Chapter 56: Reinforcements!
『"Let’s reach an accord and ink a pact..."』
Three days until Tokyo.
The training grounds felt different that morning, charged with anticipation and the jitters.
Maya had called everyone to the main arena unusually early, before their regular sessions, saying only that "reinforcements have arrived."
The Five stood in a loose cluster near the center of the arena, still hovering protectively around Sophia despite her increasingly vocal complaints about their suffocating presence.
"Think they’ll be like Unit 11-B?" Hiro asked, quickly intercepting the water bottle Sophia was reaching for and handing it to her before she could strain herself. "More scary Russians who barely tolerate us?"
"One Yelena is enough, thank you," Sophia muttered, yanking the bottle from his grip with a glare. "And I can get my own water. I had a psychic concussion, not a lobotomy."
"Alright, alright." Hiro raised both hands up, taking a step back.
In that moment, the arena doors slid open, and Maya entered with an imposing woman behind her.
This was a woman who commanded attention the moment she stepped in. She was tall and powerfully built, with dark skin marked by scars that told stories of battles survived.
Her plaited hair was short and her eyes were sharp. She moved confidently towards the centre of the arena where the five occupied, and the three bars on her shoulder couldn’t help but draw even more attention.
"You must be the Five. I’m Meredith Zawadi," she introduced herself, her accent placing her somewhere in East Africa, the cadence of her words making Amara lean forward with interest.
She stopped a few feet away, clasping her hands behind her back in a military posture. "I’m an Anchor Awakener. I draw power from the Gaia Force," she said with a smile that was warm despite her intimidating presence. "I look forward to working with the legendary Five."
They all murmured at each other with fascination. Anchors were rare after all, so it was amazing to finally see one in person.
"Gaia Force? What’s that?" Hiro asked.
Meredith looked up and rubbed her chin like she was searchings for the right word. "You can call it the fundamental energy of the Earth that exists across all realities, and I am able to tap into that energy."
She then folded her arms. "In simple terms, I can control the ground you stand on."
"Sick," Raj said as the five of them exchanged glances, clearly impressed.
Then a deep laugh boomed through the arena. "Ha, ha, ha!" A second figure approached them confidently. "I myself am somewhat sick as well!"
He was massive, easily matching Raj’s size. He had a short blonde wavy hair, really broad shoulders, and eyes that clearly indicated he was the kind of person who enjoyed a good fight.
"Guys, this is Björn J. Sigurd the Second." Maya gestured towards him while she made the introduction. "He’s also a Tyrant like Meredith here."
"Yes, yes!" Björn said aloud. "But you may call me BJ!" He looked directly at Raj and grinned wider. "I am a Vessel Awakener, like you young warriors. The honor is mine to fight alongside such promising youth!"
"BJ..." Raj repeated, desperately trying not to laugh. Then Amara reached over and smacked the back of his head with a stern look that promised worse if he did.
She quickly cleared her throat and manufactured her most diplomatic smile. "Mr. B—Björn, you’ll be joining us on the Tokyo mission as well?"
"Of course, of course!" He stepped closer, looking down at her with appreciation. "By Odin’s beard, beauty like yours is rare even in Valhalla’s halls. Your parents must be blessed by the Norns themselves."
Amara looked up at him and maintained her polite smile. "Thank you. I appreciate your... colorful compliment."
The moment threatened to turn awkward until Hiro, bless him, changed the subject.
"So, BJ—" He ignored Raj’s muffled snort. "—what exactly do you do that makes you so impressive? Besides being, you know, impressively large."
Björn laughed out loud again. "I’m glad you asked, small fast one!"
His Spirit Weapon suddenly materialized beside him as a giant wrecking ball, six feet in diameter and connected to a thick chain that coiled around his arm.
"My weapon here," he hefted the wrecking ball with ease, "Aurvandill can get as heavy as I desire. Once crushed a building by just dropping it through the roof." His grin widened. "It is going to be a glorious time in Tokyo, yes?"
"Is that it?" Hiro said, sounding kind of disappointed. "Just... heavy ball on chain?"
Sophia’s hand shot out and smacked him upside the head before anyone else could react. The smack echoing through the arena.
