THE LAST KEEPER

Chapter 67: Chapter 67: OUT OF CONTROL

”You wanna kill me, don’t you, So I won’t tell on you?” sagiri pushed. it was as if he wanted something to break and until it did he was not going to stop. he was not himself and he knew it but he loved whatever was wrong with him. It was like a fire was lighting up inside of him and he wanted to burn someone.

’Is that the suffocation chamber protegee?’

’he seems crazy’

’he must have been crazy to try the suffocation chamber’

”Are you trying to start a fight?” Makea asked, getting more confrontational. They had not expected him to come out and say what they had been wishing to do since he beat them in the broken pillar and shadow arena.

”What if I am, are you scared of beating me. you have done it before Makea, Nakea. or is it that you can’t fight out in the light?” He moved even closer, almost touching chests with Makea. ”Remember how you drowned me in that pool in the obstacle chamber. It must have felt nice. Didn’t it? His smile grew even wider. It was as if being cruel and vindictive all of a sudden was giving some part of the pain in his body some relief and all he wanted was to keep going.

”What are you planning, new boy, did team 25 put you to this?” Nakea seethed looking around as if to check if it was another plot to distract them.

”Why would I need 25 to beat some vermin who only know how to play dirty?” Sagiri’s snarl got even wider.

”Why don’t we go then to the combat chamber? I think I need to teach privileged intruders like you that you don’t belong here. You think you can come in and just fit in?” makea snapped both of them moving in unison chest pressed together. He could feel their controlled anger snapping and he got excited. He only needed one push and he knew just what to say to get what he wanted.

”There it is Tamelku abomination. It seems you know a lot about not fitting in.” sagiri said the words with intention and the reaction was immediate. He could completely feel the last seal of the controlled anger come undone. Rage like he had never encountered rolled off of the two. It seems he was right about the magic word. In the Tamelku clan, boys born as twins, especially as firstborns, was a taboo. It was a misfortune and such kids were always given away or shunned because they were a sign of bad omen. It was even a wonder that the twins had grown old enough to join the number one school in Tagayia. They must have crawled out of hell itself to be able to reach such height. all that did not matter however because they had made a move against sagiri and right in this moment he was spoiling for a fight and only them hated him enough to grant him the wish. they had not only crawled out of hell but they carried a little hell whenever they went. It was not his fault that they had been born twins and just beating him half to death because they couldn’t take a loss was not a behavior worthy of a good warrior.

”Nakea moved fast and shoved both his palms to Sagiri’s chest, sending flying back into the dining hall where he skidded and finally fell flat on his stomach with a thud. The guys were as strong as they were hateful and that meant a lot. Almost half the cadets were still around the dining wing and they gathered at the commotion. When sagiri was sent flying gasps were heard. It was a pretty rough impact and no one expected sagiri to stand up again. What he did next however heard everyone in shock. sagiri stood up shakily to his hands and knees. He spat a mouthful of blood before he cackled a cackle so chilling he couldn’t even recognize it himself. It was as if he was making contact with feelings inside of him which he didn’t know he was capable of before.

”I know you can go harder than that.” He said, wiping the blood from his lips with the back of his hand. His voice was dripping with mockery as if the open palms had not almost broken his ribs again.

”Stop!” N’varu appeared out of nowhere and stood in front of the twins who were approaching fast. They did not care to hide their intention anymore and they wanted to finish sagiri.

”Get out of the way N’varu, it was just starting to get fun.” Sagiri said, standing on his shaky feet. The pain from the open palm maneuver from the twins made him feel alive and he wanted more. He probably looked like a ghost considering he hadn’t slept. His eyes must have been showing the bugs and tiredness.

”Hey Nakea, Makea, Sagiri has a body condition that puts his body in pain for long hours. He hasn’t slept in two days and he is not himself.” N’varu explained ignoring sagiri. He had only not slept for a day but it seemed N’varu wanted to make the condition as believable as possible.

”Well he started it and he has already gone too far.” Both twins talked in unison, their eyes concentrated on the boy behind N’varu.

”I think you should listen to N’varu.” Kiuga suddenly chimed in with the widest smile. It seemed he had been watching the whole scene unfold and did not intervene waiting to see how far things could go. ”My friend here doesn’t have much patience.” he said referring to Kaka who was standing beside him. They had all been tasked to protect Kaka and sagiri was sure if kiuga had not told the guy to back down before then the confrontation could have ended before it began. It’s not that Kaka cared what happened to him but in this case sagiri’s safety had been assigned to him and he took his missions and honour of accomplishing them seriously.

”I also think I went too far. Allow the abominations to get their revenge.” Sagiri laughed, taking a step forward and the whispers filled the room. The twins who were about to stand down seeing Kaka’s face did not care anymore. Their eyes flashed red and if it was possible the hate they always carried with them grew even bigger. sagiri was even more sensitive to perception and could feel all of them as if they were his own. Or as if their hate for him had merged with his hate for them. He could not yet understand because he never experienced his feelings since he was a child. He understood feelings but he had never heard them in depth to what normal people experienced.

