Meanwhile, in an unknown place, within an unknown world, Aster slowly opened his eyes to a wilderness of smoke and fog. The sky was a faded yellow, painful to look at, and a faint rustling sound was heard wherever you could trek. "Damn Vox, where did he send me?", thought Aster as he gradually stood up at get a gasp of his surroundings. The obsurring clouds cleared slightly with the boy's movement, maybe now he can get a better idea of where he is.
The boy soon began noticing a familiar scent to his nostrils. "An open flame, it seems to be burning something. I wonder what it is...", he pondered. He continued to wander through the foggy environment searching for the source of the burning smell. Eventually, another smell began combining with the first, "Is that, meat? No, it can't be, seems too quiet for this area to be populated, unless...". Aster took a moment to analyse his conclusion, because if he was right, he was in big trouble.
At the tip of the scent trail, he came across a fire, a woman's figure bent over it, burning something. She didn't notice Aster approach, but he grabbed his sword in a defensive position, just in case she noticed him. Upon closer inspection, Aster couldn't believe his eyes, the thing burning on the stove was the woman's own amputated forearm, covered in streams of blood as if it had been cut off by a weapon. Aster's suspicions grew, he had to approach her and asked her his query.
Poking her on the shoulder to get her attention, he questioned the woman, "Excuse me ma'am, but is there a reason why you're burning hacked off limbs in broad daylight?". The woman was scared of Aster, with him holding a sword and all, but she answered out of fear, "T-this? It's nothing! J-just...shame...", she commented. "Shame?", wondered a confused Aster. "I've just joined the clan, and already they give me the harshest punishment, just for taking bread from the higher ups...", she stuttered.
"Turn around.", ordered Aster. The woman followed suit, and Aster could now see what she was wearing. Upon her body was a grey tunic, and an emblem embroidered on it. Trying to hold back tears, Aster took her hand in pity, "You're from the Tiliac clan, aren't you?", he concluded. "Y-yes…yes I am.", she confirmed. Aster grit his teeth and clenched his fist, this couldn't be happening. "I'M BACK IN TILIAC?!", he screamed.
Aster couldn't believe what he had just heard, he felt like a fool and worst of all, he was completely alone. Before, he had help from his friends, but now he's back where he started. All the other members of the Tiliac clan had betrayed him, and they had finally succeeded in their plans to outcast him. He found somewhere new, where he slowly begun to fit in, but now that betrayal has gone full circle. "I have to get out of here...", he emphasised.
Back in the Okumura Syndicate, Fleur and the other rebels had left the mansion, searching their minds for a way to stop Vox and his companions. "So it comes to this, I'm leading all of you into an obvious trap if we return, and Sir Edward is still unaware...what the hell am I supposed to do?", Fleur declared. "We're two men down, but that doesn't mean we stop. There's five of us and one of them. I reckon we give them a diversion.", suggested Sulena.
Just promise to be careful, one mistake and either Vox, Lin or Kiara could have our heads on spikes.", warned Craaq. "I guess that's something we'll have to risk, something that can't be determined by routine, and I'm certainly on board!", Shiva announced, leaning toward the outskirts of the mansion, but Viper pulled him back slightly. "Craaq's right, this is going to be dangerous. I think we should wait this out…", she commented.
"Whatever happens, I'll fight til the end, I'm not letting Vox destroy my home, my purpose, my life…", Fleur announced. "I'll take back the mansion, save Sir Edward and Demitris, and bring back Aster, bring back the past!", she added. The rebels looked into the distance as the sky darkened, and paths of uncertainty began to form. They knew that the uprising could go many ways, and their choices would determine which path they'll take. But a crack in the seam would soon come…
YOU ARE READING
Okumura Syndicate
FantasyAster lands in a another world where he finds himself on the private property of a crime syndicate. Initially he isn't accepted, but it is his goal to rise up the ranks and get recognition within the syndicate as it's the only thing he has! Side Not...
