ALL NOVEL [20] Three Way Conflict.
A world without impurities.
A world free of sickness, disease, and disability.
A perfect, clean, and pure world.
A world where humans reach their greatest height. This is what a man named Ido Zetto wants to achieve during the war. But in order to make it happen, the current human society, which is full of impurities, must first be destroyed. When Astral power was first discovered, he was there to witness it. A power beyond the realm of science. The power to manipulate life itself. A power that could bring about a new, perfect society.
Chained to a machine to sustain his life, Ido sees the world of the future. He sees the day when the last of the "impure" are eliminated, and only those with power will remain. With his newfound research, he will make a new race. A new form of human. A better version. A race that can manipulate the very fabric of reality. The Astral.
"The old world will be gone, and a new world will be born," Ido said as his body was getting weaker. "I'll see to it that it happens."
"How many times did you say that? How many years has it been?" A voice came out of the shadows. A woman with red hair, wearing a black dress, stepped out of the darkness.
"It matters not. The plan is finally coming to fruition. It will only be a matter of time." The sound of mechanical gears spinning could be heard. "And I will make it happen."
"Heh... determined, aren't you?" She gave a soft chuckle. "The whole world is going to burn because of you. How does that feel?"
"A necessary sacrifice." His mechanical eye glowed. "Even if I'm the one who will have to burn along with it."
"I see, but the world is catching up to you. Your little 'experiments' labs are being shut down one by one. You are running out of time. Even the world leaders are starting to take notice. Let's see... what was the term they used? Ah, yes. A 'genocidal madman'."
"Hmph! I care not what those fools call me. All I need is my research. And soon enough, the Astral will rise, and all will be righted. The world will finally reach its greatest potential."
"Hmm... and what exactly is that, might I ask?"
"Perfection."
"Is that all?" Her eyes glowed purple. "What a shame."
"Enough!" He turned to her. "I'm busy. What do you want?"
"Irrational as ever, aren't you? Well, nothing much. I'm just here to let you know that AGA can't no longer cover your tracks. We are losing too many connections. Even my own labs and base are being targeted as collateral, thanks to you."
"That is unfortunate," he said bluntly. "But not unexpected."
"Marshal Wong will still support you personally, but his hands are tied. I'm surprised how long he's able to keep up. Guess the old man is full of surprises."
"Wong is a fool. He knows nothing of our true goal. But he is still useful for now. He's done well to hold his position for so long. Still, his support is not needed. You already fulfilled your end of the bargain, and soon, we will both have what we want."
"Yes... We will." Her voice became low. "I look forward to it." She turned around and walked into the shadows.
"There you are!" Reina smiled brightly upon seeing Eva, waving her hand enthusiastically. "Come with me! I want to show you something!"
"What is it?" Eva asked, curiosity written all over her face.
"You'll see," Reina replied, smiling mysteriously.
"Okay?" Eva blinked, puzzled.
Reina leads her out of the faculty lounge and into an elevator. They rode the elevator in silence, and Eva noticed the mischievous smirk on Reina's face.
"You're acting weird," Eva comments, frowning.
"I know," Reina giggled, her smile widening. "Just wait and see."
The elevator stops and opens its door, and Reina quickly drags her out. They walked through the corridors for a few moments before Reina stopped in front of a room. Eva recognized the place, and it was a private room for visitors or guests.
"This is?" Eva asked, confused.
"Just go inside," Reina instructed, pushing her into the room.
Eva hesitates but complies. Upon entering the room, she was greeted by a burst of confetti and a loud chorus of 'Surprise!' coming from many of her 'friends' that she had made. Eva froze, shocked.
"Happy Birthday, Eva!" Reina exclaimed, wrapping her arms around her.
"H-huh?" Eva stuttered, not understanding what was happening.
"We organized a birthday party for you!" Reina explained. "It took a while, but we managed to make everything perfect. What do you think?"
"I..." Eva tried to speak, but no words came out. She was not expecting this, and the surprise has caught her off guard. Eva rarely celebrates her birthday, and she doesn't even remember it's her birthday.
The school has not even started yet, and are they even close enough to throw her a surprise party? Eva has never had a surprise party, so she doesn't know how to react.
"Hey, are you okay?" Reina asked, noticing her expression.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine," Eva replied, shaking her head.
She never told anyone about her birthday. How did they know? Eva wonders. As Eva looks around, she sees a familiar face among her friends, and that person is smiling widely at her. Ryuji... Of course. He is the only one who knows her birthday besides her family, and he probably told Reina about it.
When she looked at the calendar on her phone, Eva realized it was indeed her birthday today, March 21st.
"Sorry, I'm just... surprised," Eva admitted, still overwhelmed by the situation.
"That's the point!" Reina laughs. "It's quite easy to hide it from you since you have been very busy lately. But we wanted to celebrate your special day, and we hope you liked it."
"Thanks," Eva finally smiles back, unsure of how she feels, but a thank you is still appropriate. "And thank you, everyone, for this surprise. It's really thoughtful of you."
Everyone cheers, and the party begins. There are also several videos of her parents wishing her happy birthday since they couldn't attend the party in person for obvious reasons. Most of the faces she recognizes are some people that she met recently. I guess Eva is more popular than she thought. All she did was help them with their problems, talk with them, and hang out a bit, and they considered her their friend.
Where do people even draw the line between acquaintances and friends? That concept is still confusing for her. Eva is not complaining, though.
