Chapter Text
“Mmm…”
The young man was waiting for someone. He was wearing strange looking almost alien armor. It was mostly green and gold with some red like on the visor. Far above his head was a metal ceiling with artificial lights that were off.
The ceiling didn’t seem to surprise him.
He turned his attention when he heard someone approaching. Nozomi was carrying a bag with a boxed lunch. She was a young girl with long braided silver hair and soft purple eyes. She wore a white dress shirt with a black bow and white skirt. Over that was a black blazer. Under her skirt was pale leggings and she wore black shoes. The one in the armor was Takumi.
“You don’t need to come out with me this late.”, Nozomi said.
“I know that but I want to. Besides if I got this gear from acting as a guard then I might as well use it to keep you safe. No one’s going to mess with us while I’m wearing this.”, Takumi explained.
“You really think someone would do something?”, Nozomi questioned.
“I just think it’s better to be safe than sorry. You’re not usually out this late.”, Takumi replied.
“Well, if it will get you out of that suit…”, Nozomi said in a joking manner.
“It’s really cool. They’re like something out of Halo or Doom.”, Takumi chuckled.
“I’m glad you’re very serious about your duty.”, Nozomi replied as they walked.
“I am serious. I just think this is cool.”, Takumi replied.
She was glad that Takumi was enjoying himself at least. The required service always worried her. It started at 17 and was very gender based with males always being made to act as fighters. The females got a choice at least. Personally she didn’t think that Takumi was suited for combat. Too kind…and too absentminded. Thinking about the scenario like one of his video games seemed to help him cope with it.
He kept a look out while they walked. She’ll admit that she felt safer knowing that he had a gun. Not to mention the night also felt quite off putting even with the defenses. It was just so dark. Takumi having flashlights on his helmet certainly helped them know where they were going.
The streets felt dead. It seemed like they were the only two people in the whole world as they walked together.
“So, what did you end up making for her?”, Takumi asked, alleviating the unsettling silence.
“I made spicy Onmoraki curry.”, Nozomi answered.
“I don’t see why people like spicy food.”, Takumi replied.
“It’s something you need to acquire a taste for. Kinda like coffee.”, Nozomi explained.
“I don’t like coffee either…It’s so bitter.”, Takumi replied.
“I know you have the palate of a little kid.”, Nozomi joked.
This made Takumi a bit flustered.
“It’s not that basic. I eat more adult foods like uhh…”, Takumi replied, sounding flustered.
“Maybe I could try making fish. That would be a lot healthier to eat.”, Nozomi suggested.
“Fish is pretty expensive though. I wouldn’t want you to spend that much on me.”, Takumi replied.
“It will be fine. Besides we’d be sharing it.”, she replied, hoping that’d sway him.
“Maybe…that’s the kind of food big shots eat. It’s probably so good.”, Takumi said, trying to imagine it.
If he rose up within the rankings he was thinking that maybe he could buy the fish for her to make. That sounded nice. He hadn’t really thought about it much till now, but he did have an opportunity to help them live more comfortable lives.
“Maybe we could even eat animal meat regularly. I probably will never be that good, but maybe I could get enough lucky breaks to get one or two raises.”, Takumi thought.
Thinking about it that way gave him some more motivation. He was looking forward to—
Slaaaaaaasssssssshh!
“Takumi!!!”, Nozomi cried out.
Takumi slowly looked down as power faded from his body. Something cut him. Blood was spilling from his body. His armor was ripped through like tissue paper.
Slash!
Slash!
Slash!
Pain exploded throughout every cell within him as cuts littered his body.
“Aaahhhhrrrffgggghhhhh……….”, Takumi cried out.
A pathetic cry exited his throat as he heard the sound of his own death. With it his mind slipped into a deep darkness.
…
…
…
His blood went flying through the air so fast that it hurt when it landed on her. The most sophisticated and powerful armor that humans have ever built was continuously reduced to mere paper compared to whatever hit Takumi. There was a massive gouge in his back and all over his body with the armor ripped open. Without warning more blood spattered everywhere. Cut after cut.
Her eyes widened with horror. Whatever was the source of it moved too fast for her to even see.
Clatter…
Takumi’s severed hand fell to the ground. His body was tense awkwardly like a broken marionette. There were massive cuts all over him. A camera moved over picking up what was happening.
Why did this have to happen?
Especially when they were so close to the hospital. Takumi’s hand that was still on was twitching in a very delayed reaction. His body fell down with a sickening thud. Blood poured from his body creating a pond of red. He was losing so much blood.
