It took a few minutes to walk back to the market, where Bast and Geoff were still waiting. When he got there, Geoff threw his bag at him, and he caught it with an 'oof'. The power that had enveloped him during his chase had faded, leaving him feeling somewhat empty. The voice hadn't spoken since its assistance earlier.
'Awesome. I have an incorporeal companion. And they're shy. Yay.' He thought, fighting the urge to sigh. "Thanks for holding it, Geoff," he said, putting the bag on his back.
"Yeah, no problem. So what was that whole thing about?" He raised an eyebrow, setting one hand on his hip.
"Ah, nothing, just some kid. I handled it," he explained, fishing the coin pouch out of his bag and holding it out to Bast. "Here's this back."
Bast pushed it back towards him, shaking his head. "Keep it. Think of it as an allowance. Apprentices get paid, after all," he smirked, resting both hands on the hook of his cane. "Be more careful with it though, yeah? Don't want any more incidents like this one."
Aku nodded, understanding the hidden meaning behind his words. It wasn't about the money being stolen, but rather the attention it brought. Nobody could find out what he was, and getting involved with the authorities wouldn't help in laying low. "Will do," he said before turning to Geoff. "So, we've still got some daylight left. Where's next on the tour?"
Geoff took a step back, crossing his arms over his chest and turning to the side. He was looking up at the castle. "Well, your little run in cost us some time, so we'll have to shave off a few stops." He turned back to Aku. "Before the castle, though, you should see the Enforcers facility."
"Oh, right, I've been meaning to ask about them," he followed close behind Geoff as he started walking around the edge of the market. "What exactly are they? I heard you mention them to Andre back when, you know, but I still haven't learned who they are."
Geoff turned to Bast, scowling, "Haven't you taught the kid anything?"
Bast laughed, hobbling along with them, "Don't blame me. Aku here doesn't seem to know left from right in this world," he smirked over Geoff's shoulder at Aku.
"Yeah, well, you could've taught him the important stuff, at least," Geoff scoffed, shaking his head at the shorter man.
"Bah! Better he learns on his own, anyways," Bast insisted, holding his chin up as he walked.
Geoff rolled his eyes, shaking his head as he turned back to Aku, "Well, to answer your question, Enforcers are the law enforcement around here, hence their name." He paused for a moment, half his mouth scrunching into a half scowl. "I… Well, not all of them are Inheritors, but the majority are. Only the most highly trained unbestowed qualify for the Enforcer Corps."
Aku raised an eyebrow, "'Unbestowed'?"
"People who don't have divine blood," Bast chimed in.
"People like you and I," Geoff added, gesturing to the two of them.
"And Bast," Aku said thoughtfully, rubbing his chin in one hand. There was some stubble growing there. 'I'll have to shave later.' He thought absently.
Geoff's eyebrows shot up and he whirled on Bast, "Seriously, old man? You haven't told him?"
"Told me what?" Aku asked, stepping ahead of Geoff to get in front of Bast. The three of them stopped there in the street, which was mostly empty.
Bast sighed, grimacing, "I was hoping not to, yes. At least for now," he grumbled unhappily.
"He deserves to know, Bast," Geoff growled, grabbing the old man by the shoulder and pushing him towards Aku.
"Watch it, you drunk! Didn't anyone ever tell you to respect your elders?" Bast snapped, regaining balance with his cane.
"I'll show respect when you show some dignity, geezer. Now tell him."
"Fine, fine," Bast sighed, turning to Aku. "No, boy, not like me. I'm not unbestowed. I'm an inheritor."
Aku flinched, taking an involuntary step back," What? But, you haven't used any magic that I've seen. Other than elemental magic, which you said everyone can-"
"Haven't I?" Bast cut him off, tapping his cane bag where the coin pouch was.
"You… What do you mean? You made those coins?" Aku asked, his head swimming with questions.
Bast sighed again, folding his hands on top of his cane, "I'm a Creation Inheritor, Aku. I make things. Ever wonder why I chose blacksmithing as my career choice? I'll tell you one thing, it wasn't because of my divine muscles," he chuckled, rubbing one of his bony forearms. "Don't be blabbing about the whole making coins thing, though, yeah? It's not exactly, well… legal." He smirked.
"I see." He said, then tilted his head, his eyes squinting slightly. "But, why didn't you just tell me from the start? Is it a trust thing?"
Bast shook his head. "No, that's not why. I trust you, it's just that the majority of people around here don't know, and I'd like to keep it that way." He explained.
"Is there a reason why? Or are you just shy?"
Bast thwapped the side of his head with his cane, scowling. "Do I come off as shy to you, brat?"
Aku rubbed his head, looking down and mumbling, "No, sir, sorry…"
Bast sighed, beginning to walk again, Geoff, who'd been standing to the side, followed close behind. "No, the real reason is that around here, Inheritors are seen in a higher light than regular citizens. And while some might find this to be a good thing, it also means higher expectations."
"Ah, and since you're lazy, you don't want people holding you to a higher standard, got it," Aku said, ducking under the swing of Bast's cane.
