Death of Touko
Hi, CrativeMasta here with the next chapter... or perhaps the next prologue would be a better name given. The story from now on will heavily introduce Detective Elements, and maybe the first ever (is it?) F/SN detective story. ^^;; well, read on, and I hope you've enjoy this prologue.
***
November 2014 London
1 week before the event of episode1
The night air of London was very gloomy to say the least. The beautiful reflection of the vibrant city mirroring off the sleek surface of river Thames that she would often skim by through the window of this yellow cap, wasn't really helping in appeasing her inexplicable annoyance of this country.
Such was the feeling that got hold of Sion eltnam atlasia the moment she set her foot on the soil of england; a country where orthodox Mages, those who look down upon the dwellers of ATLAS, still managed to retain their firm foothold in this world.
Sion eltnam atlasia browsed through her documents as she took time to sort out the identities of the personnels of the church, the magi association and the sea of Estray. Today, over 500 years after the conclusion of the true ancestor massacre incident. The trinity of mages and the church will again join themselves in the arcane round table chamber of clock tower to discuss of the very real threat to the preservation of their kind; and she would today serve as the representative of her organization; the Atlas in this historic meeting of four distinctly unique and disparate sects of mages.
***
The trip from Heathrow to the great tower of Big Ben took her much less time than expected. Unlike her prior expectation of heavy traffic, the road side was almost empty for the exception of dozens of vehicles that she rarely encountered, this wasn't what she read in Atlas, there had to be something wrong she thought.
“folks are busy watching the big match between the red devils and the blues now, if you're wonderin' bout' the empty streets.”
Sion was rather brought back by the sudden intrusion of the taxi driver, she wasn't planning to share any conversations with this particular gaffer of a man, she could've stayed silent if she wanted to but she knew of the ethics and the social norms of the world outside of Atlas, the most reasonable reaction to this was of course to talk, and besides talking, she managed to keep herself low profile by donning herself with a purple One piece dress, She still had her Barret with her though, as a symbol of her association with Atlas .
“The Red devils and The blues?”
replied sion with a touch of English accent in her tone.
“you know, Manchester united and Chelsea. soccer is a religion here in england. The folks either tune to the channels or buy themselves a ticket for that. Half the London's always been like this when the big four comes to town, all silent and none to view. It's a tradition really, they say folks going out the streets on these days are vampires, of course I don't believe a word of them, but lately people started going missing at nights mostly on Matchdays...can't be too sure about common senses these days... You'd better stay out of the roads if you care about your safety miss.”
Sion silently nodded and returned to her scrutiny of the pages as she rubbed her exhausted eyes. She already knew of the truths going on in the streets of London; ever since the dormancy of the True Ancestor the vampire factions had been expanding their territories across Europe. With an exception of Italy and small parts of Mediterranean countries(mostly catholic countries), all had already been infested with vampires and kinds alike, It's a rare occasion to see London with vampires though, but it will only be a fleeting phenomenon with the Magi Association keeping their heads up.
Besides, any vampire foolhardy enough to make their root near clock tower had to be a rookie, nothing that the MA can't handle. The vampire infestation is definitely a big problem but such events have long been common routines for the executioners and burial agents of the Church, and it's fair to say that they've largely been successful in monitoring and containing them.
It isn't much of a different story these days. Of course such trifle isn't a reason for the round table meeting to be initiated.
“Well, we're here at Big Ben miss. Enjoy your visit to the london museum.”
By the time Sion had heard from the driver,The Taxi was already crossing the bridge of river Thames, not far off, Sion could see the high standing stature of Big Ben towering over the ground of London like a massive beacon.
The cab stopped right by the entrance of the museum. Sion moved out of the cab with her documents, handed the driver the bill and started heading inside the museum of London.
The old Gothic Victorian architecture of London museum and Big Ben was giving it an eerie feeling about it, though sophisticated and Artistic in design, the Gothic feeling about it was definitely not helping in wearing out it's rather oppressive atmosphere.
