The Seeker | Volume 2

Even if he didn't know why I suddenly broke down due to the unnecessary stress, his unwavering support proved an ample comfort. I continued to break down in his arms for a few more minutes before my sobs eventually softened to the point of silence. 

I looked up at him and wiped the tears from my eyes. Shinso noticed this and looked down at me, running his fingers through my messy hair as he smiled softly. 

"Feeling better?" he asked in a quiet voice. 

I paused for a few moments before nodding, stretching my body as I broke free of his warm embrace. 

"Thank you, I needed that." I said as I wiped the mucus from my nose that ran down my face. 

"What happened? Why did you suddenly break down?" He then asked.

"I-I just miss…home." I made an excuse that seemed rational to make at the moment. Since we've been here for over a month at this point I figured this kind of lie was a feasible one. Shinso's expression softened as he looked out the window and watched the streets below.

"I miss home too, but I also feel comfortable here. We won't be here forever, and I've come to understand that." 

"What made you like this place so much?" I asked.

Shinso turned back at me, his purple eyes softening even more. "Because here, quirks don't exist…or many quirks. Here people don't know about my abilities, and they won't shun and hate me for who I am…"

I could hear his voice gradually softening as he spoke, and I put my hand around his, clasping ours together. 

"When you told me about your powers for the first time I didn't feel any fear. People's abilities don't define them, but how they use them defines who they are. You may appear cold and distant to people who look at you the way they do, but other people look past that veil you've raised and realize how…vulnerable you are."

After I said that, Shinso's lips curled up slightly, into a small gentle smile. 

"God…we've only known each other for a month, but I feel like I've known you for a thousand years." he said, awkwardly running his hands through his indigo tufts, parting his bangs to look at me clearly. 

Suddenly, the door knocked. Me and Shinso turned towards the door and approached it. When I opened it I saw Olive and Aizawa standing there. Aizawa's face appeared neutral, but in his eyes I could tell he was worried.

"Are you ready now? It's been about 3 hours since you fell asleep." He said.

I almost choked on my spit. Did Shinso openly see me enter and exit my Divine Protection? Does he know something more?

When I looked back at him, his expression was unreadable, but something told me he didn't see anything. When I descended and was crying, Shinso was on his bed, so it would be feasible to say that he was asleep, so he saw nothing.

I inwardly sighed in relief as I searched through my bag and realized that I had now run out of useful divination ingredients. I had some, but they were damaged due to the bag always moving around and objects colliding with each other unbeknownst to me. 

I looked back up at Aizawa with disappointment as I sighed.

"Unfortunately I don't have any working ingredients. I'll either have to buy some more or make due with what I have." I said, the disappointment evident in my voice.

I suddenly remembered something out of the blue. Did Cosette illuminate that candle without fluid or a source? Was that an ability of the Astral Routeway I didn't know about? My eyes widened as I realized I could pay the siblings a visit and ask them for assistance, in return; I could possibly deliver them the Spider Blood Sphere before the meeting. 

"I have to leave, I'll be back in 20." I said hurriedly as I headed out the door. 

…

I opened the door of the historical society and saw that Mrs. Adriana was sitting at her desk, awaiting customers and scholars to help her with her studies. I approached the desk with a small smile.

"Hello Mrs. Adriana, I'd like to talk to Mr. Arden and his sister." 

Mrs. Adriana's eyes darted around the room, looking for the 2 teenagers. 

"I can't find them at the moment. But they're usually inside the library with their noses in the books during their breaks, otherwise they're at a cafe downtown." she said with a smile.

I nodded before heading towards the library in the east wing, and I immediately saw the 2 siblings situated in armchairs, their faces deep in books. 

"Isaac, you're here a bit early. Meeting's not until Monday." Arden said as he lowered his book.

I sat down on a chair across from them before speaking. "It appears I've encountered some trouble. You see, I'll need your help."

"Help, with what?" Cosette asked as she placed her thick history book on a table beside her chair, clasping her hands with interest.

"I heard at Order 8 of your given Routeway one can conjure "miracles"?" 

