Chapter 4: Intersecting Destinies
Chapter 4: Intersecting Destinies
Day 3
Cliff
EARLY the next day, Cliff and Lovel carried on with gathering information in the pleasure quarters near the port. Yet, just like the prior day, they were unable to learn anything new about Sephiroth, despite asking around until dusk.
“Blegh, looks like randomly asking people isn’t gonna get us any leads…” Cliff muttered. Lovel nodded in agreement. Simply asking around could only get them so far, and they both felt like they had already hit the limit.
For that matter, their empty stomachs had reached their limits too. Lovel sighed. “Hah…I’m so hungry I could eat a Clay Golem…” she said over the loud complaints from her growling stomach. “I haven’t had anything to eat since the day before yesterday…”
“I’m used to going without food for two or more days. But agreed, there’s no end in sight the way things are goin’ for us.”
“Ugh. What do we do now, Cliff…? Wanna just abduct a passing Rabbi and get them to cough up the information?”
Cliff shook his head. “Better toss that plan out the window. There’s a high chance we’ll lose if they fight back.”
“Don’t wuss out on me now! Can’t we take them all on with Gandolf on our side?”
“Look here, Lovel, did you just forget that Gandolf’s Restrictor is ‘can’t hurt humans’? Even if he can give the Rabbis’ Golems a thrashin’, he’s useless against the Rabbis themselves.”
Lovel looked shocked, as if Cliff had just dropped a major bomb on her. “I didn’t realize that our trusty partner has weaknesses too… But what’ll happen if he goes against his Restrictor?”
“Golems ignore any orders that violate their Restrictor. But if the situation forces them to go against it, they’ll stop moving.” Cliff explained what he recalled from his master’s Golem lessons. “And if the Restrictor’s one that can never be abided after it’s been broken once—like ‘can’t kill’—the Golem will never be able to move again. In a nutshell, the Golem dies.”
Lovel’s face darkened. “…He’ll die?”
“He will. That’s why I want to avoid taking any action that puts us at odds with people. I’m pretty sure with a light Restrictor like ‘can’t hurt humans’ Gandolf will be able to move again after the person recovers, but I don’t want to risk it.”
“That makes sense… It is how it is.” She averted her eyes from Cliff, a bitter smile spreading across her lips. Her profile seemed to have hints of misgivings. The unusual expression weighed heavily on Cliff’s mind. But it vanished when Lovel promptly changed the topic. “By the way, Cliff, what does ‘Gandolf’ mean?”
“Huh? Uh, apparently in the ancient language it means comrade in arms. Master came up with it.”
“Now that’s a fine name. How about your name, Cliff?”
“Umm…dunno.” It was the name given by his father, who’d suddenly vanished one day when he was seven years old. Cliff highly doubted it held any special meaning. “I mean, I bet it doesn’t mean anything much. It’s a common name, after all.”
“You think so? I’m of the opinion that every name has a meaning behind it.”
“Okay, how about your name then? What does it mean?”
“Eh? My name?” Lovel made an awkward smile and fidgeted bashfully. She drew circles in the dirt with the tip of her boot. “It has a meaning, all right. It’s way too romantic for its own good though. Hmm, I’m not gonna tell you, Cliff.”
“Fine. I won’t force you.”
“Hey, don’t give up so easily! Be pushier about it!” She tugged on his sleeve.
“What the heck? What do you want from me?” Cliff said, exasperated, just as a furious bellow erupted nearby.
“That ‘ittle punk didn’t c’mere today?!”
Cliff turned to glance at a pub, where a big man was yelling at a beautiful woman.
“He hasn’t come by. Quit taking your anger out on me just because you were beaten to a pulp by a little boy, Kane,” the pretty woman snapped in disgust.
“Wanna repeat that?! Should ya really be runnin’ that mouth of yours off to yer best bodyguard?”
“Nobody ever asked you to be the pub’s bodyguard or bouncer. Quit actin’ like you’re Riko’s pimp and get a real job.”
“Shut the hell up! I don’t wanna get a job!” ranted the big man, stepping closer to the woman. The situation prickled with danger. Cliff debated what to do, when he realized that Lovel had taken off in a beeline for the pub.
“H-Hey, Lovel?!”
There was no time to stop her. Lovel charged at the big man, seized his arm, and, using the full force of her momentum, threw him.
“GAH!” The man slammed into the ground and lay there sprawled out, like a snow angel in the dirt.
Dusting her hands off, Lovel declared, “Isn’t it too early to get drunk? Cool your head off!”
The pretty woman’s eyes opened wide with surprise for a split second before a smile overtook her face and she threw her arms around Lovel. “Thanks a bunch! You’re so strong, sweetheart! You’re my savior!”
“No, I only did the obvious thing,” Lovel said humbly. “I can’t stand men who abuse women.”
Normally, Cliff would say something to Lovel for jumping into danger like that, but he was preoccupied by the pretty woman’s deep voice. It seemed strangely incongruent with her appearance.