Eva is standing in front of the podium. The crowd fell silent, waiting for her speech. She glances at the students sitting below the stage, taking a deep breath. This is her first time addressing such a big crowd, and she is kinda of nervous for some reason. Eva can't afford to mess up since she has a reputation to uphold.
She opens her mouth and starts speaking, trying her best to sound confident and professional. "First of all, I would like to thank the headmaster and the academy board for allowing me to represent and speak at this very important event, and I'm honored to be here today," Eva starts, her voice strong and steady.
"As most of you already know, I am Eva Lawrence, and I was given the honor of representing the academy for the first year of the entrance ceremony. As such, I would like to say welcome, and I hope we can all have a great time together. As this is our first year, the academy is still new and adjusting, so there might be some problems or challenges along the way, but I hope we can overcome those obstacles together and grow stronger as a whole."
"We are living in a turbulent time. Many things are happening around the world, and people are suffering. The increase in crime rates, terrorist activities, and Astral outbreaks have put many lives at risk, and many are afraid for their future," Eva paused, her gaze sweeping across the crowd. "But don't worry. That's why we are here. We are here to make a difference, bring hope, and protect the people."
"Our path to becoming an Astral Agent starts here, and we must walk this path with pride and confidence. I have high expectations and ambitions for this academy. I hope we can achieve our goals and dreams. So please, let's work hard and do our best to succeed. Thank you!"
Eva finishes her speech and receives thunderous applause from the audience. She breathes a sigh of relief, glad that it went well.
The headmaster approaches her, smiling broadly.
"Bravo, Miss Lawrence. That was a wonderful speech," The headmaster congratulated her.
"Thank you, Sir," Eva replies, giving him a small bow.
"Now, if you will excuse me. I have to welcome our special guests," The headmaster said and walked away, heading towards a VIP seat.
Eva goes back to her seat, feeling proud of herself. She delivered her speech perfectly, and it seemed like it left an impact on the audience. Some students even approached her and complimented her. It felt nice to be recognized.
"You did a great job," Reina said, smiling at her.
"Thank you," Eva returns her smile. "It was nerve-wracking, though."
"You didn't look like it."
"Really?"
"Yeah, you looked like a professional speaker," Reina praised.
"That's because you didn't see her muttering her lines repeatedly before the start." Ryuji chimed in, appearing beside them.
"Shut up," Eva frowned, glaring at him.
"I'm just joking. You did a good job. Congratulations," Ryuji said, chuckling.
"Thanks," Eva replied, her tone softening.
"Well, the headmaster is starting his speech," Reina said, pointing towards the front.
The headmaster was now standing on the podium, giving his own speech. It was a bit boring for her, but the students listened intently. Eva, Reina, and Ryuji just sat through it and waited for it to end. After a few minutes, the speech was done, and the headmaster thanked the special guests and dismissed the students.
The students started to leave the auditorium and disperse. Eva and Reina are talking among themselves while Ryuji is watching them silently. There are teachers and staff guiding the students to exit, so Eva doesn't have any worries about being crowded again.
"Fuah... that's exhausting," Eva lets out a deep breath as she enters her room.
She drops her bag on the table and goes straight to her bed. She collapses on the soft mattress, sighing in satisfaction. Another tiring day is over, and Eva is grateful that she can finally rest. Being a celebrity is tiring, and there is also a reporter requesting an interview with her. She is now the defacto face of the academy, and Eva has to maintain that image.
She also needs to establish the student council soon, as per the headmaster's request. Eva wants to make this a smooth process so she can focus on other matters.
"Maybe I should start speaking with the potential candidate tomorrow after the first class is over," Eva mutters, closing her eyes.
The terrorist organization's leader, Haruto, and his group are preparing something and will most likely make their move soon. But without her father's intensive network, it was hard for her to gather information about them. She is also curious about what her father's actions would be since the target of the attack is close to where she resides.
Her father is also curious about 'Moonlight' identity, so he is probably torn between prioritizing her safety or Moonlight's identity. Eva hoped he would choose the latter.
With these thoughts in mind, Eva dozes off, falling into a deep slumber.
Richard Lawrence is frustrated, to say the least. He has been searching for the identity of 'Moonlight,' but he hasn't got a clue. But now, he has a lead. He can just let the terrorists attack the academy, steal the tracker, and locate Moonlight for him. It's the perfect plan, and there is almost no downside to it for his cause.
But... his daughter is staying at the academy. Richard is torn between the two choices. On the one hand, he is finally one step closer to discovering Moonlight's identity and putting another piece to the puzzle, but on the other hand, he is putting his daughter's life at risk. Ever since Eva was hospitalized, he becomes overprotective of her, and the idea of her getting hurt again terrifies him.
"Dear? Is something wrong?" His wife, Yui, asked, noticing his expression.
"Huh? Oh, it's nothing. I'm just tired." Richard smiles, shaking his head.
"Are you sure?" Yui frowns, not buying it.
"Yes, don't worry about it," Richard reassures her.
"Okay, if you say so."
Richard sighs, his expression turning somber. He also hasn't said anything about it to his wife yet, and he knows how she will react if she finds out.
"I won't forgive myself if Eva gets hurt again," Richard thought, clenching his fists.
But... what should he do?
After thinking long and hard, Richard laughed at himself for even considering the option to put his daughter's safety at risk. He felt like a horrible father to even consider it, which disgusted him. With that in mind, Richard made his decision.
"Yui, contact General Masamoto for a joint operation. We have a job to do."