Sion took her time to map out the interior of the museum in her mind; there were nobody there, just a tall blonde female curator with glasses, busy inspecting the artifacts and it's damages. She approached the woman and brought her into her attention who in turn took off her glasses and tucked it inside her pocket before asking 'Yes?', that was a sign language. she knew she had to be the gatekeeper of the clock tower,the rest left, was to utter the password .
“Aquila muscas non captat (An eagle doesn't hawk at flies)”
The woman made a small nod and stepped to the information desk, her high heels made a dull clicking sound as she moved her legs. Sion followed and watched closely as she let out a chant and revealed a secret tunnel below the shroud of the desk, without thinking twice, Sion followed the woman down the path.
After few twist and turns inside the gloomy labyrinth, the curator stopped at a square wooden door. She tapped at the door four consecutive times and placed her hands on the door, instantly shattering it, revealing a heavily ordained chamber with a big wooden round table in the middle.
“Please, speaker of Atlas, the rest of the guests have been waiting for your arrival.”
Ignoring the courtesy of the woman ,Sion tucked her documents between her arms and moved on into the camber
in contrast to the grandiose representation and decoration of the chamber's interior the number of denizens of this room was severely small. There were two attendants besides herself, One an unabashed looking Blonde Aristocrat clad in blue Victorian dress and the other, an apathetic looking woman clad in a dark indistinct clerical clothing, her white curly hair streaming down to the mid section of her body. This woman's particular presence caught Sion off guard, she wasn't really expecting her kind to be attending, She was a high standing member of Vatican and a publicly revealed figure who isn't supposed to have any hand in the 'trite' affair of Mages.
***
“Please, miss Sion of Atlas, take your Seat.”
The woman in Blonde, seated on the left edge of the circle, offered her a seat on the other end of the circle. A legitimate seat of the representatives of Atlas, Sion accepted the offer.
“this has been all that we could call out thus far, the Sea of Estray has refused to call up a representative claiming that this isn't a part of it's affair. As for the circumstances mentioned before, the round table meeting will commence without the involvement of the representative of the Sea of Estray .”
Said the blonde girl stoically, however the awkwardness about it sounded rather forced. whatever time she had spent with the girl from the church, the added meekness brought by Sion eltnam Atlasia herself didn't help with the improvement of the milieu.
***
It is said that the original round table meeting was a scene unlike any other, The high council of the the clock tower,Sea of Estray and Atlas and the pope of the church were the original members of this congregation. But overtime, the significance of this particular event had waned; the scale of this second meeting ever was pathetic to say the least, but it didn't matter, as long as the talks progress the meeting will have served it's purpose.
Sion placed her folder on the sleek surface of the table and flipped through the documents, as per regulation the representatives of Atlas was supposed to be the first to speak. She picked one detailed sheet from the pile and gave it a cursory look, she returned it inside her folder and began her speech.
“I assume we all understand what we've been summoned here to discuss and the importance of our discussions. Miss Luviagelita Edelfelt, Stewart of The Clock Tower and Miss Caren Ortensia, The Archbishop of Vatican. As you all know there have been incidents of Artifacts gone missing, each unrevealed to the public due to it's magical potential.”
Sion eyed the attendants and after ensuring their attention, returned to her speech.
“Over the past year we have lost a total of 32 Artifacts of such value. One from the vatican, eight from the magi association nine from Atlas, and the rest from The sea of Estray respectively. Most notable of them includes king Richard the Lionheart's Templar shield and Saladin's war Scimitar. However, the estimated total number of artifacts stolen may reach up to a hundred according to the calculations made in our branch. Estimating the scattered Artifacts left to be uncovered.”
“How can we be sure of your calculations when there is no such hard evidence?”
Caren Ortensia roughly interrupted.
“We are Alchemists, therefore our calculations are reliable, Miss Ortensia.”
Sion stopped briefly, Seeing that Caren didn't mind her straightforward answer she continued
“There were distinct patterns to the total numbers of artifacts stolen.
