Returned Home (74)

*Akasan was in an all white space.*

*It was limitless in all directions.*

*He stood on what felt like invisible ground.*

*Someone stood in front of him.*

*It was a man, slightly taller than him, same skin tone. His face was blurred into the nothingness so he couldn't tell what he looked like or who he was.*

*Akasan tried walking towards him but he didn't get any closer. A mouth came into view on the blurred face.*

*"Hey, little brother."*

*Akasan almost thought he'd heard wrong. "Brother? I don't have a brother."*

*"Wrong." the man held up two fingers. "You have two. Myself and one half-brother."*

*"Why haven't I met you if we're related?"*

*"We aren't related by blood. Our souls are connected. The last time I was on Earth must've been thousands of years ago by now."*

*Akasan was greatly confused. "Thousands of years ago? How is that even possible?"*

*"The last person to have the crimson flame was me. But everyone likely thinks I'm dead. I didn't think that someone would inherit my power, but that makes us connected. It's also the reason you can use Nil."*

*Akasan looked at his hands. "All of this doesn't make sense. And Nil? Like that black stuff? I don't even want that power! It's evil!"*

*"Evil? Hm. You just can't control it yet. In due time. Sometimes the truth won't make sense. That doesn't make it false."*

*Akasan scowled. "I can't even see your face! How can I trust you?"*

*The face's mouth smiled. "You can't. Isn't that fun? Take it all in while you can, I'll come visit soon."*

*Akasan didn't care about the details anymore. "At least tell me your name!!"*

*The man started fading away. "My name? Dante. Dante the Demon King."*

*Akasan felt a knocking pain in his head as the world around him collapsed.*

He woke up from his dream.

He spastically looked around him. He was in a hospital bed.

Akasan relaxed. He laid back down on the bed. He thought about the man who called him his brother. Then he thought about everything else. He jerked up and hopped out the bed. He ran to the window and looked out. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Hey, this isn't Diamond City... This is Arbok City!!"

He rushed around the room, looking for a change of clothes. He found a change of shorts and a white t-shirt. He also found some slides and put those on too. He ran out of his hospital room. He jumped down the flights of stairs to the main lobby. He ran out the door and took in his surroundings.

He yelled out, raising his hands in the air. "Arbok City!!! I've missed this place!!"

"Akasan? Is that you?" Agaki walked up from his right, waving.

Akasan was happy to see him. "Agaki! It's been so long!"

They fist bumped.

"Where've you been?" Agaki asked.

"I went to the Jade Islands. A lot happened."

Agaki nodded. "I see. The princesses have been royally worried about you since forever. If I were you I'd go see 'em. Kagami too."

"I'll go check on everyone." He ran off. "See ya!"

Agaki waved.

Akasan jumped on top of the buildings and hopped from rooftop to rooftop, headed for the palace. He got inside and started walking down the main hallway.

He went to the mess hall, where the guards and other staff ate their daily meals. They all greeted him when he walked in.

Everyone raised their arm, and shouted their welcomes.

Akasan sheepishly waved back.

Not even ten seconds after, Mayumi immediately slid into the doorway looking for Akasan. Her eyes lit up when she found him. "Is that you?! It really is you!! You came back!!"

Mayumi tackled Akasan to the ground.

"Ah! Mayumi! Let me go!" Akasan said as he struggled to get up.

"No way, if you think I'm letting you out of my sight one more time, you're nuts!!"

Reiko ran through the doorway too, chasing after her older sister. Reiko raised her arms in the air. "Akasan!!" She jumped on top of him too.

Mayumi scowled. "Hey! Reiko!! What do you think you're doing?! You're too young to be stealing men from me! Akasan is mine! Butt out!"

Reiko fought back. "No!! Akasan loves me more than you! And I'm not too young! I'm almost thirteen!!"

Mayumi and Reiko started rolling along the floor back and forth.

Mugen ran into the mess hall, facepalming at the sight of them. Akasan had already stood up, and was watching the fight unfold.

Mugen grabbed the two by their back collars and got them on their feet. "Seriously, you two. Fighting? In the mess hall? This is a new low. Even for you girls." He noticed Akasan. "Hey! Look who's back!" He gave Akasan a manly handshake.

Akasan felt at home. "Where's Narumi?"

Mugen let his hand go. "Narumi's away to Cell City on business. She'll be back by tomorrow."

Mayumi tugged at Akasan's shirt, making the puppy-eyes face. "Akasan, forget about her." She got close to his face. "We can just go back to my room and... *talk* about our future together."

