Shift

[Andromeda]

A ripple in the ground poured out from Nerine’s feet. The grass disappeared from the area creating a large circle of dried dirt that stretched for a twenty-meter radius around her. “This is the first time in more than a year that I’ve used my field.”

Seiji grinned at the thought. He saw Nerine’s expression. It became determinedly serious. The fight he wanted approached. “I’m glad to hear that. I’m looking forward to this.”

“You may regret those words.” Suddenly more than a dozen weaponized gauntlets dropped from the air and crashed into the earth. The thick guards on her arm disappeared. One of the weapons in the field disappeared and surfaced on her arms. The metal spun out with a life of its own covering up to her shoulders. Sharp blade like edges covered the outside surface while her armored like gloves glowed. “These were meant for fighting other MP users. Their destructive potential is nothing like the other weapons I’ve used.”

All of her unnecessary weapons remained stored in the deeper parts of her mind. The style that she developed focused around martial arts. Her strength was fighting and defeating her opponent directly. Yet in her assignment to the border, she found none of the abilities that were her strengths in the academy to be of use. Those that praised her for talent and skill meant nothing outside of the walls. It forced her to adapt to a different need.

The need on the gate was capture through non-lethal and generally non-violent means. The academy did not specifically train her for violence or fighting. However, they also did not tell her otherwise. Her training was simply the usage and refinement of her abilities through whatever came natural to her.

‘What? You’re only thirteen? Well I guess the Captain of the Guard was just as young, maybe that’s why she’s assigned here.’

Nerine charged forward with her fists prepared. The metal that surrounded her arms moved with her body no longer restricting her movement. It became like liquid, yet kept the hardness. Her glow increased with intensity the closer that she came to Seiji. A white shine developed over the metal bringing light to the dark field. “You’re going to want to dodge this,” Nerine remarked. She saw that Seiji made no move to get away from her. He looked to be welcoming her attack.

Seiji grinned at her. He liked the sound of her words and the intensity of the attack. “I’ll be the judge of that!” His hands rose up to meet her attack and take it head on. Seiji dug his feet in wanting to measure the strength that she brought to him. A worthy fight had to be struck fist to fist without retreat.

Hesitation swelled in her chest reacting sharply to her fists’ desire. She switched weapons because she needed them. The doubt was only around to hold her back. ‘I’ve got to strike with everything!’ Nerine tightened up her arm and fist only a meter away from Seiji. She needed to knock him down. She needed to show him that she was not a child to walk around. She could stand on her own.

An explosion of wind and chunks of earth erupted from the epicenter of their clash. Only the light created from the two fists slammed together bloated out the destruction. The fighters disappeared from sight with the engulfing blast expanding quickly beyond them.

Chapter 150 – The Debate of Fists

Nearly a minute passed before the vibrating calmed and the light started to fade. Expectations of figures within the center failed. It took most of the show to settle out to a thinly veiled cloud before Seiji and Nerine’s body surfaced. Both of them laid on the ground prone several meters apart and unclear how recent they entered such positions.

Seiji pulled himself up first with a little smoke rising from his body. His hands looked a little beat up and red, but still strong. He wiped away the earth that found its way on top of him. Across from him, Nerine’s movement alerted him. Another grin appeared on his face very pleased with the situation. His hands tightened into fists becoming eager. “That was a great punch!”

She had some expectations for the outcome. Unfortunately, they nearly completely failed to be realized. ‘Damn, I was hoping for a little more out of that… I’ve got more left to use, but I figured I’d make more progress…’ Her body felt sore as if she went several rounds in a boxing match. The sight of Seiji appearing nearly unchanged by the attack fueled her to stand. It channeled the pain away from her mind and focused everything on him.

The sight of Seiji wanting another go with her made her sigh a little. ‘He’s just waiting for another chance…’

“Let’s keep that up! I actually felt your fist this time! I might actually be able to make use of more of my strength!” Seiji pounded his hands together starting to appear as if he wanted to go on the offensive.

‘More strength? Just how strong is he supposed to be?’ The thought made her a little unsettled. However, she knew that she had more weapons to rely on. She just needed to find a different approach for him.

‘I guess she’s just a child after all… Nothing special about her…’

Nerine charged forward still wielding her same weapons from last time. Dirt kicked up behind her suddenly as though blasted away by something. She struck out for Seiji, but this time he actually dodged out of her way. He moved around to counter her, but found himself back forced to dig in as a gale blew down on him.

The wind threatened to push Seiji over as he pressed his feet into the cracking earth of Nerine’s field. He held up his arms trying to see through the winds. As quickly as the winds began, they faded away. However, a powerful forced slammed through Seiji’s face sending him off his feet and spinning wildly out of control through the ground. The force of his body dug a trench into the earth until he finally came to a stop.

Standing with an extended arm out, Nerine revealed herself as the reason (not that it should be a surprise). She pulled her hand back and looked down at Seiji measuring out the distance he flew. The effect of her fist pleased her more than the last exchange. She managed to deal a severe blow to him she felt. “I told you that you would regret it.”

“Not at all. I don’t regret it!” echoed Seiji’s voice from the distance. His darkened figure in the night surfaced from the trench.

Nerine slid her foot back to return to a defensive stance. “Can’t be…he doesn’t sound affected at all!”

‘Who’s the woman? What she’s just a kid?’

Seiji began his march back into Nerine’s field. Once he returned to her vision, he wiped away the stream of blood from his chin that started at his lip. Tears in his tunic showed what little damage he sustained, but it still managed to hold. “This is starting to feel like a great fight! I can’t wait to see what else you can do!” He charged forward fists raised going on the offensive.

It took her a little by surprise that he no longer played defensive with her. The look in his eye definitely changed. She could easily see it as plain as the moon in the sky. He wanted to fight her and no longer cared about gender or any other difference. His wait ended.

The speed of his movements took her off balance. It felt like he became a blur. ‘It’s like before…’ She remembered how fast he moved to protect her. Her eyes could not follow him then, so she assumed it was a trick in his field. Yet she saw him moving inhumanly fast. Her pause left her completely open. The only hope she had was a weak instinctive defense with her arm to block him. It was not enough.

Seiji’s fist struck her armored left arm with enough force to knock her up into the air. She went careening through the night air as carelessly out of control as she sent him earlier. Her head went blank for the moments that the air scrapped over her face. Nerine slowly came back around not unconscious, just empty. It took her another few moments to remember her situation and the all too familiar situation. Around her, the weapons followed her, floating without any thought to their master.

She saw the damage to her weapon. Bent blades and twisted metal filled Seiji’s strike. It survived.

Nerine swapped weapons and clawed at the air. She came to a slow stop. The new weapon attached past her shoulders and connected along her collarbone. Her metal sparked alive no longer with a glow, but electricity. Freely flowing bolts of electrons jumped across her forearm. The metal covering her fingers had a claw like appearance that dug into the air. She threw herself through the air back at Seiji. The streak of her through the sky became white lines from the trails of electricity.

Pleased that she was not finished and charging back for another round, Seiji prepared for her.

The first strike she made blew out bolts of electricity all around them seeking out a ground. Her armored fist slammed into Seiji’s testing out his resistance to her force. It made the earth quake and break up around him to drive his feet into the ground. However, the moment she saw him holding against her she spun around and slammed her fist into the air. She threw herself through the air getting behind him to strike his back.

Seiji barely had the time to react and stumbled forward. His torn tunic ripped to shreds at the point of impact on his back. It built a hole with hanging course fabric. The hit did little to stun him and he quickly pulled around to return the favor. His fist was too late. Electricity ran up his arm in her wake numbing him slightly. She came up behind him again slamming another fist into him. Seiji staggered forward and fought with his body to respond.

Nerine felt like she finally had an advantage for the first time in the fight. She dealt him blows that damaged him and she kept out of his grasp. ‘I can do this! I can beat him!’ Excitement and confidence returned to Nerine with each success. She did not want to feel eager with her advantage, but she could not help a little smile.

She bounced around the air preparing a stronger attack to relay her position. Her arm came in behind him destined for a powerful hit. However, she came to a rough stop that nearly through her arm out of her shoulder joint. Before she had time to recover, the wind rained down on her face as she sailed through the air. She scrapped the air to return control to her. ‘What happened? He did it, didn’t he?’

‘It’s all just an act. She just compensating, that serious mature speech of hers.’

On the ground, Seiji flexed his hand as he started to have feeling return to it. Once he finished, he looked up at Nerine. “You know a trick like that only works a couple of times. You have to make the first one count. You’ve been using it too much and became predictable.” He grinned up at her looking no less worse than a little redness from minor bruising on his back.

‘I see, I still have the speed to get around him…’ She threw herself back into the fight. Taking advantage of the air maneuver, Nerine got herself around to the side of Seiji. She threw in her fist scoring a hit, but he did not budge. Her eyes drew in narrowed before widening a little in surprise. He threw up his arm in defense deflecting much of the force away from him.

Electricity sparked off his arm where he blocked her attack. He brought in his free arm to counterattack, but she was already out of his range. ‘She’s fast…’ Another strike came at him, but he dodged it. She back off from him and worked around him again.

Each attempt she made felt as if she was losing ground. The advantage she had eroded before her hands. He was getting closer to her with each pass. ‘Is he reading my moves?’ Her next attack had his fist grazing over her arm. The force shook around her arm rattling down to her bone, while warping the metal. It reformed quickly, but left her a sign. ‘I need something more…’

Nerine dodged around Seiji’s punches narrowly keeping up with his increasing reflexes. She jumped around the air continuing to move without letting him stay on her for long. Her weapon kept getting dents and tears as he got closer. ‘I’ve got to do something now…’ Nerine pushed back and built up a charge towards Seiji being obvious to invite him into an exchange.

Seiji eagerly accepted her offer and clashed fist with fist against her. The two fists rattled and shook with shockwaves exploding off them. However, flames suddenly erupted from her arm and swallowed Seiji whole with no chance to react.

The Atlantean backed off waiting to see how much damage she dealt him. He surprised her when he brought up his hand and torn away the flames from his body. Her fire laid on the ground quickly burning through the tunic. Seiji lost his top to the flames and only came out with light burns that tanned his skin.

“I see you’ve got more tricks up your sleeve. Come on! I’m enjoying this!” He pounded his fists together. His well-toned body did not have extreme muscle development, as one might guess for his strength. Seiji held a fairly lean appearance, but had clear muscle definition. The fading flames lit up his body making him glow a little with the sweat that covered him. He slid down into a fighting stance ready continue.

Nerine got a clear look at him. She knew how much punishment she dealt him and yet he continued. ‘He doesn’t even look tired… I’m going to need my stronger ones…’ Her weapon disappeared swapping out for one of the many that followed around her. The new weapon held a sleeker appearance and appearing more fluid than the others did. It only covered up to her upper arms. She clawed forward charging at him. Her left arm shot forward firing a large stream of water at him. It immediately froze up to incase him.

She jumped up running along the surface at him. As she closed in with him, the ice broke throwing her off balance. Seiji aimed for her, but she air punched away. Nerine appeared from underneath throwing out her fist. Stone grew out of her arm, another change. It raced away from her slamming into Seiji. He went flying into the air as the rocky column expanded up.

Blasting into the sky, Nerine followed him. She threw out flames, her weapon changing yet again. Seiji blocked the flames with his arms and put them out by throwing out his arms. He caught sight of her closing between him dealing with the attack. She caught a clean hit on him altering his direction back into the ground. His body sped into the earth crating and tossing up large chunks of earth. Nerine kept after him.

However, Seiji already recovered from the fall and had his fist coming out to meet her as he expected a frontal assault. She managed to take his punch with another weapon swap, but it warped severely rippling. The force finally went through her body and sent her flying away. Seiji jumped out of the deep crater. He dusted himself while waiting for her to land.

Once she recovered and came charging for him again, Seiji sped for her. His speed increased past what she became accustomed to dealing with. He got around her and barely had a chance to dodge his attack. His punch flew over her, but changed into a swing down once he extended fully. She blocked with her armored arms and slammed into the ground coughing up blood.

The copper taste of her blood came as new sensation for her, but she did not have time to understand it thoroughly. Seiji pressed the attack coming at her with faster punches. She backed away from him only for him to close again. Her armor kept her from taking serious damage, but she felt it tearing at her limbs. Pieces of his strength made it through to her.

Seiji pressed her back, but failed to make a clean connect on her. He changed up his pattern and dug his foot through the earth bringing up large chunks of earth that battered her. However, it was only a screen for him. Seiji rammed his fist through the debris he created. Nerine already instinctively had her arms up to block, but did not expect the force coming through at her. She went flying backwards.

He gave chase to her and caught her while still in flight. His fist stretched out to deliver a finishing blow. Nerine managed enough clarity to block with a thick weapon. Jets blasted out from her weapons stopping her body, but Seiji momentum carried through to her slowly pushing her. His fist pressed against the thick metal warping it.

Nerine caught the taste of surprise from the force that he applied managing to counter the thrust of her weapon. ‘He’s smashing my weapon! I can’t let it…’ The weapon suddenly repaired itself while his fist tried to crush it. Seiji did not stop with the change and continued to apply his strength breaking down the armor again. It repaired itself again, the cycle repeating.

In the end, Seiji threw her off him and slid to the ground with his speed in flight no longer countering her thrust. She came to a quick stop. Her hand wiped off the blood that dripped from her lips. They stared off at each other.

Seiji smirked feeling satisfied with the fight. “You’re impressive. I might have to reconsider my code.”

Nerine found herself grinning a little, not immediately recognizing it herself. She did not feel the uncertainty or doubt anymore. It all disappeared while she fought him. He did not see her as she saw herself, but just another person to fight. It felt oddly comfortable for her. She wanted to see what more he had to offer and test it against her own. “I might still make you regret that thought.”

“Oh?”

A glow came from Nerine’s body completely masking her uniform. The weapon on her arms disappeared along with all of the weapons in the field. “I’ve never done this before for anyone. You’ll be the first to see my final battle form!”

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

Nerine found herself grinning a little, not immediately recognizing it herself. She did not feel the uncertainty or doubt anymore. It all disappeared while she fought him. He did not see her as she saw herself, but just another person to fight. It felt oddly comfortable for her. She wanted to see what more he had to offer and test it against her own. “I might still make you regret that thought.”

“Oh?”

A glow came from Nerine’s body completely masking her uniform. The weapon on her arms disappeared along with all of the weapons in the field. “I’ve never done this before for anyone. You’ll be the first to see my final battle form!”

As one would expect from Seiji, the battle crazed, a wide eager smile of excitement grew across his face. “I like the sound of that!” He pounded his fists together working himself up. The fight turned out to be a lot more than hoped for and it only got better, in his mind. This fight more than made up for how annoying his last fight was.

She never showed her true form to anyone since she never had a need for it. Training never required it and service made it even more pointless. She hardly had any practice using it. The strain that she put on her body while in it worried her. Nerine did not know how long she could keep up with it. She knew that she needed to compete with Seiji, but it carried heavy risks for her.

However, even amongst the worry her body felt calm and at ease. The bruises and wounds that she took gave her no sign of pain. She felt ready for it, even wanting it. ‘It’s a strange feeling doing this… I don’t get the same feeling from the start of the fight…’

The light faded away revealing Nerine’s final form. A new outfit replaced her Atlantean uniform, which reached extensive damage. Her new cloths left her barefoot in close fitting dark purple pants with a matching shirt. Over top, a tanned brown vest kept the shirt from a loose hold on her figure. A white waistcloth closed the seam between pants and shirt, while also matching the wrapped strips of cloth that tied down at the ends of her limbs.

Her empty field no longer held any weapons. She looked more exposed then before, but a new light gathered at her legs and arms. Metal enclosed her limbs completely until only her vest and waistcloth remained. The metal ran completely smooth with a simply design that did not try to appear flashy. Engravings lined the metal along the wrist and ankles. A strong sturdy presence came from them in their simplicity. They were meant for nothing but combat with no elegance.

Nerine held up her hands sliding into an offensive stance. “I’m ready.”

“Let’s see what it can do!” Seiji charged forward with his fists raised to begin the first attack.

Chapter 151 – Fist’s Answer

Seiji’s fists met with a column of flame in front of him. His fist only made it part way in before he stopped. It left his skin slightly burned, but it gave the distraction that Nerine needed. She appeared around at this side just after he pulled back. Her fist stretched out leveling out a crushing blow. Seiji’s cheek took the hit and spun him through the air.

Jetting with the thrust of her weapons, Nerine charged forward after Seiji to keep up the assault. However, Seiji righted his body and slammed into the earth throwing back debris from his feet. He sprinted off not allowing even the rocks time to settle. His arm raised up taking the blow from Nerine’s next punch. The impact sliced a shockwave that tore up the earth between them and threw up the chunks into the air.

Nerine’s fist rattled against Seiji’s forearm for a few moments. She then brought in her other fist to punch through his open side. Not taking the defensive block, Seiji dodged a little and grabbed her arm. It took her by surprise, but she quickly responded with a kick at him. He did not wait for her leg as he threw her away.

He jumped off from the ground crashing through the careless cast aside debris towards his target. Seiji extended his arm going for quick punch through her defenseless body. His punch did not fully make it in before she spun around in the air kicking Seiji in the head. Whether stubborn or momentum, Seiji’s body did not budge from the hit. Nerine followed it up with another spinning around to bring her foot down from above. The crash blew out wind that sent the debris flying into projectiles that cratered the ground hundreds of meters away.

Seiji took the kick and sped down to the ground from the force. When the earth came up to him, he landed in a knelt position. He still managed to crater the area throwing up chunks of rock again. His head tilted up to see Nerine shooting herself down with her leg extended. Seiji braced him for the impact, but caught water as Nerine spun downward. Immediately behind the water, flames burst out casting steam through the area.

The steam created a fog like mist that made it too thick for Seiji to see through. Nerine took advantage of the poor visibility and leashed a powerful array of blows. Each impact blew out parts of the mist until nothing remained to hide Seiji.

She jumped back to measure him up after her assault. ‘He’s still holding strong, but it looks like I’m hurting him.’

While Seiji held no serious injuries, his body dripped with blood. His face had blood dripping from both sides of his lips and a long stream down the side of his face. Bruises lined the muscles of his chest and arms where he took hits. Only his endurance kept him from collapsing from the attacks. Seiji felt a little heavy on breath, but still grinned. “Hell yeah! I’m feeling those punches nicely!”

Nerine still felt a little confused by his overly eager sense of battle. Her head tilted a little. “You’re taking this with unusual amount of excitement for a fight. Don’t you have any anger?”

“Why should I feel angry when I’ve got such a fun fight? There’s nothing better than exchanging blows with a worthy opponent and seeing how far you can push your limits!”

“I’m not sure I understand that those feelings. Especially for someone that’s supposed to be a rebel.”

“Don’t sweat the small stuff. Let’s just enjoy the fight and see who’s standing at the end!” Seiji grinned at her wanting to resume the fight.

The infectious nature of Seiji enthusiasm caught on to Nerine more than she realized. She caught herself smiling again. “I’ll admit I’m curious as well.”

“Well let’s not let talking slow us down!”

“Agreed.”

They charged for each other. Nerine threw out her fist directing columns of earth at him from her hands. Seiji rammed his fists through them shattered the hardened earth to pieces. When he reached the end Nerine was already gone to a different side. He picked up a couple of the pieces throwing them at her when found her new position. They passed through her eventually disappearing.

Nerine ran directly for him throwing her leg down into the ground a meter away from him. The impact blasted chunks of earth away directed at Seiji. Through the debris, she sent flames to engulf everything. Molten pieces landed on Seiji, as he blocked. It burned at his skin until he cast it aside. During the distraction, Nerine came in behind and unleashed a spin kick against him that he barely got an arm up to block.

It still sent him flying away off his feet, while a destructive shockwave ate through the terrain. Nerine bounced through the air and shot towards Seiji. She appeared over top of him to punch him into the ground. However, he grabbed her wrist reducing most of the force to only a minor air wave that blew a small hole into the earth. She tried with her other fist only to meet the same results.

They found a stalemate in a strength check, but Seiji held the greater strength. She already understood that from before and rediscovered that fact as the metal complained to her. It kept reforming through the will of her mind, but she could not keep up with him in a direct brute force exchange. Nerine poured water over her armor and charged it with electricity. It forced Seiji to release her and still carry a charge that jumped around his muscles for seconds afterward. She spun around delivering a kick into his ribs that his arm failed to block. It sent him off in a new direction hovering over the dirt.

Air kicks turned around Nerine and directed her to Seiji. As she neared him, he slammed his fists in the ground bringing him to a sudden stop. It sent her flying past him, over shooting her target. While she recovered from her mistake, Seiji went on the offensive. He charged through the remaining debris chunks punching through a large piece into Nerine. Already off balance, Nerine flew off her feet. Her body careened into the air with him closing the gap.

Seiji delivered several blows to Nerine, each punch vibrating through the area. The last sent her flying back down to the ground. He had to wait for his body to stop moving upward, before he could descend. The recovery time for Seiji gave Nerine all she needed to escape Seiji’s drop. His fist rammed into the earth up to his elbow with the force he pushed through. He glanced over to the direction that Nerine dodged to and ripped his arm free casting debris in her direction.

Nerine spun her leg around lighting up a quick inferno before washing it all with wind to reverse the direction. Flaming chunks of earth sped towards Seiji. It forced him to swat them down and break through to reach Nerine, but she already moved to a new location.

She appeared speeding in from an air kick catching Seiji off-guard in the cheek. The hit sprayed blood with a shockwave ripping through the earth. Seiji tumbled over but in the last second grabbed Nerine by her vest and brought her with him. He slammed her into the ground as he spun away. His body fought to twist around and gain footing on the ground landing a couple of meters away from her. The plan to follow up had to be put on hold as Nerine staggered up and forced herself to speed towards him with another air punch.

Seiji jumped out of the way, as Nerine’s fist hit the ground. All of the earth exploded outward digging a quick shallow crater. She slowly pulled herself up panting heavily, but closed her mouth and charged anyway. Nerine leapt into the air bouncing through the air with kicks and punches to hit at Seiji from all sides. He barely kept up with the barrage and as he staggered back. Blood sprayed with each punch and earth rent around them.

Even Seiji found his breathing difficult and his body sore. He felt certain that she might have broken one of his ribs with all of the blows that he took. However, he did not care. All he did was grin and kept up his defense. When she paused for a split second to recover, Seiji charged in with his fist landing a solid hit on her torso. It rang out and knocked Nerine back a little. Some fresh blood dripped from her lips, but she ignored it going back in.

Their exhaustion tore away their interest in defense or anything fancy. Seiji did not feel the full strength of his punches anymore. Nerine could not feel her arms or legs. Her body felt like it turned to paste from everything she took. The protection afforded to her was the special properties of her clothes, which was the only thing that saved her from Seiji killing her out right.

Even though their fight completely changed the landscape of the area, the intensity that they laid into each other with their fists did not diminish. Their knees buckled a little with each blow landed, but their body refused to give in. Each punch cracked the ground around them. Quakes echoed away from their feet like the sound of a thousand stampeding animals.

They could not stop.

Both held wide grins on their faces.

After an impossible display of stamina, the winner finally surfaced. Nerine’s last punch stopped against Seiji’s chest, no longer moving. Weakness in her arm spread into her body until her legs no longer had the strength. She fell down into the dirt her armor fading and uniform appearing on her body. The dirt field around her remained, a sign her consciousness hung on thinly. Her breathing ran her throat course until she did not think she could take it any longer.

Seiji smiled content. “…I…won…” His legs fell out from underneath him. He collapsed on his back with his chest heaving. “I haven’t had an enjoyable fight like that since my times with Yuki. Thank you!”

Nerine rolled over on her back matching Seiji’s position. The two warriors end up nearly at each other sides. She felt at ease with the fight, even though she lost. “It’s strange… I don’t feel bothered losing…” Her eyes glanced over at him. “I’m actually pleased… I don’t know why…”

“That’s because you had fun!”

“Fun?” She pulled her gaze back up to the night sky. “Is that it?”

Seiji lifted himself up enough to sit. “Of course!” He tightened his hand into a fist to emphasis the accuracy of his answer. “You know what having fun is, right?”

“Have you read the background on Atlantis?”

“…oh…right…”

She joined Seiji to sit. The soreness and broken body did not matter to her. “…hmm…” He looked at her with the same eyes as before, even after everything. She was no more than a fight and that thought actually made her happy.

“You’re not going to give anymore explanation to that are you?”

“The implications are enough for the audience, if they haven’t figured it all out yet they’ll know twenty chapters.”

He still did not feel better, but his strength started to return. Seiji stood up and offered a hand out to Nerine. The toll of the fight he knew had to be even worse for her. ‘She actually pushed me to my limits…’

Nerine stood up still holding his hand. He grinned back at her. She found it just as infectious as before, even with all of the grime and blood that coated his face. “You’re the first person to see only me without any of the titles or masks…” It seemed a little odd to her that it would be a stranger, a rebel that did. He was supposed to be the enemy. She glanced over at the camp. “You’ve defeated me. So I’ll let you pass and look for your comrade.”

“Thanks! I’d like to fight with you again sometime!”

Nerine tilted her head a little smiling back at him. “Yeah, I think I’d like that!”

The sky suddenly seemed to go pitch black with all of the stars bloated out. Time slowed down for Seiji. A strange wind of bloodlust carried through the air. It immediately made his eyes narrow and shift around. He caught sight of a flash of white light moving in a fast arc towards Nerine. She was too fatigued to react and Seiji still felt his body’s sluggish movements drag him down. He did not know if he could make it in time. “Look out!” Seiji leapt out in front, his face painted with panic.

“Traitorous actions will not be forgiven!” slithered a deep voice from the void of shadows. A low grunt came from them in response to a wet spray.

Seiji groaned in pain. A deep slash ran diagonally across his arm, blood sprayed across the interloper’s face. He pushed back with his good arm at the attacker. “Why are you attacking your ally?!”

A wicked smirk lined the individual’s face. “Allies don’t act friendly and aid the enemy!” Behind the two of them, Nerine let out a deep bloody scream.

Confused, Seiji turned to find that both of Nerine’s arms laid on the ground and blood sprayed everywhere. Seiji’s face wrinkled and turned dark. Shadow masked out his eyes. He tilted head back around at his enemy. His clenched fists tensed up the muscles in his arm. The rage inside boiled up in his body providing him a new fuel. His took a step forward. The spot that his foot landed cracked and bent in. “I’m going to kill you! You bastard!”

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

A wicked smirk lined the individual’s face. “Allies don’t act friendly and aid the enemy!” Behind the two of them, Nerine let out a deep bloody scream.

Confused, Seiji turned to find that both of Nerine’s arms lay on the ground and blood sprayed everywhere. Seiji’s face wrinkled and turned dark. Shadow masked out his eyes. He tilted head back around at his enemy. His clenched fists tensed up the muscles in his arm. The rage inside boiled up in his body providing him a new fuel. His took a step forward. The spot that his foot landed cracked and bent in. “I’m going to kill you! You bastard!”

The energy that channeled through Seiji felt different from before. It was hot and uncontrolled worming its way through all parts of his body. None of it mattered to him. The odd sensation meant nothing to him. Blood dripped down his arm and it was nothing. Night disappeared from his sight. To his eyes, it seemed a bright and clear sunny afternoon. He could clearly see his enemy that he had to kill. No doubt or concern filled him. Seiji simply understood that he could not hold back his body any longer.

Seiji disappeared from the sight of the attacker. The thrown sword failed to meet its target. All he saw was several chunks of earth tossed up when Seiji moved. A ripple rang out from the man’s feet altering the terrain and darkening his appearance further. Crunching of metal and earth sounded off behind him. He turned around planning to find Seiji, but he remained out of sight. Another crunch rang further away.

Beyond the field, Seiji set down Nerine in a safe spot. Using his torn tunic, he gave her a rushed bandage to try to stop the bleeding. He turned away staring into the distance at the enemy.

Nerine coughed feeling lightheaded from the blood lose. She did not know if she would even live much longer. The sight of Seiji’s back and the blood that covered made her wonder how he remained standing. ‘He should be exhausted… He couldn’t move a moment before…’

Seiji tightened his hands in preparation. “Don’t move from that spot. I don’t know…how much of my reason is left… All I know right now…is that I want to kill him!” The earth cracked around his feet again from the pressure of his legs. “I can’t forgive… So don’t watch…please…”

She opened her mouth, but had no words for him. The fact that he felt so strongly towards the attack on her had a little confused, while still seeming normal. ‘…going so far for a stranger and someone that’s supposed to be an enemy…’ He disappeared from her sight, signaling the start of the new battle. A bloody and savage battle began born of nothing but pure violence.

Chapter 152 – Blood Soaked Night

Pounding and crunching through the ground turning up metal and earth telegraphed Seiji’s movements, even with his speed it made him impossible for human eyes to follow. It still made it difficult to predict his position. The enemy held up two simple swords waiting on the arrival of Seiji. He baited him in presenting a clear target for him. A smirk lined his face eagerly anticipating the moment.

Seiji suddenly appeared with his fist extended already. A percussive blast ripped up the earth outward throwing away chunks. However, the crumbling sound of metal stopped him before reaching his target. All that made it through was the force of wind from his flying fist. Seiji’s eyes narrowed judging his situation.

The soldier’s smirk disappeared a little when he realized that blood dripped down his cheek. A cool breeze stung his thin wound. However, the man’s surprise did not last for long. His smirk returned with an excited hungry appearance turning even darker than before. It made his face seem almost pitch black. “So you’re able to cut me with just the force of wind created by your punch? Very interesting…”

After the metal fell away, the man charged forward after Seiji. Arc of light flew through the air at Seiji. He dodged a couple of the swings, but not all of them. Blood and ash dripped from his minor wounds. It forced him to increase his speed and disappear. However, a blast and crash of metal exploded only a short distance away. It sent Seiji reeling backwards.

He stared up at the collapsing junk of metal. It had little form left from his impact. He looked at his hand to find the small cuts on it and blood coating most of his skin. The image confused him. He was certain nothing sharp enough cut him.

Quickly closing the distance, the Atlantean brought down his two swords on Seiji’s defending arm. The weapons rattled in disappointment. Ash fell down from his arm. Seiji’s arm remained safe. Failure did not prevent him from continuing the onslaught of attacks. Wild slashes came in from all directions in numbers impossible for the two the man wielded.

Seiji’s raged fueled mind did not comprehend what happened to him. All he managed was to step back with each attack and stay mostly unharmed. Burnt edges blew away from the gathering at his feet, but new pieces returned after the next attack.

“I can see you’re confused,” the man spoke between attacks. He smirked as wide as before unfazed by his challenging opponent. “Perhaps you should look at your feet more carefully. The ground which you walk upon is not so simple.”

Glancing down, the truth of the man’s words came out. The soldier’s entire field lined with swords of all make and type possible or impossible. Everywhere as far as could be seen, swords coated it all in metal. The presence of an armory weighed down the atmosphere. Like the man’s smirk, the field felt soaked deeply in the dark pleasures that even the moon refused to reflect on their blades.

Everything was out of sight for Nerine with the pain and night making it difficult to see. However, she saw the man that attacked her long enough. It worried her. ‘Who is he? I’ve never seen him before in the barracks. I thought I knew all of the MPs stationed at the South Gate. And his field…’ She did not understand how someone so powerful could hide within the troops without anyone knowing.

“Since I have you here… I only grant this privilege to those that I’m about to kill. You can take my name with you to the grave.”

Seiji moved to attack the man, but an array swords came up pointed at his neck. It halted his action. “I have no need for your name. You’re the one that’s going to die here.”

The man’s smirk widened further pleased to see the defiance still holding. “I’m very glad you still have plenty of fight left in you. It’s quite boring taking an easy kill. Otherwise, my skills dull.” He leveled his right hand at Seiji, point the blade at his nose. “But in all seriousness, you’re going to die. And I always give those I slain the name of the one that killed them. That and it gets really awkward using generic nouns to identify me.”

Exhausted of patience, Seiji grabbed up a sword from the ground and swung it at the man. “Enough talk!” However, his eyes narrowed in confusion to find his hand empty.

“Tsk,” remarked the man. All of the blades around Seiji moved in closer to restrict his movements further. “Really now, you should know better than that. Not all of my swords in my field are actually real and even if one was I can make it disappear before you can do any harm with it.” The man pressed his sword’s tip to Seiji’s nose drawing up a thin line of blood. The man held back a laugh in watching his target squirm. “Honestly already, the name—“

Seiji jumped up and grabbed the sword blade by his teeth. He ripped it from the man’s hand, but it disappeared from his mouth a moment later. In the next moment, Seiji spun his leg around knocking all of the weapons out of the way. He finished by ramming his fist into the earth. A faint flash of light surface just moments before the explosion of earth blacked everything out. Seiji followed up by throwing the chunks of earth at the man.

He jumped forward as swords tried to come up at him, but earth got in their way. His hand gripped the hunk of earth and slammed it into the man’s face. Seiji railed his arm through crushing the man into his field of weapons. The force from Seiji’s hand pulverized the chunk into powder leaving the man’s face stained brown. Still holding his hand to the man’s face, Seiji leaned down to speak to him. “I don’t care! I could kill you in an instant, but I’m going to make you regret your actions with pain before I kill you!” The swords and earth bent a little with Seiji applying pressure to the man’s face.

The man’s eyes flipped an annoyed glare off to something unknown (fine…the name’s Cosmas, this’ll probably be the last moment of comedy in a while, so cherish it…). Cosmas focused his vision back on Seiji. Swords drew up taking swings at him. Blood and ash fell around him, but Seiji stubbornness kept him on top of Cosmas. The pressure on his head felt like it was going to smash him in. It actually stole away his smirk when he felt the taste of mortally and the blood rage of Seiji’s unwillingness to accept anything less than what he promised Cosmas.

A ring of light rippled through the field underneath Cosmas. The smirk returned to his face with deadly darkness following it. “You know at the center my power is at its zenith!” Swords flew in from multiple sides ripping up everything in the way. Blood sprayed across Cosmas’ face only worsening his presence.

No longer held down by Seiji, Cosmas stood up. He dusted off his black leather clothes that completely covered him. In the night, it made him almost completely disappear. However, it seemed to be the first time his presence pealed back to be seen. A glance over at Seiji made his eyebrow lower in disappointment. “I’m a little surprised. You made it out with only taking that much damage. That’s some speed and toughness…even with my first upgrade…”

Seiji narrowed his features noting the condition of his hand. Ash still fell from his hand covering a spot at the ground amongst the blades. Blood slowly dripped down soaking it crimson. The tips of his right pinkie and ring finger were missing. A normal person in such a situation would scream and perhaps even collapse to the ground. However, Seiji was not a normal person and in his state that took his unusual status to new levels. All he did was clinch his fist together and swing unleashing a shockwave of wind at Cosmas.

The swords of his field erupted up to block the incoming attack. They shredded to pieces as though they were the wind and the wind blades. Several more walls of weapons rose to dampen the effect to nothing. “That’s a strong fist even at that distance. So you’re a reverse field type?”

“I’m the type that’s going kick your ass!”

Cosmas smirked at the thought. It made him even more excited to kill Seiji. “Well you are one of the few that has survived my first upgrade. So I’m going to enjoy this next part!” Several dozen weapons broke from the surface of the field. Cosmas manifested two swords in his hands to accompany his arsenal. Only his eyes reflected the pale light of the moon, turning his face into one of a demon. “The part where I slice you apart one piece at a time!”

Fighting a demon did not bother Seiji. He felt like one himself. Two demons under the moon felt just right to him. ‘He has no remorse or hesitation… I’ll kill him!’ Seiji rammed his fist into the ground hard breaking the earth and turning it up. Several blades stuck into them. However, two flashes of light appeared in the slab of earth breaking it apart. Cosmas appeared on the other side of the light.

He brandished his weapons at Seiji and brought in the others to float around them. “My upgraded swords can slice through something as soft as earth. You’re going to need something denser if you plan on stopping them.”

Seiji rammed his fists into two of the pieces of sliced earth. It sent chunks of it into the air. He directed it all to go flying at Cosmas. However, the swords floating around him sliced them all into fine cubes. Seiji did not stop as he already held the largest piece in his arms swinging it like a bat at Cosmas.

The action took Cosmas a little by surprise, but his swords responded quickly. They reduced his blunt object to nothing. Yet Seiji charged through hitting all of the swords while they finished. His fist shattered them into a rain of metal shrapnel. Seiji ran through, but found a barrier of swords rising with their blades aimed at him. Then around behind him, all of the blades he shattered already reformed and sped towards him.

Cosmas held his smirk witnessing the eventually bloody end of Seiji with all of the weapons attacking him. He held ready with his swords to begin slicing Seiji up at the first moment after his swords struck. However, his lips lowered again with disappointment. Seiji disappeared from sight leaving only a trail of blood and ash behind where the swords started their taste.

His eyes darted around the field detecting the echoes of his field responding to Seiji. It bounced around until it suddenly moved straight for him. Each pounding and crushing quake came closer. “…so stupid…” Cosmas mounted all of his swords in front of the incoming Seiji and strengthened his field’s defensive barriers.

Chunks of metal flew everywhere in the face of the unstoppable train. Seiji’s movements slowed down to become visible again, though blurred. His fists wailed on everything that stood before him. Ash and blood flew on the wind behind Seiji as he drew closer to Cosmas. His eyes carried the unstoppable will of crushing Cosmas. It consumed his being.

All of the swords directed in at Seiji. Some of the blades pierced his body and others shattered. Flashes of light blinked from him. Seiji charged in undeterred with swords sticking through him. He sent out an earth-rending roar bringing up his arm finally in reach of Cosmas. All of the muscles in his body tensed shattering the metal that ran him through and pushed it out. Blood jumped from the wounds growing Seiji’s intensity.

The sight made Cosmas sweat a little in the last seconds. He recovered in time to bring down his swords against Seiji. Seiji’s fist ran passed Cosmas only deflected after breaking off Cosmas’ sword. It saved Cosmas from the full impact, but the wake of the punch still sent him flying away. The Atlantean flew through the air and tumbled into the earth amongst his weapons.

A cloud of debris covered up Cosmas in his recovery. He slithered back up to his normal stance. Laughter burst from the fading cloud. It did not even bother him that the earth shook with the stampeding of Seiji. Freed from the veil, Cosmas held his hand over his face with only his mouth visible. His laughter leaked through just as strong. He narrowed his eyes through the gaps of his fingers before removing it. Impossible as it seemed, his features became even darker than before. “Amazing!”

Seiji charged forward with no regard for the reason of Cosmas’ laughter. He ran his fist behind him preparing to take out Cosmas. In the last moments, he extended his arm already blasting out wind from the force. His fist ran Cosmas through the stomach ripping up his cloths and spraying blood from his mouth. Seiji’s fist exited the back coated in blood. His eyes suddenly flipped to his side with the touch of something on his shoulder.

Cosmas rested his hand on Seiji, standing to his right completely unscathed. “Making me use my second upgrade, impressive…but can you survive another minute?” The Cosmas with a hole in his chest disappeared. Then two swords appeared from below and arced through the air with blinding light.

Blood sprayed everywhere.

Seiji’s eyes widened in surprise as his own blood rained across his face. His right arm was cut length-wise in two parallel lines all the way up to his shoulder. The wide wound showered blood across the scene. Seiji’s shock did not allow him to scream or feel the pain.

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

Cosmas rested his hand on Seiji, standing to his right completely unscathed. “Making me use my second upgrade, impressive…but can you survive another minute?” The Cosmas with a hole in his chest disappeared. Then two swords appeared from below and arced through the air with blinding light.

Blood sprayed everywhere.

Seiji’s eyes widened in surprise as his own blood rained across his face. Two parallel lines cut his right arm length wise all the way up to his shoulder. The wide wound showered blood across the scene. Seiji’s shock did not allow him to scream or feel the pain.

Several thoughts flashed through Seiji’s mind. He thought of the difficult position he found himself in. His life was moments away from behind stolen. He could have another loss. He thought of what would happen to Nerine if he failed. Seiji could not stand such a thought. She did nothing wrong. ‘She fought well and followed orders. She shouldn’t be executed for such behavior. I won’t let her die!’

While Seiji knelt motionless before Cosmas, he slipped behind drawing up his swords for the finishing blow. A small cackle escaped his lips, still plastered with a smirk. “Guess it won’t even be ten seconds.” Cosmas brought his arms down creating two arcs of white through the air.

The ground cracked a little underneath Seiji foretelling an ominous event. Seiji’s face narrowed severely drawing down his eyebrows until they covered up the top part of his eyes. He spun around grabbing one of the blades with his bare hand. Blood spurt from his hand mixing with ash. The other sword embedded in his right shoulder spraying up blood in the air. Seiji’s eyes turned pale as a faint shine covered his chest.

Cosmas narrowed his focused struggling with Seiji’s strength. The smirk disappeared beneath his determined grunting. He did not understand how Seiji kept going, but was so close to finishing him. “That stubbornness won’t save you…”

Seiji pushed back with his body starting to stand up. Blood burst up again from his shoulder as he forced the blade in deeper. ‘Sorry Yuki…but this is one man I can’t forgive!’ Suddenly, hundreds of papers materialized from the air looping around his disabled arm. They kept spinning around his arm faster until becoming a blur. Their loops became smaller until sticking to his skin. The paper quickly wrapped up his arm closing up the two long wounds and molding his arm back into one. A stronger glow came from his arm as it began to move stiffly.

A deep roar welled up from inside Seiji. He took hold of both weapons and stood to his full height. The act left Cosmas a little stunned and confused. Seiji stepped forward forcing Cosmas back. His hands tightened around the blades shattered them to pieces. Once freed from their threat, Seiji slammed his foot into the ground breaking it up around him. He rammed his fist into Cosmas’ chest.

The punch blasted out a shockwave around the field slicing up metal. Cosmas nearly folded around Seiji’s arm from the rushing force. A moment later Cosmas flew away, the impact finally carried through his body creating momentum. Trails of dust sped off Cosmas as he careened over the ground before finally cast into the earth.

Seiji stood over it all with his fist still extended and the look on his face unforgivingly harsh.

Chapter 153 – Fragile Steel

It took almost a minute for Cosmas to recover. He felt shaken still. The arrogance knocked off his face by Seiji. He pulled himself up coughing periodically. Once he stood up, he forced it all down. Cosmas focused himself to keep the fight going. However, he coughed again with blood spraying through his teeth. ‘Impossible!’ He looked down at his bloodied hand.

The darkness that surrounded him disappeared, but it actually made him appear even more sinister. It turned the air foul and a deathly atmosphere surfaced. Cosmas wiped away the blood from his face. “Don’t think you can actually win!” His hands took hold of two new swords unlike the past ones. The blades were serrated to a ghastly appearance with black forged metal. “Forcing me to get serious…it’s been a while…”

None of the posturing made an impression on Seiji. He began marching towards Cosmas with a look that said ‘I’m finishing this’. However, Cosmas did not give Seiji a chance to make an attack. More five forms of Cosmas appeared around the field. Seiji panned his eyes around trying already knowing what Cosmas had planned. He charged forward to the one that he knew was Cosmas before he had a chance. Seiji rammed his fist into Cosmas, but it burst through weakly coughing up blood on Seiji. A fake, he realized too late.

A flash of black arced through Seiji’s back. Blood sprayed from his body. Not even flinching, Seiji spun around throwing out his arm. Bone cracked painfully as his forearm slammed into Cosmas’ neck snapping instantly and killing him. The force still sent his body flying away until it disappeared. ‘Another…he’s afraid…I don’t care!’ Rage ran uncontrollable through his eyes as he thrust off from his feet. He quickly took out three more fakes before the others got a few more swings on him.

Mocking laughter erupted again, but no longer from a specific source. Cosmas voice broadcasted through the air as though each particle emitted his words. It proved impossible to locate or escape. “I’ve been doing this before you were born. You can’t beat me!”

The laughing started to grate on his nerves, however Seiji had no room for frustration in his body. Unforgiveable anger filled every corner of him. He could not even understand the first step of Cosmas willingly killing allies. All Seiji could do was swing his fists around destroying each fake. ‘He’s in here somewhere. I’ll keep killing him until it’s the right one!’

Nerine’s appearance quickly became paler with each passing minute. Her stumps might have been bandaged, but it did not stop the blood from still flowing. She coughed periodically with each making her head feel even lighter and foggier. Her body felt tired. It begged her for rest, yet she denied it. The fear of death did not hold her on to reality. The sight of Seiji struggling painfully because of her kept her attached to the world. She still had trouble understanding it. ‘He’s already so injured, how can he keep going? What’s holding his body together?’ Her eyes remained transfixed by him burning everything in her mind.

Blood dripped upon the weapons of the field. Seiji stormed across to deal with another batch of fakes. He already killed more than twenty of them without finding the real one. Through all of the rage, he realized that the numbers never decreased. ‘Endless…’

Cosmas orchestrated his fakes to make quick attacks on Seiji that focused on speed over power. He planned to chip away at him until he fell. It was not a tactic that he had to use often, but against ones with the endurance to overcome him head-to-head, it was effective. He would eventually win.