Maybe if she hurried—
His visor was cracked and his eyes looked hauntingly empty. However, she couldn’t think rationally right now. She tried to grab Takumi and move him. He was so close to the hospital. Even if it seemed hopeless she wanted to try to save him.
As she pulled she felt something sharp nearing her neck. She paled.
Swwwwiiiiiiiiinnnnnngggg!
Something stopped the attack aimed at her throat. Right after it did, Takumi's body was picked up by a coffin shaped drone. She started running after it with desperation.
“Takumi!”
Later…
Gradually Takumi’s mind arose from the darkness. Sweat poured from every pore. Within the cracks of his broken self he felt an unknown power seeping in. He breathed heavily as he shot up like he had a nightmare.
Special guns were trained on him cautiously. He hastily eased himself looking fearful. His face was finally visible now. He had red hair with a black highlight and blue eyes. His skin was oddly pale. Parts of his body looked mechanical. It was mostly from the neck down. Flesh was replaced with armor that was mainly black and bits of silver. Bits of an unknown red power pulsed through it like veins. His ears weren’t quite ears. They were black metallic and pointed almost looking like pointed ears combined with the wings of a plane with the bottom part being circular like headphones. On his chest was an Ouroboros symbol.
Takumi eased back into the table he had been pinned to. He was so stunned by what was going on that he didn’t notice that the restraints were torn off. Metal restraints. Nor that his body appeared to be mostly mechanical. The young man took a deep breath. He wasn’t sure why it felt so heavenly. Perhaps it’s because he thought that he’d drawn his last earlier. His eyes closed for a moment as he took it in. That unknown power flowed through his circuits.
“Finally...”, Takumi thought.
Unconsciously he balled up his hands testing their responsiveness. They were incredibly receptive. One wouldn’t have thought that he’d been torn asunder. He noted how they did so in a way that seemed off. His eyes widened when he noticed the mechanical joints and segments of his fingers. There was a small machine-like noise when he moved them.
“Is he stable?”, an unfamiliar voice asked.
“He seems to be now. Hey, how are you feeling, kid?”, another unfamiliar voice questioned.
“Didn’t I die…? How am I…? Am I a cyborg?”, Takumi questioned as he looked at his hands.
A man in a labcoat sweated nervously as he adjusted his glasses.
“We brought you back from the brink. Our drone got there quickly to recover you.”, who he assumed to be his doctor explained.
“I thought I was torn to bits.”, Takumi said.
“That’s the power of science, Mr. Sumino. We were able to rebuild you.”, that same voice said.
Takumi jumped and squealed as he saw what he thought was a demon. It looked like a small ghost mascot with a visible brain and heart. On its head was a fedora.
“Huh…? Wait, is that…the mascot of Future Foundation?!”, Takumi questioned as he tried to back away from the demon.
“There’s no need to fear. He isn’t a demon. He’s actually a robot.”, his doctor explained.
“That’s right. I am the marketable mascot of humanity’s future; Sirei!”, the robot said eagerly.
Takumi relaxed more as he exhaled.
“That’s a…”, Takumi was saying as his mind lingered.
Takumi was shaking looking extremely fearful. He remembered being torn apart clearly. The young man wasn’t even sure how they put him back together.
“You should relax for now. We had to hurry so that we could save you in time. We want to make sure that there’s no bugs.”, Sirei explained.
“What about Nozomi? Is she…?”, Takumi questioned, looking worried.
“She’s—“
Nozomi swung the door open.
“Nozomi!”, Takumi called out.
“I-It worked! You’re alive!”, Nozomi cried.
She looked absolutely horrible. Her hair was all messy along with her face. It seemed that she had been crying for a while. Nozomi ran over to him and hugged him.
“I’m so sorry! T-This happened because I didn’t say no…”, Nozomi apologized.
He puts his hand on her back and pats it.
“It’s not your fault. I wanted to go to protect you and keep you safe. T-This is a bit weird, but I’m glad that it was me and not you.”, Takumi assured.
“Y-You…you lost your body. I-I wasn’t sure that you would make it.”, Nozomi said as her hands trailed over his metallic body.
It was actually warm which was unexpected. The warmth was like that of a computer when it was on. Those in the room watched closely. Mostly on how Takumi was moving.
“Sorry, but we must check up on Sumino here. We need to make sure that he’s functioning properly.”, Sirei said.
