Bloodstained Rose

Chapter 1

Rei slowly became accustomed to many days of not speaking to those around her, or the villagers—or anyone she grew up with for that matter. Shugo had been the only thing in her world that seemed to turn things around—until tonight that is. Tonight, she was the center of attention following the bloody battle of Nojiri. Everyone from Nomad, Tetsu, to even Major Rutherford Paxton had gathered to hear her story.

The thoughtfulness had reminded her a lot of the village that had been demolished by the forces of the Global Eurasian Initiative. Just over a month ago she had watched helpless as everything was torn from her. The memories tore away at her, but tonight, she felt triumphant after saving the town and finally defeating Yulia.

What do you feel?

She had almost forgotten what Shugo’s voice had sounded like, but had not forgotten the constant nagging, the nights patrolling the fields, and being the one that took him from this world. She was not going to tell that part of the story tonight, instead she would tell what it felt like to battle at high speed against Yulia, being crushed by Delta’s gravity weapon—there’s a lot of material to work with by now. Later in the evening, she would finally get the chance to wind down and become better acquainted with the new crew.

The Nojuro Temple sat in a smoldering pile of rubble, leaving the town in mourning. Rei stared back to Tetsu to see him still looking ahead at the destruction. Despite saving the town, the loss of the castle he grew up in left a scar. His father had been assassinated before the battle, and his family would be trying to pick up the pieces. The pain was mutual, and she would do her part to help in the battles ahead.

The air that night was thick with a lingering scent of smoke, an occasional crackle of collapsing timbers. Rei built a modest campfire to gather with the new allies. They sat in solace in the small pocket of warmth and light amidst the ruins of the Temple. The flames danced and flickered, casting fleeting shadows on their faces.

Rei sat cross legged, her gaze distant while she continued reflecting on the events. Her eyes, however, were once more drawn to Tetsu. The emotions were clear with the way his eyes darted, restless yet somehow focused. Every few moments, he would glance towards her, a mix of anxiety and something else she could not name played across his features.

“So,” Nomad’s voice smashed through the silence, taking a seat next to her as he spoke. “Your name is Rei, right?”

“That’s right.” She replied.

“My dad was named Shift; he knew your dad.”

“Why join the other side?”

“That’s an entirely different story I would need to get into, but it wasn’t something I wanted.”

Rei had not been sure what to think of Nomad and his newly converted crew. The outside world and the conflict happening were something she had struggled to understand. Just one month earlier, she thought the world was much younger than it was. At that same time, she had never even heard of a “firearm” or “rifle”—she had no concept of something as big as a city or even civilization. One day ago, she had finally come to Nojiri to see something bigger than her village. A few hours ago, she had watched most of that town be ravaged by the conflict between Liberation and the G.E.I. on the ground.

Whatever Nomad and the rest had done before was something she could make peace with. The stories between the groups had been pleasing at least. Of the crew, she knew that Nomad seemed to have a heart of gold and stood out as their leader. Kismet was the silent type—something that Rei could really connect with. Megumi and Rowan on the other hand were a contrast to Kismet. Megumi was quick to tease Nomad while Rowan was the hot head.

A real rowdy bunch, Rei through to herself. They’re not so bad.

“You know, I remember when you were this big,” Nomad said to her as he lifted his hands to his face. He stared off, body seemingly trying to replay a distant memory. “I might have the dimensions wrong now that I think of it.”

“Yeah, that’s a pretty big baby, dork.” Megumi said as she tried to contain her laughter. She was feeling playful tonight, but Nomad had chosen not to bite.

“You did?” Rei asked softly.

“Yeah, I was really little, well we all were. I remember your dad too,” Nomad said to Rei after brushing Megumi off again. “Did he ever talk about us?”

“No.” Rei could not be any more blunt or honest at that point.

Not once did Hideo tell her about Liberation, Shift, Mizumi, or any of the war. That night was one of the most profound moments of her life and one she would spend the rest of it trying to understand. Hideo had tried to keep her being related to him a secret for her safety—while he forced me to train to pick up where he left off. Rei shook off that thought. There was a reason that Shugo tried to step in and teach her poetry.

Poetry.

“Well, that sucks,” Nomad said. Rei had not much at all to say to either of them. However, Nomad was not going to accept the somberness of the reunion. He continued, “There’s a lot of stories you missed out on. Are you excited to get to see Mizumi?”