The fight felt a little disappointing once he got serious. It always bored him when he had to do things more roundabout. An execution had to be direct and exact. The fact he had not yet won felt like a bit of a failure in his job. He still had to deal with Nerine after the rebel.

He felt the battle starting to wind to a close with Seiji covered in small wounds all over his body. Blood coated most of his bare chest. It soaked into his pants. The fact he stood still after everything was impressive. “You’ve become so boring. You were much more interesting when you weren’t just swinging your fists around aimlessly.”

Seiji panted heavily from his spot, glaring at all of the copies of Cosmas. They all looked completely identical and their swords just as real. His body screamed at him, but he refused to listen. Everything in his eyes focused on Cosmas. He needed to bring him out.

Roaring with blood trailing off him, Seiji dug into ground to increase his speed. He disappeared from the sight of Cosmas. Explosions of Seiji’s powerful fists erupted around him. Half of the clones died horrific manners before fading away. Cosmas replaced them immediately, but it was difficult to keep up. His hand subconsciously wiped away a bead of sweat from the side of his face. ‘Persistent still…’

All of the clones died at his hands, but they came back. Seiji paused with them all surrounding him. They did not wait to attack. He fended them off with relative ease. However, none of them were the real one. ‘I’ve kill them all! Where is he?! Where is he hiding?’

Seiji rammed his fist into the earth casting chunks in all directions along with a powerful shockwave. It ripped apart the clones. Hunks of stone claimed the remaining fakes. His head glanced up around at the terrain around him. Even all of the effort still brought on more of the same Cosmas. In fact, he was certain the numbers increased. It made Seiji slam his hand into the ground again blasting out another chunky shockwave.

The pounding made Cosmas legs vibrate and stagger. He found the frustration rather amusing. “Finally reached your end, eh? Giving up!? I told you couldn’t win! It’s futile! I will kill you and then I’ll kill the woman you turned!” Another quake broke through the ground nearly knocking Cosmas off his feet. He did not understand Seiji’s purpose, so he just laughed.

Pounding out a repeating pattern into the ground, Seiji built himself a deeper crater. He grounded out his teeth at the thought of Cosmas making good on his boast. Seiji took one final swing into the earth. Light blasted out from his wrapped arm. Chunks of earth sliced up in an instant and flew away surfing the shockwave.

Seiji’s eyes widened for a second and he disappeared.

Cosmas glanced around expecting to see his clones dying, but nothing. Silence pervaded the air. Not even the explosive weight of feet echoed. He held his breath and lowered his grin a bit. Confusion sank in as the seconds became prolonged. ‘Where’d he go? Did he flee?’

“…behind you…” whispered a deep menacing voice.

Only two words entered Cosmas’ ears, but it made his body run cold. The voice penetrated so deeply into his body even he did not understand why it bothered him. Sweat dripped down his face. His eyes slowly pealed behind him wanting to know who stood behind him, while his mind already knowing.

Cosmas tilted around finally confirming Seiji towered over him. A dozen thoughts sped through his mind in the single second he stared. ‘Impossible, I’m invisible!’ However, Seiji stared down at him with no doubt in his face that he found Cosmas. The next second came and Cosmas swung his swords down at Seiji, but they never made it.

Seiji grabbed Cosmas’ forearms while was in still in the motion, predicting his action. Even though he fought with someone he could not see, his hands did not lie to him. His hands tightened around his arms to crushing pressuring. Wrinkles grew around Seiji’s forehead and eyes. The shaking in his hands did not stop. Seiji teetered on the line. His rage told him to follow his emotions. The light bits of reason he regained suggested something else that he did not want to consider.

Everything still tried to process through Cosmas’ head. The pain in his arms blocked some of his focus. He tried to escape, but could only gather his clones to deal with Seiji. It made no sense to him how Seiji found him. ‘I’m completely invisible with no flaws…how…How?! How?! All he was doing was punching the earth! How did he find me?’ Strain on his bones from Seiji’s hands snapped him back and shattered his concentration.

The invisibility granted to Cosmas faded away. The sight of Cosmas made Seiji’s hands latch down harder. Seiji saw the other clones coming in at him. He did not back down from his hold of Cosmas. Rather, Seiji forced Cosmas’ arms to block the incoming swings. Using his available leg, he kicked the clone out of the field before swinging Cosmas’ whole body to knock out another. “I’m not letting you go!”

Forcibly overextended, Cosmas joints in his arm complained to him. He knew that he could do nothing to break free through strength alone. ‘How is someone this strong? It’s not possible!’ The use of clones was pointless Cosmas saw with the way Seiji swung him. His body felt bruised and nearly broken from the violent swing.

Awe struck, Nerine needed all the time to figure out what Seiji had just done. Her mind became more sluggish she realized, as she knew what he did was very simple. ‘He used the shockwaves from his punches to figure out the location from the slight disruptions caused by colliding with the invisible body. To figure that out in the middle of fighting… Is his mind winning over his heart?’

Seiji dropped Cosmas back to the ground, still holding his arms. The crippling state of Cosmas put him towering over him. He nearly snapped his arms in two in the motion. It had him at his mercy. Seiji felt his hands hesitating in what he wanted to do. He delayed. “…can’t…forgive…”

Amongst the difficult stance, Cosmas regained some of his composure and with it, his focus. He coughed against the pain in his arms. “Thought you were going to kill me…”

A flip of Seiji eyes locked onto Cosmas. He saw the weak smirk growing back. It channeled his emotions back into his arms. “…you…” Seiji roared aloud.

Cosmas managed a small laugh. “Can’t go through, eh?” He narrowed his eyes as they renewed their deathly gaze. “Don’t worry, I’ll show you how to do it right.” A faint flash reflected in his eyes.

Seiji’s eyes slid around his head as he spun around seeing the meaning of his words. Numerous swords flew through the air targeting the crippled Nerine. Seiji did not hesitate in what he had to do. He threw Cosmas’ body into the path of the weapons.

The unexpected throw cast Cosmas through his field. A dust cloud of metal and earth covered his body and route, but it came to a stop in front of Nerine only a few meters away. Cosmas coughed through the cloud that masked him out.

After the throw, Seiji disappeared to stand next to Nerine. He looked down at her making sure nothing got through to her. Nothing appeared through the cloud. However, a weak laugh made its way to him. It alerted him to the survival of Cosmas. ‘…damn…’

A shadow surfaced from the cloud before it faded away. Cosmas regained all of his arrogance and stature. The moments before did not even seem to register to him. His lips stretched and raised in an awful grin. “You didn’t think that would actually hurt me did you?” Veils of dust blew away to reveal Cosmas completely unharmed by his weapons, though dirtied from the fall. “Did you think that someone from the Omega Division would actually fall for that?!”

“Omega Division?” questioned Seiji, his face showed little interested in the meaning of the words.

Nerine’s face widened with shock. “Out here?! It can’t be!”

“We’re everywhere…always watching…” Cosmas warned. His face narrowed a bit to focus on Seiji. “However, that’s all the time I have for a dead traitor and rebel…”

Seiji’s face twisted in confusion, but changed quickly. He heard Nerine groan and cough weakly before collapsing next to him. It pulled him away from Cosmas. One of the swords pierced through her chest. He stretched out for her, but found more than a dozen blades running him through from his arms and legs to his chest. Seiji coughed up blood still futility trying to reach out to Nerine. His arm ignored the sword pushing the blade through. He managed to reach her hand before her eyes closed and his soon to follow.

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

The fires left as the aftermath of the battle still disrupted their ability to learn the outcome. Near the edge of the radar’s detection, another battle seemed to conclude. The lack of accurate information on the individuals fighting left the tent in strained silence. Most of the soldiers knew only pieces of the events that transpired over the last forty-eight hours. The unfortunate part that they all knew was that they had yet to win and end the conflict. Such feelings colored their uncertainties.

All of them prayed that the MP users won and finally ended the attack. Yet they also feared that the MPs all lost and the next move brought them closer to achieving their mysterious goals. Mixed sentiments made such silence difficult to bare.

Simonides felt relieved to see one of the fights end, but something about it bothered him. It was the only fight that occurred out of the camp. He had sent out other MPs as back up, but in the mess of the fires he lost track of them. Only the radar provided him information. Too many questions remained because of it. The one that concerned him the most was the appearance of third individual, one that he did not send. The unknown person ended up finishing whatever the other person lost.

‘Who entered the fight? Did one of the MPs I sent make it?’ he already thought, but other thoughts filled him. ‘Perhaps it was another from their team?’ Simonides despised not knowing enough. Unfortunately, the situation was too dangerous and spread out for him to watch. He also had the obligation to protect his men from the disaster that he invited into their camp.

All of his plans failed to go smoothly. His predictions had too many errors. He knew that they would come to rescue their captured comrade. The way they fought and testimony from those that fought them told him that. It was meant to keep them on the border, but if they split as he feared the plan failed. A trap was not a trap if it failed to capture the target. However, capturing a few was a good enough start.

His eyes focused over on the remaining undetermined fight. ‘These battles will exhaust them. A battle of attrition is the worst possible tactic for a Commander, but against such mysterious enemies it is the only plan that will actually have success. I will seem them stop this night!’

Chapter 154 – Cracking

“Damnit,” panted Athene. She wiped away sweat from her forehead. It forced her to watch the puzzle change shape again. Her successes continued to be meaningless. Nothing breeched the first layer. “I thought I figured it out, yet now…” Spite no longer seemed to be accurate in describing the puzzle.

She got used to the changes only recently. It seemed an impossible feat, but she actually managed it. All of the directionless held significance. She found a way out. Yet she failed.

However, failure was something she grew accustomed to in the mind of Yori. What she was not familiar with was the change that just happened. It no longer changed shape alone, but dimensions. Reality warped to actually become an impossibility. “How is this even possible? A human being can’t actually be this complex!”

“And that’s where you’re wrong!” echoed the voice of Yori. The annoying copy returned to taunt her again. He hovered upside in disjointed pieces around her, as if his presence was not unsettling enough.

Athene wobbled back to her feet. Her body reflected the condition of her mental state in the real world. She barely hung to the desperate notion that she would get answers. The words of a trickster should not have meant anything to Athene, but she needed even a small piece of truth buried underneath a junkyard of lies. An empty promise from an untrustworthy person was all she had.

She staggered forward to the entrance, what might have been considered one depending to a high-order being. It was the only place that did not look completely impassable. Athene brushed aside a piece of Yori that floated in front of her. “If you’re here to mock me…I don’t have the time…”

“Aw, don’t want to spend any time with me?” A few pieces floated back in front of Athene, not quite getting in the way. “But you’re right.” Athene ignored him and moved on. “You don’t have the time. Any time, in fact.”

Her foot stopped its slow march. She knew that she ran out of time. The strain her mind went through to keep her going was easier to feel in each passing moment. Safety left a while ago. “You’re just trying to delay me.”

“That’s hardly necessary anymore. You won’t survive another round.” A few of the sections of Yori moved around as though extending to the gate before them. “That isn’t like the others you’ve dealt with. A normal human wouldn’t survive it for a second.” He grinned at her with those words.

“I’m not normal! I can take anything in there!” Athene began to stagger forward again.

“That’s where you’re both right and wrong. You may possess abilities that aren’t normal, but that body and mind is completely normal.”

Once more she stopped. The obvious statement should not have changed anything for her. She knew better than anyone that they were no more special than everyone else. Yet his words made her hesitate. The chasm before her produced an ominous presence that permeated through her skin. Athene turned her head up to Yori. “Why are you warning me?”

“Because it’s the will of my master. The things you experienced last time was nothing like the defense it offers. Only another like him would be able to survive layer two.”

“Layer two? Then I…”

Yori’s head nodded to Athene like it might be congratulating her. “You did last to the second layer. I’ll admit I didn’t you would survive let alone crack it. But I guess those mental skills of yours are more than talk.”

Athene fell to one knee with some of the tension in her body disappearing. She actually made it past the first layer of defense. “Then you’ll—“

“Change my attitude as promised! I have been kinder already, haven’t I? Crawling through the dirt as you have you don’t look arrogant anymore.”

“I want answers! I don’t care about attitude or opinions! Answers! Give them to me!”

Yori’s eyes grew a little in reaction. “You thought that I meant if you succeeded in passing the first layer I’d tell you want you wanted to know?” He laughed causing all of the pieces to shake in the air. “I never made such a promise!”

“You lying—“

“I didn’t lie. You just misinterpreted. You get nothing!”

Athene’s eyes widen in surprise. All of the work she struggled for to ruin her body. Even though she knew she should not believe him. The truth ran her through painfully regardless. She wasted her time to gain nothing.

He won, again.

She collapsed to the ground. Her breathing ran out of control to the point of hyperventilating. Everything felt heavy.

Yori materialized whole next to her. He reached out to her shaking body. “Well I guess I can leave you with one small piece.” His hand touched her back. The reaction made his eyebrow rise. “Pass out huh? How unlucky!” Shortly after, Athene’s body faded away from the space. He looked up in no specific direction of significance. “I wonder how long it’ll be before he realizes that she’s here? Things could get very interesting soon.”


Deep inside the camp, a calmer battle continued with almost no one realizing it. After the initial disruption by Yumi, very little happened. Winds died down and soldiers escaped. The area emptied out. They were given the space to exchange attack, even though they did nothing.

Yumi and the teenage boy stared off over the distance, but did nothing to close. She did not know why the boy made no attack on her. The reason for her own hesitation lied in her uncertainty of her powers. Her barrier cracked for no reason. It weakened and she did not know why.

Her initial thought was that it was an attack from the boy, but she felt nothing from him like with the others. ‘I don’t see anything from him, even a field isn’t present. Could it be something with me? Is my doubt hurting my power?’ Yumi needed answers, but knew that the boy stood in her way of finding her brother.

Answers had to wait.

‘He doesn’t look like he’s got any defenses. Why?’ Her hand lifted up activating the wind that spun around her. Broken or cracked, she still had most of her barrier working. ‘I just need to be decisive and finish things quickly before he does anything.’ She knew them to be just a fragile as everyone else. A quick attack would solve the problems.

Wind kicked away pieces of debris and tightened loose cloth. Folded and hardened, a green arc shaped in the air with the motion of Yumi’s hand. It sped towards the boy. He made no motions to dodge or even acknowledge it. She expected something from him, even if it was only a slight reaction. It was as though it did not exist to him. Yumi did not understand him.

Worse, she did not understand what happened to her attack. It faded away into particles before it hit the boy. Nothing happened to him. The attack made no reaction or impact. “Huh?” Yumi pulled hand back to look at it. She knew her powers were still new and something she still worked to understand, but it worked for her. Everything she did in the camp worked. ‘What’s wrong? Is this the boy’s doing?’

Another crack in her barrier diverted her attention. The whole section shattered into pieces disappearing. She tried to materialize it, but nothing happened. It refused her. Yumi widened her eyes in shock and confusion. ‘What’s happening to my power?!’

The boy took a step forward, only a single step. It was enough to alert Yumi. His approach made sweat drip down her face. She felt secure in her power protecting her, but without it. ‘I’m just a normal girl…I need my power!’ Yumi tightened her hands into fists. ‘Even if my power is failing and malfunctioning I can still use some of it! I just have to focus!’ She could not lose her power.

Yumi tossed another arc at the boy with more energy inserted into it. However, it veered off and slammed into the ground. Earth pulverized from the impact clouded the area surrounding the boy. She gritted her teeth and threw another with the same effect. It did not follow her control. ‘I just need to adjust…’

Another attempt brought it at his feet, but still nothing. Yumi kept trying with her aim progressively getting worse. Her barrier evaporated around her just as quickly. Only one section remained protecting her, but not a whole hemisphere.

‘It’s falling apart… Nothing’s working… Why!?’

“If you’re going to do something,” replied the boy, “I might suggest you do it now.” He started another step to bring his approach closer. A slight raise in his eyes revealed itself when he met eyes with Yumi. “I guess you can’t though with the status quo maintained.”

Yumi’s head tilted up towards him. He spoke again for only the second time. However, what he said mattered more to her than him speaking. She felt the implications. “It’s your doing! Isn’t it!”

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about. I haven’t done anything to you.”

She shook her head at him. Her mind started to think again about the situation. None of it made any sense, but the factor of the boy fit in without question. “You did something. It wasn’t until you appeared that I started having troubles with my abilities.” Yumi extended her arm out to point at the boy, accusing him. “You’re the cause, not me.”

“Oh?” he asked, putting a tilt to his head. He took another two steps towards Yumi. “But you haven’t done anything yet.”

The words made Yumi stagger a little. She knew what he had to be lying to her. Yet the look in his eyes spoke as though they were the truth. It made no sense to her. “You’re the one that’s done thing yet. I’ve been attacking you.”

“I see, so that’s what you thought you were doing.” The expression on the boy’s face became darker and hardened with an unusual amount of age and maturity. He crept even closer to her. “You’ve done nothing.”

Yumi did not understand the boy. Her powers started to fade, but she knew that she was fighting. The only thing she could do was prove it to him. She charged for him forcing the wind to spin up around her. Green slabs of her barrier materialized around her. All came to answer her call. She would not let him make another step. “I’ll end this now!” Yumi closed the distance with the boy. Her hand came out planning to knock him out in a single stroke and move on.

Her hand passed through the boy. He faded from her sight. Everything turned black for a second before the camp returned to her sight.

The boy stood next to her with his fingers pressed to her forehead. “Still nothing. All of it is nothing.” His fingers pressed through her head seeping inside her mind. A bloody, deathly scream escaped Yumi’s lips as her eyes turned completely white. “However, soon you’ll wish for only nothing. The nightmare begins…”

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

The boy stood next to her with his fingers pressed to her forehead. “Still nothing. All of it is nothing.” His fingers pressed through her head seeping inside her mind. A bloody, deathly scream escaped Yumi’s lips as her eyes turned completely white.

Yumi closed her eyes tightly. Wrinkles buried themselves into her forehead. She struggled to keep her concentration with the pain surging through her skull. It felt as though his fingers squeezed and scratched her brain. She bit her teeth straining her jaw. ‘What’s he…doing…to me?’ Her mind felt ready to collapse.

A small piece of her power still felt within reach of her fingers. Yumi focused the last threads of her sanity together to bring her hand up to the boy. Through her screaming and pain, it left him distracted enough that he did not notice her movements until it was too late. Light glowed from her palm immediately blasting out.

The energy did not have a chance to form before it splashed across the teenager’s stomach ripping through his uniform. A second later, the force lifted him off the ground and cast him aside in debris. It left him unconscious.

Released from the invasion, Yumi collapsed to the ground panting heavily to recover. While she regained her composure, her eyes darted over to the boy to check that he did nothing. She felt certain he caused the problems to her powers and feared he might still have something planned. However, he made no move.

Yumi was safe.

A few minutes in silence passed. The enemy seemed to give her the time she needed to recover before reacting. She found a couple of soldiers entering her path by mistake. They tried to attack her, but came up short. Yumi noted to herself the renewed strength of her powers. ‘Where are you, brother?’ The immediate matter concluded allowing her to continue her search.

Nothing revealed itself to her for nearly thirty minutes. All she found was empty tents, likely abandoned with the fighting taking everyone’s attention. Occasional soldiers or MP users crossed her path, but she struck them down before they mounted any offense. She did not want to waste any time. Her brother waited for her.

After all of the searching of the camp, she finally found him tucked away. She already dealt with the guards for the tent. It was only the two of them. “Brother!” Yumi rushed around behind him to remove his bindings.

Yori slowly lifted his head, a dark shadow cast over his eyes. He groaned a bit still coming around. A tilt of his head leaned him towards Yumi. “…Yumi?”

She frantically scrambled over the last couple of bindings. “It’s alright! You’re safe now!” Her hands slipped away from her control scrapping her skin. The slight pain went completely ignored by her as she immediately forced her hands back. “You’re free now!”

Yumi hurried around in front of Yori to help him stand. She lifted him to his feet giving him support to his weakened body. They staggered a bit while Yumi got used to his weight. “It’ll be okay. I’ll get you out of here.”

They slowly made it to the tent flaps before Yori began to mutter. Yumi paused trying to understand him. She leaned over her head to get a better listen. “Huh?” It did not help her. His voice was too quiet for her to hear. “What are you saying?”

A cough broke up his pacing. His weakened state dropped him off his feet for a moment. It brought him to cling on to Yumi. He pulled himself up holding on to her shoulders with her aid. Yori hung his head over her shoulder panting. His mouth sat next to her ear. “Yumi…”

“…brother?” She did not have a moment to react as she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. It made her cough suddenly as blood came out of her mouth. The shock left her eyes wide and shaking in confusion. She looked down to see Yori’s hand pierced through her stomach soaked in her blood. Another cough weakened her legs. “Why?” she pleaded, looking up into his eyes.

He caught her before she fell. Soulless eyes stared down at her. “The nightmare begins…”

Chapter 155 – Phobetor’s Walk

Blackness filled around Yumi. Time lost itself between the pain and the calm that followed. She did not know what happened to her. Her mind went blank immediately after Yori stabbed. None of it made any sense to her. She did not even know how much time passed since she realized something changed.

A cough broke Yumi out of her haze. She jerked forward. Her breathing ran shallow as her mind made her body feel the last moments again. However, she quickly realized that no pain permeated her body. She touched her stomach trying to figure out what happened.

Nothing.

“What’s going on?” Yumi struggled to get herself back on her feet. Her hand rubbed her stomach still not convinced. It felt so real to her, but Yori did it. She did not understand. “Must be a dream, but why? What’s wrong with me?”

She finally took in her surroundings. The tent she found Yori in was empty. It held no signs that he had even been in the tent. Only a simple chair remained as a note of his captivity. Yumi thought he might be in the camp and walked towards the tent flap. She still had to save him. The thing she saw before was not real.

Something splashed loosely at her feet when she neared the tent flap. The noise was enough to pull her eyes down in curiosity. A dark liquid ran around her feet thickly clinging to everything. It seemed too dark for water. “What is this?” The closer she got to the expanding pool the more uneasy her heart became. It started to take on a reddish hue and then her mind took over. Her body froze. The pounding of her heart echoed into her head heating up her body. She did not need to test it any more.

“Blood?!” It stretched from beyond the tent. The source fell out of sight, hidden and ominous. Yumi staggered back uncertain if she wanted to move forward. Curiosity dragged her forward against her will. She pressed her hand to her chest hoping to calm her breathing and beating heart. Yumi did not even know the cause and her body already entered full panic. She never saw so much blood before or even thought it possible. Her eyes did not want to see the sight beyond.

Reality had a different plan in mind for Yumi. It refused to allow her to hesitate. A wind ripped open the tent flaps and somehow tore down the tent in the process. It forced Yumi to take in the whole scene all at once as though forced to chug a liter of water in only a second.

The first seconds Yumi could not react. Her eyes widened and pupils shook. It passed through into her shoulders and body, but something kept her standing. A frigid touch ran down her back drenching her body in sweat before overheating. Her lungs refused to hold air keeping her panting heavily. She wanted to throw up, but could only gag. Yumi was granted no release. It forced her to endure it all at a constant acceleration that she could not take, but still had no choice.

A scream finally escaped her lips, yet it was no more relieving than stepping in the shade on a humid day where shelter meant nothing. Yumi screamed until her voice disappeared and she wanted to collapse, but her body still turned her away. The scene burned into her eyes that even closing them made it all replay clear as though open. She knew no escape. Yumi thought her mind would break before her body let her a moment of pause.

Horror magnified for Yumi when a bloodied figure rose from a mound of corpses. The only one in the entire camp besides Yumi that had not been mangled beyond recognition. However, the longer her eyes stared the more she realized the reason. They had not escaped. They were the reason.

Blood seemed to turn into their skin, no longer sprayed or a coat. They become one with it. Only the whites of their eyes broke the even deep crimson color over them. Then they turned to their head in the direction of Yumi, detecting her presence.

For the first time, Yumi’s body allowed her to react. She stepped back several times wanting to run. Yet even with control back, it refused her. Escape seemed impossible.


“…Yumi…” spoke the entity.

She shook her head not wanting to believe the sight. The voice was too familiar to her to ignore. They marched down towards her treating the carnage the same as a child that discarded an unwanted broken toy. Yumi’s feet held her from trying to flee away. She could not believe it was him. Something was wrong. “No! No! This isn’t real! It’s all a dream! NO!”

Yumi passed out.

Blackness returned once more. It was just as endless and deep as she remembered it. Yumi did not know how long it had been since the world disappeared. She just wanted to stay in the void. In the void, nothing bad happened. All of the horrors she saw etched themselves into her eyes. The only peace she knew was it only existed in her mind as images.

She could not calm herself down. Her body feel numb and fatigued like she had never known. The fight she experienced before did not compare to what she felt. She wanted it to all be a bad dream. Something was horribly, terribly wrong. Nothing made sense anymore.

Yumi did not know how long her mind could last. It already felt like she was slipping away. The images overwhelmed her. They became the only she saw. They became her reality.

She wanted to sleep.

No rest was to be for Yumi. She woke once more. Her mind was already apprehensive about what she would find. Twice before, terrible things burned her mind. She did not want to open her eyes anymore. She could live with the horrors already seen if it meant seeing something worse.

‘This can’t be real… can’t be real… just a dream… nothing’s real…’ She prayed for nothing to happen. It all felt too real and impossible. Yumi wished for it all to end.

“…Yumi…Yumi… …Yumi…”

The voice made her body shake. Not seeing only made things worse. Her mind constructed unsettling images. She did not know which was worse for her. The unseen ran purely on sounds that wormed their way through her ears and creepily caressed her mind. It gave her no chance to flee. ‘…please…no more…’

A crunch followed the sound of something breaking. Moans and screams came after painting new images inside Yumi’s mind. Less imagination was required, but it was no less horrifying to see. She considered opening her eyes.

“…Yumi…”

‘…why…it can’t be Yori! …can’t be…’ Pleads for mercy went unanswered. It followed more screaming. Yumi cried uncontrollably. She could not deal with it any longer. She did not know what was going on with her. Nothing went the way it should.

Her eyes slid open unwillingly. She found her brother standing over some Atlantean soldier. Blood covered most of him from the gruesome work he carried out. In his hand a section of the soldier’s arm dripped blood from its roughly severed stump. The sight made her gasp loudly. “Why?!” she yelped, as the only words she could muster.

Yori slid his head over to her with an emotionless face. The sight of her awake turned a light on in him. “Yumi!” He spun around to face her. Blood from the arm sprayed through the air dotting Yumi’s face.

The blood made Yumi jump and crawl away from Yori. Even with his face looking more pleasant, it only seemed to make his presence unsettling. She ran into something that stopped her. Yori approached her slowly making want to run away. “Please…no…NO!”

“What’s wrong, Yumi? I protected you.” He swung the arm again painting Yumi’s cloths in splotches of blood. “Just like you wanted. They won’t hurt you anymore.”

Yumi shook her head slowly having trouble looking at her brother. “I never wanted this!” The sight of the blood from the pleading soldier on the floor made her body run cold.

He pressed his free hand down against the surface that supported Yumi. His arm ran next to her face. Yori lowered his head down to her. “You have nothing to fear anymore. It’s all been taken care of.”

She never thought that her brother could scare her so much. He never carried such a dark presence before. It did not seem like him. It had to be a dream. Yumi pressed her back further wanting to hide from him. “…no…please, no more…”

“Not convinced?” Yori stood up and turned away for a moment. He tossed the limb in his hand into the corner of the room without a second thought. “See for yourself.” His hand stretched out above Yumi pulling something open.

Dozens of dismembered and disfigured corpses fell on top of Yumi. The weight of the bodies held her down unable to move. Their blood soaked into her cloths weighing her down and sticking to her. She felt the cold thick liquid pouring over her body. Yumi screamed again feeling at the breaking point. She could not take any more of it.

Every one of them stared at her. She could not ignore their eyes that blamed her. “NO! Stop it!”

Blood swam through her. It went everywhere. It took on a life of its own. Behind it all Yori looked down not even cracking from the light glow in his features as though looking fondly at something. He had the same expression he always he went looking at his sister, caring and looking out for her as family. However, it no longer suited him. It was wrong.

Her screaming continued as the blood crawled up her neck. It surrounded her. The death chained her to the floor keeping her still. No one would save her. Blood filled her hair and surrounded her face. It poured in covering her eyes, which she could not close. The metallic smell filled her nose before she could not take air in anymore. It spilled into her mouth choking her and drowning her.

Everything went blank.

Through crimson sight, her brother suddenly fell into pieces, sliced too many times to count. His blood sprayed everywhere. Though he did something so terrible her heart still skipped at the sight. Behind him another figure appeared. It reached out a hand to her. They pulled her free of everything. All of the weights disappeared.

She was clean.

Her body ran, following them. Her hand held tightly onto them. It all faded away. She did not know who saved her. “…thank you…”

They turned to their head back towards Yumi. “I’ll always protect you, Yumi,” replied Yuki. “You have nothing to fear anymore.”

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

Initially, while Yumi ran away she was too afraid to look around. So many terrible things already traumatized her. She did not want to see them again. However, the longer she ran with Yuki the more certain she became things were different. The camp no longer surrounded her, she was certain.

Everything looked different from what she experienced. She never wanted to see it again, but at the same time wondered what happened. It was all moving so fast for her. She still tried to catch up with the last moments. Like everything else before, she did not understand what happened. It made as little sense as what she saw in the camp.

All she knew was Yuki held her hand to take her away from all of the terrible things. She thought that she could fight and protect him, but in the end, she was useless. It made her a little sad to think she needed to keep relying in him. She wanted to show him the strength he gave her. But Yumi did not know what horrors she saw or how it happened. Her mind could not forget them, even though it tried to push them off as nightmares.

However, one thing bothered her still about the whole situation. It seemed like a small minor issue and considering what happened, she should not complain. Yet, she felt it strange. She needed an answer to the question. The uncertainty kept nagging her until she relented to its force.

Yumi pulled away from Yuki, breaking their grip. She slid back a little closing up the space she consumed by wrapping her arms up against her chest. “What’s going on, Yuki? Why are you here?”

“Huh?” He stopped and turned his head confused. Yuki started to approach her, but she stepped back. The fact she looked scared of something made him hold his position. “What are you talking about?”

Her mind already experienced so many things. The moment she had a chance to feel free from all of the horror her mind started to question things. It seemed too convenient for Yuki to appear to save her. She feared he might be another part of her delusion to torment her. Too many things happened already that were impossible.

Yumi needed some answers. She wanted to trust Yuki, but things still felt weird to her. “You’re supposed to be with Ayumi and Saki heading to the capital. Ayumi promised me she’d keep you on the path you’re supposed to be on. You shouldn’t be here!”

Yuki looked away appearing a bit guilty. He crossed his arms tightly withholding his words for a while. His silence left Yumi hanging on the edge. A fact he understood, but still hesitated on responding. Tilting back to Yumi, he fixed eyes with her. “I know I shouldn’t be here. Ayumi still pretty mad at me for abandoning it, but when I woke up I couldn’t accept it. Yori’s one of us too. He one of my friends and I’m not going to leave anyone behind, if it does ruin other things. Nothing is more important than my friends to me.”

“But I…you’re…”

He took a couple cautious steps forward checking to see how Yumi felt about him. She did not back away giving him some comfort. “I had to use my powers to stop Ayumi. Saki was easier to convince. So we turned back around and came back for you. I’m sorry that I arrived so late.”

It felt genuine, real. She wanted to believe it. Her heart was already jumping in without a second thought. Only the images of what she saw before kept her from fully accepting Yuki’s words. It seemed real. Yuki was someone that put his friends before everything. Everything he said made sense to her. She knew how he felt about what happened to her brother. It was the reason she acted as she did. He could not look at the larger picture.

Everything made sense. All of the horrible things never happened. Yuki would erase that all for her. She could be happy again. Taking slow steps, Yumi closed the distance between them. Her hand stretched out to his tunic holding the fabric near to his stomach. “I’m sorry. Does it hurt?”

A few moments passed for Yuki to understand her question and apology. He waved his hand dismissing it. “Don’t worry. I’m tough.”

Yumi looked up at Yuki. Her heart finally stopped pounded. It calmed for the first time since the weirdness began. “Sorry…”

“Hey, you don’t need to keep apologizing to me.” Yuki patted Yumi on the head. He grinned down at her to re-enforce his point.

It took a bit for Yumi, but she managed to return his smile. “Thank you.”

Chapter 156 – One Second to Breathe

With answers settled, they rested for a minute. Things remained fairly quiet between them. It created an awkward mood for Yumi. The night still dragged on reminding Yumi of all of the events. She felt like days pasted in all of the confusion. She was just glad it was all over.

Yumi looked around trying to see through darkened air. “Where is everyone else? Are they all safe? Where’s my brother?!” By the end of her questions, Yumi found herself leaning in towards Yuki. It made her quietly fall back, a little red in the face.

Roughing up his hair, Yuki looked a little embarrassed forgetting about them in the moment. He quickly came for Yumi. It left them to deal with everything else. “Right! They’re all helping out others that went with you to get out. Knowing Seiji, he’s probably having too much fun fighting strong opponents.” A weak laugh came from Yuki, knowing Seiji’s nature too well. “But hopefully Saki will be able to convince him.”

Nodding in agreement, Yumi found herself laughing a little with him. “You’re probably right.” Sitting with him allowed her to forget all of her worries.

Cutting the light mood a little short, Yuki changed subjects a little. “I’m just glad I was able to get to you in time. I don’t know what I would have done if something happened to you.”

His words made her hesitate a little. It took her a little bit by surprise to see him worrying so much about her. She knew he cared about his friends, but the look in his eyes told her his words came from a different place. It started her heart beating again, but not for the same reasons as earlier. Yumi took in a deep breath to calm herself. “Th-thank you, Yuki. But you don’t need to worry so much. I can defend myself.”

“I know, but still…”

It was only getting worse for Yumi. She could not calm her body. Her eyes darted away remembering how easily her emotions ran out of control in front of him. An image of her brother appeared in mind, the one that protested her interest in him the most, even after her friends started accept Yuki. It immediately changed her thoughts. “Yori! I feel awful! We’re talking and I forgot all about the reason for everything I was doing. I have to rescue him still!” Yumi began to stand up.

Yuki quickly covered the distance between them and grabbed Yumi’s wrist before she got more than a step away. “You don’t need to Yumi. It’s fine.”

She turned her head back to him. Her face narrowed a bit in response him stopping her. “What are you talking about? He’s my brother! I can’t stand around and do nothing!”

Shaking his head, Yuki paused to re-evaluate his choice of words. “No, I mean you don’t need to do that anymore. We already freed him before we found you.”

The words excited Yumi. She could see her real brother again. It was actually over. She turned her body back to face Yuki. “Where is he? Why isn’t he with you?”

His hand released her. She had no need to run away anymore. “Well, he’s still unconscious from everything that he endured. I didn’t think that you should see him while he was still out. I thought it might be too hard on you.”

Disagreeing, Yumi stepped in closer to Yuki. She fixed him with her eyes to show how much it meant to her. “It doesn’t matter if he’s asleep. I want to see him to know that everything’s fine now.”

“Alright. I’ll take you to see him.” Yuki offered out his hand to Yumi.

The thought of seeing Yori again made her excited. She could see he was no longer alone in a strange land. It gave her comfort, but she still had to see him.

Once more, the couple entered into silence. Yumi’s anxiety in seeing her brother kept her still the entire time. On the other hand, Yuki sensed the atmosphere around Yumi and kept quiet. He knew the importance it had for her. There should be no need to spoil the mood.

Far from the camp, which was almost entire dark due to the chaos, they found Yori propped up against a lonely tree. The still look on his face seemed like he was waiting for someone to wake him up. Torn cloths with an untainted body made him look more as if he was homeless rather than tortured. However, none of it mattered to Yumi. She ran up to him placing a hand on him.

“Yori…you’re alive…” She could feel the warmth of his body and the pulsing of life. It reassured her. However, when she tilted her head up to look at his face, something came over her. A cold touch ran down her spine that she could not escape. Images of the things that the illusions of Yori she witnessed returned to her eyes. All of the horror came back stronger than ever. She turned away after only a second.

The pounding in her heart threatened to crack her ribs. She wanted to flee, but knew them to be in her head. No escape was possible. It was only made worse when Yori lowly muttered her name in his sleep. His voice made her skin crawl. Yumi stood up and fled out of the area.

“Yumi! Wait up!” The suddenly reaction from Yumi confused him. It took him a few moments to fight through what happened. He ran after her still trying to sort out what made her flee. Yuki was afraid Yumi might breakdown, but not run away. Once she was in sight again, he called out to her. “Yumi, what’s wrong?”

Yumi froze hearing Yuki’s voice. She did not know how far she ran. The images kept flashing through her eyes making it impossible for her to concentrate on anything. She bent over panting heavily even though she had not ran hard. “…won’t…go…away…”

Walking around in front of Yumi, Yuki rested his hand on her shoulder to get her attention. “What won’t go away? Did something bad happen?”

She pulled her head up to look at Yuki. No thoughts went through her mind when she acted, but she knew afterward why she did it. Yumi grabbed on to Yuki because he made her forget about it all before. He was the only thing she had to erase the horrible images from her mind. Once she realized it, she felt guilty using him. However, she could not let go. She just wanted to feel safe again.

It took a little bit for her to calm down, but Yuki felt he could ask her again. They sat down in the grass. She still insisted on holding on to him, though not as tightly. “Everything alright now?”

Yumi turned a little red with embarrassment for her actions toward Yuki. She managed a quick nod in her stifled silence.

“What happened?”

“…I-I…” Her hands tightened around the bits of Yuki’s tunic for safety. All of the images faded already, but the impression remained. She could not go into details with him, but he deserved an answer. “I remembered something…terrible…”

“While you were with Yori?”

“…yes…” A second later her body started to shake and her pupils shrank. The realization hit her hard after her words. She understood what it meant. ‘I’m afraid of my own brother!’ Yumi’s mind ran quickly through the implications. She could not believe it at first, but her reactions with him told her otherwise. The thought of being scared of him made her body go into a cold sweat. ‘What do I do?!’

“Yumi? What’s wrong?”

She looked up at him trying to hold herself together. ‘I can’t say it to him… I can’t…’ Yumi shut her eyes for a moment. Her mind worked to push as much as she could away. She needed to show Yuki a better face. ‘He’ll keep worrying about me… I can’t let him…’ It took her a lot of effort, but she managed a small smile and happier appearing face. “It’s nothing! Just a little faint memory, but it’s in the past now.”

Yuki looked a little uncertain. She still shook a little in his arms. The determined eyes she gave him made him want to know more, but also felt like he should let her have space. He got the feeling he should not press her. “Okay…I’m here though. For you know, right? I’ll make sure nothing bad happens to you again. I’ll protect you forever!”

“…Yuki…” Hearing his words made her expression genuine. He kept her safe. Nothing bad would come to her with him around. She knew he would be true to his words. All she needed to do was stay with him. Yumi rested her head on his shoulder. Her body felt calm again. “…thank you…”

Suddenly, Yuki pressed against her and knocked her back into the grass. His hands propped himself up keeping him from lying on top of her. A weak grin of embarrassment painted across his lips. Yumi never imagined Yuki of being so bold. She felt torn between resisting and accepting his advances. However, the expression on Yuki’s face changed again. “Yuki?” He looked in pain and his blood dripped from his lips. His hand moved weakly over to Yumi’s face touching her.

Yumi quickly realized something wrong happened. Her eyes widened and her mouth hung open wanting to scream, but her voice was empty. Horror painted across her face again. She did not understand what happened to him. It all happened too fast, but then she felt a terrible pain in her stomach. Blood entered her throat and an all too familiar feeling returned to her. ‘…no…no…NO! Not again!’ She stretched out her hand for Yuki, the last person that made her feel safe. The light of his eyes faded away and she felt her life to follow him.

Tears dripped down the side of her face. Everything was over. It was all a lie. She could not be safe anyway. All of the images flood her mind in her last moments. Again she wanted to scream, but could not. Her mind overloaded itself at the sight stopping all movement in her body. The last pieces of her sanity slipped away. She could not take it anymore. Yumi just wanted nothing.

Yuki’s body fell on top of her. The last thing she felt was Yuki’s blood soaking into her. The last thing she saw was her brother’s dark face standing over them. And, the last thing she heard was his words. “Now you can be together forever,” Yori spoke with laced distain.

Yumi disappeared. She was nothing.

Her body collapsed at the feet of the Atlantean boy. He looked down at her not surprised by any of it. It all went as he planned. “That took a little longer than I expected, but the result is still the same. The Captain should be pleased to have another one caught.” The boy started pulling out large metal cuffs with special inscriptions carved through the surface. “He should grant me another visit with this reward.”

The boy bent down to bind Yumi, but a new wind suddenly burst from her. A reddish glow tinted her skin. It made the boy take a step back in cautious. “I thought I knocked her out. She shouldn’t have any more will.”

Yumi’s body stood up, but held still. It had fluid movements as though in control. She did not appear to be reacting by impulse or instinct. However, her eyes remained closed and her head tilted down darkening her face in shadow. The wind gathered up some of the hue coming from Yumi painting the environment an unusual red pigment.

The Atlantean stepped forward with his field still active. He raised his hand up to her forehead again. If she could stand, he needed to finish his job. However, her hand grabbed him by the wrist before he could get close enough. “What?!”

Her head pulled back bringing light to her face. A harsh and sharply carved feature covered her face. Yumi was the same, but looked completely different from before. She opened her eyes revealing them to be light blue rather than the usual medium brown. “You made a mistake putting her to sleep. I’m not so kind as her…”

A stream of blood rose into the air. The blood painted the boy’s face in shock as his eyes widened. “How is…this possible…”

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

The boy bent down to bind Yumi, but a new wind suddenly burst from her. A reddish glow tinted her skin. It made the boy take a step back in cautious. “I thought I knocked her out. She shouldn’t have any more will.”

Yumi’s body stood up, but held still. It had fluid movements as though in control. She did not appear to be reacting by impulse or instinct. However, her eyes remained closed and her head tilted down darkening her face in shadow. The wind gathered up some of the hue coming from Yumi painting the environment an unusual red pigment.

The Atlantean stepped forward with his field still active. He raised his hand up to her forehead again. If she could stand, he needed to finish his job. However, her hand grabbed him by the wrist before he could get close enough. “What?!”

Her head pulled back bringing light to her face. A harsh and sharply carved feature covered her face. Yumi was the same, but looked completely different from before. She opened her eyes revealing them to be light blue rather than the usual medium brown. “You made a mistake putting her to sleep. I’m not so kind as her…”

A stream of blood rose into the air. The blood painted the boy’s face in shock as his eyes widened. “How is…this possible…” He staggered back clutching his shoulder. Unfortunately, the wound he took was more than just a hand could cover. His wound stretched diagonally across his chest cutting to the bone and through the shoulder. No injures made it to his organs, but the blood loss from the wound was troubling enough for him.

He still did not understand what happened. Everything went as he planned. Nothing failed. Yet something changed to destroy his plan. The pieces he carefully placed fell apart before her. All of the arranged traps triggered correctly, but she stood again.

Each calculation he made did not explain it. The pain challenged his focus. His vision started to blur a little and his legs no longer felt like they had the strength to support. ‘A one-shot defeat? What’s happening? It doesn’t make any sense!’

Chapter 157 – Hidden Blade

“You look a little confused,” remarked Yumi. She stepped forward with menacing presence. Since she stood up once more, the air about her was completely different from her previous behavior.

The boy took a step back again snapped to his senses by her voice. His effort to keep his distance tripped his feet. It dropped him to his knee trying to recover. “…you broke free…how?”

She tilted her head up a little looking down at him through the bottom of her eyes. “Yes, I’m free, but not in the meaning of your question. Your little plan to take her out by overloading her mentally worked. That’s the reason I’m here.”

He still could not follow her. The words confirmed for him it worked as he thought. However, the rest of her answer only confused him. Little time remained for him. He wondered if he made a mistake in questioning something he could not change. No escape remained for him. ‘Just have to stall…’ A back up was set in place for all of them. He needed to drag things out until they came to relieve him. It would not be long, only a few minutes. “How is that…possible? If I succeeded you…shouldn’t be…standing.”

Yumi stepped forward to the soldier until only half a meter stood between them. She sent an uninterested stare down at him. The look in her eye made it clear that she saw no value in him, even as an enemy. “You aren’t anywhere close to being my equal. I’ve no interest in furthering this pointless conversation. All you can do is die.” Her hand rose to the teenager with a red glow building in it.

Sweat built up on his neck staring down the girl. ‘No chance! I thought the reports said they weren’t like this…’ His imminent demise tensed his body. For the moment, he forgot about all pain that paralyzed him to knee. He forgot about the blood pouring from his body making it difficult to see straight. Only one option remained for him. The safety of waiting transformed into desperation to live.

