Shattering Humanity-Chapter 155: Arai & Maniae: An All Too Familiar Relationship
While waking through their city, Nephilim and Silpheed stop to look at a rebuilt church, being painted by a man on a tall ladder.
The two highly respected officials stop and check out the man’s hard work.
Nephilim: "It’s truly a thing of beauty, isn’t it Silph? Even in a situation that can be considered a time of revelations, it’s admirable to see the people who find comfort in their religion and don’t sway from their faith. Iwish I could instill that sense of trust into Mina, and have him fully understand that he is wrong, and what he should do right."
Silpheed: "iiv- oou- good-, Nef-e-uh-um Zr, ow- woo- oou- akk- iim- ahdon-?"
Nephilim closes his eyes and takes a disheartened sigh.
Nephilim(sighs): "That’s the thing Silph, that’s why I phrased it as a wish. I don’t know what I would consider true atonement from Dice. Death is always too easy of a punishment. The irrationality of those who believe death as an equal to suffering, shows they have personally never suffered themselves. Those suffering would rather die than continue living in agony. That’s why, I said what I did about slaves being the blame for more slaves. If you don’t fight to the death for you and your loved ones freedom, you’ll have to suffer the life of a slave. The overall lack of retaliation causes the oppression to continue throughout generations."
As they begin to walk away, two boys are riding their bikes through the street. They both have dirty clothes and a backpack with a bat handle poking out the top.
One boy has blonde spikey hair and blue eyes. The other has black, shoulder length hair and red colored eyes.
One rides his bike right underneath a ladder with the man still at the top, making the ladder shake. Without stopping, the other young trouble maker kicks the ladder after his friend rides out underneath. They laugh while riding away.
The middle aged man begins falling from over 15 feet towards the hard concrete sidewalk.
Nephilim and Silpheed rush to go help the man.
Nephilim: "Silph!"
A sad blue aura seeps through the right eyepatch of the assistant. Nephilim has popped off his IceEye to 2nd Stage, also emitting a sad blue aura.
Nephilim(thinking): *Time to test out this new neutralizing technique.*
He focuses on the two boys riding away.
Right before the innocent man smashes his skull against the ground, he *POPS* out of existence.
Nephilim turns the same corner the boys take.
Nephilim(thinking): *Originally, my ability allowed me to only manipulate the separation of charged air particles to create lightning and static. But Tristan revealed to me that, while in a blind rage, I used my ability to forcefully inflate a human body until it burst. After an extra month of training and testing the capabilities of my IceEye, along with MamMon DæMon to give me tips on how my IceEye uses certain Seiõr energy to perform it’s ability...*
The bike riding boy in the front is pedalling hard, breathing heavy, but then his eyes get wide.
Nephilim’s eyes narrow to focus even harder.
Suddenly in a frantic panic, the black haired young man who kicked the ladder stops and falls to the ground, badly scrapping his knee.
On the ground he is holding his chest, then grabs his neck. As if he doesn’t know which one is the reason he can’t breathe.
Silpheed looks at the soft grass next to them and suddenly the falling man *POPS* back into existence on the grassy lawn.
The other little shit who rode under the ladder stops and rushes to tend to his friend.
Blonde Trouble-Maker: "Maniae, you good?! Maniae!"
Silpheed walks over and helps the painter up from the grass.
Painter: "I almost died, thank you so much."
Silpheed: "Nuu- praahblm-."
The face covered assistant starts running in the direction Nephilim went to chase the culprits.
The co-Lord of Erebus City is moving in the direction of the stopped troublemakers and he breaks his focus off of the suffocating boy who is now turning blue in the face.
Nephilim(thinking): *Okay, he can have his oxygen privileges back, as for you...*
With a deep inhale, the black haired boy takes grateful and quick breaths.
Maniae: "*gasps* Holy shit... *gasps*...Arai, I thought I was fuckin dead!"
Arai: "What the fuck happened to you?"
Maniae: "I don’t know!"
Suddenly, a tiny spark of electricity hits the boy Arai in the ass. It’s enough of a shock to make the young man jump in surprise.
