Shift

[Andromeda]

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.

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!’

Grinning a little, he took enjoyment in the fight. ‘This is nothing like a sparring match or even hunting down MPs. I want to see more!’ He beckoned at Saki insisting that she come at him again. ‘Come again! Don’t stop now!’ It meant very little to him anymore the method of her attacks. He wanted something else to happen. ‘This is the first time I haven’t been bored in years!’ Kallias appeared as though he drank the sweetest most satisfying wine, a once in a lifetime sip that could never be forgotten. It was like pure ecstasy.

Chapter 180 – Guardian’s Memories

‘I’ll figure you out!’ Breaking from the wall, Saki burst forward disappearing from Kallias’ sight. Water divided from where Saki ran, but she quickly turned it into a circle around Kallias. ‘Let’s see you figure me out now!’

A half meter tall tide roared up around Kallias from all sides. He already tried a few trips on her, but they all failed. His eyes flipped around at the continuous wall of water surrounding him. It was even and constant without a breaking. ‘Hiding yourself in a circle, so I can’t follow your movements. That’s quite clever, but you have to attack eventually. When you do…’

The seconds strained out as no change came from Saki. She kept delaying the moment to strike. ‘He’s not doing anything. He’s waiting on me, but I can move faster than his eyes. He can’t predict where I’ll come out, but I don’t feel confident about it. Why?’ While she maintained her speed, Saki watched Kallias. Her eyes searched out for any hints. Reading him did little good for her. It was not her strength. ‘I don’t have a choice…’

Decisions had to be made. Saki knew it. A split moment was all it took. She acted.

The tidal wave of water changed too fast for Kallias to even notice until it already ended. Water exploded next to him. A massive ripple tore through the barrier that sprayed water across Kallias’ face from more than sixty meters away.

After it all finished, Kallias turned himself to stare over at Saki. “So that’s where you decided to attack from. It’s rather pointless to think that just because I can’t see I can’t fight you.” He lifted his hand to produce more of the orbs. Dozens rained down on Saki from her unresponsive body.

At the end of the assault, Saki turned up her head to glare back at Kallias. Her body ached from the water, but they were nothing more than bruises. Flickers of what happened to her played through her mind. The last second water stopped her and slid her away from him. ‘It happened too fast! He can’t be able to react to my movements! What is he doing?’ Saki pushed herself back up to her feet. ‘It doesn’t matter. He can’t hurt me with his attacks.’

“I’m glad you keep standing up. I want to keep enjoying this!”

Frustrated with the situation, Saki clinched her teeth. Her body struggled with her mind. She wanted to punch him so hard. “I’m not standing up for you.”

“So long as you are, the reason doesn’t matter!” Kallias summoned up several more orbs for Saki.

Narrowing her eyes, Saki knew what to expect from them. ‘Dodging doesn’t work…’ She tightened up her fists and planted her feet firmly preparing for the attack.

A little intrigued by Saki’s acceptance, he raised his eyebrow looking forward to what she had planned. Flicking his finger, the water launched at Saki.

Saki watched the water as it slowly moved towards her. Her reflexes made it too easy to track. It felt like minutes passed before it came near her. All she had to do was wait. ‘Now!’ She threw out her fist taking the incoming water head on. Water washed over her fist exploding into droplets. The next already arrived with her other fist ready. ‘I just have to meet them head on!’

It was over in an instant. So fast Kallias could not seen anything more than a streak. A failure did not faze him. His hand ran over the rings drawing up nearly a hundred orbs. “Let’s test your fists a little more!”

Hardening her resolve, Saki took a few steps forward. She refused to back down to him. “I’ll take whatever you got!” Saki stretched out her closed hand to point at Kallias. ‘You aren’t enough either.’

“What?! Are you sure dear?” Saki’s mother said shocked by Saki’s out of the blue announcement.

Saki, age ten, stared up at her mother determined and not willing to back down from what she had decided. “Yes! I want to learn martial arts!”

Her mother did not understand what got into her daughter so suddenly. She bent down coming to eye level with Saki. Resting a hand on her head, she tried to comfort her fearing the worst. “But why? This is so sudden, dear. Is there something wrong at school?”

