Paradox Saga: Rising Sun

The Revelation

Shiro P.O.V

"Shiro, please wake up!"

"Hey, I need to get more ingredients! I only have a few here. Rabbit's foot, Yggdrassil leaf speck, star essence...Please tell me someone here has phoenix feathers and dragon scale"

"Here, I've got one for each"

Everybody's voice echoed inside my head. My body felt so heavy I swear someone put a whole refrigerator on my body.

"Hey, Shiro-chan! Wake up!" shouted Aunt Saiko. Her voice was still echoing inside my mind even if after she said it.

I tried to say "Okay, wait a minute" but it only came out as "Mmm-hmm". I opened my eyes. Auntie Saiko and Nami-neesan were kneeling beside me. Behind them, Thyme, Fritz, and Midorima seemed to be busy with something.

"He's awake! Thank God!" Nami cried.

I tried to sit up but was not able to. The moment I tried to raise my body, my whole chest burst into immeasurable pain. I tried to speak but only blood spurted out my mouth.

"Don't stand up, you dolt!" Aunt Saiko shouted. She laid me down again as Big Sis wiped the blood off my mouth. "Just stay calm and wait for the potion"

"Yeah. Stay calm and enjoy the pain", I taught.

"Broken ribs, I think. Two or three on the right side.," Nami said as she got a pillow and put it under my head.

"Can't we bring him to a hospital?" asked Midorima as she knelt next to me.

"We can't. The nearest hospital is a twenty-minute ride. By the time that we arrive there, he'll die from the suffocation of his own blood," Nami explained.

"Great. What you said just made me feel calmer," I wanted to say. Then, it happened. My mind was starting to feel bad again. My vision was starting to double and before I knew what was happening in the world, my chest started to throb fast. It was palpitating slowly at first until great pain swallowed my whole chest. It felt like my lungs were stabbed with hot red knives over and over again. My mind was not able to register the pain. My breath was starting to get faster and shorter. I wanted to shout but my throat was filled with blood. All I was able to do was shake my body.

Nami-neesan held my hands. "Shiro-kun, just endure the pain. The potion is almost ready," she said as she and Aunt Saiko held my hands.

"Craft! " Thyme chanted before a green light illuminated the room briefly. Thyme sprinted in my direction. "Midorima, Fritz, try to restrain him if possible," she continued as she held my head. "Please open your mouth, Shiro-kun"

I tried my best to open my mouth. Thyme poured the contents of the potion on my bloody mouth. As it flowed down my throat, the pain quickly disappeared replaced by a soothing mint-like sensation. I wish it stayed for long, which didn't. When the liquid reached my chest, another sharp wave of pain surged in my body. My chest glowed green and as I started losing consciousness, I saw them shaking my head. All on Earth became pitch-black as I slept.

"Should we wake him up?"

"We shouldn't. We don't need to disturb his rest. He's seen so much today..."

"How should we explain these to him?"

My eyes slowly opened though I had trouble recognizing the place I'm in. When my eyes have adjusted properly, I looked around me. I was back in my room with Nami and the others sitting beside me.

"H-How..."

"Hey, hey, it's okay now," said Nami as he let me stay still. I sat up. All of them were looking at me worriedly as if trying to find the proper thing to say. Then, I remembered all that happened. Kiba-sensei becoming a monster, ogres fighting my sister and my aunt, the dream, all of it flooded inside my brain.

"The ogres? The monsters! Where are they!" I said as I looked around, the panic inside me.

"Don't worry, they've already dissolved," Aunt Saiko said as she patted my shoulder. I touched my chest. The pain was no longer present. I looked at them and remembered their armors, their powers, their glowing bodies.

"Y-You! You all were in armors and some stuff that I only see in books!"

Midorima let out a heavy sigh. "Let us explain, okay?" she said as she stood and removed her shirt, revealing her undergarments.

I blushed. "W-What are you doing senpai?!"

Nami looked at her with a hint of irritation and coughed. "Perhaps you're giving the wrong idea to Shiro, Midorima-san"

Midorima's face blushed red, the same color as her bra. "I'm s-sorry. I only meant to show this to him..." she said as she pointed at the symbol in the middle of her chest, just below her bra. It looked like a blue tattoo. It showed waves in a spherical motion like a water cycle with a moon in the center encircled by what seemed to be bamboos. I must have stared for too long because the other girls were now glaring at me. Midorima's face was now pepper-hot red.

"I think Shiro-kun has seen enough, Midorima-chan," Aunt Saiko said as she glared at me as if saying "I'm gonna put some poison in the dinner later". "Or perhaps, he's enjoying the view", she added and glared at me again.

I swallowed. "N-No! Midorima-senpai should wear her shirt now," I said as Midorima quickly wore her shirt. I cleared my throat. "So, an explanation?" I asked.

Aunt Saiko rubbed her palms, the way she did when she's anxious or nervous. "This may seem impossible but Shiro...", she said as she looked at me. "You have powers"

I didn't react. They looked at me, perhaps waiting for me to act surprised or say "What? I'm like Superman and stuff?".

