68 Chapter 68 Worry and Trouble.
Meiji Jingu near the small temple that resides on the way for the climbers to conquer the summit. A violet gate floated while swirling calmly amidst the flat land. The surrounding was utterly devoured by the vortex, making the place look bleak for only the desolate ground around it.
In the surrounding gate, a line was erected to prevent people who didn't have permission to enter the place willingly because of the appearance of a rare trial gate for the first time in Japan after all the years. However, even after the man in charge put the line, many people still waited outside the line, in their camping mood, erecting a tent and some shutter to catch the rare moment of the Trial Gate.
The tape was placed at a diameter of thirty meters away from the gate. There is also a huge tent that hosts multiple people who busied themselves in front of the rectangle screen while moving their fingers relentlessly.
"How was the condition of the gate?".
"For now, it was stabilizing".
"Good, keep monitoring the gate".
"Yes, sir".
Hiroshi, the one who is responsible, gives his instructions to one of the male workers who is monitoring the screen. The association sent some people to help him deal with these problems because it involved one of his family members.
It's been a whole month since his daughter disappeared, and one week ago, using the footage and the info he gathered. Hiroshi managed to find the lead that his daughter was together with Soma. They walked together toward the route that was used for a road toward a mountain summit without having any equipment for battle. Hiroshi knew that his daughter had some storage rings in her possession, and inside were filled with her necessities, including a real weapon and a dummy she used for training.
Hiroshi, who finished his business, went outside as he opened the curtain separating himself from the outside world. Then his sight caught the figure of a lone woman standing near the purple gate, watching it with an anxious expression on her face.
"..Hisako".
"Dear, how was it?".
"It's stabilizing for now".
"I see".
Hisako sighs in disappointment mixed with relief. At the exact time a half-hour ago, there is turbulence in the gate, sending a massive amount of mana settling into the atmosphere. Attracting the surrounding people and creating the current situation.
She thought that the earlier turbulence was a sign of the disappearance gate and made her heart crushed with worries for her daughter and Soma's safety.
Hiroshi stood beside his wife while wrapping his hands around her shoulder, bringing their bodies close, sharing each other warmth to calm their fluttered hearts.
"Dear, I..".
"It's okay, Hisako. They are going to be fine".
"Yeah, but..".
The calm violet gate began to tremble, making the surrounding mana turn berserk as it began to swirl violently.
"Dear..".
"..?!".
Their breaths were halted as the throbbing heart in their chests intensified, invading their consciousness and sending a negative emotion throughout their whole being, imagining the worst.
There are two things that would happen when the gate, which is already occupied, begins to turn active: Either the person inside it clears it or fails.
The gate swirls violently, sending a crackling of lightning and a small storm surrounding it. Then, from within, a huge magic circle emits a yellow glow before it turns into two humanoid figures who are at a close distance from each other.
After the two youngsters appear from the gate, the violet gate and the berserk mana in the surroundings start to dim, and it begins to calm down as it disappears, leaving nothing but empty land and two individuals carrying the unconscious.
"..Finally get out. Hang in there, Soma, I... Eh? Mom?".
Hisako's eyes turned blurry as she couldn't believe the sight before her eyes. How long her ears yearned for that melodious voice that always filled her heart with joy and relief. Her body moves by instinct as she rushes and embraces her daughter, burying her on her chest. The warmth that she caught in her arm is definite proof that her daughter was alive and well.
"I am glad. I am truly glad, Hina. Are you alright?".
"..Yeah, I am".
Hina let herself drown in the warmth of her mother's embrace as her eyes also began to turn blurry, for she also missed her parents.
"I am glad you guys, okay".
Hiroshi, who was also worried about his daughter's condition, rushed forward before standing beside his wife, patting Hina on the head and caressing it gently. His tense face had loosened its muscle, for he already found his precious daughter after the grueling search he had conducted. He noticed Soma was unconscious while being carried by Hina, so he took hold of Soma and let him carry Soma's unconscious body.
"Dad, Mom..".
""Hina?!"".
Finally, the anxiety and the fatigue that she accumulated caught her as she collapsed in her mother's embrace. Her tense body loosened its strength and tried to recover by resting.
