28: Welcome to Orpheus, where we kill each other for fun!
Izanagi.
Orpheus Training Grounds. 17:33.
I was supposed to knock on the room where Snow imprisoned Horus but the door bursted open and Rindelle Snow, carrying Maximillion like a human baby, went out. I peeked inside but it was too dark for me to make out Horus somewhere there.
“Missed me?” Snow cutely shoved Maxi on my face while making cute penguin noises. My left eye twitched.
“As if. K went out, someone told him that Inspector is awake. We wanted to visit her but didn’t know if it was the right time.” I cleared my throat, trying to avert my gaze from Maximillion. Rindelle Snow is totally enjoying my reactions, isn’t he?
“Don’t bother. K will take care of it.” Snow beamed at me, taking mercy by hugging Maximillion close to his chest and finally away from my face. “Besides, you have more troubles to take care of.”
“Where’s Horus? What happened?”
Snow shrugged. “He’s passed out. Overloaded. His last words were: ‘gusto ko ng stainless steel na sabon,’.”
That does sound like Horus so I shrugged too and followed Snow towards where my friends were.
“How did Horus fare?” Deus asked curiously while he was laid on the floor, face down. His bruises still covers his skin like another layer. I feel bad for him, a little.
“Better than you, I’d say,” Snow replied with a smug smirk on his face.
Deus grunted and with effort, tried to look up at Snow. “What was his training?”
“It’s a secret.” Snow shrugged and looked at me and Freya, then at Hades. “Felix’s and Natalie’s training will start at five, get ready. And you.” My eyes crossed when he pointed at my face. “Come with me.”
“Jesus,” I muttered distastefully. I can’t believe a kid smaller and younger than me is telling me what to do. My pride will not allow it. I heard Deus chuckle beneath me so I kicked his head and didn’t look back. I heard him wish me luck but I can’t seem to give a fuck. The other two didn’t complain much too maybe because they’re nervous. But they were playing ‘Nanay Tatay’ so I guess they’re not as pressured as I thought.
“Where are we going?” We’ve been walking away from the training grounds and I’ve been spacing out. Hindi rin kasi nagsasalita si Snow kaya hindi ko napansin.
“We have to talk about your powers, Johanne.” He stopped walking, so did I. I looked around and we’re just standing in the hallways . . . are the halls always this long? Why do I feel like I don’t see the end?
I heard Rindelle Snow chuckle so I looked at him. “Are you done assessing the situation? Bit slow, huh?”
“What?”
“Let’s think of it this way,” Rindelle Snow said with a strange smile that I felt the creeps. He held Maximillion’s flippers and twirled around like a cute kid. He’s been playing with my emotions ever since earlier, what’s his deal? Pretending to be cute, what a scam. “I pulled you in another dimension so you can be stuck in here forever.”
“What bullshit is that?”
He pretended to think deeply and then pouting. “If I pulled you into another dimension, what happens to the dimension that you were originally in?”
“Why are we talking quantum physics?”
He sighed like he’s tired of me. “Look around, Johanne.”
I inhaled sharply and did as he said, I looked around and like I observed earlier, the hallways seemed longer and unending—wait there’s a gap between the lights and then it repeats. “Are those mirrors?”
“Correct. It gives you the impression that something is infinite, doesn’t it?”
“Are you saying that my time ability is not infinite?” I blinked. I mean, my ability doesn’t even last longer than seven seconds so I don’t know what he means. Is my time limited?
“how can time be limited when it’s just a relative term? Time is an illusion to help make things make sense.” Natahimik naman ako sa sinabi n’ya at hinintay ang paliwanag. I don’t really understand where things are going.
“Then what are you saying?” I asked when he didn’t follow up on anything. “You’re using dimension as a euphemism for my ability, are you trying to say I have to pull people in my dimension and not just myself?”
“That’s right! Well done, Johanne!” he clapped his little hands excitedly like a retarded seal. Maximillion seemed in pain between his arms. “You tend to use your powers in one direction, but time has no direction, so what if, let’s say, like this unending hall, you put an extension in the middle, and instead of it covering you like a veil, you cover everything but yourself making everything around you seem infinite.”
“What you said kind of make sense . . . ?” I sighed in disbelief. “But I don’t know how to make it make sense.”
He jumped up and spun around like the weird twat that he is before jumping up to pat me on my shoulder. “Time is relative, it only exists if you think it exists.”
And then he left. He went back inside the training grounds, leaving me, speechless and hopeless.
