The Deserters of Akami

Something inside the pyramid was listening.

It had always been listening.

No one knew it yet.

No one knows exactly where it stands.

But those who have seen it never forget it.

An imposing mountain, whose leaves burst into a variety of colors that defy any description. The Firsts, the beings who set foot on these lands before anyone else, gave it a name: Tanjō.

To the north of Tanjō lies a territory known as The Intellectuals.

Trees with white and pink leaves surround every corner of the village. The wind always blows, light and refreshing, as if the place itself breathed with calm. And when darkness should arrive... it never quite does. Two moons rise in the sky, bathing the night in a soft light that invites rest and turns every evening into something almost ethereal.

On the outskirts, a rocky mountain rises alone. At its peak, a tower. Always watchful, always alert, recording every entry and every exit from the territory.

The village is not governed by a single voice.

It is governed by a council.

The Intellectual Masters, living beings of profound knowledge and abilities that few can match. They are the ones who instruct the inhabitants, not only in wisdom, but also in the art of combat and the mastery of the seven natural elements.

Water, fire, wind, earth, wood, metal, and thunder.

Each with its own power. Each with its own secrets.

And above all of them, there exists a figure that unites them.

Yemon, the Grand Intellectual.

His palace rises at the very center of the village, a silent reminder of who guides this territory. Yemon is not a being who goes unnoticed. Tall and slender, with pale skin and a bald head, a long white beard that falls with elegance. His dark gray eyes convey both calm and authority. The kind of gaze that does not need to raise its voice to be understood.

Yemon is wise. He transmits peace with his mere presence.

But when the situation demands it, that calm becomes something else.

Firmness, discipline, strictness.

In The Intellectuals, peace is not just an ideal. It is a requirement.

Or at least... that is what it seems like now.

Because there was a time when everything was different.

Conflicts that shook the territory to its roots. A deep division that no one saw coming, and that changed everyone's life...

Forever.

Eleven years have passed.

Eleven years since unknown faces crossed the borders of the Intellectual territory for the first time.

The outsiders, as they were called from the very beginning.

Their arrival was no minor event. Something about them changed the thinking of the Grand Intellectual Yemon, a being who did not make decisions lightly. And yet, he decided to open the doors... with one condition.

Respect the peace. Respect the order.

The outsiders accepted.

And eleven years later, they are still keeping their word.

The village breathed with its usual calm.

Among the trees with white and pink leaves, a young woman walked without hurry, with a natural confidence that required no effort. Eighteen years old, slender, wearing a sky-blue jumpsuit with white lines. The sun fell on her yellow hair making it shine, and her earth-colored eyes reflected a tranquility that seemed to spread into the atmosphere.

Lizena.

Walking beside her was someone who clearly had no intention of falling behind.

A seven-year-old boy, a little chubby, with reddish hair that caught attention from afar.

Yuzo.

Yuzo did not accompany Lizena by chance. He had proclaimed himself her guardian, convinced from the very depths of his being that it was his duty to protect her. No one had asked him for that job.

But no one was going to take it away from him either.

At the market, three young beings sitting near the fountain decided to mock him. His height, his build, the idea of a boy like him pretending to protect someone.

Yuzo stopped.

-If you keep it up... I'll have to give you a beating.

They laughed harder.

Then Lizena turned around.

Slowly.

She said nothing. She just looked at them.

That was enough.

They ran.

Yuzo crossed his arms with satisfaction.

I knew it would work.

Lizena smiled softly.

-Thank you for protecting me, Yuzo. You're my favorite guardian.

He had no idea what had actually happened.

And Lizena said nothing. She just smiled.

By the time they reached the delivery spot, Haito was already waiting.

Haito.

Lizena's father. Calm, observant, with the kind of presence that didn't need to announce itself.

Beside him stood Yasudo. Slender but defined, his body a record of years of combat carved into scars. Gray hair with black streaks, light brown eyes that conveyed the calm of someone who had experienced everything.

Yasudo.

-Thank you, Yuzo -Haito said-. You've done a good job.

Yuzo stood straighter immediately.

-Dad... where is Joshido? -he asked, looking around.

-Eternity -Yasudo answered-. Training with Eldren.

That was all Yuzo needed to hear.

He was already running.

The wide open space behind them held a history that hadn't been forgotten.

In the past it had been surrounded by trees. Many trees. Until a training session so fierce took place there that, ever since, nothing had grown back.