Just when the flicker of an unbelievable notion crossed his mind, the pretty woman cackled in a throaty voice. “Gahahahaha! You’re such an honest girl! I’m a man, sweetheart. A MAN!”
“WHAT?!” exclaimed both Cliff and Lovel. They leaned in, intently studying “his” face. Upon closer inspection, they noticed the bits of stubble on his chin, along with an Adam’s apple sticking out of his throat.
“I’m Miles Smokers, the owner of this pub. Come inside and I’ll give you a treat as thanks!” he said with a wink to the dumbfounded children.
***
PIANO music was playing inside the dimly lit pub. The sun had yet to set, leaving the pub empty until its usual clientele got off work. Cliff was immersed in the quiet, comforting ambience, but he couldn’t relax. He couldn’t help being keenly aware of the two lingerie-clad women sitting on either side of him.
“Oh, what an adorable young customer we have here!”
“Oh my gosh, look at these red cheeks! You’re too adorable!”
The women gushed over him in honeyed whispers, pinching his cheeks and putting their hands all over him. Chills rushed down his spine, and he shuddered as they blew on his ears.
“Hey, help me out here, Lovel…” Cliff pleaded, looking to the girl sitting opposite of him. But Lovel grinned away like an idiot in the company of two women on both sides of her as well.
“DAHAHA!” Lovel chortled. “Isn’t it a great day to have a beautiful flower on both arms?” She put an arm around each woman’s shoulders.
What in the world is she doing? Cliff thought. She didn’t even glance his way.
“Little boy? Are you listening to me, honey?”
“You needn’t be afraid of us, cutie pie. We’ll treat you extra special.”
Cornered in the booth seat by the cooing women, Cliff felt the blood rush to his head. His face felt awfully hot.
Somebody, help me… He prayed, just as the owner Miles finally came to their table.
“Okay, go ahead and eat up, sweeties! We’re famous for our turkey pita!” Miles invited, placing plates with well-roasted turkey sandwiched between pita bread in front of Cliff and Lovel.
“Oh! Now this looks yummy!” Lovel cheered.
“Th-Thanks for the food!” Cliff said.
Though Cliff had a hard time calming his nerves in this environment, his hunger won out. A juicy deliciousness filled his mouth when he sunk his teeth into the pita overflowing with meaty gravy.
Cliff and Lovel quickly lost themselves in greedily scarfing down the food and drinks brought to their table. Their bellies were bulging by the time they finished consuming every last morsel. Sitting back with a contented bliss washing over her face, Lovel looked Miles over.
“I’m still reeling in shock. Who knew such a beautiful man could exist? Must mean that infinite possibilities exist for mankind, huh?”
Flattered, Miles said bashfully, “You might think otherwise, but I look this way without cosmetic surgery. Not that I have any intention of ever getting it done, when it costs such an absurd amount of money.”
“You don’t need it! If you were to get anything done, wouldn’t it just be a sex change surgery?”
“Hey, don’t be rude, Lovel!” Cliff scolded.
But Miles just shook his hand and smiled. “I don’t mind at all, sweetheart. But aren’t you such a proper young boy? You’re so adorable!”
“Ugh…”
The beautiful drag queen’s flirtatious smile set off a whirl of complicated feelings inside of Cliff. Miles winked at him before shifting his eyes back to Lovel.
“Anyways, you said you’re a student from Head Island, right? What business do you have in these pleasure quarters?”
“I’m in the middle of searching for something.”
“You’re in the middle of a search? That some kind of new trend these days?”
Cliff had no idea what Miles meant. Lovel tilted her head as well, but she took the opportunity to dig for information. “Oh yeah, I’ll ask since I’m here… Miles, do you know anything about Sephiroth?”
“Sephiroth?”
“It’s a Silver Golem that the Torah Church created about four years ago. From what I gather, they’re hiding it somewhere.”
“Hmm, I haven’t heard of it before.” Lovel and Cliff hung their heads at the unsurprising letdown. However, Miles went on to say more than they usually received. “…But I know somebody who might know more.”
“Oh? Who?”
“His name is Ouka. He’s a Golem Artificer with a Golem factory called OUKA-AN, out on Heartbreak Hill. It seems like he was a Rabbi until just four years ago. I think asking him would be worth a shot.”
Cliff and Lovel exchanged looks.
“Four years ago, huh?” Cliff remarked. “Now that’s a funny coincidence… What do you think, Lovel? Want to try askin’ him?”
“Yeah. We might get a lead.”
They nodded to each other and stood from their seats.
“Thanks, Miles! We’ll try our luck at that factory!” Lovel said.
“And thanks for the feast!” Cliff added.
“Make sure you come back again, you hear? I’ll give you a special service!” Miles called as he saw them off from the pub.
Once outside, Cliff and Lovel rejoined Gandolf behind the pub. Lovel flashed Cliff a teasing grin as they were about to head off for Heartbreak Hill.
“Now that was entertaining! You’ve got no tolerance for women, do you, Cliff?” Lovel cackled, upsetting him.