Aesir Academy, Refectory. Lunch, 11:30. (The next day)
“You're spacing out, what’s wrong?” Deus asked as he pulls the chair beside me. The other guys quickly got their own seats too. They’ve brought food as well, nice naman, marunong din pala silang maging considerate paminsan-minsan.
I groaned and sunk more and more on the table.
“Tungkol ba sa training kahapon?” Horus asked in concern while stuffing his face with whatever the fuck he’s eating. He swallowed first before talking again. “Hindi ako binugbog na parang si Deus pero ang sakit ng buong pagkatao ko.”
“What did he even do to you?” Freya asked in between chewing.
Horus began recounting all the gruesome details of his training with Rindelle Snow yesterday. He said, the whole hour he was inside the “room of nothing”—is what he personally calls it—felt like forever. He said he felt like going insane. At some point he even began hearing his own bloodstream! That’s nasty! We were so immersed listening to him we didn’t even realize our food’s long gone.
“So, did it work?” I asked hesitantly.
“Tingin ko? I can literally hear your heartbeat now, Nagi. I can also taste your distress in the air. I can smell the detergent you used at the laundry earlier today, and I can smell Freya’s coffee through Deus’s mouth. Nag-lips to lips ba kayo?” He gave them a pointed look. I don’t know but I felt betrayed. Even Hades is squinting at them.
Deus raised his arms in defeat. “We didn’t do none of that!” he squealed in panic. “How did you come to that conclusion first—seriously, that was my coffee and Freya took a sip! That was it!”
“LIES! YOU DON’T DRINK COFFEE!” I screeched. Sa ‘kin pa talaga s’ya magsisinungaling e ako nagtitimpla ng kape ni Freya at Milo n’ya?
“Ayan Deus, magsinungaling ka do’n sa maniniwala, ha?” Horus crossed his arms and scowled at Deus.
“No, I swear!” natatawang, nag-pa-panic naman ‘yung akusado. He seemed amused that this is somehow important to us. I mean, it isn’t but let’s be real, Freya is the mascot. She’s everyone’s baby. You don’t touch the baby.
“What do you have to say for yourself, young lady?” Hades raised a brow at Freya. The latter just tilted her head at us, I’m not sure if she even understood what was happening, until she shrugged and clung more onto Deus’s arms.
“No! Freya, this isn’t helping!” Deus sighed loudly and gave us his worst puppy, pleading look. “Guys, I swear, I don’t drink coffee. And I didn’t kiss Freya.”
We glared at Horus then and he just grinned sheepishly at us. “Sorry not sorry, gusto ko lang kayo pag-trip-an.”
Suddenly the trays and remnants of food went flying towards Horus.
“Then? What’s eating you?” Hades asked after all the ruckus, less concerned but definitely curious about my so-called training.
I sighed again. Remembering it hurts my head a lot. I told them everything that happened and all the words that Snow told me. They even expressed amazement at Snow’s effort to put mirrors in the hallways just for my sake.
“Huh,” Deus scoffed and tilted his head to the side. “Isn’t he basically saying that you have to learn how to bend time to your will rather than just using it subconsciously?”
We were like deer in headlights looking at him in surprise.
“I actually realized it before when I tried to stab you in the eye the first time we met,” Deus explained.
“You tried to stab him in the eye the first time you met?!” Horus screeched in alarm.
“What was the reason?” Hades seemed amused.
“There was no reason, but the thing is, Izanagi has never used his powers by his own will, right? It was always triggered by something rather than a fixed variable.” Deus shrugged with a bemused smile. “The keywords are infinite and relative, right? So, I think he’s trying to teach you how to move time on your own without danger as your trigger. Instead of seeing the future because you’re stabbed, why don’t you try seeing the future even before you’re in danger? Isn’t that cool?” Deus clapped and grinned like the strange twat that he is. “He was right, you have the most potential to grow!”
But his words didn’t make me feel any better. But thanks to Deus, I finally figured out Snow’s riddles.
Truly, Deus was smarter for his own good.
The next few weeks passed like a blur, no, scratch that, it was a literal shit-show because holy shit, I'm not sure what happened but it was chaotic. Inspector went back to Orpheus to talk to us, it was unpleasant because of Snow and Shin but everything worked out in the end and I think that was a story for another time. Rindelle Snow has come and go and even told us he recruited someone he really liked and has more potential to be a detective than I am, God, why do I let that twat boss me around? And before we knew it, the time to attack Strygwyrs has come.