"And?" I replied.

"You're not surprised?" asked Nami with a frown.

"Should I? I mean, I saw your teacher become a monster so why should I be surprised?" I replied. "Besides...", I rubbed my forehead. "I had this dream that Mom and Dad were alive..."

"About that...", said Nami as she held my hands. "We need to confess something," she continued. "I am not your real sister and so is Saiko-san"

"W-What? You're joking. The I-have-powers thing, I would believe but you not being my sister? No way," I said as I looked at Big Sis. However, her expression didn't change. She looked at me seriously. "Wait...you mean you're telling the truth?"

Aunt Saiko said. "Yes, dear Shiro. Back when you were still young, your Mom went to the Philippines to find a cure with your ability with no success. She suddenly vanished. Our parents told your Dad not to follow but he didn't listen. He tried to find your Mom and he, too, vanished."

"Wait, wait... you mean there is still a chance that Dad and Mom are still alive?" I interrupted.

"Yes...but don't get your hopes up. Shiro. The Philippines is the center of culture in the modern eon and different entities of power reside in there," she explained. "You were entrusted to our parents, which were your Mom and Dad's comrades, and after we turned eighteen, we became your guardians," she continued.

"You and Nami?"

"Yes, including Fritz, Thyme, and Midorima", she replied. I looked at them and tried to keep my emotions in place. Finding out I have powers and my supposed-to-be family being fake, it's like receiving a Christmas gift in the middle of the year. I don't know if I should be happy or not.

"So, you all were lying at me?"

Fritz cleared his throat. "Shiro, please understand - "

"Understand what? You and Thyme just being friends with me so you can babysit me?" I said as I bent my head down, trying not to look at them.

"No, Shiro! We befriended you not to just guard you. We really treated you as a friend. Please don't say that," shouted Thyme. I wasn't able to hold back anymore. I sobbed.

"Shiro..," Nami said. "We're sorry. We lied but it's all for your safety," she continued as she sat beside me and patted my head.

I wiped my tears. "I'm sorry but I can't stop it. Knowing that I'm now all alone freaks me out," I continued.

"Don't say that, Shiro-kun. We're with you, okay? Besides, we won't leave you...ever", said Midorima as she got a handkerchief and gave it to me.

"Thank you, Midorima-senpai," I said as I wiped my tears. "Actually, I had this dream..."

"What dream?" asked Aunt Saiko.

I narrated my dream to them. How I saw my parents talk to each other, how I saw my younger self being memory-wiped, I told them all that happened in my dream. They looked tense and were awfully silent after my explanation.

"Umm...can someone explain it?" I asked

"Obviously, it was what you saw during your Trance," Aunt Saiko answered. "Your memory was starting to come back. It's as what your Mom did inside your head, Memory Resonate. It's a spell that makes an individual forget his memories but regain them slowly," she explained.

Nami continued. "And with the work of the potion, your memory was shattered in small fractures. You'll regain your memories when you're at the right age, 18 to be exact. You were lucky you had a Trance..."

"Excuse me, Oneesan", I interrupted. "What is this `trance` you're talking about?"

"A Trance happens when a Figure suddenly becomes unconscious. His mind and body will separate. In your case, you had a Trance due to your omamori's skills. Your Mom must have put it," Nami answered.

"Wait, so you mean my Mom is a superhero like you?" I exclaimed.

"Yes, and so is your Father," answered Nami. "They're known to other Figures, actually. They were one of the first Figures to reach the Rank of Class S in the 21st century."

"You've been saying these Class-S, Class-B, classes things. What are these?" I asked.

Aunt Saiko was about to explain when the whole place suddenly shook followed by a rumbling noise. Violet light suddenly illuminated around the house along with the sound of something swirling.

"It's an Anaphora," Fritz mumbled.

"Class-F, to be exact", Thyme corrected.

"What is happening?" I asked as violet rays of light shot in from the window.

"It's an Anaphora, Shiro - portals that appear throughout the world and lead to another world, in secret. How this certain Anaphor is acting like these, I don't know..." said Aunt Saiko, her face frowning.

Thyme stood next to me as she got something our of her pockets. It was a small glass tube with some red liquid in it.

She handed it to me. "Drink this. It's a Vitality Potion."

I looked at it. It really looks cool like glistening blood, but still, it doesn't look good. I opened the cap. The smell discouraged me some more. The smell was like peanut butter and menthol mixed in a boiling pot of wasabi. How it was red, I don't know but it's either this potion will make me grow a third eye or cure my nausea.

"If you're worried about it, try using Analysis," Thyme said as she held something that resembled a slithery vine. I looked at the others. All of them were already brandishing their equipments. Setting them aside, I heeded Thyme's words.

"Analysis"

Suddenly, a screen popped up in front of my eyes. It was a description of the potion. Now, I felt how video game characters feel when you press their equipment. Vitality Potion, it said on the uppermost part with the image of the potion below. More information was written below.

