Chapter 12: The Vanished and the Broken

The shockwave from Maximus’s behemoth transformation had barely settled into the dust when the monster collapsed. Heavy concrete groaned and cracked as his massive frame hit the floor, creating a mini-quake that rattled the soles of Leeway’s boots.

Leeway froze, his hand still gripped tightly on the hilt of his katana. His breath caught in his throat as the dust cleared to reveal the figure standing over the fallen Empyrean.

"Wait... is it really you?" Leeway whispered, his eyes wide in absolute disbelief.

The tall figure slowly turned toward the squad. The cold light of the Greed Haven facility caught his sharp features, unbothered, unmoved.

"Seigennfreed?!" Leeway gasped.

Behind him, Daichiryo, Renji, and Seriya exchanged bewildered glances, completely lost.

Seigennfreed didn't immediately acknowledge them. Crouching down with deliberate grace, he picked up a small microchip from the debris, letting it glint in his palm as he began to walk slowly to the side. He threw a sideways glance at Leeway.

"I thought you died three years ago," Leeway said, his voice dropping into a tense, rigid tone. "Nobody ever heard from you after the extinction event."

"So that’s him?" Seriya muttered under her breath, taking a cautious half-step back.

"Yeah," Renji grunted softly, keeping his eyes glued to the man. "I heard rumors about him too. He used to be the captain of W.E.S., but then he completely disappeared during the extinction event."

Leeway stepped forward, his eyes locked on his former comrade. "Why, Seigennfreed? Why show up now? What are your motives?"

Seigennfreed let out a low, mirthless chuckle. "Three years ago, after I was assigned a mission to Zion Territory, I found an old underground laboratory. It was abandoned... documents scattered everywhere. I had the chance to scout the area." He paused, stopping his slow stride to look directly into Leeway’s eyes. "Then I discovered a document detailing my origins. Do you know what that means?"

Leeway kept his jaw set, staring back with a hardened expression, waiting.

"I found the truth," Seigennfreed continued, a faint, dark shadow crossing his face. "But of course, I pretended that I didn’t know everything… until the time was right."

Leeway took a deep breath, looking at the man he used to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with. "You should have talked to me about it. Why did you choose to disappear?"

"Oh, you know I don’t like depending on others," Seigennfreed replied with a sudden, sharp grin. "Even if I have a close relationship with them. It’s just not as fun that way." He tilted his head slightly. "So, I took a step back and never showed myself to anyone again. I didn’t care if everyone died from the fall. But... it’s good to see you alive and well, Leeway."

In the background, Daichiryo leaned over to Seriya, whispering nervously, "Are we going to be in trouble? Knowing that there’s a powerful opponent in front of us right now?"

"Daichiryo, just don’t talk," Seriya hissed back under her breath. "You’re going to get us in trouble."

Leeway slowly shifted his gaze toward the floor, avoiding direct eye contact as a heavy weight settled in his chest. "Look... Zemstan is not the monster you think it is now. But I want you to know that the company isn’t the same as before, either. You can always come back. Be a fellow soldier like we used to be... in the old days when Lian was still alive."

Seigennfreed’s posture went cold. "I have completely lost my trust in Zemstan. Can’t you see that?" He glared down at Leeway. "Zemstan killed my mother. They fed me lies for years. I have completely abandoned the company and will remain that way forever."

He looked up toward the ruined ceiling of the quarters. Leeway’s hands balled into tight fists, a sharp look of frustration and grief washing over his face.

Without another word, Seigennfreed casually tossed the microchip through the air. Leeway snapped his hand up, catching it securely in his palm.

"It’s a microchip," Seigennfreed said simply.

Leeway blinked down at the item, then looked up in suspicion. "Wait—you’re letting us have this? You’re not going to do anything bad?"

"Time is of the essence," Seigennfreed chuckled, turning his back on the squad. "The path ahead is fraught with danger. You may have a chance, but don't waste it on illusions of safety."

Before Leeway could take a step toward him, space itself seemed to warp around Seigennfreed. A shimmer of light folded over his frame, and in an instant, he vanished into thin air, leaving behind an eerie pressure that suddenly snapped back to normal.

Immediately, Renji, Seriya, and Daichiryo stumbled, clutching their temples as a sharp spike of disorientation washed over them.

"Oh, my head!" Renji groaned, wincing as he rubbed his forehead. "What just happened?"

"I think... I think Seigennfreed just disappeared," Seriya stammered, shaking her head to clear the haze. "But I can’t remember what he just did..."

"I feel dizzy," Daichiryo muttered, looking around in confusion. "What the hell are we even standing here for?"

Leeway didn't answer right away. He stood in the silent hall, looking at the empty spot where Seigennfreed had been standing, before tilting his head toward the ceiling as gray ashes began to drift down through the shattered vents. He unclasped his hand and stared at the microchip resting against his glove.

"Captain?" Renji called out, stepping closer. "Is that what we were looking for? Does that mean our mission is complete?"

"I’m not sure," Leeway said softly, closing his fingers over the chip. "Let’s head back to Grandeur for now."

The armored transport bounced rhythmically over the uneven highway as they left the South Continent behind, heading northwest back toward Grandeur City. Inside, the cabin was quiet until Seriya finally broke the silence.