Nothing.

Its name said it all.

The Dead Field.

Eternity.

It rose inside the Dead Field as if it had always belonged there. An enormous pyramid of dark gray color, built with a solid and resistant material that invited no questions about its origin. It stood a little apart, as if its very presence demanded distance.

Yuzo stopped in front of the entrance.

Something floated there.

An artifact. Small, silent, suspended in the air with no apparent reason. Yuzo observed it with curiosity... and then the artifact opened.

An eye appeared.

Floating, still, looking directly at him.

It scanned him in silence. One second, two, three.

The entrance opened on its own.

Upon entering, Yuzo noticed something different immediately.

Eternity now had a second level.

But that could be explored later. Because on the first level, something commanded all his attention.

A fight.

Hand-to-hand, without rest. The movements were fast, precise, the kind of exchange that left no margin for distraction.

One of them was Eldren, Lizena's younger brother. Twelve years old, pale skin, short blond hair. His dark brown eyes followed every movement without missing a detail. Despite his slender body and medium height, there was something in the way he moved that made him seem more solid than he was.

Standing before him was Joshido.

Eleven years old, slender, tan skin. Short black hair crossed by light gray streaks that moved every time he dodged a blow. He slid around Eldren with fast and well-calculated movements, responding to each attack with a speed that did not seem fitting for someone his age.

Yuzo looked at them.

And without being able to help it, he felt something warm in his chest seeing his older brother like that.

Joshido.

Zor.

Not far from the two fighters, there was someone else. His dark skin shone under the light of the place. Tall, slender, muscular. The kind of figure that does not need to do anything to command respect. No hair. Pointed ears. Hard black eyes like stone, that missed no detail.

He watched the fight with absolute attention.

Ready to intervene at the exact instant he deemed necessary. No sooner. No later.

Joshido and Eldren took distance at the same time.

A barely perceptible smile appeared on both their lips, as if the real confrontation was about to begin and they both knew it.

Eldren raised his hands. The air around him responded immediately.

Joshido tilted his body slightly forward.

From each wrist, a metallic blade emerged with a cold and precise flash, fixing itself as a natural extension of his arm.

-Even if it's just training -said Eldren-, I'm going to take it seriously.

Without further warning, he launched several wind bursts in rapid succession.

Joshido didn't retreat.

He ran straight toward him.

His metallic blades cut through the bursts one after another. He took advantage of the opening, leaped and got even closer. His weapons rose, ready for the final blow.

Then a hand appeared.

Firm and still.

Zor had positioned himself between the two in a movement so fast it was difficult to pinpoint exactly when it had happened. With one hand he gripped Joshido's arm. With the other, he stopped Eldren.

He held both of them motionless.

The silence that followed was clear enough.

Zor looked at Eldren first.

-Even if you are the son of the Intellectual wind master, that does not give you the right to use such a damaging attack in a simple training session. And even less so against someone close to you.

Then he turned toward Joshido.

-And you? Your weapons are as dangerous as your father's...

A brief pause.

-Or perhaps more.

Zor released them slowly and took a step back.

Both had a fierce instinct to prove who was stronger, even being beings barely in development. That kind of fire was not taught. Either it was there, or it wasn't.

And in both of them it burned clearly.

When they grow up, they will become warriors worthy of admiration.

He had barely taken a few steps back when Eldren and Joshido exchanged a sideways glance.

The tension reignited instantly.

-I would have won -muttered Eldren, crossing his arms.

-You? I already had you in my hands.

-If it weren't for Zor, you would have ended up on the ground.

-You dream too much.

Then a voice interrupted them.

-That was incredible!!

Yuzo came running from the entrance, almost out of breath, with an expression that radiated pure admiration.

-Seriously, you were incredible! Every attack, every movement...

He stopped, chest heaving, eyes shining.

-I want to be just as strong as you someday!

Yuzo's sincerity disarmed everything.

Eldren cleared his throat, looking away. Joshido turned his face just in time to hide a smile.

Zor fixed his gaze on Yuzo.

-Do you want to train too? I can talk to my son so you can train together.

Yuzo swallowed.

-I'd love to, but... I only came to tell you that food is almost ready.

Silence.

And then, a rumble.

Deep, unmistakable, resonating inside Eternity as if the place itself had amplified it.

Everyone went still.

Yuzo took exactly one second to identify where the sound was coming from.