But we have a much bigger problem than that as of the moment.
“Snow, you understand what you’ve done, right?” A man with a thick Japanese accent, wearing something they call a kimono that was slipped on his right arm for his tattoos to be in full view. This old man who looked to be in his early 40’s (I heard Shin call him a Dilf, disgusting). He looked like the older, more mature, and sharp version of Horus—If Horus looked anything remotely like a boy—is menacingly threatening the whole Orpheus. Right at this moment.
And to make it worse, Horus was in the middle of it all.
He’s pointing a blade on his sister’s neck. Blood even trickled down her throat and the more it streams down, the more darker the Yakuza boss’ expression becomes.
Jesus Christ. I’m scared.
“Ah-ah, I don’t know what you’re talking about? I was just upholding my end of the bargain, which you, didn’t respect.” Snow said; he’s the only person who has the audacity to walk back and forth in this strained situation. Even Horus’s father isn’t moving much!
We’re all outside, standing in front of Orpheus building while a bunch of Yakuza guys are cornering us. Hades leaned over and informed us that there’s a lot more of them lurking in the shadows than the few ones we see in front of us along with the boss. Fuck.
“Ano saa, Yubitsume won’t be enough,”
“Why would I cut off my finger for you? I haven’t done anything wrong, so I won’t be asking for your forgiveness, oyabun,” the penguin cheekily said.
Oyabun stared at Horus intently. “You’ve become strong,” he commented.
“Oyaji no okagesama de na,” Horus replied. Nothing like the cutesy, cheerful, Horus that we know of is present. It feels weird seeing him like this. Like a different person.
The Yakuza boss smiled warmly at him, his eyes filled with mirth but beyond it seemed cold and calculative. “Uso wo tsuku hitsuyo wa nai, Yuki o sewa ni nattan da, ureshii yo.” Then he sighed. “Da ga, do iu tsumori da? Uragitte’n no ka?”
“The fuck, Oyaji, you sound like someone who cares for his family. Magtatagalog ako para hindi magdugo ilong ko ah, kahit kailan hindi kita ti-n-raydor. Ginawa ko lahat ng gusto mo para ma-protektahan kapatid ko, pero nani the fuck. Kakasawa kayo kasama sa bahay, I killed all the guys you put in my way and ran away. Kaso why naman gano’n, Pa? hinayaan mo nga ako tumira rito sa Pilipinas kasama si Mama kaso may nakasunod pa ‘rin sa ‘kin? At dahil d’yan, tutulungan mo na kaming sirain base ng Strygwyrs.”
“Eh?”
Hades snorted beside me.
Well that was a ride. It gave me a whiplash. Hindi ko alam bakit umabot sa conclusion na ‘yon si Horus pero he was just doing his job trying to convince his Dad, but still hahaha, what the fuck was that?
“Onii-chan, nani itte’n no?” His sister said, I don’t know what it was but she sounded incredulous.
“Shh, wag ka maingay, kailangan namin tulong ni Papa at magaling ako mang-uto.”
“Parang hindi naman.”
“Manahimik hampaslupa.”
“What do you mean?” Tanong ng Papa ng dalawang adik na magkapatid na nag-aaway sa harapan ko.
“I mean, why don’t we join hands? Pinapasundan mo ako sa mga tauhan mo, obviously gusto mo pa rin na ako ang mag-ascend sa trono mo at mamuno sa Clan. Kasi bakit hindi? Ako ang panganay, lalaki ako—no offense kapatid—at higit sa lahat I can smell your fear from here.” Horus shrugged with a smug smirk. I take it back that Hades is the most confident one. Apparently, Horus is in a league of his own.
Tinanggal n'ya naman ang pagkakatutok ng patalim sa leeg ng kapatid n'ya. If I remember correctly she introduced herself as Iori.
The kid didn’t make any move to run away or to even wipe her throat.
“None taken,” Iori replied while staring at her Dad. “Oyaji, I think you have to forfeit . . . I—I was kidnapped by someone and I swear to God these people are weird.”
Napataas naman ang kilay namin sa sinabi n'ya. What did Snow do to this child?
“Iori, did they hurt you . . . ?”
“No . . . well, Jin did make me lose consciousness when he kidnapped me but—”
The kid didn’t even finish her sentence when the Yakuza leader was suddenly in front of Horus who's shielding Rindelle Snow—when the fuck did he get there—what the hell is happening?
“You hurt my child, you die,” the Third said between gritted teeth.
