Chapter 9 "Tezuka Kejinto"

Chapter 9
Tezuka Kejinto

ONE YEAR LATER
YEAR 2042

“Knapp, wake up, please…!” Sybil is shaking her long-term boyfriend a little hard. “You must hear this…”

“W-what is it?” Knapp yawns sleepily as he turns over and sits up. He takes one look at his girlfriend’s teary face and asks in worry, “What’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?”

“It’s more than just a nightmare… It’s truly… horrible,” Sybil sniffs as she is trying to wipe tears away with her own hands. “There was… I saw a moon, which was falling to Earth. It got destroyed. We all died… and then the destruction of the entire universe followed. I don’t even know if it is a nightmare or a vision.”

“Shhh, it’s ok…” Knapp wraps his arms around the seer’s shaking shoulders. “The important thing is that we are alive right now. Even if a moon is falling, I will stop it no matter what.”

She gives him a smile as she says quietly, “Thank you.”

“I love you,” Knapp places a kiss on Sybil’s forehead.

“Love you too.”

~*~

“You did what?” Knapp asks as he leans forward a little bit with his hands on the edge of the control panel. “Did you say Kejinto?”

“Y-yeah. Tezuka Kejinto!” Zack says through the radio. “I had heard so much about his father, Starke Kejinto, who is a Colonel but was one of the world’s greatest Specialists. So, I decided to recruit him.”

“It’s thanks to you that you got Tezuka involved,” Danielle snaps. A loud whack can be heard through the radio. “He is only sixteen years old, for Cosmos’s sake! You are such a dumbass!”

“Sorry!” Zack says as he hisses in pain.

“Idiot,” Clear rolls her eyes and then shakes her head.

“But Tezuka had his way of wording,” Zack exclaims. “He told me a little about himself. His mother died from radiation poisoning when he was only a child. He grew up watching his father going away to the wars. But… The way he was telling me… I thought he saw the chains. He told me that he feels like this planet is locked up in chains and that it’s like we are trapped in this ‘pointless’ war. No matter what and how, he would defend not only his country but also Earth. This boy… He is so determined to break these terrible chains to free Earth even though he is more than willing to break his legs and arms if it means to protect Earth.”

Knapp remains silent. Break the chains? Is Tezuka…? One of the Breakers?

“That’s fine. As long as Tezuka does not know who we are, he is safe… for now.” He rubs his chin. “But in two more years, I want Ryu to get recruited the second you see an opportunity. Do not allow anyone else to take him.”

“Yes, sir!” Zack and Danielle say in sync.

“Void and Forgotten. You’re dismissed,” Knapp says as he turns off the radio. He turns to Clear and asks, “Mind if I take one of the space pods?”

“What are you planning to do?” Clear raises an eyebrow.

“Kawaii hasn’t shown himself for almost one year. I’ve been postponing long enough. I need to talk to him.”

~*~

Knapp is reading a summary report on his tablet as he takes a sip of his coffee at one of the local cafes. 

According to the report, Logy has been in Germany for a while. He had been following a suspicious man in a nice suit all the way from Washington D.C. to Germany. He stopped when the man entered a base that seemed to belong to the United States. At this time, Germany is one of the United States’s allies, so it is not surprising that there is an American base in this country.

From what the man’s head is freely telling Logy, the base belongs to Sunny Wing Squad. Danielle and Zack both have no idea that it even exists. There is nothing information other than that, but Knapp thinks that at least they have something. 

Knapp sends a message to Logy, asking him to return to the land of the brave. He shuts down his tablet and then leaves the cafe, taking his coffee with him. He shivers lightly at the sudden coldness once he gets outside. He has forgotten how cold it is in December, especially in Woodbridge, Virginia.

He considers visiting his family but decides against it. It is way too risky if his family knows that he, as the Universe Warrior, is here on Earth.

He gets into a red electrical car that he thankfully borrowed from Danielle. He is heading straight for a park in Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

He stops and parks the car not too far away from the Deephole Point. He gets out and walks straight into a large area of woods. 