Zor's stomach.

Zor crossed his arms. Closed his eyes. Nodded with absolute serenity.

-I suppose it is time to eat.

And with that, he walked toward the exit as if nothing had happened.

A few steps behind, Eldren and Joshido watched it all with the same expression.

Surprised, in silence, watching Zor disappear without even turning around.

Yuzo let his gaze wander around the interior of Eternity, stopping at each detail he did not remember seeing before.

-I haven't been here in days... I notice several improvements. That eye at the entrance, the second level... when did you do all of this?

Joshido opened his mouth to respond.

He didn't get to.

-I did it!! I was able to create it!!

The voice exploded from above. The three froze at the same time, looking at each other with eyes wide open.

A mechanical hum filled the space. Everyone looked up.

A platform was descending slowly from the second level.

And on it, someone.

A tall, slender figure. Small black boots that touched the floor without making a sound. A completely black sleeveless jumpsuit, over which he wore an open jacket decorated with yellow lines that glowed faintly as if they had a life of their own.

But what drew the most attention was his face.

Almost completely hidden.

Round, wide, yellow-tinted lenses covered his eyes completely, leaving visible only his nose and a serene, almost cold mouth. The kind of expression that revealed nothing, and for that very reason revealed everything.

-Now I understand -Yuzo murmured-. The only one who could pull something like this off... is someone as stubborn as him.

Nokio, the Illusory Scientist.

-Don't be too impressed by his entrance -Joshido warned-. You'll only inflate his ego.

-He just wants attention -Eldren added.

Nokio let out a brief laugh.

-Something that goes far beyond what you can imagine.

Then he raised his voice.

-Dogma, introduce yourself.

A moment of silence.

And then, a female voice resonated throughout the place.

-Greetings, my name is Dogma.

-Where... where is that coming from? -Joshido asked.

-This voice is Eternity.

-I have managed to give Eternity independent thought -Nokio said-. In other words... I have given it life.

-Dogma is capable of analyzing every detail of a training session. From the way a body moves to the most subtle errors in combat. It can even suggest improvements.

A brief pause.

-Furthermore... it can detect the presence of any stranger approaching the Intellectual territory.

The silence that followed was not one of indifference.

It was one of disbelief.

-Dogma, analyze Joshido.

-Analysis complete.

Joshido tensed immediately.

-Joshido possesses a high combat ability. His reflexes and adaptability place him above average.

The voice made a brief pause.

-However, his substantial weapon presents difficulties in its use. Despite having been born with it, he does not fully master it.

The silence grew heavy.

-If he wishes to improve, he will need to learn to use his weapon with greater precision. Otherwise, in a real combat, what should be his greatest strength...

A pause.

-...will become his main weakness.

Joshido tightened his fists slightly.

Eldren and Yuzo exchanged glances. Neither had expected such a direct analysis... nor such an accurate one.

Before the atmosphere could relax, Dogma spoke again.

-An increase in Joshido's body levels has been detected. His pulse and energy flow have risen. Was there something that caused him discomfort?

Joshido let out a brief dry laugh.

-I'm not bothered.

He turned around. But his steps were firm.

-I'm just hungry.

Without looking back, he headed toward the exit and left.

The silence he left behind was more eloquent than any argument.

Nokio turned toward Eldren.

-Do you want Dogma to analyze you too?

-No, thank you, I'm perfectly fine -Eldren answered, already walking toward the exit.

And then Eternity fell silent.

Only two remained.

Yuzo and Nokio.

-You know -Yuzo said in a low voice-. It would have been better if Dogma had never existed.

Nokio opened his eyes slightly.

He didn't get to say anything.

Yuzo was already turning toward the exit.

The door of Eternity closed behind him.

-Did I do something wrong?

Dogma's voice resonated in the void. Clear, impersonal.

That's the price you pay for wanting to improve things.

-No, Dogma. You did nothing wrong. Now... help me with other matters.

The platform ascended in silence.

-Before I tell you... I want you to understand something very well. Everything we are going to do will be our secret. You are forbidden from revealing information to anyone.

A pause.

-The only way you may speak is if the right moment arrives... or if something happens to me.

-Understood -Dogma responded, with absolute obedience.

Below, the exit had long since closed behind Joshido.

His steps were firm.

But somewhere inside him, something Dogma had said refused to leave.

What should be his greatest strength...

...will become his main weakness.