Rippling at his feet declared his intention to act. Yumi did not have enough time to finish the attack before he came for her. Black spikes jumped up from the ground in all directions. Their speed made it seemed as if they were just a blur. However, they all came to a sudden stop. Strange sounds of scrapping came from them as something blocked their progress.

More sweat came from the Atlantean. His eye twitched a bit not expecting the first attempt to fail. ‘I don’t see anything…’ It took him another moment of examining to figure understand. A faint red wall stopped it all. It was so transparent it was almost invisible. He remembered noting sections of a barrier around her before, but nothing so difficult to see. ‘She really doesn’t feel like the same as before…just who is she?!’

The spikes shattered under unusual pressure. It pinned down the teenager as well. Gravity seemed to increase everywhere. Nothing moved, except for Yumi. She moved her arm again to complete the strike interrupted before. Red light glowed from her fingers with no hesitation.

He lowered his eyes to the ground. Nothing stopped her. A surprise attack amounted to nothing. ‘This is it, huh? Killed by a rebel…’ He closed his eyes. His mind turned back on memories. The only hope kept him going the entire time. The only reason he fought so willingly for the military. He just wanted things to stay the same because he could never go back to the way things were before. ‘…sorry…I wish I could have seen you once more…’

“What did you say?” he questioned, unable to believe his ears.

Standing before him, Commander Abeiron held a paper in his hand with the official seal of the Captain of the South Gate. “Second Lieutenant Galen has been given a week leave to use as you wish. Do you understand?” Abeiron fixed him with a stern glare that made him difficult to read, as anything but annoyed, though was still uncertain if it was just him being strict.

Galen snapped back straight picking up the intention from his superior officer. “Yes, sir! I understand!”

“Good.” He handed the paper over to Galen to complete the process. “Give this to your Squad Captain.”

Gladly accepting, Galen took the paper into his hands. He had to stare at it for a few moments to truly believe it was real. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the Commander no longer within sight. He dropped his hands down searching him out. Abeiron nearly made it out of the hall before Galen spotted him. “Thank you, sir!”

Abeiron stopped for a moment and tilted his eyes back towards the very young officer. “Hmm…” He left the area without any more words. Abeiron marched through the halls still confused by the sudden order. Like with most of the MP users, he knew little about them. Most of his responsibility fell to the regular humans in the division. In front of him, the Captain’s office waited. He knocked and waited until he received permission to enter.

Simonides looked up from his desk. Piles of paperwork covered the surface and the floors. The secret side of their Captain revealed only to Abeiron. His careful planning and command disguised the fact he forgot about his more mundane tasks as Captain until it was too late. He wanted to know everything and understand everything before acting. An odd trait considering he spoke highly of his gut feelings. “There something wrong, Abeiron?” His eyes only lifted for a split-second from the desk.

He knew his Captain for years and thought he understood the way he acted. Abeiron had the room to question him freely without concern for position. The leave he gave to the boy confused him. “Why did you give out a leave request to someone so new?”

The question paused Simonides’ hand from the writing he had been doing since before Abeiron entered. “Oh, are you referring to the one I ordered to be given to Second Lieutenant Galen?”

“Yes.”

“Because he is new.” He continued back at his writing, as though the answer explained everything.

It was not enough for Abeiron. He did not even understand the answer. Abeiron tightened his hands. “Sorry, but that makes less sense. There are other soldiers that have been here far longer that have made requests for leave.”

The writing stopped again. “Yes, I’m aware of each of the requests. As you know we can only grant so many at a time and I’m going through them based on the needs of the individual.”

“Then explain to me how a fresh officer off of graduation, who hasn’t even requested leave, made the top of the list?” By the end of his words, Abeiron felt his emotions starting to get the better of him. He forced himself to be composed, however the unreasonable answers from his Captain made it difficult. Abeiron always knew the Captain to care about the men under his command, unusually so for someone in charge. His actions always had them in mind. Apart from his gut responses, he was always rational in each decision. Abeiron wanted to know what Simonides knew about the new officer he did not.

Abeiron’s demand brought Simonides to a full stop. He pulled back from his desk to fix him with a stare. Their eyes locked for a couple of moments. Simonides never cracked from a flat expression. He stood up suddenly and walked over to a cabinet. Retrieving a folder from the cabinet, he dropped it on to top of his desk. “There’s one thing that I can be thankful for from the Omega Division. Their unsettlingly detailed personal reports.”

“Sir?” The mood had not changed from before, but Abeiron felt Simonides no longer playing defensive with him. He felt the truth surfacing.

Simonides flipped open the folder. A photo of Galen was attached at the top. The thickness of the file went past a fresh officer. “This is our young officer’s report as you see. Despite their methods, Omega has its uses. It is why I request these every time we are given a new White.”

It still took time for Abeiron understand the direction. He knew the Captain took time to know each of his soldiers. “What was it?” Abeiron could only guess that he learned something important.

“Family.”

“Huh?”

The folder closed with Simonides’ hand pressed against it. “Do you know why I go so far for them, Abeiron?”

He shook his head. It was something he largely just accepted being his Commanding Officer and not questioning odd traits. Abeiron felt as long as he was a good leader the rest did not need explanation. “I know you remember all of the soldiers here by name. While you don’t always have time, you make frequent visits to the barracks.”

“But that isn’t an answer.” Simonides raised Galen’s file up. “Many of the members of the military within the ranks of the Whites are here against their will. Military service for them is a requirement, not a choice.”

“Sir…” It was no secret to Abeiron, but he felt like the words were bordering on treason.

A hand rose to stop Abeiron. “I’m not making a judgment of how the King carries out his rule. All I’m saying is that because many are not here by choice it means they are not motivated and unwilling. While I may be doing all this so that I get soldiers that work and obey, these are people I want to feel comfortable here. So I learn what makes them tick.”

He felt like he was learning an unsettlingly side of his Captain. The concern he felt for them he knew to be genuine. Such interest extended to everyone. However, the focus seemed a little too thorough. It almost felt manipulative. “And your answer for him is his family?” he concluded.

“Correct,” agreed Simonides. “The pressure and prejudice these people face on a daily basis is not something I can change. All I can do is make their lives a little more bearable while they’re under my command.”

“There’s reasons why people feel that way, Cap-“

“Yes, I know. And you can say my motives are selfish in wanting to appease dangerous people and keep them under thumb by knowing all of their secrets.” Simonides turned away. He walked back to the cabinet and returned the file. As the door closed, he looked back at Abeiron over his shoulder. “Did you know that he managed to evade detection by the Military Scouts for fourteen years? When they found him he resisted capture. In the end, they had to bring in Whites to subdue him. You know that he requested the South Gate assignment.”

“I didn’t.”

Simonides sat down behind his desk. “It took me a while to put the piece together. He always made sure to stay away. I noticed that one thing was always missing from the reports.”

“Family?”

“Yes, he was protecting them. There’s nothing that he cares about more.”

Galen arrived back in his hometown after more than a year away. He noticed nothing much changed about the village. It made him glad to see things were still peaceful. After his capture, he worried what might have happened to it. They told him nothing.

He stood in front of his home never expecting to see it again. The manner he saw the others treated and the attitude of those in command, he had reconciled himself to never returning home. The talents he had made him favorable for assignment to the border guard. He counted himself fortunate, but he was still far away.

The waiting seemed like forever after he knocked. He got so excited thinking about their faces. They were not just memories anymore. He could seem them once more. When the door opened and his mother stood in the threshold shocked to him back, all he could do was cry. Galen thought he bled them away already through the sleepless nights thinking about them. “I’m home!” he cried, hugging on to her.

‘Goodbye…’ Galen’s face looked melancholic the moment before his life ended. He lied on his back. Blood poured out from the new wound in his chest. Tears built up in his eyes once more. Through the watery lenses, he could see them once more smiling back at him.

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

The normally colder nights of Atlantis felt usually hot. It was almost unbearable to deal with, even though most did not notice the change. Sweat and blood hung in the air with chaos the mixing element. Order struggled to hold with unrelenting power of inhuman beings clashing.

None of it concerned Photine. She still wore a simple robe that Heber insisted she wear during her recovery. Photine did not believe she needed to sleep in an infirmary to recover her mental energy. After Heber finished his work, her body had no injuries. Her health was perfect, physically at least.

In the ensuing chaos of the attack, it made it difficult for her do anything. They pulled back all of the patients to safer distances. Blood dripped down to her face to tap her forearm. It forced the muscles in her arm to tense up. Her mind fell back to the images of the infirmary tent only minutes after the attack began.

A large chunk of debris ripped through the tent destroying any peace. It immediately alerted the attention of Heber and others under his command. The sudden attack brought all three of the MP users out of their cots to stare at each other.

Photine glanced over at the debris. Blood pooled out from behind it wetting the dirt. All she saw free was someone’s mangled arm separated from their body. It widened her eyes abruptly and jumped her heart rate. “What the hell?!” She jumped out of her cot, but felt a strong force behind her. Her head tilted over her shoulder to see her cot missing.

“Someone help me!”

“It hurts!”

Screams of the injured surrounded Photine. She spun around trying to figure out what happened. Nothing made sense to her, everything happened too fast for her to process it all. Her heart pounded stronger and her palms turned clammy with sweat.

A scalding wind burst through the tattered remains of their tent. Bright red light blinded her right eye. She caught sight from her partial vision the towering flames shooting around nearby them. Photine no longer could mistake the cause of the destruction. “…they’re here…”rattled her voice barely kept in control.

Explosions went off throwing around pieces from the ruined tents. Cloth from the infirmary tent tore again. A struggling groan escaped someone’s lips near to Photine. She turned around to find who just was injured. “Antipas!” she yelped, as she knelt down to his side. “How bad is it?” All she saw was blood everywhere, but no injury.

Antipas coughed from his position the ground. Blood poured from his mouth splattering the grass. He slowly lifted himself over with the help of Photine. “…oh…” he muttered, his eyes cast down at the large chunk of wood imbedded in his chest. The sight made him cough again, but if felt worse as though something inside him ripped. More blood dripped down his lips. He worked up a brave face for the horror filled Photine. “It’s not so bad…”

“What are you saying?!” She looked over at the rest of the area that used to be a tent. Screams and blood filled everything. Heber and all of his assistants scrambled around trying to save everyone. She saw his field already working on stabilizing those in shock. “I’ll go get someone for you! You just stay here! Don’t move!”

Photine tried to stand up, but Antipas grabbed onto her arm at the wrist. His eyes already looked dark underneath and his face began to turn pale. “…it’s fine…”

Her head pulled down towards him confused by his words. “No, it’s not! You need to be treated!”

Another cough showed his worsening state. It drew Photine back in. “I can feel Heber’s work, but I’m too far away. His field is too weak…here. All it’s doing is dragging things out.”

“Then I’ll carry you closer!”

Antipas shook his head. “No, I can felt it tearing me up inside.”

Photine lost her breath. She hardly knew Antipas. They never worked together until the morning, but suddenly found tears dripping down her cheeks. She did not know how long she had been crying. ‘I can’t…let him…’ Her eyes closed to focus. Ripples came out from her feet signaling her field activation. However, a crushing squeeze on her wrist broke her concentration. “…what do you—“

“No, you don’t have…as much control of your field…do you?”

“Huh?”

The pain tore through his chest again forcing up more coughing. His breathing ran shallow. “You can’t you use field… …you’ll interfere with his…I’m only one…he can save…dozens…”

She choked on the thought. Her mind divided with thoughts of the others and Antipas. Photine shook her head to throw out the thoughts. “I’ll save you! I don’t care!” She placed her hand on his hand that held on to her. His strength started to weaken.

Ripples pooled out from her feet again. Desperation shortened her breath. Faint light gathered around her at the start, but another hand grabbed onto Photine. Antipas pulled at her, as he could no longer support himself. His bloodied hand rested along the side of her face with his fingers clumped between her hair. “…what?!”

He smiled up at her. Photine fought him, but found her strength missing. “It’s fine… this isn’t so bad…”

“What are you saying?! I can save you!” She tried again to get up, but could only hover above him with her hand holding her up.

Antipas rubbed his thumb over Photine’s cheek, smearing blood. “I always thought…it might…be nice…to…” A cough interrupted him, but it drained away most of his strength. He could barely breathe anymore. “…die in…the arms of…a beautiful…woman…” His smile grew a little more.

Photine blushed a little taken back by his words. “Antipas! What—“ She stopped herself when she realized that he stopped breathing. Her heart stopped for a second. Everything around her went silence. She thought she shouted out for him, but she could not hear anything.

Blood dripped down her cheek again echoing through her memories. It snapped her back. “…he’s dead…” Her eyes held a dead look buried amongst hardened features built on despair.

Chapter 158 – Product of Despair

She stumbled around in her robe with little direction in mind. Fighting occurred around her, but she could not intervene into someone’s fight. Nothing remained for her. Photine needed something to do. She wanted to anything. Her body felt hot. The festering inside would not disappear.

A body collapsed to the ground dead. The weight of the life lost rang through her ears. Photine turned her eyes up suddenly awakened by the sound. Her eyes widened in surprise. She never expected to see her again. “…you…” Everything in her body suddenly became alert and honed.

Yumi straightened herself back out. Blood dripped across her face from the last act she made. Her eyes readjusted feeling another foe nearby. “So it’s you.” Yumi face changed to disappointment. She turned away from Photine.

Ripples sprinted out from Photine’s feet altering the entire area into a dust bowl of rocky terrain. None of the camp remained in the area. Photine ran up to close their distance. “I’m not letting you go! You’ll pay for your crimes today!”

Pausing for a moment, Yumi turned her head over her shoulder. A clarity in her eyes existed with a greater sense of deduction. “So you’ve included Japanese in your field. However, I’ve no interest chatting with someone she beat. Leave my sight.”

Already breathing heavy, Photine leaned forward a bit. She struggled to keep herself together. The image of Antipas burned in the back of her eyes. An array of swords erupted from the ground meant to block the path of Yumi. “You’re not going anywhere. I don’t care if you don’t have an interest in me. I’m putting an end to your chaos! No more will die!”

She raised an eyebrow a little amused by the guts of the woman. However, her expression otherwise remained unchanged. “You’re of no interest. I only want to fight those that are strong. You’re weak if she was able to defeat you.”

“I’ll show you who’s weak!” Several of the swords flee quickly at Yumi on reaction to Photine. However, they all missed their targets. The weapons recovered from their failure and hovered opposite of the remaining, surrounding Yumi.

Crossing her arms, Yumi turned to face Photine. “Acting on anger? Your powers won’t be of much use to you with emotions clouding your mind. You were better before.”

Photine gritted her teeth together. It bothered her that she missed her attack, however it annoyed her more that Yumi was correct. She lost control of her weapons and they responded on her instinct rather than on her command. “Shut up! You don’t know me! You don’t know anything! You aren’t even one of us, are you?” She panted again after her explosion of words.

A bit of a smirk built up on Yumi. “So you’ve finally figured it out. You act as if we used the same powers. You’ve stopped making assumptions. You’re correct, we aren’t the same.”

She blurted it all out suddenly without much of a thought, but the answer shocked her more. Photine gasped for a moment. ‘What?! You can’t be serious? I just thought…I didn’t know… It just seemed strange, but to be right! Then I was right!’ It took her a little more to take it all in after hearing it. She only thought and guessed about it while recovering. She did not consider the truth while she pondered. The meaning of the truth went no further for her. She did not understand the implications. “Then what are you?”

“There is no name of us yet other than Japanese. There hasn’t been enough time for someone to think one up yet.” Yumi turned away no longer interested in the conversation. She waved a careless hand back at Photine and began to walk away. “Bye.”

Photine motioned all of her weapons in to surround Yumi. However, a puff of wind blew out from the ground as she jumped into the area effortlessly evading them. She turned it into smooth flip to touchdown beyond their reach. Another missed only angered Photine more. “I didn’t say you could leave!” Her body heat only continued to rise.

No longer bothering to look back at Photine, Yumi spoke from the spot she landed. “I don’t believe you can do anything to prevent it. Besides, someone as worked up as you over grief doesn’t belong in a fight.”

The shaking in her body became uncontrollable for Photine. Dozens of weapons materialized around Yumi. Sweat beaded up on her face. “What do you know?! You’re going down!”

A sigh escaped Yumi’s lips. The numbers increased around her making dodging more difficult. She slid around on the heel of her foot to face Photine. “I generally don’t make it habit of fighting those too weak to fight back, but I guess I don’t have much of a choice.”

“That cocky attitude won’t last! Just because you beat me once doesn’t mean it’ll be the same!”

“You’re right about it not being the same.” Yumi motioned her arm to summon up a barrier. Ten red barriers appeared around her. “Her powers might not be what I’m used it, but it doesn’t mean that I can’t make better use of them.” Lines appeared through the barriers causing them to divide. It segmented them into hundreds of pieces. They all rapidly spun around her and then subdivided further quadrupling the number in the air. Thousands of sections of the barrier created a deep impossible to navigate maelstrom.

All of the pieces then suddenly stopped. They flattened out set up all around her. In an instant, the pieces disappeared as barely visible blurs of red light. The air around them exploded into shards. Red particles and metal chunks rained around to the ground.

Photine clinched her fists at the sight. “Don’t think that’ll make me back down!” She began to move to summon more of her weapons. However, a shadow appeared behind her setting the hair on the back of her neck on edge.

A dark voice spoke out to her. “I didn’t think it would.” Quickly following the words, a flash of light arced through air. Blood sprayed up in the aftermath.

Instinct was the only thing that saved Photine. She already started to jump away when Yumi attacked, but she did not get out clean. Her right arm hung at her side bleeding heavily from the nearly severed limb. The pain made her twitch in her face. Photine quickly modified her trench coat to tighten of her arm to staunch the wound. She bit through the stabbing it produced. It made her pant heavily for a couple of breaths to recover. “You really aren’t the same…”

Yumi relaxed her hand lightly dipped in Photine’s blood. She glanced back over at Photine. “The speed isn’t to the level I’m used to, but it’s still enough to deal with normal humans.”

“Is that right?!” she yelled. More weapons appeared around her, but in fewer numbers. The look in her eyes was completely consumed with rage. “There’s nothing normal about me!” She sent the weapons quickly speeding towards Yumi to become blurs.

The act only elicited a bored raise of her eyebrow. “Same tactics…making them faster won’t save you…” She lifted her hand to erect barriers to slice the weapons. The barriers quickly materialized and spun around moments before the weapons entered the perimeter. “This’ll end the same way,” she spoke with confident arrogance.

An explosion of metal shattered the weapons and clouding the area. However, Photine held a smirk on her face making Yumi curious. She looked up at the debris cloud to see it suddenly divide. A single sword broke through unharmed. Yumi’s face held a flicker of surprise for a moment before another barrier rose. The sword pierced through the barrier destroying it without even stopping.

Trails of blood painted the ground and Yumi’s arm. Her face narrowed suddenly becoming serious for once. Another set of weapons appeared all around Yumi. “This is the end for you! This isn’t the same fight as last time! I’ve seen what you can do and I’ve created special counter measures for everything! You can’t possible beat me!”

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

The act only elicited a bored raise of her eyebrow. “Same tactics…making them faster won’t save you…” She lifted her hand to erect barriers to slice the weapons. The barriers quickly materialized and spun around moments before the weapons entered the perimeter. “This’ll end the same way,” she spoke with confident arrogance.

An explosion of metal shattered the weapons and clouding the area. However, Photine held a smirk on her face making Yumi curious. She looked up at the debris cloud to see it suddenly divide. A single sword broke through unharmed. Yumi’s face held a flicker of surprise for a moment before another barrier rose. The sword pierced through the barrier destroying it without even stopping.

Trails of blood painted the ground and Yumi’s arm. Her face narrowed suddenly becoming serious for once. Another set of weapons appeared all around Yumi. “This is the end for you! This isn’t the same fight as last time! I’ve seen what you can do and I’ve created special counter measures for everything! You can’t possible beat me!”

Examining her wound, Yumi noted the condition of her arm. The blood made everything seem worse than reality. ‘…rather shallow… could’ve gone for the kill, but didn’t… she was making a point…’ Yumi dropped the remaining pieces of her barrier. It served her no use if it no longer had a purpose. “I wouldn’t be so quick to make that judgment. The powers she has aren’t so limited.”

“I’ve seen your powers. I’ve calculated for all of them.”

All the talking did little to change her situation. She had to do something about the weapons. ‘The last time she used only one of her special swords disguised amongst the rest. She did it to catch me off guard. I can only assume these are all the same barrier-cutting type. The trick’s out of the bag, no sense hiding it.’ Yumi analyzed the blades to discern their difference. The variance and quality were all so random they all looked the same. She could not find an external reason for their unique trait.

Her eyes slid over at her side judging the distance. Options ran short as well as uncertainty. ‘Considering their powers, it wouldn’t need to be any different. Just something inherit. Only one choice remains then…’ Yumi leapt into the air. She saw the weapons response delay significantly before they ran to her previous location. ‘So she’s got full control right now. That’ll slow them down.’

Yumi hovered in the air several meters above the cluster of metal. She extended her arm towards to the spot. Her eyes narrowed as the seconds worked through. Nothing changed for her. Each second wasted away until the weapons turned around and charged for Yumi. Still caught in the moment, she dodged late and found a new wound on her arm. She dropped down to the ground staring over at Photine. “You’ve sealed her telekinesis.”

Photine nodded to Yumi with growing smugness. “I told you. You can’t win.”

Chapter 159 – Reality of Fiction

Staring back down at her hand, Yumi began to understand. The confirmation from Photine gave her what she needed to work the problem. It troubled her. The implications wielded in the power. “You added a law to your field to negate telekinesis.”

The weapons moved back into an encirclement position of Yumi. Photine took a couple of steps towards her feeling safer in her situation. “It’s not something normally very useful. Canceling things that don’t exist is not something that’s needed. The more practical application of this is eliminating friction, gravity or something that exists in the normal laws of physics.”

“Not really needed against others like you,” agreed Yumi. She understood the limitless possibilities of their powers, but the crippling application of them against her gave her more appreciation. Yumi found a new challenge. “When someone can cancel your field with theirs it’s pointless to try to neutralize their powers. However, we’re different. We’ve become our own reality. So you can rewrite the our reality. But only if you understand us.”

“I’m glad you understand.” Materializing several more weapons, they closed in to prevent any escape. Even above, all directions locked down. Photine lifted her arm to keep control of the swords. “Now that I’ve crushed your powers and hope for escape. I’ll rip you apart! Just like you did to the soldiers here!” Motioning with her free arm, a new thin blade appeared above Photine. It had a smooth edge heavily polished and sharpened. Floating in the air, it seemed to split everything that even dared to approach.

Yumi raised her brow a little with disbelief. “You can’t kill me with those eyes.” She stared through the prison of blades, unconcerned by their presence. The gaze she met with Photine ran so deep Photine could not turn away. It drew her in unable to escape.

A thin line drew across Photine’s lips with only a glimpse of her teeth bared. They ground together responding to her thoughts. Photine struggled to keep her arms stretched out. Shaking began to spread through her body and affect her muscles. “You don’t know anything about me!”

“But I can see your eyes,” comment Yumi. “You don’t have what it takes. You’ve never killed anyone. You still have your innocence.”

Her emotions began to control her again. All of the weapons slid in closer to Yumi. The tightened net left only centimeters between the tips of the blades and Yumi. “I have no innocence! No one here does! It’s all stolen away! So don’t talk to me like you know anything! You grew up in a safe home without fear or oppression! So don’t you dare even start to talk like you understand!”

Yumi crossed her arms. Her features did not budge for a second. “A fear so deep and primal its makes even your bones feel cold. Lasting for so long that it becomes the only feeling you understand. It becomes your companion and yet it is so strong that you never can feel its release as it always presses down with no remorse. Not even being able to lift your head because they might see you, recognize you. You only wish it were like a cage, because then you could stop running. The emptiness of knowing it is the only thing that will be with you.”

Photine took a step back. The words alone did not unnerve her as much as the cold stare, which persisted through everything. Her eyes spoke volumes more than the words. They pierced into her being. She felt the raw emotions. There was something more to her. Photine did not want to believe it, but it froze her emotions off. It sobered her to things she missed before. ‘Damn it! What’s with her? She’s not like the last time at all!’ She wondered whom she fought. She felt the age and experience in her.

Things did not add up correctly. Photine wanted answers. “You speak as though you know it too well. And act like you’re familiar with death. The outside world is nothing like here.”

“That’s because I’ve been killing since before you were born. The world I’m from is far harsher and deadly than here.”

“That’s—“ she interrupted herself. She wanted to deny it immediately, but something inside her told her otherwise. It did not feel right. What was her enemy? “You’re lying! You’re too young to be making such claims!”

The mysterious girl tilted her head appearing almost amused by the rejection. However, her eyes remained fixed on Photine without a break. “Believe what you want, but I’ve no need for lies. You shouldn’t use her body as your measurement.”

“…her?” It seemed an unimportant detail. One she forgot before, many times. The word kept repeating and Photine finally noticed. ‘She keeps speaking like that, as though not herself. As though talking about herself as though it was someone else.’ Photine narrowed her eyes a bit. The clarity from her calmness finally gave her time for rational thought. ‘I can’t believe I missed it before! No wonder she doesn’t feel the same!’ Unfortunately, logic gave her something even more unsettling.

She still needed answers. Answers had to come from her enemy. She was not sure if she could trust them. But her enemy was different and she needed to understand. Photine did not have much choice. “Who are you? You aren’t the same person I fought before, right?” Her foot drew her forward as a show of her confidence. She could not have visible weakness.

“Oh?” The question changed the expression on her face. “So you’ve finally calmed down enough to realize that?”

“Enough with the arrogance! Who are you?!”

“I was present during the time when she fought with you. I’m the one that looks after her. I’m called Masa.”

“Masa?” questioned Photine. So much said still did not make a lot of sense to her. She felt like the girl spoke to her riddles. It had a disembodied feeling to the words. Photine did not like it. “It doesn’t matter if you’re someone else or not. You’ve violating our laws. And you’ve killed a soldier. You’re under arrest!”

Masa seemed a little disappointed. Her arms dropped to her sides. “Not planning to kill me anymore?” A small smirk crept across her face just before the wind blew out from the point she stood. Light flashed from her hands and exploded almost immediately. Clouds of debris and dirt made it impossible to see. “You would have had a chance if you wanted to kill me.” Chunks of metal from Photine’s weapons fell to the ground adding confusion to the scene.

Realizing something happened all of the weapons cut through the veil. Photine let out a click of her tongue when her swords found nothing. ‘She’s escaped…but where?’ All of her tools pulled back around her in defense. “You can’t escape me!”

“I’m not escaping,” Masa whispered, behind Photine. A flash appeared with the trailing of blood. Masa narrowed her eyes as she gazed down at Photine.

Photine panted heavily feeling the wound in her waist. She thought with the way Masa looked she should have died. ‘Why didn’t she kill me?’ However, she forced her mind to focus on the problem in front of her. She called in her blades to take care of Masa.

She disappeared from Photine’s sight again. Explosions and a shower of metal remained the only things left behind. Masa resurfaced a few meters away from Photine unaffected. She even held one of Photine’s swords. “There’s still things you don’t know about us.” Masa turned the blade out to point at Photine. Light erupted from within the blade creating cracks along the surface. It exploded a moment later.

‘What did I miss? I thought she used everything the last time!’ Confusion filled inside Photine. She searched for the missing piece, but it only distracted her. It left her with openings.

Masa appeared before her with a raised arm. A glance up from Photine gave her enough to know what went through her mind. “Don’t ask for an explanation. I kill my opponents and nothing more. I was only buying time before.” She plunged her arm down drawing up blood. Her features narrowed again looking down at Photine.

Photine coughed from the pain, but realized she was still very much alive. ‘Again? What’s going on? Why did she miss twice?’

“Damn, she’s already waking up.” Wrinkles drew across her face. The time she had ran short. ‘I’ll have to end this before she completely awakes…’ Masa’s started to glow with a faint red light. It highlighted contours of her fingers to make them appear sharper than usual.

Photine was bothered the events. She did not understand why Masa missed killing her. The look she found in her eyes told her she had no reservation about it. In fact, the look of death in her eyes was part of what made Masa so unnerving. She was nothing like what she encountered before. ‘What’s going on?’

Focusing everything on Photine, Masa pushed back Yumi as much as she could from their mind. She only need seconds in completely control to end it. ‘I’ll clear away the dirty work, that you don’t have the heart to do yourself…’ Her hand began moving down towards Photine. It shone brighter than before, ready.

‘No! Stop it!’

Everything froze.

Turning her eyes to the side within her mind, she saw Yumi clinging to her arm. ‘This is how the world works. Your enemies die or you die. There’s no middle ground.’

Tears built up around the bottom of Yumi’s eyes too small to fall. ‘You can’t! Such a world is just…’

‘You’re being too soft. You need to face reality.’

‘There’s another way!’

‘If you want that strength you so desperately desire this is the only way!’

‘Then I’ll find my own strength!’ replied Yumi, narrowing her eyes. Determination built up around her features shining through her eyes.

Masa sighed at the signs of Yumi’s willfulness. Her muscles relaxed. She stood up to face Yumi. ‘The reality you face is worse than the one I present to you.’

‘Maybe, but this is how I want things.’

She shrugged to Yumi completing relinquishing control over to her. ‘You’re the boss. Remember I’m always nearby…’ Masa faded away from Yumi’s presence. However, it was not quite over for her yet. Beyond Yumi’s purview other presences appeared, but did not make themselves seen. She still knew they watched her in judgment of her actions.

Masa crossed her arms not intimidated. She looked up at the white void. “This is what you get when you send someone like me. Don’t like the results then stop hiding, otherwise you’ve got no position to be passing judgment. I kept her alive and out of the hands of the enemy.” Silence spun around in building tension. “Still nothing? Then keep out of my way. She wants strength, first she needs to lose that innocence and naivety. I put her on that path. This is how I teach.”

Stillness surrounded Photine as Masa stared down at her unmoved. If she planned to kill her pausing seemed a strange tactic. Thoughts of countering surfaced in her mind, but staggered with inaction. It was not her wounds, which held her back from acting. The uncertainty, from someone that bested her a second time, froze her movements, even if it seemed like they were different. Photine waited to act.

Across from her, Yumi’s features smoothed out from the harshness that previously shaped them. She pulled back her arm with the glow turning green before fading away. Her eyes darted around picking up the scene. “This is reality…” A questioning tone came through in her voice with some uncertainty. Yumi’s eyes widened and her pupils’ shrank when they laid upon a bloody corpse. She immediately recognized it. “…the boy…I did this…”

An awkward cough from Photine drew her attention. She narrowed her eyes as Yumi. “What’s going on? Why are you playing tricks on me, Masa?”

Yumi froze for a moment before turning around to face Photine. “It’s you!” Yumi exclaimed, recognizing Photine. It took a few moments process everything that happened. The fight she interrupted made it clear to her. “So you were fighting with her.”

“What?” Photine pushed herself back up to her feet. The presence of Yumi felt nothing like that of Masa. She started to believe that the one she spoke with before was gone. ‘I’m injured, but I can still move… She doesn’t look she’ll be of much challenge…’ Weapons surfaced from the dirt of the field and moved to surround her.

The movement of the swords alerted Yumi to the situation. “You’re still wanting to fight in your condition?” Yumi did not need an answer from Photine. Her eyes told her everything that she needed to know. “Fine. I’ll just have to defeat you again!”

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

Across from her, Yumi’s features smoothed out from the harshness that previously shaped them. She pulled back her arm with the glow turning green before fading away. Her eyes darted around picking up the scene. “This is reality…” A questioning tone came through in her voice with some uncertainty. Yumi’s eyes widened and her pupils’ shrank when they laid upon a bloody corpse. She immediately recognized it. “…the boy…I did this…”

An awkward cough from Photine drew her attention. She narrowed her eyes as Yumi. “What’s going on? Why are you playing tricks on me, Masa?”

Yumi froze for a moment before turning around to face Photine. “It’s you!” Yumi exclaimed, recognizing Photine. It took a few moments process everything that happened. The fight she interrupted made it clear to her. “So you were fighting with her.”

“What?” Photine pushed herself back up to her feet. The presence of Yumi felt nothing like that of Masa. She started to believe that the one she spoke with before was gone. ‘I’m injured, but I can still move… She doesn’t look she’ll be of much challenge…’ Weapons surfaced from the dirt of the field and moved to surround her.

The movement of the swords alerted Yumi to the situation. “You’re still wanting to fight in your condition?” Yumi did not need an answer from Photine. Her eyes told her everything that she needed to know. “Fine. I’ll just have to defeat you again!”

“Brave words for someone that can’t kill me.” She managed another array of weapons to surround Yumi. Escape routes closed tighter than before. Photine could not let a repeat of before happen.

The scene looked familiar to Yumi, but she did not know the reason. She remembered the weapons that Photine used against her, however the exact setup should not have been so similar to something. Yumi did not waste much time on it. She summoned up her barrier to protect her. ‘Last time her sword needed a lot of force to break through… I’ll take advantage of that…’ Ready, she shifted her stance a little to act.

A narrowed look came from Photine’s eyes. “Just because you’re using a different color for your barrier the results will still be the same.” Moving slowly, the swords all closed in piercing Yumi’s barrier as though it did not exist.

Yumi flinched reacting to her barrier. It made her eyes widened in surprise. “How? This didn’t happen before!”

“Huh?” Photine suddenly felt confused. Signs already made her question what happened to Masa. Each time she spoke only made it worse. ‘She’s acting like our fight never happened. What’s going on?’

‘Is this like what happened before? My powers aren’t working correctly anymore?’ Unfortunately, her memories tied to those moments carried unpleasant one as well. Images of her nightmares stalked her shadows. She knew nothing was behind her, but it did not stop a chill from going up her spine. A cold sweat broke out over her body. It remembered everything too well. Yumi shook her head trying to clear her mind. ‘I’ve got to focus. It’s behind me. Just a nightmare…’

“Tricks don’t seem like your style, Masa. What’s your game?”

“Masa?” The voice gave her something to focus on, something not connected to her delusions. “Who’s Masa?”

New questions surfaced for Photine. She felt like their fight disappeared further from her grasp. ‘Is this the other personality that she spoke about? I went with it since it made matters simpler at the time, but if it is true there’s another personality inside. What happened to cause this change? She reminds me of how she was when I first fought her…’ Photine needed new answers. Her opponent kept changing. She wished she actually understood her. It was the only way to win. “Are you claiming not to be Masa?”

“I don’t know a Masa. My name is Yumi, not Masa.”

“Different names?” It made her eyes narrow. ‘She’s not lying from the look of it. So the one before was telling the truth? Two completely distinct personalities…’ The thought brought a bit of a smirk to her face. The situation changed back to her favor. “So you’re the original? Whichever, I have you surrounded. There’s nothing you can do to resist me! You mine now!”

Chapter 160 – Phantoms

In spite of her injuries, Photine bore out confidence in her words. She could still stand and move, though slowly. However, she did not need to do anything to capture Yumi. She knew the situation better after Yumi revealed her identity. Everything was in her hands.

She tightened the position of the weapons on Yumi. Photine wanted Yumi to pay for everything she did, but with her emotions back in check, she knew what needed to happen. The images of infirmary still haunted her and challenged her, however she resisted. ‘Death is too easy,’ she agreed.

Yumi still felt confused with the question. ‘Why’d she think I was called Masa? Is it because of the other person? She was trying to kill her…’ Pieces of her jumbled memories came back to her. Everything when she woke was hazy. She did not understand everything. She only understood one thing. The feeling of wanting to kill alerted her. It was a terrible dark feeling she never felt before, but somehow understood. She recognized it.

Photine tried to conclude their fight, but Yumi was not willing to accept. ‘My barrier doesn’t work… I need something else…’ She moved her hand to act. A tinge of pain bolted down her arm. Previous injures sustained made her realize more happened while she was unconscious. She pushed through the faint stings to focus on her goal. ‘I just need to crush them, like before. Then I can counter her…’

Her mind started planning ahead of what her moves would be. She remembered the bits from her first fight with Photine. The tactics and abilities the woman wielded worked into her strategy. Yumi knew she needed to keep in mind the dangerous potential of their power. It slowed her down, but did not stop her from making calculations.

However, she got ahead of herself.

It was not doing anything. ‘What?!’ She squeezed her hand thinking the physical action would make a difference. Nothing happened regardless of her effort. Her eyes widened again realizing the meaning. ‘I can’t crush them. My power is gone.’

Yumi looked over at Photine, while trying to hide her reactions. The awkward stifled look in her eyes failed to protect her. She caught sight of a knowing smirk from the woman. ‘She did something. Is that what she was referring to before? How did she seal my power?’ Her hand lowered to her side.

“Reconciled yourself finally?” Photine took a couple steps forward. Blood dripped from her ignored wounds. Nearby her feet, the ground suddenly cratered and then swelled. Out of the earth, a wood block appeared with two metal poles embedded at the top. Their shape indicated they supported or held something, but nothing was present. “This will end your troublesome ways for good.”

Light sprung from the air above the block. Chunks disappeared from the arid rock gathering into the light. It slowly expanded.

Yumi did not know what Photine had planned, but she did not want to wait to find out. She frantically looked around her for ideas. ‘She sealed my powers…but when? I could use my barrier before…was it after that? I didn’t notice a difference…’ Her barrier gave her an idea. Green squares of her barrier materialized around her in a very loose pattern. ‘I still have them…so she only sealed my crushing power?’

Her mind worked the problem quickly. She knew that she did not have much time. After the confirmation of her barrier, she made them disappear. Her eyes glanced at the weapons that still held her under guard. ‘But my barrier doesn’t work on them… So the swords made my barrier useless and my crush is gone too… Is everything else gone?’

Trial and error ended up being her only options. She gained nothing more from Photine. It made sense to Yumi that her opponent would not give away important details about what countermeasures she made. Making it as discreet as possible, Yumi worked through her known abilities. ‘I can fly, or at least hover still and make my barrier, but it has no use against her… My crush and telekinesis is gone completely… The only one I don’t know is…’ Yumi glanced back up at Photine and her work. It seemed like she was almost finished with whatever she had planned.

The shortness on her time forced to her to become reckless. ‘I don’t know if this’ll work, but it draws too much attention… I just have to go with it…’ Yumi tightened her hands to prepare for the next part. She knew pain was likely the next thing she would feel, but she did not let it stall her. Her teeth bit down a little on her lip as she prayed.

A swift motion through the air ignited several of the swords. Shards of metal rained down, but not without attracting Photine’s attention. Her eyes focused on her work, not expecting anymore fight from Yumi. However, she was missing from the cage her swords constructed. The scene looked all too familiar. ‘She figured it out as well…damn, she’s smarter than I thought… Worse, I still don’t know what ability they’re using, so I can’t neutralize it…’

Reacting to the defensive need, the remaining swords disappeared and surfaced around Photine. Her eyes scanned the area in search of Yumi. ‘Damnit…where’d she go?’ A bright light signaled Photine too late. When she turned her gaze up an explosion already went off. Something hit her swords. It blocked the attack, but pelted her with chunks of blades. Jagged edges sliced across her face before she could remove them.

Blood dripped down her cheeks. Painted in crimson, Photine stared through the cloud undeterred. She sent new weapons up into the air checking for Yumi. They seemed to find nothing and the night did not help her.

Yumi darted around in front of Photine. She wanted something more direct and stunning. The close range would hopefully get through her weapons’ defense. A motion from her hand drew up green particles, but Yumi suddenly froze. Her eyes widened in shock that ran down her body to start shaking her legs.

The blood on Photine’s face transformed her appearance into Yori. He had an empty stare at her. Blood soaked his skin turning his eyes almost all white. A wicked grin grew to produce the white fangs of a beast. He looked ready to cut her down.

Weights fell down on her arms holding her from moving. Pressure buckled her knees with the shaking only make it worse. She wanted to turn away, but could not. Invisible hands seemed to hold her head from moving. Yumi wanted to scream, but her mouth clamped shut. ‘…Yori! No! Its just delusions! They’re not real!’

A force slammed into her body knocking her off her feet. Yumi slid over the cracked earth until her head slammed against a stone column. Pain jumped from her head down to her arm. ‘What just happened?’ Blinking through stabbing in her arm, Yumi glanced down at the wound. Blood poured out of her forearm with a wide gash cutting into her flesh. ‘Blood…so much…from where? I’m not falling back in again?’

Yumi looked around only see the empty wasteland of Photine’s field. In the distance, Photine stood as she had before. It returned to normal, not a nightmare anymore. ‘It was her…’ Yumi pulled herself up feeling the strength returning her body. She could deal with reality.

Swords appeared all around Yumi once more. They forcefully put themselves in her path destroying the column of rocks behind her. It made her glance back for a moment. A brief haunting image stirred inside her, remnants of her unease. ‘…focus…she’s planning something…trying to keep me from moving…’

Moving her hand up, Yumi stared down in thought. She needed something to turn the fight. The previous tactics were not enough against Photine. ‘I need to throw her off…something she wouldn’t expect…’ A thought came to her. She lifted her head up to glance around at the weapons. ‘I wonder…she does have great faith in them…it might work…if I can get the timing…’

Wind blasted out from Yumi. A dust cloud kicked up partially obscuring her from view. Making things worse, a bright green light expanded from Yumi shattering all of the weapons. Yumi charged through the cloud she created trailing streams off her ragged cloths.

It surprised Photine for only a moment as she experienced this before. She sent in more weapons to pin Yumi down. However, Yumi raised up her hand with a rectangular section of her barrier expanding from her palm. Photine thinned her eyes at the strange behavior. “Have you forgotten it doesn’t work?”

Yumi gave a bit of a smirk through the barrier at Photine. She otherwise ignored her. The barrier came between her and the sword. It looked a little more opaque than normal, but hovered with the movement of her hand. Particles trailed from the edges. Yumi narrowed her eyes to keep her focus. One of the numerous swords flew directly in front of her.

The moment froze for a second as it looked like the sword would stab Yumi ending the fight. However, Photine’s sword shattered when it hit Yumi’s barrier. Pieces bounced off her barrier out of Yumi’s way.

“Impossible!” Photine shouted in disbelief.

Yumi charged through Photine’s broken offense. The surprised look on her face crippled her reaction leaving the rest of the swords to pass harmlessly by Yumi.

As she closed with Photine, the barrier disappeared. Her hands came up slicing through the air creating arcs of energy. They plowed through Photine casting her to the ground. Blood from her past wounds sprayed the earth.

Yumi panted standing over top of Photine. The last series of moves exhausted her. Still catching her breath, Yumi spoke down to Photine. “Your swords no longer have an effect on my barrier. And with my remaining abilities...” Yumi’s voice trailed off. Her eyes began to shake suddenly.

A hand clutched her head as the images came back to her. “…blood…so much…blood…” Everything was surrounded in blood. Yumi choked on the air as she saw corpses around Photine. “…no…” Photine disappeared from the mountain of corpses. She stepped away not wanting to be anywhere near it. However, a few steps was all her feet allowed her. “…not again…”

The corpses suddenly jerked. A body carelessly fell to the side rolling down the mound. Deep inside a wave moved through the sea of crimson flesh. It slowly rose up as though something underneath pushed up wanting to be free.

Yumi shook her head slowly. She could not escape them. “…n-n-no…not real…” A blood soaked hand broke through pile of bodies. It savagely clung to the flesh. The hand scrapped and pulled ripping flesh free trying to get a hold. “…not again…I can’t…let it…” Another hand breached the surface of ragged meat. It had a stronger hold.

It could come out.

Yumi screamed a bloody cry rattling down to the bone. It made her pant even heavier afterward, but she staggered forward. She was free. She could move. Her eyes fixed ahead at the threat. “…I have to…” The top of a head grow out of the dead mountain. “…end the delusion…before it consumes me…”

An awkward smile grew across Yumi’s face. A smile built from self-assurance. It grew to split her face almost. “I must destroy it before it destroys me… It’ll keep coming back…” Yumi gave a rusty nod to herself. “I’ll end the delusions with my hand… Then it’ll be over!”

Yumi raised her hand up. Green energy swirled above her quickly growing in size. No longer her usual arc, a sphere of tightly packed energy shined across the camp. The force of its presence started to blow out winds from Yumi tossing lighter debris away. “I can end it!” she laughed. “I’ll be at peace again!” Yumi threw her hand down at an immobile Photine, no longer seeing her.

The light engulfed the entire area as it quickly expanded. Photine disappeared from sight. A shadow darted through everything and suddenly the light faded away. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” snapped Chiharu as she slapped Yumi.

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

Yumi blinked in confusion returning to reality. The sting on her cheek went almost complete unnoticed as Yumi tried to re-establish her situation. She looked down her arm to see Chiharu tightly holding her wrist out of the way of Photine. The energy in her hand wavered, but spun around waiting. Yumi’s eyes shrank in horror when she realized what she had almost done. Responding to her diminished desire, the energy evaporated.

