Code Collector

Allen and his friends had no other choice but to do as the man said. They followed him into the rear part of the camp, close to the building they were staying. In the dump area, a large monolith stood.

Although the monolith was ten foot high, it wasn't a wonder why not a lot of people noticed it. It was in the part of the dump site where the smell was most foul. The stench of all the waste from the camp was concentrated there, creating an odor that would literally kill the weak.

"That smell is horrendous," Gwen said. "Why are we here?"

"To see our Grand Burner," the man said. He didn't speak again. Instead, he placed his hand on the monolith and chanted something under his breath. It was then that the ground beside the monolith opened, creating a path that led underground. "Follow me."

A couple more minutes of walking and the smell was gone. There were black metal poles on the side of the tunnel which the man said absorbs the smell from outside. Allen wanted to investigate about the material that they used to make these, but he was going to save that question for later. For now, they must talk to the leader of the Soul Burners.

As they ventured deeper into the tunnel, Allen noticed that the lights were bright and consistent. They were walking for about a quarter of a mile now, but the lights that the Soul Burners used were still glowing brightly. They must've used a lot of power for this tunnel alone.

"While we'll be here for a while, let me tell you a couple of things about our camp," the man who was leading them broke the silence. "As you can see, the poles that absorb the smell has ended at this point, meaning that the smell could not reach further.

"The lights that we used are all bright but economical. We have found the perfect material to be used for these lights and that the power source is our Soul Core that is located deep within our base," he continued. "I even forgot to introduce myself. My name is Nathan, and I'm a pioneering member of the Soul Burners."

"Nathan," Allen whispered. "Could it be?"

They reached the end of the tunnel and were now facing a giant metal door. Nathan raised his right hand and formed a peace sign. The door opened at this, revealing the even brighter inside of the Soul Burners' base.

"Woah," Allen gasped as they stepped inside. The base was completely different from the world just above it. And not even the dump site, but the entire camp itself.

They must've traveled a long way to get out of camp and into the forest. There was a slightly flattened dome shaped roof that was made of glass overlooking the entire base. It looked like a camp from Haven except the fact that everyone here was not miserable.

Although this was much smaller than any other camp, the base was filled with the bright, smiling faces of the people inside. They looked free and calm, unlike when they were in the camps where they have to be on guard most of the time.

"There are currently two hundred members of the Soul Burners," Nathan said. "But our camp is only occupied by half just do we don't get suspicious."

"Your base looks awesome," Gary complimented. "This is a much better base than all the camps. How did you even manage to do all of the construction?"

"Our Grand Burner, the founder of our organization, is a man who has many resources," Nathan replied. As he walked past the houses of the people from the base, everyone was waving at him. This was odd since Allen thought that the Soul Burners' base would align to how they do their job.

In his mind, the Soul Burners would occupy an abandoned warehouse and they would live underground where it's dark and filthy. This wasn't like that at all. This was the complete opposite of what he had in mind.

"The Grand Burner…" Allen trailed off. "Is he a powerful person?"

"You'll know," Nathan said. "When we get there, you'll know."

It wasn't long until they reached the end of the base. There was a giant building that was attached to the soil with only its front part and the head-like structure of the highest floor's glass balcony was visible.

On the glass balcony, a man stood, looking at Allen and his friends. He wore a mask with a skull of a human that was burning on the sides, covering his entire face.

"That's the Grand Burner," Nathan introduced. He led the group up where the Grand Burner was at. "Grand Burner, they are here."

The man was still facing the window. The flames of his mask reached behind him, and the black cloak he wore had burning rims instead of the usual fur. When Allen took a step back, the man turned, sending them all in shock after he took off his mask and saw his face.

"You?!" Allen gasped. "But why?"

The man smirked, "Because I am powerful. That's why."

–

"Deadly Crusade!" Louis leaped and launched seven swords into a giant boar that he was fighting. The man landed on the ground gracefully, summoning one more sword to seal the deal. "Hah. These beasts are so hard to kill."

Louis looked at a tree branch and smirked. "I know you're in there. You don't need to pretend, Remy."

The woman appeared and leaped from the branch of a giant tree she was hiding. "How come you sensed me when I clearly hid my aura well?"

Louis tapped his nose and smirked, "You can't fool a rat's sense of smell."

"I thought rats rely on sound and vibration?" Remy crossed her arms. She then shook her head and offered her hand. "I finally did what you told me to. The D rankers' house is fixed."

"Good, good," Louis took her hand while Remy gave him the Code. "You know, Drake gave me this Code last year. I kept on breaking my house because you know how much I like to play. So he decided to gift me this Code so I can fix my house any time."

"He was a good man," Remy sighed. She finished sending the Code back when Louis spoke again.

"Those kids…" Louis trailed off. "From how you guys support them, they must be special, huh?"

"They are," Remy replied. "Much special that we initially thought."

"Okay," Louis sighed. "I'll keep my faith onto them. May they change the world we live in."

Remy opened her mouth and was about to say sorry when they heard a ruffling sound in the forest nearby. The both of them immediately raised their guards, preparing themselves for an attack.

"What was that?!" Remy asked in shock. She equipped a staff that she usually used for a battle. "Sounds too heavy for a human isn't it?"

"I think it's a beast," Louis said. "But I just cleared this area. How come a beast is here?"

From the leaves that covered the base of the trees, a giant paw stepped out. It was already the size of a car and the Primordial Beast Bearers could only imagine how big the entire body was.

"That's gigantic," Louis whispered. "Can we do this alone?"

"Of course," Remy rotated her staff and pointed at the paw. "Glazing Burst!"

A spiral flames encircled her staff from the bottom up to the head where it formed a giant ball of flames before firing into a large beam. The beam hit the paw, making the beast take it back.

"That should scare it off," Remy sighed as she put down her staff. "I haven't seen such humongous beast before. I know our Codes attract them, but–"

"Look out!" Louis pushed Remy away from the beam that was fired from point blank. The both of them rolled on the ground a couple of times before they hit a large rock which resulted in Louis getting unconscious.

"What the hell?!" Remy growled. She used her staff to push herself up, standing on guard. She raised her weapon and fired three fireballs in the air, signalling that she needed help. "Please, help."

"Remy, the Primordial Dog Bearer," a voice spoke. "Louis, the Primordial Rat Bearer. Your times are up."

"No!" Remy yelled as six men approached them. She slammed the head of her staff to create a sphere as shield, but it was to late another man was standing beside her.

"Goodbye, Remy."

–

"B-But how?!" Allen gasped. "That's impossible. But you're–"

"The top Hunter in Paradise?" Wesley smirked, taking off his mask fully. "I'm just a dreamer, Mr. Dante. And my dream is for us Hunters to get the better end of the deal."

"But all your heroic acts…" Allen trailed off. "They're all lies?"

"Not exactly," Wesley said. "But they're not all of me. This. This is all of me. I am the Grand Burner."