“That would be something,” Rei replied, taking a moment to imagine what the reunion would be like. As sheltered Hideo was, the thought of the type of person her mother was or what would draw him to her felt intriguing. She begged the question, asking, “What is she like?”

“It’s been a long time, but she was really headstrong from what I remembered.”

“Sounds like my dad.”

“Oh,” Nomad let out a quick laugh and leaned his head back. “Don’t get me started on him.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“He’s joking,” Rowan spoke up, distracting them for a moment. She leaned over to Tetsu, who had still yet to receive proper medical attention following the battle. His shoulder still had a fresh wound from one of the Pulse rounds and needed more than a field dressing. “We need to get you patched up.”

“Minoru did a good job, I thought.” Tetsu replied while trying to keep headstrong.

“Yeah right, get moving dickhead.” Megumi called out to him with a smirk on her face.

As Rowan and Tetsu started to leave the campsite, Rei started to let her imagination wander again. She had never seen Mizumi’s face and was only given a name. It was not clear if she was ready to meet her yet and even more, she wondered what Mizumi would think of her. Defeating Yulia and the G.E.I. forces in Nojiri seemed like a feat, but she knew that her mother was doing battle with them longer than she had been alive.

“Is there anything waiting for you back with the others?” Rei asked.

“Yeah, my brother is still alive,” Nomad replied. “I haven’t seen him in a long time.”

“So why did you get separated?”

Nomad’s eyebrows perked up for a moment, a look appeared on his face that Rei had become familiar with. She thought for a moment she may have been poking too deep. However, he started to nod his head while his began to recall his encounters.

“We got forced into a situation a long time ago. Long story short, I wound up in Kashmir trying to get up through the ranks while he went through the world alone.” Nomad said.

“Your brother’s name was Shirow, right,” Megumi asked him. “I feel like I’ve heard that name before.”

“It wouldn’t surprise me,” Nomad gave her a nod as he replied, then turned back to Rei. “I didn’t really choose to join this fight, it just got forced onto me.”

Rei looked back to him and smirked thinking of everything to this point. She was forced into it just as well. One day everything was normal, and suddenly her whole world had been turned upside down. Nomad lowered his head for a moment, still deep in thought.

“You fought against Yulia, so you know about the Deep, right,” Nomad spoke once more, this question gave Rei a quick shock. “I know a little bit about it, but I figured if we are going to be fighting in the future, it would be good to learn some more.”

She looked back to Nomad, suddenly remembering Shugo’s deal from months earlier, you teach me to fight, and I’ll teach you to write. The thought of having another student brought a smile to her face.

“How much do you know?” Rei asked.

“I actually know a little bit,” Nomad returned, taking a moment to clench his fists with determination. “Sometimes when I tap into it, it’s like having a sixth sense. I knew just enough to keep up with some of the other enhanced troops back in Kashmir.”

“I don’t really know what those are.”

“It’s just something they do to some troops.”

Nomad started to recall the many processes. He tried his best to put it into words but started to fall short.

“It’s a process some troops go through,” Megumi said, interrupting him. “Sometimes they find some flaw in the person and try to correct it, maybe something to replace a lost limb, increase reaction times. It’s hard to break it down, but it makes troops deadlier.”

“It didn’t seem to help them that much in the last battle.” Rei chirped.

“There’s still the human element,” Nomad added after a quick chuckle. “They’re not as deadly as something like Yulia was. That’s why I’d like to learn from you, if that’s ok.”

“Me too,” Megumi added, face lighting up with enthusiasm as if she were about to break into song. “My dad never taught me anything about it, but he’s one of the best the G.E.I. has, and I know I have potential.”

Rei felt overwhelmed with the requests, but a familiar spark ignited inside of her. The idea of passing on this knowledge resonated with her, creating a connection with the past and present. She could not help but feel a sense of bittersweet nostalgia. It was as if she were keeping the flame alive, one that had been ignited by Shugo and kept alive with Megumi and Nomad.

“We’ll start tomorrow.” Rei said, nodding as she looked back towards them.

The night was short. As exhausted as Rei was, she found herself waking up hours before dawn. The habit from years in the village never ceased. She found herself on the outskirts of Nojiri sitting under a brilliant canopy of stars. Staring into them always calmed her nerves, but tonight the stars only seemed to amplify them.

