Year 1096, December 23, 19 : 26 PM
Location : Abandoned Alleyway
The night enveloped the city, with scattered flames casting eerie glows across the ruins of what was once a peaceful haven. In the heart of this desolation, Rhodes Island had taken refuge in an abandoned building. Outside, footsteps echoed down the alleyways as Reunion soldiers combed through the shadows, searching tirelessly for any trace of their enemies.
As the sounds of footsteps faded into the distance, one of the guards turned from the window, casting a questioning look toward his team leader. "Are they gone?"
Ace nodded but kept his voice steady. "Seems like it. But stay alert for any movement."
Taking one last glance outside, he stepped back, tiptoeing to where Dobermann and Nearl huddled. Nearl looked up, her voice barely above a whisper. "What's our situation?"
"The Reunion soldiers that were tailing us have moved on, searching elsewhere for now," Ace replied. "I've assigned anyone with minor injuries to keep watch. They'll let us know if anything changes."
Dobermann scanned the room, her gaze lingering on each operator who was either resting or standing guard. Her attention fell on the injured lying on the floor, receiving care from medics. "We can't stay here much longer," she murmured. "As soon as the wounded are stabilized, we need to press on. If we linger, it's only a matter of time before they track us down."
Nearl nodded in agreement. "Ace, have your team rest. My team will handle guard duty for now."
Ace gave a quick nod and headed over to inform his team, with Nearl at his side. Meanwhile, Dobermann addressed the rest of the group, her voice carrying a hint of urgency. "Listen up, everyone. As soon as the injured are treated, we move. I know you're all exhausted, but we're close—just a little longer, and we'll be out of the city."
As Dobermann spoke, Amiya stood nearby, concern shadowing her expression as she looked over her comrades. Her thoughts were interrupted by a guard's voice from upstairs. "Amiya, isn't this the Azazel Clinic from the reports?"
Amiya's gaze drifted over the building's damaged walls and broken equipment, a trace of sadness in her voice. "Yes... this was the Azazel Clinic. Looks like Reunion left nothing untouched."
Turning to the Doctor, Amiya took a breath, her tone sombre as she began to explain. "Doctor, I don't think we've had a chance to tell you about the reality of the infected. In most countries, anyone diagnosed with Oripathy is sent to quarantine zones, isolated from society. But here... their fate is much harsher."
Amiya's voice softened, sorrow evident in her words. "Infected people aren't welcomed anywhere now. Fear of infection has left most people unwilling to help... or even offer a place for them to belong."
"Most people hide their infection if they can," Amiya said as Ace, Nearl and Doctor Aaron followed her up on the narrow stairway, their footsteps echoing softly in the desolate clinic. "They try to carry on with life as best as possible. Places like this clinic are a refuge for the infected—somewhere they could get treatment or at least a bit of relief from the pain."
"A back alley clinic," Ace muttered, his tone a mix of respect and sadness as they stepped into a narrow hall littered with debris. He stops following the others as he looks inside one of the rooms, seeing the destruction that is left behind.
Ace scanned the empty shelves and overturned equipment scattered across the rooms. "Looks like Reunion didn't leave a single thing behind—medicine, tools... they cleared it all out," he said, his voice tinged with frustration as he examined the empty shelves.
Then, abruptly, the faint sound of glass shattering broke the silence. Ace whipped his head around, eyes narrowing as he tried to locate the source of the noise. He walks towards the source of the noise while Amiya continues to talk to Doctor Aaron and the others.
Ace stepped into the room, scanning the wreckage left behind—empty shelves, and broken tools strewn across the floor. His gaze fell on a single shattered window, where scattered glass glinted faintly in the dim light. The room's bulb was out, leaving the moonlight as its only illumination.
"Must have been the wind knocking something loose," he thought, sighing quietly as he adjusted his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose, fatigue heavy on his features. Exhaling deeply, he looked out at the night sky, his mind drifting.
"That ringleader..." he mused, recalling the intense fight they'd barely survived. "If it hadn't been for Nearl—"
He paused, his mind shifting to an unexpected memory. A fleeting image flashed: a figure who'd appeared out of nowhere, saving one of his teammates during their escape. Ace's gaze dropped to the floor, lost in thought, as he tried to make sense of the mysterious stranger who'd helped them.