Chiharu released Yumi allowing her to back away a couple steps. ‘I lost control of myself…to those delusions…what’s wrong with me? I almost…’ She glanced over at Chiharu, who stood between them now. A strange innocence burned into Yumi’s face. It mixed awkwardly with the horror and disbelief. Yumi suddenly transitioned to surprise realizing Chiharu was safe and stood before her. “Chiharu! You’re alright!” She began to move towards the young girl wanting to touch her and confirm reality. “We didn’t know what happened to you.”

“That can wait,” snapped Chiharu. Her features narrowed to a point. It brought Yumi to a sudden halt. “Your foolish recklessness nearly got everyone in the area killed, including your brother! What were you thinking?!”

The scolding turned Yumi’s voice meek. She only managed a stutter. It was all so much of a blur to her. She just wanted the delusions to end. Yumi did not fully understand what went through her. A strange feeling overcame her losing control. It made her retreat into her mind. ‘What did I do? I-I…my brother…’ Her body ran colder than the winter they walked through in Antarctica.

Chapter 161 – Lost Comrades

Numerous small fires still hung barely lit around the charred crater. A smoke cloud loosely covered the area. The battle between Fumiko and Stamatia ended a while ago, but their passion left the area in raging turmoil. Heat still dissipated from surface. It made the air thick and chunky. A single breath taken in was enough to make one choke.

No one entered the area. The fates of both women waited on endless spires of time. But waiting for them finally came to an end. The long held silence broke with the crumbling of roasted wood planks. Out of the smoke, a dirty and charred arm broke free. A second hand lifted up to pull themselves out of the pile. The blast from their attacks sent them flying away and buried under debris. She barely held on through it all with only a sliver of consciousness. Her stubbornness saved her.

Stamatia coughed and brushed aside the strains of hair in her face. Her military uniform appeared back on her. It shined an oddly bright shade of white as though it remained pure. A long fatigued expression drew across her face. She stood, but it did not look like it was enough. She appeared defeated by something.

A wrinkle swept over her brow. It made her body shake. Stamatia lifted her hand up clinching it into a fist. “Damn it…I’m right…” Her eyes widened suddenly as her legs lost their strength. Stamatia collapsed to the ground a moment later. She struggled to claw back up, but her hands found nothing. Even her stubbornness gave her no strength. She was completely empty. “…damn it…” Stamatia passed out.

Out of the shadows, stepped a tall man still mostly obscured by the night. The moon gave enough light on him to reveal his white uniform. He knelt down next to Stamatia checking on her condition. “That baggage of yours is going to get you killed one day.” His head lift to scan the area. Standing within the battle zone rather than outside gave a different feel. “You were a bad match, but in the chaos the Captain didn’t have a lot of options.”

He stood up and started walking away from Stamatia. The view he had of the fight from beyond the danger gave him a better idea of the aftermath than those in the Command Tent. He strode over to the opposite side of the crater. ‘The scale…hard to believe if I hadn’t seen it myself…’ Witnessing the destruction caused by two fire wielders reminded him how dangerous it was when two non-humans clashed. He had not seen such damage since the rebellion and only in reports. He imagined it looked very similar.

“She fell around here somewhere…” he noted aloud. His eyes scanned the area, but saw nothing that stood out to him. A ripple expanded from his feet. It turned the entire area into a flat plain black surface of little characteristic. However, he did not need anything special. It gave him exactly what he wanted. He found the body of Fumiko no longer covered by the debris she buried herself in when she fell.

Before moving closer, he examined her from a distance. The flame arm returned to the normal state. Apart from the missing arm, she looked an average girl caught in the wrong place. He knew not to trust appearance, but it still unsettled him seeing someone nearly a third his age involved in such things. ‘I wonder if this is how the rebellion started… incidents like this…’ A complicated thought entered his mind. He preferred to keep his distance from him.

He reached down to pick up Fumiko. “She just needs to be captured. It’s a little lacking in honor taking advantage of someone else’s work, but we’re all just following orders.” When he came in reach of Fumiko, a fist flew out at him. His hand stopped it, but not without being pushed back some. It made his eyes narrow becoming serious. “That’s some strength you got for your condition.”

Fumiko panted heavily as she finally had a real moment to breathe. ‘I’m glad I hid… I got him nice and close…’ She shut down her outward fatigue and focused on the sneak attack. Her magic felt small, but still available. Fumiko had not experience the feeling of missing her magic. It almost felt like half of herself was gone. She knew it would eventually come back. She just needed to keep going.

It took longer than she thought to get her magic to move for her. The usual feeling she had when it flowed did not occur. She felt blocked. ‘Come on! I still have enough! Don’t stop now! Just a little more!’ Fumiko’s eyes thinned out as she forced her focus, but nothing came to her. Something felt wrong.

Regaining his position, he gripped Fumiko’s extended arm and started to pull her over his shoulder. “If you’re wondering. I’ve negated your power. Watching your fight with Stamatia I saw something was off about you. Seems my guess was correct. I don’t know what this means you are, but you’re as normal as everyone else now.”


Cosmas glared down at the two bodies of Seiji and Nerine. He removed the swords from them. Blood continued to pour out around them. “Tch…damn bastard… how’d I miss his heart?” Cosmas materialized a weapon in his hand. “That’s some force of will to stay alive…but not a lot of good it is going to do you with a blade through your heart.” He moved the sword to hold over his back. “I won’t be missing this time.”

The sword slid down into Seiji’s back. A new source of blood poured out as the metal came closer. “Almost—“ A slab of wood suddenly erupted from the ground and knocked Cosmas hand away. The impact sent the sword into the air trailing blood before it disappeared.

Cosmas nursed his bruised hand as he glanced over at the cause. “I thought I dealt with the Captain’s back up…” The one running towards him was not the same MP user he knocked out earlier. However, it did not take him long to figure out who it was. “The fight must have drained me if he was able to materialized next to me…” He stood up and turned away before turning invisible. ‘Can’t have myself discovered…though I’ll need to find a time to silence these two… I hate loose ends…’

Arriving late and slightly short of breath, Miltiades surfaced from the dark of night. He personally released himself from the infirmary after everything that happened. Knowing that they attacked their camp made him want to do something. He was not about to let them go around hurting everyone. Unfortunately, he realized that he was late. “What happened here? Who was the one that fought him?”

Burdened with only questions, he searched the area quickly trying to find anyone. The one he stopped disappeared and left nothing behind. “Why were they trying to kill him? We were only given capture orders. The orders haven’t changed while I was out?”

A shallow weak cough dripped more blood to the ground. It drew Miltiades back and impressed on him the critical nature of both of them. “I have to fix them up. We’ll have answers back at camp.” Ripples expanded out from his feet. Particles of light floated up off the ground starting to cling to Nerine and Seiji. “I’ve got to hurry, or all I’m healing are a couple of corpses. A dead prisoner will be even more trouble…”


In the Command Tent, the situation calmed immensely. While the chaos in the camp was unplanned for, it still produced results. Early reports gave signs that the fighting was ending and the radar backed it up. They would soon have more captives and half of the group subdued. Everyone felt the battle turning to their side. They had a victory, finally.

No one spoke a word about it to Simonides.

Simonides remained still after he got in the last reports. The troubling news he gained from the last fight left his entire body tense. He could not believe his instincts failed him. Outside of the timing, everything went as he hoped. Yet they acted counter to his information. It did not sit well with him. ‘He’s dead. It was my orders.’

Amidst the turmoil in his mind, he looked around at the other reports and the radar. The ugly image it present of his camp. He paid a terrible price for his trap. ‘So many died tonight…my miscalculations…’ Even with the bad timing, he never imagined how much damage they would cause. He thought his preparations were enough, but caught off guard in the worst possible time. ‘I shouldn’t have relaxed the guard…what did I miss? What don’t I know about them?’

The peace times Atlantis faced rarely saw any causality. Only mistakes caused them. His mistake caused it. A clean record burned to ash in a single night. He continued to question himself. Simonides remained silence as he glanced at his soldiers. They watched him and the scene waiting. Most understood well enough, he saw it in their eyes. However, the longer he held his words the stronger the tension returned. The ease faded away as though never existing.

As Captain, he knew he had to face mistakes and even the worst of mistakes eventually. He knew it, but it did not make it any easier. Simonides stiffened his body and faced the men. “Bring the prisoners to the detention tents. Make sure to have MPs are always on watch! Keep their powers sealed at all times! They won’t be escaping!” His hand rested on the radar. The scan of the camp left a sour taste in his mouth. “Gather all able body men! This camp needs our help!”

The Commander nodded in agreement to him. He turned around barking orders to the individual officers. It only took a few seconds for the tent to almost be empty. Abeiron walked over to Simonides. “These things happen, sir. We are victorious.”

Simonides slowly shook his head. A point of the radar made his eyes shrink and features narrow. “Not yet…we still haven’t received a recent report from this area. I know Photine appeared against orders, but we still don’t know the outcome or who this third person is.” He was not sure if he should believe it, but his gut was nagging him stronger than it before. Something felt wrong. “Abeiron send another MP.”

“Sir?”

“I won’t see another mistake tonight.”


The weight on Yumi kept her from moving. It scared her. She could see herself moving slowly to kill the woman. Yumi did not think she would go so far. However, the image of the boy came back to her. She remembered him, but only vague notions. One thing she knew for sure was that he was dead. His body was nearby her. ‘When…did I while I was in delusions? I did it…there wasn’t anyone else…’ She could not remember how it happened.

Every time she tried to recall it, her mind went blank. It made her head ache trying to think about it. She knew she had to know, but something stopped her. Why could she not know? What stopped her? She had so many questions. Yet she had one answer that was larger than the questions. He was dead. She did not even know their name. She knew nothing about him.

Yumi sat down next to him. Her hand stretched out towards him, but stopped. She could not touch him. ‘What right do I have…’ She never thought their rescue would have such things happen. It was not even a consideration. They only wanted Yori, not to hurt anyone. ‘She’d say they were just following orders…but still…’

Another crack shattered the silence. Chiharu stood in front of Yumi, her hand finished moving. “There’s no time for pity and guilt. We’re still in enemy territory and your brother isn’t safe yet.” She grabbed Yumi’s arm, as she was still stunned. “Get moving! If you freeze over something like this you’ll be the next to die!”

It took a few moments for Yumi to process everything. But with Chiharu yelling at her, she felt her body moving on its own. She stood up to face her. “Someone died! Because of me! Do you even understand what that means?! Life isn’t something that is so worthless it can be tossed away without a second thought!” Yumi felt her chest pounding and her breathing hastening. “I’m not like you!”

Chiharu’s features narrowed. Her body shook a little as she lost some of her control. She slapped Yumi again. A couple different emotions fought to come to the surface with her struggling to keep them in check. “Don’t think you know anything about me,” she delivered with a tone so heavy it masked out the venomous undertones.

Yumi staggered a step back. She always knew Chiharu had another side to her. But she did not expect it to be so cold or dark. It felt like she stepped on a landmine. She wanted to say anything, but the piercing eyes kept her silent.

Shifting looks, Chiharu ended her stance and turned away. She felt Yumi starting to move again. In the end, moving forward was all that mattered. They could not stop moving. ‘Something’s off…’ The air suddenly changed with a heavy mood. Chiharu froze and spun around trying to determine what her senses warned her. However, it was too late.

A light flashed quickly through the air before a wet noise rang out. Chiharu turned her head towards Yumi. Her eyes widened in surprise at the sight. She bolted over to reach Yumi even though it was already too late. Nothing could be done.

Still confused, Yumi stumbled a little from the force that slammed into her. Everything felt slow to her sight. She saw Chiharu running towards her with an unusual expression. It made her wonder what happened. Something hit her, but it happened so fast she did not felt anything. “…what…” Yumi tilted her head down to see what hit her.

A large sword pierced her body and hand, which tried to protect her. The blade ran through her heart. “…oh…” she whispered, upon the discovery. It did not felt real to her. Her eyes looked up and saw Photine behind Chiharu with her hand extended. It was all happening too fast. Her mind started to go blank and an awkward pain reached up into her chest clinching down tightly on her. Yumi lost the strength in her legs, beginning to fall backwards. “It’s over?”

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

Silence was everything. Everything was black. No cold surrounded in an all encompassing smothering. Warmth did not drain away as expected. A strange stillness filled into a neutral state. Yet something took an iron hold on everything. Pain rammed and pierced underneath all in the most uncomfortable spots.

It all ran through Yumi in less than a second. It felt as though it was all forced through a single infinitely small point exasperating the sensation a hundredfold. Overload came next before she collapsed to the ground.

Everything was gone.

Chapter 162 – Sealing Innocence

Chiharu ran for Yumi, but felt like her body was moving too slow. She knew she could not make it time. The sword already ran her through. Nothing would undo it. Yet she still ran as if it made a difference. Her chest pounded out of control. Its beating felt uncomfortable and familiar. Chiharu wanted the sensation to go away. She tried to block it out of her mind, but it only forced back in stronger.

Unwanted images surfaced in her mind in the moments between her steps. Her body dragged behind. She felt something boiling up to the surface within her heart. It wrapped around her muscles restricting their movement. By the time she made it within arm’s reach of Yumi, she thought her body would collapse.

It was too late, as she already knew. The sword rested within Yumi’s breast. It ran all the way through with the blade sticking out the back. She could not even lay on her back, it did not let her have such comfort. Yumi collapsed on her side already gone from the world.

Chiharu stood next to Yumi just looking down unable to move. She had no reaction for seconds. Only her body shook responding to things she ignored. Flashes of images went through her mind. She clamped her eyes shut to block everything out. ‘…not again…’ Chiharu reached out for Yumi, but the stiffness in her body kept her away. “Can’t…be…Mizuno…”

The shaking in her legs was enough to knock her over as she kept trying to stretch out her arm. She collapsed to one knee. It surprised her momentarily drawing away from Yumi’s body. “…Mizuno…” Her hand made it within reach of Yumi finally, but still fell short. Chiharu’s hand rested on the hilt of the sword. “Mizuno…wake up…Mizuno! Wake up, Mizuno!” Shaking ran through her arm making the metal of the sword rattle lowly.

Hearing the sword vibrate forced her hand to withdraw quickly. It made her realize the subconscious reactions of her body. She leaned forward pressing her hands into the ground to keep them from doing anything. Yumi was in reach, but beyond her. ‘…another…’ Her hands clinched up digging into the earth. “Mizuno!”

No reaction came from Yumi. Chiharu knew nothing would happen, but she could not stop. “Mizuno!” She could not let it end without doing anything. She fought through old abandoned memories to reach for Yumi. Her hand clutched to Yumi’s upper arm. “Move, Mizuno! Wake up, Mizuno!” Still nothing happened. Expectations or reality meant nothing. “Mizuno! Answer me!” Chiharu gripped tighter around Yumi. She remained lifeless.

“Yumi Mizuno!” yelled Chiharu. Her breathing turned short and haggard. Her eyes were wide and strained with darkness surrounding them. Chiharu attempted to shake her awake, but it became a feeble effort stopping before anything meaningful. “You were supposed… You’re the one…”

Chiharu retracted her hand letting it fall by her side. She tilted her head forward blocking out her entire face. “You were supposed to have the answers I didn’t… Why…Yu…mi…” Suddenly, Chiharu vanished from sight leaving only a droplet behind.

A loud crash ripped through the night. Dust and debris trailed a line away from Yumi. At the end of the path, Chiharu stood with Photine’s body held off her feet by only one arm. However, Photine looked in even worse shape with her Atlantean uniformed returned and torn. Blood dripped down her body from fresh wounds.

Photine coughed up blood from the pressure put on her body. It painted Chiharu’s face a dark shade. She struggled to pull her head down to see what happened. The sight of Chiharu surprised her enough to managed a weak reaction in her face, even though it hurt. ‘A child?! I can’t feel the ground…they’re…how is this physical strength possible?! I thought it was only special abilities…’

“…you…” roared Chiharu. Her arm barely kept everything together.

Glancing at Chiharu, Photine felt oddly reassured about her situation. “You stopped her from killing me. Yet now you’re here wanting revenge.”

“Saying I’m a hypocrite?” Chiharu tightened her hand causing some of the threads in Photine’s uniform to tear.

She stiffly shook her head at Chiharu. “No, just that you can’t do what you want to do.”

A narrowed expression ran through her eyes. “What are you talking about?” Chiharu did not like the confidence she spoke in her position.

“You don’t have it. The eyes of a killer.”

Chiharu lifted Photine up more in response. “You don’t know anything!”

Coughing infrequently, Photine managed a slight grin. “I can see your eyes.”

Chiharu’s hand shook a little. She did not like the look Photine gave her. The knowing stare churned her insides. She reached behind her back and retrieved a kunai. “Then I guess I’ll get some new ones…”

“She was right though…I don’t have the same eyes I saw in her before…”

She had enough of Photine’s talk. Things had to change for Chiharu. The blade in her hand would change things. Nothing would ever be the same again. It had to be that way. The blade flew through the air with her hand guiding it towards its destination.

However, she stopped just before touching the neck. Something felt off to Chiharu. She narrowed her eyes at Photine. “What are you talking about?”

“That…” Photine answered, pointing her hand weakly back at the direction of Yumi.

Tilting her head around, Chiharu looked over her shoulder at the path she created. At first, nothing stood out to her. The night sky poorly lit the camp with most of the camp’s fires snuffed out from the fighting. However, something formed from the darkness. Only a shape at first, it was a figure of someone. “Eh?”

Slowly, Chiharu’s eyes adjusted and focused to make it out. They moved closer to her giving more shape. It widened Chiharu’s eyes to see them standing. She darted over to them, still dragging Photine with her. “How is it possible?! What did you do to her?” Chiharu stared down at the limp body of Photine. Her eyes turned razor sharp with accusations.

Yumi stood weakly before them. The sword that ran her through still embedded in her chest. Her hand hung pierced on the blade unable to be freed. No blood ran from her wound as though the sword did not exist. “…Chiharu…I feel strange…and alone…” Yumi collapsed to the ground next to Chiharu.

Chiharu dropped Photine and reached out for Yumi. She stopped her before she completely fell to the ground. ‘What is this? How is this possible? She should be dead…but this sword…’ Staring at the weapon that lived in Yumi, she placed a hand on the hilt. “I’ll remove this and you’ll feel better.” Yumi looked up at Chiharu confused and lost appearing very weak. The weakness she bore was not like the same weakness Chiharu was used to seeing from her. It stirred ominous feelings in Chiharu. “This will hurt, but you’ll be fine.”

“Chiharu…what’s wrong with me?” Yumi felt so heavy. Her body was so distant from her. She thought it was just numbness, but the feeling went beyond a numb feeling. Something felt cut off from her. Everything was huge and empty with no sensations. She felt like she was in a large empty room with no doors or windows, locked away.

Gritted her teeth, Chiharu took a tight grip on the hilt. “It’ll be fine! Everything will be fine in a moment.” A hint of hesitation dripped within Chiharu. She did not know what happened to Yumi. ‘That woman did something. If I remove this could it actually kill her? Could I be ending her life? But it is not natural. It must be removed… I don’t have a choice… She looks so weak, weaker than I’ve ever seen…’ She flushed away the doubt.

The sword rattled a little in her hold, but Chiharu started to pull with her strength. At first, she was gentle not expecting to need any strength to remove it. However, it did not budge for her. Applying more strength, Yumi lifted up and drew towards her. The sword did not move. Chiharu slacked her arm concerned about what it might be doing to Yumi’s internal organs. “It’s not releasing.”

“I can’t feel it…” Yumi lifted her free had to the sword. She needed to touch it to know it was real. The cold steel gave her reality. “Why can’t I feel it? I can’t feel anything… Why? Why?!” A hint of panic began to set in Yumi.

‘I’m not getting anywhere with it like this. I need a different plan…’ Chiharu flicked her eyes over to Photine, still hanging onto consciousness. Taking her free hand, Chiharu pulled Photine up by her tattered uniform. She dragged the woman up to her face. “What did you do to her? Tell me!”


Coughing, Photine could not even manage a satisfied grin. Her body felt torn to shreds. She had never felt her body feeling so crushed by such pressure. She wanted to scream in pain, but felt her body would collapse.

Examining the state of Photine, Chiharu realized why she seemed worse than before. She had not given it much thought how it would affect a normal human. Her hand tightened around the cloth she held. “If you don’t want me to take you running again, tell me what you know. Your body can’t take another time at my speed.”

Photine stared into Chiharu’s eyes. She measured out her words through her expression and knew the truth. “You…” Another painful cough escaped from Photine. “…you…won’t…”

Chiharu started to stand up. “I don’t need to keep these eyes.”

“…but…” Photine paused again. The strain on her chest from talking made things worse. She knew she should shut up, but she could not. “…but…that doesn’t mean…I’m not…going to…tell you what I…did…”

The words stopped her motion, but her hand tightened even more onto Photine. She pulled her back in towards her face. “What was it?”

“I sealed…away everything…that makes her…special.”

“Sealed?” questioned Yumi, starting to take part in the conversation. She leaned over to Photine wanting to know more. “Is that why I feel so strange? But how is that possible?”

Photine glanced over at Yumi. “…I intended…to capture you…so I needed…to prevent…a future…escape…” Her mind went back to when she began. “…that was…my next…move…” The platform she raised from the earth eventually formed the sword she needed. It was a gamble, but it paid off for her.

“If it’s just sealing her powers. Removing it would restore it. Your plan is flawed.” Chiharu gripped the sword tighter. She just needed to remove it from Yumi. The explanation was all she needed to know it was not a fatal attack.

Another cough came from Photine. It did the job she wanted of interrupting Chiharu from her action. “…no…you can’t…remove it…”

Chiharu glared over at Photine not interested in her pleas. “Just try me!” She dropped Photine and took both hands to the sword. ‘I just need more strength…its nothing I can’t fix!’ Her eyes moved over to Yumi to provide her reassurance. She did not intend to let things go their way.

The sword pulled on Yumi. It brought her almost on top of Chiharu in the first attempt. She used most of her strength and reflexes to try to remove it quickly before Yumi’s body could react. However, it only backfired on her. “Damn…” She grabbed Yumi’s wrist connected to the hand embedded in the sword. A slow forceful push on her hand did not to the sword. Blood did not appear, but Yumi still looked unsettled.

Regrouping her thoughts, Chiharu glanced over at Photine. ‘Did she make this sword special?’ Her hand rested on the sword. It only moved when Yumi moved. It was attached to her, deeply attached. ‘She thought that far ahead? She made it so it can’t be removed…’ Chiharu did not like where her thoughts took her.

She turned back towards Photine. More answers were needed. “You made it so it can’t be removed by anyone. Didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

Chiharu came to the only remaining conclusion. The one she should have taken at the start. She did not know why she did not consider the option before. ‘Why was I so slow in thinking of it?’ Chiharu lifted up Photine and raised her fist. “If you created it with your powers, then I just have to knock you unconscious. Then it will disappear.” Chiharu pulled her arm back.

Photine finally managed a crooked grin for Chiharu. It pained her a lot, but she succeeded. The pain she felt would pass in time. “…that won’t work…I made sure…of it…”

The words froze her fist in mid swing. Chiharu read Photine’s face trying to detect the lie. She only needed a flicker of a falsehood to finish her strike. Yet nothing showed to her. Only truth covered her pale features. “What do you mean?” Her fist relaxed.

“…it’s not…sustained…by my powers…”

“What do you mean?” snapped Chiharu, tired of the ragged voice.

“…I used my…powers…to create it from…real matter…so its…real…”

The words made Yumi sink backwards. She suddenly felt even heavier than before. ‘I’m useless…I’m really am useless now…’ Deep despair sat inside Yumi as reality settled in for her. She could do nothing.

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

Photine finally managed a crooked grin for Chiharu. It pained her a lot, but she succeeded. The pain she felt would pass in time. “…that won’t work…I made sure…of it…”

The words froze her fist in mid swing. Chiharu read Photine’s face trying to detect the lie. She only needed a flicker of a falsehood to finish her strike. Yet nothing showed to her. Only truth covered her pale features. “Why?” Her fist relaxed.

“…it’s not…sustained…by my powers…”

“What do you mean?!” snapped Chiharu, tired of the ragged voice.

“…I used my…powers…to create it from…real matter…so it’s…real…”

The words made Yumi sink backwards. She suddenly felt even heavier than before. ‘I’m useless…I’m really am useless now…’ Deep despair sat inside Yumi as reality settled in for her. She could do nothing.

Chiharu flipped over to Yumi. Watching her sink deeper made her tighten her fist. ‘It’s just like what he did with those earrings. There’s nothing I can do…’ She turned back to Photine. ‘…damnit…’ Their usefulness had ended in Chiharu’s mind. Putting her out of her misery was the only thing she could do. A quick punch knocked the woman unconscious. Chiharu dropped the body out of the way to return to Yumi.

New problems surfaced with the revelation of the sealing. Chiharu did not know the right words to use. She reached out for Yumi, but held back pausing at the last moment. ‘I need to motivate her…we need to move, but she’s…’ Her fist tightened up with her thoughts. It attempted to strengthen her determination, but it felt empty.

Everything changed from before. Chiharu berated Yumi on her weakness in the past, but she could say nothing anymore. It was not about strength of character or resolve. She wanted something to say. ‘What can I say? Nothing can be done…’

Chapter 163 – Striking Shadow

Yumi caught sight of Chiharu out of the corner of her eye. It surfaced her from the pit she fell in before. She had partially forgotten that she was nearby. The thoughts she had focused her away from all of her surroundings. She forgot they still stood in enemy territory. Yumi could only think of how useless she was to everyone. The seal had left her with nothing. She could feel how well it worked.

The empty alone feeling that encompassed her made sense to her. It was the absence of her powers. She only had them for a short time, but they were a part of her. She grew to understand them and accept them. They were a part of her as much as her arms and legs were a part of her body. Their loss ran deeper than she imagined.

She was normal, again.

Yumi looked over at Chiharu. She made stiff motions to get her body to move. ‘I never thought I’d actually miss them. I’ve gotten so used to them. It really is lonely without them.’ Her thoughts brought her back to Chiharu. They stayed out of reach in spite of their close proximity. ‘Chiharu…she’s bothered by something… It seems strange that I can actually read her face.’

Loosely staring at Chiharu, Yumi’s thoughts consumed her with Chiharu at the forefront. It pulled her away from the spiral. ‘I’m holding her back… I can’t be depressed. I might have no powers, but I can still walk! I can’t let this stop me!’ Yumi braced her free hand against her leg. The sword made her entire body awkward, something she was going to have to adjust to dealing with now. It was just an obstacle. ‘I’m alive still. So I’ll find a way out of this. It’s not over!’ Her hand pushed against her leg to get her body standing. Shakily, Yumi planted her feet firmly back in the ground.

‘This is going to take some getting used to…’ She looked down at Chiharu, still unmoved. It felt a little strange to her. She did not think she would need to give her comfort. “You don’t need to worry, Chiharu. I’m alive.” Yumi leaned down a little offering a hand out to Chiharu. She worked up a reassuring smile.

Chiharu took a glance up, waking from her thoughts. ‘She’s standing? She was just down before…gone…’ Uncertain, she stood up on her own to meet eyes with Yumi (as much as she could given the height difference). “…that sword…”

“It doesn’t hurt. It’s a little weird, but I’ll get used to it.” She kept working on her front with Chiharu. ‘I can’t show her any weakness. I can’t let her stop because of me.’

A narrow look came across Chiharu’s eyes. She watched Yumi fit a mask awkwardly to her face. ‘…she’s…’ It took her only a second more to realize everything that Yumi was doing. When she did it all turned back on Chiharu. She stared at herself.

“I’ll figure out a way. You don’t have to worry, Chiharu. There might be a way to break the seal if I just think about it.”

Everything in Chiharu turned rigid. She spun around facing away from Yumi. “Of course. I wasn’t concerned about it.”

Yumi gave a small grin glad to see Chiharu acting normal again. Her eyes lowered to the ground for a moment, but quickly focused ahead of her. “We need to get away from here. There might be more coming.”

“You’re correct.” Her head turned about scanning the area for any threats. Nothing came to her, but she remained cautious. A short tilt of her head towards Yumi, connected them. “I’ll take you to your brother. Then we’ll find the others.”

“You found Yori?!” exclaimed Yumi, nearly falling over with excitement. She ran up around Chiharu to get a look at her directly. “Where is he? Is he hurt? Did they do anything to him?”

So many questions came in at Chiharu that she felt a twitch in her eye. The mood swing and emotions were more than enough for her to deal with on top of a barrage of demands. A hand rose to the bridge of her nose trying to calm down the urges. It was mostly successful. “He’s unconscious, but he doesn’t look physically injured. I can’t speak of his mental state.”

A bit of relief washed through Yumi, but the last few words from Chiharu concerned her. “Mental state? What do you mean?”

“I found a woman with him, in a white uniform. She’s the reason I was delayed.” Chiharu paused thinking about her blunder. It went ignored by her until she brought it back up. She could not believe she fell for such a trap. “They were likely interrogating him and possibly torturing him for information. They might have gotten it.”

“…no…” gasped Yumi, trying to hold back thoughts of her brother’s torture. “I remember seeing him in pain…but I don’t know what they did to him…”

Chiharu began to move away from Yumi. “First, we’ll get your brother and then start out. The others are around here. I’ll find them quickly.”

“Right!” Yumi shuffled her feet a little trying to catch up to Chiharu quickly set pace. Something about her body felt sluggish. She did not remember having trouble moving it. ‘Was I always this slow?’ Yumi broke out into a bit of a jog to close their distance.

It did not take them long to reach the spot Chiharu left Yori. He rested mostly out of sight from anyone not paying attention behind turned over tents and chunks of debris. Chiharu did not have a lot of time to think of a better solution. ‘Glad no one found him. I took a risk leaving him unattended, but it couldn’t be helped.’ She disappeared a quick moment grabbing Yori and brought him out to Yumi. “Keep an eye on him, while I go figure out where the others are located.”

“Of course!” Yumi started to reach out to take her brother back. She felt a pounding in her chest. The time he had been gone felt so long, but they were together again. Her hand almost touched him. His eyes suddenly snapped opened and he stared straight at Yumi. The gaze pierced her and went through her. Yumi jumped back with her breath lost for a moment. It made her blink, but when she opened her eyes again Yori was still unconscious. ‘What?’

Chiharu lowered her brow a little watching Yumi become startled. “Something wrong?”

“Huh?” she muttered, before looking back at Chiharu. She shook her head trying to remove the thought from her mind. “No, of course not. Why would anything be wrong? I’m just relieved to see him.” Yumi looked down at her hand. It was shaking uncontrollably. It ran back through her body connecting to the pounding in her chest. Her body remembered it strongly. She could only force her mind blank as much as she could.

‘…Yumi…’ whispered her brother’s voice from behind her. It slithered in her ear twisting around with a wet slick feeling that knocked her balance off. A chill ran down her back just hearing her name.

“…hmm…” Doubt still covered Chiharu’s face, but they had more pressing matters. She did not dwell any longer on the awkwardness. “Take him and I’ll start my search.”

Yumi nodded to her. She steeled herself and quickly reached out to take Yori from Chiharu. Her eyes almost closed, too afraid, but she forced them to stay open. ‘I can’t let Chiharu know. I’ve got to deal with this myself.’

Locating a shadow quickly, Chiharu positioned herself to disappear. She glanced over at Yumi one last time. More than one concern went through her mind. “I’ll be back soon.” Chiharu disappeared into the shadows leaving Yumi alone with her brother.

Cradling Yori in her arms, Yumi watched Chiharu fade away into the shadows. The awe of seeing it for the first time might have meant more for her if she was not trying to keep her body from shaking. She clenched her hand into a fist trying to manage her fear. ‘I’ll be fine. She’ll only be gone for a minute or so. Just have to hold out.’ Whispers drew in around her ears clawing at her sanity. Flashes of images snapped around her eyes. Yumi shut her eyes. ‘How can I be afraid of my own brother?’


Floating in the empty space of the dimension between shadows, Chiharu started her search. The chaos caused by the fighting destroyed any sense she had of the camp. She was fortunate in locating Yumi as quickly as she did, but Fumiko and Seiji were different. Too many shadows were destroyed and too many new ones appeared. Chiharu had to start over getting a grasp of the layout.

She kept searching for minutes without any signs. All of her windows in her range gave her nothing forcing her to move out away from Yumi. She knew where she was, but it still nagged at her. The strange actions bothered her. ‘They’re here somewhere…’ Chiharu forced her focus on the immediate problem.

‘If you’re wondering. I’ve negated your power,’ a voice echoed through the void.

It did not immediately reach out to Chiharu, but lingered around her. She searched out with a sense of a direction.

‘Watching your fight with Stamatia I saw something was off about you.’

The voice grew louder for Chiharu drawing her in. ‘Why can I hear someone so clearly from in here?’ Chiharu was still learning about her powers, even though she had a firm grasp on it. She found it to hold many secrets even after all of the practice.

Chiharu reached a window to the outside that felt promising. She got a better angle and clearer view. A body matched with the voice she heard.

‘Seems my guess was correct.’

That was all she needed to confirm it. Chiharu slipped out of the shadow back into the real world. The air felt oddly thick with heat unlike the area of the camp she came from. It also looked far worse than she had seen. Craters and small fires gave her small picture of the battle. ‘This must be her doing, doubt the muscle head could do this with his fists. There’s too much charring and fires.’ She felt confident Fumiko was nearby.

Her confidence pushed her out from safe cover to get a better view on the one she heard. She caught sight of them grabbing someone, but they partially obscured them with their body. Chiharu worked around the debris to improve her sight.

“I don’t know what this means you are, but you’re as normal as everyone else now.”

Chiharu watched a middle-aged man put the individual over their shoulder. ‘He’s got the white uniform, so he’s one of them. He’s probably got her…’ Quickly making the decision someone was soon to be captured, she leapt out from her cover. A clear opening stood in front of her giving her all the time she needed to turn the fortunes.

Not realizing she had help, Fumiko kicked and punched at the man to break his hold on her. She still had enough strength to manage to surprise him. It knocked him off balance giving her the time to push away from him.

Unfortunately, everything unplanned happened in Chiharu’s way. Her reflexes kept her from any injures in the chaotic exchange, but also killed her opening. She still connected her fist with the man. The strength and angle lacked any meaningful force. It was enough to knock him off his feet and momentarily stun him. However, it did not last for long.

Salvaging her failure, Chiharu regrouped with Fumiko and stood between them. The fatigue from her previous fight came out plainly to Chiharu’s examine. ‘She’s in no shape for a real fight with one of these. I’ll have to handle this.’ Chiharu lifted an arm to keep Fumiko from trying to advance. “I’ll deal with him.”

“Chiharu!” Fumiko’s excitement overcame her reason and Chiharu’s insisting arm. She pushed around in front of Chiharu wanting to get a better look at her. Her hand went all over Chiharu’s face. “I was looking for you! What happened?”

Batting away Fumiko’s friendliness, Chiharu worked to keep her stern expression. “I’ll explain later. We have more important matters to deal with.” Fumiko’s distraction slowed down her reactions. It was almost too late before she noticed the man’s attack coming in. She only felt the displaced air as a sign. Chiharu forcibly pushed Fumiko aside and brought up her arm and half her back to block whatever was coming at them.

A tearing sound came from her upper arm as the invisible attack ate into her ninja garb. It ran shallow and only barely caught a taste of her skin. Chiharu glanced down to see the paper-thin cut develop on her skin. She narrowed her eyes down across the camp to understand what he did. It was still a mystery to her.

“Chiharu! Are you alright?”

She pushed Fumiko back, as her concern turned overbearing. “I’m fine. This’ll be simple if that’s all he’s got.” Her hand retrieved a kunai from her clothes preparing for a counterstrike.

The older man did not seem affected by Chiharu’s confidence or shrugging off his attack. “Don’t underestimate me from one attack. I’m only getting started.” A ripple came from his feet. His clothes transformed to a trench coat and the ground surface suddenly warped. It no longer appeared to be a solid making Chiharu sink a little and then rise. Everything was in a constant state of flux. “Try to keep your balance in my field!”

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

A tearing sound came from her upper arm as the invisible attack ate into her ninja garb. It ran shallow and only barely caught a taste of her skin. Chiharu glanced down to see the paper-thin cut develop on her skin. She narrowed her eyes down across the camp to understand what he did. It was still a mystery to her.

“Chiharu! Are you alright?”

She pushed Fumiko back, as her concern turned overbearing. “I’m fine. This’ll be simple if that’s all he’s got.” Her hand retrieved a kunai from her clothes preparing for a counterstrike.

The older man did not seem affected by Chiharu’s confidence or shrugging off his attack. “Don’t underestimate me from one attack. I’m only getting started.” A ripple came from his feet. His clothes transformed to a trench coat and the ground surface suddenly warped. It no longer appeared to be a solid making Chiharu sink a little and then rise. Everything was in a constant state of flux. “Try to keep your balance in my field!”

Chiharu found the uneven ground turning worse. Her left foot slid down as her right remained. She jumped away to more level terrain before she completely fell over. Unfortunately, level in the field meant very little. When she reached her desired spot, it was already changing. She slid down the steep angle before it caught her. ‘Damn…I can’t even get solid footing for more than a second…’

Riding out the unstable ground, Chiharu glanced over at her opponent. The middle-aged man was unaffected by the field. She expected it to be the case or he was used to maneuvering in it. In her current situation, he clearly had the advantage against her. ‘This would be over in an instant if I could reach him. He’s just a normal human.’ Chiharu could see so many openings for her, but the shifting ground never stopped. She had to adapt to her new environment.

“Having some difficulty?” he commented to Chiharu. He took some casual steps forward without appearing overly aggressive. The intent remained clear even if he seemed relaxed. A flick of his finger unleashed a disruption in the air. It chipped away at the raised earth as Chiharu carelessly dodged. “It’s unsettling to see someone as young as you caught up in this. This is no place for you.”

Making use of cover, Chiharu threw off a kunai at the man. “I’m not interested in your words.” However, she misjudged the changing elevation of the ground and her aim went too high. ‘I thought I accounted for it…there has to be a pattern…’

Chapter 164 – Uneven Ground

Fumiko felt a little ill watching the changing ground. She tried to exit, but the strength in her legs failed her. ‘I need to do something to help Chiharu, but he’s neutralized my magic… I’ve only got my physical attributes, but with this field…’ A trapped feeling ran over top of Fumiko. No exit and uselessness plagued her.

Chiharu scanned the area looking at the shadows. Her powers ran through her calculations. ‘Everything is changing so much… I can’t rely on any accuracy with the shadows… I need a plan.’

He continued a slowly paced stroll towards Chiharu. Every so often, he sent out attacks as though not intending to hit anything. Regardless, the distance between them shrank by the minute. “I’m guessing you’re like your friend and the reports. You have some ability, which doesn’t seem to be like our own. You think your special because of it and don’t think about your age. Youth is a precious thing to waste.”

The talking annoyed Chiharu, but she could do nothing to stop him. Her mind tried to absorb everything around her, but the pattern to the field continued to eluded her. Everything she crammed into her mind made it feel like she would explode soon. “I’ve got no interest in an opponent that only likes to hear his own voice.” She worked around the endlessly rolling earth trying to increase their distant. His progress did not escape her mind. ‘I finally get an opponent and he just talks and uses annoying powers.’

A bit of laughter escaped the man’s lips. “Well when you get to my age all you can do is talk. You might want to listen. Your elders tend to know a thing or two.”

“I doubt you have anything interesting.”

Detecting the change in position of Chiharu, he changed his direction of movement. ‘She’s doing a good job keeping out of sight even in the changing surface. That takes some skill. Such skill is troubling…in someone still so young.’ He knew nothing of Chiharu other than what he read from her movements, words and actions. It still gave him a lot to work with and he did not like the feeling it gave him. ‘Why is someone so young so skilled? What world did she come from and grow up in to become like this?’

Keeping things tense, his hands motioned through the air displacing again cutting edges. He had to keep things moving until he could make his move. “I don’t know about that. I have several things that might interest you.”

Chiharu felt the ground suddenly react strangely. ‘Is it getting rougher? Is he doing something?’ Any patterns or sense of the flow she had shattered with the change. It unbalanced her even more than normal and left her completely exposed. While almost completely on her back and staring meters away from the old man, Chiharu threw out a kunai to keep him off her. Her aim improved since the last time and it actually had a chance against him.

However, he motioned with a single finger cutting the kunai down before it came in reach of him. The cutting air continued on towards Chiharu. She rolled away and got back on her feet to recover her stance. The ground kept altering faster than before making it difficult for her to hold her position. ‘This must be his doing…’

She felt the use of her shadow lose any chance of working. The only options left to her were what she could achieve through physical abilities. Yet she questioned her success with the field. Her eyes darted around trying to read the situation again. Chiharu caught sight of him closer than before to her. She made the risky move of exposing her position.

Standing up, she balanced off the uneven ground long enough to give her a moving start. She could not manage her full speed, but it was still enough for her to move faster than a human eye could perceive. Unfortunately, she miscalculated the landing as the terrain moved in her path. ‘Damn!’ Reflexes only saved her from a complete exposed opening. However, she still left a signal to her position.

Several cutting blades went through the air at Chiharu. She bent over backwards taking advantage of the terrain to improve her range of dodging. The attacks went over her and disappeared at the edge of his field. Chiharu pulled herself back up to glare at the old man. “Aside from a fight, I don’t think you have anything that interests me.”

The man came to a stop after hearing her words. “A fight, that saddens me to hear that.”

“I don’t care about how you feel. I’m only interested in fighting strong opponents.”

“That’s a rather narrow view of the world for someone so young.”

Listening to the fight from a distance, Fumiko kept with the two of them. She had concerns about Chiharu in the fight. Fumiko knew she could handle herself in a fight, but the man kept talking to her. It bothered her that Chiharu kept talking back. ‘She’s normally very quiet and talks to no one unless it is important. Why is she continuing to talk to him? Is something wrong?’

“Enough about my age! It’s meaningless!”

“But you’re just a child. You should be at home and learning. Not out here fighting.”

Chiharu had enough of his prattle. His last words were enough to break her free from the defensive strategy she played. Her feet juggled the terrible balance to stand before him. “I’m no child!” She used her speed to push her forward at her target. Her appearance shifted into a blur that momentarily surfaced during the need to adjust to the terrain. Removing her tanto from its sheath at her back, Chiharu let the blade arc through the air closing the distance between them.

Her blade suddenly stopped short of its target. The man’s hand held her forearm preventing her from finishing her slash. “Only a child charges off emotions. I see no adult.” He finished his words by lifting Chiharu off the ground and throwing her across his field.

Cast carelessly aside, Chiharu bounced on a couple of blunt rises in the ground before she caught herself and landed on her feet. She hardly had a moment to react, but surprise filled her face finally catching up. ‘What did he do?’

Fumiko could hardly believe what she saw. Shock covered her face as well. ‘I could understand if he had special abilities or did something to block her, but barehanded? How is that possible?!’

Countless calculations ran through Chiharu’s mind in the seconds she waited before covering up her stunned look with hardened determination. She started her charge through the ever-changing earth. ‘He can’t have my strength…’ Her hand tightened around the hilt of her short sword. ‘His field is reducing my speed and agility, but it should still be faster than a human’s…’ Nothing came to her.

Questions filled Chiharu’s mind. Answers disappeared from sight. All her planning meant nothing.

“Charging again?” he remarked. “Having a weapon doesn’t make you an adult.” He flicked his fingers discharging several invisible blades in the direction of Chiharu.

She felt that she was getting more used to them. A couple of side steps kept her out of any danger. However, she confronted even more at different angles coming at her. The array was wide enough that a simple dodge was no longer enough for her. Her eyes glanced at the warping ground. Winding back her arm, she slammed into the earth.

A ripple bubbled up from the earth and churned up the surface. Earth stretched under pressure, but held tight not ripping. It rose from the force all around Chiharu acting as a shield. Impacts sounded off dully cutting into the distortion. The earth shattered a moment later and the blades broke through to Chiharu. She already had her arms up in defense.

Moments passed with loose dust hanging in the air in a thin veil. Chiharu’s figure easily outlined through the sheet. She stepped out from the cover dropping her arms. Small droplets of blood fell from her fingertips.

The man narrowed his eyes a little, but did not look surprised or confused by her condition. “Making use of my field’s properties to create a defense to dampen the attacks. You’re pretty quick.”

“And you’re annoying,” added Chiharu. She broke into a sprint for her enemy once more. He presented new targets to avoid, but they felt a little faster than before. She evaded them, but felt the narrow escape. ‘He’s getting serious…’

He released even more attacks on Chiharu as she got closer. “You only need to surrender. Even after all you’ve done, there is still time to turn back. Foreigners don’t belong here.” His stance altered slightly as Chiharu came even closer to her without signs of stopping.