I’m too early, she thought to herself, anticipating Nomad and Megumi’s arrival.

She continued to stare up towards the sky, tracing the invisible constellations in the air to try and distract herself for a moment. The names of the stars were a mystery. Every night, it seemed as if there were new constellations, shooting stars, and more depth to their existence. Her mind continued to wander, thinking of the many questions she wanted answered about this new world. However, every turn took her back to thinking about the upcoming meeting. Nomad and Megumi would be there shortly, and she was still trying to grasp how she would gauge the powers of the two—if they have any.

Before she succumbed to her nervousness, she heard a familiar voice break through the serenity of her thought. She turned her head to see Tetsu approaching, his figure silhouetted against the starry back drop. There was a quick rush of relief, taking her mind off the upcoming session. He was still dressed in his yoroi, which was tattered from the events.

“Did Megumi send you?” Rei asked.

“No,” Tetsu replied as he walked over towards the rocks near her. He quickly took a seat, staring back up to her. “I think she might be on her way. I heard you’re training.”

She let out a quick sigh and replied, “You heard correct. They asked for my help, and I thought I should do it, or decided, rather.”

“Do you mind if I join in? I know there’s some stuff I can learn from you.”

“How much do you know?”

The answer struck Tetsu, causing his eyes to shoot open. He calmly regained his composure before letting out a soft laugh.

“You seriously don’t remember me?” he asked.

“I’m sorry, a lot of stuff has happened since we last met.”

“The scrolls,” Tetsu reminded her. “You don’t remember your friend almost knocking me out?”

“I remember,” she replied after some quick thought. “That really was you, wasn’t it? I didn’t recognize you.”

“I guess it’s the suit.”

“So you did get to meet Shugo?”

“If that’s what you call a meeting, I guess so,” he stood there smiling with the delivery. “So, what was inside of those scrolls, anyways?”

Rei stopped to ponder the question. She knew that she had only read them following the village’s demise and knew an outsider could never know the contents. However, she took shook her head and started to walk over him to take a seat next to him.

“I think the one you were looking for, if anything, was the Rising.”

“What’s so special about it?”

“It’s a very powerful technique, very rare, very dangerous. Only a handful of people know it or knew it at least.”

Tetsu’s brows shot up once more, begging him to ask, “Do you not know it?”

“I’ve tried learning it. It’s really straining on the body, more than this thing,” she pinched her robe, pulling it away from her chest and releasing it. There was a quick snap, luring Tetsu’s eyes away from her for a fleeting moment. “The last person I saw use it passed out after. I don’t even know if I could use that in a fight. That’s too much for me to risk.”

“Well, practice it. Show me some stuff before the others get here.”

“It might be a little too much for you,” she said as a smirk flashed across her face. “I don’t know if you could keep up.”

“I don’t know if that’s how I remember our last battle. I think it ended with you on the ground,” he remarked before giving her a soft nudge with his shoulder. “I don’t want to boast of my skills or diminish yours, but I’m better than you give me credit for.”

The words hung in the air, causing Rei’s face to dance with curiosity. She started to turn her head, making a quick note of the surroundings for any possible debris. Near the edge of the rocks, she could see pile of branches sitting beneath the leaves.

“You want to train with me,” Rei spoke before rising to her feet and approaching the sticks. She reached down, pulling out two relatively equal sized pieces. The two pieces let out a whoosh as she swiped them through the air. She then turned to Tetsu before tossing him one. “You need to refresh my memory because I remember that fight different.”

He stared down towards the branch after it bounced off the ground and into his lap, shaking his head and laughing.

“Is this really fair with that thing on?” Tetsu said as he pointed towards her robe.

“It only activates when I am in danger,” she remarked before leaning towards him with a smile on her face. “Seems like there’s no danger detected here.”

Tetsu kept a straight face, letting the simple insult hang. He shook his head and slowly made it to his feet with the branch in hand. Rei began to square up, effortlessly swinging the small branch around her body. Tetsu gave a quick slash through the air, silently daring her to attack him. He was calm, thinking several steps ahead, slowly remembering his countless classes in kendo and swordsmanship.