Akasan got chills down his spine. He quickly stepped away. "Actually, I'd love to, but... I gotta go. Bye!" He ran out of the palace.

Mayumi crossed her arms. "You can't run forever!!"

Akasan sprinted outside and hopped the rooftops again until he reached his own place. He opened the door to find Kagami on the couch watching TV. She ran over to give him a hug. She didn't bother asking where he went. "Out saving the day again?" she asked.

"Something like that." Akasan replied.

Akasan went up to his room and flopped back on his bed. He stared up at the ceiling. *"Guys... did you all take me back?"* He smiled to himself. *"Thank you."*

--

Over in the Northern Territories, a guard was in the mess hall grabbing some food for the prisoners. He held a tray with a half loaf of dry and cold bread, bland and cold porridge, and a small cup of cold water. He walked out of the room and walked down the lines of prison cells.

Every cell held a freezing-to-death prisoner inside, all of whom were depressed.

The guard made a right turn and stopped at a large metal door. He put in a passcode and the door opened.

A new hall of prison cells awaited him, only these cells were maximum security. Each cell had no bars or windows, was completely dark on the inside, and was sealed off with a ten foot thick metal wall that couldn't be re-opened.

All prisoners were kept under inhuman conditions of 30 degrees Fahrenheit.

The guard walked up to one of the cells. He put in a passcode on the number pad near the metal wall.

A small shutter opened up, just big enough to fit a tray of food. The guard slid it in and shut it back. He walked off.

The wall was ten feet thick, so the tray had to move inside the wall on a conveyor belt. It came out on the other side and stopped.

Two hands grabbed the tray. He sat down and picked up the bread and water. "Bread and porridge again? Yeah that's about all I can take at this point. Not for me."

The prisoner drank the water. He stood up. He placed both of his hands on the metal wall and inhaled.

The wall developed ice crystals on the outside from the sheer cold on the inside.

The prisoner exhaled, brung his hands back, and hit the wall with his knuckles. The metal wall shattered from the inside out.

The entire hallway blared with red lights as sirens went on throughout the entire prison. Guards immediately flooded the hallway with their guns up.

The prisoner walked out of his cell with nothing on but black prisoner pants.

"How is he so fit?! Has someone been feeding this one too much food?!"

"No sir, he gets less rations than the others as told!"

"Grrr... you!! Prisoner!! Don't take a single step, or we'll fire!! You will be arrested and taken to a different cell!!"

The prisoner raised his arm.

The guards tensed, aiming their weapons.

The prisoner moved his hand to his head and scratched it. His hair was long and whitish-blue. It flowed down to the middle of his back.

He disappeared.

"What the-?! Where'd he go?!"

The guards looked around, trying to find him.

He reappeared behind the one that was talking and broke his neck. The guard fell to the ground.

Another guard spoke. "S-Shoot him!!"

All of the guards shot at once, but the bullets didn't penetrate the man. They hit his skin and fell to the ground. He looked behind him at the guards shooting. He raised his right hand at them, his hand limp. The guards ran out of bullets.

The prisoner raised his wrist. The guards rose to their toes uncontrollably.

Palm still facing the guards, the prisoner then flicked his wrist downward. The guards were all impacted by an unknown force and hit the metal floor.

The prisoner did the same to the other side.

The hallway was empty. He slowly walked down the hall of maximum security cells and made it to a portion of the prison that had an open layout.

The prison cells encircled the room. They went up the sides of the walls along with various platforms and railings.

The prisoner stopped in the middle of the room as the guards flooded the exits.

The warden forced his way through. "Out of my way! Move! Who is disrupting my prison?!!" He stopped at the front of the crowd. He scowled at the man in front of him. "Men!! Show no mercy!! This prisoner is Frost!! Kill him without hesitation!!"

The guards all held up their weapons and started emptying their clips.

Frost turned to the warden, unaffected by the bullets. "Shame. This could've been much easier for you."

The entire crowd was immediately locked in an iceberg that went up to the walls on a slope.

The warden was the only one left unfrozen. Frost grabbed him off the ground by his neck. "But you're right. None of you all show mercy. So why should I right?" He crushed the warden's neck and then melted all of the ice.

More guards came running. Voices blared over the speakers. "*Attention guards!! Maximum security prisoner Frost has escaped from his cell!! Apprehend him at all costs!! Dead or alive!!"*

Hundreds of guards came to respond.

Frost's hair glowed. "Welcome. This is the part where you all die."