“Oh…I’m sorry. I can’t stay with him at least?”, Nozomi replied.
“How about this? If you want you could be in charge of his maintenance. We are aware of your experience as your mother’s assistant. He’d probably be more comfortable if someone he’s familiar with handled it. You could be shown how to do it while we work on him.”, Sirei suggested.
Nozomi perked up at this. She looked so guilty about what occurred. This seemed to gain her interest.
“You don’t need to do that, Nozomi. This isn’t your fault.”, Takumi assured.
She shook her head no.
“I need to do this. I…I want to do something for you. You protected me and I want to help you. I’ve worked with my mother on these kinds of things.”, Nozomi replied, looking determined.
Takumi looked unsure. He didn’t want her to feel obligated to constantly care for him like that. However, judging by the look in her eyes she wasn’t going to change her mind. The teen leans back. So much happened so suddenly and it was a lot for his brain to process.
“Please don’t overdo it, Nozomi.”, Takumi said.
Nozomi gave a tearful nod and he watched her as she left.
“So, what exactly is going on with my body? You put my brain in this…robot?”, Takumi asked as Sirei waddled over to him.
Takumi’s body was slightly propped up by the operating table. Sirei got within his view.
“That’s about it.”, Sirei answered.
“Do I look human? I mean…”, Takumi looked nervously at his body.
It was vaguely human shaped and certainly mimicked the same functions, but wasn’t quite. Sirei pulled out a mirror for Takumi. He could clearly see his own face though. His hair used to be completely black…but was now mostly red leaving a small slither of black. His brown eyes became a vibrant blue with red rings including an extra smaller set. Any sort of imperfections with his face were gone instead everything was unblemished and perfectly smooth like a statue of the divine. Even his teeth were straight and white. He thinks there’s an extra bit of his hair just sticking up too.
It all had the side effect of making him more attractive. He guesses it’s not a complete loss…
“Huh…? I still kinda look like me. That’s really surprising.”, Takumi commented, sounding relieved.
His hand drifted over his face and hair. Yeah, it was completely perfect. He guesses that makes sense with a human-like robot. Whatever material made up his skin and hair felt astonishingly lifelike. He expected it to feel fake. His body also being warm at all was a surprise. He could feel the heat from his body coming from deep within his chest and in his head. It may have been his power source and processor.
“Well, you remember that form you signed, right?”, Sirei questioned.
Takumi nods.
“You consented to your body being used in the case of your death so something was already prepared. Thankfully because we had it you got to dodge death all together. Lucky you.”, Sirei explained.
“I never expected it to work out like this, but I’m glad I’m not dead.”, Takumi replied, though there was some concern.
Click!
He started to feel kinda sleepy which was weird considering he was a robot. The white screen that projected his pupils dulled. His eyelids started to lower.
“You can ask plenty more later. I believe it’s best we make sure you’re operating well. Wouldn’t want you to die again.”, Sirei said as Takumi faded out.
About a day later…
“Mmmmmm…”
His mind went back to what seemed like his own death. The sensation of getting cut into many bite- sized pieces…His body exploding with pain absolutely everywhere suddenly. It all hurt…It hurt…
Especially being casted into the dark.
Was that death?
Did he die for a few minutes? Takumi wasn’t sure how long you could stay dead for and still be revived. His time in the darkness felt so long though. Not even like days or months…
“Mmmmmm…”
Takumi drifted awake and with it his dream dissolved into nothingness. The restraints on the table were repaired and currently open. Slowly Takumi booted back up as he looked around.
“Good morning, soldier! You’re looking tuned and ready for combat testing. Hopefully your bloodlust has been properly charged.”, Sirei said as Takumi sat up.
“Do…do my parents know what happened?”, Takumi asked.
“They’ve been made aware of all of the relevant details of course. This is excluding anything classified. They know that a demon almost killed you and that you’re recovering.”, Sirei answered.
“Can I see them?”, Takumi asked.
“No can do right now. What you are currently is classified to the general public.”, Sirei replied.
“Classified?”, Takumi questioned, seeming uneased.
“That body of yours is an experimental anti-demon weapon. The most cutting edge of human technology. We can’t have word about that leaking just yet.”, Sirei explained.
Takumi seemed very uneasy by this. His body was a weapon that was government property. That certainly made him question how much autonomy he was allowed.
“Don’t worry it won’t be all work and no play. What’s going on right now is very important. Follow me, I'll explain everything.”, Sirei said, beckoning Takumi.
