Chapter 63: Sagittarius
Chapter 63: Sagittarius
"Ughh"
"Where.."
Arbus's bruised eyelids fluttered open slowly as his shallow and ragged breaths escaped his swollen lips.
He glanced around weakly, his vision swimming as he tried to focus. After a bit, he noticed that he was still in the middle of the southern side of the forest.
His eyes suddenly shot wide open as he remembered everything from before he was knocked out.
"No... Arora!"
"Dorian... that scum!!!"
"That fucking scum!!!"
"Damn it! I'll kill him!" He shouted through gritted teeth as he thrashed wildly against his restraints.
The thick aTer chains binding him to the ancient tree dug deeper into his already torn flesh with each desperate movement.
No matter how much strength he exerted, the chains would not budge. They had been designed to contain Rogue Renegade Vanguards and Captains. A half Tarokian child like him had no chance of breaking them.
The towering ancient tree he had been tied to did not seem too keen on budging either.
Still, Arbus didn't give up, despite the futility of his attempts.
"Come on! Come on! Please!" he pleaded through strained cries as blood streamed down his arms where the chains carved through his skin.
"I can't stay here! I need to get to Arora! I need to save my friend!"
Tears flowed freely from his eyes as he thought of what would happen to Arora if those boys managed to catch her by surprise. Or if they somehow found out she was human and reported it.
"Damn it all! i.. I can't lose her too!" He said through sobs as his desperation only increased.
___________________
"....So that is how it ends"
"...No! That's too sad! That's just too sad!"
"W-where's the kiss!? The lovers desperate longing filled embrace, the happy ending!?"
""Tsk, I can't believe my beautiful sunshine Anita would lie to me about how good this book was!"
A middle-aged red Mornan with surprisingly youthful features lay sprawled lazily on the floor of his monitoring station as he rambled on in a frustrated tone.
His disheveled dark blue hair spilled across the cool metal surface as his deep grey eyes — matching the Renegade coat lying underneath him, scanned the book for anything he had missed.
The nearly empty chamber around him was lined with over a dozen bookshelves against the walls, holding his treasured physical books from across the galaxy.
Eventually, The Mornan sighed deeply as he snapped the sizable book shut with a resounding thud that echoed through the quiet room.
"How underwhelming. Writers these days are far too obsessed with tragedies. Is it so hard to ask for a happy ending? Is that so cliche for them now?" He said with a scoff as he rubbed the dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep.
He had already spent countless hours reading this particular book because of how good it had been earlier.
"I can't believe I got my hopes up just because it was published physically. I should've known there'd be a few oddities among these gems too."
".....Maybe I'm getting too old for romance novels."
Finally, he took a deep breath as he slowly calmed down. His gaze drifted to the side as he looked out the observation window. He could see countless stars glowing radiantly in the distance.
Below his space station, the light of the twin suns bathed the planet of Tarok in its warm embrace.
A bright smile spread across his tired face.
"What a beautiful day... or night? Well, either way, there's no need to ruin it with my melancholic mood."
He slowly stood up as his coat rustled gently against his back
Drawn boldly on it was the unique insignia given to Renegade Commanders as a badge of sorts.
His own was an insidiously deadly arrow strung to the powerful bow of a hunter.
He walked over to the small table at the edge of the room, as he poured himself a cup of kofi, inhaling the rich aroma before taking a long, satisfying sip.
"Sigh... Another day gone.. huh." He muttered quietly, his expression somber.
He reached into his coat pocket and withdrew a clean and well preserved Image.
On it was a young female Mornan with bright silver hair and beautiful blue eyes that he often found himself lost gazing into.
Next to the Mornan was a young male Mornan with dark blue hair resembling his own and bright blue eyes like his mother.
They were his precious Life partner Anita, And his one and only Son Kai.
They were his purpose for living, and the reason he always did his best in everything.
'How long has it been now? A year? Two?"
He sighed as he put the picture away.
He had been stationed here for over a year now. The news of his new assignment had come days after he had successfully broken through the integration stage of the Heart shard, gaining an ability and qualifying to become a commander.
He had thought his ascension would be a thing of celebration, given how rare it was for a Red Mornan to reach such a stage.
He was without a doubt, a genius among geniuses, despite how long it had taken him.
Instead, the Renegades attitude towards him hadn't changed much.
They had simply assigned him the job no one wanted to do, Just like before. It was painfully obvious how much the other commanders looked down on him, despite them being his peers.
He couldn't refuse the position either, since it had been a direct order from the high commander and the Chief of Tarok, Nash Grimm.
It had always been his dream to climb the ranks of the Renegades, and reach the position of a Sentinel one day. But his conviction had been shattered by the realisation that it wasn't possible for him.
He had reached the limit he could achieve with his own talent and resources. He now needed another Heart shard infusion to continue advancing.
Unfortunately, he was one of millions in the same situation. The Heart shard itself was a source of energy too important to simply be used carelessly.
Which is why the Renegades could not afford to waste it on so many warriors who couldn't progress any further. Especially warriors from species like red Mornans.
Without another Heart shard fusion, he'd never advance beyond the integration stage.
He had finally understood that his hard work and talent could only take him, and most red Mornans so far before they hit their limit.
'Even an organisation as righteous and noble as the Renegades still has such a prejudice. It's a bit disheartening.
But I suppose it is understandable' He thought.
He shook himself from his depressing thoughts and strode to his chair by the window.
As he sat down, he glanced at the breathtaking planet below.
He was stuck here, watching after a half-human boy that he often found himself feeling sorry for.
Like himself, the child had been judged from birth for circumstances beyond his control.
Now the boy was down below in the country of Grata, surrounded by nothing but those who despised his very existence.
He sighed once again.
"You are truly a poor soul, Arbus Grimm. "
"....I hope one day, you'll find the happiness a child like you should have always had."
BEEP BEEP BEEP
His eyes widened in shock as alarms suddenly began blaring throughout the entire station, red warning lights bathing everything in a crimson glow.
He quickly turned his gaze back to the planet where the distress signal was originating from.
"What in the world..."
"...Could the child have done something? No that shouldn't be possible."
"Is it.. a Reincarnator threat, perhaps?" He said, his being filled with trepidation.
He remained still for several moments as he took another look at the image of his family.
Shortly after, a smile appeared across his face as he put it away.
His hands clenched into fists as he drew in a steady breath.
"No matter what it is, I have to face it. As a commander. This is what I've been prepared for, is it not?"
The room brightened as a sudden red glow enveloped his body completely.
He extended his left hand as a diluted Heart spear came flying in from another room, landing in his palm forcefully.
Stepping up to the observation window, he placed his other palm gently against the powerful glass.
"Well then, I suppose it's time to do my Job."
HISS!!!
A moment later, An ethereal crimson arrow shot from his palm, phasing effortlessly through the window as if it didn't exist.
The projectile descended toward the planet at speeds faster than sound itself.
As it passed through Tarok's upper atmosphere, the arrow suddenly curved and adjusted its trajectory, streaking toward the distant country of Grata thousands of miles away.
Then it stopped, hovering in space as it began to glow with a faint yellow light.
A heartbeat later, the Renegade commander — Norman Sagitta, materialized from the space station to the arrow's tip in a flash of golden radiance, already preparing another arrow to cover the remaining distance.
This was his ability.
It allowed him to spawn arrows capable of covering vast distances at hundreds of times the speed of sound, from which he was capable of instantly teleporting through.
Heart shard ability: Sagittarius