Chapter 17: Initial mission

After reading the last description, Shoun was momentarily confused. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. Kaze noticed this and asked:

—Is something wrong?

—...The Chaos Bearer is a vestige I've already killed.

—What?—Kaze exclaimed in his monotone voice, though internally he was confused.

—It's exactly as I said. I checked my Codex, and it's the first vestige I ever killed—the one that turned me into a Codex user... Also, reading other entries, I realized the "chaos" seems to be more significant than I thought—Shoun explained bitterly. The Chaos Bearer had ruined his life the one time they met, and now its remains seemed to haunt him even after death. Seeking answers, Shoun looked around the room—Liam, what is the chaos? Who were the ancients?

—Neither of the administrators has sufficient clearance to know the answer to that question.

—What!? What the hell do you mean we don't have enough clearance!—Shoun shouted, slamming his fist on the table. It would have toppled over if Kaze hadn't held it down.

—It's exactly as I said, Secondary Administrator. You do not possess the necessary security clearance to know.

—Then tell me how we get the clearance to know!

—You do not have the clearance to know that.

—Damn it!—Shoun went to punch the table again but was stopped by Kaze.

—Stop it—Kaze demanded, firmly gripping Shoun's wrist. Shoun hesitated for a moment but then sat down.

—Ugh... sorry about that, Kaze. It's just that thing was—

—I know, but I don't think getting angry at Liam will help. I think the best thing is to complete the mission and see what new information we can get.

—That... sounds good. Let's do that—Shoun replied, a bit more composed.

—By the way, you mentioned something about "chaos" and "ancients." What are they?—Kaze asked in his monotone voice.

—I'm not sure, but both terms were mentioned in some of the descriptions of the vestiges recorded in my Codex. I've never heard those terms outside the Codex, and considering what the mission is asking for, I think they're relevant.

—I see. Let me check mine for a moment—Kaze spent a couple of minutes reviewing the descriptions of the vestiges he had killed alongside Shoun—The chaos is definitely present in the Brute we killed, but I didn't find any mention of the ancients in the descriptions.

—It's because it's in the description of the Grunt vestiges you forced me to kill when I first came here—Shoun explained briefly, with a hint of irritation. He still held a bit of resentment toward Kaze for that, though not much.

—Oh, that explains it. When we get back, I'll check some descriptions, but for now, let's focus on completing the mission—Kaze said as he stood up, followed shortly by Shoun.

The two left the base, finding themselves back in the park. As Shoun stepped out, the door and panel glowed and disappeared.

Neither of them said much about it and began walking toward the mission's location.

—...Kaze, have you been to the place we're heading before?

—No. It's not far, but back then, that Brute was around here, so I just went in and out quickly. The fastest and safest route was through here, so I never really explored it.

—Hmm... Let's be careful. Even though it's only a Seeker-level mission, the path might still be dangerous—Neither of them spoke further and continued walking toward the objective. Shoun still felt uneasy about the whole chaos situation, but he knew Kaze was right. The only way to uncover anything was to complete the mission.

As they walked, they began to notice changes in the terrain. First, a black dust, similar to ash, started floating in the air, becoming more abundant as they approached.

Second, many buildings began to show black stains. The metal beams looked corroded, and the stone crumbled at the slightest touch.

Faced with these environmental changes, Shoun covered his face with one hand, while Kaze continued walking normally. The black dust didn't seem to harm them, but Shoun preferred to avoid it.

—My house should be two blocks away. The objective shouldn't be far—Shoun commented, looking around. The buildings were now completely black, not as if painted that color, but as if the blackness had seeped into them, almost alive. Just looking at it sent a shiver down Shoun's spine.

—Yeah... We shouldn't linger in this area. Something feels wrong about this place—Shoun didn't argue and began scanning the surroundings for the objective. Soon, they heard the sound of rapid footsteps. Emerging from a curtain of smoke was a vestige. At the sight of it, Shoun clenched his fists tightly.

The vestige was very similar to the one he had faced years ago—the same leopard-like body, the same alien-like face. The only difference was that now its claws weren't pointed forward but curved like hooks. From the side, they almost looked like gloves.

Both analyzed the creature and saw it was an Alpha Grunt. Kaze looked at Shoun, signaling that he should handle it.