Images of Yuki flashed through her mind. He beat up the kids simply because she begged for him to help her. Yuki always helped her. He always protected her. She did not want to see him doing it because of her. Saki tightened up her tiny hands. “Because I want to learn it!”

A grimace turned across her mother’s lips. “I understand that, but you must have a reason. You can tell me, Saki.”

“I just want to! I don’t need a reason!” Saki threw off her mother’s hand and stormed out of the room to retreat to her bedroom. She dropped on her bed. ‘I can’t tell her it’s because I don’t want Yuki to protect me anymore! She’ll try to do something and we’ll have to move again!’

Saki awoke to raised voice. She rubbed her eyes and slowly made her way to the door of her room. The sleepiness blocked out part of conversation, but she knew it was her parents.

“…just a… …reckless…”

“…not a bad…”

“Saki…”

It was the sound of her name that snapped her attention back. Her eyes focused quickly along with her hearing. She poked her head out her door to look down the hall. In the distance, she saw her parents talking. ‘What are they talking about?’

“This could be a good thing for her.”

“I can’t believe you’re on her side about this! She’s just a child and girl! They’ll hurt her!”

“Everyone will get a little hurt, but it is safe. Besides, it’ll be a good chance to interact with other kids her age. The only friend she has is Yuki. He’s a good kid, but she shouldn’t be alone at her age.”

She paused in her argument having trouble with his response. “Saki didn’t even give me reason! I know she’s being bullied again and she’s just hiding it from me! If those—“

“Calm down, honey,” he begged, already knowing the rest of the conversation too well. He put his hands on her shoulders to comfort her. “Saki’s our daughter, I won’t let anything bad happen to her. If she is being bullied, learning a little self-defense will be good for her.”

“But she’s my girl! She’s just a girl! She shouldn’t be doing such things! Yuki probably put it in her head!”

“I doubt that, dear.” He held his next words reconsidering the situation. Trying to comfort her, he continued, “Let’s talk to Saki tomorrow. We’ll know if she sure about it or if it is just a phase based on how resolved she is to it after sleeping on it.”

“She’ll be my little girl again…”

“Yes, dear…”

Saki pulled back into her room when the conversation ended. She slid the door back closed and dropped down to the floor. Her back pressed against the wood. Every part of her body shook uncontrollably. A swirling mass confused her head. She did not know what to do anymore. ‘…mom…’

Images flashed through her mind of her parents. Her thoughts fell on them. She wanted to stay as things were with them. However, thoughts of Yuki blurred over them. More images of him overlapped and covered them out. All she could see was him fighting. He was always fighting for her. He would keep fighting, forever. ‘…Yuki…’

She lifted her face up. Her eyes sharpened with her old determination. ‘I don’t want it to be forever!’ Saki stood up to walk over to her desk. She opened the drawer to retrieve a pair of scissors. ‘I’ll show you how serious I am!’

Saki caught herself in the mirror seated atop her desk. She ran her hand down her hair. Thoughts traveled back for Saki. She saw an image of her mother behind her. A brush appeared in her hand as she slowly went through her hair. She took careful measures always insuring never to hurt her and keep a watchful eye for knots.

Smiling to Saki, she started chatting with her. “How was school today?”

A young child version of Saki appeared in front of Saki beaming with a happy glow. “It was lots of fun! We learned about the different places in Japan!” She turned out interrupting her mother’s work. “Did you know that Tokyo wasn’t always the capital!”

“Careful, honey,” laughed her mother, turning her back around her chair. “If you move around too much it’ll hurt.”

Saki bounced around in her chair unable to contain her energy. “Did you know, mother?”

“I think I’ve heard it mentioned before,” she replied, humoring her daughter a little.

“Really?” Saki turned around again stopping her mother. “Have you seen it?”

She smiled at Saki, nudging her back around. “Once.”

“I heard it’s full of really, really, really, really old stuff! And important…stuff?”

Laughing a little, she kept brushing. “That’s right. It’s a very beautiful city.”