“What the heck?! You shoulda helped me out if you noticed!”
“I left you be because it was sooo amusing! You were just too cute turning all red like a tomato!”
Cliff’s face flushed crimson yet again. “A-A woman shouldn’t call a man cute!”
“Okay, okay. I understand how you feel, so let’s get a move on it, my comrade in arms!”
“Who’re you callin’ comrade?! Comrades don’t let other comrades down when they’re in a pinch just ‘cause they find it funny!”
Bickering endlessly, Cliff and Lovel walked the road leading to the mines.
***
Erie
AT that same time in Chest Island’s mine, Erie was conducting her own investigation into Jair with Heath at her side. But she wasn’t prepared for the population difference between Head Island and Chest Island. While it was technically considered a small island, over forty thousand people resided on the densely populated Chest Island. Pinpointing Jair’s location among the crowd was no easy feat.
“No one knows who Jair is, Heathy… Do you suppose he isn’t actually on Chest Island?” Erie whispered to him. Though she asked every miner she came across, she hadn’t learned anything about Jair.
Maybe my initial theory that Jair’s a resident of Chest Island was wrong? Erie pondered what she was doing wrong while heading down the road, when a discarded newspaper on the ground caught her eye.
“…?”
There was a picture of St. Rollins Academy, the school she had attended until the day before yesterday, taking up page three. Erie picked up the newspaper out of curiosity and read the article under the picture.
“The Supernatural Comes to St. Rollins Academy?! Lots of Blood Found and One Security Guard Missing”
On the night of March 21st, an incident took place that laid waste to the walls of an old school building in Head Island’s St. Rollins Academy. Numerous bloodstains have been discovered inside the building, along with what appears to be fragments of a broken Clay Golem in its vicinity.
Since that very day, the Academy’s security guard, Enrico Salvini (age 62) has gone missing. The Torah Church authorities are currently investigating his connection to this incident.
Erie furrowed her brow as she read the article. The bloodstains most likely belonged to Heath. The Clay Golem fragments belonged to the Adamahs. But there was one glaring, incorrect detail documented in the article.
“What are they saying…?! The security guard didn’t go missing!”
Erie was absolutely certain the security guard had been killed that night, by what was very clearly Jair’s handiwork. But the newspaper article listed the security guard as “missing.” Did Jair hide the body? Where would he have hidden it?
Something doesn’t add up here! He shouldn’t have had the time to do something with the body… I need to confirm what’s going on. Knowing what she had to do, Erie broke into a run for the Academy.
Exiting the mine, she dashed down the road leading to Head Island. On the way, she heard a voice she recognized.
“…So, Cliff, give it to me straight: do you have experience dating girls?”
“How long are you gonna keep teasing me for?! C’mon, let’s go already!”
Startled by the familiar voice, Erie spun around and spotted the boy and girl passing by her, heading for the mine, followed by a Golem draped in a raggedy cloth. The nostalgic sight of the girl’s back caught Erie’s attention.
“Lovel…?” she breathed.
For a moment, Erie thought she had come across the upperclassman she admired, but this girl looked like a delinquent. Her short miniskirt and tube top didn’t match the Lovel that Erie knew.
I suppose it’s someone else… Right now, I’m more worried about what happened at the Academy. Erie pulled herself together and resumed her dash for the Academy.
***
Ouka
AROUND that same time, Ouka was working in his factory. He restored Dram’s severed right foreleg first. Once he finished, he had a light meal and ran his eyes over the newspaper. The article on page three jumped out at him.
“‘The Supernatural Comes to St. Rollins Academy?! Lots of Blood Found and One Security Guard Missing’…?” he read the headline aloud.
From the sound of it, something bizarre had gone down at St. Rollins Academy. The news troubled Ouka.
An incident at the Academy, with this timing? I just bet it’s got something to do with those kids.
Both the girl Spinoza asked him to find and the girl with a Fresh Golem he’d bumped into last night were students at St. Rollins Academy. It was highly likely they were connected. Following his gut, Ouka decided to pay the Academy a visit.
“I’d love to take Dram, but…probably best if I don’t.”
Dram’s Restrictor was, “can’t move for more than two hours a day.” Overusing him early on ran the risk of him not working at a dire moment.
Ironically, the harsher the Restrictor, the greater the Golem’s usability and life span became. Ouka had placed a particularly strict Restrictor on Dram because Dram was his treasured partner.
I want to save him for later, Ouka thought. He left the factory alone with the quarterstaff he had retrieved from Spinoza.
It had once been his favorite silver extendable staff. The verses of scripture engraved on it were the badge of a Rabbi. Walking around with the quarterstaff dangling from his waist made Ouka feel like he had returned to his Rabbi days.
***
BEFORE long, the closest underground station—Heartbreak Hill Station—came into view. A steam train slid into the platform as soon as Ouka entered the station. He boarded the train and sighed.
There was only one train route on this island—the line linking this station to the northern Torah Church Station. Passengers had no choice but to disembark at Torah Church Station if they wanted to catch a train to Head Island.
