"Most days I am a museum of things I want to forget"

E.E. Scott

Lucas was surprised by the darkness of the room and the haunting silence it carried. He entered the training room designated to Shu without much knowledge about what to expect. But he was sure he didn't expect this gloom. He searched blindly through the wall for the light switch and flipped it on. Light flooded in, allowing him to see Shu sitting on the bench, his feet tucked underneath him, blankly staring into the space.

"Shu?"

"Hmm?" The younger said, not bothering to move.

The automatic doors hissed close behind him as he entered the room and made his way through the clutter on the floor. His Snakepit uniform coat sorely abandoned on the floor, two empty water bottles resting not far from it. "Did something happen?"

Shu snapped his focus to Lucas when the man sat beside him. "No. Why?"

"You look dazed."

"I was listening," Shu answered, tapping his fingers against his skull. "I knew Valt talked to his bey and all, I did too. But it's kind of creepy when it actually starts to answer back."

It took Lucas a minute to comprehend the situation. "You hear your bey's voice?"

"Clear as day," Shu replied in return, dropping his hands on his lap where Spryzen Requiem was resting.

Lucas' mind was already working, raking through the knowledge he captured before with the files of the previous Requiem project subjects. Did any of it mention hearing your bey's voice? He wasn't sure. But considering the complexity of the project, it was indeed possible. "What's it saying?"

Shu shrugged, "Power. He wants so much power and he kept saying things when I was battling Boa. Asking to use Counter Break, Upper Launch and so on. But I didn't do everything he asked though," He paused, scrunching his brows, "I don't want to break his bey, so I didn't." It was as if he was answering a question hovering in his own mind.

Lucas noticed the way he changed pronouns, calling his bey as another living being. He didn't comment on it, instead took another turn. "That's right. Don't do what he says. Do what you want. You're the one who's participating."

Shu smiled vaguely, "Okay," then he sighed deeply, raking a hand through his tousled locks. "I miss my Spryzen. It was fun battling with my early bey." He shook his head, moving to stand. Stretching his arms he reached for the bey stadium and positioned himself for a launch.

Lucas silently watched him practise for the next few minutes. It was Shu who broke the silence, "Did you go through the early things?"

The man knew exactly what he was asking about. He watched the kid pick up his bey. "I did. There were four survivors, two already dead." They had an agreement to keep Shu in the loop with information, because there was no telling the danger will strike, the best way to give him even a mild safety is to tell him the truth as it is. No matter how cruel that truth can be.

"How are they survivors if they died?" Shu frowned, launching the bey back into the stadium. His crimson eyes followed its movements as it circled on the centre.

"I'd need more information to get to know that. But my guess is these deaths occurred due to external forces."

Shu broke his gaze from his bey and turned to Lucas. His brows raised, "You mean someone killed them... or—" He hesitated, "they killed themselves?"

It was awkward to have this conversation with a child. A smart one at that. "Yes, my best guess would be that."

"Okay." He walked to the opposite side where he had lined water bottles in a line on the floor. He picked one up and opened the lid. "Is there anyone alive?"

"One person. I think you know him already."

Shu tilted his head, jutting out his bottom lip, "Do I?"

"Jeff the Killer. I heard from Norman you saw that messed up family tree."

Shu made an 'o' shape with his mouth. "That one."

Lucas felt unease settling in his stomach. Shu was awfully calm. He felt something off about the male, almost as if he was trying to appear nonchalant. That's when he noticed the faintest tremble in his hand as he gulped down the water. Shu placed the water bottle back on the floor and made his way to the stadium again. Lucas sighed, leaning back on his bench as he watched the boy launch his bey back to the stadium. Who knew how much fear that small mind harboured? How many monsters did he keep to himself?

The only thing Lucas could do was to watch and sit there so that at least for a moment his presence will bring comfort to his lonely mind.

---

As the night descended outside, the WBBA was quiet save for the low murmurs and the sounds of beys crashing against the bey disks. A lone silhouette made his way through the semi-dark hallways, stopping in front of one of the automatic doors. He knocked twice. The door hissed opened a second later to reveal a male with tired eyes. Norman raised his brow, "Shu?"