Once Rei began her attack, he effortlessly parried the strikes, following through with a few of his own. The quick attacks caused Rei to weave out of the way as his speed and precision began to break her focus. She narrowly avoided the swipes and began to try and get some ground between them.

“I can quit at any time,” Tetsu bellowed out the quick remark while he took a step forward to continue his assault. The branches collided once more, letting out another series of snaps as the bark began to fly from them. Rei felt some bark splash on her face, pulling back once more. In mere fractions of a second, she took her eyes off Tetsu, completely allowing him to disappear. She performed a quick scan of the area once more, finally locating him further behind her with his stick pointed towards her. “Do you think I’ve proved myself?”

“Not yet.”

She tapped into the Deep, causing its energy to surge through her body. With the sudden boost, she dashed forward, closing the distance between them in a flicker of time. As she swung her branch towards him at high speed, Tetsu remained in place, not flinching. The stick pierced through his head, swiping through his body with no resistance. Dust flew from inside him, enveloping the air around her.

The remains of his body blew away in the wind, leaving her puzzled at the revelation. She could feel the presence from the Deep calling out once more, causing her to blindly spin around to deflect another attack. Tetsu reappeared behind her, swinging his branch with all his might into hers. The two sticks collided and blasted into a cloud of splinters, momentarily leaving Rei open as Tetsu dived into her.

The sudden thud from the impact knocked the two to the ground, leaving Rei pinned in place as he lay over her. She went silent, staring back at his determined eyes upon delivering the strike. Tetsu took a steady breath, showing no signs of weakness or fatigue from the quick match. He stared down at her, almost blushing as she lay beneath him. She smiled back to him, slowly pulling her hands away from him.

“What the hell did we just walk into?” Nomad shouted as he and Megumi walked into view.

“It’s a long story,” Tetsu said while rising to his feet. He extended his hand to Rei before finally pulling her up to his feet. “We weren’t expecting you both so soon.”

“We can walk around the forest for a few minutes.” Megumi added as she smirked at the two.

Rei quickly lifted her hands to them as she began, “No, it’s fine. I’m glad I got that out of my system. It took my mind off what we were about to do,” she then pointed up towards the stars. “I kept staring at them and they were driving me crazy.”

“Stars are overrated,” Megumi said. “In fact, most of the stars above us aren’t even stars, it’s space debris.”

“Space debris?”

“Artifacts left over from a previous civilization. They left so much garbage up there neither of the major superpowers even bothers with trying to go up.”

“There were people who’ve been to space?” Rei muttered, just barely audible to Megumi. She looked back up towards the sky again, staring in awe at the thought of the above.

“Supposedly,” Nomad quickly spoke. “There’s evidence the last civilization has been to other planets. Most of the information is lost, but I like to think there’s more of us out there somewhere.”

“It’s a shame they messed it up. We would have to wait who knows how many years before all that debris finally burns up,” Megumi sighed before finally taking a glance at the sparkly skies above. “If there’s anybody out there, they’re not coming back.”

“This is a lot,” Rei said as her voice slowly shook. “You would have to tell me more. I think this is something I would like to learn more about, for another time.”

Nomad gave a quick nod before walking over to her with Megumi. The four all gathered, taking a seat as Rei started to prepare herself.

“Do you know what the Deep is?” she asked.

“I don’t think anybody knows what it is,” Megumi replied. “There’s no records of it existing until the last century.”

“It’s always existed.”

“That’s technically correct, given what we know.”

“Ok then,” Rei nodded before pointing to Megumi. “You tell us what it is.”

Megumi’s eyes quickly perked up as she let out a quick cough, continuing, “We know it’s a vast energy field. There is definitely something related to it and the Cosmo Cradle. Some people can tap into it through specific emotions, but there’s obviously another dimension to learning it. Honestly, the whole concept of it seems like something from another dimension.”

The crew went silent, absorbing the knowledge as Megumi continued her speech, “With what knowledge we have of anomalies, there’s nothing in nature like the Cosmo Cradle. We think it might be something from another civilization, possibly outside of our scope of reality.”

“Ease up there,” Nomad interrupted her, laughing softly. “We’re here to discuss how this applies in a fight, not the theoretical origins of it.”

Rei was taken off guard for a moment, smiling in relief to be in good company again. She cleared her throat and began to teach the others, eager to finally put her thought into words.