Chapter 182

  “Who am I?” Mi-Yung leaned a bit further, and the chair's legs screeched in pain from her bearing. Her emotions flared up a little, making her Emblem much more tense and her eyes more dreadful.

  William didn’t budge; he believed his instincts that this person wasn’t a threat, but it was also not a very sensible thing to question and anger her. Many Walkers were like that.

  Something in him also told him to trust her, though not completely. She was useful and much better at this business than William could ever hope for.

  For himself, he had to adapt.

  For her, he had to listen.

  “I said my name, but the name is no face or mark to who one is. Acts often give that away much more, since the name is just a note of our parents. I didn’t name myself like one certain idiot. Well, I had my parents; you had yours. William is not your only name, right?”

  William nodded. “Gale, Luke said.”

  “He did? Not even knowing your surname sure gets tough, so good for him to make another unclear thing yours. Many people don't even have the name. They are unfortunate or gone.”

  “That doesn't answer who you are.”

  “No. I know. There are a lot of scheming people in this fucked up era, but I am not one of them to those close to me. Someone like that saved me, and I am close to his level after many years and efforts and Dark knows how many conflicts. I have my father to thank for that, and your father is a shadow that never left my steps because of what he did to me.”

  “And?”

  “I am telling you who I am. So.... I am a Rank 6 Walker, William. And I want you with greed, because there is no further reason behind me than a desire to see you grow and exceed your parents. Does it need to be very complicated?” She demanded and released her hand that rested on her chin, pulling it closer to the bit of Emblem below. It was a weird remembrance. A slight token not to overlook who she was thankful for.

  “No...” William unwillingly said and crossed his arms over his chest. “Which means what? I don’t get it.”

  Glowing in the azure light with the mixture of white and purple, a sense of sun was in her Emblem, and it glinted on his face a little. It was much brighter than his Emblem. Mi-Yung could do much more with it hundreds of times than William would ever think.

  He looked forth without wavering for the first time and understood her complexion and reason differed from the likes of Luke or Kaufman. Her words were much more straightforward and nice, but her gaze was pressuring, and her reasoning was kind of childish.

  She will get what she wants. Though blood, or effort. A lot of work too, perhaps, coupled with willingness and trades.

  That was an idea William followed, yet his voice mattered much more than the first time. She was giving him a choice, and one was better than the rest. Probably.

  He wasn't sure what she planned for him, or what other things she had in mind. There were also those weird threats, and that stuff about his parent’s mistake. Academy was also a curious topic, as that was about his mother. His sunshine.

  William wanted to know what it meant and wondered if his parents had made a terrible enemy. But the mistakes and stuff Mi-Yung said sounded like they had done something… weirder, or worse than that. What? Did they steal something? Him, for example? He lacked a cohesive time frame and history, and there was no way hiding him Outside was some sort of...plot.

  Or someone killed them just because they could and had to do so because of nefarious needs.

  He wanted to dig deeper, so he took her eyes for a striking meteor and stared.

  “Although I am Rank 6, I am nowhere near the level of your father. Why, do you wonder?”

  “What does it matter? Rank 6 is not in my sight.” William blurted out when Mi-Yung blinked in wariness and changed her mind once more.

  “As I've said. I owe your father my life, and others do as well, yet... many have forgotten this grace. Assholes. My brother is the same as me, though I don’t know where he is at the moment. He was obsessed, if not still is. Can you guess the moment I found out that your father disapered in an irregular shitty Incursion that pressed the biggest camp in history like a little pancake? Everyone expected words or safety, yet years passed to shit. And you, like many others, disappeared into crashing darkness.”

  “More like dead. They got eaten. Ruined.”

  “Yes, I suppose that happens when Darks raids the thousands. Then, I found you, their son, who was partly a mystery under a couple of organizations and people and layers of dark or bloodstained papers. It was luck. Some took you for a fraud and fake news. Some knew about you; others did not even bother to believe or care. All of this is dangerously close, while your parents, before having you, were critical in beliefs and, at one point, betrayed their respective organizations. Politics and people are quite peculiar and awful.”

  “Betrayed?”

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  “Well, it isn't as big of a buzzword as you would think. Many Walkers simply leave what they have, go somewhere else because they want to or have to, or they disappear without a trace because they have had enough of this living. Or they die in seclusion or in solo dungeon attempts that could prolong their lives, or push them forward. Be my guess what they should do. Many organisations, even high Walkers, can't control this whole thing. They try, fail, and try it all over again.”

  “Are you trying that with me?”

  “Maybe. People fear repercussions of liability, power, relations, or people in charge. The military is tough for that reason, as it still has marks of that shitty old era, and.... let's just say those policies and a new world of Walkers are a tough topic that is sensitive for decades.”

  “I… know that. And..” William asserted, but Mi-Yung slammed the table, almost crushing it to bits. She was gentle for her own good; sending errands for a new one was a bother, after all.

  “You don’t know. You HAVE no idea!”

  “Sorry…”

  “I am sorry, William. I bother a lot with these sorts. People don’t change because of shitty fucking attitudes or power. They think too much, I fear.”

  “Yeah,” William shuddered and let her speak. It seemed she needed it more than he did.