“Oh man, I am not keen on passin’ through the Church.”
There was someone at the Church Ouka didn’t want to come across at all costs.
I sure hope I don’t run into her by accident.
The steam train arrived at Torah Church Station as he prayed to God hoping not to bump into anyone. Ouka disembarked at the platform and quickly surveyed the station.
…Great, I don’t see her, he confirmed as he stealthily made his way to the exit. Right as he stepped outside, a voice called out to him.
“Why are you here, Ouka?”
Cringing, Ouka slowly turned around. A Rabba stood inside the Church’s front gardens, near the station exit. They were seeing each other for the first time in ages, and she was already glowering at him with the utmost disgust from behind her glasses.
Torah Chief Kiriko Strife—Ouka’s former coworker and the woman he’d hoped to never see again.
“Kiriko…”
“Did you not hear me? I just asked you why a non-Rabbi such as yourself sees it fit to step foot on Church grounds,” she restated, briskly striding over to him.
Ouka flashed a daring smile. “My business ain’t with the Church. I’ve got somethin’ to check on at St. Rollins Academy, per Spinoza’s request.”
“You have business at the Academy? I don’t know what Torah Lord Spinoza said to you, but our Church is in no need of your assistance. Only we Rabbi are capable of executing justice on this archipelago.”
“I see you’re still stiff-necked as ever, Kiriko,” Ouka said with a wry grin. Intense pain abruptly shot through his shin—Kiriko had kicked him with the tip of her boot. “YEOW! What’d you do that for?!”
“Please don’t utter my name with such familiarity, Illegal Golem Artificer scum.”
“Huh. You know ‘bout that too?”
“Of course I do. I am merely postponing your arrest until the Torah Lord stops protecting you… In any case, I can hardly believe you stooped so low that you became a criminal after quitting the Church. I’m sure even Alita would be disappointed if he saw you now.”
“…!” Ouka bit his tongue at the sound of that familiar name. Averting his eyes from her, he responded, “…Y’know, I just came to despise the Church, is all. Thought my skills would be of better service elsewhere.”
“And you decided that the best service your skills could provide would be as an Illegal Golem Artificer? I can’t even begin to comprehend your life choices.” Kiriko loudly exhaled and turned on her heel to leave. “You may very well despise the Church, but it is you who I despise. The next time you show me that ugly face of yours, I shall beat you until you can no longer stand.”
Ouka watched her go. Once alone, he shrugged and headed off toward his destination.
***
OUKA arrived at St. Rollins Academy in the evening. The campus was full of students on their way home from their last class of the day. The old school building was cordoned off with rope, preventing anyone from getting close. Ouka saw Rabbis on watch duty patrolling the area.
As expected, the Church is investigating this incident too. I want to inspect the old school building, but it won’t be pretty if I get caught by the Rabbis. I’m definitely in for a whooping if they tattle on me to Kiriko… How do I go about this?
Ouka scanned the area and spotted a bearded gentleman in front of the dorms located next to the school building. He meticulously swept the entrance with a broom.
Is he the dormitory custodian?
Zeroing in on the possible lead, Ouka walked over to the gentleman and called out to him. “Um, excuse me? Are you the dormitory custodian?”
The bearded gentleman stopped sweeping to get a look at him. “I am. Who might you be?”
“This,” Ouka said, patting the quarterstaff hanging from his belt, “is who I am.” The custodian straightened up upon seeing it.
“You’re a Rabbi? Did you come here to investigate the incident that occurred in the old school building?”
“Please forgive my casual appearance. I had been enjoying a day off when I was roped into conducting an investigation at the Torah Lord’s behest.”
“I see.” The custodian nodded, convinced by his explanation for why he was out of uniform. Ouka was grinning like a madman inside.
Hey, I ain’t lying. This old guy’s just drawin’ his own conclusions.
With those wicked thoughts at the back of his mind, Ouka inquired, “I’m sure the other Rabbis have questioned you as well, but would it be possible for you to relate what you know of the case to me as well?”
“Well, that’s the thing… I’m not really sure what happened. There’s so much blood all over the place, and we still don’t know whose it is,” the custodian answered, rubbing his wrinkled brow. With worry lacing his tone, he added, “…And the circumstances are very unsettling for me… Three students disappeared from the dorms the same day the incident occurred.”
“Students went missing?”
“Yes. Students from our high school division: Sophomore Lovel Sinclair, and the freshmen, Erie Reyer and Heath Coleman, are gone.”
Ouka furtively balled his hands into fists.
Lovel was the name of the girl Spinoza asked him to find. And Erie and Heath were more than likely the two kids he’d run into yesterday. Seeing how the girl called the Fresh Golem “Heathy,” it was extremely likely.
Goin’ by that bit of info, the bloodstains in the old school building are Heath’s…? If I have to guess, somebody killed Heath, and Erie turned him into a Golem in a last-ditch effort to make it out alive. The pieces fit if I think of it that way.