"I don’t understand, Captain," she said, leaning forward in her seat. "Why did he spare our lives? I thought he was supposed to be a traitor."

"Look, let’s not ask too many questions," Daichiryo sighed, slumping back against his headrest. "Let’s just be thankful we made it out alive."

"That chip better be worth something," Renji added, letting out a long breath of relief.

"Captain?" Seriya asked gently.

Leeway looked out the tinted window at the passing wasteland. "Seigennfreed wasn’t always like that. He was treated with great respect... recognized as the Courageous Warrior who once dedicated his life to save the world."

His mind drifted back, years into the past-

He remembered standing on the open balcony of the W.E.S. floor at Zemstan Headquarters alongside Lian, watching the warm sunset paint the skyline of Grandeur City.

"Life is but a winding path, always leading somewhere unknown," Lian had said softly, resting his arms on the railing.

"Indeed," Leeway had agreed. "We don’t know what will happen if we do something risky, now do we?"

Seigennfreed had been standing behind them, his back turned to the horizon.

"Seigennfreed, would you even care to join us?" Lian had called out back then.

Seigennfreed had glanced over his shoulder. "Yes." He had walked over slowly, the evening breeze catching his hair as he stood beside them.

"Do you think this is the right time to read a good book?" Leeway had chuckled. "At least in your leisure time."

"Ah, yes, it certainly is," Lian had smiled. "We could reward ourselves with a good rest."

Renji’s voice pulled Leeway out of the memory. "You three seemed to be having a good time back then," Renji noted. "No problems at all. Just relaxing until the sun went down."

"It was indeed one of the best moments with him and Lian," Leeway said quietly. "But... it wasn’t always like that."

He remembered another day, rushing toward the Exit Gate at Sector 4, shouting after Seigennfreed’s retreating figure.

"Seigennfreed!" Leeway had called out, catching his breath. "We need to talk about what just happened back there."

Seigennfreed had stopped, turning around slowly with cold, distant eyes. "I didn’t want to be assigned to that mission. What is Zemstan trying to plot? Lilasveil was the place where my mother was taken away... it’s where my sister and I were separated."

Leeway had stood there, silent, listening.

"I’m pretty sure it’s not a coincidence that Zemstan wants me to reminisce about everything that happened to me," Seigennfreed had said, turning back toward the exit gate. "It’s not a pleasant memory to carry." And without another word, he had walked out of the city.

"I guess his reasons were understandable," Seriya murmured in the transport. "Who wants to be forced to face bad memories?"

"You got a point there," Renji agreed.

"I didn’t fully understand why he refused that assignment at the time," Leeway confessed. "He wasn’t an emotional person to begin with. I’m pretty sure the President felt the same way. But then one day... he just left the squad. No reason. Nothing. He vanished."

He could still vividly recall the day Grandeur began falling into chaos. He and Lian had been preparing in the lounge for a critical battle mission.

"Wait, that’s it?" Leeway had asked.

"Yes, our mission is to capture Professor Alaric," Lian had said firmly. "Whatever this is, it has to stop right now."

Lian had walked over to the lounge door where Seigennfreed was supposed to be waiting. "Seigennfreed, time to—"

Lian opened the door, but the room was empty. Seigennfreed was gone without a trace.

"Seigennfreed... where’d he go?" Lian had gasped.

Leeway had rushed in behind him. Scattered across the central table were confidential files. Lian had picked one up—it was the personal profile of Aphrodite, Seigennfreed’s mother.

"So he just disappeared?" Renji asked, wide-eyed. "Into thin air? Leaving documents behind?"

"Yes," Leeway replied. "He vanished, and no one heard from him again. And the strangest part... almost no one remembered him afterward, except for a few key figures in Zemstan. It was an effect of the Fall. Days after his disappearance, the Fall of Eve began. That was also the day Lian and Athenaria gave their lives on the front lines."

"So that’s what happened..." Renji said quietly, lowering his head. "I still feel bad for Kyrie, losing two of his relatives like that."

"Who wouldn’t?" Seriya agreed. "It’s tragic."

Renji glanced over at Daichiryo, who was staring blankly out the opposite window. "Hey, Daichiryo? You still with us? You seem completely dozed off."

"Umm... yeah," Daichiryo stammered, shaking himself awake. "Sorry. I’m just tired."

The armored transport slowed as it pulled through the massive entrance arches of Sector 1 in Grandeur City. It rolled to a stop outside the W.E.S. Headquarters building, and the heavy doors slid open.

The four of them stepped out onto the concrete courtyard. Leeway paused, looking up at the pale blue sky above the city, feeling the heavy silence of the afternoon.

"This was the first time he has shown himself since then," Leeway said softly, turning back to look at his squad. "We don’t know what he’s planning next. We have to be ready when that day comes. Who knows when he’ll appear again?"

"For sure, he’s no longer the Seigennfreed you once knew," Daichiryo said quietly.

"Definitely not," Renji added.

"Indeed," Leeway agreed, looking down at the small microchip resting in his palm. "He is no longer a comrade."

"Hey, Captain?" Renji called out from near the entrance doors. "We need to report in right away. Are you coming inside?"

"Yeah," Leeway said, taking one last look at the sky as fine gray ash drifted softly down over the courtyard. "I’m coming. Just a moment."

He turned and followed his team inside, leaving the falling ash behind.

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