As they walked back to the city they informed the commander of the events during the night and he said:
-Well, you're in one piece, at least you can continue your mission, now Shiro, do you understand why I exchanged Renji for Aria?
Shirou:
-Yes, sorry commander for rushing me before.
Commander:
-No problem, but what was written on the papers?
Shirou:
-They were information about the location of the camp we are looking for, but as the place where we found them was an ambush, perhaps it will be better for me to analyze the location from afar.
Commander:
-Do as you see fit.
The papers talked about a field inside a supermarket on the east end of the city, so our heroes go to the east end of the city and with Shiro and Aria on top of a building and Kael and Mikasa walking on the ground they start looking for the supermarket, Mikasa asks Kael:
-Isn't that at the end of that street a supermarket with two barrels on fire in front of it?
Kael looks and confirms to Mikasa that it is, so they tell Shiro and Aria what they found and Shiro says on the wire to Kael and Mikasa:
-Let us change position before we have to see the entrance to that supermarket.
Shiro asks Aria:
-Are you afraid of heights?
Aria responds:
-Not as far as I know.
Shiro says:
-Okay, fine, so come on, give me your hand.
Aria gives Shiro her hand and he runs to the edge of the building and jumps, Aria screaming in fear as they are falling, but out of nowhere they stop and she opens her eyes and sees that Shiro had used a hook and they were being pulled up. and Shiro says to him laughing:
-I thought you weren't afraid of heights.
Aria amoada says:
-Shut up.
Shiro laughs and in the meantime they get up there and inform Kael and Mikasa that they can advance, so Kael and Mikasa advance through the shadows until they get there, when they arrive they join together and Mikasa teaches Kael a new technique saying:
-Kael now I'm going to teach you something new, okay?
Kael:
-OK.
Then Mikasa asks:
-Do you see this glass?
Kael responds:
-Yes.
Mikasa:
-If you put it on the wall like this and run your power through it the sound echoes through it and goes inside you and you can hear what's happening on the other side, I don't know how else this works but I like it to use a cup.
Kael says:
-Wow, how funny can I try?
Mikasa responds:
-Yes you can but be careful not to use too much power on the glass as you could melt it as you have fire powers.
Kael asks:
-How do you know?
Mikasa:
-Aria and I talk a lot. It's difficult to be one of the only women on the team.
Kael says:
-I thank you for worrying about her so much. But now I'm going to try this from the glass.
Mikasa says:
-Go ahead.
Kael takes the glass and places it on the wall and transferring some of his power to it and just like Mikasa said he was able to hear everything that was on the other side. He heard things like "Did you hear we were attacked yesterday?" , "Someone is after us to kill us" and "When will the doctors arrive?". Kael looks at Mikasa and says:
-This is a refugee camp where injured military personnel and citizens are healed.
Mikasa looks at him and says:
-Kael, I'm afraid I don't have the courage to go in, maybe it's better to stay outside, I already know what he's going to say.
Kael asks:
-Who ?
Mikasa:
-The commander already knows what he's going to say. But inform Shiro and tell him that you inform the commander and see what he tells you.
And so Kael did, he informed Shiro and told him that he would inform the commander and Shiro accepted.
Kael with the bug connected to the barracks said:
-Commander?
Commander:
-Yes ? Kael...
Kael:
-We found the target, apparently it is a refugee camp inside a supermarket where injured citizens and soldiers are being treated by doctors.
Commander:
-Kael, I don't need details, just say that you have the target.
Well now I will give you the rest of the information as I said earlier. The two on the ground Kael and Mikasa must enter the field and kill everyone, leaving them to warn those who are well and went on expedition and Shiro will finish them off.
Kael turned off the bug with the general and asked Mikasa:
-So this is what we are for? To kill people who can't fight?
Mikasa looks at him and says:
-Kael, you know, we do the dirty work of this army, if we want to stay alive, we have to do what he says, you don't want to end up like Riku, do you?
Kael says:
-No, I don't want to.
