Longing Hearts part 3

Ch3: Turning Rogue

When he opened his eyes, Koro was laying on a bed in a dark room. There was no sign of weakness left in him and he was ready to fight if needed. He sat up quickly, trying to take in as much information as possible about his location. The only window in the small bedroom was covered partially by blinds, allowing only a small portion of light through. The room was much like any regular room, with a small closet, a single bed, an office desk and a small bookcase. He stood up, focusing on any sound around him, managing to distinguish discussions coming from beyond the door. With careful steps, Koro exited the room, finding himself in a long hallway with a number of doors on each side. The only light came from the end of it, where sounds of voices were clear. He took steps towards it, while bringing his hand near his mouth. He bit on the skin, opening a wound and keeping the blood that dripped hovering near the skin of his palm, in case he had to defend himself or fight back. 

The conversation came to a halt, the moment he was able to figure out words and he slowed his pace as the sound of steps became louder. The blood pulsated aggressively in his veins, the possibility of getting into a fight brought him on edge. Then, a breath caught in his lungs as the sight in front of him left him numb.

‘’It’s alright, brother. You are safe here.’’, Mainda’s voice was heard and the only thing Koro wondered was whether he had gone to the other side as well and if this place was some sort of afterlife.

‘’Mainda…’’, he muttered, refusing to retract the blood that welled into his palm. ‘’How could it be? Your body wasn’t found…’’ A gentle smile appeared on her lips and Koro’s eyes trailed her characteristics hungrily, trying to remind himself of who she was. Her long, black locks were sticking out rebelliously around her egg-shaped, freckled face and her blue eyes, mirrors of his own, had the familiar glow.

‘’That’s because I never died and neither did Tori.’’

The male shivered lightly at the revelation, still having a tough time trusting what his eyes saw and his ears heard.

‘’Come, please.’’, she told him and Koro acted instinctively, taking a few steps near her. When he got under the light, into a large living room, according to his peripherals, the woman touched his wrist, glancing down at the blood still there. She gave him a smirk.

‘’No need to be afraid. No one is tricking you here.’’, she commented and the male hesitantly withdrew the blood back into his veins, letting the open wound heal.

‘’That’s right.’’, another familiar voice was heard and from a large opening at the end of the living room appeared Tori, the hearty smile he always used was pasted on his face, his grey eyes were as lively as ever. ‘’We are all on the same side here. It’s a good thing Irma found you when she did or the manifestation would have destroyed you.’’, he added and crossed his arms in front of his chest. Koro frowned. A number of questions clouded his mind.

‘’How can you still be alive?’’, he uttered under his breath, his blue eyes darting from one person to another. Their faces turned sympathetic towards him and anger suddenly emerged from inside of him. ‘’Where are we? Who saved me?’’, Koro added and took two steps back, forcing his sister to release his wrist.

Mainda sighed and glanced at the taller blonde male with a troubled gaze, before bringing her attention back on her older brother.

‘’I know this is hard on you, but you have to understand that we could not contact you for obvious reasons. The majority of followers in this place are rogue with no master to obey.’’, she began explaining, confusing Koro even more. He had no idea rogue followers existed and wondered if the masters were aware.

‘’Do they know?’’, he asked what was in his mind. ‘’Does master Ikrov know?’’, the black haired male added, focusing on Tori. He chuckled, a bittersweet smile on his face.

‘’The followers here claim that the masters are unaware of our existence, since most of us turned rogue after our second death, but I disagree.’’, he replied and Mainda frowned lightly at his words.

‘’I am sure you have a lot of questions, brother, but before we answer them, I would like you to meet the pair that saved your life.’’, she added and motioned him to follow her through the opening to the next room, a large, luxurious kitchen with white, marble bench and grey colored cupboards. To the right and next to a large, slightly open window, was a heavy set, dining table and six chairs, two of them occupied by a male and a female, who had cups of tea in their hands and a plate of cookies between them. They seemed to have paused a previous conversation to shift their attention to the people entering the room.

‘’Koro, this is Irma, the rogue follower who located you…’’, Mainda began, stretching her hand towards a petite, blonde woman, near the age of thirty, her black eyes giving him a stare of indifference. ‘’… and this is her pair, John.’’, the hand now moved towards the, quite tall and muscular, brunette male. His face had sharp edges and he looked in his mid-forties, a thick brown beard covering his face. He had almond shaped green eyes that showed actual interest in what was going on. A smile broke on his lips as he got up and stepped near Koro, stretching his hand out to introduce himself properly. The younger male reciprocated the gesture.

‘’Irma is an absorber and John an infiltrator.’’, Tori added and walked near a cupboard, proceeding to make some coffee. ‘’Want some?’’, he asked, looking first at him and then at Mainda.

‘’Please.’’, Mainda replied with a smile and Koro nodded positively with a sigh.

‘’You must be mentally exhausted, but I have to keep explaining the situation to you.’’, his sister kept on and pointed towards the table, as the two rogue followers he just met stood up and left the room, leaving Koro alone with her and Tori.

They all took a seat around the table, steaming cups of coffee in their hands. Koro’s sister continued speaking, explaining all that she had to, so that the older male could understand the situation he was in. The rogue followers had been all over the world and their creation initiated around the time the dark ages began in Europe. Their existence was kept hidden from their masters, but they did carry on completing their job of destroying manifestations. No one ever seaked them out or bothered them, as most of them were extremely skilled. There were no leaders between the rogue followers and they could all return to their masters as long as they keep the existence of the others a secret. The only thing they had in common was that they died a second time and were brought back mysteriously.

‘’So that means that I am not rogue…’’, Koro commented and she gave him a small smile, nodding positively. He hadn’t died back there, but was saved just before death.

‘’You should return to master Ikrov, but you have to keep this a secret.’’, Tori said and leaned back on the wooden chair, making it creak under the sheer mass of him.

‘’How can you even trust the ones who return?’’

‘’Usually the people who come back a second time have a certain quality to them.’’, Mainda replied and chuckled. ‘’We are honest people with the best interest of everyone at heart.’’

‘’Is that why you chose to remain hidden?’’, the black haired follower blurted out with a frown and from the way their faces darkened, it became clear that they understood what he implied.

‘’We were supposed to die back there.’’ Tori was the one who answered, leaning forward once more, placing his hands on top of the table and proceeding to cross his fingers. His grey eyes carried no emotion. ‘’We were not supposed to return from the dead. It was a decision we had to make.’’

Koro stared into his eyes for a few seconds, reminding himself that he had to be content of their sudden reappearance. Despite the fact that their circumstances had changed, they were still part of this world. He released a long sigh, releasing the intensity in his body. Mainda and Tori exchanged a glance before their faces softened again.

‘’I do apologize though…’’, Mainda muttered and pursed her lips in a bittersweet smile. Koro chuckled and nodded once more, before standing up.

‘’I should contact my master.’’