Chiharu did not give him answer. She left her sword to respond. ‘He’s changed his stance, but I can still get an opening…I just need to put him down in a single strike!’ Unfortunately, her blade never made it to him. As though replaying recent history, his hand clasped down on her forearm halting her blade centimeters from him.

She felt him going to repeat his previous move, but she fought his attempt. Her body shifted her weight and moved in closer to his space making it difficult to maneuver around her. Chiharu intertwined her legs with his in spite of their vast height and size difference. “I have my reasons for being here. I won’t be surrendering!”

‘She’s still got strength to fight me? How powerful is this girl?’ He danced around Chiharu’s movements trying to improve his position. She forced him to block her kicks no longer satisfied with keeping things even. While she pushed him back a little, their situation largely remained a stalemate. “What reason would you have for being a foreign country?”

Secondary attacks failed to connect with him narrowing her expression. She fought with her emotions to keep them from overflowing out of control as before. Her arm still was tightly held down in spite of her efforts to free herself. “I’m not telling you!”

“You’ve got a stubborn streak,” he commented. His hand pulled on Chiharu’s arm as his managed to improve his position. A slip in the contest by Chiharu finished it off for her. ‘Finally hit her…’ He lifted up Chiharu and cast her aside into the back line of his field.

‘Damnit…’ she muttered to herself, as she recovered. Chiharu re-established her footing, but felt her legs complaining more to her. ‘Is the ground getting worse again?’ Her question remained unanswered as attacks from the old man kept her focused on dodging. ‘They’re even faster than before…I can barely dodge anymore… What’s he doing?’

Chiharu narrowly dodge the last slice through the air with a couple of strains of her hair clipped. The disturbed air brushed against her face. Something about it felt stronger than before. Her eyes widened a little. Something was wrong. ‘He’s still got that lazy know-it-all look, but he’s getting better… What’s with him?’

Leaving behind her questions, Chiharu sprinted for him once more. She felt her last attack gave her a better understanding of him. She struggled with him unlike the first time. ‘I’ll get him this time!’

Fumiko watched the two fight, but felt things were turning worse for Chiharu. Her face turned to confusion in watching her. ‘Why is she moving so slow? I know she’s faster than this… What’s wrong? It’s not just the field…is it?’ Through the fight, Chiharu seemed to be getting progressively slower in Fumiko’s eyes. Before it was hard for Fumiko to even see her, but in her present state, it almost seemed as if she was standing still. ‘…something’s wrong…’

Another attack came for Chiharu at lightning speed. Her reflexes did nothing for her as her body felt oddly sluggish. The balance she maintained before slipped and she tripped into the earth. She coughed on the dirt that sucked into her mouth. ‘What’s wrong with my body?’ Suddenly, Chiharu heard a pounding in her chest like it was a jackhammer on her. She clinched her hand against her feeling short of breath.

Chiharu’s eyes widened not knowing when her body felt so exhausted. ‘It doesn’t make sense. I haven’t been fighting for long… So why am I so…out of breath?! Why does it feel like I can’t stand anymore?!’ She looked up from the ground to see the old man’s feet near her face. He stared down her at still no more attentive than before. His casual attitude annoyed her even more as though he did not see her as a threat.

The man raised his brow a little noting her glare. “You’ve got a good pair of eyes, but you should have finally begun to realize it. Right?”

“What are you talking about?” Chiharu ground her teeth together baring them at him a little. His always-right tone raked down her spine inciting her anger.

He knelt down towards her losing any sense of defense. It became even more apparently that he felt no sense of danger from her. “That all of your precious strength is gone. It’s sapped away.” He looked away towards the horizon. “It’s bothersome fighting at my age. So I just let my opponents tire themselves out with my field. The unstable ground is only a distraction to the real ability of it. It drains away your strength and physical energy until you’re too exhausted to fight anymore.”

The middle-aged man stood up rubbing his neck as though he was tired. He looked down at Chiharu with eyes that for once looked serious. “It’s over for you.”

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

Chiharu’s eyes widened not knowing when her body felt so exhausted. ‘It doesn’t make sense. I haven’t been fighting for long… So why am I so…out of breath?! Why does it feel like I can’t stand anymore?!’ She looked up from the ground to see the old man’s feet near her face. He stared down her at still no more attentive than before. His casual attitude annoyed her even more as though he did not see her as a threat.

The man raised his brow a little noting her glare. “You’ve got a good pair of eyes, but you should have finally begun to realize it. Right?”

“What are you talking about?” Chiharu ground her teeth together baring them at him a little. His always-right tone raked down her spine inciting her anger.

He knelt down towards her losing any sense of defense. It became even more apparently that he felt no sense of danger from her. “That all of your precious strength is gone. It’s sapped away.” He looked away towards the horizon. “It’s bothersome fighting at my age. So I just let my opponents tire themselves out with my field. The unstable ground is only a distraction to the real ability of it. It drains away your strength and physical energy until you’re too exhausted to fight anymore.”

The middle-aged man stood up rubbing his neck as though he was tired. He looked down at Chiharu with eyes that for once looked serious. “It’s over for you.”

Chiharu ground her teeth together at his words. Her mind was clear enough to be aware of her body’s state. ‘Damn, it’s a clever tactic and I didn’t even see it coming…’ She darted her eyes around for ideas. ‘Can’t let all this in end now!’

Fumiko tried to get to her feet, but found them even weaker than before. His field sealed everything for her. However, she did not care. Chiharu was at risk and she needed to do something. ‘I’ve got to protect her!’ Her hands pressed against the slanted surface knocking herself over to her side. Whispered curses escaped her lips as she fought with her body to stand. Her will kept burning.

Chapter 165 – The Weakling

“Don’t really enjoy fighting children, but orders are orders. Not a lot I can do since you’re the ones attacking us.” He reached out for Chiharu, but stopped short. His eyes narrowed a bit seeing the sword in her hand aimed at him. “Your hand is shaking. I imagine the weight of that sword is too much for you.” Resuming his move, he leaned down for Chiharu once more.

The sword dropped out of Chiharu’s hand as he came closer. However, she rolled back out of the way letting her feet kick the hilt of her tanto. Weakness gave it poor aim, but it still flew past the man’s head forcing him back. She panted heavily feeling the weight of her body. Glancing up to check on her attack, she caught sight of a shallow wound on his forehead through his eyebrow. ‘Barely hit…’

Catching the signs of blood, he wiped away the slight trickle. It did not easily stop and slowly worked around and down his face. “Still got spirit, but that won’t be enough. That last move exhausted you.”

“Don’t speak to me like you know me!” spat Chiharu, “I’m no weakling!”

“This is true. For you have taken this long to be collapsed, you’re not weak. But the facts are still the same. You haven’t the strength to fight back.”

Chiharu fought with the ground to keep even the slightly hint of balance, but it still tossed her around. Though worse for her, the word she spoke before echoed through her mind. It did more to break her than even the ground. Her mind failed to stop herself before she finished. It came as a bitter taste.

‘Weakling!’

Retreating a little, the ground rolled around her knocking her on her back. She glared back at the man as he made no action to take her. He acted too casually for her, but in her state, she had few options. Chiharu rolled over letting the ground guide her away from him. It dumped her out of his sight. ‘I need a plan… I can’t let it end like this, not failing…again…’

‘Weakling!’

Sighing softly, he ignored the blood dripping. ‘Can’t keep delaying things, Bakkhos. I’ve wounded her pride enough, just want to wrap this up.’ Bakkhos stepped forward paving out the ground in search of Chiharu’s body. The last place he found her came up empty. “Hmm…” he muttered with his eyes narrowing. He preferred not to doubt his eyes.

His foot turned rotating him around his field. “You can’t disappear from me. The more you move the more remaining energy you drain.” No response came back to him. ‘So she’s stopped replying. She baited pretty easily.’ Taking a moment to think, he stopped moving. Nothing came to him other than the other woman he had to capture.

Bakkhos marched over to Fumiko finding her easily. However, he found no presence of the other. He hoped to find them together somehow evading him, but it did not work. ‘Where’d she go?’

The nothingness concerned him. He searched around again for her, but his field made it difficult to see clearly. ‘Well she’s already weak that the instability isn’t an issue anymore.’ A ripple escaped his feet and flattened out the ground.

Once the field smoothed out, his eyes widened is shock. He turned around quickly trying to keep everything in his view. It still came out the same. Nothing was truly nothing. Only Fumiko remained in sight. ‘What did she do?! She couldn’t have fled that quickly!’ He glanced back at Fumiko. “What’s your friend up?”

Fumiko managed a weak grin for him. “I don’t know, but it looks like your fight isn’t over yet.”

“What can the two of you do?” he remarked. From anyone else, it would have sounded arrogant, but his casual almost carefree tone made it seem like he spoke to friends. “My field’s taken away any strength you have to challenge me. Just come peacefully and it won’t be any harder at your hearing.”

“I doubt we’ll live long enough to see that if we’re captured.”

“What do you mean? You’ve caused us some trouble, but we still send back all foreigners.”

“You’re hunting our friend to kill him. We’ll just be loose ends.”

Bakkhos took a step back from Fumiko. He preferred to think of her over exaggerating the truth of their search, but he could not find it in her eyes. ‘She believes what she’s saying… What part of the picture am I not seeing?’ His fight suddenly became something less important. Leaning down and coming to one knee, he stared directly at Fumiko. He narrowed his eyes piercing into Fumiko to read everything she said. “I’ve heard no orders to kill anyone. Only capture.”

Their proximity unnerved Fumiko a little. She preferred not to be so close to their enemy, even if he hardly acted like one. “I’m not surprised someone like you hasn’t heard about it. I doubt anyone out here has. The fact still remains that your government wants my friend dead. We won’t allow that to happen.”


Familiar blackness surrounded everything in sight. When it arrived was still an unknown, but it was a welcome friend. The only friend needed.

Chiharu did not know when or how she slipped into shadow. ‘I couldn’t find any large enough to use or stable enough with the field. What happened to me?’ She had been waiting for the chance to make a move wanting to escape the power of the field, but the opportunity always was too far away. The field created shadows, but it moved too fast on her. Moreover, her body did not work with her.

She tightened her hand trying to get a feel for her body. The negative effects the man’s field left everything in her body off balance. It made her own body feel foreign to her. She detested such foul play. ‘It might be clever, but there’s no skill or strategy in such methods.’

‘As an assassin, a ninja, there’s no room for pride in skill, our pride, honor, comes from the completion of our mission. Any method regardless of trick or deceit if it completes the mission can’t be discarded,’ echoed her grandfather’s words. He reminded her countless times of her stubbornness on wanting a straight fight. It was something that never completely sank into her.

Aging from a child to a teenager gave her clarity on his words, but she still had difficulty following them. ‘I know, but it’s not so easy. How can I lead my men if I can’t show confidence in my ability to defeat my opponent? Who follows someone that can only win through tricks?’ She knew that her men followed her orders, but how much of it was because she was the head. It always spun around her in mind. She had to prove it to them. Yet every time she had a chance she failed. She only showed them a failure. A miserable taste always filled her mouth.

Her grandfather commanded respect from everyone and fought on even with the diminished rank of their family. It never stopped him. ‘Chiharu you’ll be the head of the family one day. Always hold your head up high and never turn away. Even when you’re at your worst never show anything but confidence in your stance. The moment you falter is the moment you lose everything.’

‘…yes, Grandfather…’

‘Even if you’re dragged through the dirt, covered in blood, beaten and bruised, never forget that you’re a Chinen. A Chinen never crumbles or collapses. Always get back up and never show weakness.’


‘…I remember…’ Chiharu pulled herself back up on her feet. Strength returned to her body. ‘…the reason I came here…the reason I must keep moving forward…’ Determination filled into all of the corner of her face running out the doubt that made home before.

‘Any method regardless of trick or deceit if it completes the mission can’t be discarded.’

‘I know…’ Reaching down, several kunai dropped into Chiharu’s hand. Trading all but one to her other hand, she lifted her arm up preparing to throw. ‘Even trickery, I must…if I’m to win…’


Fumiko’s words troubled Bakkhos. They left him silent in contemplation. His eyes read her as deeply as one could, but he found nothing inside her. She spoke the truth, as she believed it to him. ‘The council? Is that who she’s talking about? But why? Is there really something we aren’t aware of?’ Darker images conjured up in his mind from her words. He did not like the implications. However, he still did not know enough to trust her words.

Bakkhos leaned in a little more trying to exercise his position to his advantage. She was a foreigner in their land and stranger. He could not trust things blindly. ‘Even a lie to an ignorant person can be spoken as the truth.’ His expression made it clear to her he wanted no tricks or skirting of the truth. “Who’s this friend? What is their importan—“

He never had a chance to finish his words as he felt a pain in his shoulder. ‘What struck me?!’ His head tilted over his shoulder in the direction of the attack. Nothing came in his sight. ‘Is it that child?’ Pausing to investigate his wound, he carefully used his good arm to pull the kunai free. Once he saw the kunai in his hand, he immediately recognized it. ‘It’s her.’

The conversation ended with him standing and the field turning back to the unpredictable shaking. He tossed aside the kunai to focus on his pressing concern. ‘Where is she hiding? The direction had to put her…’ Bakkhos tracked the line back to where he felt she should be. The area was still a general search radius, but it put him where he felt she should be.

Another sharp pain stabbed him from the back. His other shoulder held a new kunai. He spun around quickly trying to get a lock on the girl. ‘Are my eyes playing tricks on me? Why can’t I find her?’ Bakkhos walked forward cautiously trying to get a beat on Chiharu. He suddenly felt like he was fighting a phantom rather than a child. ‘There’s definitely a different feeling to this fight than before…’

Before he had a chance to do anything more, two more kunai came from nowhere and embedded themselves into his thighs. It was enough to drop him to one knee. He ripped out of the blades and cast them aside. ‘This is becoming troublesome.’ Swiping through the air roughly, nearly a dozen blades slashed through the thick night air. ‘My shoulders are slowing me down…’

The test strike found nothing. Dust clouds coughed up from the ground from the attacks painting the borders of his field in a veil. He narrowed his eyes reading out for any movement. ‘She’s here somewhere…’

Dust suddenly parted in bursting speed trailing off a black figure. Bakkhos only had seconds to react running out cuts. Blood sprayed from new wounds, but it did nothing to halt their advance. A flying knee plunged into his chest knocking him off his feet and depositing his body several meters away.

Chiharu came to a soft landing. She stood up ignoring the bleeding from her wounds. ‘Sorry, Grandfather, but I still need to prove this to myself…before I can follow you…’

Out of the dust cloud rose the old Atlantean. Bakkhos coughed a little feeling the impact still in his chest. His hand rubbed his trench coat that gave him protection. ‘It doesn’t work well against cutting edges, but blunt attacks…without I doubt I’d still be standing…’ Glancing over the field, he caught sight of Chiharu staring back at him. Her face was as clear to him as if he stood in only centimeters from her. ‘She’s got her fight back. She looks even more determined than before…so troublesome…’

Lifting up her hands, Chiharu committed to a fighting stance. She felt the years of training passed down through her as part of the Chinen Clan coursing through her. It was all she needed to deal with her opponent. ‘This is as far as I’ll go with tricks. The rest of this is only me!’

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

Dust suddenly parted in bursting speed trailing off a black figure. Bakkhos only had seconds to react running out cuts. Blood sprayed from new wounds, but it did nothing to halt their advance. A flying knee plunged into his chest knocking him off his feet and depositing his body several meters away.

Chiharu came to a soft landing. She stood up ignoring the bleeding from her wounds. ‘Sorry, Grandfather, but I still need to prove this to myself…before I can follow you…’

Out of the dust cloud rose the old Atlantean. Bakkhos coughed a little feeling the impact still in his chest. His hand rubbed his trench coat that gave him protection. ‘It doesn’t work well against cutting edges, but blunt attacks…without I doubt I’d still be standing…’ Glancing over the field, he caught sight of Chiharu staring back at him. Her face was as clear to him as if he stood in only centimeters from her. ‘She’s got her fight back. She looks even more determined than before…so troublesome…’

Lifting up her hands, Chiharu committed to a fighting stance. She felt the years of training passed down through her as part of the Chinen Clan coursing through her. It was all she needed to deal with her opponent. ‘This is as far as I’ll go with tricks. The rest of this is only me!’

Bakkhos dusted off his coat starting a slow march back to Chiharu. He felt the slowness in his body from the attacks she made on him. His coat gave him protection from much of it, but he still had to deal with the force. ‘I’ve never met anyone with the strength to lift someone off the ground and knock them back, especially with the size difference. They really are a different sort…’ Checking on her position, unchanged, he examined her stance. ‘Already got back that much strength, their bodies have remarkable recovery, very troublesome indeed…’

‘I have some of my strength back… The time outside his field helped me, but still…’ Chiharu noted the fact that his field already surrounded her. As he closed, it only felt stronger the draining effects it had on her. Her feet balanced carefully on the changing ground to keep her defense up. ‘I’ve got a better understanding of him this time…’ A shift in her foot indicated her intention to act.

The intent did not slip past Bakkhos careful eyes. He did not want to deal with her again. “You’ve got your spirit back, but we’ve done this before al—“ A sharp fist cut him off with his reflexes barely dodging it. After Chiharu’s cleared him, he took a few steps back. “That’s rude of—“ Chiharu cut him off again with a kick, which actually connected loosely. He slid back already knowing he acted too late. ‘I guess my old tricks won’t work anymore…’

Chiharu quickly moved in on Bakkhos before he had another chance to start talking. She had to keep to her strategy. Time factored into it so much that wasted seconds were crippling for her. ‘There’s a lot more at work with him than I originally gave him credit for…’ They kept moving about with Chiharu only managing narrow hits. ‘His strategy is to keep me distracted and off balance both with his words and his unstable field.’

Their fight intensified with Chiharu making quicker strikes against Bakkhos, but the physically draining effects of his field started to show their signs again. She began to miss him by larger margins, even trying to adapt to the changes only bore small fruit. ‘I was so caught up by everything that I didn’t even notice. I underestimated his ability letting him dictate pace.’ Even with his injures, Bakkhos kept from serious harm, while also never countering Chiharu. He allowed her to remain offensive. ‘ I thought with my physical attributes I didn’t have anything to be concerned with against him.’

Watching the fight, Bakkhos felt some respect for the talent he witnessed, troublesome as it was for him. ‘Her adaptability is surprising, she’s already almost completely used to the ground changes.’ He blocked an incoming fist feeling the weight of it through his back. ‘Against a normal human, my field leaves them completely full of openings, but it mostly unnecessary.’ His eyes kept watch on Chiharu’s footwork to keep his distance at a perfect separation for his comfort. ‘In fights with others like me, it’s nearly pointless as their field neutralizes it. This is the first time I’ve actually had a fight like this…’

‘I still have a lot to learn,’ Chiharu commented to herself. It was a fact she already knew, but something the fight reinforced for her. She needed better control to succeed her Grandfather.

Chapter 166 – Fighting for One’s Self

Fumiko managed to leave the range of Bakkhos’ field, in part thanks to Chiharu’s fighting. It was subtle, but she could feel the restored magic in her body along with her physical fatigue fading. Unfortunately, her fight with Stamatia already left her drained from the start. She was hardly in a position to help Chiharu.

Watching Chiharu fight made Fumiko realize she had never seen her in a fight before. She did not know how she fought, but felt something strange from the fight. ‘Why is she holding from using her other power?’ Fumiko remembered seeing her use it when arguing with Seiji a couple of times, when everyone else missed it. With Seiji, Chiharu was definitely physically involved, relying less on the rest of her abilities. ‘I just figured it was best she didn’t take him seriously, but is there something else I didn’t see before?’

So much of Chiharu remained a mystery to Fumiko. She often felt she knew her better than the rest of the group, but only because she watched her and kept an eye on her. ‘She hides everything underneath that mask of hers…always so difficult to read…’ Fumiko only made progress in understanding Chiharu through her interactions with others. Alone, she saw nothing.

Her fight revealed another new side to her. ‘She looks so determined…determined to fight her own way on her own terms… What exactly is she is fighting against?’ Fumiko’s recovery restored her eyes ability to follow all of the movements of the fight. Lowered down to a mere human before, her body had neither the reflexes or focus to see much more than a blur. Yet, she could watch every move that Chiharu made in the fight now. She could see the look in her eyes. ‘She’s not looking at him… Her gaze is going past him, looking beyond…seeing something else… Her goal is further ahead…’

Seconds piled up into minutes for the fight. Fumiko assumed that Chiharu had to be slowing down. The field played against her. It left her open and weak. However, it was not what Fumiko saw. ‘Is she actually moving faster?! She’s driving him back!’

Bakkhos slid back again unable to deflect Chiharu’s attack. His defense saved him from something worse, but the impact still rippled through him. The strength she still held inside surprised him. ‘She should be getting weaker the longer I’m dragging out the fight, but it doesn’t feel like it… I can’t keep up with her pace…and my field isn’t working fast enough anymore…’ It confused him how she kept going. Nothing he could do slowed her down.

Another pound slammed into arms. Even with the resistance of his clothes, it still made it through to his body. He still felt the sting and dull quaking feeling that rattled his bones. His body was spared the crushing force, but it still left a mark on him. ‘So troublesome…I might not last long enough to see her drop from fatigue again…’ Bruises and hairline fractures covered his arms. His wounds groaned to him every time he made any movement that he ignored.

Chiharu slid around Bakkhos making use of her legs to add to the strength of hits. ‘All he’s doing is defense, like before… I’m connecting, but at this rate…’ She managed to slip in her punch between his defense, scoring a solid hit on his chest. It knocked him back a step, but in breaking through his defense, he weakened her force. ‘Always like this…Why is he so passive when fighting?’

‘She’s adapting quickly…pressing me back…’ Preferring a break, he was sharply denied anything more than his usual defense. A crumbling defense and weakening body were facts he knew too well. ‘I’m out of options now…so troublesome…’ Slightly shifting his weight, he intercepted the kick meant to destroy his defenses completely. ‘Guess I’ve got no choice anymore…win or lose…this has to end…’

A flicker went off in Chiharu’s eye as she realized what he was doing. ‘He’s switching! This is the moment I’ve waited for!’ Her features narrowed reading his hand movements. Her leg still held by Bakkhos slowed her action as an invisible blade released from his fingertip in an unavoidable trajectory. Chiharu’s eyes widened in the moment before blood sprayed into the air.

“Chiharu!” shouted Fumiko, starting her legs moving.

Bakkhos sighed for a second. ‘It’s over…’ However, a sharp pain struck him in his back knocking him off balance. His left foot slammed into the ground to recover himself. Yet his eyes widened a bit in surprise to see the image of Chiharu fade from in front of him. ‘Can’t be…’ He turned around and found Chiharu standing before him.

Releasing a snap of his hand, a blade slashed out at Chiharu cutting through her arm. However, the image faded away and another strike crippled him. He could not keep his balance anymore as the blow cracked his ribs. Bakkhos fell forward with a cough of dust billowing out from his body. The field disappeared into the flat surface it used to be, a clear sign. ‘…troublesome ones, Captain…’

Chiharu walked away from Bakkhos’ unconscious body holding a hand on her shoulder. The blood from the first strike was real. She could not evade it completely. Her black ninja grab turned a deep red from the soaked blood of Chiharu’s fight. ‘I knew my only chance was when he went on the offensive…but I feel so tired…’

“Chiharu! You’re alright!” Fumiko came running to meet Chiharu putting her arm partially around her. Chiharu did not seem to argue with Fumiko touching her.

A nod came from Chiharu in answer to her question. “But I’m not so injured I need your comfort,” replied Chiharu, when she realized Fumiko was hugging her loosely. She pushed Fumiko awake and took a safe distance.

Grinning a little, Fumiko did not push Chiharu further. “What happened back there? It was all a blur.”

Chiharu glanced back at Bakkhos and recalling the final strikes she made. “I made use of his field to move faster, but when he held me down it slowed my movement. It ended up leaving a little illusion behind, so I used it again.”

Fumiko lifted her hand to her chin thinking about what Chiharu said. “So like an after-image?”

“Why do you sound like the weakling right now?” Chiharu demanded, her eyes flattening out with irritation.

“Well he’s not here to say it, someone had to!” A small laugh came up from Fumiko after she said it. She quickly changed back to a serious tone with another question. “But how did you make use of his field to move faster? It’s so unstable I can’t even stand.”

“I was used to it enough that I made use of the rising and falling to slide with my movements in a more fluid manner. It let me increase my speeds more than my body could at the time due to his field’s effect. The hills are all created from him at his center, so all I could really do with it was rotate around his position to get behind him.”

“I don’t think I can understand that one.” The thought of what she did made Fumiko’s hair a little frizzled. She let it go quickly however, to place her hand on Chiharu’s shoulder. “No matter, you won. So we can get back to finding Yori.”

“Yes…” Chiharu tilted her head back in the direction of Yumi and her brother. They were far away from them. However, something else bothered her. She never had a chance before to ask about it since the old man got in her way. “What happened to your arm?”

Fumiko glanced down at the stump of her upper arm. It still had the odd feeling of being with her even though she knew it was not. The pain long passed and she still was not used to it that she easily forgot about it. “Oh right! This!” She lifted her stump and pointed at it with her other hand. “I lost it in my fight.”

“Against him?” she asked, pointing over at Bakkhos. Chiharu made a slight movement towards him as though hinging on her response for her action.

“No, not him.” Fumiko shook her head thinking about to her fight. The moment she lost the arm and burned it to keep fighting made the end ache. Her hand massaged the course skin burned by her own flame. “I was in a fight before. That’s why he got me so easily. He was able to neutralize my magic.”

“I understand.” Chiharu pulled back returning to facing Fumiko. Thoughts ran through her mind on the new information. ‘Two of them now. We’re going to have to be careful going forward. They know too much about us and with their powers its dangerous knowledge in their hands.’

“We should get out of this area before another one of them shows up, Chiharu!”

“Agreed, where’s the muscle head?”

“Huh? You mean Seiji?” A nod confirmed the question for Fumiko. She had to think about Seiji for a moment. Everything in the fight was a blur and the time before was almost ancient history. Some of the pieces slowly came back to her. She turned around looking at the camp. “Everything’s changed so much. I can’t tell where we came from. I remember the tall woman attacking Seiji and they disappeared.” Fumiko looked around more racking her brain. “I think it was towards the edge of the camp, but I don’t know where that is.”

Chiharu’s eyes slid around taking in the camp and their position. She already had a good idea his direction. “I’ll look for him. I can locate him faster.”

Fumiko stretched for Chiharu to interrupt her before she left without. “Seiji’s strong. He’ll be fine. We need to find Yori first!”

“I’ve already found him. The siblings are together.”

“What? Why didn’t you tell me this?!”

Tilting her head up to meet Fumiko’s tall glance, Chiharu’s flat expression remained unchanged. “Because I hadn’t gotten to telling you yet. I was going to tell you to go to them and get them out of the camp while I search for the muscle head.”

She wanted to say so many things about the frustrating nature of Chiharu, but restrained herself. Fumiko focused on the more important matter. “Where’s Yumi and Yori? Why isn’t she with you?”

“Because I needed to locate the rest of you and get the order to you to leave. But since she sealed, she’ll need your help leaving safely.”

‘Leaving out more details…’ Calming herself down, Fumiko understood Seiji’s position. She scanned the mess of the camp trying to imagine navigating it. “Where do I find them?”

Chiharu lifted her arm pointing off in the direction of Yumi. “I left them there.”

Fumiko shifted a little to get a better look at where Chiharu pointed. She did not know the distance she had to travel or the condition of them. Turning back toward Chiharu, her mouth opened only to be cut off. Chiharu was gone. Scanning the area did no better for her. “Chiharu!” she screamed in frustration to the sky.

Within the black void, Chiharu already went in search of Seiji. She had no time left for Fumiko and her questions. Their time in the camp was over and the longer they trespassed risked even more dangers. ‘My strength still needs time to recover. I won’t be able fight anyone else…he better have dealt with them…’

Miltiades stared intently at the two bodies for minutes on edge. Aside from the cough he heard before he started healing them, they made no further movements. It concerned him that he was too late. ‘Come on…I’m not losing another comrade tonight! Not to them!’

A click of a blade suddenly came from behind Miltiades. The shining polished metal stretched down next to his neck. Behind him, a dark shadow stood over him with his life in their hands. “What do you think you’re doing?”

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

Miltiades stared intently at the two bodies for minutes on edge. Aside from the cough he heard before he started healing them, they made no further movements. It concerned him that he was too late. ‘Come on…I’m not losing another comrade tonight! Not to them!’

A click of a blade suddenly came from behind Miltiades. The shining polished metal stretched down next to his neck. Behind him, a dark shadow stood over him with his life in their hands. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Glancing down at the blade, Miltiades swallowed slowly. He did not expect anyone else to find them. An image of the shadowed figure he saw before trying to kill the two of them appeared in his mind. ‘Is it them? The one from before…they wanted to kill, but why?’

The metal let out another click as it moved closer to his neck. His skin felt the sharp edge of the blade. It felt like it would cut him if he end breathed too heavy. They spoke again to him. “What do you think you’re doing?” The same words, but they spoke with greater intent than before.

Hearing the voice again made his eyes widen for a second. ‘There’s something familiar about them…’ Miltiades ran his brain through everything to try to figure out why the voice seemed familiar to him. Nothing came back to him in the hurried search he made. It did not seem so familiar he knew them, but he heard them before recently. ‘Who is it? Do I risk an attack? Or wait to see who it is?’

He preferred caution in his situation as his eyes stared down at Nerine. Any move he made put her at risk. ‘She needs more time…’ Miltiades raised his hands up to show his intention not to struggle to the stranger. “I’m standing up.” He waited a moment before acting to gauge the response. They did not oppose him. “So who are you?” he asked, keeping his back to them.

The weapon rested on his shoulder with the intent still unchanged. “What were you doing?”

Miltiades refrained from responding immediately. He judged the stranger trying to get a read on his situation. The blade rubbed against his skin as a constant reminder. ‘The blade’s angled down now, a lot…they’re short…’ Their voice still echoed as something he knew he should remember. ‘They sound young almost like a child…a child…’ A soft rattle grazed the edge across his neck. They wanted an answer. “I was healing their injuries.”

“Were you the one that fought them?”

‘Definitely not the one I chased off? Who is it?’ Questions kept piling up for him. He felt he narrowed his options, but he still did not know how spoke to him. His memory failed him. “No, I arrived after it was already settled.”

“I see.”

Silence ran between them for seconds as no more questions came. Miltiades thought that it settled everything and it meant they reached an understanding. The blade disappeared from his shoulder. A sigh of relief came from him. However, it was too soon as pain struck him like lightning in his head. Everything went blurry for him in an instant. ‘My field! Nerine!’

Miltiades collapsed to the ground. His field disappeared as his mind went blank. Darkness consumed his eyes. A stretched out hand reached for Nerine before he dropped it. His body stopped moving.

“Such a pain. But now I don’t have to deal with another fight,” commented Chiharu. She returned her tanto back to her sheath. Her eyes slid down to stare at the unmoving body of Seiji. ‘Doubt the idiot’s dead, but I need to check anyway…’ Chiharu knelt down next to him putting her hand to his neck. After a quick check, she stood up. “Figured as much. You’re too dumb to actually die.” She nudged him with her foot to get him awake, but nothing happened.

Chiharu crossed her arms thinking about the possibilities. The thoughts made her kick him again. It did no better the second time for her. She managed a grunt from him, but it was only reactionary from her foot. He remained still. Sighing softly, she leaned down grabbing his arm to start lifting him up. Her hand slipped and lost him. ‘I used too much of my strength up in the last fight…my strength still isn’t back…I’m not going to be able to carry him…’

Left with the only remaining option, Chiharu started to drag Seiji along the ground. It was slow, but it was her only method until her strength recovered. ‘I’ve got to get him out of here and regroup with the others…’ However, her retreat was not so easy. A steel pole shot up in front of her knocking her free from Seiji as she dodged away. She turned her head back towards the two she left to see the man standing determined to stop her. ‘Damn, thought I knocked him out harder…my strength really is annoying right now…’

Chapter 167 – Falling in the Forest

Miltiades lurched forward still working off the splitting headache he received. His eyelid lowered letting him focus a little. “I remember you now. You’re the one from before.”

“I know you can’t understand me, but I think my intention should be clear. Retreat now.” Chiharu stood on the very same pole as Miltiades, her back to his. Barely enough room for air to pass through was all the gap she gave.

He felt a cold chill down his neck, the likes which only his Captain and drill instructor managed to instill. His eyes did not dare to turn or his head to confirm what he already knew. All stared forward where he knew the two to be, at least he thought. ‘So fast! I didn’t even see the movement! What laws are they using?!’

He understood why her voice was familiar, but he could not place it. ‘I’m not used to hearing her in Atlantean, I heard her speak in a foreign language before…if I realized it sooner…’ A silent curse muttered under his breath. She let him retreat the last they met, but the impression she left on him lingered. He spent his hours resting trying to understand her.

Chiharu narrowed her eyes to adjust to the new situation. ‘I can’t deal with another fight…’ She took a firm stance to cover up her weaknesses. “If you remember me, you already know how this will turn out. I’ve no interest in repeating past events.” After her statement, she moved to pick up Seiji. Another pole erupted between them forcing her back. Her eyes slid around towards Miltiades.

“I was exhausted from the other fight last time. It’s different this time. You don’ t know how it’ll turn out.” A ripple expanded from his feet bringing his field out in full. No longer held back, a dozen poles ripped out of the ground.

Continuing her bluff, Chiharu walked around next to Seiji. “You’ve already seen how fast I am. I can end this in a second if I wanted. This is pointless.”

Leaping up to a rising pole, Miltiades moved himself out of her reach. He crossed his arms and looked down at her. “If you could, you would have already. But I don’t think you have it in you. If you had, you would have carried him off already as I saw you do before. No, you’re weaker right now.”

Chiharu ground her teeth as her plan failed. ‘He’s not buying it and I haven’t nearly recovered enough, not that I have a choice…’ She glanced over at Seiji taking a final consideration of her situation. ‘One last bluff…if it doesn’t work I’m going to have to fight…’ A hand stretched out for Seiji and a pole came out in response, as she expected. She swiftly dodged around and reached the opposite side of Seiji to haul him up to her shoulder. “I’m not so weak as you think. Best not to underestimate me, lest you wish to suffer for it.”

A bit of sweat began to form along his neck making him uncomfortable. He felt his confidence slip a little, but he already started. ‘I won’t let them run free!’ Miltiades jumped over closer to Chiharu keeping to his poles. “You can try to escape, but I’ll stop you each time.”

“Tch!” Her last chance to escape evaporated quickly. Glancing around, she measured up Miltiades’ field. She was going to have deal with him directly. However, she felt a little better about the fight, as she knew what to expect from him. ‘I’ve seen enough from his fight with the idiot…at least I won’t get any surprises…’ Still carrying Seiji with her, Chiharu made a run for the edge of his field.

“Still trying to flee?” Several of the steel poles burst from the ground aimed directly at the weighed down Chiharu. In her condition, she could not avoid a direct hit. Chiharu made a good effort evading the two first, but it only put her into position to be knocked over by the third and then the fourth scored a solid hit. A fifth took Seiji out of her hands sending far out of the range of the field.

The aftermath of the attack left Chiharu on the ground amongst the rubble of his field and a small cloud of dust spread thin around her. “It was a bad idea to try to flee with him. Now I have you cornered.” Several more poles rose to cut off her path.

Unaffected by the imposing heights, Chiharu stood up and turned around to face Miltiades. “On the contrary, you actually helped me.” Chiharu jumped up kicking off from the poles to get her height to match with the upper canopy.

Chiharu’s effortless work annoyed Miltiades. He knew her to be more skilled than Seiji, but she did not look as weak. ‘What’s with her? She wasn’t moving that easily before!’ Miltiades removed a few of the poles between them as a precaution. “What are you talking about helping you?”

“You got the idiot out of the area. Something I was planning to do, but you made it easier. All I had to do was line it up while you thought you had me off guard.”

His eyes widened a little as her explanation soaked in for him. ‘She planned all of that?! Even letting herself be hit?’

“It’s much easier to do with someone so straightforward,” added Chiharu, as she leapt forward to the next pole. It disappeared from underneath her, but she was already moving keeping pace with him. ‘I don’t understand it, but it feels like my body’s responding better now…’ She released a small thin grin while she moved on.

Lowering and striking out with his poles made no progress against Chiharu. She read all of his moves so easily. As she closed in reach of him, he jumped away and removed everything in range of her. With nothing to hold, he forced Chiharu to fall. He used the opening to his advantage. More than a dozen poles came up for her launching a staggered attack on Chiharu. It buried her in steel out of his sight. ‘Did I get a hit?’

The answer came soon as a shadowed figure stood up on the angled pole. Chiharu looked unharmed and a little bored. “If this is all you got, I’m leaving. I only stayed around to see if you’re worth my time.”

Shock disappeared from Miltiades’ face quickly as anger bubbled through the cracks. ‘Underestimating me… You’re going to regret that…’ Poles behind him started to fade away.

Chiharu narrowed the features in her face reading a change. She felt the winds shift and warn her of something coming. It made her curious. ‘Looks like I got him riled up…this should be interesting…’

Suddenly, the surface altered with Chiharu’s boots no longer getting any grip. She slid down unable to get any traction. If it ended there for Chiharu, it would not have felt as dangerous. It surprised her a little, but not as much as what came next.

Breaking free, a pole rammed at Chiharu from a near horizontal angle. The angle seemed impossible with what she observed from him that it caught her off guard. Her reflexes saved her, but it blew only a centimeter over her head nearly taking off her nose. ‘That was close!’ She narrowed her eyes staring at the pole above her. Turning destroyed any controlled balance she had on the frictionless surface knocking her on her back to keep sliding.

The assault did not end. She caught sight of another pole screaming at her at a horizontal angle in a new direction. Chiharu sprung off the pole and flipped through the air backward to escape the threat, but her eyes found another even closer to her. It whizzed over her cheek as she awkwardly turned her course in the air. She felt her skin get a little warm. ‘He’s getting faster with his attacks…it’s becoming more difficult to dodge…’ Her thoughts ceased as two more came in only seconds after at horizontal lines of attack again.

She nearly lost her head in the last two as she wedged between them. Chiharu dropped down to a pole below her that kept moving after its failed attack. She spun around to the bottom letting her legs take hold and speed her away from the attack zone. ‘Something’s wrong…’ Suspicions rose in her mind only to die sharply.

A heavy force crashed into her stomach ripping her free from the pole. The force sent her plummeting to the ground. She slammed into the ground carving out a crater in the earth and coughing up a cloud around her.

Out of the cloud, a solitary pole surfaced connected above. However, it was not alone for long. More than twenty poles charged in from above pounding into the ground with no mercy. The clouds surrounding Chiharu grew thicker. Only the quaking of the pained earth made it out of the scraping metal.

Miltiades leapt around to get a clearer view of the site. He could not see anything, but did not feel like waiting for the cloud to disperse. Another round of attacks went in to make sure he finished his target. “It’s all over! You didn’t stand any chance against when I get serious!”

Wind blew away the clouds covering up the area around Chiharu. The mass of metal covered up almost everything. However, near the edges of the earth some blood marked the only sign remaining of Chiharu.

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

A heavy force crashed into her stomach ripping her free from the pole. The force sent her plummeting to the ground. She slammed into the ground carving out a crater in the earth and coughing up a cloud around her.

Out of the cloud, a solitary pole surfaced connected above. However, it was not alone for long. More than twenty poles charged in from above pounding into the ground with no mercy. The clouds surrounding Chiharu grew thicker. Only the quaking of the pained earth made it out of the scraping metal.

Miltiades leapt around to get a clearer view of the site. He could not see anything, but did not feel like waiting for the cloud to disperse. Another round of attacks went in to make sure he finished his target. “It’s all over! You didn’t stand any chance against when I get serious!”

Wind blew away the clouds covering up the area around Chiharu. The mass of metal covered up almost everything. However, near the edges of the earth some blood marked the only sign remaining of Chiharu.

‘That should be more than enough, unless she’s like the other one. But they don’t seem to be identical in abilities…’ A motion from his hand pulled back the columns of steel. Sparks and groaning from the metal sounded off as they cleared away from the impact crater. Small chunks of earth fell away echoing the relative silence.

Miltiades leaned over his perch to get a look at Chiharu. The clouds of dirt still hung around the crater keeping him from seeing clearly. He did not expect any movement from her. ‘She seemed tired from something. I doubt she had much in her…’ However, when the wind blew away the cover the crater was empty. ‘Can’t be!’

He saw blood on the ground, as sign of her presence, but she was nowhere to be seen in the crater. ‘How?!’ His eyes searched the crater for any signs of escape. Nothing turned up. Nowhere in the area held any signs of her. ‘It’s like she disappeared!’ Miltiades suddenly remembered how quickly she moved from their last encounter. She always appeared behind him. He turned around with an unsettlingly feeling in his stomach.

Chiharu’s blood soaked face stared back at him. A strong fierce look came from her eyes. “Took you long enough…” Her eyes narrowed suddenly in reflection of her next action. Sharply landing her fist deep in his chest, Miltiades fell from his spot and sped down to the ground.

Grinding his teeth together, Miltiades quickly felt the wind blowing around him. His fall whipped his hair around the sides of his face. The surprise of Chiharu left him out of control for seconds with the ground quickly coming up to meet him. ‘I’m falling…how did it happen?’ His mind snapped back. A pole jumped up next to him. Miltiades reached out with his hand slowing in his fall and flipping around to correct his position.

He touched his chest where Chiharu hit him. ‘How long as has it been?’ It was one of the few times anyone actually touched him. The nature of his powers made it difficult for anyone to even reach him. Only those of significantly greater power or skill defeated him in the past. ‘I can’t let that repeat!’

Chapter 168 – Tearing Down the Forest

Quietly, Chiharu watched Miltiades recover from her attack. She knew the one punch was not enough to end the fight. ‘They all seem to come with clothes that dampen or negate physical impacts. In my state, my punches aren’t even back to when I was fighting the old man. Speed is the only thing I’ve got going for me right now…’

Unfortunately, her speed proved not to be enough as well. The surprise attack from Miltiades took her off guard and completely open. It drained her body of more than just blood, but the energy to keep going. Battle fatigue fell around her even faster than normal as though never truly gone. She knew well enough her body still struggled to recover from her last fight and she only pushed herself further to keep in the fight with Miltiades.

She tightened her hands into fists to try to keep herself strong. Her mind ignored the pain that ripped through her chest and back from the last attack. ‘I managed to escape the full attack slipping into the shadows, but I still took the first hit head on…’ The fresh blood on her started to dry, staining her features. It gave her a fiercer expression.

Miltiades brought up several more poles around them. These went much higher than normal, as though not intended to be reached. He fixed glares with Chiharu working to harden himself for the rest of the fight to come. ‘She’s already pushed me this far… I might have to actually do that to win…’ His muscled tensed up thinking about the option. ‘lt’s a last resort, I have to win without it…if possible…’

‘I need to finish this quickly…a dragged out fight will only disadvantage me…he’s the patient type, always conserving himself…’ Her hand patted her thigh feeling the kunai resting. The supply of them were already limited and she lost one in her last fight. ‘My ranged attacks can only create the openings I need…’ The thought came out more like an order than a judgment.

Chiharu took in her surroundings to gauge her next move. Memories of the last attack already worked into her plans. She could not afford to have another mistake. “So you ready?”

“You’re being oddly polite considering your situation.”

“I’ve no interest in cheap tricks or easy victories.”

“You remind me of that other guy I fought.”

His reply made her eyebrow twitch. “We’re nothing alike,” she snapped back.

A bit of curiosity raised Miltiades’ brow. “Seems a touched a nerve,” he tested.

“If all you’re going to do is talk nonsense, I’m going attack.” A kunai slid into Chiharu’s hand as she prepared to leap towards him.

Miltiades narrowed his features sensing the intent from Chiharu. He did not doubt her plan to attack, but he was ready for her as well. Everything was in place for him.

Chiharu leapt off the pole, a signal for both that the fight continued. Expecting an immediate attack, Chiharu dodged out of the way of an incoming pole. Her last round prepared her for the speed and reaction time. Several more slammed in at Chiharu from different sides and angles. She easily slid around them and kept ahead. ‘This speed is too much for a human mind, it’s reacting to my movements without feedback from him…’ The look in Chiharu eyes changed a bit as she confirmed her theory. ‘I can make use of this…’

‘Her reflexes…’ Watching Chiharu’s movements, Miltiades almost felt dizzy. He hardly imagined anyone able to move as well in such conditions. The closer he looked the more he realized that he was forgetting something even more important. ‘She’s moving like the no friction means nothing! She’s already adapted her center of mass and movement to not lose anything?! How is that possible?’ He needed the aid of this gloves and boots to move around his field. The laws were meant to disadvantage his opponents. ‘Who are these people?!’

