Eternal City, Chapter 5: I Came, I Saw, I Conquered

It was around New Year’s Eve, when I was fourteen. My last year of middle school promised to be more or less identical to the previous ones, that is to say studying and more studying and also many mock tests to prepare us for high school. I had a cordial but distant relationship with my classmates, the majority were kids that lived in my neighborhood so we often met out of school during certain occasions. My parents were satisfied with my grades, they were not as high as they could be but still more than sufficient to pass the entrance exam for a renowned school. One where, if I managed to consistently place myself high in the yearly rankings, could mean my entry ticket into one of the most famous and desiderable universities.

I had already decided to go to a small college located close to the town, everyone who didn’t immediately start working after high school went there to finish their education because it was cheap and you could reach it on bicycle.

Completely unbecoming for such a dutiful son, I was looking forward to my parents’ faces when they discovered my scheme. Especially because I planned to make them learn the truth only when it was too late and they couldn’t protest without making a huge scene I knew they would never have the courage for. I didn’t expect for Dad and Mom to talk to me ever again after that, but as a cocky fourteen year old I thought I could handle it with little trouble.

Why did I decide for this to be my last feat of youthful rebellion? It was something I first began to think about after one of the afternoons spent with Uncle Yoshito. Not to say he tried to persuade me, just that I found myself more and more adverse to the idea of moving from my hometown. The big cities were full of cool stuff, I didn’t deny it, but after a year of secret rebellion I had decided what I really wanted was to be just like Uncle: a honest, skilled guy that spends his days doing something he loves in a place where life goes slowly enough to fully enjoy it.

“Teen drama, how exciting! Can we skip ahead to the part that matters?”

“It’s my life, Caterina.”

“Yes, and if I wanted a reminder that people older than seventeen are idiots I would watch a soap opera on TV. Like a Spanish telenovela, those are always worth a laugh.”

Moving on. New Year’s Eve was just around the corner, it rained a lot during that time but the adults believed there would be nice weather for the last night of the year. Uncle, who was on good terms with the mayor, managed to persuade him to install a huge screen in the central square just above the entrance to the town hall. The plan was to show the countdown celebrations and fireworks of Tokyo aired on TV, something most people were used to watch in the warmth in their homes while eating toshikoshi soba. Uncle thought it would gather people together and create an enjoyable atmosphere, a nice farewell to the previous year. He was the one to order the screen and organize its installation, along with setting up a bigger antenna on the roof since reception tended to be spotty during the winter. It was a lot of work, so he enlisted the help of some of the town’s men to get everything in place. The sight of them huffing and sweating to pull up the very heavy antenna and setting up the cables has been a minor attraction for a couple of days.

Sadly all their efforts would be in vain, because during the morning of New Year’s Eve the wind suddenly changed direction and covered the sky in dark and foreboding clouds. Everything pointed to an incoming storm, one violent enough where staying outdoors was simply not an option. People were disappointed but Uncle just laughed it off, saying it was only a minor setback and that there was always the next year. Even before that, the giant screen was sure to come in handy during future occasions. Truth be told I was more sad Uncle’s efforts had gone to waste, but if this wasn’t going to put him down then I was determined to do the same.

I was helping Dad move stuff inside the shed in preparation for the storm when we both heard a commotion coming from the town’s central square. I fully expected Dad to tell me to ignore it, that it likely wasn’t any of our business. Instead he hesitated for a few seconds before telling me to close the shed and follow him. Taken by surprise I wordlessly did as told and, after putting on a raincoat, we set off.

Upon arriving at the square we found a small group of people watching Uncle and his men doing something on the roof while the mayor watched and yelled from the balcony where the giant screen was hanging from. After Dad asked some questions we learned an old part of the roof had been damaged by the recent works and now, with the oncoming storm, there was a serious risk of the town hall being flooded. So the mayor asked Uncle and the others to perform an emergency repair to at least weather the rain.

Opinions on the matter were mixed among the crowd. Some people said they shouldn’t have installed the screen and the antenna in the first place, others that the mayor should have put more money in the maintenance budget for the building. A few, Dad included, hoped they finished before it started to rain.

Thankfully, it appeared they managed to do so just as the first droplets of water began to fall. My last proper sight of the roof was of Uncle and the other men descending into the attic, then urged by Dad I put on the hood of my raincoat and followed him back home.

I managed to take a few steps when someone screamed a warning. A person next to me raised their arm to point at something behind me, so I instinctively turned around to see.

The evening was turned into day by a flash of light that hurt my eyes, the cause a jagged white band suddenly appearing and connecting the sky with the top of the town hall. My ears were filled with the sound of an explosion, so strong it took my breath away. Despite the spots in my vision I managed to see the mayor ducking down with a scream as something fell down from the roof, bounced a few times and then landed right in front of me.

It was a burned, carbonized human body.