Ouka began forming a hypothesis about what happened and pressed on with the questioning. “What kind of person was the security guard who went missing?”
“He was a very gentle old man who cared deeply for the students. The other Rabbis seem to be of the opinion that the security guard must have kidnapped the students and vanished, but…I highly doubt that’s the case.”
Now that theory definitely missed the mark. The fact of the matter was that Erie had been wandering Chest Island last night. It’d make more sense if whoever killed Heath had also killed the security guard.
Ouka was starting to see the whole picture of what went down at the old school building. But there was just one more thing that he needed clarity on.
“Then let me ask you, what kind of person is the missing student, Lovel Sinclair?”
He had essentially zero information on Lovel so far. He needed to gather clues that would help track her down.
Ignorant of Ouka’s true intentions, the custodian cooperated and began detailing what he knew. “If you are all right with what I know of her…”
***
Erie
ERIE was hiding in the shadow of the school gates eavesdropping on Ouka’s conversation.
Why is Mister Navarov with that scary man…?!
She was met with the unexpected when she came to check on things at the Academy—Ouka, the man who harassed her yesterday, beat her there.
The dorm custodian Navarov was a kind and friendly gentleman. Such a virtuous man was unlikely to suspect what a cretin Ouka truly was.
Erie wanted to warn him, but she lacked the courage to step out of her hiding place. Navarov accommodated Ouka by answering any questions he had.
“If you are all right with what I know of her… Lovel entered the Academy dormitory eight years ago, at the age of nine, and has lived her entire life here since—as an orphan.”
Electricity shot down Erie’s spine when she heard who they were talking about.
He’s asking around about Lovel?! Is he hunting her down as well?! Now that I think about it, Mister Navarov told me that Lovel disappeared the day before yesterday. Did she get drawn into some sort of trouble and end up with that man after her?
Ouka, unaware that Erie was listening, commented, “She’s an orphan? Then that would make this dorm her home.”
“Yes, it is. I became the dorm custodian around the time she enrolled. I’ve watched her grow since the very day she settled in, and I can say with certainty that she is a fine young woman… And that is exactly why I am wrought with worry. This is the first time she has ever gone missing.”
Erie felt just as worried as Navarov. She didn’t know why Ouka was pursuing Lovel, but he was a dangerous man who had tried to destroy Heath. Surely, Lovel would be in grave danger if he managed to catch her.
I have to let Lovel know! But where is she right now? Erie recalled the girl she spotted on her way to the Academy from Chest Island.
“Oh…!” Erie gasped. She thought she’d mistaken someone else for her favorite upperclassman, but now she was certain that had been Lovel. No doubt her delinquent appearance was a disguise meant to throw off her pursuers.
I’m pretty sure Lovel was heading toward the mine… I might find her if I hurry!
Erie shifted, trying to leave the dorms with Heath. In that exact moment, Ouka turned around.
“Hm…? AH, little lady?!”
He found me! Erie kicked off in a frenzied dash.
“WAIT!” his voice bellowed behind her.
“Miss Erie?!” Navarov called after her.
But Erie raced away at full speed without looking back—in order to warn Lovel about Ouka.
***
Cliff
THE sun set on Heartbreak Hill, dyeing the massive mineshaft in the colors of dusk. Cliff, Lovel, and Gandolf loitered in front of the nearby Golem Factory OUKA-AN.
They had dropped by in hopes of gaining some useful information on Sephiroth, but the factory owner appeared to be away at the moment. Cliff polished Gandolf’s body to kill time.
“Hmm…from the look of things, that Ouka guy isn’t coming back anytime soon,” he muttered.
“I’m sick of waiting. We’ve been here for little over an hour,” Lovel complained. Tired of standing, she opted to lean against a lion statue sitting in the shadow of the factory.
A quick scan of the mine’s activities indicated that the business hours were coming to a close for the day. Golems finished with their work pushed railcars filled with ore back to their fixed starting locations. Miners returned in groups to the apartment complexes crowding their surroundings. Yet, for all the activity, the owner of the factory hadn’t shown up.
“What do you want to do, Lovel? Come back tomorrow?”
“But if we stay, we might actually get a solid lead this time, you know? Let’s wait it out a little longer.”
“Lovel!” a voice called abruptly from the distance. Lovel hopped to her feet, turning her head toward the voice, and Cliff whirled around.
They saw a girl and boy running toward them. The girl skidded to a stop in front of Lovel and desperately spoke through gasps for air. “I-I finally found you…! I knew it was you, Lovel!” A smile of relief blossomed on her face. Cliff didn’t recognize the beautiful girl wearing St. Rollins Academy’s uniform.
“Wh-Who are you? Lovel’s friend?” he asked.
The girl nodded. “Ah, yes, I am! I’m Erie Reyer. This here is Heath Coleman. We’re Lovel’s underclassmen at the Academy.”
The boy she introduced as Heath dipped his head in a small bow. Confusion spread across Lovel’s face.
