The ship slowly approaches Eldoria. Due to official docks being patrolled by UG Agents, the ship takes a detour. The breeze passes by, carrying the scent of…
Nothing, really.
But even that's a blessing for someone from Thalorien.
It's morning time, and the sun hits Pablo's face. Even through his closed eyes, he can feel it. He makes a face and groans. He slowly opens his eyes.
"My eyes…" he covers his eyes. Upon doing so, Tsuyoi notices he is awake.
"Look what the cat dragged in…" Tsuyoi grins.
Pablo gets up and stretches. He rolls his eyes over the comment Tsuyoi just made. Meanwhile, Kori is still nowhere to be seen.
"That's not how you use that idiom, Tsuyoi."
Tsuyoi got up and started to stretch too. After he was done, he grabbed his bag and shrugged.
"Break a leg."
Pablo was taken aback when Tsuyoi said that. He stared at Tsuyoi, like a deer caught in the headlights.
Then suddenly, he bursted into laughter. Tsuyoi was confused, and unintentionally laughed with him.
"What? What happened?" He raised an eyebrow.
Pablo calmly grabbed his bag as the ship was almost at the dock.
"Forget it."
The two get the idea of checking the storage room as Kori isn't with them. Cautiously, they slowly open the door.
The door creaks as it lets the light enter the room. But to Tsuyoi's surprise and Pablo's 'told you so', Kori isn't in the room.
Out of nowhere, they both feel a hand on their shoulder. They quickly flinch and turn around to see it's Kori.
Kori starts laughing and covers her mouth with her hand.
"Buhahaha! You should've seen your face!"
Pablo exhales sharply. All suspicion he had for her is now tripled. He pinches his nose.
"That's the fakest laugh I've ever heard."
Kori tilts her head and giggles, closing her eyes. Pablo is left dumbfounded, he raises an eyebrow.
"What the hell is that?"
Kori looks confused, or maybe acts confused. "What do you mean?"
"The thing, the thing you just did." Pablo points at her. Speechless.
He mimics what she just did, closes his eyes and tilts his head as well as smiling.
"Making fun of a young girl, that's not very gentleman-like of you Pablo…" Kori pouts and crosses her arms.
Tsuyoi smiles widely and waves his hand.
"Hey Kori! We've been wondering where you were."
Kori starts skipping, intending to leave the ship. The two follow her. Pablo checks twice to see if they forgot anything. After making sure, he too gets off the ship.
Kori doesn't answer Tsuyoi's question and looks around as she sets foot on Eldoria. The scenery, the buildings, the nature of this island is…
…pretty mediocre.
Tsuyoi runs out of patience and asks again.
"I asked you a question, where were you?" After hearing this, Kori giggles softly. Pablo scoffs.
Kori slowly turns around and smiles softly.
"I've heard this place has incredibly good food. Want to try it out with me?"
Tsuyoi smiles and forgets the question he asked.
"Sure!" he joyfully starts walking alongside Kori. At this point Pablo just decides to roll with it, realising all hope is lost.
The trio wander in Eldoria. This really isn't the place Pablo dreamed it would be. But hey, anything is better than whatever Thalorien is.
Pablo begins to ponder about their mission. They don't even know who Sanita Infermum is. They need information. Any information they can get counts.
They are still walking in the mediocre forests, yet to enter the city itself. Pablo is desperate for answers, while Tsuyoi just seems to be having fun.
"...I'm going to die, aren't I?" He says under his breath, the two don't hear it. Pablo stops walking entirely, and just looks at the ground. Realising how horrible this situation is entirely.
They are just wandering around. With no clues, no hints. Nothing. Except for something. Fire ignites in Pablo's eyes, faintly.
"Phew! That was an eventful night, right fellow Treasurers?" Kori asks, still skipping like a little kid. Tsuyoi cackles, hands in his pockets. "Oh please, they had nothing on the goat, Pablo Drake!"
Out of nowhere, Pablo takes a deep breath and puts a hand on Kori's shoulder.
"Hm?" She slowly turns her head. Pablo quickly turns her around and pushes her onto a tree. He is surprised by how far he went.
Kori is also taken aback, her usual playful attire drops and she looks at Pablo with genuine shock. Tsuyoi doesn't intervene. For whatever reason, he has a grin on his face.
"What was up with those two bodies? You didn't say anything about them." He asks.
Kori notices his eyes, and stares deeply. A soft smile out of amusement replaces her shock.