"Item Class: B, Effect: Restores basic healtg complications and increases health regeneration by 20% for 20 seconds, can be disassembled to get Drakon Blood, Nighshade Petal and Treant's Eye," I read aloud.

"That's all the information about the potion. If you still have doubts, I have an aspirin here," Thyme joked.

I tried not to laugh. I looked at them again before uncapping the potion and swallowing the contents. Besides the soothing feeling in my throat, it's sweet & sour sauce - dark chocolate flavor combination went way to my tongue, which was very unpleasant that it stayed in my tongue.

"That tastes so weird. If my headache ain't disappearing after three seconds, I swear you putsome expired mint shampoo in there", I said as I stood and put the emptied vial in the table. "So, an explanation?"

"We'll explain everything when we get inside the Anaphora," Nami said as she stood and tied her hair.

"Wait, so we're going inside whatever's outside? The mysterious shiny violet thing that's outside?" I asked.

Fritz put his axe down. Looking at the weapon, it looked so cool, literally. The axe was made of pure ice from its handle to the sharp curved blade. It would've been a good project for the Arts class.

"Don't worry, bro", he said as he put his hand on my shoulder. "You got us," he continuef and winked.

"Come on, we have to clear that Anaphora or hell will get loose," Midorima said as she straightened and pulled a staff out of thin air. How she did that, I have no idea.

"Here." Midorima handed me the staff.

The staff was long like a pole except for the green ball at the tip. The staff was as long as my arm and despite its steel-golden color, it wasn't as heavy as what I thought. The moment I held the staff, the ball glowed green like the stuff you see in Glo-sticks.

"What is this staff? How - "

Midorima interrupted me. "Use Analysis and you'll understand," she told me as she got more things out from thin air.

I used Analysis and looked at the staff. Some information box popped up from it. It was the same with the potion except that some of the descriptions were different. Basic Mystic Staff, it said above the image of the staff.

"Mana Capacity +100, Spell Power: +10%, Attacks...why are the attacks and spells blank?" I asked them.

Fritz leaned on his axe. "You're a beginner so we don't know your class, much more of your attacks. Midorima gave you the staff since you're a beginner and it's better for you to stay behind the lines," he said as he started to wear his equipment. "You have to decide on it. You are the source of thr weapon's powers."

You sound like a monk in the movies, I wanted to say but I shook the idea off. His axe seems sharp.

"Enough of this chit-chat. Let's go on that Anaphora," said Fritz who removed his hands from the axe and pulled a silver shield out of nowhere. his whole body was now covered in armor and the same goes for the remaining girls. I don't even know how they could wear them. Looking at their armors, those silver-plated caps and shiny plates looked heavier than my deadweights.

"Wear these," Midorima said as she put some equipment on my bed.

There was a pair of leather shoes that looked like a snake's scales, some bronze-colored bracers, a shiny but thin chainmail, and a bunch of other stuff I don't know.I am more confused why I am wearing this if I'd be just behind the back. I would've used Analysis but since Midorima was helping me wear them (and the others seemed to glare at us), I stayed silent.

Nami coughed an attention. "It seems that all of us are prepared. Shiro-kun, just be in the back. We'll tell you what to do."

Thyme patted my shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll back you up."

Aunt Saiko got a mask from her pockets and gave it to me. "Wear this. It will hide your appearance," she said as she gave me a mask. It was a white mask that could cover your whole face except for the right eye. I wore it and imagined myself fighting monsters with a mask on.

Great, I taught. First, I drink a potion with a weird taste and now, I'm the Phantom of the Opera.

"Come on, we should hurry," Nami said as she opened the door. We walked downstairs and the violet light became clearer. From the window, I could see a swirling spheroid along with touches of white and violet streaks. Wearing the mask was, fortunately, a good thing. People were flocking on the violet vortex.

"That, Shiro-kun, is an Anaphora," said Aunt Saiko who was making the people swerve away with her big fists, and when I say big fists, I mean giant metal fists with spikes on the edge. Her hands were now big like boxers' gloves, each in a red-bronze color combination.

"It's a Class-F Anaphor so it's not something to worry of," she told me as we walked nearer. "Don't worry, we'll explain later," she continued, seeing me look at her perplexingly.

That really didn't reassure me.

As we walked, all of the people were looking at us with confused faces. They must've taught we were from a costume party. The Anaphora became clearer to me as we walked near it. A few feet from the swirling vortex, policemen were surrounding it. They looked like small toy armies as the Anaphora was the size of your house's first floor.

"Please, Maam, Sir, we need you to get as far as you can from this vortex," a policeman's voice said on the megaphones.

We approached the policemen though they let us in easily as Aunt Saiko removed her mask for a little bit. Aunt Saiko was talking with one of the policemen, probably the leader, and showed him her badge (or her fists) before the circling vortex.

"Come on, it's time", said Nami as she tightened her grip in her bow. I swallowed hard as we stepped inside the Anaphora.