Len x Yowane Haku- Love of Evil Chapter 39

I’m cold.

That’s the first thing that Len thought when that rushing feeling finally stopped.

The rush that Len got from travelling through time-or light-lasted for a few minutes before he seemed to stop suddenly. He also felt like something was in his arms. And his legs. Correction…his entire body.

Then he suddenly heard a voice. “Are you awake?”

The voice sounded extremely familiar. It was a man’s voice, that was for sure. “Allen? Are you awake?” The man asked again.

Len slowly allowed his eyes to open, feeling curiosity and suspense towards the voice. Perhaps this was an angel helping him to find his way. Then finally, finally, he could see the man calling him. He saw a man with brown hair and glasses, and though he was wearing white, Len could tell that he was no angel. After a few seconds, the blonde could recall where he had seen such a face before. Kiyoteru, Len thought.

Keel was wearing a long white coat with a black shirt underneath it. The formal look he usually sported was gone, along with his normal posture. His glasses were different as well. “Keel?” Len said, noticing that his voice echoed. The brunette in front of him put a hand to his ear. Can’t he hear me? Len asked himself. “Kiyoteru?” he asked, this time saying the merchant’s real name slowly. Kiyoteru blinked for a second, then smiled and pointed to himself. Len nodded, and Kiyoteru nodded back.

Kiyoteru started speaking again, but this time Len couldn’t hear him. He stared at the man in confusion, and he stared back before chuckling and turning around to walk towards a wall behind him. Len hadn’t noticed before, but there was a silver…box on it. The words CONTROL PANEL were written in red above it, though Len couldn’t possibly begin to guess what exactly that meant. Keel opened the box and Len saw rows of switches and…circles. The man known as Keel pressed on one of these circles with one finger and said, “Sorry about that. Are you alright?” “Uh-y-yes, I’m fine,” Len answered, not really sure if that was true or not. “Good. For a second there I thought I lost you.” Len cocked his head and decided to press his hands on the glass. “What—”

Len stopped when he realized that he couldn’t move his hands. Something-mainly in the areas that he felt something…in before-was holding him in place. He looked down…and he screamed.

The scream threw Kiyoteru off. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Calm down!”

But Len kept on screaming. There were these…cords trapping him. They weren’t just wrapping around him, either…they were in his skin! He screamed until he had no more breath in his lungs, and he took shuddered breaths. “What…are…?”

“I can explain,” Kiyoteru said. “I’m sorry. Those cables are what gave you life, or, brought you back to life, I guess. But considering where-actually, when-you’re from, I should’ve known that you’d be confused.”

Suddenly there was an odd sound, and Len could see a strange line rise, starting at the far bottom but then raising to above his head where he couldn’t see. It took Len a second to realize that there was a glass boundary and it was now rising. Kiyoteru stepped directly in front of Len and gingerly grabbed one of the cables. “Now that you’re awake, you actually don’t need these anymore.” He then tapped something near Len’s left ear, and the cables shot out of Len’s skin. Odd enough, they didn’t hurt. And there were no marks showing that anything was there.

Len stepped out of the small prison before turning around to look at it. Len wasn’t sure how exactly to describe it…it was a chamber. It was large with an opening, of course, and there was a large tube at the top of it, which seemed to disappear into the ceiling, which was also decorated with cables that spread out like a giant spider’s legs.

“Kiyoteru…what is this?” Len asked. Kiyoteru blinked once again before laughing awkwardly. “Um…sorry. I should’ve mentioned this, but I’m not the Kiyoteru that you’re thinking about.” “H-Huh!?” Len was dumbfounded.

The man pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. “Let me explain. The Kiyoteru you’re thinking of-Kiyoteru Freesis-is my ancestor. Allen Avadonia, welcome to the twenty-first century.” His brown eyes met Len’s, but he just stood there, waiting to hear more.

“My name is Kiyoteru Hiyama, and though I look a lot like Freesis, I am not him. I’m a scientist. My ancestor’s daughter Yukina Freesis wrote a journal explaining a great time in history that until recently no one had ever known was anything more than a myth: The Green War.” “Great?” Len thought, not interrupting the…scientist.

“Yukina was the author of several books; a natural novelist. Her most popular story is called Daughter of Evil.” Len jumped at the title and Kiyoteru was quick to catch it. “Does that title remind you of something? Perhaps the Princess Riliane Lucifen d’Autriche called that in the story?” Len simply nodded. He urged the scientist to continue, and he did not disappoint.  