“Can I see it?”

“If you’re good.”

“I’ll be good!”

Saki pulled her hair around in front of her. It fell down over her shoulders nearly reaching her waist. She grew her hair out for as long as she could remember. It was something that both her and her mother spent time tending. They always spent an hour brushing it and cleaning while talking. Saki cherished those moments with her mother. It felt like one of the few times nothing bad could happen to her. She was safe from everything. She never wanted to give it up.

She lifted her hand up hold the scissors. Her hand shook from the memories coming back to her. Saki placed her other hand on top to stop the shaking. The decision she made felt like it was empty to fall apart after only seconds. Hesitation filled up her in mind. ‘I’ve got to do this! For Yuki…’

An image floated around the mirror of her mother. Saki fought with her hand to keep it from shaking. She closed her eyes trying to keep it from weakening her resolve. ‘I promised myself! I have to…’

Drawing a deep breath, Saki drew out her hair in one hair so that she could see it. The scissors hovered in the air near her hair. She tried to move quickly, but hesitation crept back inside her hands. Each second she waited the easier it became to turn away. She bit down on her lip. ‘I must…’

Saki forced the scissors in putting her hair to rest on the blade. It was only a small clump, but it felt like all of her hair. ‘This is my proof to them!’ She closed her eyes and took another breath. ‘It’ll be quick!’ While she kept her eyes closed she started to close her hand slowly drawing down the blade of the scissors. Her hand still shook and begged for her to stop, but she kept pushing. She could not stop anymore. She had to keep pushing forward. All her mind’s eye saw was Yuki.

The cutting sound of the scissors jerked her awake and forced her hand to finish faster than she was ready. Saki opened her eyes to see the cut strains of hair in her free hand. Both edges hung in her small hands lifeless and disconnected.

A drop of water splashed on her hand. She blinked trying to figure out where it came only to see more rain down. It only took another second for her to know she was crying. The tears could not stop. She tried to wipe her eyes and sniff it all back up, but nothing helped. Tears streamed down her cheeks ceaselessly.

She had only started.

A thin stream of blood broke from Saki’s skin on her hand. The blasts she took already numbed it to pain long ago. It required her to see the small droplet of crimson to fall to the water field for her to realize. She stopped a hundred orbs, but it finally cut her skin. “This is nothing!”

Saki tightened up her fists. She pushed her feet into the water preparing to charge for Kallias again. She struggled to find an opening against her unassailable foe. ‘I cried out all of my tears while I cut my hair. I couldn’t stop, but when I finished I had nothing left in me. I was ready to change myself.’

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

Saki watched the water as it slowly moved towards her. Her reflexes made it too easy to track. It felt like minutes passed before it came near her. All she had to do was wait. ‘Now!’ She threw out her fist taking the incoming water head on. Water washed over her fist exploding into droplets. The next already arrived with her other fist ready. ‘I just have to meet them head on!’

It was over in an instant. So fast Kallias could not seen anything more than a streak. A failure did not faze him. His hand ran over the rings drawing up nearly a hundred orbs. “Let’s test your fists a little more!”

Hardening her resolve, Saki took a few steps forward. She refused to back down to him. “I’ll take whatever you got!” Saki stretched out her closed hand to point at Kallias. ‘You aren’t enough either.’

A thin stream of blood broke from Saki’s skin on her hand. The blasts she took already numbed it to pain long ago. It required her to see the small droplet of crimson to fall to the water field for her to realize. She stopped a hundred orbs, but it finally cut her skin. “This is nothing!”

Saki tightened up her fists. She pushed her feet into the water preparing to charge for Kallias again. She struggled to find an opening against her unassailable foe. An opening had to exist in his defense. She believed she would find it eventually if she kept trying. Nothing he did to her could stop her. No water could keep her down.

Kallias ran his finger through the rings of water. The disruption did no damage to the shape, returning to the original form after he finished. A single water sphere pulled away from the ring, the same size as previously used. “I’m thinking it’s time to increase the stakes.” Grinning, Kallias launched the orb at Saki.

