Okumura Syndicate Ending 1

Chapter 177: The Game Begins

As the sun peaked in the sky, Edward sat, utterly baffled by his own negligence. Bringing out an all too familiar checkered board, he laid out the pieces in their proper fashion. "I don't know what to do.", he muttered, playing each piece as he always did, but still, each scenario he set up for his mahogany pieces, his white pieces always managed to get the upper hand. One by one, each piece fell in defeat, until only the white pieces remained. He then turned to his right and saw the dark, greif stricken king, lying amongst the casualties. "There are no solutions.", he thought.

"How much longer are you going to keep playing that horrible game?", asked Catoria, slipping through the door, stupefied by the tormented expression of her boss. "You're wasting time. We need to figure out why all but one of those godforsaken soldiers won't wake up.", she commented crudely. "What's the point? The writing's on the wall Catoria, the barrier between equality and prejudice is broken.", Edward countered.

Catoria felt a miniscule amount of sympathy seep through her black heart, "There's something else going on, isn't there...", she uttered in a whisper, turning to Edward, whose eyes were obscured from staring at the board for an hour. "Perhaps.", he sighed, laying his head on the desk, hopeless. "It's no good.", he stated once more. "The seams of an already unstable structure are ripping apart, and now a whole thread is out of the equation...".

"That thread you speak of, is it by any chance Rou Okumura?", questioned Catoria. "Wait, how did you know?", asked Edward, baffled. Catoria crossed her arms, unnaturally angry at the prospect, "I have my ways.". Edward trembled, "Like what?", he shuddered. "You think I wouldn't notice the clear abundance of cracks, marks of sorrow outside the building? Edward, you need to communicate with people when such tragic news comes to light, and I'm afraid we could be too late in this instance.", the succubus informed.

"There are already intruders in the mansion, isn't it already late enough?", pondered Edward. Catoria rambled on anxiously, "I couldn't see the damn thing, but I know it's coming, and Rou's death only makes it look more like the truth...", she muttered, her eyes half-closed. "I must admit to you, but I regret one decision more than any that you made in your term as boss...". Edward wasn't shocked in the least, but was still surprised by Catoria's conclusion.

"So you say that in all my years of regrettable decisions, there's one thing that you're particularly downhearted by?", the disillusioned boss inferred. The succubus stood up from her chair and rubbed on her superior's chin, "Indeed...". Tentatively, she revealed a horrid fate, one only she could predict, "Something repulsive is coming to this syndicate that could destroy the entire mansion. Never mind intruders, if this threat isn't neutralised soon, I'm sure these century old walls won't last much longer...".

Edward shook his head, "I'm not letting this place be destroyed...", he muttered as he rose up towards the exit, "I can't let that happen. What if this abomination really does come?", he repeated, as though he was repeating a song. Catoria's face had a face of determination, boiling with indignation, holding him down like the weight of all his capos combined. "Don't be an idiot!", she shouted, as she punched Edward's sternum. "This is just as much my doing than yours, dare I say more mine..."

"You see, young Rou Okumura has a companion in one of his soldiers, Demitris Lowpeak. A young man whose name has recently arisen as a result of one of my affairs...", Catoria relayed. At that moment, Edward understood, "Demitris was the poor soul forced in Rou's place upon his abduction, his mind can't take that much without Rou's guidance...", he extended. "Exactly! Without him, he's also the forefront of a potential collapse of this organisation, both literally and figuratively...".

"...yes, so where is Demitris at the moment?" asked Edward. Catoria gave him a deathly stare, "Are you joking?", she replied, flapping her wings and rising near the ceiling. "Oh, don't give me that look, you're the one who left him out in the open, so how can I trust you?!". Edward grabbed her by the arm to hold her down, "Catoria, don't you think that it's a better idea to use your knowledge of your spawn to find his location?", he suggested.

"I am the only one with enough power and knowledge to neutralise him in this state, or possibly a state no member of this Syndicate has seen him in before...", mused the succubus. "You say that Demitris is somewhere out there, right now?", asked Edward. "Yes, I may have a rough idea that the sudden appearance of cracks around the garden is because of him, so naturally the solution is to follow them, which can easily be done when you can fly."

"Then it's settled.", announced Edward, "You'll find Demitris and neutralise him before it's too late.". With the boss's words, Catoria flew off into the vast landing of the mansion. Upon sight of the gardens, she saw the cracks once more, but has she got closer, her vision blurred, had something hit her? Shades of green reflected in her view before she ultimately blacked out. Her last clear sight was of two young hopefuls rushing to her destination. She had hope, even as she felt herself get carried away, even if her own fate was yet to be determined.