First, the artifacts were different in their origin, meaning no two or more artifacts were from one common possessor.
Second, the artifacts were either from a well known heroes of the past Some of the artifacts lacked magical qualities such as the broken splinters of Beowulf's skull.
Third, the artifacts were of no monetary value, the artifacts have no prominence in the general public”
“So what is the point of this all? The reason why The Atlas had called up a meeting after five centuries of dissent?”
Luvia responded, willing to quickly end this prosaic speech Soon, though Sion didn't look all so impressed. She tucked the paper inside her folder and stared straight into the eyes of all the attendants
“The point is miss Luvia and miss Caren, we are in a grieve danger, never encountered before and perhaps will never be in a thousand years. We are Atlas, we don't decide things just because we want to cajole over it, we calculate and decide the most probable link to the future and the result had predicted danger, and we're here to prevent that.”
an air of silent swept the chamber like a breeze of cold wind, Both Luvia and Caren were Notably surprised by the sudden event unfolding before them, a member of the Atlas and a high rank was actually talking about something serious and they know that the ATLAS weren't so famous for getting things wrong.
***
“...Please be specific Miss Sion eltnam Atlasia.”
Responded Luvia after a period of silence. Sion quietly nodded and began
“As you all may have noticed by now, the patterns show the common practice that contestants of Heavens feel generally exhibit.”
“...Heaven's feel? Nonsense! the holy grail had been destroyed years ago, there is no way such practice would occur.”
Snarled Luvia, her fists clenched tight and her arms folded across her chest.
“Yes, this isn't heaven's feel, if it were, then there's no need for there to be hundreds of Artifacts to begin with, we suspect that the artifacts are meant to be used as a means of incurring a greater singular power, we are the biggest branch of mages but we must also note the freelance Mages, they usually have skills that we don't possess, thus the calculation of Atlas. We must find the culprit soon enough and apprehend this threat.”
She directed her attention to Caren who's been silent all the while.
“We have gathered the informations of the artifacts from the Clock Tower and Atlas including the Sea of estray, however we haven't been able to confirm the identity of the artifact stolen from your organization. Care to share your Info miss Caren?”
Caren's muscles briefly stiffened, however the members of this circle failed to recognize the minute change. The name she remembered seemed to horrify her somehow.
“We... the Vatican...has yet to confirm it's identity, the red tape bureaucracy is somehow hiding this...”
Said Caren, slightly hesitant about the answer
“Fair enough. I suspect each of our organization has had a hand on this. The countermeasure, we should discuss it.”
***
Luvia had always thought that this whole artifact thing was a bluff, as a Sponsor of Apple Street Agency she'd heard from her agents about the particular deal they made with This Sion girl. The girl
she inadvertently came across here in this round table chamber. On the surface it just seemed like a small manual clean up duty, preserving the mystic. However after hearing from this representative of Atlas, the things started to blur within her. Over a year had passed since the first stolen artifact, a year since. One year, that's enough to devise just about anything. The council,the red mage, everything just didn't seem to fit.
“The Atlas has been employing the use of the free lance mages for around 6 months and we have had mixed results with generally successful attempts at securing remaining artifacts. It is just a preventive measure we're employing, we don't have the capacity to undergo a search and capture missions.”
Sion's eyes met with Luvia's, Luvia who was blanking out in thought immediately came back to the discussion, her head, still full of questions. .
“We... have sent the blue gunner to capture our primary suspect... The Red mage, Aozaki Touko... however, we have lost contact from Aozaki Aoko ever since.”
“Aozaki... what did you say?”
Sion Stuttered in disbelief as she heard the words, it was just weeks ago that she tried to contact the puppet master, the revelation came to a sort of shock to her. She never counted her in the fray of her list of suspects, quite the opposite was true for her.
“The council gave us the order, we are just their puppets, we go by their orders... we don't know the details.”