Mikasa:
-I know how bad the situation is but you have to go, I really can't do it.
Kael:
-You don't need to say anything, I'll do it.
Mikasa looks at him going inside with tears in her eyes and says to herself:
(Why... why am I such a pussy when it comes to killing someone).
She leans against the wall and sits looking at the sky.
Meanwhile Kael is near the front door, he smells blood, few footsteps, people in agony, but trying not to let himself be taken over by negative thoughts he focuses on listening to what they were saying inside and heard "The doctors and The others should be arriving soon." Kael informs Shiro and he asks:
-Is there any specific direction?
Kael:
-No, but I suppose it's from the forest considering what happened last night.
Shiro says:
-Okay then, I'll pay a little more attention to the forest and the area closest to you and I'll leave Aria to see the rest with binoculars.
Kael says:
-Okay, I'll go in.
When Kael enters there he finds a lot of people full of blood everywhere and some without legs or arms, some lying down, others were barely standing, the floor was red, the walls were all broken and cracked, two armed enemies were standing. deep down and went directly towards Kael pointing two rifles at our hero Kael is completely paralyzed by the state of the survivors, but there are two guns pointed at him so he focuses on them and forgets about the others and focuses on the two men
One of them says:
-Stop! Who are you?
A different voice comes out of Kael's mouth saying:
-Your nightmare.
And Kael runs towards them with a purple knife in his hand, killing them both after that Kael returns to normal and looks at what he did and at the knife and hears a voice saying:
-Is it me or you?
Kael looks at the people and they say to him:
"No, no, please don't kill us, we are not to blame for anything." Some pray, others ask Kael for mercy, others say they will do anything for him, others give their lives to Kael.
The voice returns and says to Kael:
-If you don't decide, I'll decide. I'm going to end this NOW!
After this Kael is taken over by a purple aura, his left iris turns purple and his pupil is stretched as if it were a cat's, in the blink of an eye all the survivors were dead. Kael covered in blood faces the last survivor, leaving him with a normal eye. The survivor noticed this and asked:
-What happened to your eye?
Kael responds:
-I don't know.
Kael steps forward and the man says:
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
-No, don't kill me like you did the others.
Kael says:
-Stay silent forever and smile.
After telling him this, he hits him with the tip of the knife, which is not sharp, leaving him unconscious.
Kael leaves the supermarket and sees the group of soldiers who went looking for them in the forest, when they see him the one who led them says looking at him perplexed, angry, impressed, he had a huge desire to kill Kael at that moment so he he ran at him with all his might, Kael got ready but Shiro shot him and blew him up, with 3 more bullets he finished off the rest of the army and told Mikasa and Kael to run away as the mission was over. Kael goes to meet Mikasa on the street next to the supermarket, when he gets there to inform her she looks at him scared and he says:
-No matter my condition, I did what had to be done, let's leave quickly.
Mikasa moves away from him but he takes her hand and they go to Shiro and Aria who at this moment were at the end of the street in the building they were in, everyone was impressed and scared by Kael's condition but that doesn't matter now, they they have to leave because the enemy army was warned, Toru at the base entered the enemy communications network and managed to get this information so he went as quickly as possible to the ship and escaped in time.
Already on the ship, Shiro is making the mission report to the commander and Mikasa and Aria are in a room together and Kael was cleaning the blood on him and his uniform. After some time Kael enters the room where Mikasa and Aria are and says:
-Hello, am I interrupting?
Mikasa says:
-You can't come in, sit down.
Kael enters the room and sits on one of the chairs and Mikasa asks:
-So how was it inside?
Kael responds:
-In terms of the mission, fine, but not for me. I still think about those people asking forgiveness from the gods and worshiping me,...
Aria gets up and goes to a chair next to Kael, approaches him from the right, puts her hand on his left shoulder and says:
-Kael, that must be very difficult. I can't imagine why Mikasa didn't want to go, seeing your condition at the end, I don't even think about it. You haven't said a single word since we got together until 5 minutes ago.