Arai: "Ahh!"
Nephilim rests his IceEye to it’s base-kit and approaches the two 14 year old boys, looming over them.
Arai and Maniae quickly turn to see the man who had stopped them. The young blonde boy goes for the bat in his backpack but it suddenly *POPS* out of existence.
Nephilim: "You two are under arrest for attempted murder."
Arai gets up and yells in response.
Arai: "We were here first! You bums can’t just come and take this city. We’ve lived here, even during this alien invasion!"
Nephilim gets a surprised look on his face and Silpheed catches up to them all, with the boys baseball bat in their hand.
Nephilim: "What do you mean? Aren’t you kids from the sister mountains? Where are your parents?"
Arai: "The fuck is that? No, we’ve been living all on our own, without adults like you, for three years now! We hope our parents are dead! Serves them right! Right, Maniae?...Maniae?"
The boy named Arai turn to see the red eyes of his friend, fixated on Nephilim. As if he is remembering someone and tears fill his eyes.
Arai: "Aye, what’s up with you, Maniae?! You in love or something?"
Maniae: "P-Poinai? Is that you, Poinai?!"
Nephilim turns his torso to glance at Silpheed, who just shrugs in confusion.
Nephilim turns back to the boys and gives a stern look.
Nephilim: "Either way, you two are coming with us AFTER you apologize to that man you almost killed."
Arai gets up, fists clenched and stares the man with heterochromic eyes with Below Sanpaku.
Arai: "Says who? I don’t care who the fu-"
Nephilim: "Silpheed."
Silpheed already has a sad blue aura coming from their eye patch and before Arai can get the swear out, he *POPS* out of existence, startling his friend Maniae. Nephilim walks over to the disgruntled boy on the ground, and the man holds a hand out for the boy to grab.
Nephilim: "I apologize for having to choke you, making you fall and getting that nasty cut on your knee. I’m also sorry to disappoint you, but I’m not that person you seem to be hoping for. However, I can be someone to help you boys become men. IF you’re willing to trust me. We can all explain our stories to each other at my office, how does that sound?"
The young boy takes the help up, thus beginning a new connection.
[3 years ago, the afternoon before Leviathan’s Invasion]
Within the same neighborhood that Saku lived in, an 11 year old Maniae is crying while running out of his apartment building. He is beat up and bruised, his shirt collar is wrinkled and he is followed by the shouts of his father out the 2nd floor window.
Maniae’s Father: "Go ahead and run away you little fucking shit! You got nowhere else to go and nobody else left! You’re worthless just like me, and nothing like your brother!"
The young boy is running through the streets until he gets to an alleyway and ducks in between the buildings. He slides down the wall and sits on the ground, crying, while talking to himself.
Maniae: "Why did you have to go to the military, Poinai? You didn’t get to see Mom before she died and you left me all alone with our drunk and abusive Dad. Why did you do this to me? Why, Poinai?"
Another young voice scares him and makes the young boy flinch.
Arai: "You too, huh?"
Maniae looks up to see another beaten and abused child, standing at the opening of the alley.
Maniae: "Wh-who are you? And what do you mean by ’You too’? What, did you also get abandoned by your older brother, lose your mom and now get beaten by you drunk dad?"
Arai slowly walks over and sits across from where Maniae was on the opposite building. The blue eyes of the young boy fill up as well and tears fall to the ground below him.
Arai: "No, I just got away from some bullies I don’t even know. I’ve been from foster home to foster home, and every new place I go, I sneak away from. I’ve never actually had an older person take care of me or show me something interesting that I didn’t know. Sometimes I wonder if I am actually just a shitty kid my parents knew they wouldn’t want."
The two kids sit in silence for a moment.
Maniae: "I’m Maniae, by the way."
Arai: "...Arai."
There’s another silence for a moment and then both kids talk at the same time.
Arai: "Wanna fight?"
Maniae: "Let’s fight!"
They both get shocked by the identical, unusual proposal but then they laugh.
Arai: "Come on. I know a spot we can get stronger. Together."