Weaving through a network of poles, Chiharu kept out of reach. She saw her pathways change into a maze. ‘Almost there…’ Metal slammed in groaning as it sparked up against other pieces of metal. The last pieces fell into place for her. ‘He’s too complacent in his defense…’

It took too long for him to realize what happened until the pieces were already in place. Miltiades felt surprise slip on his face once again. ‘She planned all of that…she cut off my defense!’ His teeth ground together when he saw her coming at him free to attack. She already figured out the weakness. Miltaides leapt down the pole he stood on starting to surf the surface around to keep out of reach of Chiharu.

Chiharu spun around the top of the pole and corrected her course to give chase to him. She jumped around and fell behind as he shot out poles from the surface as obstacles to her. However, even slowed down she still gave chase without missing a beat.

Above Miltiades, he heard an unsettling scraping noise in almost constant tune following after him. It told him of Chiharu’s pursuit. An interrupted note only meant she was held up by his attempts. He had to tilt himself back a little in his slide to coordinate his attacks better. Each attempt kept missing and the noise only continued. ‘What is that sound? It just keeps coming…’

‘His accuracy improved, but they’re still too slow…’ Chiharu jumped down falling a little to increase her speed to catch back up to him. The lack of any friction on the pole made it easy for her to keep a guiding hand while she followed behind him. ‘He’s always just out of reach, though he’s got skill…’

Miltiades suddenly appeared to have stopped, but it only lasted a moment. He shot back up out of reach of Chiharu. The pole started to grow again. Chiharu saw the ground quickly coming up to her. However, it was not the only thing coming up to her. A counterattack by Miltiades waited on her. Dozens of poles shot up at her with branches coming off as she dodged.

Her eyes watched them all and kept ahead, but she could see the difference. ‘He’s controlling theses. There delay between them and they don’t have the same weakness.’ Chiharu realized before the automated poles could not branch more than once. It was part of her plan knowing that all of the attacking poles died after their use with no extra branching attacks from it. They all had to come from the core pole. A limit she used to construct the tunnel that blocked his defense from making any further attacks while she closed for him.

As Miltiades climbed back up to a safe distance, he stopped for a moment staring at the surface of the pole. His finger caught on a rough edge of the pole, one that should always be smooth. ‘So that’s the sound I heard! Then that was what she was doing before to keep her balance! Clever…’ She used the kunai to dig into the pole as a stabilizing point to give her grip and control, not too unlike his gloves, but less refined.

Back atop his metal forest, Miltiades stared down at Chiharu. He removed most of the excess to keep up an attack on her even though he knew the futility of it. The skill and intelligence he witnessed from her proved to him that nothing he currently had would beat her. ‘So it’s come down to this…I hate using it. It’s always so draining, but it should get the job done.’

Suddenly, all of the poles came to a stop. Chiharu landed on top of the pile created from all of the attempts made at her. She glanced around trying to feel out any changes in the field. Nothing seemed to be coming. ‘Is he shifting tactics? He has a theme, so it shouldn’t be anything I can’t handle. However…’

The pause in the action brought her attention back to her body. It silently screamed at her for such reckless behavior. All of the adrenaline her body pumped made it easy to ignore everything, but it no longer seemed to be in effect for her. Only seconds passed, but her body already felt heavy and slow. She questioned if it would keep moving for her when she needed it to the most. ‘I’ve been unable to finish this quickly and it is dragging out longer and longer…I can’t make any head away against him…’ Chiharu stared up the pole Miltiades stood upon trying to think of what she could do. He was no pushover.

Around her, the tall poles rose up even higher. They reach a height that cut them off from sight. The edge of the field was reached vertically. Even more poles rose up from the earth stretching to the sky like those before them. They all kept going until the entire field was dense with steel poles.

Chiharu looked around trying to understand the purpose of the poles. They all were far behind any reach for her or even him. No purpose was served by them exceeding the heights of his field. He could no longer stand on them. Chiharu did not understand his actions.

Even, Miltiades no longer stood atop. He hung from an awkward angle at the center of the forest. No movement came from him either as he just stood on the side of the pole with only one hand keeping him attached.

At her feet, Chiharu realized that the ground of the field was no longer the same junkyard debris. Loose patches of grass with rich earth filled everywhere. Leaves even blanketed parts of the ground. Chiharu felt some change coming. ‘He’s planning something. There’s no doubt anymore…’ She weighed her options in a pre-emptive strikes or waiting.

Her body told her to finish things immediately. It did not want another round. On the other hand, her heart did not care for the idea of a sneak attack when the opponent was disadvantaged. Her mind realized he planned on her waiting for him from their conversation.

She waited.

A new change appeared. All of the poles darkened and turned course. They grew out wider at the base and tapered slowly the higher they reached. Soon, points extruded from the surface all along the pole until they thickened and shot out branches from themselves.

It all happened quickly in a matter of moments. Chiharu did not need much more of a hint to know what was happening. ‘Why is he making trees? How is this going to be more advantageous for him?’ New questions and ideas popped up. Each tried to feed into a strategy, but found too many unknown variables.

She had to wait, longer.

The shapes of the poles filled out more into trees. Branches were jagged and created innumerable branches from the core. Color and definition came to them giving even more to their image as trees. The last things to come were leaves, as they remained bare. However, they were not the sort of trees that Chiharu expected. They were pine trees with thousands of needles covering them.

‘Huh? Pine trees?’ Chiharu allowed herself a little confusion over the type of tree chosen.

Miltiades glanced down at Chiharu, finally finished with the transformation. He had to peel off many of the restrictive layers to reach the state the field existed in for him now. “I don’t show a lot of people this form as it tends to be unnecessary for my work. But this is the true form of my field.”

“True form? This look like a forest.”

“I put specific restrictions on it to make use of it how you’re used to seeing it. This is without all of those.”

“I fail to see how this is useful for you.”

“You’ll understand soon enough.” Miltiades leapt up to a thick branch to stand. He crossed his arms leaning against the trunk of the tree. “I’d suggest a defense. What you’re about to see is the reason I used to be part of the Omega Division!”

“Omega Division? Is that supposed to mean something to me?” Chiharu did not have a chance for an answer as an unnatural sway broke through the forest. All of the trees chattered an eerie tune. Then a wave of green erupted up the branches. Thousands of needles were throw into the air. However, they did not fall or move upward with the motion. The needles floated and began to gather.

Riding a wind, they spun around into a long snake. Suddenly, they all shot out in a stream aimed directly at Chiharu. She dodged their first attempt. The ground was stung by hundreds of needles embedded half into the ground with such force that they did not snap. The remaining stream continued after Chiharu in chase.

‘Too many…’ She drew out her tanto to intercept the next wave. Only one swing made it before the force knocked her sword from her hand. Surprised and unarmed, the swarm rained down on Chiharu pinning her to the ground.

Blood dripped from the countless piercings on her body, as she lay prone and helpless. Miltiades kept his eyes on her the entire time. Sweat dripped down his cheek, but a grin still came across his face. “You maybe fast, but you can’t dodge tens of thousands razor sharp needles. Enough minor wounds will add up until you’re unable to move. This will be your end!”

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

“Omega Division? Is that supposed to mean something to me?” Chiharu did not have a chance for an answer as an unnatural sway broke through the forest. All of the trees chattered an eerie tune. Then a wave of green erupted up the branches. Thousands of needles were throw into the air. However, they did not fall or move upward with the motion. The needles floated and began to gather.

Riding a wind, they spun around into a long snake. Suddenly, they all shot out in a stream aimed directly at Chiharu. She dodged their first attempt. The ground was stung by hundreds of needles embedded half into the ground with such force that they did not snap. The remaining stream continued after Chiharu in chase.

‘Too many…’ She drew out her tanto to intercept the next wave. Only one swing made it before the force knocked her sword from her hand. Surprised and unarmed, the swarm rained down on Chiharu pinning her to the ground.

Blood dripped from the countless piercings on her body, as she lay prone and helpless. Miltiades kept his eyes on her the entire time. Sweat dripped down his cheek, but a grin still came across his face. “You maybe fast, but you can’t dodge tens of thousands razor sharp needles. Enough minor wounds will add up until you’re unable to move. This will be your end!”

Prone and covered in pain, Chiharu found her body trying to refuse her demands. She slid her eyes over to her arm when it struggled to move for her. ‘Damn! I didn’t expect this…’ Everything narrowed for her. All the small points of pain over her body felt impossible to single out. It all barraged her at once. A single needle would have been nothing to her, but the innumerable cries made it heavy.

Wind brushed over Chiharu’s body leaving her stinging. It drew her away for a moment, long enough to distract her. However, it meant she did not realize the significance of it until it was almost too late. Her eyes snapped open with the sight of the needles coming back around for another assault. Chiharu dipped her hand into the void allowing it to pull at her enough to get her body moving once more.

Needles pinned the ground and a few shot through the loose bits clothes on her arm. Once in motion, Chiharu got her feet running again and she took cover behind a tree out of Miltiades’ sight. ‘Narrowly avoided it.’ She looked back at her hand with the maneuver pulled. ‘I had to expose it out in plain sight. Only seeing it once and partially shouldn’t present too much of a risk. But I can’t let him learn any more about my abilities.’

Chapter 169 – Two Fists

Wiping away some sweat, Miltiades brought the mass of needles around the tree hiding Chiharu. He wanted to end the fight quickly. “Hiding’s not going to do you much good.”

Chiharu’s eyes narrowed and flipped to the sides. She saw the signs already. ‘This isn’t good…I’m moving at his pace now…I can’t win like this…’ Sliding down the tree, she evaded the first bout, though her hair caught a little with cut strains floating away. The rest of the storm already turned around making another pass within moments. Chiharu pushed off from the tree getting her legs back in motion.

Jumping around on the ground, Chiharu tried to keep ahead and use the trees for as much cover as she could. It mostly worked, but she slipped up a few times and took more direct hits. ‘I need a different plan!’ Her hand lowered to her kunai and retrieved two to her hand. It was the only spare time she had. ‘This’ll have to work!’

She barely dodged the attack, feeling needles graze past her. Chiharu launched herself into the air. The bare trees granted an easy branch to land on. It did not change what chased her. Needles still came after her, not that she expected it to be more difficult. Her hand tightened around the handle of the kunai as she jumped to the next branch. She glanced to the corner of her confirming Miltiades’ position. ‘He hasn’t moved yet. Passive as always.’ Things had to change, she knew. Defense had to turn to offense.

Avoiding the next attack nearly tripped her as the needles embedded in her leg. ‘I’m slowing down…must do it now! No time…’ Chiharu turned her direction shifting to Miltiades’ tree. She pulled her arm back already ready. A moment later her hand released the two kunai from their hold aimed for Miltiades.

Miltiades caught sight of her plan. He quickly redirected his needles back around for defense. A hailstorm of needles sprayed over the course of the kunai. Needles pierced the hardened metal putting small holes in them. The force was enough to change their direction leaving them to pass him. He glanced in the direction of where they went to disappear in his forest. “That’s not going to work on me.” Miltiades looked back in search of Chiharu, expecting something more from her, but she was not in sight.

The forest was empty. He moved the needles around searching for her, but they came back with nothing. Any attempt he made to flush her out turned up empty. ‘Disappeared? Did she give up and leave?’ He let out a sigh returning the needles back to the tree. Sweat dripped down his chin. ‘I doubt she’s gone… She out there somewhere…’

He blinked trying to ignore the fatigue. The release lightened the weight on him. Miltiades jumped out to the next tree.

It was a hunt.

He hated the word. ‘I thought I didn’t have to do this anymore.’ Such a word held only one meaning for most, but it had other meanings for Miltiades. In truth, he knew it was all the same. However, he preferred to divide it into different meanings, personal meanings. Personal meanings created after he made the decision.

Heavy breathing whispered through the darkness. A sour taste of fear leaked between branches. Pleads went unanswered. The same inevitable conclusion came each time, no escape.

It was always the same. It played out the same way. It never changed. It was his life. Cast in a darkness worn as a cloak. The only clothes he knew. They made him ache.

“Good job, Miltiades!” replied a voice, with a firm pat on the shoulder. “They’ll probably promote you soon with the success record you have for captures. How many does this make?”

Miltiades’ dead face looked back at the older man. The man was only a few years older than him, but still treated him friendly enough. It was an odd behavior, he discovered. “Fourteen.” No one did anything in the Omega Division without a motive and no one used them without one as well.

“Fourteen, damn! Your first year here and that many already.” The man grinned a little appearing proud of his achievement. He was Miltiades’ senior and mentor within the organization. His name was Iordanes, a man who seemed to have no ambition other than to push others up. A strange man made out of place. “I thought it was a little odd sending someone so new to retrieve emerged ones, but you have a talent for it. I’m sure you’ll be receiving higher ranked missions soon enough.”

“Thank you, sir,” replied Miltiades. There was no warmth in his voice. His answer came as reflex. It barely seemed as though he was alive.

Iordanes patted Miltiades once more before starting to depart. He paused looked back at him with his eyes narrowed a little. “You’ve done me proud. You’re the best junior anyone could ask for. Be proud.”

Miltiades remained silent, but a little light returned to his eyes. He walked off into the halls of the Omega Division. Small words were the only thing he found he could live for. The reality was nothing like he dreamed. He thought he found a great honor in his selection for the Omega Division, but only kept finding it not to be like what he envisioned.

The halls of the Omega Division were always crowded and tight, even on inactive days. People gathered around trying to get the last scoop. “Rumors say a request came in from the Scylla family.”

“Scylla!? That’s huge if it is true.”

“I’ve already got my junior investigating.”

“What already? Damn you, how’d you hear about it?”

“I have my ways.”

“We’ll see about that. You’re not the only one that wants the connections the Scylla family holds.”

Miltiades continued on ignoring the conversation further. He wanted nothing to do with the politics. It was the part of the Omega Division he hated more than anything else. Everyone used everyone else for their own needs. ‘There’s nowhere else for me…I just have to keep down and not do anything…this is my life…’ He repeated such words on a daily basis to convince himself.

It worked for him, for a while. However, it all changed eventually. Another mission came to him, but not like the others. Iordanes told him his years of service paid off. He received a higher ranked mission made available and Iordanes selected him for it.

The mission was unlike the ones he was used to in the past. He received a file with the details, but was told not to read them until at the mission location. It took him into the capital underground. A place most avoided due to the poverty and danger.

Miltiades held the sealed file in his hands. An unsettling feeling still hung in his stomach from the moment he accepted the mission. He did not know why, but it already too late for him to turn away. His thoughts went back to the last words Iordanes gave him.

‘You complete this mission and you’ll seal your position in the Omega Division. This will open many doors for you. This is a very important mission, more than the ones you’ve carried out before. A mistake or failure here will mean more than just a bad mark.’ Iornades never said it, but Miltiades felt as though the situation he was in was far graver than he originally considered. Unfortunately, he was already so deep in he could not back out. It would be failure as well. He heard rumors of what happened to those that failed and he preferred they stayed rumors in his mind.

He opened his field to erase the seal on the file and remove it safely to be read. The uncomfortable dread grew inside him. ‘It’s just a mission. I complete it and then I just go back to accepting regular missions. This isn’t for me.’ Miltiades slid a finger into the file and spread the contents open.

Only two papers and a photo rested inside. A simple mission by appearance he thought. Nothing he should to be concerned over. ‘Another capture mission, huh?’ He saw the photo and quickly made the leap. ‘Must be someone powerful if he talked me up that much. What’s the intel…’ Miltiades found most of it be as he expected, but he found something that disturbed him. His eyes widened and the air in his lungs escaped leaving him almost gasping.

His fingers tightened around the file wrinkling the paper. He could not believe it. Reading it ten times changed nothing in the contents. ‘This can’t be right! How can this be? Did he know the mission?’ The grave look from Iordanes told him he understood. He sent him on the mission knowing. ‘He expects me to do this?! Why? I can’t…’

‘A mistake or failure here will mean more than just a bad mark.’

Miltiades fell back against a column. Every part of him was shaking. He remembered how Iordanes looked when he spoke to him. ‘It was a warning! If I don’t this is…if I don’t…’ A weight crushed his shoulders dropping him to the hard stone street. His mind kept going over it all in his mind repeatedly.

Escape was not possible.

He returned to Iordanes with a face even more dead than usual. Miltiades handed over the file and started to leave. A question stopped him. “The mission?”

“Complete,” Miltiades answered, unable to turn around.

“Very good. You did well. I’m proud of you.”

The words sounded empty to him for the first time. Miltiades glanced over his shoulder back at Iordanes. He saw a different expression in his eyes that he never noticed before. A dark aura seemed to completely envelop him. It suited him, somehow. “Thank you, sir.” He turned away and left his office. ‘How did I never see it before?’

Reality surfaced for Miltiades quickly to confirm his suspensions. Iornades received a big promotion from the mission Miltiades completed. A mission of death executed by his hand for a reason he did not even understand. He just followed orders and Iornades advanced. Iornades always advanced, linked with Miltiades successes.

Miltiades made his decision shortly after he learned the outcome. He stood before Iornades again. “I request a transfer to the Barrier Division.”

Iornades’ eyebrows lifted a little at the strange request. “Why? You’ve just started to make it here.”

“I haven’t done my tour of duty that is tradition. I skipped it because of my placement in Omega Division. I wish to do my patriotic duty to protect our people.”

A narrowed expression came across his face. “You’re sure? This will set you back and cut off many of the bridges you’ve made in your time.” Miltiades simply nodded to him. “Very well, I can’t convince someone with their heart set.”

As much as Iordanes tried to hide it, Miltiades saw the hints of relief. He acted for his own reasons, but they helped Iordanes as well. He knew Iordanes saw the doubt and conflict in him. Plans were made already Miltiades assumed to deal with him, but Miltiades made his move first. It simplified matters. Miltiades hated the thought it only helped Iordanes more, but he needed to leave.

Miltiades snapped back to reality. He pushed the memories away. What he did now was different from his past. He protected people and his country. A life in obscurity was enough for him. ‘I have to find her. I need to put an end to this fighting. Once this is all over my peaceful life will return.’

Chiharu resurfaced in the shadow realm after her little stunt. Her kunai and his wave of needles gave her all of the distraction needed to use her powers to slip out of sight without him knowing. It gave her time to rethink her strategy. ‘This is going to be difficult. I’m already getting weaker and his new ability…’ Images of the attack washed through her mind looking for weak points.

‘It’s here again…’ She bent over picking up her tanto. It slid back into her sheath. Chiharu discovered another aspect of her power earlier after the last fight. All of her weapons appeared back in the dimension between somehow. They were never lost. ‘This won’t be enough, but to be able to produce so many…he must be getting exhausted as well. If I just hold out…’

An image popped up in her windows distracting her. Her eyes widened a bit and it drew her close. ‘The idiot, what’s he think he’s doing!?’ Chiharu slipped out the closest window to Seiji appearing behind him. She reached out for him to stop him. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Seiji spun back around slapping away Chiharu’s hand. He breathed heavily from the brief act. His eyes had the look of wanting a fight until he realized it was Chiharu. “Oh, the brat…what are…you doing…here?”

Chiharu crossed her arms staring at Seiji. “I asked first. If you think you’re here for a rematch, this is my fight.”

“Huh? Rematch? Fight?” Seiji stared deeply at Chiharu. However, he quickly looked around seeing the forest that surrounded them. “Where the hell…am I?”

“In the middle of my fight.”

“Eh?” He examined Chiharu a little closer in the weak light starting to break through the coming dawn. Needles laid scattered over her body and blood covered most of her. He cocked his eye a little at the sight. “Fight? Looks like you’re losing.”

Her arms tightened a little around her chest. “You’ve got no room to speak given your state and the fact that you lost again.”

Seiji shot out his talisman bandaged arm with his fist closed tightly. “I protected someone…that’s all that matters…”

Chiharu brushed past him, no longer interested. She also realized that Miltiades discovered their position. The leaves chattered again. “Just leave this to me. You’re in no shape to fight.”

He stretched out his hand and grabbed her wrist to stop her. He saw enough to know how she was doing. “You’re no better than me. You can’t keep going in your state.”

Trying to rip her arm free, Chiharu noticed her strength weakening again. She stiffened her stance unwilling to give up. “I know my body. I’ll end this by myself.”

Seiji’s hand tightened around her wrist. He pulled on her dragging her back to face him. His head leaned down to stare at her. “You don’t have to do this alone. When you stand together with those you trust you never lose!”

“Trust?” she questioned, giving him a glare back.

A weak grin popped on Seiji’s face. “Well, we can work on that part. The rest is still true.”

“And what are you suggesting?” Seiji leaned over to Chiharu and whispered his plan to her. The expression on her face changed a couple times in the course of his explanation. After he finished, she pulled back. “That’s stupid.”

“You got another idea?”

Chiharu had no reply for him. The trees lost their needles once more and the green wave swarmed to their direction. She had nothing. They had to act quickly and it was at least a plan. A sigh escaped her lips as she considered it. “…fine…”

A few moments later, they were in position. Seiji tensed up holding Chiharu in his hand looking like he was ready for a human shot put. Chiharu held her tanto in her hand and stared up at the imminent attack. “Don’t tell anyone about this,” she said, with a little red bleeding into her cheeks through the blood.

“Right!” Seiji shouted, with his arm released a moment later. Using all of his strength, he launched Chiharu into the air against Miltiades for their final attack.

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

“And what are you suggesting?” Seiji leaned over to Chiharu and whispered his plan to her. The expression on her face changed a couple times in the course of his explanation. After he finished, she pulled back. “That’s stupid.”

“You got another idea?”

Chiharu had no reply for him. The trees lost their needles once more and the green wave swarmed to their direction. She had nothing. They had to act quickly and it was at least a plan. A sigh escaped her lips as she considered it. “…fine…”

A few moments later, they were in position. Seiji tensed up holding Chiharu in his hand looking like he was ready for a human shot put. Chiharu held her tanto in her hand and stared up at the imminent attack. “Don’t tell anyone about this,” she said, with a little red bleeding into her cheeks through the blood.

“Right!” Seiji shouted, with his arm released a moment later. Using all of his strength, he launched Chiharu into the air against Miltiades for their final attack. The green wave of needles sped at Chiharu with no doubt of a hit. Her arms raised up in front of her crossed as the only defense possible.

His plan was a terrible one that only he could think up. She accepted his idea, but still hated it. There was no strategy involved or skill. It was a plan that suited him. Unfortunately, Chiharu was out of options and knew she needed to end it. ‘A plan that isn’t a plan might be the only thing that will work. It’s not something he would expect from me. Still…’ Playing it out still bothered her. The only idea was about brute force.

A part of her felt the direct approach was almost too easy. She knew the Atlanteans had normal human bodies unlike them. It was only because of their powers that enabled them to compete. Thoughts of weakness always played in her mind and affected her actions, even subconsciously. ‘I can’t let things drag on…has to end…’

Chiharu focused her eyes forward to the coming storm. She braced her body to endure the force coming down on her. The pin-sized holes that lined her body stung in response to the imminent pain. ‘…can’t believe I’m relying on him for this to work…’ Part of the plan required the strength of Seiji to throw Chiharu hard enough not to be affected by the impacts from Miltiades attack. She saw how her kunai reacted and questioned their success.

Gritting her teeth together, the stream closed with Chiharu. The width of the wave was more than enough to completely engulf Chiharu. She disappeared from sight with only mass of needles around her. A metallic ring came from the center as the tanto fell from the swarm.

Miltiades stared on with a thin grimace on his face. He did not know what plan the two of them had, but from fighting them, he learned of their stubborn streak. Until they captured and neutralized them, he did not feel he could feel confident anymore. It all disappeared after fighting with them. ‘I have to remain cautious…’

He could not help but have a bit of surprise when he saw Chiharu appear from the other side of his attack unharmed. “Impossible!” Chiharu did not afford him any more time as she flew towards him. He narrowed his eyes with a glance to his side. “I thought something like this might happen!”

A wave of needles appeared around in front of Miltiades. The new wave was smaller, but remained just as deadly. It shot down at her even faster than the last. Chiharu features sharpened with the thoughts of their plan countered. However, she kept her arm crossed in defense.

The needles roared down onto of Chiharu unrelenting. They tried to stop her and push her down, but she remained on course. Miltiades eyes focused on Chiharu trying to understand her ability. His eyes thinned out when he saw it. ‘A black…circle? It’s swallowing everything…what is that?’ In front of Chiharu’s arms, a loose circle of endless black hovered protecting her from all of the needles. When a needle hit the circle, it disappeared. The void swallowed everything leaving Chiharu safe.

The revelation was enough to throw Miltiades off balance. While he tried to find a new counter, Chiharu cleared the storm and closed the distance. Kunai appeared in her hand. They left her hand quickly to stab his upper arms. The force of them was enough to knock him against the trunk of the tree.

“This is over!” Chiharu closed the rest of the distance with Miltiades. Her fist rose to strike him in the face and put an end to everything. Miltiades could not move. Sweat dropped down his face at the sight of Chiharu less than a meter from him. He closed his eyes.

Chiharu’s punch had the extra force from Seiji’s throw. Thin trails of wind streamed off her fist as it slammed into Miltiades. The trunk of the tree rang out shaking from the force before a crack ripped through the forest. A moment later the upper half of the tree tilted a few degrees before the force tore through the entire trunk. All of the force transferred into the wood shifted it into the open air and left it to fall down to the ground.

Tearing her hand out of the tree a little, Chiharu pulled back to look at Miltiades. “The fight is over now.” She turned away showing him her back and started to the walk the length of the branch.

Miltiades felt his bone still shaking from the force that ran through the tree next to him. He could not stop sweating. She missed him on purpose, but did not hold back. His body understood what she did. The strength disappeared from his legs sliding him down to sit. A painful cough tore through his chest. ‘…I went past my limit…’ He stared at his hand covered in blood. The pain stretched up into his head feeling as though his skull split.

He went dizzy. His eyes almost completely blurred before he forced it to focus. Unfortunately, everything started to crumble around him. He could not keep his concentration any longer. The trees of his field faded away. His world vanished dropping all support for him. Miltiades suddenly felt the wind blowing around his face. ‘I’m falling…how high up was I? Damn it…can’t move…’ He tried to tilt his head to see around him, but his body refused him. Pain encroached and poisoned everything.

It all suddenly stopped.

“Huh?” Miltiades looked up discovering he stopped falling. He became uncomfortable in learning that Seiji caught him. “What are you doing?” As much as he tried, his body refused him. It forced him to remain held, saved by Seiji.

Chapter 170 – Dawn Approach

“The hell! Stop trying to move!” yelled Seiji. The ground came up quickly for him letting his legs take the impact as he slid to a stop. Once he stopped, Seiji put Miltiades down. “Damn, you’re acting ungrateful! Just because we’re on different sides doesn’t mean we can’t help each other!” Seiji glared down at Miltiades with his bandaged hand tightened into a fist.

Chiharu appeared behind Seiji. She dug her hand into her pack behind her to retrieve something. “He can’t understand you, idiot. Without his field, you’re just yelling at him in a foreign language.” She knelt down next to Miltiades staring long at him.

“What?! Then make your thing again so you can understand me!”

A sigh escaped Chiharu’s lips forced to listen to his ranting. “That’s still not going to work.” She revealed a small canister to Miltiades and pointed to the wounds from her kunai. Waiting on a few seconds, Chiharu ripped the two blades free from his arms. Blood poured freely from the wounds.

The lid of the canister cracked open with a twist. Her finger dipped into the soft material pulling out some of the contents. Chiharu quickly spread it on the two wounds to cover them up. She ripped some of the cloth from Miltiades’ pants leg to bandage up the ends.

Finished, Chiharu stood up and put away the item. She turned away to look toward the camp. “We’re done here. Let’s get the others out and leave. We’ve already stayed too long.”

Seiji half turned to look at Chiharu’s back. He fought with his confusion and Chiharu’s terseness. “Where have you been?! What about the diversion? What the hell is going on?”

She kept walking away under the expectation he followed. “I was unavoidably detained. The siblings have been reunited and the other one should be getting them out. Your purpose here is over.”

Everything she told him rattled off so fast it took Seiji a while after she finished absorbing it all. Unfortunately, he did not comprehend everything as she left out important details. “Over? What happened? Give me a straight answer, little brat!” He tossed his out his fist at her back to his frustration with her.

“I don’t have the time here to explain it in small enough words for you to understand. We’ve accomplished our goal. So we’re leaving. That’s all you need to know right now.”

“But what about the guy? You’re just leaving him there?”

“They’ll find him in time. He’s not in any danger of dying.”

“Damn you…” Seiji knew she was right, but he still did not feel like he should agree with her. He turned away from Chiharu and ran in a direction. “Wait up! I need to take care of something!”


The lack of clear directions made it more difficult for her to navigate the camp. Everything was in ruins around her. She only had a heading, but had to work around the destruction. ‘There’s so much…in pieces…I was in control of it too…’ Fumiko thought her fight only caused localized damage. She knew she could not completely avoid it, but she thought the control she had would limit the devastation. However, it shocked her to see how much their fight caused.

She tried to keep out of sight from soldiers running about the camp. Fumiko did not want a repeat of the scenes she saw. However, while she hid the sounds of a screaming soldier maimed called out for help. The sound made her blood turn cold. ‘I can’t…keep moving! Yumi’s out there somewhere!’ She never expected such things would happen. Their rescue caused everything she saw. Fumiko forced her legs to keep moving. She had to ignore the surroundings threatening her.

Rubble fell down from the last step Fumiko took. She cursed to herself, but hoped it did not attract attention. However, it found someone. A figure stepped out from hiding to investigate putting Fumiko on the defense. She was already in the open with no hiding spot. The only option was to strike first and kept them from alerting others.

Fumiko dashed over to the figure before they were clear in her sight. A small flame gathered in her hand. She raised her hand only a meter away. In the last centimeters, Fumiko came to a sharp stop. “Yumi!” The flame flickered out from her hand. “I can’t believe I found you!”

Yumi blinked quickly and looked up to Fumiko not even realizing how quickly she appeared. She nearly fell back, but her excitement took over to keep her standing. “Fumiko! You’re safe! I’m so glad!” Unfortunately, she spoke the words too late. Her eyes ran over her body after she spoke and found the truth. Yumi clasped her free hand over her mouth. “I’m so sorry! What happened? Are you alright? Does it hurt?”

An easy smile came across Fumiko’s face. It felt like things eased up and became a little simpler. She waved her hand to dismiss the worry from Yumi. “I’m fine. It’s a little awkward, but I’m alive and that’s what matters the most right now. However…” Fumiko stopped herself as she focused more on Yumi. The sword that pierced her chest suddenly put Fumiko in Yumi’s shoes. “I should be asking you. Are you…”

“I’m fine as well. This is a little complicated, but it doesn’t hurt. It just seals my powers, so I’m normal again.”

“What?! Can you remove it?”

“It’s stuck. Chiharu already tried, but no amount of strength is going to pull it out.”

“…Yumi…” Fumiko found herself thinking of many things that only felt empty. She wanted to say more, but she saw the brave found Yumi put up and did not have the heart to say anything more.

Yumi turned away to look back at where she came from. It only pulled her away for a moment, but a different thought came to her. “So Chiharu found you?”

“Yeah, she told me to get you. It didn’t make a lot of sense what she told me, but I understand now.” She stepped into the hiding area to give them a little more cover. Her eyes glanced down at the sleeping Yori, needing the confirmation for herself. Fumiko looked back at Yumi. “I need to get you two out of here.”

Nodding to Fumiko, Yumi looked back at Yori. Her eyes turned down to focus on the sword. A complicated expression painted across her face as she looked back at Fumiko. “I’m sorry to ask this, but in my state it’s a little awkward still. Could you…”

Fumiko shook her head a little. “You don’t have to ask. I was going to insist on it.”

Working together to make use of their two free arms between the two of them, Yumi and Fumiko managed to get Yori to his feet. It was a little awkward with Fumiko’s height, but she supported him with Yumi. With his arms draped over their shoulders, the two started to walk out of the camp. Fumiko bore most of the weight knowing Yumi’s frail condition.

They were what seemed halfway out of the camp when Fumiko brought them to a stop. Her eyes narrowed immediately and streams of magic threaded around her arm. “Yumi, take Yori. I’ll deal with him.”

Yumi looked over at Fumiko concerned. “But you’re not…” Fumiko already let go of Yori forcing him on her. She saw the look in Fumiko’s face telling her not to argue. Taking more of a hold on Yori, she backed away a little. “…Fumiko…”

A young Atlantean stood in their path clad in dark clothes not of the design of their military uniform. It was already clear enough to them what he was. “I’m under orders to bring you three in. You won’t be leaving.”

“Are you so sure about that?” Flames erupted into Fumiko’s hand all ready for a fight. ‘Good, he doesn’t know about my magic. I can fight!’

“What chance do you have battle fatigued as you all are?” The man looked confident and with good reason. He knew they went through many fights. He had to end their fighting and bring peace back. “I’ll be the one to put an end to your chaos!” The Atlantean started to charge toward Fumiko.

“Move the hell out of the way!” shouted a voice from the sky. It was enough to distract both of them to see out who spoke to them. The Atlantean tried to get into a fighting stance seeing a figure coming at him, but it was too late. A large fist slammed into him knocking him past Fumiko with enough force to blow her hair around.

Fumiko blinked a little confused by what happened and looked behind her at what was left of her opponent. He laid unconscious in a pile of debris bruised and slightly bloodied from the crash. She turned back to see who did it. “Seiji?” she spoke out of reaction.

“Yeah?” he replied, walking out of the shadows looking surprising cool.

She lost her breath for a moment seeing everyone was safe. Chiharu appeared behind Seiji carrying something, while looking as stoic as always. Fumiko glanced over at Yumi seeing the smile growing on her face. She could not help but grin a little as well.

They all gathered resolving immediately questions, but Chiharu insisted on them moving. Seiji took care of carrying Yori on his back, while Chiharu continued with her mysterious package. Each time Fumiko questioned it she gave a response even more terse than the last.

“Hey look!” Yumi interrupted. She pointed her hand up to the sky. The morning sun began to rise over the horizon. Light bled across the land warming up everyone. It was a signal to the end of a very long night. They looked up at it with ease.

“Umm…guys, should we really be ending on such a peaceful image with the camp in ruins around us?” questioned Fumiko.

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

The long awaited morning arrived only to learn no one held any interest in noticing its arrival. Many were grateful for the light it gave, but their attention lie elsewhere. Chaos of one sort ended, yet a different form surfaced. It was never ending. No one complained. No one said anything. Everyone worked.

Unmoved from the Command Tent, Simonides sat alone in the dark interior. All of the sources of light left with the soldiers. He needed nothing. All he could do was think over everything that happened. Questions were the only thing of comfort afforded to him. Soldiers died in a failed mission. Their prisoner disappeared in the fighting, already assumed rescued by his comrades. Everything went wrong possible.

Simonides could not remember the last time he miscalculated so poorly. ‘It’s like plans are pointless with them…but it doesn’t explain what happened. What happened to Vangelis? He was supposed to have stalled them enough for me to get answers from the captive. They attacked before I understood them fully.’ The thought of Vangelis’ team shifted his focus. He relied on his team to slow them down, but it never happened and they were not prepared for it. ‘Where is he? What the hell is he doing?’

“I’m going in circles,” remarked Simonides, as he stood up. A breeze from the open tent flap drew away his attention to the camp. The ruins of his camp displayed with even greater effect in the morning. No imagination required.

He needed something else. Plenty existed beyond the tent. His search did not last for long. All of the thinking was not going to get him anywhere. Something different was necessary. He needed a new focus.

Clean up in the camp carried on with no signs of change. The ruin of tents and supplies left everything short, but they all came together. Simonides knelt down picking up one end of a wood pole from a large tent. The soldier opposite from him looked up in surprise to see the Captain helping with clean up. “Captain, sir! I’ve got this!”

“It’s fine. There’s no reason for me not to help out. I’m the one that caused this after all.” Words spoke from Simonides’ eyes told the soldier to start moving rather than keep standing around trying to protest.

“Sir, you weren’t the one that caused this, it was those rebels.”

They tossed the wood into the pile meant for material components for the MPs to rebuild the camp. Simonides gazed out at the nearby craters from the fighting. “From a literal standpoint, you’re correct.” The soldier looked a little hopeful and confused, but he raised his hand to stop the man from agreeing. “However, it was my plan that allowed it to happen. It is my responsibility, both the lives and the property.”

“But, sir! There’s no one here that regrets what happened. We all believe in you, sir! They must be stopped! If they aren’t halted another rebellion could break out!”

Simonides’ stare turned empty as he turned inward. ‘If this is really about a rebellion that is…my gut is starting to tell me something I don’t want to hear…’ He thought back to the words of Bakkhos before he fell conscious again.

‘There’s something unique, special, about them, but not in the way we think. They aren’t like anything we’ve faced before.’

‘Was this what Athene was trying to tell me before?’

‘I-I saw it! Their world…it’s not like us!’

‘Be…careful…he’s…’

‘So vague…’ Simonides pressed a hand to his head and looked up to the sky. He tired of running around seeking answers when it seemed like others already understood. ‘I wish they’d be a little more direct. I can’t do anything without knowing who they truly are!’

“Captain!” called Abeiron.

It took him a second, but his eyes moved to his peripheral to check on who approached. “Abeiron, you have a report?” Simonides shifted his weight to clear everything from his body. He returned to work.

Abeiron stretched out his hand with a folder to hand to the Captain. He was a little short of breath, but kept his control. “We’ve completed the check of all personnel. This is a list of those either missing or confirmed dead.”

“I see, thank you, Commander.” Simonides accepted the file and opened it immediately despite his personal hesitation. The list was longer that he wished, but shorter than he feared. ‘I can’t feel relieved by this, but we did come out better considering the circumstances.’ His eyes stopped on the list of missing soldiers with one standing out to him.

Turning his head to Abeiron, he expected an answer. “What happened? Why are they on the missing list?!” He turned the paper file showing the Commander the name of a MP user.

“We searched everywhere for her, but we haven’t been able to find her. I have men investigating the area to learn more, we’ll know more soon, sir!”

Simonides’ hand tightened up losing to his emotions. He turned away to look into the horizon. ‘Damn, they captured you…is this revenge? How long will fate keep spitting in my face before I know what’s happening!?’ A severely dark shadow painted Simonides’ forehead and eyes making only the whites show through the shade.

Chapter 171 – Accepting the Fallen Pieces

A sneeze came from Seiji suddenly breaking the silence of the long walk. He juggled the balance of carrying Yori on his back with the weight shift from his movement. Once everything was together Seiji continued, but grumbled a little. “How long is he going to sleep? There’s people worried…”

“I think you’d do better to worry about yourself right now,” snapped Chiharu. She shifted around the weight of what she carried, but the size made it difficult for her.

Seiji turned his head annoyed almost instantly by her voice. “The hell’s the matter with you?”

“I should be asking you that? Making me carry this…” Chiharu turned around what she carried to show it off to Seiji to get her point across to him. Draped over her shoulder like dead weight was Nerine, also still unconscious. “I think some answers are in order. I’ve only been carrying this woman because it was simpler than wasting time debating while still in the enemy’s camp.”

“Seiji?” Fumiko spoke, approaching him as well. She felt like Chiharu, not wanting to complicate matters while things were still dangerous. “What’s going on? Why did you bring of those like Yuki?”

Yumi approached in the line holding the sword resting in her chest. She stared up at Seiji not saying anything to him.

All of their looks made Seiji want to step away. He saw the missing arm and sword feeling as though they shouted out at him. His eyes darted away to look over at Nerine. All of the images of his fight with Cosmas came back to him. He kept picturing what he did to Nerine. It made his arms shake in anger. Seiji turned his eyes back forward with his brow turned down fighting against him. “I couldn’t leave her back there…”

“Huh?” questioned the girls.

“You do realize that this is the enemy, right?” checked Chiharu. She came to a stop and dropped Nerine’s body to the ground. The impact was rough enough to make her cough a couple of times.

Seiji immediately knelt down at her side to check on her. Once he saw she remained safe, his head turned to glare back up at Chiharu. His face did not have the same look of annoyance he usually showed her. The look forced her back a step as she narrowed her features trying to read him. She crossed her arms and fixed with his eyes. “Pick her back up.” A struggling strain in his voice made his demand take on a new tone.

Chiharu held her ground with him, but felt rather curious in the new side of Seiji she had never seen before. ‘He’s surprisingly serious about this. What happened between them?’ Even with her curiosity, Chiharu needed a reason to keep hauling the enemy around and invite danger. “Give me a reason.”

A small bit of Seiji’s teeth exposed themselves. ‘We’re all already involved. It’s unlikely to change anything…’ They were someone he had to face again. It was something Seiji felt. They would not be satisfied. “You want a reason?” Seiji stared back into Chiharu’s eyes. He could see she was not going to let it go either. Stubbornness was a bothersome trait he saw. “’Cause her life’s in danger.”

“Hmm?” questioned Chiharu. Her stance hardened a little not pleased with his answer.

Yumi stepped around them with her sword unintentionally dividing the two. “What happened to her? Are her injuries related?”

“It’s complicated.”

“Stalling doesn’t make it any less,” remarked Chiharu.

“Listen here, brat!”

Fumiko stepped in between the two of them opposite of Yumi. “Enough, both of you!” Flames erupted down her arm to engulf it completely. The tone in her eyes turned both of them a little blue.

“Chiharu, forcibly confronting Seiji about it is not the best way to do it,” added Yumi. She looked back and forth at the two of them. “Seiji we’re willing to listen. We know you have a reason for doing this. If you don’t tell us we can’t help.”

Seiji sighed a little. He could not argue with Yumi. “Fine, it’s a bit of a long story. So I’ll try to keep it short.” He spared a hand to reach out to Nerine. Memories of their fight flooded back to him. Her smile still burned in the back of his eyes. His hand tightened thinking about what Cosmas did to her for such a stupid reason.

Pulling away, he faced the group. “Her name is Nerine. She’s the one that I fought first. You should remember seeing her, Fumiko.” Seiji looked over at Fumiko to get her to recall the woman.

A hand raised to Fumiko’s lips as her memory cleared. “I remember! She sent you flying with her fists and you disappeared. But…” Fumiko looked down at Nerine’s body, specifically the arms she lacked. “You didn’t, did you?”

“What?! How can you even think that I would!?”

“Then how?”

“I’m getting to that.” Seiji glanced back at Nerine quickly. “I fought with her and managed to win. She said she wasn’t going to stop me from returning back to the camp. However, someone else showed up at that moment.”

“And they did this?”

“Yes…” The memories remained fresh in his mind. As he spoke, it forced him to relive it. It made his body set on fire just seeing his face. “I did everything I could to stop him, but he planned to kill her for sympathizing with the enemy.”

Yumi gasped stepping back. “How horrible!”

“Do you know anything about them?” asked Fumiko.

Shaking his head, Seiji had very little to go on. He did not even know their name. “I just know he said something about the Omega Division.”

“Omega Division?” repeated Chiharu. “The one I fought mentioned the same thing as well. It must be an organization different from the regular military.” She only had speculation to go on, but the name had significance. The way Miltiades tossed it at her she understood it was important.

“So now you understand. I’m going to protect her. She did nothing wrong and they want to kill her for it! If you won’t carry her, then I will!” Seiji stretched out for Nerine planning to carry two on his back. However, Chiharu’s hand reached out and stopped him. “The hell! You still—“ Chiharu moved his hand aside and pulled Nerine back up over her shoulder.

Chiharu began to walk away again acting as though nothing was wrong. “We’ve got to keep moving. The weakling is likely getting himself into trouble. We can’t linger around here.”

Fumiko grinned a little watching Chiharu. She looked over at the others with some silent words between them. They all quickly rushed to catch up to Chiharu. The morning was still young and they had a lot of ground to cover.

Simonides’ hand tightened around the paper seeing two names on the list. Two MP disappeared during the fighting. The first was Nerine who he put on the defense of the camp. ‘She fought with one of them and Miltiades confirmed to have seen her gravely injured according to Abeiron. But she wasn’t with Miltiades. However, more disturbing is…’ Below Nerine’s name on the missing list was the other MP. The second concerned him even more than Nerine. She went missing during the fighting, but no one saw her. No one knew anything. ‘Where are you?’

In the middle of an endless field of grass, a lone figure staggered forward barely standing on their legs. A cruel wind blew through whipping at their white military uniform. It threatened to knock them over, however they refused. They were unwilling to allow anything to knock them over.

A dark shadow fell around their eyes turning their features harsh with deep determination. They stared blankly forward unconcerned with any of the scenery. They saw nothing. It was empty to them, completely white. None of it mattered to them. One thing lingered in the distance always taunting them. It kept them going. It allowed them to ignore everything, even the fatigue their entire body felt.

Nothing would keep them away. They would keep going until they reached them. “I’ll find you…I’ll find you! You can’t escape! I will have my answers from you, Yori Mizuno!” A stone cold expression came across Athene’s face. Nothing would stand in her way.