====

There is a somber feel to the cellar’s atmosphere as I finish my tale. Caterina didn’t interrupt me again after the first time, and for that I am grateful. “I don’t remember what happened immediately after that, but I spent two whole months locked inside my room in shock.”

I refused to turn on the light or to talk with anyone. I burst into tears every time there was a storm outside. I ate very little and only when alone. I was a complete wreck.

The worst part? No, not the worst but the saddest part? The body was not Uncle’s as I initially believed, it belonged to one of his helpers who at the last minute forgot something close to the antenna and rushed to retrieve it. I knew that man only in passing, but he left behind a wife and two children. Those people wanted someone to blame for their loss, so unable to hate a natural phenomenon they instead directed their animosity towards the one who set those tragic events in motion: Uncle Yoshito.

Between a family that has resided in town for generations, and someone who on some level they still saw as an outsider, the people obviously took the side of the former. By the time I recovered enough to learn the truth, Uncle Yoshito had closed his shop and moved out of town. I never saw him again, nor did I learn where he went.

Life passed in a daze. I abandoned my plans to go to the close-by college. I worked hard to make up for the two months of school I missed. Even after I managed to pull myself together I just continued with the motions. I entered the university Dad and Mom wanted, and once I graduate I will do the job they chose for me.

So much for being better than my parents, uh?

I’m sorry Uncle.

“Did you receive professional help?” Caterina asks after a brief period of heavy silence.

I laugh without mirth. “Japan is... Let’s just say psychological problems in my country are a loaded topic and leave it at that. My phobia is not as bad as it was in the beginning, I can look at lightning bolts and listen to thunder without freaking out if I’m safe within a building. Though obviously I do not like to do so, and I like storms even less. That’s why I stopped going outside when it rains altogether. I guess seeing electricity covering my arm just hit too close to home.”

“Smashed your trauma button somewhat fiercely, uh?” She sighs and stands up. “Well, we’re not going to find a solution by staying inside a restaurant all day. Let’s go already before the guy throws us out.”

The waiter, who is also probably the restaurant’s owner since I have yet to see anyone else working there, takes Caterina’s money and wishes us a good day. I wonder what he saw while we were Slipping: just two people seated at a table having a normal conversation, or was his mind made to ignore everything we did while Slipping? Whatever the case, the earnest smile on his lips tells me he doesn’t hold a grudge for Caterina’s teasing.

Then I step outside, see that the sun is halfway behind the horizon and realize several hours must have passed since the battle at the catacombs. 

“Shit!” I swear, unable to contain myself as I fumble for my phone. I have how many messages?! “I forgot about my classmates!”

“Mh? Oh right, your tourist group.” Caterina waves a hand and rests her back against the wall. “Find an excuse or something.”

“That’s easy for you to say!” Alright, calm down Osamu. Who do I call?

Ryu-sensei? Nope, I like not having a headache.

Junko? If she starts scolding me I’ll inevitably end up yawning and that would be terrible.

Kota? 

Do I have the number of someone else in my class?

“Yo, Osamu! You still alive man?” My black-haired jock of a friend begins once he answers my call. Just barely Kota, a French guy wants to kill me because he thinks I’m his disappointed grandfather. I do not say this and let him continue. “You disappeared out of the blue, it sent Ryu-sensei into a tizzy saying you don’t speak the local language or cannot read the signs, that we’re here to feed our souls with culture and not gallivanting around-”

I admit, two thirds of those concerns are legit.

“‘Course, while Mario-san was trying to calm him down five other people went on their merry way. I think they want to get drunk.” That doesn’t surprise me in the slightest. “Junko was shaking her head, grumbling it’s just plain rude to strike out on your own without even a warning, but I know she cares too.”

Yes, and I see a pig flying. “Sorry about not answering your calls, I put my phone on mute and forgot about it. I left because... because...”

I try to think of something clever but come up empty. Blunt it is then. “Look, I needed a break. Rome is beautiful but this is a vacation, not Ryu-sensei’s exclusive Italy fan stream.”

He snorts in amusement before laughing loudly. “So damn right! You know Osamu, I’m glad to see you so lively.”

I blink in confusion at the sudden non sequitur. “What do you mean?”

“Ah, well. How do I put this?” I can picture Kota scratching his chin in thought. “Since we first met each other years ago you always looked tired, as if you constantly lacked the energy to do or react to anything. But since we arrived here in Italy you started to look more and more alive. I think this vacation is doing you good. I’m happy for you Osamu.”

Kota’s words leave me completely stunned. It seems I have underestimated my friend’s perceptiveness for things that don’t involve sports. It would be much more preferable if my newfound vigor was not due to the perils of being possessed by a ghost, but it still warms my heart. “Thanks man, that means a lot.”

I smell burned meat and despair.

Phone slipping from my fingers I sweep my gaze around in alarm, my eyes widening when I see a mass covered in flames falling towards us at great speed.