“E-Erie? Um, err, oh yeah, I kinda remember you…! I forget, were we close?”
“No, I wouldn’t say we’re especially close… I just know who you are because you are very popular among the students, Lovel.”
“I-I see… Sorry for the rude question.”
“Don’t be. I’m sure it’s difficult to remember the faces of every underclassman at school…” Erie trailed off, her face giving way to a lonely smile. But, remembering what she came to do, she brushed her feelings aside and cut to the chase. “Anyway, Lovel, I heard you’ve been missing since the day before yesterday. What are you doing here?”
“It’s a long story, but the short version is that I’m searching for something. I’m currently waiting for this factory’s owner to come back.” Lovel pointed a thumb to the factory behind her.
Erie looked at the sign and gasped. “Golem Factory OUKA-AN…?! By Ouka, does it mean THAT Ouka?!”
“What’s wrong?”
“You’re in trouble, Lovel! The owner of this factory is after you!”
Cliff and Lovel exchanged questioning looks.
“Are you sayin’ that while we’ve been searching for this Ouka guy, he’s been trying to find us too?” Cliff asked.
“I wonder why. It couldn’t be a request from the Church, could it?” Lovel tilted her head.
“A request from the Church…!” Erie exclaimed. “Why didn’t I think of that?! There’s a high chance that’s the case!”
Ouka used to be a Rabbi four years ago according to Miles. Was he still connected to the Church after his retirement, resulting in him taking on a special mission to apprehend Cliff and Lovel?
“I don’t know what situation you’re in, Lovel, but I really think you should run away,” Erie quietly urged. Cliff and Lovel contemplated the news she brought. “He’s an Amber Golem Tamer and is quite skilled too,” she added.
“Th-That sounds like big trouble,” Lovel agreed. “Trying to ask him questions seems like the last thing we should be doing now—” Something completely unexpected occurred as she spoke. The lion statue sitting in the shadow of the factory moved behind her.
“…?!”
Cliff stared at it, stupefied, but Erie shouted, “Lovel!”
The moving lion lunged at Lovel. She was knocked down faster than she could finish turning around.
“Ouch! What? What? What’s going on?!”
With Lovel face-up on the ground, the lion pinned her limbs. Face to face with the lion, Lovel noticed the letters “emeth” glowing on its forehead.
“A lion-shaped Golem?! This is—”
“Ouka’s Golem!” Erie warned.
Cliff frantically surveyed their surroundings and immediately spotted an unshaven man strolling toward them from the direction of Head Island.
“What luck, tracking the little lady led me to find you two with her. This is like killin’ two birds with one stone—or should I say three?” The man stopped about ten meters away and looked them over. He was undoubtedly that Ouka.
Underneath the lion, Lovel yelled, “So you’re Ouka! You’re such a coward for springing a surprise attack on us! You’re not worthy of being a former Rabbi!”
Ouka smirked. “Call me a strategic man. Rumors say you’re a ferocious one, so I went straight to my book of tricks.”
Erie glowered at him. Heath’s hand shot to the scabbard at his waist, but Ouka held out his hand to stop him.
“Don’t be so hasty, little lady and her accompanying boyfriend. I let down my guard last night, but I’m serious today. I won’t stand for Dram’s legs getting chopped off again,” Ouka hissed. Animosity gleamed in his eyes. Overwhelmed, Erie fell silent.
Eyeing Ouka carefully, Cliff spoke up, asking, “Looks like the stories about Amber Golem Tamers being skilled are true… But why are you after us? Did the Church put you up to this?”
“That’s very perceptive of you, boy. But you’re missing half the reason why I’m doin’ this.”
“What’s the other half?”
“The other half is personal. I just can’t overlook those cubes being in circulation.”
Cliff frowned. He had to be talking about Lovel’s red cube. But why was Ouka hunting down Erie too? Cliff found the whole thing suspicious.
“It ain’t a good thing for ya to be pokin’ around for Sephiroth either. I’d say it’s a Golem more dangerous than you kiddos can even imagine,” Ouka chided.
“You know about Sephiroth?!” Cliff asked, shocked.
“Oh I know about him, all right—I know him REAL WELL.” A dark shadow fell over Ouka’s eyes. “Though there are only a handful of people left at the Church who still know anything.”
Oblivious to his disgust, Lovel happily exclaimed, “Awesome! I’ve finally found somebody who knows about Sephiroth! I want you to tell me what you know.”
“Don’t particularly feel like blabbin’ ‘bout it to you or anyone else.”
“You think refusing will make us back down?” Lovel taunted. “What do you think, Cliff?” She winked at Cliff.
Cliff took her cue and shouted to his partner beside him. “Gandolf, free Lovel!”
Instantly, the still Gandolf came to life. Charging toward the lion pinning Lovel, he swung his fist. But the lion leapt out of the way and stood protectively in front of Ouka.
“So you’re going to force it outta me? Too bad, me and Dram aren’t soft enough to let you get away with that!”