Rindelle Snow let out peals of laughter, like he’s thoroughly enjoying what is happening. Crazy motherfucker. “You can’t kill me, many have tried, I even tried.”
My left eye twitched at that, he’s insinuating something and he isn’t even hiding it anymore. We should’ve known. All those records we found at the library were true after all.
Rindelle Snow is a Gifted.
The fighting soon began, a few grunts and annoyed huffs were heard, before I even dissociate, I felt Rindelle Snow pull me in a corner, he presented his open palm to me, I stared at it, then glanced around me.
Some assassins—I personally call them Ninjas—stepped out of the shadows and attacked the Orpheus people, some of them were literally too fast and stealthy for my eyes to see, I even thought Hades was punching air until something fell on the floor—a body.
I searched the area for Freya and Deus, my eyes found Horus battling his own Dad, his sister not even trying to stop them from killing each other. I blinked and frantically trained my eyes to the other side of the lot, there was Deus, a bloody mess, butterfly knife in his hand, walking towards a Yakuza dude.
I feel bad for the guy, he looked shocked and a bit scared. Maybe he already stabbed Deus but the guy didn’t die. I frowned, why does he always allow himself to get hurt? I mean sure, he doesn’t die. But does it hurt less?
My eyes darted to Freya behind him. She’s deflecting shurikens and kunais with her shield. She’s literally just standing there and playing her Vita, glancing at Deus from time to time and then back to her game.
Sheesh, this girl. I wanted to pull her away from there but I felt a harsh tugging on my sleeve. I looked down and Rindelle Snow's looking all annoyed and irate. His hand still in laid in front of me.
I raised a brow at him. What the fuck does he want?
“The fucking key to your car, dude.” He rolled his eyes. “What are we supposed to do in the parking lot?”
I blinked. “You fucking want us to leave them here?!” I screeched in disbelief. And here I thought he couldn’t be more of an arse than he already is.
“Aren’t you one stupid lad.” He sneered. He grabbed the penguin keychain in his left arm. I just realised . . . he was trembling. “These are my people, why the fuck would I leave them behind?” the venom behind his voice is one I've never heard of before.
“Then what—”
“Johanne, we need to be safe, for this plan to work, we need to be alive,” his tone stern and his eyes darting around, like his mind is working faster than anyone could ever have grasped. I begrudgingly reached for my back pocket, pulled my keys out and handed it over to him, dropping it on his palm unceremoniously.
We walked in haste, reaching my mutant car and letting him ride shotgun. When we’re finally settled inside, he stayed quiet, watchful eyes stuck on the battlefield.
I inhaled sharply, Freya's scent piercing through my nose. She always liked strawberry scented shit that even this car started to smell like one. “Why me?” I queried, my voice hush and trembling.
Without looking at me, he shrugged.
“Fuck that! I need to know! Why is it always me? Why isn’t it Deus? He’s your favourite, isn’t he? Why isn’t it the others? Why me!” I blew up. All this pent up frustration finally creeping up. I was a ticking time bomb, one that could cause a lot of damage if left untamed.
I heard him sigh, then he shifted on his seat to look at me.
His eyes were blue.
His eyes were blue?!
“Shut. The. Fuck. Up.” And suddenly I couldn’t speak. At all.
What the fuck—is this Rindelle Snow's power? I can’t—my hands flew to clutch my throat, as if may magagawa ‘yun when my voice wouldn’t even come out when I want it too. I tried to scream, and shout and just say gibberish but nothing.
I gasped and felt myself moving back, away from this . . . person . . . whatever the fuck he is.
His eyebrows twitched when I flinched away. He sighed again as if he regrets his actions, but his eyes stayed blue. “Listen to me.” He breathed, his shrill child-like voice sounded so cold, almost sinister that the hairs on my body involuntarily stood up. “You’re a bait. A walking bait. What more do you want to hear from me? That you’re special? That you’re the most important person in this organisation?” He let out a laugh, dripping in sarcasm.
He smirked at me, his blue eyes intently searching my face, predatory. He twirled the penguin keychain on his left arm using the fingers on his right. “News flash, Johanne, you aren’t that special. I just need you alive to strike back on Strygwyrs, I'm still figuring out why they want you so bad, and I'm getting there. The only thing I'm missing is . . . why would they want to do it. After they’re annihilated, you can go and let yourself be killed for all I care. Just fucking appreciate the protection we’re giving you right now, you ungrateful cunt.”
