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Friday, August 19, 2022

Familiar Stranger: CH 3

Chapter 3: Memory

 

They rushed out upon receiving an order from the Watchdogs. A Horror. And it seems like a problematic one, from how it sounded. But he trusts Fusa to have his back whenever.


And him..

He's still unsure of how he feels about the other. For one, he doesn't look like the kind of person who'd mindlessly attack others. But on the other hand..

He doesn't know how to approach the other Knight without it turning into something potentially dangerous for both of them. Whatever peace that exists between the two of them at the moment is extremely fragile.

He still couldn't wipe away that nagging feeling. Somehow it felt like he has known the other for a long time, maybe had met him somewhere, and perhaps had hurt him in some way. Or maybe did something even worse than that judging by how the other man reacted towards him.

(With hostility, and hatredWhat did I do to you?)

(Still, he resembles the black garbed figure that often recurs in his dreams. Could it possibly be a figment of a long forgotten memory..?)

Silently, he would glance towards the other from time to time. 

The Golden Knight, Garo. The one told to be the strongest of all.

He appears to be quite..young, still. Probably younger than him by a few years. Outwardly, he seems like a serious kind of person, always keeping himself in check. Still, it couldn't betray his real self that shines through whenever he interacts with Toma.

From that, he knows the other man can be trusted.

(And he wants to.)

 

By the time they got there, the place is deserted and the Horror is nowhere to be seen.

"The Horror..?"

"Looks like it ran away." The smooth drawl of Alva's voice answers his question.

"I'll try to trace it. It might still be nearby."

"Aah." Spreading out a bit, they began looking around for any signs that could be of help. Almost naturally, his attention went back to the other. Looks like he found something.

"Ryuga?" His question alerted Fusa.

"I think it's.. - Zaruba?"

A telltale ring precedes, "Aah, it was a Gate."

The object in question is an old, broken mannequin, lying among other broken items piled together. He turned towards Fusa who mirrors his expression.

(He noticed it before..?)

"To beat Zaruba to it, you're quite sharp, boy." His unspoken thoughts indirectly spoken out by Alva.

"Well, he's a bit special." Came the reply from Zaruba, who sounds rather proud. As the conversation goes on, the other moved closer to the mannequin before bending down and seemingly listening to the lifeless object.

"What are you trying to-?" A simple stop gesture from the other cut his question short. The silence lasted for a short while before the other starts to speak up.

"..A man and a woman, looks like there was a disagreement. The man lashed out, and..- the woman got possessed. He ran and she went after him." He straightens up after the last word. "They shouldn't have gone too far."

As if on a cue, Fusa's searcher pings followed by a loud scream.

"They're right ahead!"

Without waiting, they rush towards the call of battle.

 

 

 

---

 

They managed to control the situation well enough though as expected the Horror proved to be quite troublesome. An extra hand sure does makes a difference.

A while after the battle, Zaruba readily addresses the question that had been floating in everyone else's head. One regarding Ryuga's peculiar ability, and the answer both clears it and complicate the matter at the same time.

Apparently, he has extra-sensory powers that he himself has no idea from where or how he develops it in the first place.

"When I do that, I can perceive the memory imprinted on the object as well as any strong emotion attached."

He looks down towards Roze blade still in his hand and tightens his grip.

Maybe he can..-

(-But is he ready to..?)


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