"Bah! You try living with the city's royalty up your ass every damned day," he grumbled, narrowing his eyes as he looked over to glare at the castle.
Aku laughed as they approached their destination, a large building of white marble and gold ornaments and a ruby red roof, just like every other building in the city. This one, however, had 4 large statues of warriors, every one holding a different weapon and unique armor. One held a spear, her battle robes flowing out behind her as she gazed down at the street. The next held a longsword and had angular knight's armor with a red plume sticking out the top. After him, there was a large man wearing plate armor holding a massive tower shield half his size in his left hand, an equally huge war hammer in his right. Finally, there was a smaller, slim man holding a longbow, an arrow nocked on the string, wearing similar robes to the spear wielder.
"The Pillars of Life," Bast explained. "The best of the best among the inheritors of this Realm. You'll see 'em parading around from time to time." He turned to Aku, turning serious. "Avoid them. They can sense other Inheritor's energy." He glanced over at Geoff to ensure he wasn't looking, which he wasn't, and continued. "If your powers act up while they're around… they'll know it isn't coming from an Inheritor Core."
Aku nodded, looking up at the towering statues. "What are their names?"
"The spear wielder is Jace Fin. She's like a saint among the citizens of Genesis, always helping around the poorer districts." He pointed at the shield holder. "That one, Darius Hendge, is seen as the guardian of this city. The royals paint him as a sort of holy protector, which he is, to be honest."
"The bow wielder is Torr, you won't see him around much, keeps to himself," Geoff cut in. "People say he does the royals' dirty work, but who knows."
Bast nodded. "And finally-" His eyes bulged, weak legs buckling as he fell to the ground.
Aku rushed to his side when he suddenly realized everyone around was doing the exact same. People everywhere in sight fell to their knees, some even passing out. People gasped for air as they braced their hands on the ground. He looked around, confused, mind and heart both racing.
"And finally…" A voice said behind him. "Xiron Shard."
Aku whirled around, his eyes landing on a tall man with dark black hair. His eyes were a brilliant red, the light reflecting off of them just right to make them shine. He was wearing angular armor… a longsword on his hip.
Aku glanced back at the second statue, then at the man again. At Xiron Shard.
Xiron tilted his head, his lips tilted up slightly into a smirk. "You aren't affected," he stated simply. "I guess he was right about you. You are interesting." He reached out and tried to grab Aku, but he backed away.
"What are you doing to them? Stop it." Aku growled, gesturing to the people around them.
Xiron laughed, waving his hand dismissively. "Oh don't worry about them, they're all fine. It's just my presence, normal people can't stand it." He chuckled to himself. "Get it? St-"
"Don't." Aku said, shaking his head. "Do not."
He laughed even harder and reached out to grab Aku again, and he let him this time. As his hand landed on Aku's shoulder, he felt an energy begin to pulse from the Pillar's arm, and runes began lighting up along it. The energy wrapped around Aku like a shroud, glowing a dim red.
"Hold on, boy," Xiron muttered.
Then, however, something shifted. The energy enveloping him began to stutter, then flicker. More runes lit up all over Aku's body, glowing a much deeper crimson. They pulsed with foreign energy, expelling Xiron's.
Xiron cursed and reeled back, releasing Aku's shoulder and shaking his hand like he'd been burned. "What in hell, boy… What is this?" He growled, glaring at Aku. Energy flowed around his body as he lifted off of the ground, floating in the air a few feet above. "Cease what you're doing now. That is an order."
Aku looked down at his hands, his eyes wide as he looked at the complicated strings of runes covering them.
"I won't let him take you, Akuma." The voice said, sounding serious.
"Who even are you?" He whispered, shaking his head.
"Don't worry about that," she responded. "Just relax, I'll do the work for you."
The runes glowed brighter, filling his vision with a red hue. Beside him, he could see a similar glow coming from Bast, and a quick glance behind him confirmed that Geoff was also covered in runes. In a flash, everything went red for a few moments, and the three of them were suddenly standing inside Bast's kitchen.
Bast nearly fell over, his breathing still ragged as he caught himself on the counter, and Geoff fell to one knee. Aku stood straight, still looking down at his hands, where the runes were beginning to fade, and then they were gone.
The energy enveloping the three of them dissipated, leaving Aku feeling unsettlingly bare. Just like when he'd chased Caspian, the energy was given to him, then taken away immediately after. It pained him to think that he couldn't control what he assumed to be his own power, instead being manipulated by some other being that was seemingly in his head. At least, he assumed that was what was happening. Every time he'd been given energy, the voice spoke to him. It even gave him help when he needed it.
'Who the hell are you?' He thought, but not to himself.
'I told you not to worry about that,' she responded.
'Well, I am, so…' he trailed off, realizing how childish he must sound.
'You won't like the answer,' she thought back, and Aku could've sworn he could tell she was smirking.
He scoffed mentally, 'Sure, whatever. Just spit it out, woman… thing. Whatever you are.'
She giggled in his mind and paused for a moment before speaking in a theatrical tone, 'Alright, Akuma, my young Wielder. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Chaos.'