"Those crimson eyes..." Ace murmured to himself, letting out a weary sigh as he closed his eyes. "What am I thinking? There are plenty of people with red eyes. Scout was right; I shouldn't be thinking about the past."
"Hey, we need a medic over here!" Nearl's urgent shout jolted him out of his thoughts. Ace's eyes shot open, and he quickly exited the room, hurrying towards her voice.
"I... I'll go myself. No need to call them up here," Amiya's voice came faintly as Ace approached the room. He stepped closer, just in time to hear her response and glance at the others.
"Amiya got hurt in the battle!" someone explained quickly as Ace turned to follow the group down the stairs.
Behind them, in the dim silence of the now-empty corridor, soft footsteps echoed from the room Ace had been inspecting moments earlier. A tall figure emerged, cloaked in a ragged robe, a Reunion mask obscuring his face. The figure moved with deliberate, quiet steps to the top of the stairwell, watching intently as Ace and the others descended. His gaze locked on Amiya, the faint glow of his crimson eye narrowing as he focused on the small Cautus girl below.
- - - -
"Everyone, I promise I'm fine," Amiya assured them, offering a small, reassuring smile.
"Our leader needs to take better care of herself," Nearl remarked, leaning against the wall across from her, eyes steady on Amiya. Dobermann stepped forward, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Nearl's right, Amiya. You have to take care of yourself. Here, let me help you with your jacket so the medic can start," Dobermann said gently, her tone firm but caring.
Realizing they wouldn't let this go, Amiya nodded, reaching into her pocket. "Alright, just let me grab something fir—H-Huh?" Her eyes went wide, her hand frantically searching through her pockets. Her other hand joined by searching the other one, rummaging with urgency as she began pacing, eyes scanning the floor.
"No... no, no, no..." Amiya murmured under her breath, her expression growing increasingly distressed. The others exchanged worried glances.
"Amiya, is everything alright?" Nearl asked, watching Amiya's panicked face turn toward her.
"I... I can't find it." Tears began to well up in Amiya's eyes.
"Can't find what?" Dobermann asked gently, glancing back as Ace approached, his concern evident.
"The dog tag," Amiya whispered, her voice trembling. "His dog tag!" Her words were laced with urgency, and as the weight of what she'd lost became clear, an understanding dawned on everyone in the room.
"A dog tag? Whose dog tag?" Nearl asked gently, stepping closer to Amiya and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder as she noticed the tears slipping down Amiya's cheeks. But Amiya didn't respond, still digging through her pockets, clinging to the hope that maybe, just maybe, it was still there.
"I... I can't find it. No, no... I don't want to lose—" She stopped mid-sentence, her eyes widening in sudden realization.
"It must have fallen out somewhere." Without another word, she turned toward the door, ready to go search, but Ace reached out, gently gripping her shoulder. "Amiya, stop. Where do you think you're going?"
Amiya looked up at him, her face etched with worry and sorrow. "I lost it, Ace... his dog tag. You all warned me not to bring it on missions, but... I couldn't leave without it."
"My brother's dog tag..." She choked out the words as more tears slipped down her face. Her revelation left a shocked silence in the room, unfamiliar eyes staring at her, trying to process what she'd said.
"B-Brother? Amiya has a brother?" Nearl murmured, glancing between Amiya and Ace. Ace held Amiya's gaze, his expression softening with a hint of sadness he tried to mask for her sake.
Ace glanced at Doctor Aaron and the medic, both looking confused and slightly uncomfortable. "Please keep an eye on Amiya. The rest of us will step out for a moment." Ace said it, looking at the Medic in front of Amiya.
"Yes sir." The medic commented.
"What? Ace, why do y—" Dobermann started to question but stopped when Ace turned sharply to her.
"Just come with me, Dobermann," he said in a low, firm tone that made her pause. Surprised, she nodded, and the four of them stepped out, Nearl quietly closing the door behind her.
As they reached the hall, Dobermann broke the silence. "So... care to explain what that was all about? I've never seen her like that," she asked, concern lacing her tone.
Ace remained silent, his gaze fixed on the floor, lost in thought. After a long pause, he finally spoke, his voice low. "There's a lot you don't know about Amiya. This isn't something she talks about often." He looked up, meeting Dobermann's eyes with a sombre expression.
"Ace," Nearl called gently, her concerned gaze meeting his.