The shorter fidgeted, glancing around. "I want to talk with you."

Norman stepped aside, letting him in. Shu walked into the small training room, letting out a relaxed breath when the doors closed behind him. He tossed his hoodie back, his eyes on the Noctemis on the beydish where it had come to a stop earlier. "Am I bothering you?"

Norman shook his head, "I was about to take a break anyway. So, what did you want to talk about?"

Shu shifted from one leg to the other, playing with the strings of his hoodie. "Actually, I wanted to ask if you would teach me how to fire a gun."

Norman paused, "Gun? I thought you were not into guns."

He rubbed his back sheepishly, "Yeah, well. I wasn't. But I feel like it would be for the better if I actually learn how to fire one."

Norman eyed him for a while longer. Then with a single nod, he walked over to the beydish and picked up Noctemis. "Let's go," He said, walking out of the room. The hallways were deserted, the sounds of the other bladers were slowly fading as the night deepened outside.

They turned several times and stopped in front of a narrow door. Norman pulled out a set of keys and opened the door which led to a janitor's closet. Shu crumpled his face at the musty smell, eyeing towards the buckets and the brooms mounted against the walls. Norman pushed away some of the tools revealing another door, hidden securely behind the mass of the cleaning products.

The door opened to reveal an eerie staircase lit by the flashlight of Norman's phone. He shot a look over his shoulder at the younger, "Watch your step," He said, taking measured steps down the stairs which creaked under their weight. Finally, after what seemed like forever, they arrived at a room. Norman flipped on the light, allowing Shu to see around. The room was bare save for the two targets hung on the whitewashed walls. The ground beneath their feet was polished black.

Shu raised his brow, "What's this place?"

Norman smirked, taking delight in this small hideout. "This is a soundproof room. The WBBA building is old and earlier used to be a massive farmhouse with a basement." He walked over to a safe on the wall and placed his hand on the scanner. The machine beeped, the door opened with a clink. "They brought the tumbling down house and constructed this building and the adjoined hotel. The basement was renovated and not used until the FBI discovered this place and turned it into secret training grounds." He gestured at several switches by the corner. "There are beystadiums here too. You just have to flip a switch."

"That's cool!" Shu blurted out, walking towards the switch panel. He flicked one on and the ground in the centre hissed as it slid inside, replacing it with a beystadium, fairly new, but the scratches allowing him to notice how well-used it was. "Whoa."

Norman turned the gun in his hand, smiling at the wonder of the young boy. Shu flipped the switch off, the beystadium slid in as the bare floor came into view. "So," Norman said, "This is my first time teaching a kid as young as you how to use a gun."

"I'm honoured," Shu said, walking to the centre of the room, his eyes switching to the targets. The red circle in the middle was intimidating and daring. Despite the determination, Shu felt his heart racing with fear.

Norman handed him the gun, with a beat of hesitation, Shu accepted it. "Are you sure you're up to this?"

Shu didn't give a verbal response. He took the gun in his hand and raised it in front of him. Norman stood behind him and guided his elbows, "Keep your body steady," He advised. He tapped briefly on his leg, "Keep them roughly shoulder width apart, okay?"

Shu nodded, adjusting his posture. "They are just rubber bullets that will help you practice," Norman assured, noticing the tremble in his hands. Shu flexed his finger ignoring the memories brushing past the fringe of his mind. Focus, he thought, trying to pull the trigger.

"Shu?"

He sighed, bringing the gun down. Norman pressed his lips to a thin line as Shu refused to look at him. "Sometimes, talking helps. I'm not trying to be a shrink, but I can listen."

Shu knew what he was referring to. He shrugged, studying on the floor. The two males stood opposite to each other in an awkward silence before the younger one spoke. "My dad," He whispered, "My dad tried to teach me this once."

"Oh," Norman wrinkled his brows. Sure, it was nothing new. There were parents who wanted their children to handle their own protection. Norman didn't comment on such parents, nor criticised nor accepted. It depended on the person and the situation. "Is he an ex-soldier?"

"He's a scientist, actually."