"OW!" Hiro yelped, rubbing the back of his head. "What was that for?!"
"Being an idiot," Sophia said sweetly.
Beside her, Ethan pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed with embarrassment.
"Thought I’d help you out with that one," Sophia said to Amara with a satisfied grin.
Amara bit back a laugh. "Much appreciated."
"Right, right. There’s one more fella for you lot to meet," Maya said, scanning the room. "He’s a bit of an oddball that one. We’ll just have to wait till he shows up, won’t we?"
"Um..." A voice called from behind Maya and everyone immediately flinched or jerked away.
When Amara settled, she was finally focused enough to notice a man, maybe in his mid-thirties, with dark hair that hung across his left eye and a perpetual face of depression, standing behind Maya.
"Um... hey," he called again, raising one hand, then bringing it back down lazily. "Didn’t know when exactly to jump in," he said like he’d been there the whole time.
But despite the apparent apathy in his tone and the energy of someone who was going through the motions of existence. There was something observant about his gaze.
"Yu Ishigami," he said flatly, as if introducing himself was an exhausting chore. "You can call me Ishigami. Really, just Ishigami is fine." He paused, using his index finger to scratch gently on his cheek. "Do I also need to talk about my abilities?"
Raj leaned towards the rest of them and whispered. "This is getting really awkward." Then he turned back to Ishigami with an overly bright smile and straightened.
"Yes. We would love to hear about what kind of Awakener you are," Amara said, stepping forward to break the tension.
Ishigami nodded and proceeded. "So... I made a deal with an entity called the Joker. In exchange for power over strings—" He demonstrated by connecting his fingers with razor sharp threads. "—I gave up my ability to laugh."
There was another pause from him, this one longer than normal. Until he finally resumed,"...it seemed like a good trade at the time."
"Ah." Amara jammed the bottom of her fist into her open palm. "That means you must be a Contractor."
"I guess..." His dark, gloomy eyes then traveled from Amara to Sophia with an appraising hum that made them both stiffen instinctively.
"Hmmm... hmmm..." he mused aloud, almost to himself.
The pause stretched just long enough to make everyone even more uncomfortable before he finally spoke. His finger pointed toward Amara.
"96-61-104."
Amara blinked. "Excuse me?"
Ishigami’s eyes slid to Sophia next with the same appraising look, and same uncomfortable pause.
"83-59-98."
"Cute. Is that your highscore in the ’getting your teeth kicked in’ game?" Sophia replied. "Because I’d love to help you beat that record."
"Measurements," Ishigami confirmed, his deadpan expression never changing. "Accurate to within half a centimeter. Useful skill for tailoring. Or analysing combat."
"What..." Amara raised an eyebrow, trying to wrap her head around what he just said. Her tone wasn’t a question so much as an expression of absolute disbelief.
"I mean, body dimensions tell you a lot about a person’s fighting style, center of gravity, and reach advantages," he explained, then paused. "Also, you both have aesthetically pleasing symmetry that also indicates flexibility."
Ethan dropped his hand from where it was folded, about to step forward, but Amara beat him to it. "Well some of us don’t take kindly to being... measured," she responded.
Sophia was already rolling up her sleeves. "How about I measure how far I can shove your head down your ass? I bet I can get pretty precise measurements on that." She took a step forward.
"You’d have to catch me first," Ishigami said without any emotion whatsoever. "I’m very good at not being where people want me to be. It’s a survival skill I developed specifically for moments like this."
"MOVING ON," Maya said loudly, stepping between Sophia and the object of her murderous intent. "These three will be deploying to Tokyo with us. Which means you have just three days to learn what you can from them."
"I’m not working with this freak." Sophia pointed at Ishigami.
"That’s why you’ll be doing paired trainings," Maya continued as if Sophia hadn’t spoken. "Each of you will work with a Tyrant-rank Awakener and learn from them. Understand how to coordinate with Awakeners of higher-rank."
She then pulled up a holographic display showing the pairings:
- Amara + Meredith
- Ethan + Dante
- Raj + Björn J. Sigurd II
- Sophia + Yelena
- Hiro + Ishigami
Sophia looked betrayed. "You’re pairing me with the she-devil?" She asked, then looked around the room to make sure Yelena wasn’t actually present to hear that.
