Expressions once charged with animosity instantly metamorphosed into looks imbued with gentleness. Eyes that had once been fixed on Ono with suspicion now seemed to reflect blind trust. The survivors, freed from the fear of the impending explosion, rejoiced in firm belief in Ono's reassuring words.
"Is it true?"
"Then there's nothing to worry about!"
Satisfaction emanated from every face, as the survivors turned to Ono gratefully, grateful for their sudden release from the threat hanging over them. Ono's words had dispelled their fears and seemed to have brought deep relief to every one of them.
Ono, observing the radical change in the attitudes of those around him, turned his gaze to Kaisho with a slight smile of triumph. He remarked in an almost mocking tone.
"Even with your innately acquired skills in the art of words, you can't compete with the power of persuasion I hold."
Kaisho, faced with this implacable reality, lowered his eyes momentarily, inwardly acknowledging his defeat. He had been defeated, not by brute force, but by Ono's persuasive power, revealing the limits of his own talent in the face of such mastery of persuasion.
Kaisho, resigned to accepting Ono's domination, expressed his assent in an unconventional manner: a punch thrown straight at Ono's face.
"This was the mission I had to carry out."
This gesture, though brutal, was the means chosen by Kaisho to put an end to their verbal confrontation. He thus implicitly recognized Ono's supremacy and bowed to his will.
After this tense exchange, Kaisho and Ono seemed to part ways, each going his own way. Meanwhile, Saé, using her communication skills, tried to locate Edano, hoping that he was with Ishikawa and the young boy.
{Saé: Edano, are you with Ishikawa and the boy?}
Unfortunately, her hopes were dashed when Edano replied.
{Edano: No}.
Ishikawa sat up slowly, still in shock from the impact he'd suffered. His mind is a little foggy, but he soon realizes that the young boy he was charged with protecting is still at his side. Despite his state of confusion, Ishikawa knows he must quickly clear up the situation.
He takes a deep breath to refocus, closing his eyes briefly to concentrate. Events race through his mind as he mentally relives them.
"First this so-called strange announcement, and now here we all are, separated."
Every detail is scrutinized, every element analyzed in the hope of finding a solution to this ordeal.
Once he has mentally placed each piece of the puzzle in its proper place, Ishikawa turns to the young boy standing beside him. His gaze is serious, but tinged with benevolence as he addresses him to ask what their mission is.
"Tell me, what's your mission?"
The young boy replied in a calm, detached tone, almost devoid of emotion.
"My mission is to kill a living being."
His words echoed in the air, chilling in their brutal simplicity. To him, it seemed just a task to be accomplished, devoid of any moral or emotional considerations.
"Kill... Did you say kill?!"
Ishikawa felt a shiver run down his spine at this reply. Surprise and disbelief mingled on his face, reflecting the dull horror rising within him. How could a child of his age be entrusted with such a mission? The reality of the situation hit him hard, shattering all his illusions about the innocence of a world torn apart by violence and cruelty.
Despite his own shock, Ishikawa remained calm, trying to conceal his confusion behind a mask of impassivity. But inside, his mind was in turmoil, searching for answers to this terrifying enigma.
The young boy replied in a mocking voice, pointing out the apparent absurdity of Ishikawa's proposal.
"What's so different between killing an animal and killing a human being?" he questioned with a touch of sarcasm.
This question, though simply formulated, raised a deep reflection on the nature of life and consciousness.
Ishikawa felt a lump form in his throat at this pertinent and disturbing answer. He had been confronted with a truth he had often ignored: the blurred boundary between living beings, whether human or not. The young boy had come face to face with a reality that many preferred to avoid.
"Animals, just like human beings, also possessed consciousness, sensitivity and the ability to feel pain, didn't they?"
He then realized that the distinction humans made between animals and humans was often based on mistaken assumptions and blind anthropocentrism. Animals were often perceived as inferior beings, devoid of thought and feeling, when in reality their existence was just as precious and their suffering just as real.
"Well..."
This realization shook Ishikawa to the core, forcing him to question his own beliefs and actions. He was confronted with a truth that was hard to accept: killing an animal was just as shocking and immoral as killing a human being, because all living beings deserved respect and consideration.
Ishikawa felt a shiver of unease run down his spine at the boy's disconcerting response. His calm, emotionless voice contrasted strikingly with the gravity of his words.
"So you're ready to die?"
"It's true that in my case, I don't really have a choice."
Yet despite this appearance of stoicism, Ishikawa couldn't help but feel deep concern for this child. How had he become so insensitive to violence and death at such a young age? What experiences had led him to accept the idea of killing or being killed so readily?
These questions swirled in Ishikawa's mind as he watched the young boy, searching for answers that seemed to elude him. He felt overwhelmed by the situation, confronted with a dark and disturbing reality that was difficult to grasp. And deep down, he knew that this encounter with this child had profoundly shaken his convictions and challenged his vision of the world.
"My name is Miura Seiho."
His name echoed in the air, carrying with it the weight of an entire history, a tragedy that seemed to have deeply marked this child. Ishikawa listened attentively as Miura shared his tale, a tale tinged with pain and suffering, a tale that shook to the foundations of the soul.
The young boy began to reveal the dark circumstances that had led to the loss of his parents. His words were charged with raw emotion, as if he were reliving every detail with crystal clarity.
Miura recounted how his parents had fallen victim to a ruthless enigma, where the quest for crystals had triggered a spiral of violence.
"My father, in an act of desperate bravery, tried to protect us by gathering more crystals than necessary. He thought he could keep us out of danger. But this desperate attempt led to his fateful destiny."
Miura's words painted a vivid picture of the tragedy that had unfolded before his eyes. He described the scene with chilling lucidity, depicting the violence and fear that had enveloped his family as they faced their inescapable fate. His voice trembled slightly, betraying the emotion he was desperately trying to contain.
Ishikawa felt a complex mixture of empathy and grief wash over him as he listened to Miura's heartbreaking story. He could almost feel this child's pain, the heartbreaking loss of his parents, and the indelible scar this tragedy had left in his heart.
It was a story that shook sensibilities, that resonated the cruelty of the world in all its brutality. And as Miura finished his story, a heavy atmosphere of sadness and despair enveloped Ishikawa, leaving him with a deep compassion for this child who had endured so much suffering at such a young age.
Ishikawa was deeply moved by Miura's poignant account, and his words resonated within him as a call to action, a call to protect this child who had suffered so much.
"It's decided..."
"Huh?"
"I swear to protect you Miura. No matter what!"
In a gesture imbued with solemnity and determination, Ishikawa held out his hand to Miura, as a symbol of hope and solidarity, a silent promise never to abandon him.
As Ishikawa prepared to begin searching the grounds where they stood, a strange sensation suddenly seized him. A presence, almost imperceptible but distinct, seemed to be trying to communicate with him telepathically. A voice, like a distant whisper in his mind, was trying to convey a message. Intrigued and on guard, Ishikawa concentrated on listening carefully, wondering who could be trying to contact him in this way.
{Saé: Ishikawa, I hope all is well with you. I'm with Edano and we can't find our...}