I pursed my lips at that. He was right. Regardless of whether he isn’t doing this out of goodwill, he’s still helping me live. And they’re all risking their lives to protect me. My friends—no, my family. And then Rindelle Snow's set of family too.
They’re all out there, fighting and I'm here. . . inside a goddamn car, hiding, unable to do anything because I'm just so fucking weak. Uselessly so.
The pain in my eyes were probably visible to him that his blue eyes softened. “Look, I'm sorry for the harsh words, I'm rarely very angry, unlike you—” I scoffed at the direct dig, he snickered at my reaction. “sure I can be very playful, and in unnecessary moments too, but that’s the real me and this—this angry part of me isn’t. I'm angry. Just like you because I can’t do anything in here too. We both can’t. So as much as we’re frustrated, let’s just be thankful we get to live another day.”
I nodded. His eyes stopped shining blue and then he smirked at me, suddenly reverting back to that annoying Rindelle Snow that we’re all used to seeing—did I just witness one of his more serious, mature and possibly the realest side of him that no one ever gets the privilege of seeing? No? Must be my imagination then.
“You can speak now,” he said.
“ . . . sorry,” I said, finding my voice weird, the absence fucked my ears up a little. “You’re a Gifted.” I confirmed.
He smiled ruefully at me with a small nod, he went back to twirling his keychain and looked back outside the window.
“Why did you deceive us?”
“It was easier for you to digest things without knowing what I can do, you independently tried to find answers your own—even if you guys hopelessly asked me from time to time.” He snorted. “But still! That’s a great character development, don’t you think?” His voice changed midway, like he remembered the character he’s supposed to play.
I'm not surprised anymore, we all have dark sides. Rindelle Snow's just happen to have an older, wiser and possibly angrier version of him inside his mind. A person so old he might even be older than time itself.
I wonder, how old is he really?
“Older than you, that’s for sure.” He snickered, reading my mind again. This twat! How does he keep doing this? “I can’t read your mind, I can see your reflection against the window, your face says everything. Too transparent it’s almost disgusting! Nyahaha!”
I scowled and crossed my arms, resting it against my chest. I leaned back on the seat and closed my eyes. Trying to calm myself down. Degrading myself won’t go anywhere, I'm not Deus who made it a hobby to desecrate himself.
At least, even if he thinks of himself as a trash, he’s out there, fending off Yakuzas.
“Will this plan work?” I asked after a moment of silence.
Rindelle Snow shrugged. “I never lose,” he nonchalantly says.
“I thought my friends are narcissistic.” I chuckled.
“Don't you know? We narcissists own the world.”
That kind of makes sense. Confident people makes it out there, because they trust themselves to the point of almost self-revering. While also saying that narcissistic people has their own world, being the most important person to exist.
It’s kind of poetic. It even sounded wise.
After maybe an hour, I think I even fell asleep, when Snow shook my shoulders to wake me up. I opened my eyes to his stoic face very unlike his personality. “What?”
“We won, let’s meet the Yakuza people.”
He didn’t need to say more, I was already bursting out the door with Snow in tow, we rushed to were the others are. The sight is . . . astonishing.
Deus laying on the ground, his clothes torn and bloody, Freya poking his cheeks; Hades sitting on top of masked ninjas piled up like a little hill (the cleanest one of all, as if he didn’t even fight); and Horus . . . oh, Horus. This might be the first time I'm seeing him half-naked. Aside from the purpling bruises on his skin, he has tattoos painted all over his back, there's some kind of Eagle—or was it a phoenix? With its eye certainly the focal point of the drawing.
He wasn’t facing my direction, I walked slower towards him, I know he can hear me as I approach him and how fast my heart is beating from nervousness. There’s something different. Something entirely—
“Woah, fuck.” I blurted out when I noticed all the people on their knees, groveling in front of him as he stands over his Father, his foot on the older man's chest, conscious but his breathing was labored. The Yakuza leader had a triumphant smile on his handsome face, as if he didn’t lose. As if his son isn’t towering him, pinning him on the ground using his feet.
The disrespect hurts my head.
Rindelle Snow's laugh echoed throughout the vicinity. He stood beside me. I noticed K leaning on a wall, he looked beaten up, his glasses isn’t on his face anymore. Beside him was Shin, crouching on the floor slapping Jin awake and Zen pouting towards his phone, trying to take a selfie.
These bastards scare me.
“Come alive, Johanne!” the twat beside me announced loudly. “You're witnessing the birth of the fourth Head of the Yukimura Clan!”
You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me.