The Fifth Strain:

“One of the faces was killed by himself. Betting on who wins, regrets may come later...”

“I'm not sure if this is what you really wanted to do in Guinaian City before its own destruction comes…”

“This city will be destroyed? I've never heard of that one before.”

Standing without intending to move, flanking Fanya who was walking to and fro buying the clothes she liked, the girl hit me on the head from behind to tell me to continue right to the shop next door.

“Based on the calculation of the development of the world's destruction curve, Indonesia should soon lose control of fifty percent of the territory that we still own. And as one of the most valuable cities, Guinaian should have been destroyed much faster than the others.”

“Wow… Daniel, you nerd. By the way, you are wrong about that. Have you seen the news? Indonesia has been ranked in the top five safest countries in the world. Starting December, all shops will be back open. And on the twelfth of the same month, the curfew will soon be lifted.”

“What the fuck? Since when?!”

“You're a Sins taker and you don't know that? Whatever… But basically, that's what I've heard from a lot of news on television.”

“Do you think the news is true?”

“Probably? These five days we've been together, I've rarely seen any trouble around town. No more murder incident right outside the boarding house's door, no more fighting or anything like that. Some people say, several other countries are also the same.”

Fanya stopped talking just to stick a t-shirt right in front of my body as if she was measuring and buying it for myself.

“What are you doing? I don't need any new clothes.”

Won't budge, this girl just hit my hand like she wants me to be quiet and to not dare to fight back to let herself do whatever she likes.

Then she continued talking… “Whatever they all have done in that Sins taker, it seems to be quite a lot to affect the condition of the world for the better. And now you look... Even without you, Daniel... Those adults who have been specially assigned to it have succeeded in carrying out their own duties for us, the next generations. In the end, what we used to argue with Deo turned out to be won by me, right?”

I haven't been in that base for only a few days. But what exactly had happened while I was living quietly in this place?!

When I looked at Fanya who was currently sitting exhausted in front of me from having walked quite a bit with my expression that was caught thinking about many things, she then gave her opinion on it.

“Maybe one of the reasons is the result of Sins Takers’ efforts in providing education about this new world form to us, young people who still don't know what it was before, right?”

“There are many bad sides of the Sins Taker that you don't even know yet, which actually turn out to make more sense if those are the reasons for all of this. And you say that, only because that's the only Sins taker agenda in public you've ever seen right before your eyes, right?”

“Maybe. But didn't I also have a point? That power you guys have seems like a process of puberty to me. The probability that you will abuse it, as well as how you might consider that many dangerous things as normal activities in the future… You carriers need to be taught. Just like sex education.”

“No, you stop it right there…”

Fanya just laughed in response to my interruption, like a grown woman who then brought the conversation to something else.

“You're the kind of person who's very sensitive about things like that, aren't you? Sex and stuff…”

“Stop… But wait… So what’s wrong about it?! If all the humans in this world responded to that the same way as I did, surely everyone would appreciate their own relationship with one another much even more than anyone could ever imagine. You guys have always wanted to make this lustful… Sex thing sound as normal as kissing in a bit of a much 'safer' way. But you don't think that this will only add more and more people to misunderstanding why all of this is allowed to happen in the first place… And… And…”

“Alright, Daniel… Your face is already too red, so just stop for a moment… You’re so pure though… So cute…”

“Well, fuck you for those!”

What irritated me even more, was that Fanya who just laughed even louder with my breath still rushing to defend my opinion about such a stupid thing to discuss.

Then this girl just got me back on topic without a trace of guilt on her face.

“Either way, you don't have to interfere with that stuff anymore… You really are supposed to be here with us after all…”

“How’s Deo?”

“That guy? Don’t worry… I already talked to him, Deo said he will consider it later.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. He just doesn't have the courage to meet you yet. That's all.”

“That sounds good. Thanks, by the way.”

“I will also persuade him this December when there is no more curfew for the three of us to go to the city park together. You remember what I said on the bus a few months ago about that promise, right?”

“December…”

“Yeah! Two more days until December. Christmas! You love Christmas, don't you?”

“Uh Huh. For seventeen years of my life, every time I wished that one day of the year would be the most peaceful day of my life. Most of them fail, but my feelings remain the same.”

“Daniel? Why does your character development turn into a sad boy now?”

“Because I was just kidding… Okay is this all already? Don't you have something far more valuable to do in this city than shopping for obscure goods like today?”

“I think there’s no more. I just can't wait for Christmas.”

“Then let’s go home already…”

Either she's still sitting there behind me after I've walked a little further away, or she's already coming over, I no longer worry about anything…

As the days that for me have been wasted in the past, are now slowly starting to be replaced with many more positive things just like today.

~~~~~

Felt like never again a thug or anyone else dared to start a mess anywhere…

It was as if all these carrier stuff had happened hundreds of years ago and no one was surprised by all this peace.

Until then, on December 1st, I entered my empty dark room as usual without anyone in it. Without the presence of a single soul that I could feel, without even Elis having to come tell me about it. Nobody… Anyone…

As the form of a tall man in a white uniform who was waiting for me to draw closer to the center of this room... Even after his two eyes stared at me waiting for a response. I can't feel the soul of anyone but myself anywhere…

Just an illusion…

I thought to myself.

~~~~~

“What’s up, Edward? I mean your illusion… Anyway... So you actually know where my friends and I have been living all this time? But you don't mean to disturb my peace now, do you? I see you guys have also recorded a lot of results around the world without even using this stupid cursed power I have. After all, I lost on that special stage that you created just to test my skills, didn’t I?”