So this is where a huge amount of universe energy comes from… Knapp stops walking in the middle of an empty perfect circle area, surrounded by dark woods. He squats down and then touches the soft ground with his fingertips. He asks softly, “Kawaii… Are you down here?”

Suddenly, a smaller and brighter circle appears just a few feet away from the Universe Warrior. He raises an eyebrow so he goes towards it. He is hesitant at first but then he steps on the circle.

He begins to sink into the ground but instead of freaking out, he stays calm through the entire process.

The first thing he sees when he gets underground is countless black and white feathers. He is hovering above some kind of ancient city. It is entirely made of stones and blocks. He is descending slowly until he lands on the stone walkway. It feels like I’m in some kind of ruin city or something…

“It’s about time you stop by.”

Knapp quickly turns around until he spots a male figure sitting on the top of one of the pillars. He exclaims, “Kaw --” He stops quickly.

It is not Kawaii. It is not even a child. Instead, the Universe Warrior is looking at a man with black hair. Those green eyes of his are so cold that makes Knapp shiver lightly. The stranger is wearing white pants and black boots with white tips.

A small symbol of a double star is glowing in both light and darkness on his bare neck. A halo is floating above his head. Large wings full of black and white feathers on his bare back gracefully flip at the air.

“Who are you?” Knapp asks nervously. He can feel heavy pressure of powerful energy coming from the stranger who is just sitting and doing nothing. It is as if such strong magic is trying to crash him into something even smaller.

A half smirk appears on his tan face as the winged man says, “I am Double God. Call me Hikyou-sama.”

“Hikyou-sama…?”

Hikyou smoothly lifts himself into the air without bothering to stand up until he lands on the floor, facing Knapp. “Care to tell me your name?”

“I.. I-I…” Knapp shutters at first. “K-Knapp Mitsukai.”

“Mitsukai, huh. The Divine Sword is still here. Why do you have the second one in this universe?” Hikyou asks coldly. “Where did you get it?”

“Ah, I…” The Universe Warrior looks away from him. He scratches the back of his head nervously. “There was a woman who sent me into the future… Um… That’s how I got the Divine Sword…. Uh…” He realizes how impossible it is to explain. Will anybody, especially Double God, even believe him?

“Future, eh? That woman is really messing with the timeline,” Hikyou mumbles but to Knapp’s relief, he does not sound upset. “I don’t know why the Fifth Universe chose you, but I suggest you leave Earth as soon as possible.”

Knapp frowns. “Why? There is the Locker here… and my brother is in grave danger too!”

“Once the Earth is closed off from the universe, your powers as the Universe Warrior will be completely gone,” Hikyou says. “Leave now.”

“I will leave… after I talk with Kawaii.”

“You know his name?” Hikyou asks in surprise. “He does not ever tell anybody his name. Only I know it because I named him.”

“Actually, I met Kawaii in the future. He introduced himself. Although he was a little happy to see me,” Knapp rubs his chin, unsure if he should be telling Double God about the future… especially the doomed fate of Earth.

Hikyou shifts his cold green eyes a little bit as if he is hearing something from behind. “Well, then… I will let you go and talk to Kawaii. You have ten minutes. I did not kid about you not having the power once Earth is completely locked up.”

“Okay, okay! I promise!” Knapp raises his hands a little. He watches as Hikyou leaps on the top of the pillar without any effort. He turns to a large temple that seems to be about to collapse anytime soon. Is that it?

He enters the temple only to find another large door on the other side. Once he reaches over there, he pushes it open easily. He calls, “Hello?”

He gets into the empty room and then closes the door. He tries again, “Hello? Kawaii, it’s me. I just want to make sure that you are ok.”

“You should leave.”

“Kawaii…?” Knapp asks softly and worriedly. Kawaii’s voice does not sound so great… rather, it is weak. Maybe that’s why Kawaii hasn’t come and see me recently.