Two things happened at the same time simultaneously. The twins moved to attack sagiri. kaka kiuga and nvaru moved all of them with different intentions. None however made impact, however.

”That is enough!”

”This is enough, Keeper!”

Two voices tore through the tension. One was from lotaga. Before the twins could move they were held mid air by lotaga as if they were not two whole men. lotaga was not as huge as Captain Salka but he was not tiny. Yet holding the twins airborne at the same time showed just how strong he was. Sagiri however was thrown to the floor by N’varu who was pinning him by the throat to the ground. His pupils had disappeared and Sagiri could only see his white. ”I know you must be suffering but at this rate you will be joining the twins in losing a limb.” he said the last part more silently for only sagiri to hear. sagiri panted for a moment. He was finally able to think past the pain in his bones for a moment. He forced himself to look past his pain and finally look at the crowd around him. He had really gone and done it.

”Sagiri, I did not take you for one to provoke others.” lotaga made a sound at the back of his throat still holding onto the twins. ”You two, I need you to stay from our recruit.” he continued his tone, still cheerly as if he wasn’t suspending too full grown boys in the air. Well, he was a senior instructor and a core member in captain salka’s team so he had to be good. Yet seeing his display of power without much effort was still quite a scene.

He finally put the twins down and they gave sagiri a uniform look of hate as if they shared heart and mind before they turned to leave. Their hate for him had yet again managed to grow even bigger. If they made contact with him he was sure that they would try to kill him this time and make sure he was dead.

”Get off me,” he might have gained a little clarity but he was still irritable and with the room full of cadets from both galka war academy and konate staring at him with all their feelings pressing into him he was even more irritable.

”all cadets move to the central pentagon assembly ground. We are using the third year gate today. move!” Lotaga announced and after a moment of hesitation only the echo of boots could be heard as the cadets pulled out. All except for kaka kiuga nvaru and sagiri who lotaga was eyeing with a funny expression.

”I might not have eavesdropped on what Principal Senraki and Salka were saying to you but I remember hearing Salka and the principal telling you to protect the recruit. That also meant protecting him from himself, you know.” Lotaga started making a clicking sound at the back of his neck.

”you were eavesdropping on your senior.” Captain Salka’s voice cut in from behind lotaga making him freeze like a deer caught in the headlight. ”I thought I put you on pet-tending duty?” Captain Salka continued in a defeated voice and lotaga physically shuddered.

”Well captain, as you can see I came here just in time to save the day for you.” Lotaga wore his most convincing face before he turned around to face Captain Salka. Captain Salka was still wearing his combat from the morning and he looked as if he had been in the woods all day. His quiver arrows had reduced in number by half and he was still clutching his bow.

”Why is the recruit bleeding from his mouth? ” he ignored Lotaga. Perhaps he was too tired to indulge his man child squadmate.

”I fell,” Sagiri lied but immediately remembered the price of lying to the captain. ”I was sparring against a partner way stronger than me.” He changed his statement.

”you boys should join the others at the central pentagon. and recruit you better have a better explanation after the exercise or we are going to have a problem. Again. Your teammates, involved.”

”Yes captain!” All the boys answered in unison including lotaga. He was trying to get away from captain salka too. He was always getting on captain salka’s nerves and this was no different.

”Lotaga, if you leave through that door you will not only be tending the pets but you will sleep in the kennel too.” Salka groaned, not even turning around.

”If you pull a stunt like that again and get me punished I will kill you before the twin face gets to you.” Kaka said and sagiri could not help but think kiuga was rubbing off of him.

”Just how many conditions do you have, Sagiri the blind. Do you also have the two face condition?” Kiuga asked as the four ran through the now empty hallways.

”It seems so.” Sagiri answered, the pain in his body not seizing a moment. It was as if he was a moving mass of agony.

”Is that why your parents gave you away?” Kaka asked.

”I don’t know.” sagiri answered honestly. He had not cared enough to know about parents who did not raise him and since rusha and bakuru always showered him with love he did not have any business thinking about strangers who brought him into this world. Now however he was beginning to wonder.

”Kaka dummy, I already told you not to ask insensitive questions.” kiuga groaned as they made another turn.

”Well I have to know how unstable the boy is when I’m on a mission to protect him.” Kaka argued. he might have lacked a sensitive touch but he never carried feelings of malice with him.

”Do you have any plans for this mission?” nvaru asked as they picked up speed on the last hallway leading to the gate to the central pentagon.

”Well I had one before blind boy here went and threw rocks in a beehive now we will just have to avoid the twins as much as possible in the next match or if push comes to shove we have to wound one of them so much so the other goes on the defense. If they bring their whole temporary team then all i can say is we stay away from them as much as we can and only engage in battle when there is no way out. or just shoot a red flare and forfeit.” Kiuga said his strategy. Though still not polished, it made a lot of sense. He had recovered completely from the gravescales attack and that pretty much reduced team twenty five’s fighting force to eight.

The odds were not looking good at all.

’I really went and did it this time,’ is all sagiri could think of. Whatever exercise was next his team had a long night ahead. And he had a feeling it was going to make the gravescake attack feel like a paper slap.