The water suddenly disappeared from Saki’s sight. “What?!” Her eyes widened in surprise, but did not have chance for any more of a reaction. Something heavy and sharp hit her shoulder knocking her back. The force caught her off guard and nearly put her to the ground. Only a bracing leg, from preparing to run, managed to save her.

After the impact, Saki clutched her arm to her shoulder. ‘It hurts…It hurts!’ It surprised her. All of the beatings she took from the water before numbed her, but her shoulder still hurt. Saki pulled her hand away to look at her shoulder. Something red distracted her before she examined her shoulder. ‘Blood…on my hand?’ It was not a lot of blood, but it was clearly from her shoulder. Another round of shock hit Saki as she realized the significance of the blood.

Her eyes panned back to her body. The tan canvas of the tunic darkened around a crimson hole in her shoulder. Saki brushed her fingers over the wound. Stings from the open flesh bit through her body. It was shallow still, but Kallias wounded her with a single attack. ‘Damnit…’

Several more beads of water formed up in from of Kallias. “I hope you’ll show me something more interesting now.” Disappearing from sight almost immediately, the water sped towards Saki before she could respond. Kallias looked only slightly pleased by the scene of Saki collapsed to one knee.

Grinding her teeth through the pain bolting up through her leg, Saki fought to keep everything in control. The whole fight was never at her pace. She could not get started. ‘I feel like a helpless child again unable to do anything, but flail around.’ Saki closed her eyes. Her mind pushed back the pain in her legs. It could not stop her. She forced herself to stand. ‘I’ll keep getting back up, like always!’

Chapter 181 – Guardian’s Stand

Hushed whispers echoed through the large dojo. Young children filled the front half of the room. They all obediently sat on the floor. The instructor gathered them all together before their lessons began. He had a young girl following behind him. “Listen up! We have a new student starting today. She is new so I expect all of you to help her!”

“Yes, master!”

The middle age man turned around and pushed the girl up in front of everyone. “Introduce yourself.”

Before the sea of eyes and myriad of expressions, the girl hesitated opening her mouth. No words were needed for her to see them. They already passed judgment on her. Her words would not reach them any longer. She wanted to run away.

A strong wind blew in from the open doorway. It pulled at her hair and an instinctive hand came up to draw it back out of her face, however she learned it was unnecessary. Her hair fell back into place. It sent images through her mind digging up emotions. She stifled it all and straightened up her back. “Saki Furukawa. Please take care of me.”

Murmurs broke out from the crowd of children. Many kept watching to see what she would do. They looked a little curious and a little disgusted.

“What’s with her face?”

“She doesn’t look Japanese.”

“So she wants to play pretend?”

The instructor stepped forward. His mere presence was enough to get the children quiet. “Start warm up exercises!” He motioned at one of the older kids to help direct the group. Once they began, he turned back to Saki. “Find a spot and join in. Everyone learns through doing rather than lecture.”

“Yes, master!” Saki scurried off around the block of children searching for an opening. She thought she had found one, but it suddenly filled up as one kid shifted. It made her push on. Several more openings disappeared for Saki in similar fashion. Eventually, she gave up and stood behind everyone. She watched them and followed their actions.

The couple of hours progressed in like fashion for Saki through all of the lessons. When her father came to pick her up some of the kids still stood around. They all watched her wondering how she might react.

“How did it go, Saki?” asked her father, kneeing down as she approached.

Saki ran up to him. He gave her a light pat on her head. “It was a lot of fun, dad!” she answered with a cheerful expression. “I want to come back!”

“It wasn’t too hard for you?”

She shook her head at him. Sweat dripped down her face, but she only gave him a smile. “Yuki showed me some of the things he knows from his classes! So it wasn’t hard!”

Her father’s face was difficult to read, but gave her a pleasant grin. “I’m glad to hear that. I’ll talk to your mother and bring you back again.”

“Thank you so much!” Saki added a little bounce to show her excitement.

He chuckled a little at his daughter’s enthusiasm. “Why don’t you go get your things. I’ll wait for you.”