Maniae nods with a smile and the boys run through the streets to an abandoned school. From inside the school, Arai leads Maniae down to the cafeteria, unlocking doors with his own key and then locking them behind them.
With how tedious the actions and the sketchiness of the location, the lonely 11 year old boy doesn’t get any suspicion of the other 11 year old leading the way.
Maniae: "Woah! You got your own key to this place? That’s dope!"
Arai: "Believe me, this place smelt like piss and shit, there was more garbage everywhere, but I’ve been working on it."
Maniae sees a wall of garbage bags full of all the trash his new friend had collected.
Maniae: "Don’t you worry about creepy homeless dudes?"
Arai: "No. I’ve already made sure I kicked them out. That’s why I got every door into this place, boarded and locked. While the actual entrance is where I showed you..."
The blonde haired boy turns his head and his pure blue eyes making eye contact with the blood red eyes of his new young colleague.
Arai: "Please, whatever you do, don’t tell anyone where it is...okay?"
Maniae comically nods and then uses his hand to ’zip his lips’. They continue through the cafeteria to the entrance where students would pick their school served lunches and pay for it at the exit. There is a sliding metal sheet with a lock between the chain holding the door locked to the floor. The boy unlocks it and throws the above head door upwards.
It reveals inside, what can only be described as a ’BoyCave’. The version on a ’ManCave’ with the interior design of an orphan 11 year old.
There is a 48’ TV with vintage video games. A bean bag chair in front with empty/half full cans of soda not too far from it as well as empty junk food bags and also a few opened MRE remnants.
Comic books stacked in the corner.
An air hockey table behind one of the metal serving line tables on one side.
Posters of superheroes are taped to the white brick wall and a stereo.
Maniae: "You’re worried about the trash out there, but your main area is trashed with your own dirty garbage!"
Arai: "That’s not what you’re supposed to be paying attention to, atleast say it’s cool or something! Jeez, I worked hard..."
Maniae gives a chuckle and takes a step inside.
Maniae: "I will say though, it’s incredibly impressive for someone your age...my age. If you’ve never had someone to teach you or show you how to do all this, how did you accomplish it? How did you get all of this stuff without someone to give it to you, Arai?"
Arai plays into the attitude he was hoping to have, wiping his nose with a single index finger while talking.
Arai: "Well my new ’ally’, if you are so interested, the video games and TV were free cuz they’re old and that’s the only bean bag chair so don’t fuckin pop it.
Anyway, my first foster home was attached to a library, and that foster father owned a movie theater. All the orphans there had free access to the library and one free movie a month. I learned how to read and understand basic grammar by the time I was 5 because of those accesses. Luckily, this school was abandoned with everything from books, emergency food, and if I keep the generator full of gas I can keep power in here and the gymnasium attached."
The young boy’s cockiness then goes to a sad realization. Maniae doesn’t see while searching the pile of comic books in the corner.
Arai: "You know, when I say it out loud, it might sound like a blessing or something to be proud of, but now that I look back on the last 6 years since then, it was the beginning of my arrogance. Because I was pretentious about my advanced ’knowledge’, my foster brothers and sisters hated me and I just blamed them for being dumb. So I started sneaking out of the house at 8 years old, got caught and kicked out of houses in Roronora and Son Goku City. I was 9 when I got placed in Hanabi City’s foster home and in two years of work I only got this far."
This is when Maniae turns around to look at the sad young man who is letting out his personal feelings. The red eyes of the black haired boy go to an Above Sanpaku while looking at his new buddy.
Maniae: "Aye, I thought we were gunna fight? Not explain why."
He gets in a fighting stance but Arai starts to laugh and Maniae puts his fists down confused.
Arai: "Hahahah! Okay. Okay. I forgot, hahaha!"
Arai’s blue eyes go into a Below Sanpaku in return and a smirk.
Arai: "Follow me to the gym."
He leads Maniae to the gymnasium. When he unlocks the double door the *CLACK* of the push to open door echoes throughout the empty open room.
The motion detected lights turn on thanks to the mentioned generator.
There are piles of foldable soft mats around the bleachers. The hardwood floor hasn’t been polished in decades and is dusty. There are basketball hoops on each wall.
