68 Meeting with Phantom (1/2)
Ed met with Dupe, Husky, and Ray to go over the casualties. It was a small attack, but they had still lost nearly 200 soldiers in the initial wave, whereas they successfully killed 15 enemy espers. It was actually a fairly decent result considering the circumstances.
Dupe and Husky took charge of leading the cleanup efforts. The dead bodies needed to be collected, cremated, and given a proper funeral. There were also plenty of areas with damaged infrastructure that needed minor repairs. Terra joined them to help.
”Ray. Come with me.” Ed said.
”Hmm? Alright.” Ray nodded.
The two walked past the damage, away from all the soldiers. Ed pointed towards the distance. ”Phantom is that way, though I don't know the location of his actual base. You and I are going to meet with him and see what he's really after.”
”Okay. Shouldn't we bring some more backup?” He questioned.
”No.” Ed shook his head. ”This wasn't a true attack. Phantom himself didn't even participate. Mordy held back. He probably can't beat me, but I can't really beat him either. He could have easily killed hundreds here by himself if he really wanted too. Mordy said they wanted the manullium I collected, but that can't be the full story. It's valuable, but it's not that valuable.”
”Hmm.” Ray thought for a moment. ”So, they might not have actually broken our alliance?”
”Maybe.” Ed agreed. ”It could be any number of things. They could have really underestimated us, but I doubt it. They may have wanted our alliance to appear broken on the surface. There's no way this information won't spread to others. They may also be following orders from Nexus due to blackmail or bribes, but then chose to fail on purpose. Either way, there's too much we don't know until we meet with them.”
”Alright. Let's go then.”
The two left the base and headed for Ed's former school. That's where Ed and Phantom had met last time as a temporary meeting location. Ed had a feeling that Phantom would be waiting for him. The duo soon reached the school and sure enough, Mordy was outside waiting for them.
”Yo!” Mordy waved his hand towards them.
”Phantom better have a good explanation for this game.” Ed commented as he brushed past him.
”Haha, so cold.” Mordy placed his hands behind his head in a relaxed gesture while following behind him. Ray followed as well but kept his distance while eyeing Mordy with caution.
Ed traveled down the familiar halls of his old school, though it was now littered with cracked walls. The smell of mold assaulted his nostrils. The stairs creaked as he climbed them one step at a time. He reached the principal's office and entered inside.
Phantom sat behind the desk, leaning back in a leather chair. He wore the same blue pajamas with white stripes as last time. His gray beard stretched to the middle of his chest. A pair of copper glasses with thick lens decorated his face.
”Ed!” Phantom called happily while spreading his arms wide. ”It's been so long since we've seen each other. I thought you had forgotten all about little old me!”
Ed grabbed one of the chairs in front of the desk and sat down. Mordy and Ray chose to stand near the door, ready to react if anything were to go wrong on either side.
”It hasn't been that long since we've met.” Ed sighed while shaking his head. ”There's just too much going on lately that it feels like it's been a long time.”
”True. True.” Phantom nodded while stroking his beard. ”Such is the life of an esper that seeks power. No time to sleep. That's why I always dress like this. I save so much time when I do finally get to go to sleep! I don't even have to change!”
”...”
”It was a joke, boy. Lighten up. Laugh a little.”
”Anyways...” Ed interrupted. ”Let's cut to the chase. What do you really want. Why did you attack us like that? I refuse to believe my manullium stock is that valuable.”
”Well, you're half-right.” Phantom grinned. ”Truthfully, not much manullium enters the market in the states. The government controls nearly 100% of the supply and what they don't control is probably some group's top secret.”
”So, just break into the mine like I did.” He interrupted.
”Hahaha!!!” Phantom grabbed his stomach from laughing so hard. ”Not everyone is as crazy as you! Not even I am willing to go anywhere near a manullium mine. It's practically a death sentence for espers! To return to being an ordinary mortal, if even for a brief moment, is absolutely horrifying.”
”Regardless.” Phantom continued, calming down from his laughter. ”That's why I said you were half-right. Your manullium is far more valuable than you thought it was. However, I truthfully have no use for it nor would I attack you for it. I acted on behalf of a request from Nexus. They wanted me to wipe you off the face of the earth. However, I instead agreed to negotiate on their behalf. So, here we stand.”
Ed frowned. ”So, it really is about the manullium. What did they bribe you with? What makes you think I'll be willing to hand any of it over?”
”The reason...” He sighed. ”Do you really not fear Nexus? A mysterious group that just pops up out of nowhere, with seemingly unlimited information resources. I won't disclose what I need from them. However, if they hired a wily old man like me so easily, then what about others? What's to stop them from hiring even stronger espers to take what they want? They're not an easy group to oppose.”
”Enough beating around the bush. If you won't tell me then fine.” Ed stood up from the chair, causing a screeching sound as it scraped against the wooden floor. He glanced at Ray. ”Let's go. This wasn't nearly as productive as I had hoped.”
Mordy stepped in front of the door with his arms crossed. ”At least finish listening to what Phantom has to say. Believe it or not Ed, he's actually trying to help you.”
”Like hell he is!” Ed glared at his friend. ”You of all people Mordy, should know that others can't be overly trusted. The academy couldn't protect us! Blood-Lust fucked us! Hell, even Jarrod turned on us! Are you next?! When does it end?!” His breathing grew heavy as the curses continued to flow out.
Mordy stared at him, a complex expression on his face. ”I'm not Jarrod, Ed. I wouldn't do that. If I would, then I wouldn't have held back in the fight earlier.”
Ray glanced back-and-forth between the two while frowning. ”There's obviously some stuff I'm missing here. I'm just gonna go wait in the hallway.” The door opened and slammed shut behind him as he left.
”I'm sorry.” Ed sighed while rubbing his eyes. Slowly, he started to calm down. ”I didn't mean that. I've just got a lot of shit going on right now. The fucking governor had to go ruin my plans, and I apparently even have a predetermined death date.”
”AHEM!” Phantom released a fake cough to recapture their attention. ”Ed, I can understand you're under a lot of pressure. It may even seem like I'm trying to stab you while you're down. However, I saved your life whether you believe it or not. Do you really think you can make an enemy of Nexus so casually? You're lucky they let me negotiate for them instead of them just finding someone else to kill you.”
Ed stood silently for a moment before returning to his chair. He leaned back against it and tilted his head backwards, staring at the ceiling while letting out a sigh. Lines of black mold snaked across the yellowish-white tiles. Something that was once pure white had become corrupted so fast in such little time.
Phantom noticed his peculiar mood and glanced up at the roof. ”Does it bother you?” He questioned. ”I can change it.” A 7-colored glow lit up from his body and snaked out across the room. The tiles turned back to a pure shade of eggshell-white. The dirty floors became polished and clean. The cracks on the walls vanished from sight. The office now looked as good as new.
Ed's eyes widened in surprise. ”So, this is your so-called illusion power?” He questioned while staring skeptically at his improved surroundings.
”Yes.” He nodded. ”I'm guessing you got the information from Nexus? My original power was indeed illusions. After my 2nd awakening, my illusions became real. What is real is unreal, what is unreal is real.”
”For real?” Mordy chuckled as he interrupted with his lame joke.