Solo Cultivation in The Apocalypse

Kamiya ran to the left side of the hospital to catch a snow sled to the sled station. Thankfully, he got an empty seat in the sled of five people. The driver navigated them through the snow-covered lands with magic.

At first, the magic was weak but when a deer-like monster got into it, the sled slipped on the land. Kamiya feared that the sled might turn upside down if the monster pulls it at such a high speed.

It two minutes to reach the nearest sled station that once was a horse carriage station. Kamiya walked to the station's left to catch another sled that would take him to the last sled station right beside the main building of the Mage Ministry.

This way over the river was a long journey. It took them seven minutes to reach the east side of the mage prefecture of Tokyo. Kamiya was the only one in the sled, the rest of the sleds were empty, too.

He paid his fare and took the shopping area to get to the barren lands. The barren lands meant Hitori's house was not more than seven hundred meters away. During his six minutes walk, Kamiya doubted his decision to talk with Hitori. He thought now that he was going to warn him, he should apologize anyway and get back to their old partnership.

'Would he even be in his house? I should have checked the Vr-cade first.' But Kamiya had a hunch that the Vr-cade would be close tonight-- I mean, at half-past three.

Kamiya grabbed his chest as he walked. 'And he has that lady protecting him. He would be fine-- she was strong-- so he would be fine. Besides, he knows how to fight, too. Maybe he hates magic but he has some amazing skills. He should be alright.'

Kamiya ignored the pain and kept striding through the snow-covered barren lands. "But Kuzu..." he gulped. "he is a criminal and a murderer. Way too different than Hitori."

He crossed the barren lands and now he was closer to Hitori's house. Only a matter of one minute before he sees the lone house. 'It is late. Should not he be sleeping right now? I should go back--- but what if he is awake? It IS late, I should have just come tomorrow morning.'

He could imagine Akemi's face if he would have suggested that idea. "No, Jigo! It would be too late! What if Kuzu kills Hitori in the night? What if you are late? You can not take that risk, so leave now or else I would not talk to you!"

He approached the house. The woods stood as always, but a dry this time-- and buried under snow.

Kamiya's heart started racing as he got closer. He drew his wand when he got to the middle of the area. He glanced to his right, the woods did not move, to his left, the woods were not moving either-- but Kamiya noticed the broken branches and the tree trunks with bullet holes in them.

The lights were turned off, as usual, Kamiya saw no movements from inside-- maybe Hitori is gaming, he thought-- when he got closer and tried the door, he was sure Hitori was either sleeping or gaming-- or he was not home!

Kamiya took out his wand and aimed it at the door. He considered the circumstances but picked the lock anyways.

The door creaked, and Kamiya stepped inside. He gulped and stayed silent, his heart was beating too fast for him to call him. Kamiya checked his room, then the kitchen and the washroom. He did not bother to check the first floor.

Kamiya sighed. "Of course. Where the hell are you, Hitori?"

Hitori took the bridge to the Vr-cade. Kuzu and Gigi had done a good job of locking the Vr-cade, the slug did not leave any prints either. Hitori walked past the Vr-cade and reached the guards at the city border.

From there he took the sled to reach the city hospital. That sled took only the guards with their IDs inside the Guarding Fort, they built that station to transport the injured directly to the hospital through the sled or wagon.

Apart from that, the sled took every and any citizen to the hospital without asking for an ID. Hitori took advantage and reached the hospital directly.

Hitori passed the two guards and entered the hospital. He crossed the reception and was relieved-- he thought he had escaped the verification-- but the lady shouted.

"Boy! Come back here."

Hitori stopped. He knew he could not escape it. The last time it was Christmas this time it was New Year, but it was pretty late. They wrapped the celebration.

"You can not go in like that." The lady walked to Hitori and asked him to come back to the reception.

"It is an emergency."

She sighed. "You need to give your verification. What is your name? And do you have anything to prove you are the same person?"

Hitori diverted his eyes. Behind the lady, he saw a huge display board that displayed the Hospital's policies. Bringing your verification certificate for your visit was the first policy.

"I don't," Hitori said.

"Then you can not go in, dear boy."

Hitori clenched his fist and glanced up at the third-floor corridor. He then glanced at the receptionist.

"Please, boy. You may either wait for your relative."

"Heck with the relatives." Hitori banged the table and bolted towards the stairs.

The lady's eyes popped out, she called, "Guards!" and pointed at Hitori.

Hitori climbed the first stair when a guard drew his wand and aimed it at Hitori.

"Neru!" his wand released a shot that in contact with Hitori froze him. His hands snapped together beside his obliques, his legs snapped together, and his back stiffened, head rigid.

His body rocked down the second stair and banged on the floor. The guard brought his wand to his ear. "We have an intruder. We are on our way to the investigation room. Over."

The guard gestured to his mate to get Hitori's body. They both bent down and searched the body for a wand and other valuables. The first guard cast the Levitating spell and took Hitori to a room.