“I’ll be right back, dad!” She nodded to him and ran back across the dojo to collect her bag. Her voice was loud enough that the kids staring from a distance heard her. Saki glanced over at them, checking out their complicated expressions. She quickly gathered up her things and started back. They remained silent the entire time. While walking back, Saki paused for a second to meet their gazes. Her eyes narrowed sharply as though speaking for her. They all understood clearly, but remained quiet.

‘Each day was the same as the first. I kept going back no matter what I heard them say.’

Kallias summoned up even more of the water balls. He let them dance around in his palm, six in total. They orbited his palm no larger than a marble. ‘A real sense of danger should bring out something new from her. It’s not going to be fun if there’s no real risk for myself.’ His free hand hovered over the orbs of water. Waiting out a few seconds, Kallias glanced back up at Saki, still pulling herself back together. “Show me something new!” A flick from his finger launched the first sphere.

Still groggy from the last attack, Saki barely caught sight of the incoming attack. It moved too quickly still, her eyes saw nothing. Her body felt everything. The last struck her forehead knocking her off her feet. Saki fell back in the water with blood pooling in her wounds. It all caught her off guard. ‘I can’t see it…’

‘I can’t see it…he’s too fast for me,’ thought Saki, as she laid on the floor of the dojo. After a month, the instructor let her begin participating in the sparring matches with the other kids. She insisted on going sooner, but he held her back.

“She was stupid volunteering to fight him.”

“That should knock that smile off her face.”

Saki stared up at the wood ceiling briefly. She knew how it was going to end better than the others. She wanted to fight him because he needed to know. ‘Is this how he feels? Is this what it’s like for him?’ It was important to her to know. She needed to understand him if she was going to protect him.

Once she felt content with her answer, Saki pushed herself up from the floor. She tugged on her robes. The boy across her from waited on her. Nodding to him, she returned to her stance and prepared to accept his advance.

“She lost again.”

“It’s pointless to keep challenging him.”

“She just some stupid wannabe, thinking she’s Japanese.”

Saki continued to challenge the boy at every sparring match. He beat her every time and like the rest of the kids, he took enjoyment in knocking her down. However, he never spoke to her during the entire time in class. The boy simply kept accepting as though it was his job out of everyone to show Saki her place. Saki ignored him.

“There she goes again.”

“She never learns.”

“A girl will never beat a boy.”

Saki stood up again. She brushed off the fall she took as nothing. The look in her eye remained unchanged. She immediately went back into her stance demanding he attack. Her defiant look that never changed kept him coming back. He kept trying to knock it out of her. They all did, but it never disappeared.

“Hey, Saki!” her father greeted, as he did with every end of class, “How was today?”

Wiping sweat off with a towel around her neck, Saki, age eleven, beamed with a wide grin. “It was great! I’m definitely getting better!”

“Glad to hear it! Just don’t go trying to challenge Yuki,” he teased.

The expression on Saki changed for the briefest of moments before returning to her smile. “Don’t worry, dad! I wouldn’t do that! I’ll go get my stuff! Wait here!”

Time passed in the class for Saki. She laid on the floor once more staring at the same ceiling. It always looked the same to her. It was so very tall and always out of reach. Reach did not matter to her. Saki drew herself back up. The fall barely even fazed her anymore. She lost count of the times he threw or knocked her down. It was never about the count. ‘I won’t stop! He can’t stop me! None of you will stop me!’ Saki returned to her stance waiting for the boy once more.

“She should just give up.”

The boy accepted her wish and went on the offensive. They danced around each other. He tried for a grab, but she deflected him. Their fight lasted longer than in the past. The boy saw how much Saki improved, but he still had the advantage. He was older, taller. It might have been a minute, but Saki was back on the floor again.

“It’s already been a year.”

“She’ll never beat him.”

“Look, she’s getting back up again.”

“She never learns.”

Saki dragged herself out of the water. Every part of her body felt drowned in water. Water clung to her like a thick film unwilling to free itself. She did not care about the water. None of it mattered to her. She only needed to stop him. Saki dropped her foot down heavily. The impact kicked up water splitting the area around her. “Your water isn’t enough to keep me down!” Her body entered a familiar stance. She lifted her arms up waiting to receive him.