Cosette and Arden both chuckled upon my words, and I cocked my head slightly in interest.

"Yes, we can. We only laughed because they're so substantial. We've done all kinds of things and used "miracle" to prevent ourselves from being caught. O-one time we were about the sneak out of this place to visit the SSC HQ when we heard Mrs. Adriana coming from behind."

"She was in a bad mood because she had spilled her expensive lavender tea on her new dress shirt, so we immediately used the ability subconsciously and brought us back to our positions in a moment's notice." Arden said, trying not to explode with laughter.

"So, you guys would use this ability for your own personal benefit? I assume you also help Mrs. Adriana around this building? After all, it covers a lot of the center of town, almost to the point where the small cafes and businesses are crammed next to each other; even coexisting in the same building."

I rolled my eyes, scoffing at the latters seemingly nonexistent discipline. 

"But would you mind helping me by using a "miracle" to help with a divination?" I asked.

Cosette nodded, tying her black hair into a bun. "It would be our pleasure, just let us ask Mrs. Adriana if we can leave early. Todays a Saturday so interns come in about 10 minutes, that's why we're on our break."

…

The three of us re-entered my apartment room, and they seemed taken aback by the amount of people in one room. Aizawa raised an eyebrow, Olive didn't seem to mind the two, and Shinso cocked his head a little.

"These people are Cosette and Arden Stiener, two Seekers of the Astral Routeway. I've received their help in amplifying the effects of my divination. That way we could possibly nullify the demon's concealment and deception skills and uncover Franklyn's true location and track him down."

I took out the damaged candles and the scrapped piece of paper, and the remaining drops of my own blood. When I revealed its contents the bottle had actually leaked, the liquid had stained the candles, making them unusable. 

I sighed as I took out the small knife and sliced my wrist, allowing the warm liquid to rush down my arm and fall onto the paper.

"You don't seem to feel much pain or have much trouble doing such a thing." Aizawa spoke up, a little concern in his voice.

I turned back to him, my expression unreadable. But I knew deep down Aizawa was obviously prying into parts of my life I didn't want to remember, those painful cuts and restless nights due to the relentless bullying. 

I wasn't bullied due to me being quirk-less, I was bullied for my inability and refusal to fight back. I was always one to try to be the nicest person I could be, to be the saint in a world of sinners.

But when you're The Apocalypse of all things, destined to ruin the world you loved, sometimes it does make you not feel anything when hurting yourself. 

I looked back to the ritual scene without saying a word, not noticing that the blood had already dried up and dripped onto the paper. I grabbed the sun charm and re-enacted the ritual.

"Frankyln's location…Franklyn's location…Franklyn's location…" I repeated three times in my head, and I was brought up to the divination state. 

Cosette and Arden's eyes suddenly turned an illusory blue color as small blue colored tendrils extended from their hands, wrapping around my arms gently.

In the spiritual world, I could feel something wrapping around my arms, and I looked down at them. I saw that my hands were covered in a pair of illusory, blurry blue gloves.

Was this a Seeker characteristic of the Astral Routeway? 

I shrugged off the thought as I reached out my hands and visualized the previous scene of Franklyn and Olive's conversation.

The blurry projection of the two appeared, and I was able to hear the rest of the conversation.

"I can't spill. Although, I'll tell you if you do something for me..." Franklyn continued from where I left off.

"If you can locate and find the Order 4 potion ingredients for the Demon Routeway that would be great. The organization I work for is called the Ebon Veil Syndayte…" he said with a smile.

The scene suddenly changed. The image warped and turned blurry before refocusing. A sewer drain opened before Franklyn, who was wearing a black mask and a dark cloak, descended into the darkness.

The illusory Astral gloves glowed brighter as the image was "torn into," as if brought closer to me. I focused my vision and saw another cloaked future walk out from the darkness of the sewer drain, they were also clad in a dark cloak.

"You told her about us?" The figure asked, their voice cold and foreboding. 

Franklyn nodded as a little sweat beamed down his head. "I had to, it was the only way I could get the Order 4 potion."

The scene suddenly ended, and I was brought back to the real world.