At those words, the Golem called Dram surged into an attack. He swiftly closed the ten-meter gap between him and Gandolf, and unleashed successive strikes with his claws and fangs. The raggedy cloth ripped off of Gandolf, exposing his piecemeal body.
“Punch back, Gandolf!”
Answering Cliff’s voice, Gandolf counterattacked with his fists. Dram hopped out of the way, nimbly evading his punches. But right as Gandolf’s follow-up punch was about to make contact, Ouka forced his way between the Golems.
“Heh. Your Restrictor is ‘can’t hurt humans’? It’s a commendable Restrictor, but sure comes back to bite ya when I do this, doesn’t it?”
He read the Restrictor on Gandolf’s chest! The thought hit Cliff just as Gandolf’s fist stopped centimeters away from Ouka’s face.
Taking the chance, Ouka slipped past Gandolf’s flank and charged at Cliff. He removed the quarterstaff from his waist midstride and lashed out with consecutive, lightning strikes.
“Guah! Gyah! Uaagh!” The quarterstaff slammed into Cliff’s gut, forehead, and chin, bringing him to the ground.
“How dare you hurt Cliff!” Lovel shouted, launching herself into a roundhouse kick. But Ouka smacked down her leg with a single thrust of his staff. “OWWW!” she cried out from the hard blow to her shin and collapsed on the ground, writhing in pain.
“Lovel!” Erie screamed, rushing over to her with Heath.
This time, it was Dram’s turn to get in their way. He slammed into Heath’s side with the full weight of his amber body. Taking the brunt of the blow, Heath flew backward and tumbled onto the ground.
“Heathy!” Erie shrieked, sprinting over to Heath.
“He’s a fine Golem, but he lacks experience. Victory in Golem fights are a matter of teamwork between Golem and Golem Tamer,” Ouka drawled in a lax tone.
Ice-cold sweat trickled down Cliff’s back at seeing his smirk.
He’s strong…!
In a mere few seconds, Ouka had defeated all five of them. Ouka and Dram had crushed everyone—Golem and human alike—as if they were no more a nuisance than flies.
Even Kiriko, who they fought just the other day, wasn’t of his caliber. Was this the strength of a man who had quit being a Rabbi four years ago? Or was this the real strength of the Rabbis that had been lost in recent years?
Whatever the answer, we’re doomed at this rate…! We have to regroup and take a different approach! Right as Cliff came to that conclusion, he spotted something out of the corner of his eye: the rail used to transport excavated ore. An empty railcar that had been left for the night was sitting beside the mineshaft, not too far from the factory.
“Gandolf, carry Lovel and me over there!” Cliff yelled from where he was curled up on the dirt. Gandolf rushed over, scooped up Cliff and Lovel, and bolted toward the railcar where he loaded them in and climbed onto the front ledge where Golems stood on their return trips to the mine.
“Now, now, don’t go thinkin’ I’ll just let you escape!” Ouka quickly mounted Dram and rode after them. As he passed by, Heath jumped to his feet and shot out with a side kick.
“Nngh!” Ouka blocked the kick with his quarterstaff, but the impact was enough to knock him off balance.
“Erie!” Lovel called from the railcar. Following her voice, Erie and Heath made a dash for the railcar. The momentum of their leap into the railcar sent it rocketing down the rail.
“Tch!” Ouka pursued them on Dram.
The railcar sped down the rail encircling the big mine. It rapidly picked up speed; the scenery flew past them, but—
“Don’t ya look down on an Amber Golem’s mighty legs!”
Dram hurtled after them at a speed greater than the railcar. It looked like they’d close in before the railcar had the chance to fully accelerate.
“Oh no! He’ll catch up to us…!” Erie said. Cliff ground his teeth in frustration. But Lovel flashed them a grin; she had just discovered the rocks left inside the railcar.
“We just need to slow him down, right? It’s not the coolest method, but how about we take him down with these?”
Lovel picked up a rock and chucked it at Ouka. He agilely dodged it, but she picked up another rock and invited, “C’mon, Cliff, Erie, Heath! Throw them too! We’ve got plenty of rocks!”
“Nice! Throw enough and one will eventually hit!” Cliff agreed, grabbing a jagged rock.
“O-Okay,” Erie said, taking the rock Lovel handed over to her. The four of them threw the rocks all at once. Ouka blanched when he saw the barrage of rocks flying at him.
“Hey! That’s dangerous!” Ouka exclaimed, having Dram stop in time for him to slide off in a bid to dampen the effects of the hailing rocks. “Even a pebble can kill me if it hits me at this speed!”
“Gandolf’s on the bench ‘cause of his ‘can’t hurt humans’ Restrictor, so it’ll be okay!”
“What’ll be okay, boy?! No way in hell am I gonna be okay!”
The kids hurled the rocks nonstop at the fuming Ouka who took advantage of a sudden turn in the rail to hop back on Dram’s back. Dram started running in a zigzag pattern to avoid the rocks. He picked up speed and drew nearer at an even faster rate than before, while simultaneously blurring as a target.