The constant unyielding look in Saki’s eyes bothered Kallias. ‘She hasn’t changed. Even now she’s got no sense of danger. There must be more she’s holding back, but I need something more to draw it out.’ His finger ran through the water and pulled out a droplet. It shaped and hardened for him quickly, but it had a pointed edge rather than being a perfect sphere. “Let’s test that will of yours!”

Kallias released the water from his hold. A meter away from him a shockwave exploded from the sonic boom as it surpassed the speed of the sound. It disappeared in the next moment ripping echoes through the air, but it was already delayed. The water had long reached its target as the sounds found it to their ears.

It was not until after Saki felt the shockwave from the water that she knew something was wrong. A second later, she felt a tearing through her abdomen. Thin trails of blood erupted from the front and back of Saki. Her eyes widened in shock realizing the pain in her body. Saki collapsed into the water, her eyes still wide with surprise and her mouth agape. Blood drained out of her quickly. Nothing remained in Saki’s eyes.

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

Saki dragged herself out of the water. Every part of her body felt drowned in water. Water clung to her like a thick film unwilling to free itself. She did not care about the water. None of it mattered to her. She only needed to stop him. Saki dropped her foot down heavily. The impact kicked up water splitting the area around her. “Your water isn’t enough to keep me down!” Her body entered a familiar stance. She lifted her arms up waiting to receive him.

The constant unyielding look in Saki’s eyes bothered Kallias. ‘She hasn’t changed. Even now she’s got no sense of danger. There must be more she’s holding back, but I need something more to draw it out.’ His finger ran through the water and pulled out a droplet. It shaped and hardened for him quickly, but it had a pointed edge rather than being a perfect sphere. “Let’s test that will of yours!”

Kallias released the water from his hold. A meter away from him a shockwave exploded from the sonic boom as it surpassed the speed of the sound. It disappeared in the next moment ripping echoes through the air, but it was already delayed. The water had long reached its target as the sounds found it to their ears.

It was not until after Saki felt the shockwave from the water that she knew something was wrong. A second later, she felt a tearing through her abdomen. Thin trails of blood erupted from the front and back of Saki. Her eyes widened in shock realizing the pain in her body. Saki collapsed into the water, her eyes still wide with surprise and her mouth agape. Blood drained out of her quickly. Nothing remained in Saki’s eyes.

Waiting for movement, Kallias watched Saki’s still body. A variety of expressions transitioned across his face from boredom to wonder to concern. ‘I find it hard to believe one shot was enough to kill her. I wounded her, but considering everything else she shrugged off I expected her to be back on her feet.’ Kallias took a couple of steps to get a better view of Saki. He needed a sign, anything to show some life. ‘…hmm…’

Nearly a minute passed with no movement. Things started to become awkward for Kallias. He took a few more steps and the a few more again. The longer he waited the less sure he became. ‘It could be a trick, but she was so straightforward before, seems a little out of character for her.’ Kallias continued approaching her until he was nearly on top. He stared down, still cautious if it was a trick.

Forming a couple of balls, he tossed them at her body to check for signs of life. No response came from them, even destroying chunks of her tunic. Kallias checked her once more before he started in test a vein for life.

Life suddenly resurged in Saki’s eyes. Moving too fast to see, she already had a hand around Kallias’ neck. “I’ve got you now! I’m inside your defenses! You can’t do anything about me at this range!” Saki wound up her free fist to put Kallias out.

Chapter 182 – Guardian’s Answer

Kallias gritted his teeth in pain from the tight hold she had on his neck. It was enough to make him gasp a little for air, but not so far as to feel like he was choking, yet. “Playing dead? Didn’t think you had it in you…”

“I don’t care about the fight so long as it is ended! I already told you before I’m not doing this for the honor of a clean fight!” She finished what she had to said to him. Her fist came in for the finishing blow.

Placing a hand on Saki’s strangling arm, the look in Kallias’ eyes changed. “Then you won’t mind me doing this.”