  “A lot of uncharacteristic patience comes with time. Your parents left in pain and battles, and many people didn't like it at all. It was a curious idea what two Walkers do for that sort of thing, or how they made one. Your father... well, no. No. Don't get me wrong.” Mi-Yung blurted and waved a hand before her face. “It is not like I wanted his child. Don't get me wrong! I admired him like a person admires a sun or moon.”

  William observed her in silent and wasn't sure if he even cared about this topic or not. She seemed to care too awfully lot about it, so maybe it was true. “How old are you even?” he whispered without thinking.

  “Old? Haven’t I said that?” She blinked and didn’t remember it. “Korea died more than twenty years ago, so have you thought I was old? No. I am not even forty!”

  “Aren’t you Rank 6?”

  “And? Thanks to Forced Awakening, living to thirty is looming at Rank 6!”

  “I am not making assumptions. I don’t even know them!”

  “Frankly, you are the one who doesn’t sound your age.” Mi-Yung said, smiling.

  He liked what she said beforehand a lot more, and it seemed his parents had enemies. It also described one laughable matter that was obvious even Outside.

  Humanity, let alone Walkers, wasn't one cohesive and massive force. There were battles for resources and stupidity all the freaking time, and William hated this idea with a passion.

  Walkers were also complicated in personalities, and giving people that sort of power could make acceptable and wrong impressions depending on them. Alas, they started this life as clueless little babies.

  It wasn't some sort of weird gift given to unstable teenagers or adults, even if it started to be a bit more tricky at those points before the suitable age initiated the suitable evolution.

  Still, at one point, humanity developed these new generations of humans, and did so with their personalities, cultures, or power, whilst being hunted in this new era. Then, the rest followed suit all over the world.

  Considering the books William read about humanity’s history, he wondered what atrocities happened, or kept on going. Then, he remembered that diary in his room, or how his own life led him to quite strange encounters. That diary was like a small knock on them, even if it was an old, curious case. It wasn’t fiction for sure.

  Lastly, there was a topic of new generations of Walkers in this century, and their birth was a major topic, like the entire concept or their original purpose.

  Someone had to teach them, brighten them up, and give them justice.

  Many used them, controlled them, and viewed humanity as a whole, or as a very limited resource.

  William understood his parents were weird and unfamiliar, and that his earlier life might be worth exploring. Not alone, that is. Who knows, perhaps it was worth the pain of remembering those bits of fragments and whatever else was in his head.

  Still, his parent didn't think very far if they left him out there, and Mi-Yung realized that point within the moments she recognized all those reports from weeks ago. Whatever that was, shielding him from the outside world for five years must not have been simple.

  In fact, maybe they would have continued doing so for even longer until William would not be a clueless child. That simple idea dwelled in William's mind for ages, so he wondered what else he was missing, or whether his parents were keeping him like a rat.

  No. That was a weird memory and an even worse remembrance. His mother was nice. She even brought him out and walked him around. What else did he need at that age than her hand?!

  Thinking about it wasn’t assuring William for many reasons. His parents, Emblem, history and so on. He was unsure where to even start, let alone what to say to Mi-Yung, who felt all sorts of emotions right now.

  At least he could trust her words. Then, her actions.

  It was a mistake; Mi-Yung had already made plenty of actions, but he didn’t know her nearly enough, or what she was bringing to the table.

  “Why did they go missing? What about their history before I was in the picture?” William's complexion darkened, and his two questions touched sinister objects.

  Remembering that day, when he reached out for her one last time, his father was like a shadow and the hot sun. His mother took up the majority of his memories, followed by her love, care, and words. It wasn’t fresh. It was gone, never to return.

  After a decade, he never stopped thinking about it. Be it at night or peaceful times… No... he hadn't moved on at all. That was why he worked and tried pretending. It worked well for him for ages. Then not, but not that he cared.

  Day after day, surviving, or looking at his hand, one part was like a nightmare that he would never neglect.

  “William. I am sorry to say that, but I don't know every single answer. They are gone because of the Incursion and Darks. At least, that is what I can say with certainty. Even after ten years of pushing this issue forth in the Assembly, there is this opposing side that just doesn't want to hear my worries because of their previous actions. As I've said, after years of their not-so-great departures, their death was seen as deserving, and soon crossed the point of no return.”

  William flinched his hands and pushed against the table to no avail. Why was it so darn sturdy?

  “Some people might even detest you, or be really interested in you, or exploit you. Why? What for? Maybe they think of karma, or it just calms their minds. There are definitely vicious parts to this, like revenge or simple anger, and you should consider this topic with heart or more experience before being too harsh. Trust me, I speak with experience.”

  “I am not trying anything.”

  “Yeah. So far.”

  “What?”

  “You think I am stupid? The truth is all over you face, and I don’t blame it or dislike it. I will help it.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. I don't think it is that bad for you if you want it. For once, I know what I know before all these dramas and... consequences.”

  “I won’t be polite then,”

  “Oh, please, don’t be. I hate polite people. They are all over the place and sicken me.”

  “I… see.” William still calmed his hand and wondered when the sleeping darkness would come for him. He kind of forgot how much he wanted to sleep tonight.