"I'm happy.... To see our children grow"
Kyoko's Father-in-Law spoke as his wife laid on his shoulder.
Kyoko gulped, trying to hold back her tears, "Nothing will happen to you two!"
The exchange was taking place in a tattered place, almost covered with flames and debris. Kyoko tried to save the both of them but she couldn't. She was pregnant and had a hard time walking by herself.
"Its fine.", Aarya's Father replied, continued by his wife, "Kyoko, we are happy for this life."
She coughed out blood as she spoke to Kyoko.
"I'm glad to see both my sons become proper adults...", He smiled continuing, "I'm gonna be happy in the afterlife with no regrets."
"Please don't say that, I'm not gonna let anything happen to you two."
"Our time is over Kyoko. But, the child who is going to be born..... The child must live."
"Kyoko!", Aruna called out to her.
"I've brought the medical and safety forces to protect them.", She said to Kyoko.
"Uncle, Aunt. You both are gonna be safe."
Aruna lifted Kyoko with her arms on her shoulder. The arriving reinforcements took both of Aarya and Arjun's parents, each on their respective stretchers to a safer place.
"I am glad that you are by my side, big brother"
Arjun said these words to Aarya.
He was lying on Aarya's arms. Aarya was on his feet, holding his only younger brother.
"I'm glad, big brother."
"Arjun...", tears ran down from Aarya's eyes.
"Don't cry, it hurts.....", Arjun continued, "It hurts to see the one who was supposed to by role model break down like this."
"Nothing will happen to me."
A tear ran down Arjun's left cheek.
"Thank you.... For being the last companion to hold me."
Arjun took his last breath.
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"Aarya, this is your brother"
His mother told him while holding a baby in front of a five year old Aarya. The baby was on his mother's lap. She was holding him.
Aarya came closer to see the baby. He was calmly sleeping as Aarya watched him. He had a wide smile upon his face.
"Mom, I have a brother now!", Aarya got excited upon meeting his sibling.
"Yes, he your very own brother."
"What is his name?", Aarya asked her.
"His name is...."
.
.
.
.
.
"Arjun"
Aarya spoke out aloud as a tear fell on his brother's cheek.
He hugged his brother tightly as he cried. He looked up and cried in desperation.
At that moment, behind him.
Vernier slowly appeared, forming behind him with nebulous ends.
Hiro was dragged out from the past to an greyish space, where only he and the demon were. He could see the past being projecting into multiple screens in a nonsensical order. Hiro couldn't understand what was going on.
It was a plane or a realm, but it wasn't the three dimensional world an average human can perceive. It was through there that Hiro was sent into the past. Not exactly changing it but rather viewing it as a person himself.
He was seeing the past from Aarya's side and perspective. Not exactly as Aarya himself but as a third person would.
"What is going on?"
"WHAT IS THIS?", Hiro cried to the Demon.
"You can see it, right?", The Demon spoke, continuing, "You have seen the past right? It is the very truth of the world now."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, what you have seen is the reason why Kreiss exists as the only nation in the world."
"What?"
Aarya started to fasten his pace towards the demon.
The Demon, then caressed his cheek. The darkish nebulous aura and the long fingers around the demon's arm slowly faded away, becoming that of a human. The aura which covered the demon faded away.
"Just have some patience, my child."
"You are....", Hiro spoke as he saw who the demon truly was.
He was sent back into the past.
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.
.
.
.
Aarya who was controlling Vernier fought back against the incoming RIORS and MECHAS.
He couldn't understand and care about who the enemy was.
All he had on his mind was to kill.
He was struggling, inside the cockpit. He bled, he was in agony. From the physical, emotional and the mental pain he was going through. Despair, depression and malice were his driving forces. Still keeping him alive and sane.
"No..."
"Stop..."
"STOP-P-P ITTTT!!!!", Hiro cried looking at Aarya, through the realm in which only he and demon existed.
Then, a MECHA appeared in front of Aarya. It was a one with a very unique frame and form. It looked much more organic, rather than being mechanical.
Aarya glared at it, viewing it from the cockpit's display. He sneered, "tch"
"A guardian, huh."
"STOP ITTTTT!", Hiro cried again.
The next few instances of the past he could see were blacking out in front of him. He could barely see and understand it.
All that he could understand was that the exchange between Aarya and the rather organic-looking MECHA whom he called 'Guardian' was a battle.
He could see them exchanging blows.
It was a really tough battle from what he could see.
The next instance, the past was clear to him.
It was after the battle between Aarya and the Guardian.
Aarya was on his knees, between the debris surrounding him but not covering him. Vernier, was in tatters. It was in a movable condition and could work but the pilot wasn't. He was broken, both mentally and physically.
The opponent whom Aarya fought against was dead, more like brutally killed. Lying many meters away from Vernier and Aarya. However, it wasn't alone. There were many corpses of RIORS lying beside and below it.
Aarya was in anguish, feeling relieved and being continuously tormented by his inner voices.
Then, he heard the sound of a stone tripping. He looked at the direction of the sound. It was Kyoko, who could barely walk but was walking towards. He was relieved to see her for a second but that moment of happiness was gone after looking at her abdomen.
It wasn't swollen was covered with cuts.
Aarya got up and immediately rushed towards Kyoko as she was about to fall and held her as her fell on his knees. Scraping to the debris, his skin was cut. Yet, he bore the pain. He held on his arms.
Kyoko held onto him.
He slowly laid her on his lap, holding the back of her head.
"Kyoko"
"Dear, Mother..... in-law...", Kyoko spoke, "Father.... in...law..."
"Are dead...", She continued.
She continued breathing heavily as Aarya got more broken inside. Tears ran down her eyes, looking at Aarya. It was pretty much painful for her, to see her husband suffer.
"My time is also coming.", She spoke.
Aarya held her hand with his hand pleading as he cried, "Please don't say that."
She smiled, as tears ran down on her eyes.
"Dear", She caressed Aarya's cheek with her right hand.
"I love you."
She spoke her final words as her eyes closed and the hand on his cheek fell down.
"A tale of two, separated by the concept of 'Death'."
"No, let me reiterate it. A tale of many, separated by someone else's 'Bigotry'."
Aarya hugged her tightly.
His forehead touched hers.
His mouth widened up.
He started laughing.
Tears ran down his eyes as he laughed. A pistol slowly formed on the palm of his right hand. He slowly brought it towards it head.
"My parents who have loved since I was born, my brother who I loved since he was born, my wife whom I am loving..... The child who I am supposed to love. All perished."
He point the muzzle to his head.
"Fuck this damn world!"
His face widened up with a large smile, pulling the trigger.
A gunshot could be heard as everything went blank.
Then, screams could be heard.
The screams were of Hiro's. It was him, who was screaming and crying in the cockpit of Vernier. He held his forehead on his arms.
"Aarya and Kyoko....."
Hiro gulped while tears down his cheek.
"The both of you are my parents, right?"