Solo Cultivation in The Apocalypse

They climbed the stairs, and the guild members reached the landing first and stopped Eya and Kakashi on the second stair.

"You will need to hand your wands if you want to meet Guild Leader. We can not risk—"

Before they could complete, Eya and Kakashi drew their wands and handed them to the men on the sides.

"Here you go."

"Keep them safe," Kakashi said and walked past them. They climbed the last stair and stood on the border, looking for Kamiya's father.

Eya glanced around the porch. "Where is he?" she asked.

Kakashi looked on the left while Eya looked on the right side. Eya turned to the men. She opened her mouth to ask them but stopped. She noticed they were looking past her.

She followed their gaze hesitantly, it led her to the hallway ahead. "Is he there?" she asked.

Eya hesitated to look at the men again, and she did not have to. She felt a tight tug around her arms. Her arms snapped to her side and her body became rigid as a plank.

"Bind," whispered the other, and Kakashi's body turned stiff like a plank.

Before their bodies would fall off the stairs and make loud noises, the men on the sides grabbed them, then pulled them to the side.

The middle man directed his men to lean their bodies against the wall in front of them. Kamiya's room and the key were easily visible from that spot.

The man in the middle said, "Yes. He is here."

They watched as the plaster on the wooden wall in front of them came out and a man stepped from the wall. He had an angry frown– sort of an annoyed frown– on his face. His fists were clenched in anger, but his eyes showed his nervousness.

"I knew we can not trust that old man," he said as he walked across Eya without even looking at her. He said to the middle man, "If that kid inside turns out to be planning to burn this house, kill them." He pointed at the Kogara siblings.

He walked to the door and pulled the key. Then he directed his men to hide in the walls as he did, too.

Eya was now waiting for Hitori to come out when she heard some sort of sizzle. She looked down at Kakashi and found he was breaking the spell. She looked at him and raised her eyes.

Kakashi looked into her eyes. Soon, the sizzling stopped. Kakashi blinked twice at her. She winked in response.

Hitori unlocked the door. It made a slight click, but not loud enough. He sighed. The handle was cold even in March. The metal box was slipping from his armpit when he had to get it into his hand.

Hitori unlocked the door with one hand and twisted the handle with another. The door creaked as he opened it moment by moment. It was a slow process, but the creaking sound was loud.

He stepped out and pulled the metal box in his hands. He closed the door and when it was time to take out the key, he found it was gone.

His eyes widened and he looked at the porch on his left. His eyes fell on Kakashi and Eya. He felt his heart race. Someone used a spell on them! But they were supposed to be powerful.

Hitori lowered the box but decided to take it along. He kept quiet as he walked across the stairs and took out his wand.

Eya tried to keep Hitori away, she tried to warn him by raising her eyes, Kakashi had already lost hope.

Hitori was not going to understand her gestures. He just knew. So he was back to trying to break out of the spell.

Hitori drew his wand. Now he had been through the same spell once before, he knew how it felt, so he recognized the spell they were under.

"Who did it?" he asked as he prepared to unbind them. He lifted his wand and was on the way when he suddenly stopped.

His face went pale. He sensed someone behind him. It was a strong presence that froze him. It was not a spell, he was sure because he could feel the sweat against his forehead.

"I did." A voice came from behind.

Hitori lowered his wand and turned around to see a man with a shaved beard, messy hair, and a scary-father face.

"Kamiya… Kamiya's father?" he said.

Father raised his hand. Hitori saw the missing key was taken by Kamiya's father. He focused on the key's tip. "Whoa…" he said, "t-thanks, you got the key cleaned."

Eya stopped signaliling him. Kakashi stopped his trial, too. Hitori undrew his wand and walked to Father. Then he took the key out of his hand.

"Thank you! And I was thinking of a way to get the spider off the key…" Hitori smiled. He turned as he put the key in his pocket.

"Where do you think you are going?" Father asked. Hitori paused and his smile disappeared. "What do you think you are doing with that box? Are you taking Jigoku's things away?"

Hitori looked at the box in his hand. Right now, Kamiya's life was packed in the box. He was not taking Kamiya's things away. He was taking Kamiya away from his shitty house to the warm embrace of her sister.

"Where are you taking them?" he asked. Hitori could feel the scare in his voice. He could imagine what Kamiya and Akemi-san had to go through. The same abusive father every fucking day.

Akemi was on the bed and Kamiya was gone for good. Somehow, Hitori felt it was for the best. It indeed was for the best.

Hitori turned to face Father with the box held tightly in his hand. "Akemi-san asked for this box. It contains Kamiya's—"

"Spying equipment?" Father interrupted with a frown as he took a step forward. "I know what that shitty brat was doing in his shit hole. He was spying on some stupid scientists, is not that what he was doing?"

It was. "Yes. But in this box does not have any equipment."

"Yes? Then what does it have? Some dark secret that he kept from us?"

Hitori opened his mouth but stopped when he realized it was useless to argue with Father. "I am taking this. Please do not stop me." Hitori turned again.

"Going?" he scoffed. "This is my house. You and your friends can not leave—"

"Oh, but, we are. Those two can break your stupid spell anytime. It is like breaking a lego house a kid spent hours making, with nothing but a flick of a finger. It is that easy."

Hitori did not look at Father again. Kakashi started again as Hitori walked to the stair.

Father sighed. He clenched his jaw and said, "Fuck them up, boys."

The three men jumped out of the wall.