Kian's POV
My name is Kian Thorn. I'm a part-time worker at Tekoku, and I'm using the income to pay for extracurricular activities.
I work in the Investigative division. Well, it's a pretty general department that includes Counterespionage, etc. Okay, sorry. Let's be more specific: I'm a junior spy fresh out of Training. I can pose as anyone: a middle-aged janitor, the CEO of whatever company (before they find out I'm a fake, I'd already be gone), the popular girl of any school (YES, I POSE AS A WOMAN SOMETIMES. MY VOICE SOUNDS MORE OF A GIRL'S BECAUSE OF NOT ENOUGH TESTOSTERONE), a sexy stripper, anyone. So far I've been on eight successful missions.
First time I heard about Hongjun and the Denki guy, they were going berserk on the footages. Rooting up anything incriminating, hacking through whatnot. It was kinda funny for me.
My acquaintances in Tekoku were talking endlessly about it. "Is Hongjun an illegal supplier of Cierium fiber?" "I bet they hoard all the best of Aether's technology." "Good grief, I see who now is really on Top 3 Most Wanted." "If only I was chosen in the infiltration team! I wanna see what the hell's inside." I don't join them in the train. Don't want to hear what crazy things they dream up about Hongjun.
Based on research, Hongjun is a shady military equipment supplier, although I'm surprised most major companies are in cahoots with them. 65 cases were filed against them, but they were dismissed due to lack of sufficient evidence. Rumors say that they secretly gather information from the companies to send to Aether 2.0, which is now floating above Magdurus Pass.
As an Old Aetheran I'm supposed to be patriotic of Aether 2.0, but seriously. History lesson: the people there are a bunch of assholes. I mean, during the last Aether-Blackwatch war, my ancestors were almost dead! They only took the upper class into the floating city, leaving the middle and lower classes behind. It was complete injustice. Originally it was supposed to be for everyone, but because they were in a hurry, look at how— okay, I'm very mad just thinking about it. But hey, Old Aether is rebuilding itself little by little. The Alliance Peace Treaty saved our asses. I'm eternally grateful, Toy Story alien-style.
Even if I have a big grudge against Blackwatch, I have a 26-year-old bestfriend/co-worker from there named Zorec Aleen Kratia. He comes from the lower middle class, studied in Micfortress Institute for degrees in Parapsychology and Alchemic Science, and also became an agent like me. Unlike the arrogantly chauvinistic Blackwatcher jerks who go about yelling that they don't need rice magic to kill us, he views his nation in an objectively wise way, like the Plato-Buddha-Sappho-Euclid way.
"Our nation needs more openness to peace and alliances," he once said. "It is safe for me to say that during the Greed eras, their moronic and pride levels have increased at an alarming rate together with their technology. I feel sorry for my misguided people."
I laughed-scoffed at the word "misguided". What an accurate euphemism, brother. I just love it.
But then a bloodcurdling scream echoing from the girls' bathroom broke my thoughts.
"OH MY GOD!!"
"What the?" I exclaimed, rushing with some others to the source of the sound.
It was Zorec's sister Ekhe, horrified to the max. And next to her was the most brutal thing I have ever seen. If the janitor hadn't gripped me in mutual terror I would've fainted.
Next to Ekhe was my friend April Collins, dead and bleeding. She was lying prone on the floor. Her uniform had several needlepoint-sized holes from which blood oozed.
"Oh my— have you called the cops? Ekhe, have you called the cops?" the janitor said.
"N-no."
One guy named Kirisame started to mumble loudly. Shizen, his partner, tried to soothe him. I pushed through the crowd.
"What's going on, Kumo?" I asked.
"It's him. It's totally freaking HIM—!"
"What do you mean?" Aoichi asked.
"It's Denki... Shizen-chan, remember when Denki got hit by a car?"
"Yeah. Why, Kiri?" she replied.
"When he was in the hospital, he described his pain as needles repeatedly stabbing his back. Maybe it's him."
"Holy Aether," I gasped. "But let's get realistic. It may be a coincidence, guys."
"Yare yare daze," Shizen said. "I... I don't know. My brother would never do that, but his face was in the Pentagon assassination footage."
"Wait. What?" I rubbed my face. "If this was another assassination, it's supposed to be clean. Unless he was possessed."
"Kian!" Shizen exclaimed. But she stopped for a moment. "Possessed?... oh my god."
YOU ARE READING
another life. (RHG OC Backstory)
General FictionA freshman holding a bomb throws himself off the balcony. No one found his corpse, but all that remained were ashes. Four years later his sister and his boyfriend are taunted by the possibility of him being alive. But where is he, really?