Saki’s punch continued to come at him, but no longer at the same speed. It was too slow. Her arm felt strange as though a great weight pulled at her. When she realized something was wrong her eyes widened in surprise. It was not just her arm, but her body. “What?!” She tried to fight the force on her arm, but it was too strong. Her fist never connected.

Kallias grabbed her arm and pulled it away from him, almost as though she did it herself. He took a step away from her, while rubbing his hand over his sore throat. A bit of a smirk resurfaced when she saw her picking up on the changes. “You never noticed did you?”

It made her even more clear to her that he did something to her. She kept trying to fight with her body that would not move the way she wanted. “What did you do to me?!”

“It’s the water,” he replied, using his finger to point out the water that clung to her body. “I haven’t only been firing water orbs at you. They cling to you on impact. And all water in here is under my control!” Kallias looked on with anticipation. ‘You’re caught now with no escape. Now show me everything you’ve got! I want more!’

“…Damn…you…” Saki struggled against the forces on her body. It felt much like when he caught her in the water sphere. Nothing responded how she wanted. As though with a ton weight strapped to each of her limbs. It was all encompassing. Fighting it did no good when not even an angle could be made from it.

‘She’s down for good this time! Stay down!’

‘Do you need a little more motivation,’ thought Kallias. Water bullets spun up at his fingers request. Targeting non-vitals, he released the bullets. Skimming off her skin or making shallow wounds, each bullet found a place. Blood sprayed from the wounds across his face. “Come on!”

Saki glared at him fighting off the pain. She knew what he wanted, but she did not want to give it to him. She saw it the entire time in the fight. It never changed for him. ‘I won’t do what you want… I won’t succumb to fight!’ Despites her injures, she still tried to pull against the water, however it only made her blood flow faster out of her wounds.

More bullets riddled her body. A lightheaded feeling started to swarm over her. Memories and the present blurred together in her mind. She kept hearing the yelling of the children from the dojo. They taunted her and ridiculed her. It all blended together in mind, none of it really matters. ‘What should I do?’

‘That’s easy! Power up and beat him up like you always do!’ responded Yuki.

‘Eh?! Yuki! Why can I hear you?!’

‘Because this is a self induced motivational hallucination for the sole purpose of providing you the resolve to win!’

Saki’s face turned flat listening to Yuki’s answer. It sounded like something he would say, but it was still a little too direct. ‘Aren’t you giving away a little too much?’

‘It’s fine, this is normal for this type of story!’ Yuki closed in with Saki. He reached out his hands to grab Saki. The joking part of him disappeared as quickly as it appeared. ‘You must not think so little of yourself, when you protect me, Saki.’

‘But I…he just wants entertainment…I can’t…’

‘So you plan to die?’ Yuki’s question stirred Saki in a way she did not expect. She did not have an answer for him. She did not have one for herself. ‘Saki, don’t forget protecting yourself is just as important as your promise. Don’t fight for him or even to win. Fight to live!’

‘…Yuki…’ A wellspring of energy surged inside Saki. It restored her resolve back to her eyes. Saki discovered her strength returning. The water no longer seemed as heavy. An explosive force burst from her body disintegrating the water and freeing her from Kallias’ control.

A powerful yellow aura surrounded Saki in protection. It caused her hair to flutter to defy gravity turning blonde. ‘No! You didn’t just,’ Yuki protested (just kidding!), ‘Bastard!’

Saki, normal not super-anything, tightened up her fists. Blood soaked her cloths and coated her body, but none of it mattered to her. “It’s time we ended this!” She disappeared from sight and suddenly appeared in front of Kallias, water already came to prevent her, but then she disappeared again. Saki reappeared on the other side of Kallias, but faded away almost immediately. Water kept sprouting up around him with fading images of Saki surrounding him.

Kallias looked around him through the water. ‘Is she moving so fast there’s leftovers of her?’ A bit of sweat dripped down his neck watching her go at him. There was a tingling in his back, an unknown sense from Saki. He liked the feeling. ‘You’re doing it! Show me everything you’ve got!’

