"So you're the boss around here?"

"Um, yes, ma'am, I am, and if you don't mind, could you please leave the premises?"

"Please, sir, tell me this isn't real. This child in my hands can't be mine; it has to be fake."

With the dead child in her hands, the frail woman starts to burst into tears. She then drops the dead child on the ground and grabs the detective by his coat.

"Tell me right now! That's not my child!"

The detective looks away from the frail woman in shame and regret. The detective takes the frail woman's hands off his coat.

"I'm sorry; it's our fault we couldn't get to them fast enough, and I'm afraid that the lifeless body you were just holding is your real child!"

"No, no, no, you're wrong; he's still alive; he's still out there waiting for me."

The detective's face becomes filled with guilt.

"No, that's your child, and he's dead, and he's never coming back!"

The frail woman falls to her knees with a face full of shock, and the detective takes a seat on the ground in front of the woman.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry; even with our best efforts, your child was lost."

"I don't want to hear your apologizes; it won't bring him back, and now that he's gone, I must find him a different way."

"huh?? "

The frail woman pulls out a knife, and the detective jumps up as quickly as he can, but he's not fast enough. The frail woman, with great speed, cuts her throat.

Chapter 10 end