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

Constant travel became hours of relative silence. Everyone kept mostly to themselves while keeping a brisk pace. Yumi always felt like she had to jog to keep up with the others. Fatigue continued to creep up on Yumi until she collapsed to the ground. Her body shook. She tried to keep it from everyone as long as she could, but she could no longer hold herself together.

Fumiko knelt down to Yumi quickly realizing the condition of Yumi. ‘We’ve only been walking…but she looks like she’s ran a marathon.’ She looked back at the others, who stopped confused by Yumi’s sudden collapse. “I think we should rest a little. None of us have slept in more than a day and all of this walking is just going to drain us.” Resting her hand on Yumi’s shoulder, she tried to give her a little comfort while protecting her. ‘She’s been keep it to herself trying not to slow us down, even though she’s been weakened…Yumi…’

“Take her for a little while,” Chiharu ordered, as she dropped Nerine down next to Fumiko without waiting for an answer. “I’ll search out for a safe place to camp.” She ran off in a blur for Fumiko and Seiji, Yumi only saw her disappear from sight.

Slowly recovering her breath, Yumi pulled herself back up. Her legs shook too much to stand, but she managed to sit at least. “It’s okay. We can keep going.” Yumi strained to connect her words together smoothly to remove any hint of her shortness of breath. It succeeded with only marginal results. “We need to catch back up to Yuki and the others.”

Lightly pressing her hand to Yumi’s shoulder, Fumiko kept Yumi from attempting to stand a second time. “You don’t need to force yourself on our account, Yumi.”

“But!”

“You don’t need to try so hard. We’re all here together.” Fumiko gave her a little smile hoping to comfort her.

“…alright…” Yumi turned quiet afterward and her body relaxed a little. Her eyes turned down towards the ground. A long expression drew across her as she buried herself in thought.

Chapter 172 – Stirred Thoughts

Chiharu found an area only a short walk from their location to hide them. A small forest with a dense growth covered much of the entrance, but broke deeper in. Thinning out to something manageable, Chiharu guided them to a loose clearer. “We’ll rest here. Shifting watches every two hours. When night hits we’ll start moving again.” She stepped out into the thick of the forest, but stopped for a moment. “I’ll take first watch.” After those words, Chiharu disappeared into the shadows.

“Tch, brat,” snipped Seiji. He crossed his arms and slammed himself against a tree trunk. The force was enough to shake the tree, dropping a few leaves in the process. “Going around ordering people around like she’s in charge.”

“A little decisiveness isn’t a bad thing,” Fumiko replied, walking past Seiji towards Yumi. She leaned down to Yumi, seeing her already working to become comfortable. “Yumi—“ Her words stopped short realizing that Yumi already fell asleep. It made her smile a little.

“You know that ability to read people isn’t always a good thing,” commented Seiji, with his eyes closed looking like he wanted to sleep.

A surprised look came across Fumiko’s face. She turned her head back as she stood up. “What are you talking about?” Some confusion ran through her still trying to process it all. ‘He’s acting oddly out of character…’

Minor annoyance popped up on Seiji’s forehead. “I’m no more blind about the things around me than you. I just don’t like thinking about them.”

“Should you really be admitting that?” Fumiko could not help but sweat a little hearing Seiji’s speak. “But what point are you trying to make?”

“I’m saying your wish to comfort Yumi may only be hurting her. You may be the oldest among us, but we aren’t in need of a mother.”

The words continued to shock Fumiko more. She walked over to Seiji starting to feel bothered by him. “Is that what you think?”

“It’s not that hard to think that. I’ve seen the way you are, that someone like me can see it.”

“You just insulted yourself.”

“I’m just aware of myself.”

“I see.” Fumiko knelt down folding up her legs, but kept only her feet on the ground. She stared at Seiji seeing someone she had not seen before. It surprised her still even after having their chat to hear the things coming from him. She never expected to have such a deep exchange with him. Curiosity mounted inside her. A strange thought made her want to explore how far it went with him. ‘He’s not smart in an intellectual way, but he can still have a talk like this. He’s not as blind about those around as I thought. Maybe I’m not as good as reading people as I thought if I missed this…or maybe I just assumed like everyone there was nothing deeper.’

Seiji’s eyes opened sudden knocking Fumiko back not ready for him to be staring at her. A flat expression rested on his face with a little annoyance buzzing around him. “You know if you think about too much nothing’ll happen.”

His words managed to stabilize the situation for Fumiko. She used her only hand to keep her balance while leaning back as she rested on the ground. “This coming from the man that only acts.”

Shrugging his shoulders, Seiji tilted his head back toward Yumi. Their winding track met the start once more. He looked a little more serious than a more before. “Just like comfort can hurt.”

‘Back on that…’ Leaning forward, she accepted the new mood. It was the reason they began talking. “You think I’m hurting Yumi because I’m telling her to take it easy?”

“She has her pride. Comforting her is only going to make her focus on how she has changed rather than on breaking the seal.”

“But she’s pushing herself too hard. She’s only going to crash, like earlier.”

“Pushing yourself to your limits isn’t a bad thing.”

The response was enough to get Fumiko off her butt and stand. She leaned forward with her body tensing up from the emotions flowing through her body. “You only think that because of the type of person you are. Yumi’s just a girl!”

Seiji leaned forward resting his arm on his knee. He looked up at Fumiko unflinching with a deep piercing look within his eyes. “You say that, but it’s just a reflex for you, isn’t it? Sure, I enjoy fighting, but the fights I got into back then were hardly more than childish bouts. But you’ve felt it since you came here.” The words from Seiji wound around him making his appearance sharpen and turn severe.

“What do you mean?” Staring at Seiji, Fumiko felt as though he was swallowing her. There was something unsettling and yet familiar about his words. It almost made her scared.

Throwing back a hand, his thumb pointed back in the direction of the camp. “I saw the way it looked. I’m not dumb enough to ignore what that means. You can say Yumi’s a girl or yourself, but none of us are children anymore. We didn’t truly understand what we were getting ourselves into when you decided to help Yuki. This is the adult world we’re in where what we do has real consequences.” Images of Nerine and Cosmas flashed through Seiji’s mind. He narrowed his eyes trying to push it away.

Fumiko felt the weight of his words slam down on her shoulders. It broke her legs and dropped her to the forest floor. The screams of the soldiers injured from her fighting echoed in her ears. She thought she had moved past it. It was something unavoidable. ‘So he noticed too. I didn’t want to say anything, no I couldn’t say anything… I never thought it would be like this.’ Fumiko touched her hand to her cut arm feeling the roughness of her skin. “Real consequences… Yeah, we’ve all gotten our taste.”

“This is simply a warning,” Seiji replied, holding up his bandaged arm. He stared for a moment at papers that held everything together and sealed the blood inside his body. His eyes focused through his fingers back on Fumiko.

She glanced back at him. Her body still felt heavy. “These are all heavy prices for just a warning. What do you think’ll happen the next time it’s not a warning?”

Seiji’s face froze still as though it became stone. His eyes still fixed on her through his fingers. “Death.”

A gasp escaped Fumiko’s lip by accident in her surprise. Her eyes already drew open wider than before. The word alone was force enough to stop her, but it felt like the dark look in his face was worse. However, a second later she lost all of the warmth from her body. It happened because she agreed with him. She already knew the answer and only hoped for a different one. She accepted it already.

“You want to run away from it?” He saw the aghast expression on Fumiko’s face. It was the look of wanting to deny what one already knew, a childish response. Yet he knew it was normal. It was familiar. “You aren’t the only one.” The admission turned his face even darker with shadows cast over his face harshening his features.

“…Seiji…”

“We just have to bare it and remain strong. The future will continue to test us to see what we’re made of.” His mind went back to his fight with Cosmas. It tightened his body. He remembered the emotions still so clearly.

Fumiko saw a flicker in Seiji of more in his words. She remembered the struggle she had with her power and the realization it brought her. ‘I managed to find control even after seeing how terrifying a power it was. But I still caused so much… I think he might be right about this testing us. I don’t feel like I’m passing…’ Tilting back up to the sky, the blue open expanse made Fumiko feel a little disconnected from her concerns. It eased back her memories. She laid down letting the sparse grass cushion her back. “What have you found?”

“Something,” Seiji answered, with a pause in his voice that lingered on the last syllable. His thoughts strayed from control. He snapped his head to the side letting the bones pop. It cleared away the pieces he preferred not to think about. “A part of me I didn’t know existed. One I don’t know how to control if I see it again.”

Listening to Seiji did not give her any more relief. She hardly expected it to do anything for her. It told her he had similar problems with the situation as her, but nothing either of them could do to help each other. ‘Something…I guess that’s one way of putting it.’ Fumiko turned her head to look out into the forest. ‘I wonder what sort of things Chiharu’s dealing with? She’s the youngest amongst us, it must be even harder for her…’


Early afternoon showed a lot of progress in the camp. The additional help of the MPs cleaned up the area quickly. Rebuilding everything went smoothly with nearly all of the camp already back to normal. The outward appearance of everything improved the soldier’s morale, but the sting of defeat left a sour taste behind.

Simonides finished looking out the tent flaps of communication tent. He was pleased with the state of the camp and the soldiers. They recovered quickly physically. He knew the rest would take time, but he needed his men back. Their situation already grew worse with each passing hour. However, he feared something worse was coming.

A message came in for him, while he worked in the camp. It only recently made it to him. The message ordered him to speak with the General Demosthenes Alexander, again. He waited in the communication tent for the General’s arrival on the other end. ‘This is the second time. The General’s taken an odd interest in an intrusion, even if it is getting worse. They’re still contained in the outer lands, nothing for the army to worry about.’ Simonides doubted his failure would risk his position, rather he feared the General might want to take matters into his own hands. He thought about what it might mean to the country if the army marched from the capital.

Unfortunately, the waiting forced upon him did not help his wandering thoughts. He kept glancing back at the fountain expecting to see the man waiting on him. ‘Was he in a meeting? The capital’s still in mourning, but the time for the Rite of Succession is soon. They could be preparing for it…’

“Captain Simonides,” spoke Demosthenes, from the fountain of particles.

The echo in the tent turned Simonides back toward the table. He forced down his brow to cover up his moment of surprise, caught in thought. “General Alexander, sir. Pardon my earlier absence.” Simonides sat down in the chair meeting eye level with the image of the General.

“That’s fine. These things happen.” Demosthenes voice deepened a little with the mood turning grave quickly. “I came to convey a decree passed down by the council.”

‘A decree? There’s been no reports to the council about what happened here. What could this be about?’ The curious part of him made him lean forward wanting to know what the General had to tell him.

“Due to recent circumstances, new orders being passed down to all Captains on the border as well high ranking officers of the army. The council has determined Captain of the Guard Eudokia Ismene a threat to the peace and security of Atlantis.”

“Captain of the Guard?!” Simonides could not help his shock. He remembered her from her time in service under him. “A traitor?” It felt hard to believe. He thought her knew her. ‘She was absolutely devoted the King and Atlantis, why would someone like that turn traitor?’ More of the words sank in for Simonides realizing the deeper meaning of what the General meant by the council’s decree. “That means…”

Demosthenes nodded to confirm Simonides suspicions. A slightly pained expression crept through the cracks in his face from the weight of the words he delivered. “It is the same for any traitor of Atlantis. You’ve been granted the permission to execute her along with all of her sympathizers.”

‘Execution orders!? What’s happening in the capital?’

“This is no longer about capture. Kill everyone connected to Captain of the Guard Eudokia Ismene. No exceptions, Captain.”

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

Peacefully kept, the forest that housed those on the run remained quiet. Nothing stirred around; even the wind felt no interest in bothering the situation. The stillness ran through everything. However, eyes remained ever vigilant. They watched everything from the shadows, made like windows to peer through.

Chiharu did not bother with a normal patrol. She knew to keep a real eye on everything and act the fastest, she needed to use her powers. It gave her time to continue to test them and gain a better understanding them.

One eye glanced and shifted around at all of the panes quickly, still safe. She changed her gaze to her hand. ‘There’s still a lot I don’t know about this power. I thought I understood it, but it’s still growing and evolving.’ Her thoughts went back to her fight with Miltiades. Something happened outside of what she planned, it saved her from the recklessness of Seiji’s tactic. However, it still troubled her that her powers were not in her control. ‘If I can’t control this power…I…’ She tried to remember the feeling.

The needles roared down onto of Chiharu unrelenting. They tried to stop her and push her down, but she remained on course. Miltiades’ eyes focused on Chiharu trying to understand her ability. His eyes thinned out when he saw it. In front of Chiharu’s arms, a loose circle of endless black hovered protecting her from all of the needles. When a needle hit the circle, it disappeared. The void swallowed everything leaving Chiharu safe.

‘It all happened to fast. I didn’t even notice it the first time, my mind was elsewhere…’ Chiharu cursed her own lack of awareness. She only saw it briefly once. The second time the power activated. After the wave did not hit her, she knew something was wrong.

She stretched out her hand pointed at no direction of importance. All of her focus drew to the point in front of her hand. A low groan came from Chiharu from the exertion.

Nothing happened.

Sighing, Chiharu pulled back her hand to stare at it. She was missing something. ‘I remember seeing a strange distortion. It almost looked like a thick layer of cloudy water.’ Thoughts returned to the moment, the short few seconds.

Ripples by the dozens appeared before her eyes. From the last time, she already understood what happened. Each ripple was a needle. She could not see through the film only the effect objects had on it. It made her wonder what Miltiades saw from his side.

She knew it was an extension of the power she already had. Something randomly new was too unlikely. It was the only starting point she had. ‘Considering that my primary power seems to involve interaction with this other dimensional space, I must have somehow opened a window myself. But I’ve never been able to do that. I tried it already…’ When she trained, she explored the different possibilities of it. However, she was never able to create a portal willfully.

The windows into the forest reminded her of what she knew and how little she seemed to understand. ‘I’ve only been able to open portals in shadows and only ones large enough for me to fit in. However…’ Her mind thought about her last two fights. She already analyzed them afterward in their march. Something about them bothered her.

Retreating a little, the ground rolled around her knocking her on her back. She glared back at the man as he made no action to take her. He acted too casually for her, but in her state, she had few options. Chiharu rolled over letting the ground guide her away from him. It dumped her out of his sight. ‘I need a plan… I can’t let it end like this, not failing…again…’

Sighing softly, he ignored the blood dripping. ‘Can’t keep delaying things, Bakkhos. I’ve wounded her pride enough, just want to wrap this up.’ Bakkhos stepped forward paving out the ground in search of Chiharu’s body. The last place he found her came up empty. “Hmm…” he muttered with his eyes narrowing. He preferred not to doubt his eyes.

She knew she escaped into the void in the moments she fell out of his sight. Yet, she also knew she should not have found a large enough shadow. The tests she ran she understood the limitations of the power. ‘I can only enter shadows large enough for me to fit through. If I can’t fit, then I can’t use it. Though, I can see through it. I can’t use my own shadow to enter the space, it has to be another’s shadow. And I can’t create a portal.’ She thought she understood, but her fights proved her wrong.

The only answer she had to what happened was that she broke the second rule. She could not use her own shadow to enter the void. It was the only explanation. During the fight, her mind focused on surviving and fighting that anything that happened she accepted. Reviewing the fight, she understood better.

‘The only rule I haven’t broke yet is the shadow has to be large enough. Will I break that one eventually as well?’

Chapter 173 – Mounting Troubles

Further attempts followed by Chiharu. Each effort produced the same results. She theorized if she could open a portal in the real world the same should be possible inside as well. Nothing worked. She sat down and scanned her windows, maintaining her regular duty to stay on watch. An hour already disappeared on her wasted efforts. It bothered her knowing something was out of her control.

Chiharu’s mind ran through the details again. She replayed everything she tried through her mind. Her fights ran in review to try to understand everything moment of what she did. Every thrown punch and movement of her legs had to be analyzed. It needed to be figured out. She would keep watching until she found the answer. Chiharu knew the answer lied within, somewhere.

‘Weakling,’ echoed a voice from behind her.

It interrupted her thoughts and sent a cold trickle down her spine. Her eyes slide around with a tilt of her head. Nothing. She knew it was nothing, but still felt compelled to check. Yet the voice came out to her clearly. The sound settled deep in the pit of her stomach. Everything inside grew aggravated.

‘Weakling!’

“Shut up!” shouted Chiharu, already on her feet. She faced in the direction of the voice, even though it was still nothing.

‘You’re relying on her. Because you can’t find the answer yourself.’ The voice almost turned into a laugh as it mocked Chiharu further.

Chiharu spun her head around as the voice was behind her again. “I’m not relying on anyone!”

‘It’s because you’re weak. A weakling that can’t do anything. You’re not strong enough to even stand on your own.’

“I don’t need anyone! I’ll achieve my goals by my own hands!”

‘What hands? You have none of your own. You couldn’t even beat him. You had to use someone else to win. You’re weak.’

Shaking her head, Chiharu ran off into the black void. The voice followed her never getting any softer. It actually felt like it grew in volume. “You’re wrong! I just fought two fights in row! I would have beaten him easily if I had by full strength.”

‘Just excuses. You failed, again. Just like before. You’re always a failure. You can’t even protect your men. You’re worthless.’

“No! It’s not like that!” Chiharu tripped over her feet. She fell to ground with her face pressed in against the bottom. Flashes of her past whipped through her mind’s eye nearly blinding her. She tightened her fist struggling with the memories. “I…I don’t need…any of them…”

‘Try that with better conviction and maybe even you will believe. Pathetic. Weakling. Worthless.’

Chiharu pushed up against the surface, but only managed to lift her upper body. She stared down at the endless black void. Windows into the real world covered everything, even below her. It went on without her. “I already told you to shut up!” Her voice echoed around the space to an empty reply. She forced herself back to her feet. “Keep up your meaningless words! I show you! Just like everyone else! I’m the right one to lead! No one else will die!” Chiharu’s face narrowed with her brow pulled down in determination. Resolve sharpened the corners of her face.

She turned back to the place she started. She drew up her power and focused on it. The answer could not hide from her.


‘This is no longer about capture. Kill everyone connected to Captain of the Guard Eudokia Ismene. No exceptions, Captain.’ The General’s words echoed in Simonides’ mind long after their meeting ended. It left him with a heavy weight. As Captain of the South Gate, his duties meant the capture and safe return of those accidentally passing through the barrier. Even in the most difficult of cases, they succeeded without resorting to taking a life. It was not their assigned duty.

A new order, a new duty, he did not know how he should take it. The military training taught to everyone tried to make the soldiers understand that sometimes killing would happen. However, it was a rare occurrence left for extreme situations.

Simonides wandered aimlessly in the camp with his mind occupied on the orders. So much of it changed everything and made him question everything that he knew about the ones he hunted. ‘Captain of the Guard…it’s hard to imagine someone like her plotting against Atlantis. I’ve never seen anyone more devoted to the King, in spite of everything he did. Nothing swayed her.’

He thought back to the time when she was assigned to him. She came under recommendations from both the academy and the General. A young child already pressed with an unimaginable weight, yet he never saw it break her. He found her strength surprising for someone her age. After she distinguished herself, no one doubted her position or appearance. ‘Could it have been the King’s death? What would happen to someone so young and devoted to suddenly lose the one thing that meant more to them than even themselves? Was that enough to break her?’

Everything came to an end. He faced such reality with his men. Death surrounded them all, watching and waiting. Simonides knew it was inescapable. ‘Execution orders…they’re all still just kids…but I have my orders…’ Through his mental turmoil, Simonides caught sight of Abeiron. It drew him away from his conflictions.

Abeiron ordered a young officer off into the camp. He still worked to finish bringing the camp under order. The papers in his hand passed off to his assistant. “Take these to the quartermaster. The fighting ruined many of our supplies. Report back immediately after meeting with him. I need to know how many to send out to resupply us.”

“Yes, sir!” The officer disappeared off behind one of the tents.

Simonides approached Abeiron, now finished. “Commander.”

“Captain? How long have you been there?” Abeiron caught himself a little surprised with the proximity of his Captain. He beat himself up a little inside for not noticing him.

“We have new orders from the capital.” A thin grim line drew across his lips. The words from the General echoed through his mind again. His entire meeting replayed to pack more weight on him.

The change in Simonides was not lost on Abeiron. He knew his Captain well enough to see when something was wrong. ‘What are these orders that it has the Captain so upset? It’s rare to see him like this.’ A bit of concern and fear settled into Abeiron. The more he allowed his mind time the worse things he produced. “What are the orders?”

Simonides returned to his time with the General on the orders. Something else other than just the execution orders weighed on him. If possible, it meant something even direr. Simonides felt everyone was on an uncontrollable spiral to destruction. He hoped he could avert the worst possible outcome.

Demosthenes nodded to confirm Simonides’ suspicions. A slightly pained expression crept through the cracks in his face from the weight of the words he delivered. “It is the same for any traitor of Atlantis. You’ve been granted the permission to execute her along with all of her sympathizers.”

‘Execution orders!? What’s happening in the capital?’

“This is no longer about capture. Kill everyone connected to Captain of the Guard Eudokia Ismene. No exceptions, Captain.” Demosthenes paused measuring out his words as he watched Simonides features change. “I understand this hard to hear, it surprises me as well. The council hoped to resolve these matters in private and limit the dishonor, but things have changed.”

“Changed, sir?”

“Yes, your last report about the intruders. The more it was reviewed the more certain the council is that she is the leader behind it.”

“But I haven’t seen her in their group, sir. I wouldn’t forget her face.”

“Yes, but don’t forget that she is a very skilled MP user. She could easily disguise herself.”

“Yes, sir.” Simonides thought about the implications of fighting Eudokia. He knew her strengths well enough. There was few in the military that would not recognize or even fear her. She held a position closest to the King and young enough to earn it through hard work rather than nepotism. “I understand, sir, but capturing her—“

“The council already knows. They are in deliberations on mobilizing the Omega Division.”

Simonides sank a little in his seat hearing the words. He could not believe it. ‘Mobilizing the Omega Division…’ They were never mobilized until there was a large size emergency. Only individuals deployed, even for capturing criminal MPs. The mobilization of the division for a single person was unheard of in their history. ‘The last time they were mobilized…Atlantis shook…’

He knew he had to face the responsibility of the title he held. Doubt still filled his mind with the orders and their reasons. It did not make any sense to him. “We’re mobilizing all forces to move out as soon as possible. Our orders are the capture of the traitor Eudokia Ismene, leader of this rebellion!”

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

He knew he had to face the responsibility of the title he held. Doubt still filled his mind with the orders and their reasons. It did not make any sense to him. “We’re mobilizing all forces to move out as soon as possible. Our orders are the capture of the traitor Eudokia Ismene, leader of this rebellion!”

Abeiron took a step back. He forced the Captain’s words to replay in his mind just to be sure he heard correctly. Shock bled into his eyes unable to hold back any longer. “The Captain of the Guard, sir?!” His hand developed an uncontrollable shake.

Still questioning himself, Simonides turned his head away from the Commander. His gaze fixated on the horizon in the direction of the capital. “Yes, those are the orders we have.” He tightened his hands into fists thinking about what he just did. It left a bitter taste in his throat. ‘I just disobeyed a direct order from the General. Only the future knows what’ll become of the path I’ve chosen.’ The doubt he held could not be swayed. His gut told him there was something else going on that he still did not understand. He could not turn away. Not when everything felt so wrong.

“…but…it’s Eudokia Ismene…” Abeiron found himself caught between his words. He knew her like the Captain when she was stationed at the South Gate, but she was unlike any other MP he had ever seen. “How is it even possible, sir? It doesn’t make any sense! She loves Atlantis, she wouldn’t start a rebellion.”

“Perhaps it is a sign of the changing times. The world’s become unclear and nothing is straightforward anymore.” Simonides turned away from his view and tilted his head back at Abeiron. A harsh expression cut through his face. Resolve built up, unwilling to submit to the currents.

The Commander took a step forward suddenly getting a feeling that his Captain was about to plunge himself into darkness. “Sir, what you’re saying…”

“Abeiron, there’s shadows everywhere. I can barely even see my own hands anymore.”

“Captain?”

Simonides broke his standoff with his uncertainty. He marched away from Abeiron with purpose in his step. “I’m going to find some answers. The orders stand. They are from the capital. Get every able body man and woman ready to move out!”

Chapter 174 – Gathering Storm

The answers Simonides sought brought him to the medical tent, once more. He came to them after the last fight, but he watched their opponents in action. Most of the information he needed he already saw. However, he was forced to stay away from the fighting and direct his men around in the chaos. He had no chance to learn anything about them. Worse, all those that fought them were so fatigued from the fights he could not speak to them.

He had to wait, again.

Simonides was done waiting.

Heber stood in front of Simonides. The young man already knew what Simonides wanted, but refused him access. “I can’t let you see them yet, sir! As their doctor, they need their rest. The mental fatigue for most of them was far beyond any safe limits. They are not ready, they’re too exhausted.”

A narrow look carved into Simonides’ eyes. He refused to back down. “Heber, as I recall you’re not a real doctor, only a nurse. You can’t give me any orders.”

Grinding his teeth a little, Simonides had hit the sensitive point in Heber. Heber tried to hold his ground against the Captain, but had nothing left to stand upon. He fell back on the only thing he had left. “Doctor Silas gave these orders.”

“I’ve not heard this from the doctor. Can you find him for me, so that I may speak with him?”

Heber started to move in the direction, but motioned to the Captain. “If you follow me, sir. I can take you to him.”

“I’ll stay here. It would cause more trouble in a place already so busy.”

Thinning his features, Heber already knew what Simonides planned, but could nothing. He was left in a terrible position and could only rush off to find the doctor before the situation grew worse.

Once Heber left sight of Simonides range, he pushed through the cloth divide between the sections. He found all of the MPs he sent out and those he put on patrol in the room. Bakkhos stared up at him from a relaxed position on the cot with a bit of a smirk on his lips.

“Still clever, while you’re being cruel, I see,” commented Bakkhos. The middle-aged man lifted himself up a little from the cot to meet Simonides.

Simonides pulled over a stool and sat down next to Bakkhos. The harsh expression remained on his face. “I didn’t come for idle chatter.”

The smirk disappeared from Bakkhos. It turned him to appearing almost tired. “I can see the look in your eyes. Things are different and you want some answers from what we learned during our fights with the kids.”

“What do you know?”

“Straight to the point.” An arm came up from under the sheet to rest on his knee. He leaned in a little, preparing for his tale. “We’ve all seen it, even you, Captain. Something’s not right with them. They don’t behave to our expectations. They do things that should be impossible.”

Past fights he watched played through Simonides’ mind. He assumed it was something he did not understand about their powers. Yet his gut told him he missed something. ‘He’s figured it out. What makes them different.’ The answer seemed within reach finally. Simonides leaned in, almost desperate. “What is it about them that is so different? Are they that much more powerful of MPs?”

Bakkhos shook his head. “It’s easy to think that, but no that’s not even anywhere close to the truth. The reality is that they are reality, strange as it sounds.” His confusing words made Simonides expression sharpen. “I mean they aren’t one of us. There’s a reason they speak a different language and it’s not because they’re exiles. They aren’t even Atlanteans or Meso Prosecho users. They are foreigners, Japanese since that’s what language they speak.”

Some of the pieces fell into place for Simonides, but it only introduced new questions. It made his mind spin in circles. A horrible realization came to him through all of the confusion. “How can that be possible? If they aren’t MP then they should just be normal humans.”

A sigh came from Bakkhos. He placed a hand where Chiharu struck him. “I would normally agree, but these are the facts, even if we can’t explain them. It’s why our fights aren’t like normal fights between two MP users.”

Coughing from the corner, Phontine forced herself up with her body still suffering from physical stress on top of the mental stress they all felt. “I think I can give a partial answer to it.”

Bakkhos perked up, curious to Phontine’s interruption. “Oh? You learn something from them?”

“What did they tell you?” ordered Simonides, already turned around in his stool to meet Phontine.

Phontine dropped back down in the cot unable to keep herself from getting lightheaded. “I thought she was just lying to me, but what I saw was just too impossible to be explained in any other way. They aren’t normal humans anymore. The one I spoke to called herself Masa. The way she spoke made it seem like an event happened recently to change them.”

“It was one of us, she said,” spoke up Stamatia, her fatigue kept her voice soft. “She said she was Japanese. Fumiko Terauchi was her name. She said one of us was to blame for what happened to them.”

“One of us?” repeated Simonides. The new pieces of information sent his mind running everywhere to put things together. It was the answer that explained everything, but it was an impossible an answer. Until they arrived, there were two facts about humanity, those without the Meso Prosecho power and those with it. ‘This throws everything we know away. It completely changes everything! It changes how we fight them! This is it! This is what I needed, what Athene was trying to tell me!’ Simonides stood up thinking he was done.

“There’s more you need to know,” called Bakkhos. “The way to defeat them.”

Simonides froze on his words. It was more than he hoped. “If you know how to defeat them, why didn’t you win?”

“Because there is a condition to defeating them.”

“A condition?”

“We are the only ones can defeat them, because of our power.” Bakkhos began to jester with his hands to get his point across. “In a normal fight between two MPs, it comes down to superior power and concentration. The stronger field beats the weaker field. However, they don’t use fields to create their powers. Their powers are real. This means that we can void their powers, but the condition is that we must know what all of their powers are. If we miss even one then it may be enough for them to win, but with all of their powers negated they’ll be normal again.”

He understood Bakkhos clearly. It exceeded his expectations. ‘I can end this! I can bring an end to this while they’re still in my territory. The Omega Division won’t need to be involved.’ Simonides looked around at all of his men. A plan already began to form in his mind. “I’m going to need all of your help. I need to know everything you know about each of them.”


Afternoon quickly passed into evening for Team Yumi. The shifts came to an end and the rest was all they could spare. They all gathered back in the camp to push out. A lot of ground remained for them to cover to meet back up with Yuki. However, when Chiharu went to pick up Nerine, she moved on her own. It pulled them all back.

Seiji pushed through them realizing that she was waking up. He knelt down at her side watching her slowly come back around. Once her eyes opened, he leaned in a little concerned. “Are you alright? Does it still hurt?”

Nerine met eyes with Seiji feeling a little lost in them and not hearing his words. However, she glanced over to see others behind him. She tried to draw away pushing with her arms, but realized they were gone. ‘My arms! I don’t have my arms! I-I—“ Panic settled into Nerine causing her to fall over in the grass with no support.

He quickly grabbed her, but she fought his hold. “I’m trying to help you! Stop squirming about!” The strength in his body overcame Nerine’s frantic flopping. However, it did not stop her from screaming. “The hell? Now you’re screaming!”

Unable to watch the scene longer, Fumiko stepped in to put her hand on Seiji’s shoulder. He snapped back almost tossing her away. She kept her ground with him and worked to calm herself. Once her breathing and heart beating slowed, she felt ready to speak. “She can’t understand you, Seiji. Remember, we speak different languages.”

“Eh?” Seiji looked back at Nerine trying to understand what Fumiko talked about. He saw the frightened look in her face. “Oh, how the hell do we talk to her?”

“She’s going to have to do it. Her power can allow us to talk. Once she calms down, she’ll probably figure it out.”

It took longer for the hint to pass through Seiji. He saw Nerine struggling in his hands. Seiji pushed her back up against the tree to help her. Once it looked like she was not going to fall over, he backed away. His hand rubbed through his hair confused. “Don’t understand what your problem is. You weren’t scared before.”

“Really, Seiji. The things you chose to be ignorant about.”

Nerine panted heavily. She heard her heart pounding in her chest. All of the images of the night came back to her. She remembered how she lost her arms. The fight and Seiji protecting her flooded her mind. It eased her a little. He was next to her. ‘He’s not dead. I’m glad…but…’ She looked around at her surroundings feeling confused. It became immediately apparent she was no longer in the camp.

After examining the environment, her eyes came back to the ones in front of her. She heard them speaking, but did not understand what they said. ‘They look like they know him. Are these his comrades? What happened to me? Why am I with them?’ A bit of panic returned for Nerine as she felt uncertain in her new situation. She needed to understand why they took her.

A thin ripple came from her body expanding through the foliage of the forest. Nothing changed physically, but it was enough. Her mind still felt light from all the stress she put on herself in her fight. Nerine swallowed slowly. “Why am I here?” She glanced over at Seiji.

Seiji almost jumped with excitement. The glow in his eyes was clear to everyone. “Nerine! We can chat again! But seriously, what the hell with screaming in my ear!” He leaned in as he spoke with no mind for boundaries or the scene.

She felt a little odd for being scolded for screaming, but it did make her feel a little embarrassed. “I’m sorry,” she replied meekly, with a little red coming across her nose. Her eyes suddenly focused on the sight of Seiji’s bandaged arm. The scene from the fight returned to her. She wanted to stretch her hand out, but nothing was there to move. “Does it hurt?”

“Huh?” Seiji’s face changed a little in confusion, but he looked down at where her eyes fixed on him. He lifted his arm to show her. A quick flex of his muscles proved it still functioned. “Not all! It’s a little weird, but it works. So I’m not complaining.” Seiji smiled carefree back at her.

Seiji’s smile infected Nerine. She found herself returning it. It no longer felt so bad. “I’m glad.”

Fumiko cleared her throat to get their attention. She smiled at the two of them, but not in the same way. “As enjoyable as it watching to lovers chat, there’re some more important matters we need to discuss.”

Both of them turned a deep shade of red. They spoke to together in protest. “We are not!”

Their denial ended up causing Yumi and Fumiko to giggle a little between them. However, Fumiko returned to a serious expression quickly. She leaned forward on one foot. “Teasing aside, we have some questions for you before we can proceed.”

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

Skipping backwards in time a little, it was late night about to breach into the dawn. However, it seemed as though the dawn would never come. It felt like something held it off in perpetuity, as though some cruel hand toyed with dolls never satisfied. The sun desperately waited to give its light to the poor souls forced to walk out their terrible fate. Yet it waited—

“Enough already! It’s about damn time,” snapped Yuki, the target of his sudden outburst was unknown.

Saki looked over at him a little confused by his words. It had been, admittedly, awkwardly silent in the group. They had someone naturally anti-social, Haruo, someone secretive, Ayumi and someone upset, Yuki. It was a little difficult for Saki, let alone anyone else to try to start up a conversation. She suspected none of them even thought about trying to talk. However, she knew she needed to respond to Yuki. “What are you yelling about?”

Yuki bent over a little, clearly bothered by something. His fingers were spread out and shaking in trying to manage the emotions. “The whole rescue was only supposed to be half as long as then return back to us. But twice the length! We’ve been ignored for fifty chapters! Fifty! And now we’re back!” A grin came across Yuki’s face in contrast to him previous emotions.

She could not help but respond with a flat disbelieving expression. “Are you angry or happy? You need to make your mind up.”

“I’m angry! I’m the main character and nothing for fifty chapters! The reader’s have forgotten all about me!”

“Didn’t you say you quit before? I thought that’s why we weren’t back.”

Such words made Yuki jolt a little, but he turned away to ignore the reaction. “I’m the main character, did you think I was being serious? It’s just a hyperbole.”

Lowering her eyelids a little, Saki narrowed in on Yuki. “Couldn’t find work else where?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Yuki crossed his arms returning back towards Saki. He looked a little calmer. “Besides, it’s not like I’m angry with the ending or anything like that.”

‘Tsundere now?’ Saki started to feel like she was losing grasp on Yuki’s thought. “I don’t even know what you’re talking about now.” She sighed a little. It was a while since he was so difficult to manage for her.

Yuki flung his arm back in a seemingly random direction adding to his dramatic posture. “I’m talking about the cliffhanger!” Pulling something from behind his back, Yuki changed his posture once more. His voice altered to a soft more delicate tone. “Teasing aside, we have some questions for you before we can proceed.” Once he finished reciting the line, he tore away the Fumiko mask he wore.

He closed his hand to leave only his index finger point out in said random direction (not random, the actual location of Team Yumi). “To leave with such words of expectation and then be treated to us in the next chapter. That’s so cruel to the reader! If this was a manga I’d throw it across the room and stop buying it!”

“So what you’re actually mad about is a mean cliffhanger where the reader is being withheld from important plot related information only meant to drag out the tension and suspense of what the truth of the story is while teasing the reader?”

“Yes!”

“So you’re not mad about being ignored?”

“Yes! No! Of course I’m mad!”

“Enough you two,” barked Ayumi, “I don’t think the fourth wall can handle the beating anymore.” The two turned from each other to look at Ayumi a little surprised she jumped into the conversation.

Yuki jumped out near her holding two things in his hands. “Don’t worry I’ve got brick and mortar to fix it!”

Reflexively, Ayumi close fist backhand whacked Yuki in the head dropping him to the earth. Her expression stayed serious as ever, despite the situation. “Enough with the jokes. The readers will lose interest with too many jokes. This is supposed to be a serious point in the story.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Yuki replied, sort of obediently. He tossed away his props. A moment later, he stood up straightening himself out. Yuki glanced away looking directly at something. A wicked grin drew across his face. ‘Chapter title page start now!’

Another fist came down on Yuki. “No more.” Ayumi’s face held a darkly serious expression that said to move on (moving on, yes ma’am.) It managed to turn even darker than before.

Chapter 175 – The Postcard

Emotions settled down as their walking continued. The pace remained brisk for them. Saki had no trouble maintaining speed, but after the hours of marching Ayumi, even trained, showed signs of fatigue. Sweat dripped down her face. It went ignored by her, refusing to acknowledge it.

Tired of ignoring his body and plain tired as well, Yuki spoke up. The silence already broke with his last tirade. He no longer concerned himself off the smaller matters of the awkwardness when resting came to the front. “I need a rest,” he declared, before dropping down in the grass.

Ayumi naturally protested his action. She turned around, still working the serious face from before. “We can’t stop. Time is short and if we don’t—“ A hint of a shaking tone bled through her words.

Yuki stopped her before she got too far on her usual response. “We won’t be any good to anyone if we’re too exhausted to move.”

“You’re too soft. You need to be stronger and more disciplined. No one else is complaining, but you.” She pointed out the perfect conditions of Saki and Haruo to him. The sweat on her face remained ignored.

Her answer made Yuki’s eyelids lower a little to flatten his gaze. “Did you really just try to compare these two to me? Unlike me, their bodies are superhuman now. Hell, Saki could run to the capital and back and still not feel tired, right?”

Saki shrugged a little, not wanting to get dragged into the debate. The lack of backup bothered him a little, but he redirected to Ayumi. He lifted his hand to point at Ayumi’s face, though to something more specific. “Besides, you say all of this, but don’t try to tell me that you’re sweating so much because it’s a hot night.”

Ayumi’s face turned a little red as he finally struck on the point she had nothing to defend. She turned away from Yuki unable to respond. Seconds of silence from her kept all of them wondering if she was thinking of a way out. At the end, Ayumi sat down in the grass still faced away from them. “One hour.”

Yuki and Saki looked at each other grinning a little. Everyone took up their place in the middle of the field. Nothing existed for kilometers, with only trees to break up the horizon. They had no options for a place to hide.

“You get some rest too and sleep, Ayumi,” added Saki. “I’ll keep watch.”

“No, I’m more familiar with the situation. I’ll stay on watch.”

Saki pressed her eyebrows a little together annoyed by her stubbornness. However, she did not plan to give up against her. “Sleep. Like Yuki said, my body’s different from the two of you. You need to recover more than me. Plus, I know you’ve been using your power to keep our tracks hidden, though against Yuki’s wishes.”

“Ayumi!” Yuki exclaimed. He pulled himself back up from lying down. “I thought we agreed!”

“I wanted them to think we all went back to rescue the brother, if they tried to track us.”

Raising her hand, Saki interrupted Yuki before he protested any further. “I have to agree with her on this. I know why you did it, but I can’t say I agree with the ideal. We have to end this quickly before anything else happens like with Yori.”

Discovering Saki not siding with him took Yuki back. He expected her always to agree with him. The surprise made him feel oddly alone. Even surprised, Yuki continued with his protest. “But if they don’t know where they are, they’ll cause more trouble to those innocent.”

“Only if they believe we’ve gone to the towns. It should be pretty clear to them that we’re not hiding.”

“But taking such a risk—“

“Would you rather to take a risk with us that you’ll end up regretting even more?”

“That’s…” Yuki wanted to back away. She slammed on a difficult and sensitive subject. Everything that happened with Yori already made him feel guilty. He did not want it to happen again, but he wanted to keep innocents out of their fight. ‘I know I can’t have both, but even still I can’t…’

Saki thinned her lips watching Yuki. She was not blind to her words, but knew Yuki needed to face reality. She wanted Yuki to survive and survive without more emotional baggage. ‘I know him well enough to know how he dumps everything on him. He takes responsibility for things that out of his control, thinking he could change them. It’s the part of him that hasn’t changed through everything. He’s still trying to protect everyone but himself.’ Focusing back on Yuki, she leaned over to close with him some. “Yuki, I made you a promise. I’m not about to break it with you now. Even if I have to be a little harder on you.”

The word promise snapped Yuki up from his thoughts to connect with Saki. His mind traveled back to when she made the promise with him. He shook his head a little trying not to think about it. The weight of the promise still bothered him. “You don’t have to anymore. I don’t want to keep holding you back from doing what you want because of your promise.”

She crawled over to Yuki and flicked her finger at his forehead. Considering her strength, despite holding back, it still stung a lot. He clutched his forehead from the eventual bruise to come. “I didn’t make that promise with you on a whim. This is what I want to do. So you don’t have to feel bad about it.” It was difficult to see, but Saki saw her words reached him a little.

Yuki slowly lowered his hands no longer focused on the pain. He caught sight of the warm smile from Saki. A small sigh came from his lips as he resigned his position. “Yeah, you’re right,” he replied, still a little melancholic in tone. Like all the times before, she forced him to relent on it. He looked back at Ayumi and suddenly remembered something else. “We seemed to have traveled from the original topic.”

“Oh you remembered? I guess I didn’t do well enough of a job to distract you.” Saki gave him a bit of a smirk.

“So that was your plan?” He went along with the pace she set. “That’s pretty mean of you. Toying with your best friend’s feelings by drawing up old memories.”

A bit of guilt suddenly surfaced in Saki as she saw how cruel she was. She tried to back pedal away from it. “I was only trying to make a point.”

Summoning up some crocodile tears, Yuki rubbed his eyes working up the emotions. Saki sputtered failing to reach her words, caught in Yuki’s trap. He quickly dried his eyes. “I guess I’ll call it even then,” he said, with a grin.

Annoyed, Saki pulled back to fall on her feet with her legs folded up. “I just wanted you to understand the situation.” She crossed her arms not completely agreeing with Yuki on things being even.

Yuki’s face quickly turned serious along with the atmosphere. “I know I can’t have everything, but I still don’t agree with it being done behind my back. If you want to do something to change the plan tell me.” He got a nod from Saki and looked over at Ayumi’s back. She gave him no answer, but he still waited. Once it appeared she was not going to give an answer he spoke up again. “Agreed?”

The silence kept everyone a little curious if Ayumi’s stubbornness surfaced again. Saki walked over trying to see her expression. She hoped to mediate the issue. However, Saki came to a stop when she looked at Ayumi’s face. Saki looked back over at Yuki. “She’s asleep.”

“What?!”

“Hey, hey! She’s probably more tired then you. Don’t raise your voice too much.”

“…right…” Yuki felt a little slighted by Ayumi even though he had no answer from her. Nothing was truly resolved between them. He unfortunately had nothing left to do. Saki insisted on him sleeping, after wasting part of their time. Yuki gave into her nagging, already knowing how exhausted his body was from the walk.

The hour passed swiftly and brought them back to their feet promptly, at Ayumi’s insistence. They resumed their march barely feeling revived. In the short passage of time, the night sky turned shades of pink, red and yellow as the sun’s light painted the bottoms of the clouds. It did not take long in their travel for dawn to arrive finally.

Unfortunately, the light brought another arrival on the horizon. The group came to a stop discovering figures in the shadows of the morning light. They stood in their path, as though expecting them. Out of the darkness, one figured revealed himself to the teenagers. Vangelis held a dark expression with a violence-craving look in his eyes. “You gave us a lot of trouble! But now it’s time to have ourselves a little a fun!”

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

The hour passed swiftly and brought them back to their feet promptly, at Ayumi’s insistence. They resumed their march barely feeling revived. In the short passage of time, the night sky turned shades of pink, red and yellow as the sun’s light painted the bottoms of the clouds. It did not take long in their travel for dawn to arrive finally.

Unfortunately, the light brought another arrival on the horizon. The group came to a stop discovering figures in the shadows of the morning light. They stood in their path, as though expecting them. Out of the darkness, one figured revealed himself to the teenagers. Vangelis held a dark expression with a violence-craving look in his eyes. “You gave us a lot of trouble! But now it’s time to have ourselves a little a fun!”

