The Crooked Silhouette

Chapter 19: The Exit

Three significant days have passed by, too calmed and composed compared to those hysterically endured period. No other attack since last time, and Shishi still could not return to where he came from. He followed Tatsu and the gang just to find ways escaping from The Forest of Eve. Reminiscing forgotten memories somehow substantiated as time dissipation, and he practically had no choice but to comply with Yagi’s instructions.

            Three significant days. They readied themselves to survive another ambush from either Ite or Kani, plus they wanted to dig more secret behind the emergence of these spies in The Forest of Eve. Sinking ground traps and handmade shrub-bed nets set at various places where The Sagittarius and Cancer possibly appeared from those set-up were suppressed only for their visibility so that they themselves would not get ensnared instead.

            Three significant days, yet no other report received. No Zodiacs, even other than Ite and Kani came up, and Yagi’s small troop was itching to start an ambush instead. However, the awaiting was in vain.

            “Why the spies are not coming?”

            Yagi and Mizugame shrugged concurrently. The painstaking strategy they have constructed in order to arrest either Kani or Ite seemed a squandering.

            “Is there something going on? I mean, to Ite and Kani,” Shishi scrupulously asked.

            Looking up to the sky, it was bizarrely cloudy and the clouds were projected uniformly to a course. Provoked by the circumstances they saw in skimming, Tatsu motioned Hikari to trail his finger pointing towards it. Hikari did without ambivalence, and somehow Mizugame tended to tail the lead. Yagi squinted to focus on where the directed clouds went to, and an idea popped up his mind out of the blue.

            “What if,” Yagi gradually shifted to the other four, purposely intrigued them to wonder, “The cloud is actually moving towards where Tsuya is?”

            The ogling eyes of Shishi, Mizugame, Hikari and Tatsu was what Yagi has speculated they would be. “Just imagine. Remember that we have only one weather in The Dimension? Sunny, yes? Watch the sky thoroughly. What do you see?”

            The furrowing Hikari was reflecting deeply. “It’s not particularly sunny, but it’s not raining too. The wind doesn’t blow that hard, and it doesn’t show any sign of dryness too.”

            Mizugame unhurriedly inclined, matching to Hikari’s point of view. Tatsu softly gazed at The Capricorn, demanding for a much comprehensive justification. Yagi hummed a little before he began. “For you Humans, this kind of weather probably doesn’t bother you that much, but not to us The Dimensionals. This is peculiar to us, because this weather means there’s some sort of distortion to The Dimension.”

            “What’s the relation? I don’t get it,” Hikari really voiced out what contained in his head, literally. “I still remember you’ve once mentioned about The Weather; one of The Dimensionals. They’re not that strong if they were to be compared with you The Zodiacs, but they still play a role on The Dimension. Once the norm becomes abnormality, it means there’s something going on.”

            Hikari tilted his head on one side, perplexed by the theory he turned out to be able to reminisce. “So do you want to say The Weather is having massive problem for the time being?”

            Without any comment given afterwards, Yagi nodded. Hikari could not help but to purse his lips in anxiety, getting edgy over an unverified news such as so. On The Dimension, nothing was impracticable. Even the death could come back to life just to seek revenge – Tsuya was the best example. Either unbounded bliss or spurned calamity occurred almost unexpectedly while the locals never seemed to be well-prepared. Probably it was because most of them were no ordinary, inability Humans – most of them had some types of potential to help them surviving The Dimension.

            “Rather than staying here doing nothing, waiting for nothing, and hoping for nothing, let’s move on then.”

            Tatsu’s abrupt intrusion broke the silence overrunning them. Witnessing Hikari’s drained countenance, Tatsu could not remain voiceless. The captivation of Kei and Takeru into Tsuya’s grasps, plus Shishi’s impairment to bring them straightaway to Tsuya, basically dismayed him too much because he unintendedly assumed he was the cause those two were caught, without any resistance. If only he had more power and strength, if only he had the guts to fight back like how he did towards Shishi, and if only he could think much faster than how he should be, he could have saved Kei and Takeru, and assembled the five of them back.

            The only one he never listened of was Koichi. Eavesdropping from the argument between The Zodiacs last time, he discovered one of The Five Zodiacs was missing, together with The Human he was assigned to bring along. Sticking out options by Yagi, only The Aries was still unheard of. He presumed Koichi was with The Aries, however he could not really mask his apprehension as long as there was no news of them.

            Tsuya, huh?

            “Let’s go there,” Tatsu emphasized. His index finger pointed to the direction meant by Yagi – the direction the clouds were concentrating to.

            The other four finally concurred to the suggestion as they, too, were wondering on what they should do in order to deal with the solemnness. Staying for another three days was evidently not an option they would opt out. Sounds of stirred grass and shrubs practically infiltrated their respective pairs of ear drums while they strode as discreet as they could in order to avoid another terrible luck. Stepping into their own traps was unfavourably humiliating, especially when it was your very own idea to create them.

            Minutes. Hours. They have lost the count. The moderately sunny weather was gradually changing to gloominess, ingesting the sunlight away from their view. It was still daytime, yet the clouds were too murky as if the dusk has already taken over the day. Yagi plucked any edible fruits he found dangling on the trees and offered them to the other three. Forest braving obviously consumed time and energy, hence Yagi’s offer was gladly accepted, undoubtedly.

            Nevertheless, at some point there was a mild earthquake shaking beneath their feet, indicating that they might have been cheek by jowl enough to their unimaginable destination. Yagi concluded to rearrange the order – he would lead, Shishi would be deemed as their hostage, Tatsu and Hikari would follow from behind, and Mizugame would be the rear guard. It was as to secure both the hostage and The Humans so that they would not lose those three. Even though the original plan was to bring The Humans to Tsuya, witnessing deplorable episode significantly halted him from just surrendering Tatsu and Hikari to Tsuya.