“Authorization of deadly force?”
“Issued... and confirmed dead more or less.”
“...”
Sion's face was laden with disbelief, to issue a capture of an exile in this critical period, that was very much like the Magi Association, on normal occasions she would have questioned the indecision but the words that the fifth mage was applied in this search and destroy mission didn't leave her with much room to argue, even the Magi association wouldn't have employed the delinquent true magician without hard evidences, the fact that the Fifth magician catered to the demand of the council was a hard evidence in itself.
Sion kept her calm and rested her back on the table, somehow finding reason in the Magi association's perhaps bold and unexpected maneuver.
Luvia kept her calm amidst the looming silence and rolled her eyes towards Caren, who in turn nodded and gave her answer, quite an expected one in fact.
“As you all know, representatives of the trinity of mages, or the duality of mages in this case. the dead apostle factions have begun their offensive activities ever since the absence of the True Ancestor. And the current situation left the executioners and the burial agents full on their hands;my presence here in this ground is enough of a proof I presume. Thus we haven't employed any serious attempt at seizing back the artifact, our record shows that we are more than capable of fending for ourselves.”
What caren said was true in all, but the reasoning Sion was looking for didn't have anything to do with the quantity as more of a matter of quality. The Church, famed for it's insular policy of concealment had always managed to retain the identity of it's Christian remnants in subterfuge, but of course, she knew it had to be something big, for even the slightest news of the Artifact's absence on the ground of the church leaking out was more than enough proof that the high quality of the missing piece was impeccable.
“...however, we have recently managed to get in contact with the infamous vampire hunter. According to the seventh member of our burial agents.”
“Vampire hunter?”
Asked luvia, rather intrigued.
“Some say he is the one who sees death, the harbinger of death...”
Sion's eyes widened, the one whom the Archbishop referred to had to be none other than her acquaintance... and perhaps her first and last ever friend.
“Satsujinki!”
Luvia jumped off her seat, the name spurred somewhat of an enthusiasm within her,she's always been crazy for that name; the silent killer, The murderer of the dead apostle. He single handedly managed to kill over five Dead apostles as of now, and this name had become an idol like figure among mages and executioners alike. The fact that the church managed a contact was a rare spell and perhaps a treat. However, the appearance of Satsujinki was also an indication of the graveness of the situation, realizing that, Luvia's enthusiasm waned quite quickly.
“Our seventh burial agent is on high trail of him. The best we could offer is this.”
Sion shook her head, the situation wasn't really as good as she hoped but at least everything bordered within the spectrum of her expectancy in exception of the Word; Satsujinki, which perhaps is a good indication of what's to come... or an indication of a far graver danger... Sion hoped, the former to be true...hopefully.
***
The midnight of London was soaked wet with continuous streaks of rain, as the daughter of the dessert,the wet air about the panorama was very alien and surreal, she imagined the brimming city of London thousands of years into the future, when all that's left of Gaia dies out and the civilization that the mortals built perish to mere pockets of Sand. The river of Thames, the city, the denizens of this planet, all absent, replaced by arid stretches of desert dune. The final conclusion that the now perished ancestor of Eltnam, Wallachia, had predicted. For now she hoped the calculation be true, the end of civilization numbered but not within the realm of her generation.
Sion took her time to view the sleepless city through the window of this hotel Hilton, the tight network of roadblocks, artful mixture of sophisticated Victorian buildings and modern sky scrapers attracted her somewhat. The view,Often replaced by a sudden change of scene to a vast arid desert of Atlas and back to London as her mind went blank.
She closed the curtains to the window of this balcony and rested her tired body on the bed, on the ceiling,one luxurious crystal lamp was glimmering in a show of multifarious color and luminary. She blankly stared at the glistening light, her eyes started to feel stings, and as her vision began to fade she moved her eyes away from it. Her mind was full, her partitioned mind, calculating everything from the probability of Satsujinki's involvement to the elusive chance that the Agency she hired, accomplishing their duties. Her mind was restless, and she didn't care to take her rest.