"You need someone who can push your mental abilities harder than anyone else," Maya said. "Yelena’s the only one qualified."
Sophia sighed. "I was really hoping to avoid—"
"Wanna switch?" Hiro offered immediately, eyeing Ishigami with visible concern.
"Hard pass," Sophia said after a moment. "Yelena’s fine. You’re stuck with the depraved weirdo over there who thinks he’s got X-ray vision."
"It’s not X-ray," Ishigami corrected, sounding mildly offended for the first time. "It’s simply mathematical extrapolation based on visible structural indicators and—"
"Nobody gives a shit," Sophia cut him off.
Ishigami’s shoulders slumped even further and he sighed deeply. "This is going to be a long three days."
"For all of us," Hiro muttered.
"Training starts in thirty minutes," Maya announced. "Get your gear. Meet your partners. And remember, you’re learning from some of the best Awakeners in the world."
With that cheerful send-off, they split up, each pair heading to different sections of the Institute.
Some stayed in training facilities. Others ventured outside the Sun branch itself, into the vast estate that surrounded it.
***
Amara found herself walking through a garden she hadn’t known existed within a massive outdoor space with carefully maintained paths, flowing water features, and lush vegetation.
"The Institute maintains this in most of their branches as a reminder," Meredith explained, walking beside her. "When you spend so much time underground fighting nightmares, you forget what you’re protecting. This garden is what humanity looks like when we’re not at war. Beautiful. Peaceful. Worth preserving."
Amara studied the woman beside her. The scars. The strength. The calm that came from probably having to deal with so many struggles and surviving them all.
"How long have you been an Awakener?" she asked.
"Twelve years," Meredith said. "Awakened during a volcanic eruption in my home country. The Gaia Force chose me when the earth itself was dying, needed someone to channel its rage into something productive instead of destructive."
She smiled. "I was a geologist before. Made sense, I suppose. Already had a relationship with the earth. The Force just formalized it."
They kept walking in comfortable silence for a moment before Meredith spoke again.
"You’re carrying a lot of weight as the Sword. I can see it in how you hold yourself. The responsibility of leadership. The fear of failing your team."
Amara’s step faltered slightly. "That obvious?"
She stopped walking, turning to face Amara directly. "Let me tell you something I learned the hard way: You can’t protect everyone. You can’t prevent every death. And you can’t carry the weight of the world on your shoulders without eventually collapsing."
"Then what do I do?" Amara asked in a whisper.
"You do your best. You make the calls you can live with." Meredith stared at her palm. "And when people die despite your best efforts—and they will, because that’s the nature of war..." She curled her fingers into a tight fist. "You grieve them, learn from it, and keep moving forward."
Meredith’s hand came to rest on Amara’s shoulder. "The sword cuts, child. That’s its nature. But a blade wielded with too much fear cuts poorly. Trust yourself. Trust your weapon. Trust your team. And the rest will follow."
Amara felt something loosen in her chest, a tension she hadn’t realized she was carrying. "Thank you," she said, and meant it completely.
"Come," Meredith said, gesturing toward an open field beyond the garden. "Now that we’ve handled the philosophical portion of today’s lesson, let’s see how well you fight when the ground itself becomes your enemy."
Amara’s eyes glinted with the acceptance of the challenge as the ground shifted, then erupted beneath her legs.
***
[THE THREE TYPES OF AWAKENERS]
🗡️ VESSELS (Spirit Weapon Wielders)
The most common type of Awakeners. Makes use of soul weapons that bond with their user. Examples: Amara’s Angel’s Bane, Ethan’s Bastion shield, Dante’s Requiem)
⚡ ANCHORS (Force Channelers)
Awakeners connect to fundamental forces like the Gaia force, etc. Examples: Meredith(Gaia Force connection).
📜 CONTRACTORS (Deal-Makers)
Awakeners are given the opportunity to trade something to entities for power once they awaken. Yu Ishigami gave up his ability to laugh for string manipulation from "The Joker" entity—what’s traded can never be recovered. Example: Naomi(Sky Father), Yu Ishigami(Joker).
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