The door closes behind them and their voices echo as they talk.
Arai: "This gym is the lowest part of the school, I can’t even hear those firework shows every month if I’m here. So, you ready?"
Maniae smiles and puts his closed fists up to his chest.
Maniae: "Before we start, I just wanna say, thanks... for letting me beat you up."
Arai chuckles in response.
Arai: "Just know, if you ever want a rematch afterwards to try to get your pride back, I’ll be waitin’."
They quickly approach each other with a smile and throw their first fists of friendship. It isn’t seen, but it echoes throughout the gym.
The sounds of fists cutting wind, fists connecting cleanly to bone, and attacks being blocked echo as well. Frustration being exerted from neglected young men through fighting. Not fighting to kill, but fighting with the winner being both of the contenders. A fight where being on the receiving end of a fist to the ribs, felt just as good and satisfying as being the one to land a kick on the other.
From outside, the sky fades quickly into the night without the sounds of physical combat ceasing.
After 8 hours of fighting, both young boys are bloody, cut, and bruised. Breathing heavily, sweat drips for the first time on the hardwood in years.
Maniae’s right eye is closed shut, while Arai’s left eye is swollen purple. After a long pause both boys fall to the ground where they stood. They start laughing, with all their injuries it would seem as of these young men were maniacal. The laughing slows down and they stop echoing.
While they both look up at the florescent lighting, they talk.
Arai: "Aye, Maniae, was it? You’re pretty cool, I’m not gonna lie. I never thought I’d know someone who could even half relate to my loneliness."
Maniae thinks for a moment.
Maniae: "To be honest Arai, I’ve watched my life form into this. I had a loving, beautiful mother, a stern but caring father, and my big brother is the most amazing, selfless person to walk the face of this planet. You would love him. He’s got red eyes like me and my mum. His hair is poofy and long but it makes him look bigger. But most of all, he’s the hero who has to play bad guy. Only bad guys kill, but I know when my bro killed the actual bad guys, he did it for me, my mum and my dad. That’s not what bad guys do, is it? Bad guys are selfish and only end up dying to the good guys, right? So my Big Bro can’t be dead, right?
...
...
...
But I lost my mother to brain cancer. It won the battle over her so quickly, I doubt the letter informing my brother got to him before she actually died. I still have my father, unfortunately, and my brother isn’t dead. No matter what my drunk bitter Dad says. But Arai you, you’ve had nothing except public resources, and your own willpower, but you didn’t make excuses. You wanted to be a functioning, hard working human naturally and you achieved your own happiness. I don’t wanna sound like a dork or anything, but you really saved my ass today."
There is no response, and Maniae looks over to see his new friend, sound asleep on the hardwood floor. The open red eye fixates on the sleeping face of Arai, and he smiles.
Maniae puts his hands behind his head, crosses his legs and smiles to sleep easily in the brightly lit gym. Their minimal movement doesn’t trigger the motion detected lights and eventually, the lights go off. Leaving them to sleep calmly after a much needed fight.
Meanwhile, 6 hours later, the meteor containing Leviathan lands, but the rumbling from the landing doesn’t get to them in the heavily fortified gym. Neither do the small, muffled bumps of the meteors containing the Icemen.
The screams and cries of terror that rang throughout the world, were ’hmms’ and bells of a beautiful song in the dreams of the boys who lived different versions of loneliness.
From outside, in the chaos with the crashing of meteors into buildings and vehicles, a woman is running from a group of smaller Icemen and she starts heading towards a door to the same abandoned school. The door looks cracked open but when she gets to the push door, the chain with a lock connected to the frame stops her from safety. A bucket of water falls, and with the bucket over her head, she is unable to see.
Woman: "Please! No! Someone let me in please!"
From behind her a hungry group of Icemen creep up behind her. The wet and now humiliated woman turns around just as teeth bite down around her head.
The sounds of eating and crunching can be heard outside the chain locked door, along with the rest of the ongoing apocalypse.
The booby trap bucket that fell to the ground stops rolling and "Don’t come back Hobos!" is written in marker on the side.