The moment they took Hitori out of the corridor and into a dark room at the end of the corridor, the hospital's gate opened and a guy clad in a cloak walked inside.

The receptionist sighed and sank into her chair. Kamiya glanced around, the men in the waiting area were acting weird (glancing around, whispering to each other, exchanging suspicious glances), so he asked the receptionist:

"Uh... did something happen?"

She opened her eyes and jumped back to her feet. "Ah, Kamiya-san." She sighed. "A boy tried to enter without his verification, when I told him to wait he made a run for it."

Kamiya's heart skipped a beat. "A-and?" he asked, staring into her eyes.

"We caught him. And now he is in the investigation room."

Kamiya frowned. "Him? Was he alone?"

She frowned. "Y-yes but why are you asking this?"

He stuttered. "N-nothing. Just..." he looked down, then threw a glance at her. "How did he look? What was he wearing? Did he have blonde hair-- any piercings?-- or was someone with her---"

"Seriously, why are you asking this? Just go to your sister."

"Y-yeah, sorry." Kamiya sighed, he knew he was crossing the line that would make anyone suspicious about him.

Kamiya gulped, he rubbed his hands together as he walked to room number 303. He thought about Kuzu once again. What if Gigi was in there, or what if Gigi was caught and Kuzu was inside. What if Gigi acted as a decoy to let Kuzu pass.

But why would he do that? They entered the room easily before, they should be able to to it for the second time too. But then Kamiya remembered the chaos they had caused while Kamiya was chasing his cans.

Kamiya drew the pattern and entered the room. He prepared himself to face Kuzu inside, his wand by the side. When he took a step inside, he saws someone sitting by the bed's end.

"Fuck." Kamiya curled his lip as he raised his wand, trembling, and stepped inside. "Shinigami no Noroi..."

He would use other curses if he knew, but Kamiya's research was for the deadliest spells, not for only the killing spells. So he found only the Shinigami's curses.

He lifted his wand and took another step. "Shi---" he paused. The person was wearing a white cloak.

Kamiya was halfway inside the room, Akemi spotted him and frowned. The doctor talking to Akemi followed her gaze and looked behind him.

"Oh--- whoa! Easy with the wand, Jigoku!" he got up and stepped back.

"Jigo!" she glared at him. Kamiya glanced at the doctor and Akemi before lowering his wand.

"I-I am sorry." He looked down as he put his wand into the leather cover.

The doctor sighed. "I know, I understand your actions." He walked to Kamiya and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Some scientists are on loose. And we heard a shout from this room, so I came to check. It is okay, just..." he pulled out a poster and handed it to Kamiya. "That is the only image we have of them, look out for them."

Kamiya watched as the doctor left with a bow, then he looked at the poster. His eyes popped out. On the poster was the moving image of a blonde guy-- Kuzu when he saw the doctor and turned to run upstairs.

Kamiya lifted his eyes at Akemi, and she nodded. "Hitori. Did you tell him?"

He placed the poster on the table and walked to Akemi. "No, he was not home."

"Not home? It is---"

"Quarter to four, I know!" Kamiya grunted. "I know." Akemi sighed.

"Can't be helped." She turned around to grab the two cans. "Here, catch." She hurt her backbone but made sure she makes it invisible to Kamiya. "Tell me what happened?"

Hitori found everything blurred. His head was shaking from falling on his head and everything was spinning-- it felt like it, in reality, his head was the only thing spinning.

"Oi, wake up." He heard the voice of someone who smokes ten times a day.

Hitori lifted his head, he struggled to move his hands and legs, he soon realized he was tied with invisible cuffs.

Hitori met eyes with two men wearing robes. It was warmer in the room than in the corridors, Hitori felt it.

One of them sighed and said, "Good. So tell us now, who do you work for, are you a threat to us, are you a scientist, what are you doing here, etc?"

Hitori ignored the man and imagined a white color ice sphere in his mind. He imagined the ball unfolding and then folding into a bigger version of itself. Hitori opened his palms and tried: "Kori no Mahou, Freeze-Dry," he chanted.

The warmth still remained. He could not feel the coldness around his forearm, he failed to conjure ice.

He groaned, "Argh, I knew it was boring. You ask him."

The smoking guy sighed. "Tell us, seriously, or else you will regret it---"

"I am not a scientist, I am looking for my sister who just had surgery. She must be worried about me just as much as I am worried sick about her. So for god's sake, let me get the heck out of here."

They both exchanged glances. The smoking guy said, "Unbind him."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, just unbind him."

The investigator pulled his wand and chanted, "Kaihou."

Hitori felt the pressure releasing around his hands and legs. He lifted his hands and opened and closed his fist. "Does this mean I can cast magic now?" he asked them.

The smoking guy rolled his eyes. "Theoretically, yes, you can."

In the toilet compartment, Kuzu and Gigi were thrown out from the portal. Again a bang on the door but no one to hear it.