Chapter Text
Day 41 - Afternoon - The Cave
It was after the battle at the Invader base with the Commander known as Quenzelle. All of us had only just gotten back to the academy to find Sirei throwing a celebratory party. Everyone happily obliged with chatting with each other and eating their fill after a long few days. While she was distracted by the festivities I had taken this chance to take my leave. I had grabbed my infuser from the War Room and headed down to the entrance hall to grab a fire extinguisher.
I knew that she probably would notice I was gone sooner or later, but I had to take this chance.
I grabbed a fire extinguisher and headed out, making sure no one had followed me as I headed through the gap in the undying flames. I made my way through the city ruins until I got to the cave the old man was waiting in.
“So, have you come to a decision?” He asked, eyeing me.
A deep breath left my lips as I nodded my head. “Yes, I have. I want you to put Retsnom in me. I knew Darumi would interfere which is why I left while she was distracted.”
The old man’s eyes seemed to scan me before he nodded his head. “If that is the decision you have come to?” I nodded. “Alright then. Let us get started on the ritual. I will warn you that as Retsnom continues to grow in power the more pain you will experience. Do you still want to go ahead with this?”
I swallowed.
This was what we had been waiting for.
We had been researching a way to bring the other team back.
Now that we had it I couldn’t hesitate.
No matter how scared of the unknowns of all this I was we still had to go ahead with this.
I wanted my friends back.
Kurara.
Kyoshika.
Yugamu.
Moko.
I had only been able to save Nozomi all because she hadn’t been injured at the time, but also the fact I wanted to save her and only her.
It was a selfish and reckless decision, especially for a leader…
The constant guilt I felt bubbled up inside of me.
I just wanted to be able to help somehow.
If I could bring the other team back—our friends; it would also help in our battle against V’ehxeness.
“Yes…”
Our research hadn’t covered all the bases of what Retsnom was and what it could do and even the old man had been vague about it too, but it was our only hope.
If I had to resort to this to help my friends then I would do it.
“Let’s do this.”
Day 41 - Evening - Last Defence Academy
After I had finally gotten back to the academy the sun had already set. It had taken a good hour for the ritual to fully be completed and then it took me the rest of the afternoon to get back. I had to make sure I avoided as many Invaders as possible since I was both exhausted from the earlier battle, but I was also on my own and didn’t want to risk getting killed outside the school. I had just put the fire extinguisher back and was back in my regular clothes when a shout came from behind me, surprising me. I whirled around only to come face to face with Darumi as she glared at me with her vibrant pink eyes.
“HOW DARE YOU!” she screamed at me.
“A…Ah, Darumi!” I held my hands up to calm her down.
“We were supposed to do this together and you went off on your own!” With how exaggerated her voice was I couldn’t tell if she was genuinely upset or not. Her voice suddenly got calm—all exaggeration gone. “You got Retsnom put in you, didn’t you? I thought you trusted me?”
There was no way I could reply to that.
She already knew what I had done.
So the best option was for me to— “I know and I’m sorry. I’m sorry I went without you Darumi. But it is my fault. My responsibility. I have to do this.”
She stood there and stared at me with a blank look on her face before shrugging. “Fine. But just know I’ll still be helping you out. You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”
She sounded as if she was holding back her true feelings in this moment.
Was she more upset than she was letting on?
“Darumi, listen I really am—”
I didn’t get to finish before she just gave me a smile and spoke over me. “It’s okay, Takumi. I know how much this meant to you. I just wish you would have told me. You didn’t have to go behind my back like that…”
I inwardly winced at what she just said. With how often she spoke of her life at home I can understand why she felt betrayed.
“I know, I know…”
“Anyway, let’s get going to bed. That battle today totes tired me out!” She exclaimed, grinning at me and I still had the sneaking suspicion that she was still upset but she was a little better now thanks to our talk.
“Yea, that walk did a number on me.” I agreed with her.
The two of us made our way from the entrance and up to the rooftop; we waved to each other as we entered our rooms. I suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion overcome me as I collapsed onto my bed. A groan leaving me as I rolled onto my back and stared up at the ceiling of my room.
I still can’t believe I did that.
I now have to make sure that no one else finds out about this, especially Sirei.
Who knows what Sirei would do if he found out about this.