He turned to her, letting out a tired exhale. "Why did Amiya start crying? What did she lose?" she asked quietly, the worry for her leader clear on her face.
"It's more like _who_ she lost," Ace murmured, moving to lean against the wall, folding his arms across his chest. "I'll tell you why she's so attached to that dog tag, but you three have to promise not to press Amiya about it. This is a part of her past that shouldn't be dragged back up. Understand?"
Doctor Aaron, Nearl and Dobermann nodded, their expressions solemn, waiting as Ace gathered his thoughts.
"A long time ago, there was an operator in an organization that eventually evolved into Rhodes Island," he began, his voice low and steady. "This operator and Amiya grew close—so close they became like family, even though they weren't related by blood."
The three exchanged glances, a flicker of surprise passing between them as they began to understand the depth of the connection Ace was describing.
"He wasn't her brother by blood?" Dobermann asked quietly.
"No," Ace replied, shaking his head. "As far as I know, Amiya didn't have any blood siblings. But he was someone she could look up to, almost like an older brother."
Nearl nodded thoughtfully. "So, he was a source of comfort, someone she could trust as family."
Ace gave a faint chuckle, the memory lifting his gaze toward the ceiling. "In a way, yes. After losing her family, there were only a few people Amiya considered family, and he was one of them. They were inseparable from the day they met."
He paused, smiling at the memory. "I remember once, that operator was called to a meeting. He burst in with Amiya perched on his shoulders, both of them pouting like little kids. Amiya was a child then, of course—can't say the same for him." Ace's smile grew, touched with nostalgia. "When we asked why they looked so upset, they declared we'd interrupted 'sibling bonding time.'"
The three looked at him, seeing how happy he was about remembering something from the past. Nearl's gentle voice broke his reverie. "Ace..."
He turned to her, meeting her serious gaze. "What happened to him?" she asked, sensing that the answer was tied to Amiya's sudden distress.
Ace took a slow breath, his expression growing sombre as he recalled the painful memory. "There was a mission. A tough, dangerous one. He went alone, and my team was deployed far from his location, so I didn't have the full details. But I know he was ambushed and sacrificed himself to slow down the enemies advancing toward another team."
Ace turned toward a nearby window, staring into the night. "Afterward, my team and another were sent to his last known location. All we found was fire... and his dog tag lying in the ashes. No trace of him anywhere."
A heavy silence fell over them as Ace continued, his voice heavy with sadness. "On that day, Amiya lost someone who was like family to her. That dog tag... it was all she had left to remember him by."
"She's carried that memory with her all this time, hasn't she?"
Ace nodded. "She doesn't let on about it, but I think losing him... it changed her in some way. That dog tag became her link to the past, to someone who genuinely understood her and made her feel safe." He paused, the corner of his mouth lifting with a bittersweet smile. "He was always trying to make her laugh when she was watching him doing a mission, even in the middle of a mission. He'd go out of his way just to see her smile."
Nearl took a deep breath, her voice barely a whisper. "And now that one link to him is gone too..."
"Yeah," Ace replied, his voice steady but distant. "It's like losing him all over again."
Nearl watched Ace with softened eyes, the weight of his memories showing in every word. "You were all close, weren't you?" she asked gently.
Ace looked up, giving a small, bittersweet chuckle. "Yeah, we were. Me, Scout, that operator, and his team—we made the landship a pretty lively place. Loud enough that I'm sure some people cursed us from the other rooms." A flicker of warmth crossed his face, and he looked away as he continued. "He was a friend in every sense. Loyal, fearless... bit of a fool sometimes, but his heart was always in the right place."
There was a faint tremor in his voice, one he tried to hide but couldn't fully suppress. Dobermann and Nearl exchanged a glance, their expressions tinged with respect and sympathy. Dobermann took a step forward, her voice soft but steady. "Thank you, Ace. I think we all understand now why that dog tag means so much to her."
Ace gave them a brief nod, a hint of gratitude in his eyes. "Just... don't press her about it. She'll share it in her own time if she ever wants to. For now, let's just be there to support her."
Ace watched the three in front of him, their expressions heavy, weighed down by his story. Just then, he noticed one of his team members approaching him.
"Team Leader Ace."
"Yes, what is it?" Ace responded, his deep, serious tone masking the sorrow lingering beneath.
