THE LAST KEEPER

”What if your man is not at the gate?” Akama finally spoke after a while. He had slowed down, and sagiri could only think they were at the gate.

”What are you scared of, Akama? You have already become a traitor to the Galka War Academy,” Molwa started. ”The worst that could happen is the Zazami clan psychopath, or the Asakana clan cold-blooded captain will execute both of us on the spot, and the boy can maybe be kicked out for the way he talked to the senior instructor,” Molwa said, not fazed at all.

”This is no time for jokes. We had a deal.” Akama answered, bringing the whole carriage to a stop.

”Just calm down. My man will be there.” Molwa sighed. The carriage moved slowly, or rather silently, from then on till they reached the gate. Even long before they reached the gate sagiri could already smell death in the air and also silence. A lot of silence. He could not perceive any movement, as if the wardens at the gate had suddenly left their post.

”It is too silent,” Akama said, stopping a few feet from the gate.

”My men must have silenced the others,” Akama said in a prideful tone.

”You told me you had one man. You did not say you would kill innocents. We had a deal.” Akama said his voice was breaking. The smell of blood was so thick in the air that Sagiri knew even Akama could not have missed it.

”Well, I always have a backup plan in case my inside man fails me. I had to hire a dozen outside men. If this boy is that important, he will be my bargaining goods.” Molwa answered, and sagiri could perceive the betrayal rolling off of Akama in waves.

”We had a deal,” Akama repeated, his voice trembling. It was past midnight, and other than Akama and Molwa arguing it was completely silent. Molwa was way more cunning and greedy than Sagiri had thought. The man could not even keep his word.

”I said I will not hurt your family. I did not mention the wardens,” Molwa said, yawning as if all the talking was unnecessary.

”You said no one could be hurt by them,” Akama insisted.

”I didn’t say I won’t kill them. They are not hurt, Akama. They are dead, and the dead can not be hurt. I thought you, being in charge of academics, were smarter than that.” Molwa said, moving from his position. ”Get out!” Molwa continued in a fierce tone, stepping out of the carriage. sagiri stepped out too, and the sight of the humongous gate stood a few feet in front of them. The torches on the gate and beside it were burning brightly, illuminating the whole place.

Just like sagiri had thought, the gate stood wide open with no warden in sight. He did not, however, have long to admire the desolate view before a strong hand was hooked around his throat enough to cut his air and blood supply to the brain before he was pulled fast against a body. They had been together for two hours, and Sagiri had gotten used to the plotting smell surrounding the man so much so that he did not think anything of it anymore until he was held hostage again.

”What are you doing?!” Akama jumped from the carriage and drew his sword. It was a wonder that Molwa had let him keep his sword for the whole journey.

”Don’t move or I’ll tear the boy limb from limb, and we both know the cost will be too high to pay if a student dies,” Molwa said, moving with his back towards the gate with sagiri in his clutches.

”I know you want him alive, or why would you go through the trouble just to kill him?” Akama said, and Molwa just sighed as if Akama had missed the bigger picture.

”If you are so smart, Akama, why did you think I let you, a highly trained man, wield a weapon all this time?” Molwa asked, his hand loosening a bit on sagiri’s throat, and he inhaled a huge amount of breath to quench his burning lungs. Akama did not take his eyes off of Molwa for a second. It seemed that Akama was better in combat than Molwa, and that begged the question of why he let him wield a weapon.

”Kill yourself,” Molwa said after a long moment of silence, and sagiri froze. Akama looked taken aback by the words, too, but he did not lower his weapon, and if anything, it tightened.

”You are too much of a stay alive. A man like you will not forgive me after I threatened your whole family. We both know that. I hate leaving loopholes in my plan and even more so, I hate being a target of a vengeful man.” Molwa said with fake regret, lacing his tone. Sagiri could only be amazed at the level of madness and logic, and if he wasn’t fighting to breathe he could have applauded Molwa’s ability to use everyone around him without feeling regret. blackmailing people by what they cared about and killing without restraint if it meant he could reach his goal.

He did not possess an ounce of respect for promises, human, or deals. He just said anything and used people as bridges who did not have a soul or a heart. He was more than cunning and greedy. He was a disease that ate away everything it touched, and that fact infuriated sagiri. Perhaps even sagiri was just another bridge or another means to an end for him. Perhaps he was just a bargaining chip whom he could use to achieve his goal, and maybe keep using him to acquire more money, and seeing how the man acted, he would never be satisfied.

Such blatant greed repulsed sagiri so much so that the power in his veins cackled and came alive.

Molwa put two fingers under his tongue and blew. A whistle-like cry echoed far and wide, and it could only mean he was calling for his minions. Sagiri waited with bated breath for a long moment, but nothing happened. Another moment passed, and still no movement. Molwa put two fingers under his tongue and whistled again, this time louder, and it almost tore sagiri’s ears off. Now that he thought about it, he had not seen or used his oru-shells since he woke up.

damn it! They must have gotten crushed when he was on a rampage, while they were still in his combat suit pocket.

Another moment of silence passed by, and sagiri could feel Molwa shift uncomfortably. Molwa put the two fingers under his tongue yet again, and sagiri brazed his sensitive ears for a louder whistle this time, but before Molwa could execute the whistle, a low laugh tore through the silence, and both Molwa and sagiri snapped their eyes to the direction of its source.

Akama was hunched over, and he was laughing. The laughter grew louder and louder by the second, and Akama looked like he could not take hunching over anymore, so he threw his head back and laughed. His laughter was something sagiri had never heard. The earlier man who was acting as if he had been fooled was nowhere to be seen, and in his place was a cold man. sagiri could have sworn he perceived betrayal rolling off of him. Had he been acting so much, he believed it himself and got too deep into the role. If that was the case, then Akama was far more sick than Molwa. sagiri was beginning to understand that, as much as Galka War Academy had no shortage of geniuses, it was also full of sick people.

Akama laughed so hard that tears fell from his eyes and his blade from his hands. He did not stop even then, and he fell forward on his hands and knees and continued cackling.

”What is funny?” Molwa asked when he couldn’t take it anymore. Even Sagiri was eager to know what was funny. He needed to know if Akama had gone mad suddenly.

”You.” Another voice joined in, and Salka jumped off the wall at the top of the gate, his white combat suit appearing even whiter in contrast with the dark. Another person landed beside him. salka. His face was twisted in annoyance.

”Took you long enough, Akama.” Salka said, looking at Akama, who had finally gathered himself in a flash, and he was now standing in a respectful stance as he had just shed away the man who was laughing, and he was a new man.

”The plan was almost ruined by your brat, as the recruit called him. I almost lost it there, but I have to say he made things more interesting and believable,” Akama said, a flash of his earlier personality taking over for a moment before he pulled himself together quickly.

”What is going on?” Molwa asked his grip on Sagiri’s throat tightening in fight or flight. They could have at least made sure he was free before they started chatting, but the marshal, captain, and academics division commander looked at ease as if he was not being choked to death.

”I will have to punish him again,” Salka ignored Molwa and answered. Akama and sagiri could feel Molwa shift uncomfortably.

So it had been a plan all along? sagiri thought. He did know how long ago he had walked into Senraki and Salka’s plan. He did not know whether to be relieved or worried at the moment. He could not even bring himself to think of how cruel he had been to Lotaga.

He had fallen for Senraki and Salka’s cunning plan headfirst. It seemed only he, Lotaga, and Molwa were the only ones left in the dark.

How humiliating. How could he have fallen for such a display?