"Glad you reminded me." She winks.
Pablo lets go of her. The fire in his eyes is now slowly disappearing. This is slightly out of character for him, and he feels bad for treating her like that. But for some reason, he didn't feel scared.
Kori watches every detail on Pablo's face, noting them in her mind. "So he is able to tap into such a state so comfortably. I may have underestimated his potential." She considered it.
"...sorry. I just- i…" He panics as he can't find the words to explain himself.
Kori waves her hand in dismissal.
"It's all good. Yes, I've spent the night in the storage room. I've inspected their bodies and learned that they are magiborns."
Tsuyoi and Pablo both gasp in surprise. "You mean..?" Tsuyoi can't find the words. "Yes. I assume they are Sanita's men. But unfortunately, I fell asleep afterwards. Silly me-" Kori smiles, her usual demeanor returns.
"Them being magiborn explains the thing I felt. My suspicions were correct. For whatever reason, I can sense Mana." Pablo exclaims.
But Tsuyoi notices an error in what she just said, interrupting her.
"Who said anything about Sanita? How do you know him?" His finger is pointed at her, judgingly. A reaction almost appears on Kori's face. Pablo nods.
"Good call, Tsuyoi. Care to explain missy?"
Kori chuckles and covers her mouth while laughing. "I've read the papers you guys had in your bag. And I already know who Sanita is, he is infamous around here."
Tsuyoi puts a hand on his chin, focusing all of his 3 brain cells. "Makes sense. We've also read the thing,"
"Totally." Pablo nods.
"But could you still explain to us who he is anyway? So we make sure you don't have anything mixed up." Tsuyoi crosses his arms and looks away, embarrassed to make eye-contact.
Kori nods and starts walking. "Let's walk and talk," The two follow her, maybe this is finally a lead.
"Sanita Infermum, he is known by many names. 'The Slave of Justice.', 'The Anti-Doctor', 'The Infested'. He made it his life mission to hunt Doctors that use Magiborns as test subjects. They say he took down 5 Mid-Ranked UG agents at the same time."
Pablo is surprised by this information. But one question is on his mind. "What's up with the purple eyes being mentioned? Is it the same case as me?" He points to his own eyes.
Kori acknowledges him with a 'hm'. "You're not the only person affected by that disease, Pablo. I myself don't know much about it, but it's unbelievable that you're still standing and fighting."
"Barely." Tsuyoi adds, making Pablo scoff.
She giggles. The three start to see some buildings behind the trees. They are almost in the city.
Kori turns around to face them while keeping her pace. Walking backwards with no worry. "The people call it 'Eyes of the Unborn', those sentenced to death before they know it. The Government likes to be quiet about it for whatever reason, but they are actively experimenting on Magiborns for a cure."
She turns around again, facing the city they are approaching. Pablo thinks to himself about what she revealed. "That explains the things that are happening to me. If magic is at play…"
They finally enter a proper path, guiding them towards the city. "What's our call then? Arzt didn't know shit. But the people Sanita is hunting might. How do we even find those types of people?"
Pablo sighs in confusion, his mind tries to put together a plan. "I doubt they would live in a big mansion like Arzt. That was related to his Treasure. If the house itself is the perfect defense, why bother hiding it?"
Tsuyoi's eyes suddenly widen as realization dawns upon him. "Urethra!" like a lightbulb appeared on his head.
"...what?" Pablo raises an eyebrow.
"You said you could sense mana just before, right? If they are experimenting on Magiborns, just find a place with a heavy mana signature. Not like mana is going to be the sign of anything other than Magiborns." Tsuyoi keeps his pace, following Pablo.
Pablo doesn't know how powerful this sense of him is. "I don't know if I can even do that. It's instinctual for me; like a cold wind hitting my neck, not something I can see directly."
Tsuyoi nudges his shoulder with his elbow. "It can't hurt to try, can it?"
Pablo exhales sharply, a subtle smile appearing on his face. "I guess."
The trio finally make it to the city. Upon entering, the "normality" of the island is obvious to them. Eldoria's buildings are generic rectangular monoliths. Its city center isn't exciting. Nobody is too odd or too good looking. The gray concrete was disgusting to say the least.
Even the animals are normal, every dog they saw was the same breed. The shops and taverns only had flat no-paint signs that read what they simply were. 'Bar', 'Guild', 'Food', nothing was exciting.