“This novel became a classic, talking about the tyrannical rule of the princess. How she was possessed by a demon of pride, having to get the demon and indirectly her memories exorcised, even losing her memories of her precious brother Alexiel, who had to go under the name of Allen.” “Wait-what?” Len interrupted Kiyoteru, almost horrified. Possession? Exorcism? Alexiel? What was this? But Kiyoteru Hiyama simply went on like Len said nothing.

“I only have a few questions for you, though you might be a little shocked by what I say. In the story, the princess had a brother called Alexiel Lucifen d’Autriche. After an ambush, the prince was proclaimed dead and was adopted by a man named Leonhart Avadonia, who already adopted a girl who went by Germaine Avadonia. This boy was renamed Allen Avadonia. In the journal, Germaine Avadonia’s place is taken by a woman named Meiko Germaine and ‘Alexiel’s’-your-name is really Allen. Is any part of this true?”

“W-Well, the journal’s right. But Leonhart was a swordsman that I rarely saw. He died shortly after the war began, and I’m not related to Meiko, adopted or otherwise.” Kiyoteru wrote this all down. “Next, what was the name of the white-haired girl that once lived in the Green Country? Did you ever meet her?” Kiyoteru didn’t conceal his smirk, just in case the journal was right. “Her name was Haku. Yowane Haku.” Kiyoteru wrote this down as well, though Len noticed that her given name was written before her family name. Len never really could break the habit of showing Haku respect by saying the opposite. “And my sister wasn’t possessed by a demon either!” Len added. The tension inside the room increased.

Not looking at Len, the taller man said, “The journal also mentioned that you, Allen Avadonia, were to be reborn.”

Len wasn’t surprised when he said this. Wasn’t that supposed to happen anyway? “You, along with…let’s see…” Kiyoteru looked at some sort of screen that Len could tell was this day’s technology. “Ah. Sure enough, Ger-Uh, Meiko Germaine, Kyle Marlon, Michaela…who doesn’t have a last name in either version…Haku Yowane, and Riliane Lucifen d’Autriche.”

Len jumped. Kiyoteru looked away from the “screen” (a computer) and said, “I’m guessing all of those names sound familiar?” Len nodded, unable to speak. His sister…his girlfriend…and he still felt horrible for Miku.

Len scratched his arm. Something else felt off.

“Oh, right. The clothes. I hope you like them.”

Len was wearing a big white shirt with puffy sleeves and a yellow tie. There was a large ‘02’ printed in red on the right sleeve. He was also wearing black, baggy shorts with yellow  and large heavy boots. Covering his arms were what looked like sleeves simply for his forearms, but more solid.

“They’re…different,” Len said. “Is this the clothing of this time?” The brunette laughed and waved his hands. “No. These would still be considered the clothes of the future.”

Kiyoteru Hiyama noticed the shocked look on Len’s face. He needs an anchor; something to calm him down, he thought.

“Would you like to see your sister?” he asked. Len’s eyes lit up. “Am I allowed?” The scientist nodded. “Just follow me.”

Kiyoteru led Len down a long hallway. With its white walls and clear doors, Len had never seen anything like it. “You said that Haku was here too, right?” Len asked, feeling like a small child did being introduced to a new house. Kiyoteru didn’t face Len when he answered, “She’s not awake quite yet.”

Two doors were in front of the two and the scientist backed away. “I’ll be right out here if you need anything,” he assured Len. Len brought out his hands to open the “French” doors, but they moved to the sides, scaring Len for a second. He walked in and automatically noticed familiar green hair in pigtails.

Miku wasn’t facing him; she seemed to be speaking to someone in the middle of a group of three.

Kaito was there with a large blue scarf wrapped around his neck, his face showing a combination of confusion, anger, and above all, relief. Meiko was to the other side with an oddly short skirt and a…low-cut top. Then suddenly, Miku, who probably sensed his presence or heard the doors open, turned to face Len.

Len’s heart caught in his throat. She was still beautiful, sporting a grey shirt with a teal tie and a black skirt-still shorter than Len was used to-and black and pink ribbons tying her pigtails. But even looking like that, this time, Len didn’t feel the same way he did at first. It was probably because he knew who his heart belonged to. Len sighed with relief.

Miku smiled and turned back for a few seconds. Len couldn’t hear what was being said, but it caused Meiko and Kaito to look in his direction. Meiko nodded in a silent ‘hello,’ but Kaito stood there as stiff as a board. Then slowly, Miku stepped to the side.

She was wearing black shorts with a yellow belt like his, and a white top with a yellow bow you might find on a sailor’s uniform. She had a red ‘02’ on her arm and wore a white bow similar to the one that Haku had given her. She looked the same way that she did at fourteen, the lengthened hair and height that she gained during her first year at the Church seemingly gone. Pins held back her blonde bangs, making her bright blue eyes easier to see.

It was Rin.