“Ma che cazzo?!” Caterina yells as we dive in opposite directions. The thing on fire barely misses us, slamming on the ground and rolling away before stopping against a wall. Revealing itself to be a bicycle, part of a street sign still hanging from the chain around its front wheel.

Our surroundings turn into a blur as we Slip into the past, until the street is full of ancient buildings like the ones I saw in Alba Longa. I can’t admire the details for long, however, as I suddenly find myself needing to roll away in order to avoid being burned to a crisp by a gout of flames.

“I tried to be patient. I really, really, really tried.” When I come to a stop I see Eudon pinning Caterina against a wall, one hand around her neck. The other is playing the harp, now tied around his wrists by ropes of fire that somehow don’t burn him. “I can forgive some shyness, my Poppaea, but you shouldn’t have involved a relic of the past after my throne in our private affairs.”

“Eudon you crazy fuck!” Caterina wheezes through gritted teeth. She tries to activate the ring-blade but Eudon stops her by slamming her head against the wall. “You used your powers without Slipping first, ordinary people will remember!”

“Who cares what the unwashed masses think? They know better than to bother us.” He sniffs imperiously before turning his paradoxically frigid eyes towards me. “Great ancestor, I thought about it. At the very least I owe you my thanks for purging the Senate of corruption and turning Rome into the shining jewel of civilization it deserved to be. Your efforts are appreciated.

Now die.”

A large fireball is shot towards me, which then splits into two smaller ones that approach from opposite directions. I couldn’t dodge the last time, and now my chances are even lower. I can see only one path forward, yet I don’t know if I can do it without messing up.

So I stop thinking, close my eyes and swing my arms towards the fireballs. “I carry the name of Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus!”

Two ear-splitting thunderclaps erupt on both sides of me, I flinch at the sound but manage to retain my composure. I open my eyes only after I feel the growing heat from the two fireballs disappear and pull my arms behind my back. Eudon’s expression is half surprised and half amused. Yes, I agree it’s a terrible idea and the knowledge my arms are probably enveloped in lightning right now is terrifying. But I still want to live. “My my, great ancestor. The Gods favor you and yet you can’t bear to look at their blessings?”

“I dunno. Did that theater you wanted pay out or did you have to force people at spear point to attend it?”

There is a brief moment of silence as we both realize what I just blurted out. What do you know, it appears I turn into a smartass when I’m in mortal danger. I can’t take back my words, so I might as well double down on it. “Because, to be a musician on par with Apollo, you need to know how to play music first. Doing the equivalent of pulling at the strings of your lyre with your teeth doesn’t count, you hack. ”

I duck into a nearby alley to dodge the wave of fire.

“How dare you!” I hear Eudon roaring with a shrill voice as blast after blast slam into the walls. The buildings are made of bricks, which offer some protection from the flames, but even they are slowly starting to burn. “I am a master of the cithara! The equal of Lord Apollo in driving a chariot! I won the race at the Olympiads fair and square! So what if my chariot was made by inferior craftsmen and broke midway? I would have won if I had completed the race! The judges recognized it!”

“How much did you pay them?” I yell. As a reward I get another scream of incoherent rage and the building I’m using as cover shaking.

Congratulations Osamu, you made the psycho even madder. Now what? I acknowledge angry people make mistakes and in combat that can be exploited, but to do that one needs to possess the means for said exploiting. All I have is the ability to parry fireballs with short-ranged bursts of electricity, which I must use with my eyes closed to avoid triggering my phobia. No matter what I do, Eudon will incinerate me before I can get close enough to use it offensively.

Shit, what am I even doing here? Why am I risking my life for someone I have known for little less than a day? Yes Caterina saved my life, but if I cannot do it without failing and dying what’s the point of repaying the favor?

That’s impossible.

“Osamu, who do you want to be when you grow up?” Uncle Yoshito asked me one afternoon. It was the last days of summer, leaves slowly turning into various shades of red and yellow as the temperature continued to drop. The sun had yet to descend below the horizon, and at its current height it was illuminating in orange the whole garage.

I stopped drinking the ramune Uncle offered me. “What prompted this?” I asked, honestly curious. Uncle talked a lot about his life, but only rarely inquired about others’ unless necessary.

“I’m still adapting to how things are done here. Back in my city people have a lot of options, but the majority keep choosing only a few key careers like doctor, engineer, banker and so on.” He explained patiently. “You know, the stuff that’s considered respectable and pays a lot. Here in the countryside, however, you don’t have that many options: you either inherit the family business or pick up the same job as your parents. At least, that’s what I observed so far. But I’m still new to this town so I may be wrong. That’s why I’m asking you.”

No, he was very much right. Dad, for all his talks of doing better, still wanted me to be an accountant like him. And yet, Uncle asked me what I wanted to do. “I want to be just like you Uncle!”