If he deleted Eito’s data from the Revive-o-Matic then who’s to say he couldn’t do that for anyone else?
If he found out about Retsnom he could very well blow the bomb up in my body and then delete my data from the Revive-o-Matic, but who knows if I’ll be able to use it.
Whatever Retsnom is we couldn’t let Sirei know of it.
Right now I needed to get some shuteye especially after the events of the last few days.
I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep not knowing about what would come about in the coming days.
I woke up a few hours later to the morning announcement, annoyance crawling through me that I had to hear this every single day for a second time.
But why did I feel this way?
Then again hearing the exact same announcement over and over again would drive anyone crazy.
I shook my head of this thought and decided I should probably head down to the cafeteria to have breakfast. On my way down I met up with Darumi and we headed down together. It was a quiet morning. Everyone was still avoiding me a part from Takemaru, Tsubasa, Nozomi, Darumi and Hiruko. The others were still upset about how I had ‘abandoned’ Second-to-Last Defence Academy and gotten the others killed.
Nozomi had forgiven me on Day 39, but the others it seemed hadn’t picked up on that yet. They still stuck far from me. Which at the moment I honestly needed the space. It was still hard for me to swallow that Nozomi had hated me, but I’m just glad that we’re good now. I still needed to explain to the others about it so that they didn’t continue this needless drama.
But right now I honestly wasn’t in the mood.
This is why I took on the responsibility of hosting Retsnom, so that we could bring the others back and hopefully fix this rift.
I ate my fill and headed back to my room, trying to make sure I didn’t stay as long as I needed to. Once I got back I lay down on my bed and let out a sigh. This was going to be a long wait to see what Retsnom was able to do.
But I had to do this—for my friends…
I spent the rest of the day in my room, suddenly exhausted and with a soreness coursing through my body. I sucked in a breath and tried to let out small deep breaths.
Was this Retsnom?
The old man did say that I would feel pain. I just didn’t expect that it would be this painful.
I wrapped myself up in my covers and tried to cocoon myself as best as I could. It was like my whole body was being pulled a part, stabbed and twisted all at the same time. But if I had brought Darumi along with me who knows how this would’ve turned out. It was best that I was the one suffering and not her.
I had to do this.
I had to fix this.
Day 46 - Morning - Last Defence Academy
I woke up just a little past the morning announcement. Everything after Day 41 was a blank. Had I been out that whole time? I lifted my body up and stopped, wincing as a shot of pain stabbed through my body.
Had I been out so that my body could adjust to Retsnom?
The pain was mostly coming from my right arm, so I pulled my sleeve back only to come across a grotesque sight. My elbow was purple and veiny and almost looked like tendrils. It didn’t even look like an elbow anymore.
I felt sick.
Was this what Retsnom really looked like?
Would it keep growing until there was nothing left of Takumi Sumino?
That thought terrified me.
I heard a click, quickly pulling my sleeve back down and looked over to see that someone had entered my room. Not just anyone but Darumi. Was my the door to my room always unlocked? She gave me a grin, holding a tray of food for me from the cafeteria.
“You’re finally awake!” She exclaimed, putting the tray down by my bedside, plopping herself down on my bed. “You were out for a couple of days.”
“A couple of days?” I asked, confusion and horror dawning on my face. “Darumi, what day is it?”
“Day 46. Why?” She looked at me, confusion on her own face.
“Day 46?!” I slept for five days! Did Retsnom really need that much energy for it work? “Were there any attacks while I was out?”
“Nope. Just that Sirei wanted to know where you were and I just told him you caught some food poisoning.”
“Food poisoning…” That made sense as the last time anyone had seen me I had been eating breakfast. “That was a really clever cover story, Darumi.”
“Thank you!” She exclaimed, her grin widening before it disappeared and her eyes landed on me. “Can you tell me what happened?”
“Huh?”
“You were asleep for several days. When I came to bring you food you looked like you were in pain.” She sounded worried and it made sense she was. I’m still in pain right now I’m just hiding it from her. “It’s got to be Retsnom, right?” She hit the nail on the head right there.
I swallowed, wondering what I should do.
Should I tell her about the pain?
Should I tell her about the weird purple thing on my elbow?
What should I do?
DECIDE YOUR FATE!
TELL DARUMI THE TRUTH?
YES
NO