“Stop playing dumb. You traded his life for all the souls he had collected.”

Shit…

“Ah… So you already know about that…”

“We've finished creating a measuring device for the number of souls a carrier has, Daniel. That’s Albert... The guy who served as the executioner got absolutely nothing but one soul of that man himself… I was very curious, so we tried to make sure about it, using the power of the great carrier of knowledge and it was true... That in fact since then your soul has indeed increased to the number forty-eight.”

“Well…” Fuck… I lost my cool.

“Do you really think that you can escape from your responsibility without receiving any consequences? A loss for yourself?”

“I never think that way, but… This escape plan… Doesn't having the power of the god of knowledge by your side feel really deceptive?”

“I'm used to leading a team long before this doomsday count begins so I know the mindset of people like you, Daniel… That conclusion didn't come from that great carrier of knowledge. As he is not at all willing to accept any orders from me. Coupled with his nature, he always wants to make all these stories seem much more interesting just to entertain himself.”

“Oh?”

“Daniel, you know nothing, son…”

“So what do you want? You want to give me some direct punishment?”

It seemed like he didn't care about my question at all... His head just tilted upwards, thinking before deciding what words he wanted to use.

“A few days ago, a meeting was held. All the elders started fussing over the issue of me using too much Evelina's power for so many special missions that I planned without even making a single report about it. So as agreed, now Evelina can only take orders from everyone's open voice without anyone not knowing about it.”

I'm sure it was Ellie's intentional plan to get away and even bring Edward down, this guy himself. Yeah… That was what Ellie wanted to happen.

Yet I don't think that sounds very good…

Though I don't know where to put my worries into.

Then this illusion came to lend its aid to conclude it for my own sake. It said... “And unlike many of my offers that you both can still refuse as the one who gave you the privilege, Evelina can't do anything but obey all the orders of those idiots. Now that girl really has become nothing but a tool to them.”

Ah… So that’s the problem here…

“Then what is Ellie doing right now?”

“The girl has now officially become a member of the special unit of the great carriers... Simply, she was now also acting as an executioner, just like Albert and the others.”

“What the… Wait… Then… Don’t tell me… How many souls does she have now?!”

“She’s on fifty-three souls, as we checked regularly.”

Fuck…

“So she didn't tell you anything, huh?” Edward tried to undermine my trust in Ellie.

“I don't have the right to be angry with her decision… To keep it a secret from me.”

”Figured…”

I fiddled with my cell phone as if I really dared to contact the girl now.

I haven't called her in days.

Also I'm afraid that my decision to bring Fanya and Deo will burden her and her feelings. Where now, all of a sudden, she's doing the same thing as what she's been trying to prevent me from doing…

“She's willing to play the role of the strong one just so you don't get hurt by your own magic, right?”

This man still dares to bring up a topic that I can't possibly deny…

“And she's even willing to put your family's business before her own life and humanity. But wait… Daniel? You also realize that even from a long time ago, before she even stepped in to kill anyone, Evelin had slowly lost her own humanity, right?”

“Stop it.” But yeah, I knew he would talk about it…

“How do you think of Evelin, who is fighting so hard out there just for you, must have felt... While she herself is aware of the fact that you're spending a lot of time with the girl who's actually liked you for a long time?”

“Okay, that’s enough… So what exactly are you here for, huh? Edward?”

“I want you to get into my other special unit.”

“Hah? What other unit? And what’ll happen if I…”

“I just want to give you one more chance… And from that chance, you can choose two things that may still be in your head right now, Daniel. Return to your duty and we forget all of this actually ever happened, or a chance to buy some time for whatever plan you're planning to... Like the one you have here, which I think you are also sure that in fact it will be very easy for anyone to end it right here right now.”

“You really want to try? Then try me…”

I took out my sword, anticipating an attack from any direction, where then Edward seemed disappointed with my own instincts just now.

So he exhaled heavily, then spoke lightly…

“Your last chance to take this order is only until tomorrow morning. Someone will put your passport with a plane ticket through this room’s door and then the choice is yours. Whether you dare to try to risk the lives of the people you care about, or prefer to buy time for yourself to think much more clearly. And believe me, this mission that I want to give will actually return that stupid girl… Evelin, who is deep in love, to back to your side. So are you interested?”

“What is this team supposed to do?”

“I want you guys to hunt down all the elders who have defected from my leadership.”

Wow…

Okay…

The hell?

“Why Edward? Because you're afraid that your seat will be snatched away by them?”

“What? No… Even until all humans on this earth force me to step down, they will never have the right and ability to do so. Daniel… Don’t say that… Did you really think that I could be taken down? Even I myself have no power and authority to resign myself.”

“What do you mean by that?!”

“I told you you know nothing, boy… But that's how it is. I'm getting tired of using too many illusions so I'll get out of here now. And remember, Daniel... After you heard about this mission earlier, you should also have some logic that this shouldn't be leaked to anyone. Especially Evelina. Don't tell the girl anything, and you'll be able to save her from the shadows. Bye…”

With all those words, his form disappeared but it was as if this place itself had not changed at all whether or not the illusion was present in it in the first place.

Truly a soulless form that actually broke the system of my eyes that could detect anyone's soul as long as Elis wasn't around.

Where now I'm just silent as if I'm disappointed with the plan that I myself have…

Damn…

Looks like I really don't have any choice left...

Apart from…

That one…

~~~~~