Of Love and Death.

The Present Chapter 15: Rabbits, Nightmares, and More! Pt. 4

"Alright, thank you so very much for your time!" Wakiya said cheerfully. The leader of the WBBA's bey research team gave him a jolly farewell as well. After that, the former leader of Sunbat United hung up on the phone as quickly as humanly possible. Because he only had so much patience for a three hour phone call. That lasted until 12:00. He'd already missed the most exciting part of the day, planning out a new tournament.

With a sigh, Wakiya rested his head on his desk. Today had been a particularly long day. Interesting, but long. There was some talk about a few bladers who had started evolving their beys further and further. It was beginning to feel like a whole new type of top was going to be created. And while Wakiya was by no means against that, it was a lot of paperwork for him.

This evolution of beys did sound interesting though. Supposedly they were supposed to draw out the latent powers of the universe. Like fancy elements or something. All of that sounded a bit too fantastical to him. But, then again, he did talk to the sentient top that lived in his head. Not exactly like the leader of the WBBA could talk.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. "Ugh, really?" Wakiya groaned quietly. It was well after hours. Barely anyone was still in the building anymore. Who really needed to talk to him that bad, anyway? I suppose I should at least give them the time of day, he grumbled. Not that he wanted to do so, mind you.

Forcing himself to sit up, Wakiya did his best to look presentable. Hopefully his hair hadn't gotten too messed up from faceplanting. Well, whatever. He could look like a demon and still take a meeting. One last second to fold his arms in front of him, and... "Come in!" Wakiya called out, trying to be polite. And managing to sound that way too! That was a win!

But then the door opened, revealing who had knocked. Oh boy did Wakiya regret trying to be polite now! "What on Earth are you doing here!" He shouted, standing up and slamming his hands on his desk. Maybe a bit too hard; his hands slightly ached. But that was not exactly the blond blader's main problem right now.

Because Theodore Glass was here. Because of course he was. This day was going so well. Wakiya felt like jumping for joy. None of the paperwork bothered him anymore! That bit was actually true. Filling out endless forms was much less of a headache than the ruler of the Snake Pit.

Especially now that it seemed like Theodore was joined by some new lackeys. There was still the blond man in the green suit. The same one who'd seemed to constantly hang around Ashtem back in the day. But then there were two others. One of whom seemed vaguely familiar. Tall and in white and red, with crimson hair that fell into a long ponytail. Not to mention eyes almost as red as Shu's. And the other one. The one Wakiya had never seen before.

They were cruel. That was the very first impression Wakiya had of the fourth person in his office. They were cruel. He didn't trust them. Even with how they were hiding behind a dark blue hooded cloak that covered their head, only showing their mouth. Despite not even giving Wakiya a glimpse of their eyes. He knew it. They were cruel. And definitely hiding. Not a single inch of their skin was showing, and that cloak was hiding something strange on their back. An odd and uneven bulge.

Paling slightly, Wakiya realized that what this person may be hiding was a weapon of some kind. Okay. That wasn't good. Just play it cool, Wyvern whispered in his head. It was kind of strange. Wakiya didn't blade as much as he used to. But his bond with his partner was still just as strong as his "glory days". I'll guide you. I know how to defuse a situation if this gets dicy. Swallowing hard, he gave the most imperceptible nod. Yes. He would certainly follow Wyvern's instructions.

There was a glance from Theodore. Not one pointed towards Wakiya. Rather, towards the person in the cloak. Almost like Ashtem was waiting for his companion to make the first move. "You're Wakiya Murasaki, correct?" the cloaked invader finally asked. From their tone it was clear they were asking a rhetorical question. And Wakiya decided it might be a good idea to not answer them. He'd rather not make them mad. So, instead, the blond blader just stayed where he was, overly conscious of his breath. Why was he panting so loud?