“Why are you here? Leave.”

“I just wanted to see you. I… wanted to know if you’re ok.” Knapp kneels down and places his hand on the floor. White and black energy flows out of his fingertips into the floor. “Here’s some of my universe energy.”

He looks up only to find a figure of white, faceless child. He smiles brightly. “I will leave soon, I promise. How have you been?”

“Not very well.”

Knapp softens his face at Kawaii’s weak remark. “We will save you, ok? The Dark Team is working hard to find the Locker.”

Soon, the faceless child starts getting more and more colorful until he is back to himself. Half black and white hair. He opens his heteronomia eyes. “Even if we are no longer connected… My soul will always be there to provide the universe energy in case if you ever need it. The only difference is… we can no longer talk. Without the Heart, I will lose the ability to talk… to think… to… to spend time with you.”

Knapp smiles briefly when he realizes that Kawaii spoke more than ever. He places his hand on Kawaii’s head and says, “I will make sure to stay connected to you… no matter what.”

Kawaii mumbles almost shyly, “Thank you.”

~*~

Knapp decides to make one more stop at an army base to check with Zack and Danielle before returning to the spaceship.

“That is the kid?” He raises an eyebrow as he crosses his arms. He is watching a lavender-haired teenager only dressed in black tank top and green camouflage pants sitting on the ground and stretching out his legs. He cannot help but notice that the teenager seems to have a permanent scowl on his face.

“Y-yeah,” Zack chuckles lightly. “That’s Tezuka. He can be handful sometimes, but he has been exceeding my expectations! If he is going at this rate, he can become a Specialist within just a few months!”

“So, we showed him to you as you wanted us to. Now what? Are you going back to the spaceship like Hikyou-sama asked you to?” Danielle asks before stealing a quick peek at Tezuka.

“Y-yeah,” Knapp mumbles as he frowns in concern. “But…”

“I sort of agree with Hikyou-sama,” Zack says softly as if he does not want Knapp to get angry. “If you’re still outside Earth when it gets locked up, you can find a way to save it.”

The Universe Warrior takes one more look at Tezuka. He smirks a little bit. “I like his eyes. There is so much determination in them. If he is so good at combating, then perhaps we can let him join the Sunny Wing Squad.”

“I knew I wouldn’t regret recruiting him!” Zack laughs heartily only to get whacked by Danielle.

“Idiot,” Danielle scoffs.

~*~

“Welcome back,” Sybil smiles as Knapp gets out of the space pod which has been attached to their spaceship. “How was it over there?”

It takes Knapp a moment to think how to answer the question. He shakes his head sadly as he tucks his hands into his pockets before giving her a small smile. “It was ok over there, I guess. Logy is still looking for people who may have at least one encounter with the Locker. Zack and Danielle are still waiting for Ryu to turn eighteen before recruiting him as well.”

“Did you get a chance to see Kawaii?”

“Yes… and I ran into Double God by accident,” Knapp scratches the back of his head as he gets a loud gasp from his girlfriend. “I think… He didn’t like it when I showed up all of sudden. I guess he doesn’t like surprises.”

“Well, he is the God of this universe!” Sybil cries. “I had no idea that he was here on Earth!”

Knapp shrugs his shoulders. “We are in the same shoes. But for now…” He then makes his way to the bridge room. “Although Logy is still following someone, I think we found one of the hidden bases in Germany. If Zack and Danielle don’t know that it exists, it is likely that someone higher in the rank is hiding something from them.”

“Really?” Sybil blinks in surprise. “So, how do you get into that base without alerting anyone?”

“It will take a lot of trust to make,” Knapp says thoughtfully. “So, Zack, Danielle, Sky, and Logy will stay out of this one this time. We don’t know when Earth will be shut off, so I’ll probably send Jade and Johnny over there. While you, Clear, and I are staying.”

Sybil suddenly kisses him on the lips. She grins as she says, “As long as you are alive, Earth will be saved. For sure.”