Norman's face must've shown the confusion that Shu chuckled, his fingers fiddling with the gun. "But yeah, he worked in the military for a short time period. He wanted u-" Shu paused, "He wanted me to know how to protect myself I guess."

Norman could guess what happened but he didn't interrupt. "The gun was not even real, it just had rubber bullets like this. But I almost-" Shu sucked in a breath, wincing at the memory, "I had a terrible aim, I almost shot my dad." It must've sounded like a childish memory, but an adult is the collection of traumas, accidents and memories. The impact that carried, the horror of almost shooting his father, though dimmed, lingered in the back of his mind, eliciting the fear for these killer weapons. 

"How old were you?"

Shu tilted his head, shrugging, "Around six."

Norman sighed as if he was done with humanity. "Your father's reason was okay, but the way he chose to teach you how to protect yourself is too much for a six year old. He should've started with martial arts."

"I did that too, for a while."

Norman raised his brow, "And you didn't tell me?"

Shu rubbed the back of his neck, sheepishly, "It had been long since I last practised. I used to attend the dojo of my friend Xander and dropped out when my dad got too busy to check how I was doing."

Norman nodded, piecing the puzzle together. It was no wonder Shu was quick on catching up and learning the things he had to teach. But now after hearing the story, Norman felt curious about his father. He knew Shu rarely talked about his parents, he figured they must've been busy with their careers. Besides, Norman out of everyone knew about privacy. His good for nothing parents have taught him one single thing about life; how to keep secrets.

He plucked the gun from Shu's hand. "I have an idea. Why don't we first practice without the gun. The stance. Imagine you have a gun, fire it. Do this until your mind settles down." He placed a hand on Shu's shoulder. "You always don't need weapons to defend yourself. You're excelling in fighting already. Besides," He tossed the gun from one hand to the other.

"Many people are scared of this single weapon because it can kill but remember, this thing can save lives too. It depends on the person using the weapon." Norman ruffled his hair,

"Weapons were first made to protect, it was after then they were used to harm others by cruel men. Remind yourself you're doing this to protect and nothing else.

Because weapons in the hands of good people can save thousands of lives."

Shu stared at his eyes a bit longer, searching for answers in his unspoken past. Answers as to why Norman knew all these things, why he was so educated in weapons, in humanity? "Don't go searching for answers in my eyes," Norman said, reading his mind. "Go ahead and practice as I said. Let's improve at our own pace, okay?"

Shu nodded, relieved as he took the stance in the middle of the room as outside the time whiled away.

---

Ethan was standing by the balcony of the WBBA, the cold night air kissed his skin, stealing the warmth of the day. He sighed, looking down at the cluster of kids in the lobby of the hotel. He recognised a few faces, especially that of Valt Aoi who had already won the attention of several sponsors and of course, underground figures. Though he had a decent record, he was not nominated for this year's tournament.

He had nothing against the authorities because part of him was relieved that he got to watch everything unfold from the sidelines. He knew the tournament this year held so much talent and with the arrival of the Requiem bey; Spryzen, the stakes were risen to the point that blood would be spilled. He turned around from the happy image of the bladers when a long figure making his way to the hotel caught his eyes.

Ethan leaned forward, folding his hands on the railing in front of him. The cold seeped in through his long-sleeved shirt. Kurenai Shu walked along the solitary path, his hands shoved into the pockets of his black hoodie that seemed to merge with the depressing black of night. Ethan wondered whether the boy had been practising this long, "Who cares." He found himself muttering, turning his back to the boy at the happy-go-lucky crew talking in the lobby.

His phone rang, piercing the silence of the balcony. Ethan's finger hovered over the answer button for a long minute. "Hello?"

"Ethan Carter," A distorted male voice spoke, "It seems like we have a situation in our hands."

Ethan frowned, "What is it, sir?" He found himself turning back to Shu who was now crossing the lobby. His ex-friends stared silently as he passed by without a glance. Valt Aoi's face crumpled at the sight. Ah, that had happened. Shu Kurenai is now a loner.

"It seems like we have spies. The information has been leaked to the FBI. We're switching the domains for now." There was a pause, "Please investigate Theodore Glass for me."