Kael thoughtfully looks down, Mikasa realizes that something could happen between them and leaves slowly without anyone noticing and goes to Shiro, thinking to herself:
-I hope these two can find what they need in each other... Even if it complicates the path ahead of us.
Aria puts her hand on Kael's chin and lifts it towards her face and says to Kael:
-Do you remember the man you were when you comforted me in that room where we met? I want to see you again, Kael. I know it's not easy, but I need you strong, like you always were. For me... For us. You know I'm here for you.
Kael responds:
-Yes you can. But first let me do this....
And he starts crying, Aria laughs and gives him a hug, Aria stays there with him for a while while he recovers and when he's finally okay she says to him:
-Come on Kael, I know the state you are in but don't make it worse, what I am to you you are the same to me, remember the necklaces.
Kael looks at her and smiles saying:
-Thank you for everything.
Aria responds:
-Don't thank me since I met you you've just been helping me with everything important I always stay behind without doing anything like in this mission... in that fight in the garden, in our first mission I want to do something more but I can't .
Kael has an idea and says:
-What if I teach you how to fight and you teach me healing?
Aria looks at him and says:
-It seems like an interesting idea to me, but you start.
Happy Kael says:
-But shouldn't I be second? After all, women are always first.
Aria laughs and punches him in the arm and says:
-I want you to be, can you be?
Kael says yes and meanwhile Shiro and Mikasa enter the room, Shiro says:
-So you're both fine then.
The two respond:
-Yes.
Shiro and Mikasa sit on the other side of the room talking and Kael and Aria continue to talk about the past.
Arriving at the barracks, they are welcomed as always by the commander and the rest of the team, the Commander says:
-Well done everyone, it was a successful mission.
Turning his back, the commander goes back into the barracks, the rest of the team plus Kael, Aria, Shiro and Mikasa go to their usual room. Inside Takami asks the four:
-So how was the mission? They don't seem to be going well, did something happen?
Kael asks if he can go to his room because he prefers not to talk about it and Takami says she understands and lets him go, while Kael walks away and enters the bedroom area. Aria asks if she can go to him as he's been acting a little strange. , and Takami says to him, smiling a little:
-Go.
Takami watches Aria go and when she reaches the same area as Kael he turns to Shiro and Mikasa saying:
-Isn't love beautiful?
As soon as he says this, Shiro laughs, shaking his head from side to side and Mikasa hits him on the back saying:
-Look at what you say, they still listen to you.
Takami laughs a little and says:
-No more jokes now, I also have a report to receive.
While Shiro and Mikasa were giving the report of what happened to Takami, Aria was at the door of Kael's room, without the courage to slam the door, she was standing in front of the door looking at the floor, she thought:
(Did I say something to you that I shouldn't have?)(Is this my fault?)
She feels dizzy so she leans against the wall on the other side in front of Kael's door and sits on the floor with her head resting on her legs and her arms around her and thinks:
(What happened, why couldn't I return the favor, where did I go wrong, please Kael, I don't want to keep seeing you always sad when something like this happens...).
After the personal crisis that Aria had because she thought she had failed to help Kael to make him stronger, she starts to cry softly, not wanting to bother Kael.
-Kael the fire dies down. Did you know?
Kael inside the room hears Aria crying who tried to keep it quiet so as not to disturb him but she couldn't stand it.
Kael gets up from the bed and goes towards the door, upon hearing Aria's crying he is hesitant to open the door and then stays there, there we have our hero in front of a door not knowing what to do, completely standing there thinking if must take action, which may hurt Aria, but may make her happy. Lost in these thoughts Kael stares at the door with his hand near the lock, Kael thinks about opening the door, staying inside and listening to the crying is not an option for him at the moment but he also doesn't know what to do so he gets stuck in the door. His mind is thinking about what would give the best outcome to this difficult situation, he is afraid of failing, afraid of hurting Aria, he doesn't think he is to blame for what is happening outside but he feels obligated to go.
Completely consumed
the flower consumed by the shadow
the fire is reborn from the ashes
ashes of questioning
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