CALAMITY CORE : FREE THE WORLD

CH.49 'PRINCIPLE OF CHAOS'

Following the aftermath of the supernatural storm, two men sat atop a mountainous plateau, overlooking the sunrise that came with the following morning. Between them was a fresh-cleaved table made of a split boulder. Atop the flat surface of the massive stone, the blade of the wolfish Okuri sat, lodged blade-first in the center, with a wooden cup of tea on either side of the weapon.

The wolf-man looked across the stone, his furry mane catching in the wind, and he saw the jet-black locks of the vampire Hirano paying him no mind. "Vampire... you are the sensei to those kids, are you not?" He questioned, unaware of if the other man could even hear him.

When Hirano nodded in return, he blinked, almost surprised. Then his gaze returned to the rising sun, catching in the calm eyes of the otherwise beastly man. Dipping his head, he closed those eyes now, and cleared his throat. "Those children, they have such potential... The next generation, I want to teach them, steer them in the right direction..." He paused, then opened his eyes, glancing at Hirano. "... Tell me, what must we teach them?"

Hirano's brow sharpened, and his long, shoulder-length locks continued to blow in the mountainside winds. His eyes narrowed, and he thought deeply for a moment as the sun continued to rise, partially blinding him. "Teach them to steer clear of danger. The world we live in, heroics are meaningless." Hirano's face grew bitter, even though he couldn't see the world before him. "You saw it, your own men died at the whims of that monster in Nagoro. Too many lives."

Okuri's lips curled into a somber smile as he remembered those who fell in the battle for Nagoro, and the knowledge of those that they had spared a fate worse than death were now free. He kept his gaze on the sunrise. "Battle is chaos, of course." He lifted his head now. "Not all my men carried the power, but they carried their beliefs. Is there not a meaning in a life well lived?" The wolf-man didn't look at Hirano now. "That is why those who can must hold their own, to be a wall against the chaos, right?"

"A wall? Those kids were barely enough to hold their own against a single Chimera... We are barely enough..." Hirano then shuddered. "Think... what if they were to encounter an era as harsh as that of the calamity?"

Giving a stubborn nod, Okuri grumbled. "That was well before we were even born, though... Your statement does hold weight." He relented and took a sip of his tea before returning to the topic. "A war is but a battle of attrition. That is why we must be the wall, along with those to come yet."

Following suit, Hirano took a sip of his own tea. "Are you always this obtuse?" He scoffed, then picked the conversation back up in full. "If they are not the ones to lead us away from danger, if they are all to die in war..." He shook his head. "Who else will be there to lead the people without the power to lead themselves?"

Okuri paused and looked at Hirano earnestly now. "Living a death for your ideals, it's something you can look back on and think of with honor. That, and of course, we mustn't be the only people in the whole world, vampire." He closed his eyes and gave a satisfied grunt before looking back to the fully risen sun. "You've heard the story of the man who split the sea and ignited the sky, yes?"

Hirano grimaced, but then he thought back, and memories of those he knew in his past life came flooding back. His lips shifted to a smile. "It was impossible to not hear it. You might remember it like a memory, but it was little more than that. A legend. The man from across the ocean was the only man of his kind."

Now, as the smile spread across his partner's lips, Okuri gave a rumbling laugh. "Don't be so acute in your thinking, vampire!" He calmed himself. "If we teach this generation well, he may very well no longer be the only legend of his kind, because all legends begin somewhere!"

Hirano sighed, placing a cold, pale palm to his forehead, which was now hot in the sun. Even if he could barely see in the daytime world, it was serene in a way he was not used to. "You are... quite the character, wolf." The vampire shook his head. "As a friend, you must be worried for the children's safety. And as a mentor, well... you shouldn't force your ideals on them if they aren't receptive."

"Hmph! It's the role of a friend to defend his companions, of course!" Okuri gave an even heartier, now full laugh. "I understand your concerns, but..." He paused. "The way that boy fought, the one with the demon inside him. I have no reason to fear rejection so long as he remains stalwart."

Grumbling, Hirano took a sip of his tea, almost as an unspoken bet of whose teachings would truly get through to the next generation. "Truly..." He shook his head, then smirked. "You are a hopeless optimist."

Okuri laughed for a moment, taking it as a compliment, but suddenly his face grew all too serious. "And you are far too much of a pessimist. I hope it hasn't rubbed off on your students..." He shook his head. "Unless it is that boy in particular you hold reservations for."

"Maybe I do. It doesn't matter how I view the world though..." Hirano narrowed eyes closed entirely now, and he shook his head. "Reserved as I am, the boy is a valuable member of the next generation, no matter how I look at it."

"Vampire, you are... honest with yourself. I can tell."

"Yes, I tend to be.

"... That does not give you the right to believe false truths about another."

Hirano looked up as Okuri dislodged his sword from the stone with a simple tug, already having risen to his feet silently. "It's not something false that I've labeled him under, I simply worry-"

Okuri cut him off now, turning his back to the man. "I can tell you haven't had the chance to give him the limelight beneath you. When he and I fought, that secondary nature, what I'm sure you're worried about..." He sheathed his blade, still clenching the hilt as he was overcome with emotion. "He overcame it in the heat of battle! Do yourself a favor and use the time we've been given to reflect on your own nature."

Externally, Hirano rolled his eyes behind Okuri, but as he rose to his feet, he began to think, even if he was already speaking. "Perhaps you aren't much more than an optimist. I'll stick with what I've lived by and tend to the next generation long after your time."

Now, both the wolf-man and the vampire were at their feet, and though at odds, they shared a common goal. As Okuri scoffed at Hirano's own lack of acceptance, he released his grip on his sword, and studied the horizon as he began to plot a course to their next place of rest. It was then that both men were shaken by an explosion. An explosion of both angry black-red and excited blue-black energy in the distance.