            And he unconsciously had the urge to disclose the mystery of the relationship between Tatsu and Tsuya.

            Their steps brought them out of The Forest of Eve without they realized. Right when they did, they have already encountered the bulldozed entrance of The Angels’ Valley. Tatsu and Hikari markedly had no idea what those scattered walls and shambles of rocks meant, yet Yagi and Mizugame could not veil their jolt when The Humans wanted to inquire. In between the crumbled barricade securing The Angels all these while, there was a buried creature, feeble and possibly unconscious. Only the head and the shoulders were to be seen from afar, and only if one had tremendously good sightedness.

            “It’s Uriel!” Mizugame shrieked, pointing out his trembling index finger. “He must have confronted something out of his league!”

            “Judging from his shape, he was,” Yagi accelerated to get the weakened Uriel.

            His gifted strength was really contributing a lot in saving Uriel from the rocks. Mizugame has stood by his healing watery hut when Yagi plunged The Angel into it. Uriel could not respond to any of Yagi’s interrogation, hence it was indirectly a sign that he got beaten to pulp mercilessly.

            “I really hope we have Otome at the moment!”

            Yagi’s furious was intimidating enough to Tatsu and Hikari – neither of them dared to speak out. Shishi fell onto his knees, mouth gaping in disbelief alongside massive dejection for unable to fathom things out all by himself. Mizugame noticed the trepidation he detected radiated from The Humans, scooting over to clarify. He tried governing his own terror, but he was by now versed of his spinelessness among The Zodiacs.

            “So, Mizugame,” Tatsu broke the delicate idling through them, “Who’s that? He seems quite different likened to you guys.”

            A soft pat docked on his shoulder. An indescribable homeliness permeated into his timid heart and soul, opening up his mind from cogitating of himself too pessimistically. The magical touch this Human named Tatsu has dominated mystifyingly alleviated his muddled emotion, as if it was a mother’s unconditional love pouring into one self.

            “He- He is Uriel, one of The Angels of The Dimension. Together with him, there should be another six Angels which currently on duty for now. Their leader is Gabriel.”

            Each pair of eyes pinpointed on the recuperating Uriel in Mizugame’s hut. Uriel remained quiet since he has not awoken from his faint, however the perceptible wounds on his limbs and abdomen were seen closing up. It was a scarce display to spot Uriel without Gabriel because Gabriel was brilliantly outstanding in handling any issue comprising affiliation with non-Angels. Gabriel would always bring other Angels with him to train them building up reliance and exposure like a training lesson.

            “I really want to ask him many things regarding this mess,” Yagi sighed. Uriel might have clues on this virgin source of matter. He was so convinced something – or someone – has erupted a fatal blast and ran an amok for certain intention he might discover later.

            “If he was doing great in mental healing, he would wake up soon,” Mizugame reassured, even though he too was troubled to warrant anything just to calm Yagi down.

            Another quake interrupted them, giving them insight that the inner side of The Angels’ Valley was having an enormous torment. The whole department might shake as well, estimating from the consequence the entrance abided. Tatsu and Hikari stayed close with hands holding each other’s, while Mizugame and Hikari backed them up. Yagi has already emanated his horns, and Mizugame forged a vase of the same level of dominance as Yagi to confront whatever coming to them.

            Fighting stance was fixed and all they needed to do was to wait and see.

            The Capricorn and The Aquarius did not have to wait that long for such aim though. A thick uncanny fog materialized in the mid-air – the same like how Shishi, Kani and Ite usually showed up – and as anticipated, there must be something coming out of it. The most astonishing part was the creature exiting the fog from its own dimension was the one they never thought would – Tsuya The Spirit.

            “Ts- Tsuya?” Shishi’s trembling limbs dragged him to fall onto his butt, alarmed and overly misinterpreted. “Wh- What are you doing here?”

            Tsuya stared at the pleading-like Shishi, blankly. He was almost hintless seing Shishi’s unbounded fear. Well, he did leave Shishi’s body when he was cornered last time. Nevertheless, he never reckoned on Shishi was that terrified towards him. He was to reach out Shishi when Shishi flinched severely.

            “Please don’t kill me! I promise you I will do anything! Just don’t kill me!”

            Shishi could feel he has gone somewhere without Tsuya’s consent during his stupefied mind ruling over his rationality. He still failed to be revealed, but he comprehended he has fished up. One thing came to his mind – to implore Tsuya for his leniency.

            The Spirit frowned in bewilderment. “I won’t kill you. Do you ever see me killing anyone?”

            Odd.

            The Tsuya which was once introduced to them contained hatred and revengeful. He was the resemblance of evil – merely on a par with The Demon. The Zodiacs even considered him as A Demon instead of A Spirit since the day he blew up Sasori’s tail until it resulted in paralyzing him.

            “Do you mean Sasori The Scorpio? He’s in there, relaxing in the room. You can go visiting him soon. But I need to settle this mess first.”

            Yagi and Mizugame looked around. Yes, it was undeniably chaotic. Uriel was lucky enough to be found by Yagi and the gang, thus later saved by them at the right time. Gabriel was still nowhere to be seen. How this Spirit able to mend this?

            “But first.”

            In one blink, Tsuya flickered by Tatsu’s side. His composed face startled The Human, and The Zodiacs there were about to snatch Tatsu away when Tsuya has already grasped Tatsu’s head with his one hand. Only by one swinging arm, Tsuya manageably blocked them from getting into the magical circle he virtually created underneath their feet. Yagi and Mizugame were one millisecond behindhand before both Tatsu and Tsuya vanished in thin air, leaving everyone dumbfounded.