Not even sensing the mood in the air or perhaps not caring about it, Yuki took a step forward to meet gazes with Vangelis. A bit of a smirk came across Yuki’s face. “You know you’re missing a little something that really sells it.” Yuki waved his hand not to completely dismiss him. “Don’t get me wrong, you’ve got a good stock line, but you forgot something important to really tie up the package nicely.”

Smirking in kind, suddenly taking a real liking to Yuki, Vangelis stepped forward. They both remained meters apart, but their expressions made it seem like only centimeters distanced them. “You have me curious now. What sort of critique do you have?”

“You left out my name,” noted Yuki. His index finger lifted up to point out the fact as he recalled the dialogue. “It just doesn’t have the same impact without the name. It leaves out that personal note to really drive through the weight of your words. And I know you know my name by now, since I gave it to the last person I fought. So there really is not an excuse at this point not to be using it.”

A small bit of laughter came up from Vangelis. He started to really enjoy the kid. Yuki drew him in further with their chatter. “You would be right if I wanted to make a personal statement. However, I’m not just here for you. I’m here for all of you. Leaving out your name delivered it to all of you and didn’t diminish the impact.”

“I see.” Yuki scratched his chin a little considering it. “That might be the true, but you can’t ignore the fact there was something lacking in it. You had that look down and everything.”

“I’m pleased you think so. However, don’t you think it’s a little cliché, like some stock villain to be directly challenging you with coming out saying your name. We haven’t even been introduced yet.”

Yuki’s eyes widened a little reacting to Vangelis. “You mean you aren’t stock villains? Sure you guys have names, but you’ve been out of the picture for a while and likely won’t be seen again once we’re done here.” The smirk on Yuki’s lips grew wider as he ended his reply.

Vangelis gave a rougher, more abrupt laugh through his lips. “You’re a funny kid.” The expression on Vangelis’ face turned darker appearing to be provoked by Yuki.

Wanting to calm things down, Saki grabbed onto Yuki’s forearm. “Do you really think you should be taunting the guys trying to kill us?”

A little absentminded in his face, Yuki looked back at Saki over his shoulder. “This is just some lively banter before the fun starts.” Yuki moved his eyes back at Vangelis, meeting him once more through the corner of his eye. “Right?”

“I like your attitude, kid!” Vangelis started to laugh loudly breaking rank a little. It took most of them by surprise. However, Yuki joined in with him equaling the heartiness of the laugh. Everyone lost them for nearly a minute to their odd laughter before it finally came to an end. “But you’re right, kid. A little foreplay before the fight makes it that much more pleasurable.” The violence-loving grin returned to Vangelis’ face almost as if he felt what he preached.

The sight made Saki take half a step back, unnerved by his presence. “…I think I’m too young to be listening to his conversation…” She looked over at Yuki to gauge the next action. More than Vangelis’ creepy face, Yuki’s expression unsettled her even more. It almost made her afraid of what she saw in his face. ‘It’s that look again…like the old days…where he craves the fight more than anything else…’ Saki felt him getting out of her reach once more. She tightened her hand around his arm for security. ‘I was afraid the seal would break if he came here…he’s…’ It could not happen again. “…Yuki…return to me…”

Chapter 176 – Vicious Excitement

Whispers from Saki turned Yuki’s sight back. “Huh? You say something, Saki?” The confusion in Yuki’s eyes did not last for long. His eyelids lowered and the features in his face hardened suddenly. “She’s gone!” Yuki pulled himself around to get both Haruo and Saki in his vision. He could not find her anywhere. “She did it again.”

Everything moved too fast for Saki to follow Yuki. The sharpness in his voice snapped her out of her distance thoughts. “Huh? What’s wrong?”

Yuki turned around to address their opponents. “Pardon me for a moment. We’ve lost someone. Don’t be too alarmed.” A ripple from his feet broke through the earth and sped away from him. Flowers popped up everywhere in sight as Yuki’s field activated.

Vangelis barely reacted to Yuki’s displayed, but the rest of his team became unnerved quickly. They did not even have to have their fields on to see the different. Around Vangelis’ his field maintained its presence, but that did not bother them. The range was what shook them to their core.

“I can’t even see an end to it!”

“This is even more than the reports say!”

“Who is this kid?”

“This might be on par with the King!”

“How is that possible? The Rite of Succession hasn’t even begun yet!”

“Enough complaining,” barked Vangelis, keeping his steely eyed look locked on Yuki. “You already know reports aren’t everything. Besides, I told you before he’s mine. All you have to do is stay out of the way of his field.” A thin trail of sweat dripped down his temple. ‘He’s even more than I could have hoped for…’

Yuki ignored the low chatter and focused his eyes on the horizon. ‘There’s the guy’s field, but she’s around here somewhere. She didn’t get out yet. I know my field is larger than what she can cover.’ He kept looking for something very specific. Saki tried to get something out of him, but he raised his hand to stop her. Yuki did not even connect to her to give her a reply.

Confused and wanting answers, Saki stood next to Yuki. Her eyes lazily went around the horizon trying to understand where Yuki looked. Nothing surfaced. ‘What’s he doing? She’s turned herself invisible, we won’t find her until she wants us to.’ She was already gone.

Breaking the silence, Yuki’s arm snapped up to an empty point in the distance. “She’s over there! Saki!”

“Huh? I can’t see her.” Saki leaned forward with a step trying to figure out what he saw. All she was flowers continuing without end.

“Just go! You’re the only one fastest enough to catch her in time!” The tone in Yuki’s voice made it clear held no doubt. He was certain of what he found.

Saki saw Yuki’s eyes long enough to know she did not need to question him anymore. She disappeared quickly from everyone’s sight. A torrent of flowers kicked up in the wake of Saki’s speed. ‘I can see an end to the flowers!’ As she approached what she thought was the end of Yuki’s field, she saw another side of the flowers in the distance. ‘Wait…this isn’t the end…Ayumi!’ Saki immediately understood what Yuki did.

Her feet broke through the last of the flowers and returned to the grass of Atlantis. She did not stop charging with more purpose than before. Saki scanned the area measuring out the center of the circle. Once she felt certain, she appeared from nothing and grabbed out at the air. Her arms found something solid. “Don’t try to struggle with me, Ayumi! I’m stronger and faster than you. So unless you want to feels some G’s, come quietly.”

Invisible stillness permeated the field in the slow seconds passing. Eventually, a faint light appeared in front of Saki slowly materializing Ayumi’s appearance. A deep glare carved into her face from the fact of being caught.

“Did you really think we’d let you disappear on us again? There’s even less of us this time and not even Yuki’s blind enough to let you do that. You brought us here, you get to fight alongside us.”

Silently glaring at Saki, Ayumi expression barely changed. “I have my reasons.”

“Then you can explain it to us.” Saki disappeared back into the air along with Ayumi. Once more, the flowers ripped asunder the feet of Saki. The two surfaced back at the group a little behind them.

Ayumi came stumbling out with a red face partially soaked in sweat. She would have fallen over had Saki not held her. A bitter glare darted over to Saki. “I thought you weren’t going to do that.”

“Considering it payment,” answered Saki, with a small smirk on her lips. She let Ayumi go pushing her a little forward towards Yuki. “Found her, thanks Yuki!”

Releasing his field, Yuki painted a smile on his face. He walked the short steps to come up to her. “I’m glad that you didn’t leave this time.”

“But I did…” Ayumi remarked, through a flat expression.

Yuki leaned in the rest of the way to come down to only centimeters. His features changed sharply with dark shadows sprayed over his face. “What’s the reason you have for abandoning your friends this time?”

The darkness the came from Yuki surprised Ayumi a little. She did not expect such a serious tone. However, she also did not expect to be noticed until far enough away. Her miscalculation in the situation made her unlucky. ‘I knew I would have to face this eventually, but this is sooner than I wished. It’s still just him, so I shouldn’t have to explain much…’

“You said you had a reason,” pushed Saki, tired of her silence. Her hand shoved Ayumi a little off balance.

Glancing back at Saki, Ayumi narrowed her eyes annoyed with the cornered situation. ‘I don’t really have a choice. They’ve already seen me…this only makes the rest of the time more difficult…’

Vangelis shifted his gaze a little trying to see what they were up to behind Yuki. The whole situation felt a little off to him. He did not like the impression he got. ‘So that’s a display of the mysterious girl’s power…if I wasn’t think I’d say it was speed, but that would be impossible, especially since I saw no field distortion…’ Chatter from his team pulled back one of his eyes to listen at what he had to shut down.

“Who’s that?”

“Isn’t that?”

“Isn’t that First Lieutenant Eudokia?”

“She’s the Captain of the Guard now.”

“She’s here?!”

Staring out his narrow eyes, Vangelis searched around Yuki to the fourth member of their group. He pulled out pieces of what he could make out. Confirming their speculation made his eyes widened ever so slightly. ‘Why is she here? She wasn’t anywhere in the reports and acting in concert with them? This situation just suddenly took a different direction.’ Dark thoughts slowly boiled up in his mind. The thoughts made his lips grow into a wicked smile. A thick shadow fell over his eyes.

Saki’s hearing was enough to catch the whisper from the other side. It perked up her ears and turned herself back down to Ayumi. “They know you?”

“Huh? You heard something, Saki?”

“Yeah, they seem to know her, at least by her other name.” Saki stepped around Ayumi to meet Yuki and stare directly at her. She wanted some answers as well with the new information she gained. “This something to do with your reason?”

A short sigh came from Ayumi. They partially exposed her. She had nothing left to hide behind. “Yes, they know me. Everyone that’s attacked you since we’ve arrived in Atlantis.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because I used to be part of the South Gate before I became Captain of the Guard.” Ayumi crossed her arms to solidify her stance a little. Despite forced into the position, she never looked like she had been caught or guilty. She kept a hard expression, only appearing as though it was tiring to explain. “I tried to keep my presence reduced since I knew I would be very easily spotted by them. I didn’t want to show my hand to them too early.”

Yuki tilted his head back towards Vangelis and then back to Ayumi. His index finger rubbed his cheek in thought. He hardly held an expression other than pensive, considering the magnitude of the information. His eyes fixed on Ayumi suddenly. “You didn’t want to let those trying to take the throne to know that you had brought me here. You knew the military would end up letting them know quickly if you were spotted.”

“Yes, and now you’ve ruined that.”

Saki tapped Ayumi on her shoulder to get her attention from Yuki. “Or you could have just told us rather than hiding it. It only complicated matters and we would have understood if you explained it to us.”

“I prefer to do things my way.” Her crossed arms tightened up a little with her stubbornness.

Annoyed, Saki started to lean in, but was interrupted by Haruo of all people. He stood next to all of them unnoticed with a hand pointing back at the group the stopped their progress. The sight of them made Saki quickly turn serious and narrowed her features. They were all closer and spread out with their intentions made clear. “Looks like we don’t have anymore time to debate this. You’re fighting with us this time. They already know you’re here. You’ve got no choice now.”

“Unfortunately…”

Vangelis rubbed his hands together with the excitement pouring from his face. He looked far too eager for a fight. The rest seemed uneasy, but hungry as well. “It’s about time we got this started. We’ve wasted enough time already.” Vangelis walked the rest of the distance to tower over Yuki. His head tilted down to stare at him with the ravenous, toothy grin. “Yuki Hayashi…”

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

Vangelis rubbed his hands together with the excitement pouring from his face. He looked far too eager for a fight. The rest seemed uneasy, but hungry as well. “It’s about time we got this started. We’ve wasted enough time already.” Vangelis walked the rest of the distance to tower over Yuki. His head tilted down to stare at him with the ravenous, toothy grin. “Yuki Hayashi…”

Reacting a little to the new mood, Yuki flexed his hands and stretched them out. “There we go! I’m feeling the intensity now!” He took a step out from the group to reaffirm his standoff with Vangelis. His eyes scanned the group behind Vangelis to get a better look at those in their path.

The remaining four soldiers were divided into two men and two women, with similar appearing ages in their twenties. Yuki knew no better to make any more of a judgment. They all had tense and anxious expressions as if they wanted to fight, but had something that left fear inside. However, they all looked strong enough, at least physically. Yuki knew better to judge on physical appearance, knowing that they were all wearing the white uniform of people using the Kasou-ryoku.

However, the numbers bothered Yuki a little. He focused back on Vangelis. “It seems you out number us by one. How this going to work?”

“We were expecting a larger group, but since you’ve split up there’s nothing we can do about changes.” Vangelis roughly rotated his arm to point with his thumb at Iole. “She’s not going to be fighting anyway, so we’re even.”

“That does even things up. I’m guessing we split up into pairs and fight apart from each other. If my impression of you is right, you’ve already got in mind who you want to pair off with.”

A small laugh came up from Vangelis pleased by Yuki’s insight. “I knew there was a reason I liked you.”

Saki appeared in front of Yuki, interrupting the conversation. A stern and annoyed expression filled her face. “What do you think you’re doing, Yuki! Don’t agree to this! I can finish this easily myself and we can keep going!”

Narrowing his eyes a little at Saki’s shouting, Vangelis interjected into her protest. “That’s rather arrogant little miss.”

Yuki caught her before she turned her glare upon Vangelis. “They might be the enemy, but they are wanting to fight with us. You should respect the honor of two people wishing to test their strength.”

A slap echoed across the field as Saki’s hand returned back to her side. “Does he look like he wants an honorable fight?! This isn’t a dojo or one of your street brawls! These aren’t teenagers looking to punch out their frustrations! These are soldiers under orders! And we aren’t here to indulge your desires for a fight!”

“I understand your wish to test yourself, Yuki,” added Ayumi. “However, I agree with Saki as well. We should end this quickly and keep moving on.”

Snickering more through his smirk, Vangelis enjoyed watching them fight. However, he could not hold himself back from inserting himself back into the conversation. “That naivety of yours is going to be fun to crush,” he mocked. He gestured out with his arm to point in a taunting manner at Saki. “You’ve got a good head on your shoulders, little miss. You see reality better than your friend does over there. However, don’t think you can defeat us alone. That arrogance will be your undoing.”

Saki pulled away from Yuki and stepped forward to face Vangelis. Anger started to build up in her body. “It’s not arrogance if it is true.” Finishing her words, Saki suddenly disappeared from everyone’s sight. A moment later, an ear piercing noise ripped through the area nearly bringing everyone to their knees (minus Haruo).

It did not take long for Yuki to know what happened. He strained his eyes to focus through the pain in his head. Saki stood less than a meter away from Vangelis pounding with her fists at an invisible surface. She disappeared repeatedly trying to find ways around it, but then suddenly came to a halt. Her body collapsed to the ground gasping in pain for air. “Saki!” shouted Yuki, as he broke free from the ground. A ripple expanded from his feet as he ran towards her.

Arriving at Saki, she already looked in better shape than a moment before. She still panted heavily as though out of breath, but no longer looked to be in severe pain. Yuki knelt down to lift her up to his side to get a clearer idea of what happened. He glanced at her and then over at Vangelis, who remained unmoved during the entire outburst. ‘He must have done something with his field…’ Seconds continued to pass improving Saki’s condition until she pushed him off her. “You alright?”

“I’m fine…” She glared over at the Atlantean, his bloodthirsty smirk only enraged her more. At Yuki’s insistence, she withdrew back to their side while she finished recovering. ‘What was that? It felt like there was no oxygen in the air, as though I was being suffocated…’ Saki widened her eyes in surprise as her mind realized what happened. It turned her expression into anger turned upon herself for her impulsive act.

Vangelis remained casual about the entire affair, as though asphyxiating Saki was no more different than walking. It brought a cold chill to the air that even with all of his violence-loving grinning never carried. “So it was just arrogance,” he remarked, still taunting Saki.

Saki felt a tight hold clasp around her wrist. It did not hurt, but she turned up to see Yuki. “…Yuki…” The fun loving brawler in Yuki completely disappeared. A dark, serious shape cut through his face to remove any sign of softness. ‘He’s different now, but I can’t tell if it is for good or bad…’

Chapter 177 – Polite Violence

The last two minutes replayed through Vangelis’ mind, absorbing what he learned from his provocation. It turned out better than he expected, but left him with new theories. ‘She still had her speed or whatever it is, but succumbed to my field effects. Which means her power wasn’t active. Only two options remain, she using real devices to simulate her power or she different from us and can use her power without needing a field active. This must be the strange feeling he spoke about.’

Simonides turned back, halting in step. A grave expression grew into the edges of his face to impart the seriousness of his words. ‘I said before don’t be cocky, but don’t underestimate them.’

Remaining casually playful about the mood, Vangelis hardly gave a reaction to him. ‘Worrying about me now, Captain?’

The Captain turned away to resume his walk away from him. He finished his words as he parted company. ‘There’s something different about them. Don’t assume them to be like any other MP you’ve seen.’

‘…hrmph…’ Vangelis watched the Captain disappear from sight. He already stopped to keep their conversation going several times. He waited until he was completely gone before turning away. ‘They’re all the same. Nothing will surprise me other than the level of their childish naivety. I’ll crush everything about them!’

After witnessing the acts by Saki, he felt he had to admit a little to the Captain. It was bothersome, but Vangelis could see what had him so concerned about their intruders. ‘If they fight without fields this will actually be even easier though. However, mine, Yuki Hayashi, he is normal.’ Glancing back at Yuki, he picked up in the seething desires coming from him. ‘He looks ready to fight…’ Ignoring the fact, Vangelis continued to speak casually to Yuki. “Now that it’s settled. Let’s get things started.”

Yuki walked out to meet Vangelis, staring him down away from the rest of his friends. Only centimeters stood between the two of them. The proximity did nothing to affect either of them. “I don’t care what sort of plan you have set up anymore. The two of us are fighting.”

Spinning around violently at their feet, Yuki’s field clashed with Vangelis’ field. It seemed to mirror the resolve of them in their unwillingness to back down or show a sign of weakness.

Vangelis gave him a smirk, pleased with the situation. “I’ll be looking forward to it.” He motioned over to his team to bring them forward. ‘Plans change…the only one we have nothing on is the bulky kid that’s said nothing.’ His eyes scanned the three others in Yuki’s group quickly making judgments from his information. “Chariton, you’ll fight Ismene. Kallias, you take the little miss. Ligeia, you’ve got the last one, the silent one back there.”

“Right,” confirmed Ligeia. She took a step out and strolled over to Haruo. His size did little to impress or intimidate her. She actually came out marginally taller than him, by a few centimeters.

Kallias strode out taking wide steps with each pace as though stretching himself. “Yeah, this should keep me from getting bored.” He had the confidence built up from Vangelis display of shutting Saki down. So he made full use of his height different to create an imposing figure. Unfortunately, Saki seemed only more angered by him.

Cracking his neck a little, Chariton bounced out on his feet. A little bit of sweat dripped down his face as he approached Eudokia. “Hello, it’s been a while, Eudokia Ismene.” He worked up a nervous grin to mask his unsettledness.

She easily picked up his fear. “Chariton, surprised you’re still at the South Gate, with how much you bounce around postings. You’ll regret not transferring yet.” A wicked smile painted over her lips with a darkened shadow cast over her eyes.

Saki was not willing to let the fighting devolve into something as simple as breaking off to fight, while they all pretended there was something noble or honorable. She immediately struck out at Kallias to end the fight, but found a jet of water pressing against her fist rather than his face. A moment later, the water sprayed around her hand drenching her utterly. The cold water did little for her emotions. She charged through the water expecting to find Kallias on the other side, but only found it empty. ‘Where the hell did he go?’ Her eyes darted around trying to see through the blurred vision of water dripping off her eyebrows.

Working down his laughter, Kallias’ voice wormed through the area. “I figured you’d probably act first. This is the first chance I’ve had in a very long time for something interesting. I’m not about to let you spoil it by trying to end things quickly.” Water collapsed back into the ground revealing Kallias to Saki. His appearance changed with a skintight black suit covering him leaving only his hands, feet and head exposed.

Foiled twice annoyed Saki. It was the first time since she had her powers granted to her that she did not end the conflict with a single strike. She hated it. Everything she was given was supposed to allow her to create the path she desired. ‘Water won’t be enough to stop me. I’ll put an end to this pointless fighting myself!’

Saki first step splashed water under her foot before she disappeared from sight. Water divided from her path and then exploded as a wall water came in front of her. ‘So thick…can’t…’ Taken by surprise, she tripped unable to keep her balance at the speeds. Saki appeared sliding over the thin layer of water before falling out of the field and kicking up dirt from her speeding body.

A dirt cloud covered up Saki’s path, but Kallias did not remain in wait for long. The cloud ripped apart from a powerful force passing through leaving only trails as the sign of what left. However, he already had things setup for Saki’s return. Water rose from the ground to enough of a height to trip her. It broke her out of her speed and dropped her down into the wide puddle of water. For Saki, the water did not allow her to slide away again. A bubble of water scooped her up imprisoning her within it.

Kallias motioned to the others with the situation secured. “I’ll be departing now.” He walked away from the group keeping the ball with Saki inside floating in the air nearby him. Her futile efforts to punch at the water did little more than make holes that immediately sealed back up before she could act.

With things calmed down, everyone stared off at their respective partners for the coming fight. Haruo made no words. He simply walked away from the area as though leaving the fight. Ligeia felt a little slighted by his lack of a reaction, but followed him anyway. Chariton motioned at Ayumi and they walked off to get out of range of Yuki.

Yuki glanced around at his friends keeping their positions in his mind. He held off on activating his power until he was certain that they were beyond his range, which meant a long wait. His eyes stared back at Vangelis, the image of Saki in his mind ignited fire in his muscles. Both of his hands tightened into fists.

“Stay wake, kid!” called Vangelis already appearing on his left. He only granted Yuki enough time to see him before a blast suddenly enveloped him.

In their part of the field, Chariton and Eudokia squared off. Eudokia revealed her field first, with the snow field and her simple sword and chain-attached chakram. Stretching again, Chariton did not appear to be taking things too seriously and the hints of fear disappeared from him. After he finished, he fixed his sights on her. An eyebrow rose for him as he caught sight of her. “I don’t remember you using a snow field or wearing something so foreign before.”

Eudokia narrowed her eyes at Chariton. Her hand tightened around the hilt of the sword. “I don’t remember anything about you. And I don’t expect to after this fight.” She threw out the chakram as he activated his power.

The ripple through the earth revealed massive mushrooms, floating trees and upside down flowers with their roots exposed, as though reverse planted. Chariton stepped out from around the large trunk of a mushroom with the chakram caught on a wooden pole. As he stepped out more, it was revealed to be an ordinary broom in his hands. “Hopefully, I leave a little more of a lasting impression on you.”

Ligeia stood opposite of the silent wall, Haruo. She still waited for him to actually do anything besides stand around. An annoyed vein popped on her forehead. “Are you going to do anything?!” Silence persisted for him. Ripples burst from her feet as her response to his inaction. “Fine then! Just die where you stand!” Metallic pieces gathered in a pyramid emitting a bright light moments before a wide beam erupted from them. Light washed over Haruo completely engulfing him.

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

Yuki glanced around at his friends keeping their positions in his mind. He held off on activating his power until he was certain that they were beyond his range, which meant a long wait. His eyes stared back at Vangelis, the image of Saki in his mind ignited fire in his muscles. Both of his hands tightened into fists.

“Stay wake, kid!” called Vangelis already appearing on his left. He only granted Yuki enough time to see him before a blast suddenly enveloped him.

Smoke clouded the area around Yuki masking him out completely, leaving his fate unknown. Vangelis kept an eye on smoke, while continuing to put together schemes in his mind. He knew he would need a countless array of plans to deal with Yuki.

Once the wind started to pull away from mask, Yuki’s darkened figured surfaced. “You’re going to have to do better than that if you expect to actually hurt me,” commented Yuki. The last trails of the smoke faded away into the air. Yuki stood completely unmoved and unfazed by the blast. He did not even wear his usual gi. The tunic he used for a disguise remained on him, a clear sign to Vangelis that Yuki was not even taking him seriously.

Vangelis’ eyes narrowed while his lips curled. Excitement made his arms shake. Thoughts of fighting Yuki ran through his mind. ‘He completely negated it with only the power of his field. Impressive kid…’

Chapter 178 – Guardian’s Struggle

Walking out to a safe distance away from Yuki meant a long wait. However, Saki was unwilling to accept the wait. She continued to punch and claw at the water orb in a desperate attempt to free herself. Unfortunately, nothing succeeded for her. The water sealed up too fast for her to make any escape and too small for her to fit. Anything larger than her hand or foot could not even breach the water. It was perfectly designed to cage her.

Just when it might have seemed like Saki would stop Kallias came to a halt. The sphere containing Saki moved around in front of him. Small drops fell from the bottom creating ripples in the thin water covering the ground. Water stretched in all directions from him for meters.

Kallias approached Saki carefully, keeping out of her reach. The young man stared at her for a short time in silence. Changes in his face made it look like he was thinking or considering something. He preferred to keep it mysterious. “I’m Kallias, as you likely over heard,” he introduced. The movements in his body remained limited. It presented everything in a rather formal manner.

A punch from Saki only made him raise his eyebrow a little. It came as something he expected from his before interaction with her, but he hoped for something more from her. He was her partner in their duel. So he wished for something more useful. “You should stop struggling like that. You’ll only waste your energy before we even get started.” His hand rubbed at his short, but not quite shaved, dark brown hair. It seemed an act of annoyance.

Reshaping the water holding Saki, it forced her head through and constricted around her body. It left her with little room to maneuver. However, Saki’s expression on her face never changed. She only marginally contained her anger with the situation. “The only energy I’ll waste is knocking you out!”

“Afraid that’s a little difficult to do stuck in there.”

“You wanted to fight me. But you have me tied up. Let me go and I’ll show you a fight!” She managed a bit of clarity in her condition. It was fueled purely by her desire to escape and end the fight. Saki had no intentions of giving Kallias any chance to enjoy a fight.

Kallias lowered his hand from his head and crossed his arms. “Yes, you’re correct. However, I introduced myself and you have yet to do the same. We can’t start without knowing who we are fighting.”

Clicking her tongue a little at the response, Saki tried to worm out of the water. However, the water seemed to have increased in strength. She could not even move her arm a centimeter to muster a punch. “I’ve no intention of telling you my name. Unlike Yuki, I don’t treat fights as something of mutual agreement or respect. Just let me go!” Even with her cornered position, she refused to accept them. She saw he only treated the entire thing as something interesting enough to relieve his boredom.

A frown appeared on his face. The bright green in his eyes lit up to pierce Saki and confront her streak of stubbornness. “We seem at an impasse then. I won’t release you until you tell me your name, which will be very boring.” His eyes glowed a little as he continued to speak. “Do hope this is not boring. If this continues any longer I’ll just drown you. It’ll at least be more interesting than a stalemate.”

Saki caught and shoved her gasp down into her stomach, as painful as it was do. She did not want to give him the pleasure of her reaction. ‘You can’t be serious! He’ll kill me over my refusal?!’ The deep unflinching look in Kallias’ eyes already told her how serious he was when he spoke. It unnerved her in a penetrating and sickening way. She never felt such a presence from someone. ‘He truly doesn’t care about me. Only something to relieve his boredom! What sort of person is he!?’

The sight of Kallias made Saki realize something. She always dealt with bullies or delinquent punks after Yuki. It was always someone after Yuki with only the childish desire to control or revenge. They were empty, devoid of any meaningful purpose. Many of them were just looking for a fight, mostly just wanted to beat something into the ground. Yet she saw a different reality with Kallias.

Kallias held many of the same qualities of the punks she beat endlessly into the ground. The same ones that just wanted to stand over Yuki and see him in the dirt. Yet, he eyes had unknown quality in them. He did not even see her as human. ‘I’m just a toy to him. Something that he can break if it doesn’t please him. He doesn’t want to just crush me. He wants me to entertain him. He wants me to challenge him and if I don’t comply… This isn’t like the worthless students in school. He’s something completely different!’

Everything went through Saki’s mind with pain. Claws ripped through leaving her raw. She never knew such a person could exist. She never even considered it. Saki liked to consider herself more connected with the reality of the world than the rest of her friends, but Kallias completely turned everything on its head for her. She only had a word for him. ‘Insane. He’s insane!’

Saki did not know what to do in her situation. She believed he would actually do what he said. The reality of her situation slammed on her so heavy that it paralyzed her body. None of the water around her even entered her notice.

Tired of the silence, a strip of water raised from the field. It appeared shaped like a ribbon, if it had not been liquid. Forming a loop, it rose over Saki’s head. It came with an ominous presence, backed by the stare from Kallias. Several centimeters remained between it and Saki, but it stopped level with her mouth and nose. The intent turned immediately clear.

“Your name, before I must forcibly make this more interesting.” His hand rose toward Saki as though controlling the water’s radius. There was no need for the motion, but it added to the effect as though he personally wanted to strangle her.

Stubbornness ground her teeth. Fear froze her throat. Saki did not know what to do. ‘I can’t satisfy him. He only wants something to enjoy.’ Her eyes saw the water threatening her. He no longer wanted her alive. Something had to change. She was no longer certain about her life. ‘If I don’t though, he’ll kill me and there’s nothing I can do to stop him!’

The seconds ticked off for Saki. Her mind spun the decision around as pointless at it might have been. It was only with the water less than a centimeter away from her that she spoke up. “…Furukawa…Saki Furukawa…” she relented. The water around her head suddenly lost all form and fell on her tunic, already thoroughly soaked. Saki already felt defeated before it began.

“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” Kallias turned away from Saki and walked out a measured distance. When he reached the point he wanted he stopped and faced her once more. Several meters stood between. “Now that we know each other, we can begin.” He made a dismissive gesture signaling the water imprisoning Saki to fall away.

Saki blinked a little surprised at how it all turned out. She hated giving into Kallias, but it freed her. ‘Time to end this!’ Saki immediately disappeared blowing out water with each step until she appeared suddenly. Her body was face down in the water sliding away from Kallias, already past him.

Familiarity with the situation, Saki slammed her hands down to both bring her to a stop and push herself up. It did not happen before her carved herself through the grass and coated herself in dirt and grass chunks. “Damnit…”

Kallias looked a little disappointed with Saki. “You’ve already did that before. Did you really think I’d be naïve enough to think you wouldn’t do it again? You’ve already made your outlook on fighting pretty clear. However, I want more from this than just something wrapped up in a few minutes.” He motioned with his hands calling her back into his field. “I’ve been without anything to do since I’ve been dumped out here. I want something I can enjoy.”

Narrowing her eyes, Saki stared at Kallias and the water that covered all of the ground around him. It taunted her. ‘I could finish this quickly if it wasn’t for that water!’ Her eyes flipped over to check on Yuki in the distance. Her mind quickly focused on him. ‘I have to get back to him! I can’t let him…’

“I wouldn’t be getting distracted. Your fight is with me, not him.”

His words hit a surprising cord in Saki. The thought made her eyes widened suddenly in realization. ‘I don’t have to stay here! I’m not in his field…’ Tilting her head back at Kallias, she gave him a small bit of a grin. “I never agreed to fight you. I just have to put an end to this pointless battle.” Saki disappeared after she finished with Yuki as her target.

It was barely even a second before Saki fell on her back. She pulled her head up to look around at what happened to her. ‘What just happened?! I hit something…’ Back on her feet in moments, Saki approached the area where she flew back from. A ripple appeared in the air. It caused the entire view to become distorted. “What is this?!”

“I’m not a novice MP like you might be used to dealing with,” called Kallias.

Saki turned her head to look back at him. She did not understand it, but assumed it was him. However, when she looked he had no moved a step. ‘How can he be doing anything when his field ends all the way over there?!’

“Even at this distance, I can see that you’re confused.” He took a step forward and the rippling moved along with him. The distortion in the air shifted in concert. “Figured it out?”

She immediately understood, but did not know how it was possible. The questions spun her around to look at his field needing to know if she was crazy. Nothing changed about it. The puddle ran only a few meters out, while grass filled the rest of the area out to the distortion. Saki rammed her fist into the invisible surface. It bounced her hand back, leaving the knuckles red.

Large ripples erupted from where she punched creating even greater distortions. The view outside was utterly unreadable. Saki turned around realizing too well that she was trapped inside. “Damn…” She started cautiously walking towards Kallias. “Your water doesn’t go all the way out there. How is that even possible?”

Smirking a little, he had his final confirmation. ‘It’s disturbing, but it’s the only answer.’ He kept his focus on Saki, noting that she slowly continued to approach him. She no longer tried her previous tactic. “I never said my field was as large as the water. You shouldn’t be making assumptions, especially about something you don’t understand.”

“I understand enough to know what you’re doing is strange.”

“You clearly don’t understand enough, or you would already know what I’m doing. But I guess not being a MP explains a lot.” Kallias continued to keep an eye on Saki as she entered the water once more. He sent out traps for her, but her feet avoided them. ‘Not falling for it again? Good, it’d be even more boring if you did. The fact that you’re different already makes this very interesting. I’m glad I came…’

It only took a little effort for Saki kept watch on the water. She already knew his previous trick enough to keep an eye out for her. Knowing it was coming made it very easy for her to evade (that and not blinding charging forward). “Being one of you or not, I’ve been around the power enough to see it work. You’re clearly doing something different.”

Switching things up, the water changed shape and direction. It lashed out for her, but Saki dodged it still. “Then they haven’t shown you everything we can do with our power yet. It’s a pretty simply technique. I’m reluctant to call it an advance technique, so let’s call it an intermediate technique. Anyone with training can do it.” Suddenly the water raced out from his feet like a backed up sewer drain. It bubbled up and poured out into a small wave.

The wave washed over Saki’s feet up to her ankles and continued to the edge of the visible field. It then continued on rather than stopping. Saki’s eye widened a little to find that his field did not end. His field kept going out to the wall before it cut off. ‘It’s more than three times bigger than before!’ Her eyes focused back on Kallias.

“There’s a lot you don’t know about us. You shouldn’t be underestimating us, just because you’re different. Would you show your full strength from the very start? The same is with our fields. We don’t always show the full size of our field. Against someone like you, you can’t even tell where it begins and ends since you don’t have a field to see the distortions.”

Saki ground her teeth together. She hated admitting how little she truly understood about them. ‘He’s been playing me since the beginning!’ Still several meters away from Kallias, she came to a stop. Her arms shook and her face hardened. Things had to change for her. She raised her fist and slammed it into the shallow water.

Water blasted up into the air as though a comet struck the earth from the heavens. The tide wave from her punch sent water up high enough to completely remove her from Kallias’ sight. When the water rushed back down, Saki was missing. Kallias’ eyes widened a touch as he looked around for signs of her. It saw nothing and suddenly looked up to see Saki coming down from the air with a fist aimed at him only a few centimeters away.

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

Saki ground her teeth together. She hated admitting how little she truly understood about them. ‘He’s been playing me since the beginning!’ Still several meters away from Kallias, she came to a stop. Her arms shook and her face hardened. Things had to change for her. She raised her fist and slammed it into the shallow water.

Water blasted up into the air as though a comet struck the earth from the heavens. The tide wave from her punch sent water up high enough to completely remove her from Kallias’ sight. When the water rushed back down, Saki was missing. Kallias’ eyes widened a touch as he looked around for signs of her. It saw nothing and suddenly looked up to see Saki coming down from the air with a fist aimed at him only a few centimeters away.

‘I’ve got him!’ Saki thought to herself, with excitement building up. Her mind flashed back to Yuki. ‘I can get back him now!’ In the last stretch, Saki caught signs of Kallias’ expression changing. The flicker of surprise gave way to a thin smirk. She suddenly felt a heavy dread over her. The feeling told her to stop, but she was already committed.

A wall of water pooled over the air blocking Saki’s fist in the last centimeter. The impact left a little mist to spray Kallias’ face. He made no reaction to almost being hit. His smirking face and his expression looked bored again. Through the clear water, Kallias stared up at Saki with the last of her momentum draining. “You’re disappointing me, Miss Furukawa. I already expected you to attempt that. This is not going to be very interesting if you keep being so straightforward about this.”

“Damn,” she muttered under her breath. Her feet landed back in the water, sending a cool chill through her legs. It went mostly ignored by her. Water already hung on her arms and soaked her tunic. Little could be done anymore about it.

Focusing her sights on Kallias, Saki tried to find a new plan. ‘He keeps anticipating me. I can’t do anything to get through that water of his!’ The water surrounding Kallias dripped back down into the pool. Once more, he appeared open to her attacks, but she already knew better. He thwarted her attempts repeatedly with almost no effort. ‘What do I do? I’ve only fought one like him before and I was normal then. Ayumi and Yuki were there with me. I’m so used to ending fights quickly…’

Chapter 179 – Guardian’s Turmoil

Dragging his foot through the water, Kallias spun around a full cycle. It kicked up water that rose past his knees. Continuing up, the water quickly no longer followed normal physics. A loose ring of water turned about him at shoulder height. “I’ve been letting you do everything so far. How about a change of pace?” Suddenly, he raised his arm and flicked a finger at Saki.

A small orb of water pulled free from the ring and sped across the field. The distance between them was barely a meter. It gave Saki almost no time to react, but it was still more than enough time for her. She saw it coming meaning she could easily dodge. Saki only took a step to the side, but seemed like she popped out of existence and reappeared in the same second only step away. The orb sped on past Saki quickly disappearing out of sight.

She wondered when he might start his offensive, but she wished he waited longer. ‘He’s not going to let me figure out something…’ Another pellet of water shot at Saki. She dodged it even easier than before, knowing what to expect from him.

“Very nice. This’ll definitely be more interesting now, if you can keep that up.”

Saki glared at Kallias, hearing the excitement in his voice. “I’m not here for your entertainment!” She charged at him in anger tired of his face. Unfortunately, water came up and wrapped around her wrist bringing her to a sudden halt. The force ripped through her arm pulling at her joints from her momentum. Saki winced from the pain, an unfamiliar feeling for her since she gained her power.

Kallias motioned with his finger. “I thought I told you that straightforward tactics were boring.” After scolding her with his finger, he lowered it to point directly at her. “This is much more interesting.” Three orbs formed from the water at his direction. They shot out from the ring at the tied down Saki.

Struggling with the water, Saki could not free her arm in time. She spun around the stream of water tying her. It had enough flexibility to allow her limited range of movement, as she discovered. The projectiles flew past her, harmlessly. Saki glared back at Kallias. ‘I need to come up with something!’

‘Her ability to move is quite remarkable. Things certainly won’t be dull, however…’ Motioning with his finger, several more orbs gathered to fire one Saki.

Fighting the stream still, she bent down to spin out of the area and work on breaking free. ‘…got to get free!’ While the water spheres blew past her, Saki used her strength to rip free from the water’s hold. The bonds that held the water together sprayed over the field. It left her wrist dripping in water.

‘Strength and speed, I have to test her toughness…’ Kallias sliced his hand through the ring. The divide split the water, but slowly shifted to different heights. Once at their desired height the ends of the water grew out. They followed along the same arc becoming two rings around him. He then snapped his finger creating up a dozen orbs. “A little escalation is needed…”

Saki narrowed her features to brace for the next attack. She cursed herself for being unable to do anything. He already stopped her every time before. Nothing could be done to prevent him. She had to deal with his whims until she figured out a way out of her situation. ‘The numbers shouldn’t be much of a problem. He directs them all with his hand, so I just have to watch and I’ll know when to move.’

A flick from his finger signaled the new rounds to release from his hold. They sped over at Saki. She started to move, but suddenly found her legs not responding to her. ‘What!? When did he?’ Water wrapped around her legs forcing her to accept the incoming pellets. However, Saki was unwilling to accept it and fell backwards letting the water bindings hold her balance. She saw the spheres streak over her barely missing her.

Sighing a little, she started to rip her legs free from Kallias’ field. ‘He’s still just playing with me!’ However, while her attention was on her legs, her eyes caught something moving out of the corner of her range. It only took a moment for her reflexes to focus and determine it. ‘More?!’ Saki glanced back at Kallias to read the scene. ‘No, the angle’s wrong…these are the same one! He’s directing them around!’ Struggling with the water around her legs, Saki only managed to free one leg. ‘I can’t…’

No time remained for Saki in the terrible position she found herself. Her eyes widened a little in surprise to be completely caught off guard by Kallias. She fought to turn her around in such an awkward position, but could only manage a slight change before the water crashed into her. The few that missed splashed in the field digging up tall impact waves.

Saki felt like lead balls fell atop her, not water. They were dense and did not fall apart at impact. They dug into her body before collapsing. She thought she had been punched from the force. It pushed her on her back, soaking in the water of Kallias’ field. ‘…hurts…’

‘She lost again,’ mocked a child.

‘How many times does this make,’ questioned another little kid.

‘Twenty-seven times.’

‘She’ll never beat him.’

‘She’s just a girl.’

‘She’s too cocky. She really should learn her place!’

Biting through the sting, Saki ripped her other leg free from the water. She forced the memories into the back of her mind. ‘This is not the time for it.’ Saki stood up wiping off the water from her face.

Examining the results, Kallias narrowed his eyes a little. He found it very interesting. It was definitely going to be enough for him. ‘You gave me quite the opponent, Vangelis! I’ll have to thank you after this is all over.’ Kallias subconsciously found himself grinning a little at the prospect of fighting Saki. ‘I want to see more! Give me more!’

He ran his hand through the water ring again. It quickly turned into four rings. The next action was easily seen. A motion from his hand spawned over thirty of his little spheres. “Let’s play some more!”

Gritting her teeth, Saki opened her vision to try to pay attention to everything. She disappeared and reappeared a few meters away the moment she caught sight of water coming after her. Her dripping legs were ready for him. “I’m not a toy that’ll play for you!” Saki dodged another attempt.

Grinning at Saki’s struggling, Kallias gave the motion for the water orbs to leave for their target. “That’s what will make this fun! I wouldn’t want it any other way!”

“Damnit…” she muttered. More tricks came in from the field, while the thirty lead balls shot at her. Knowing his methods better, Saki kept ahead of the field. However, dodging thirty targets made things more difficult for her. It became worse after she avoided them the first time. They all turned around in different directions to refocus on her.

She was given little time to react. Her mind was forced to pay attention to the field and the projectiles. It made her eyes dart around trying to keep everything in view for her. ‘I’ve got to keep moving!’ Saki settled for the only solution that kept her out the range. Her feet carried her around the field into the blind side of Kallias.

His open back taunted her for a strike. ‘I’ve got to find a way through his water! It doesn’t matter if I keep failing! I’ll figure him out eventually!’ Saki charged in hoping to get through his defenses, but her fist met the same water. It halted her progress. Her fist could not even penetrate a millimeter through the water. Water sprayed over her arms dripping thicker than before onto her. ‘Why can’t I get through!? It’s like hitting a steel wall!’

“I thought you were learning from your mistakes,” goaded Kallias. He already had the spheres turning around coming for Saki. “Please don’t become boring now.”

“Bastard!” Saki growled, annoyed with his voice. Her eyes turned to her sides noticing the balls aimed at her. In the matter of a second, she had to make a decision. She had to answer her question. She wanted to stay and keep trying. She needed to escape.

Saki demanded an answer.

Stubbornness won out over survival. She kept pushed her hand against the water to make any sort of impact. She had to know she could do something against him.

The first ball rammed into her back, but she remained on her feet. It barely even made her budge. The next did little more to change her. She still stood after a third blasted her from all sides. Her hand remained pressed up against the water determined not to give up. Ten more rained down on her shaking her body. The last rounds came in trying to knock her to her knees.

Saki kept on her feet the entire time. Her fist shook up against the water still unable to penetrate any deeper. Water continued to drip down her body from the blasts, but she remained firm.

The Atlantean turned around to face Saki directly. He looked no more concerned about her proximity than any other time. “Such recklessness is going to make this less interesting.”

“I don’t care what you think! I will break your water!”

A bit of a smirk came across his face watching Saki struggling. “Your resolve is nice, but it is clear from watching you that you have any real experience in a fight.”

“I don’t care about those things!”

“Oh, but without experience you’ll just end up losing. You can’t solve everything quickly. You’ve got to enjoy it and soak it!”

Saki pressed her fist harder against the water, but found nothing. She made no progress. “I’m not like you! I’ll never be like you!”

“Then you’ll never win!” Suddenly, a swiping attack came at Saki knocking her off her feet. Kallias quickly followed up with a blast of water that sent her flying away. A snap up his fingers ordered up another round of water spheres, already in flight.

Saki flew backwards through the air unable to get any control. “Damn!” Her back slammed into the barrier forcing her down into the corner. She struggled to get back to her feet feeling a little short of breathe from the last punch. Unfortunately, as her eyes opened to focus back on Kallias she saw his next attack. She could only put her arms up for defense as they already began to strike.

‘She’s down again!’

‘She never learns.’

‘A girl can’t win, not against him!’

‘It’s pathetic.’

‘She should just quit already.’

‘It’s pointless!’

After the round of dozens balls slammed into her Saki began to move again. Water draped over her body almost clinging to her. She rocked back up to her feet looking a little unstable. The look in her eyes remained unchanged. A narrowed thin look of determination filled her eyes. ‘It’s never pointless!’

To be continued…