13 Keys

A man was walking down the street covered in black in a drunken manner. People who passed him by glared and snorted in contempt.

"This old man has been drinking again."

"Again? Just because his son died to the wave doesn't mean he can live as useless waste."

A villager sighed.

"It's a fathers pain. Seeing your son die before you do is an unimaginable pain none of you have experienced, and something you should hope you will never experience. Just leave that man in peace."

The other villagers bowed there heads in shame.

"... and it wasn't just his son. It was his entire family. His lineage, his bloodline, his future, his past. Everything is gone, he has no home, no family, no relatives. So don't go insulting him for giving up."

The villagers gaze softened as they watched the man stumble down the road.

The drunken man continued stumbling down the street until he arrived at a tavern. The man entered and spoke to the bartender.

"Room 4 passcode 1638."

The bartender gave a slight nod and the man proceeded to stumble into the room.

In the room were eleven people, excluding the drunken man. Two of the eleven were arguing.

"I'm saying that we need to explore the ruins. We already know the location of the third so why do we need to claim it now? We can do that later as it is currently under high surveillance."

"You idiot, we have a source saying that security will be boosted in a few months. If we don't take it right now, we might never be able to."

"Is the source reliable or is it just a 'speculation'?"

"The source is reliable, they found numerous hints pointing to the increase in security-"

"But it's not a hundred percent?"

"It's not but-"

"So its a speculation?"

"...it's a speculation."

"So if we go with your idea, our survival would rely on whether this 'speculation' is true. There is a chance that this is a trap meant to kill us all. Or, we can go with my idea, search the ruins for the sixth and tenth. It's safer, less risk, and we will have to do it eventually. So why not start now?"

"BECAUSE TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE! EVERY DAY WE WASTE SEARCHING IN THE RUINS IS ANOTHER DAY OF EXTRA PREPARATION FOR THEM! WE CAN JUST GET THIRD RIGHT NOW AND THEN WORRY ABOUT SIXTH AND TENTH!"

"...Idiot."

"YOU WANNA FUCKING GO?"

"BRING IT ON YOU FUCKING DUMBASS!"

"Silence."

"!!!"

"!!!"

When the drunken man appeared silence assumed through the room. The previous passionate men instantly quieted down like children caught guilty.

"No.3 and No.2, both of your plans intrigue me. I shall let you both carry out your missions. No.2 , take No.7 and No.9 and search the ruins. No.3, take No.4 and No.5. Failure is not allowed."

"Yes sir, No.2 complies."

"Fine, just what I wanted. Nobody wants to be with this self conceited prick anyways."

"No.3, not another word or I shall take care of you myself."

"...Yes sir."

The drunk sighed.

"We built this guild for justice, for rights, for revenge... we were cast away my our kind. Abandoned by our friends. We have no family other than our group. We thirst for power for the day we step in the sun with pride once more."

Everyone stood up and started to kneel.

"We are Keys."

The drunk nodded and everyone in the room dispersed like an illusion.

The drunk noticing that everyone had left, got up and sighed.

He glanced up at the moon.

"This world is crumbling. Each and every person is tainted with a dripping poison. Each decision is influenced by self love and greed. The only way to fix this world is with power. And with power comes the purge. The cleaning that shall once more shine this land with white."

The drunk placed his hand in his pocket and shuddered. In his pocket was a thin piece of paper. Trembling, he pulled it out.

There was a young man surrounded by a youthful woman who was obviously his wife. Two kids stood in front with mischievous smiles, one boy and one girl.

The drunk started to tremble harder as tears started to come out of his eyes.

"I'm sorry... "

He whispered.

"... but I shall avenge you. This world who hates those pure and kind as you two. This world that supports the evil and lets the poor and trustworthy die. This world that can't see good from evil. I shall fix this world to the world you saw before your last hour."

The mans voice became quieter and quieter as he reached the end of his speech.

"We are the Key, the Key that will open the gates to a new world. The key that unlocks the beginning of Utopia."

The man put his hand into his pocket again and pulled out a worn out key with the number nine engraved on it.

"Let the search for the gates begin."