"We tried reaching Scout's team, but there's no response. We can't seem to get any signal from their radios." The news made everyone's eyes widen in alarm. Ace's gaze dropped to the floor, a knot of worry forming in his chest.
He looked back up at the teammate, his voice steady. "Keep trying to contact Scout's team. If there's still no response by the time I get back, cease attempts. We don't want to risk our enemies tracing our signal."
With that, he turned and made his way toward the stairs, his mind now weighed by yet another concern.
Doctor Aaron, watching him, called out softly, "Where are you going?"
Ace paused, turning back to face him. "Amiya said she lost it, but we can't just backtrack from here to where you were picked up. I'll check the upper floors. Maybe it slipped out somewhere along the way."
Without waiting for a response, Ace turned back to the stairs, resolute, and began his way up. The others watched him ascend, silently appreciating his determination to find the item that meant so much to Amiya.
"I didn't know she had a brother," Dobermann murmured, staring at the floor, her voice thoughtful.
Nearl placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Some things that cause us pain or discomfort are often the hardest to share. Amiya kept this part of her past to herself, probably wanting to bear the weight alone. But watching her search her pockets so frantically... it's clear she hasn't fully let go of that connection."
Dobermann followed Nearl's gaze toward the door of the room where Amiya was. "We should wait here a bit longer, at least until the medic comes out," she suggested softly.
"I go back to my team and ask them and the others if they found a dog tag by any chance." Nearl said, earning a silent nod from Dobermann. Meanwhile, Doctor Aaron was looking at the door of the room where Amiya was in, thoughts and images shrouded his mind. One image in particular was the face of the unknown man who was following them back at the tunnels. He can't find a reason or answer to it as if his mind says that person is somehow connected to the current event.
"Amiya."
Year 1096, December 23, 19 : 29 PM
Location : Abandoned Azazel Clinic
The sound of objects being pushed aside filled the empty, abandoned floor. Ace moved through the room where Amiya and the others had last been, his focus locked on finding the dog tag she'd lost. Frustration gnawed at him as he scanned every corner and crevice, muttering under his breath, "Damn it, it's not here either."
Finally, he paused, glancing around the dim space. He moved to a nearby chair and sat, letting out a weary sigh as he leaned back, staring up at the ceiling. After a moment, he reached for his radio, pressing the button firmly.
"This is Operator Ace. Anyone from Scout's team, do you copy?"
The radio crackled, but only silence replied. Ace's brow furrowed, and he pressed the button again, his tone laced with a bit more urgency.
"This is Operator Ace. Anyone from Scout's team, do you copy?"
He released the button once more, waiting as the silence stretched on, the weight of worry settling heavily in his chest. He received no answer. He leans forward, his elbow on his knees and his hands on his forehead. He lets out a tired exhale as he closes his eyes.
"Can't reach Scout and can't find the kid's dog tag. This day is getting worse." Ace said in his head, curing at the fact he couldn't do anything in his current position. A thought of a memory crosses his mind, opening his eyes slightly. He leans back in the chair, his gaze is on the ceiling.
He closes his eyes once more, letting his mind calm down to come up with the next course of action. "I wonder what would you do in my position kid. I bet you would move landship and mountains just to find Scout and his teams and find the thing that brings comfort and joy to your sister." Ace said in a low tone, sorrow in his voice.
"I would do even more than that." Ace's eyes shot open upon hearing a familiar voice, his head slowly lowered from the ceiling and towards the source of the voice. He looks in front of himself, seeing something or someone that makes his eyes widen even bigger. He slowly reaches for his glasses and takes them off while slowly standing up from the chair.
"It. . It can't be." Ace said it as he continued to look at the tall male who wore a rugged, weathered blue-grey hooded cloak. A long pause was present in the room before the male's expression changed, giving Ace a small smile before he spoke.
"Hello Ace, it's been a while."
To be continued in TG - 12 Promise
Author note : Chapter uploads of this book might be delayed, I'm currently cooking a book which is for another fandom.
YOU ARE READING
Arknights Chronicles One
Action"Wherever he stepped, the battlefield trembled at his presence. "For some, it stirred fear; for others, a thrill of excitement." "Eyes followed him, some filled with hatred, others with respect." "Warriors from every race sought to strip him of his...