Takumi started following Sirei through the halls. He quickly realizes that he hasn’t actually been in here before.
“The demons aren’t the only issue humanity needs to worry about right now. You see the Earth itself has turned against us. More specifically it’s personification Gaia.”, Sirei explained.
Takumi looked stunned and horrified by this.
“Gaia…? Why does that name sound so familiar?”, Takumi thought as he put his hand over his mouth in contemplation.
“Hm? It’s quite troubling isn’t it? It was Gaia that gave birth to humanity and now she’s gone completely mad trying to destroy it. It’s all the fault of that damned despair cult in destroying the world. That’s what sent her over the edge.”, Sirei elaborated.
“Gaia…That name sounds familiar to me for some reason, but I don’t know where I heard it.”, Takumi said.
Sirei glances at him for a moment looking at his expression intently.
“Well, she is a figure from mythology. You probably heard about her at some point at school.”, Sirei replied, seeming brighter than he was just a few seconds ago.
“That’s probably it…”, Takumi accepted.
It felt like a bit more than that. There was something ebbing in his mind at the name Gaia. It
was urging him to remember the significance of that name.
“As you can imagine she poses a pretty big threat to the survivors of humanity. She’s been causing natural disasters outside and sending her most powerful children around to kill what is left of humanity. That’s why we need you. With that new body you have you uniquely have the power to save humanity.”, Sirei explained.
Takumi looked more than a little overwhelmed by this.
“But…why me? I’m just a normal high schooler. Why wouldn’t you choose a strong and experienced soldier for this kind of thing? I just don’t understand why I was chosen.”, Takumi questioned.
“There’s a very special reason for that. You see your power source is divine and with it could come the influence of such a being. We need someone who wouldn’t be too influenced by it. You’re a normal guy who wouldn’t do something crazy like say take over the world and become God or destroy the human race. You’re pretty grounded and have connections that aren’t on the battlefield. That’s important.”, Sirei answered.
“So, I got chosen because I’m normal. I guess that makes sense…I can’t really imagine myself going crazy with power. I just want my loved ones to be safe.”, Takumi replied.
“That’s just the kind of person we’re looking for. You know what’s important to keep safe. A lot of stronger soldiers tend to be a bit…unique. Either surviving due to being weird or becoming that way to survive. You don’t have to worry about that though.”, Sirei explained.
It made Takumi pause a bit. He was wanted when he was sure that someone else would be better. Sirei made sure to emphasize those parts.
“What do you mean by divine power?”, Takumi asked.
“You were infused with the power of a divine being. An evolution of our creation of demonic weapons. Usually those were more simple things like blades or guns but you’re much more complex. The power keeping you running comes from that being. It allows you to be capable of much more than a cyborg is capable of. You're what we call a Proto-Fiend.”, Sirei explained.
“What…? How is that possible?”, Takumi questioned.
“A lot of things become possible with science. Here we are.”, Sirei replied.
They entered a door to an area that looked similar to a gym, but was mostly empty and white. He would have never guessed that a room like this was in here. Takumi is brought to the center of the room and Sirei heads behind some sort of translucent force field. He caught sight of someone not in a labcoat watching him from behind there. A woman with long purple hair, red eyes, and glasses.
“We’re going to be testing your combat capabilities with some physical tests. You’ll want to know what you're doing to make sure you don’t face death. The best way to avoid that is for you to become familiar with your new abilities. We’ll be counting on you, Sumino.”, Sirei explained.
When he looked up at the elevated area with a field he saw that a lot of people were watching him which made him nervous.
“We’ll be summoning demons now.”, doctor B said.
Takumi quickly got into a fighting position. He looked surprised at the position his own body took. It seemed like an effective one which was strange because he was never particularly good at fighting. A machine pops out briefly and summons a horde of zombies.
“The demon summoning program…I never got far enough to ever get that.”, Takumi thought.
Only truly trusted and meritorious soldiers got the ability to summon demons.
Takumi feels unsure of how to approach as they all charge at him. Then, suddenly he feels his body tense. He didn’t understand how, but he suddenly felt like he could fight. Considering he was technically a robot, was something uploaded into him?
He didn’t have time to ponder this. His mind and body shifted as his eyes narrowed. Takumi felt something powerful pulsing with him. That may have been the source. Something within him made for killing…
Throb.
It came instinctively.
His chest pulsed violently. He gritted his teeth. Fire was pouring out of his body as his eyes became bloodshot.
“Arrrggggghhhhhrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”, Takumi cried out.