Miraculous islands are known for being "unusual". They are abnormalities born from magic.
But this doesn't feel like one. It's too normal, too mediocre. With disappointment, Tsuyoi pouts. "Where are the elves? The babes?! The pointy-eared 'gals?!"
Pablo turns towards Tsuyoi in confusion. "Hm? 'Elves', what the hell is that?" Kori giggles, being amused by Tsuyoi's rant. "I'm not pointy-eared, but I'm a babe. Isn't that enough?"
Tsuyoi shouts in boredom. "Whatever, let's get the hell out of here after we're done." Pablo rolls his eyes, enjoying the peaceful presence of the island. "You were really excited on the way…"
"I think we can interrogate people for information." Pablo recommends. Tsuyoi shakes his head in refusal. "I ain't bribing anybody! We could beat em up!"
"We're not-" Before Pablo could finish his sentence, he bumps into someone and falls on the ground. He grunts in pain as his palms rub off the ground, hurting his skin. "Shit…"
He looks up, the man he bumped into offering his hand. He has long spiky dark hair, and a clean white adventurer's suit equipped with many gadgets.
"You should focus on where you're going." The man exclaims. Pablo is annoyed, but grabs his hand anyway. "...right."
The man notices Pablo's eyes. His cold attitude grows softer upon doing so. "Oh, sorry. Forget what I just said. Didn't know you were one of us."
He pats Pablo's back and wipes the dust off him, Pablo is confused but doesn't do anything. Tsuyoi and Kori watch in confusion as well.
"...thanks, I guess?" As Pablo barely says anything amidst his confusion, the man leaves.
The man's presence even left Tsuyoi speechless. "What was up with that guy?"
Pablo had no idea. He was so weirded out that he didn't even notice the cold wind hitting his neck. "Let's just ignore that."
People on the street keep staring at Pablo, he starts getting uncomfortable. He looks around for anything that can help them. "We could maybe investigate a bar. Drunk people tend to snitch."
Tsuyoi snaps his fingers. "Good idea!"
Up ahead, they are faced with a split. They will need to decide if they will go right or left. Tsuyoi tries to listen for anything. Like he is expecting the walls to talk.
Pablo slowly approaches the crossroads, pondering. "Should we split? I doubt Sanita has anything better to do. If we don't find something…"
Tsuyoi goes to the left. "I'll go left with Kori. I am more masculine than you, so I should protect the girl."
Kori covers his face, faking embarrassment. "Oh, what a gentleman!"
Pablo facepalms, and heads to the right. "You think I can do it alone?"
Tsuyoi gives a thumbs up to encourage Pablo. "You handled those two by yourself. You got this!"
Pablo shrugs, and turns his back. "If I die, it's on you."
As Pablo is about to disappear into the shadows, Tsuyoi calls his name out. "Pablo!" Pablo stops, and slowly turns around in annoyance. "What?"
Tsuyoi smiles, and waves his hand. "Don't die, 'kay? I can't rob rich bastards without you."
Pablo is taken aback. But he smiles back at Tsuyoi. "...Alright." He now turns to the streets for the final time.
At least for now, Pablo has a reason to not die. With the sense of direction that gives him, he steps into the unknown.
Pablo walks carefully in alleyways. "I better not get lost. I don't even know this place."
Being alone, Pablo uses this time to think about everything that happened to him in these past few weeks. Out of nowhere, he remembers her words. The words in his dream…
"You've been hiding in your shell for so long, you had to come out of it eventually. And these are the first cracks."
Pablo's walks begin to slow down.
"The lives of others can't be more important than yours, can it?"
Can it?
Lost in thought, he suddenly hears a footstep behind him. He jerks and turns around, to his surprise nobody is there. But then he is grabbed from behind by someone he can't really see.
"Hey!" He shouts, his arms are locked. He tries to fight back, but his physical disadvantage really doesn't help. Before he knows it, someone else appears in front of him.
"Who the hell are you guys?!" Pablo tries to break free yet it seems futile. The mysterious person is fully covered in dark clothing, with no visible skin. They don't answer Pablo's question.
"Tsuyoi!" He shouts in desperation. Even though he knows his voice won't reach Tsuyoi.
The cloaked person injects a syringe in Pablo's neck. "...no..!" He yells one last time, before his eyelids grow heavy, putting him to sleep.
He only hears one last thing before losing consciousness for good.
"The sheep shouldn't travel alone without its shepherd, should it?"