“Oh my gosh! This is bad! How can we hit that thing?!”
“It’s okay, Lovel, I’m pretty sure we’re coming up on—” Cliff glanced in the direction they were headed and spotted a five-meter-deep trench intersecting the rail. Only a small bridge spanned the gap. Cliff lobbed a rock at the middle of the bridge once the railcar had safely passed over it.
Dram easily sidestepped the projectile, but his legs went right off the bridge in the process.
“Huh? Eh? NO FREAKIN’ WAAAAAAAAAAAY!” Ouka let out with a death shriek.
Dram plummeted into the trench’s depths. A loud boom resounded from below a second later.
Lovel stared back, worried. “…Think he’s alive?”
“It is kinda worrying. Maybe I overdid it…?”
They heard an angry bellow echo up from the bottom of the trench as Cliff said that.
“You evil little brats have SERIOUSLY pissed me off! I’m gonna catch you good and whip your butts!”
It was literally a malicious voice wrung from the bottom of a pit. Cliff shuddered.
“H-He’s angry! He’s super angry!”
“He shouldn’t yell at us so much. He’s the one who decided to chase us.” Lovel pursed her lips. At that unfortunate moment, the railcar arrived at its final stop and decelerated to a halt where they disembarked, Gandolf a step behind Cliff. They weren’t far enough from Ouka to feel safe.
Erie quickly scanned their surroundings and offered, “The building I’ve been staying in is near here! Let’s hide there!”
“Nice save, Erie!”
“I’m all for that!”
It was only a matter of time before Ouka wormed his way out of the trench. Cliff and Lovel headed for Erie’s building before he could manage that.
The building was an abandoned refinery on the outskirts of the mine that everyone seemed to have forgotten about. Inside was spacious, dark, and devoid of people—the perfect spot to hide.
They heard Dram's feet pounding against the ground in the distance. So far, they were in the clear—Ouka hadn’t noticed the building the kids were hiding in. From the sounds of his footsteps, they could tell he was running around blindly.
“Phew… Want to wait here until that guy goes away at least?” Cliff whispered. Lovel nodded, but Erie meekly dipped her head.
“I’m so sorry. In my attempt to warn you about that man, I ended up bringing him right to you, Lovel…”
“Don’t worry about it one bit! If you hadn’t warned us, we woulda just waited for Ouka to come back and gotten apprehended on the spot. I’m super grateful to you.”
“Same here,” Cliff said, “Thanks a lot.”
Erie hung her head, her cheeks flushing red. Cliff noticed she seemed to be a bit of an introvert. Maybe Heath was one too, because he kept his head down and didn’t say much.
Cliff smiled wryly and asked Erie about a certain detail that had been bugging him. “By the way, Erie, why is that guy after you anyway?”
“I’m not too sure why, but he seems to be trying to steal back this cube,” Erie answered, pulling an object from her pocket. It was a black cube.
Cliff and Lovel were shocked to see it.
“This looks identical to the one Lovel has!”
“I-It does! But the color’s different…?”
Lovel pulled the red cube from her chest pocket. The three of them exchanged glances and carefully compared the cubes to each other.
Erie’s cube felt smooth and was made of an obsidian-like mineral. The letters spelling “emeth” were engraved in its surface. Meanwhile, Lovel’s cube was red. Though it featured the same “emeth,” other ancient letters inscribed its surface in succinct rows, and a tiny fissure ran along one of its edges.
“Hm…? Is there something inside?!” Cliff took Lovel’s cube from her hand and intently examined the fissure.
On closer inspection, the inside of the red cube was hollow. A black cube, just like Erie’s, was installed inside. In other words, the red shell deftly concealed its black contents, creating a two-tier cube.
Lovel seemed to realize what was inside as well. “Are there two types of cubes…? Red cubes and black cubes with different purposes?” she asked, dubious.
“The Torah Church seems to be after both,” Cliff said. “They must be valuable.”
“For sure. Erie, where’d you get ahold of this black cube?”
Erie wore a grim expression. “I stole it from a man called Jair. He used it to create Golems.”
“Jair?! I stole the red cube from him too!”
“That means both cubes originated from Jair then… But what in the world are they?” Erie muttered.
“You don’t need to know,” a sudden voice answered from the dark.
“…?!”
Cliff shoved the red cube in his pocket on the spur of the moment. He whirled around toward the voice.
For a moment, he thought it was Ouka, but it wasn’t. At first look, there was a shadowy figure standing in the refinery’s entryway. The shadow emerged from the darkness illuminated by the moonlight spilling in through the windows.
His white face looked like porcelain; his black hair was darker than night. His equally jet-black eyes held them captive. And gripped in his hand was a sledgehammer used for smashing ore.
“JAIR!” Lovel and Erie shouted at the same time. But Cliff reacted a different way.
“Eh? Jair…him? How?” Cliff knew who it was. He was very familiar with the face of the man they called Jair. “M-Master Roche?!”
“What?!” Lovel’s eyes went round.