Power exploded from his body as his power surged. The demons recoiled from the heat and stumbled back wailing as they were set ablaze. His body was completely engulfed with fire. Takumi’s eyes glowed red.
As the flames cleared away scales like volcanic rock were revealed. It had several cracks as if it was cut apart. The darker parts on the arms, legs, and very middle of his body up to his neck had a red glow coming from the cracks. Jagged sharp points were on his shoulders like shoulder pads. His face looked demonic being covered in the same substance and his ears were pointed. On his head was a blade-like horn. In the center of his chest was a red pulsing core which looked like the center of a volcano. On his right arm was a massive black and red blade like that of a scythe. His eyes were glowing completely red and under them were deep red markings. He had menacing looking fangs and the face of a true demon. His body was extremely tall to the point where his head almost touched the extremely tall ceiling.
“KILL, KILL, KILL…”, he heard in his mind as his body tensed up.
His senses were completely focused on fighting the demons. Takumi didn’t understand it himself. Perhaps his body was acting on instinct to defend itself. An intense aggression and killing intent overcame him upon entering this demon looking form.
“I’m going to tear them apart...”, Takumi thought as his eyes glowed more vibrantly.
He found himself moving faster than anything he’s witnessed. There wasn’t a contest. Any zombies that weren’t instantly incinerated by his transformation got struck with a power that tore them in half like butter or reduced them to smears. His arm with the scythe attached did the cutting and his arm without it punched and crushed the demons with ease with the size difference alone.
Whenever his hand grabbed a demon to squeeze without much effort he made their eyes pop out and made their body pop like a water balloon. Their bones were no obstacle in this. You would think that they weren’t a factor if it wasn’t for the noise they gave off.
Crunch!
Snap!
The only ones that were able to make contact with him were ones that he grabbed himself. In mere seconds his body became drenched in blood. What remained of them was smeared all over the walls and floor.
More and more were summoned. Contrary to anything he would have normally thought numbers made no difference. Even as they covered half the room.
Takumi felt the heat in his chest increasing as the molten looking parts including his core glowed vibrantly. Those watching looked wide eyed as he built up the divine energy within him. He felt his mouth unhinging like a snake as fire billowed from his mouth. The entire area was lit up with a sea of red flames. All of them were incinerated all at once.
This cleared away even the remains of the demons he killed. This left him stunned. Once again he wasn’t sure how he knew how to do that. The skill he displayed didn’t even make sense to him. What’s more his body seemed to be rapidly adapting and improving his skill at a supernatural rate whenever he fought.
“Very good, Sumino!”, Sirei applauded.
Takumi struggled under these strange feelings affecting his mind. His hand massaged his head.
Throb.
Throb.
Throb.
It was scaring him. He sweated nervously as he tried to regain himself. Takumi thought about Nozomi and his parents. He clutched his head and tried to push down this influence in his mind. This led to him returning to his normal form and falling to his knees.
“What’s wrong?!”, doctor C questioned.
“M-My head felt weird…”, Takumi murmured.
“Don’t worry. It’s to be expected, Sumino. You’ll get used to it.”, Sirei assured.
Takumi wasn’t so sure. They recovered him and he felt himself laying back down.
“How are you feeling?”, Sirei asked.
“Really weird…It felt like I became a different person when I started fighting. It was scary.”, Takumi admitted.
“As I told you, you'll get used to it. It was what I mentioned before. A hardened soldier could get too caught up in that and could go crazy, but you’ll be fine. We have faith in you.”, Sirei replied.
“I-I guess…Umm is Nozomi training for that maintenance stuff right now?”, Takumi asked.
“That’s right.”, Sirei replied.
“Could I…maybe…have some of my clothes? I feel pretty naked like this.”, Takumi asked.
“Oh sure. That’s doable.”, Sirei replied.
In about an hour or so Takumi got his normal clothes from home. He quickly put them on. His choice of a hoodie and jeans very naturally covered most of his noticeably inhuman bits except his ears and hands. Though, his puffy sleeves slightly obscured his hands. Takumi felt more comfortable and almost normal.
“This all is a lot. I hope that I can protect everyone. It doesn’t seem like there’s much of a choice. It’s the only way to keep everyone safe.”, Takumi thought.
He poked around the building a bit in curiosity before drifting into sleep in his room. When he awoke next Nozomi was sitting at a chair next to his bed. It reminded him of that one time he got sick.
If only things were that simple.
To be continued…