Hiroshi and Hisako were considerably stunned at first. Still, after witnessing their daughter and Soma's relaxed expression, breathing calmly in their hands, they sighed in relief as the burden that plagued their minds disappeared.
However, contrary to their thought, a paparazzi waiting outside the line managed to shoot one picture of Hina carrying Soma in her hands and create massive news that shook Japan.
Inside one of the facilities in the underground, in one of the dim rooms, two individuals stood by each side while observing the other bright white room separated by a thick membrane of enhanced glass that could block advanced magic.
The two figures were a man in his forties with a tidy appearance wearing a black suit, posture straight, his black hair that swiped back tinge with a bit of gray. Beside him, there is a woman in her twenties wearing a red dress and gazing down while fidgeting, not daring to open her mouth. Both have the exact distinctive figure, with red skin and the protruding horn in their skull.
"Devi, you know what to do, right?".
A deep and stern voice echoed inside the dim, closed space where the two individuals were in.
"..Yes, Father. I will take the other devil's blood, I promise".
Devi's body stiffened as she bent her knees in salute while keeping her gaze down. Her mind began to wander, then gritted her teeth, for she began to recall that time her plan was ruined.
"Good. Take Gura with you. I already informed him what he must do".
"...Yes, Father, then, if you excuse me".
After receiving the order from the man, she called her father. Devi stands up and looks at the room blocked by transparent glass before she turns her back and leaves the place.
The man, left alone, keeps his stern gaze forward, looking at the white room. The interior of the room was white with not too vast space and a single bid door. There are multiple figures of people who wear a white robe reminiscent of the scientist, busying their hands with the equipment provided by the man behind the mirror.
With a creaking sound, the door was opened, and a new person wearing the same white robes appeared while pushing a sick bed made from metal. On top of the bed lay a single person. A child in his ten who will become their test subject. The young boy, with his skinny figure, turned his glance sideways, feeling restless for the new environment he was currently in. While lying on the mat, the boy's limbs were tied up, making him unable to escape.
"..Subject test No.2xxxxx..".
"Begin the process".
One of the scientists stepped forward while holding a silver tray with a syringe containing a red liquid inside on top of it, passing it toward the other scientist who took charge of the process.
"What is that?".
"Don't worry, young boy, this is the medicine that will make you strong. You said you want to protect your sister right, and this medicine can help you to achieve that".
"Really?".
"Yes, so just behave and believe what I said, okay?".
"Okay..".
The scientist began to put the needle on the boy's skin on top of the nerves. Slowly, he inserted the needles inside, which made the young boy's body twitch in pain. The scientist pushed the red content inside in one go and pulled out the needle.
"Aw, that hurts?! Ack..".
The young boy's body began to jerk and then convulsed uncontrollably. The white bed creaked intensely as the boy kept spamming in pain.
"Ack, aaaaahh..".
His pale skin turned red, and his skinny body bulged as the purple veins began to emerge to the surface, giving a grotesque sight to anyone who witnessed it. The boy's innocent face turned ferocious as his teeth turned sharp like a shark, his round eyes turned sharp, and his pupil became red in color. The distinctive black hair the boy had faded, replaced with white color, as the stress his body received surpassed the level of his tolerance.
The convulsion still did not show any end but turned to get worse. The body of a young boy bloated. All the veins in his body burst forth, sending a bloody mist to the surrounding air. His face was bleeding in his seven orifices, and his eyes were gone from its socket.
"...Another failed attempt, huh".
The man behind the glass who saw that happening kept his serene gaze while watching the horrifying sight that would give nightmares.
"We were Sorry for another failure, Father".
A sudden interruption appeared behind the man, and his face was concealed within the shadow of the dim room. Only his half body was shown while wearing the same white robe, holding a rectangular device that contained various data about the experiment they conducted.
"Don't concern yourself. Is the blood already diluted?".
"Yes, it has been diluted to 0,001% of its original".
"I see. How about the test subject?".
"There are only two more individuals that are still detained in another room".
The man who heard the reports from the mysterious man knitted his brows. But, it soon returned to its calm expression, looking at the red body of the boy being discarded.
"Keep continuing the work. Gura and my daughter are already on the move to collect another subject".
"Very well then. I will be taking my leave. Everything is for the Great Lord".
"..For the Great Lord".