A sudden abrupt ring from the hotel phone brought her back to her attention. Rubbing her hazy eyes she dragged her body from the bed and picked it up. Before she could say anything a voice ensued, a rough female english tone; a voice familiar to her ears.
“Miss Sion is this?”
Sion paused a bit, caught off guard briefly but she restored herself and responded.
“Miss Luvia, What is your purpose in this dead of night?”
Said Sion in an apathetic manner, purposefully adding a tone of irritation.
“The Apple Street Agency, one of the agents you hired I assume.”
The unexpected interval was a surprise indeed, she had kept this fact away, concealed within herself she never talked of this to anyone even that authorities of Atlas, fully aware of the Atlas's heavy opposition to this Idea. The mention that Atlas had taken action was a bogus at most, it was her individual crusade all along, and the meeting was made her very own consent. She had the authority to do that plus,there wasn't even a hint of probability that any of her actions be compromised moreover, by an external source.
“How did you...”
“Well, you see Miss Sion. I am their Sponsor, and sponsors inevitably get to get a share of it's agent's actions. We are more or less in this together Miss Sion, if Atlas itself was willing to help they wouldn't have sent a high ranking alchemist like you to manage everything non? The hiring of the agents and your presence in the round table, it inevitably points towards the truth that this has been a solitary action from you all along. Am I not mistaken?”
Sion gritted her teeth in disbelief, The fact that the secretary of Clock tower was a sponsor of a seemingly unimportant organization. Was a blatant possibility.
“However, I am not willing to be a mere juvenile and report this to your officials, I am not your conventional magus I can assure you that. I am willing to lead on this investigation.”
Sion stopped and after over twenty or so tick of the clock she sorted out her calm and replied.
“Is this an order from the magi association?”
“The Magi Association? this is amusing indeed, It is true that the magi association yielded to your demand of a round table meeting but that doesn't mean that it will heed your advise. The church, they're bastards more or less but they never lie about what they do. They're willing to help.”
“By what context do you offer your help?”
Sion's muscles loosed a bit as a sense of relief replaced her tension. She wasn't an enemy, someone of her kind, she knew that.
“The Officials haven't received a word from the fifth true magician but I have, in fact gotten words from her. She's kept it surreptitious, and entrusted it to me.”
“How can I trust your claim?”
“I've revealed a vital information to you, isn't that fair enough?”
There were no lies in that tone. Sion had long studied the art of diplomacy and psychology, coupled with her common use of etherlites she had developed impeccable prowess in detecting lies, and the Luvia girl wasn't lying about it, this one fact was a definite truth.
“Now, I heard you've offered a considerable sum of money to our agency, I want you to make a drastic cut to that, keep it at ten percent the original account. That will still keep them in my debt.”
Sion was baffled by this, what is the true purpose of this aristocrat?
“If they argue about it, just make excuses. They know they're not in a very valid position to refuse offers. After the compromise is reached give them another job with the rest of the money in line, instruct them to meet an agent at Las Vegas, Nevada America at hotel Egypt. keep her identity anonymous, that is all the info you'll need.”
“And your role meanwhile?”
“I'll personally investigate the matter within the Magi Association. I have a question left to be answered... Take your rest Miss Sion your Role in this story is over; this, is where I, no, we of the apple street agency begin ours.”
Before Sion could manage to land another question, the line ended. Leaving Sion in this silent room, alone and confused. Sion left her bed and made her way to the balcony door. She pushed it open and leaned her body by the wooden door frame. The cool air of London was sending shivers down her spine, but managed to calm her restlessness nonetheless.
Outside, police sirens were vibrating across the London block. The full moon was looming over the sleepless city. However, the beauty of this mesmerizing scenery was just a telltale sign of what's to come for Sion, her role in this Story is over, the rest she could do is stay and wait for the news to come and hopefully the threat will be eluded... hopefully
End apple street agency Another/Prologue