“Really?” He laughed. “May I ask why?”

“Because you’re cool!” And that was the absolute truth to my fourteen years old self.

“Why, thank you Osamu.” Grinning widely he ruffled my hair. “Ah, but don’t feel the need to copy me in all aspects. It’s fine to find your own path in life. Just remember this: only the past is certain, the future meanwhile is full of more amazing possibilities than anyone could ever imagine. Nothing’s impossible, you just have to try.”

...Please forgive me again Uncle Yoshito. I, Ikazuchi Osamu, am apparently an idiot that forgets important things.

I clench my hands and nod resolutely. Okay, let’s think about this again: as things stand right now, Eudon’s Genius completely trumps mine. Still, is this really all I can do? Octavian is supposed to be an Emperor just like Nero and Julia Domna, yet his power is much less impressive compared to their own. Yet, according to Caterina he had a much bigger impact on Roman history than the other two combined. That must count for something. Am I just utilizing it wrong?

What did Caterina say about him? Octavian built one temple to Jupiter and another to Apollo because a lightning bolt hit one of his properties. Jupiter was the one usually depicted as throwing lightning, while Apollo was the god of the sun, oracles, archery-

No.

Is that it?

Octavian, to find the Heart-Blood I need to be alive so if you can hear me then answer this: is what I’m thinking correct?

I don’t look down, but the alleyway is illuminated by a light coming from where my arms should be. Something dense and yet fluid flows over my skin before settling into my left palm and taking a solid form. Using my right hand I explore the shape of the object, a grin splitting my face in half when my suspicions are confirmed.

“Hey Eudon! This monkey music show is getting annoying so I’m coming out to kick your ass now!” I yell before turning around the corner and jumping above the path of ground slowly turning into magma. As I expected he throws another fireball together with an outraged yell, so I hold out my right palm and block it.

Then I land back on solid ground and aim the bow made of what I assume is solidified lightning just above where I saw Eudon stand before I closed my eyes. I pull back the string, feeling something shaped like an arrow forming between my fingers, and let it loose.

The sound of the resulting explosion is almost identical to the lightning strike from my memories, making me shudder even as I manage to retain my cool. Lowering my arms and opening my eyes I discover my attack burned a hole in the building as large as an adult person, the edges still smoking. Both Caterina and Eudon are unarmed, the latter having let go of her and now staring at me with wide eyes. The lyre is nowhere to be found, and so are his living flames. “Are you crazy?!”

“I just shoot a bow, a weapon I never touched before in my life, with my eyes closed despite the fact this one has the same firepower as a rocket launcher.” I chuckle, ignoring the slightly hysterical tone of my voice. “So yes, I think I have beaten even you in that department.”

He puts his hands together and begins plucking invisible strings, sparks slowly gathering to hint at the shape of a lyre.

I close my eyes and fire an arrow at the building next to him, drilling another hole through it. The sparks dissipate harmlessly. “The next one will not miss. Surrender.” Buy it. Buy it. Buy it you crazy bastard, I am not going to turn into a murderer.

Eudon looks between me and Caterina, who is standing up with a thunderous expression on her face. He hesitates for a few seconds before suddenly pointing at something behind me. “Isn’t that Quinctilius Varus?!”

“Give me back my legions!” I scream, turning around in all haste to search for the incompetent nincompoop who brought shame unending on Rome. “Quinctilius Varus, give me back my legions!”

The bow of sublime Apollo, symbol of his favor, reacts to my anger by lashing out with stray bolts of divine lightning-

I fall on my knees, swallowing back the bile. I hear the bow clattering to the ground before feeling his existence disappear. Keeping my eyes shut I wrap my arms around my stomach and bend down, focusing only on breathing deeply and regularly to calm down my racing heart.

After what feels like an eternity I hear a set of footsteps coming closer and stopping in front of me. Looking up I see a stone-faced Caterina. “Eudon ran away.”

“Sorry.” I whisper. “Octavian took control again, I don’t know why...”

“Quinctilius?” I feel hate and distress that are not mine swell within me, I do my best to suppress them. “If I remember right he was a Roman general who lost three whole legions during an ambush, it was such a disaster that it tormented Octavian for years.”

Ah, I get it. So that guy was the ‘lightning’ of Octavian. He sounds like the kind of person that doesn’t take losses well.

“Another thing to work on in the future. Good thing Eudon chose the coward’s way, he will hesitate a lot more from now on.” The auburn-haired woman shrugs before smiling in a way that sends shivers down my spine. “Congratulations on unlocking more of your Genius’ potential. Do you know how much I appreciate the fact you decided to test it in my proximity with your eyes closed?”

“I’m sor-”

“Te sfragno er grugno!” Caterina yells before doing exactly that, her fist landing squarely on my nose.

What a way to end my first proper day in Italy.