—You lost your weapon, right? I'll lend you mine—Kaze was about to draw his katana but was stopped by Shoun.

—No need. I want to do this with my own hands—Shoun said briefly, handing his jean jacket and hoodie to Kaze. Now, Shoun was in just a T-shirt and pants, but comfort was the least of his concerns at the moment.

He looked at the creature, and the creature looked back at him. He thought about that night, how his life had changed after that. He felt immense anger toward every vestige because, thanks to them, humanity and other species were plunged into misery. But he felt particular anger—and fear—toward this vestige.

He had already killed it once, but that was when it was injured. He could still vividly remember that night, how it had easily slaughtered his entire family. If it hadn't been for a stroke of luck and the fact that it was already injured, he never would have killed it. Nightmares about that vestige had haunted him for years. But he was here now. He had no choice but to kill it. He had to face that nightmare again and put an end to it once and for all.

—...—Shoun silently stared at the vestige before filling his limbs with electricity. In a burst, he shot toward the vestige, which did the same, charging at Shoun.

When they were a meter apart, the vestige threw a straight punch. Shoun feinted to the left and delivered a punch to the creature, sending it flying several meters before it stabilized.

Shoun quickly ran toward it, channeling more electricity into his fist and slamming it into the ground where the vestige stood. The creature contorted its body and twisted backward, narrowly avoiding Shoun's strike. When his fist hit the asphalt, it shattered, sending up smoke and debris.

Emerging from the smoke, the vestige slashed at Shoun's chest, giving him no time to dodge. The hook-like claw tore through his T-shirt easily, leaving a shallow cut.

—Ugh!—Shoun staggered back from the attack. The vestige didn't stop and continued launching strike after strike at Shoun, who kept retreating but was slowly losing ground. As he watched the monster attack, memories of that night flooded his mind—his mother's bleeding neck, his father's torn face, the floor stained with his sister's blood.

Fear began to cloud Shoun's mind. He started making more mistakes. Due to a misstep, he received a slash to his stomach and nearly lost his left hand.

—Damn it!—Desperate, Shoun tried to regain control of the fight, but all his attempts were thwarted by the ferocious vestige. Seeing this, Shoun glanced toward Kaze, who stood still, though with a hand on his katana, ready to intervene if necessary. Shoun thought about shouting for help, begging Kaze to save him, but he quickly realized his mistake.

—(Haven't I been through this before? I've killed more dangerous things than this... I'm not alone anymore. I'm not helpless. I don't have to be afraid. I need to trust Kaze... and myself)—Determined, Shoun watched as the vestige slashed toward his left shoulder. But he didn't dodge. The claws pierced his flesh and lodged into his right shoulder.

Gritting his teeth to endure the pain, Shoun used his left hand to grab the vestige's left wrist and delivered a strong electric shock.

—Grrr!—The vestige growled, paralyzed. Shoun didn't give it time to recover. He immediately launched a powerful punch to its face, sending it flying and tearing more flesh from Shoun's shoulder in the process.

Shoun bit his lip to endure the pain. He watched as the vestige got up and charged at him again. Shoun continued to retreat, dodging the strikes of the now-injured vestige, but this time not out of desperation. He was simply being patient.

At one point, Shoun formed his hand into the shape of a gun and fired an electric discharge from his index finger. The blast hit the vestige squarely, giving Shoun a few seconds. He took advantage of this to deliver a powerful kick to the creature's chest.

—Haaah... haaah—Shoun panted, catching his breath as he watched the creature rise. Its chest and part of its stomach were caved in from Shoun's earlier blows, and its face was badly swollen. Meanwhile, Shoun had several wounds on his chest and stomach, and he had essentially lost the use of his left arm for the rest of the fight—(This isn't the ideal situation... but I can do this)—Shoun thought calmly as he watched the creature charge at him with murderous intent.

The vestige reached Shoun in seconds, its claws ready to slash him apart. Shoun waited calmly until it was close enough. Just before the claws struck, he grabbed the vestige's right wrist with his right hand and used its momentum against it, flipping it over his shoulder and slamming it to the ground.

With the creature down and a clear opportunity, Shoun channeled the remaining electricity into his right hand and fired a bolt that completely obliterated the vestige's head. Naturally, the Codex spoke:

[You have killed the Alpha Grunt "Remains of the Chaos Bearer."]