Keeping up her attacks, Saki started noticing that her punches breaking through the water more than before. ‘I can do this!’ Her speed kept her coming in from multiple angles nearly simultaneously. However, she began to notice something was wrong with her speed. The timing was no longer the same. ‘Why am I slowing down? It’s like my feet as going through…’ She looked down to discover the water level of Kallias’ field had increased. It was already up to her knees.

“You didn’t think my field was so swallow as that trickle of water?” he remarked, as the hits on his water came to a halt. The water defense protecting him returned into the large pool. “However, you should notice something else about it as well.” His hint to Saki brought a dark grin to his face.

‘I can barely move! There’s too much pressure!’ Saki tried to get up to any sort of speed, but her legs could not move enough. Her strength failed her. The water continued to rise on her up to her waist. ‘I’m a sitting target!’ As right as her thoughts, Kallias summoned up his bullets for her again. She ground her teeth down at her situation. Her eyes darted around while her legs kept trying to move faster.

Nothing it changed her situation. The bullets sped towards her like a blur, her eyes barely tracking them. ‘I can see it! Then…’ Saki rammed her fist into the water with all of her strength and dragged across in one motion. It created a tidal wave that intercepted the bullets. Ripples spread out from the impacts as the water absorbed them quickly. The wave settled back down revealing a more confident Saki. “Objects entering water slow down significantly and with how dense you’ve made the water it’s pointless.”

“Getting clever now,” Kallias answered, excitement clear in his voice.

She knew it would do nothing to faze him, but Saki still hoped for something. However, it did allow her the time she needed to free herself from the water. She jumped into the air and came to a landing atop the water. Ripples repeatedly came out from her feet.

The odd ability displayed made Kallias narrow his eyes in confusion. He worked over the makeup of the water to change its properties, but she remained on top regardless of what he did. It seemed like she was just standing on the water. He kept staring at her trying to read the situation for anything he might have missed. ‘If she could do this before she would have shown it rather than struggling. What is her trick?’ Nothing came to him.

Summoning bullets, he had to test her. He needed more information. The bullets sped towards her with no reaction from her. They hit Saki square in the chest, then passed through as though touching nothing. It made his eyes widen with curiosity.

A slight distortion came across part of Saki that lasted for less than a second before it was gone. However, it was enough to alert Kallias. The ripples on the water drew his attention down. ‘Can’t be…but she is…she’s moving fast enough to not break the water’s surface tension, but in a tight enough space to appear as though standing!’ Kallias had to clap, it came sudden, but he gave her a very brief applause. “Amazing! The things you can do, simply amazing!”

Saki felt a little annoyed by his response, but forced herself to keep her emotions in check. She required a lot of concentration and coordination to keep from sinking into the water. It bought her time, but barely any. ‘I have an end to this…it’s going to be the only way to deal with is defenses. It’s best way to defeat someone too gung-ho for entertainment. I’ll deprive him of it!’

The idea sparked a fire inside Saki’s chest. She felt an end in sight for her. Suddenly, another Saki appeared next to her followed by another. They spread out away from Saki surrounding Kallias with clones counting to eight. “Which one is the real one?” they all spoke.

Kallias crossed his arms looking a little bothered by what he saw. “You think you can trick me with that? I already know you’re moving too fast for me. It won’t matter which I attack they’re all fakes.”

“I thought you wanted to play?”

“Trying to bait me now?”

Frowning a little, Saki became frustrated with her initial attempt. She was not ready to give up on her plan. All of the clones disappeared suddenly. Massive waves erupted along with chunks of earth. Everything cascaded at Kallias with his water blocking it. The assault continued without end.

Unlike before, Kallias could not see anything. Clouds of dirt along with layers of water made it impossible for him to see anything. He felt the ground quaking each time of the impact. It unnerved him a little not knowing what she was planning. ‘I’ve just got to keep the defense up. She’ll stop eventually.’ Yet it did not stop. Sweat dripped down his face and his breathing started to run shallow. The assault continued for a minute and ran on past. The quaking shook in his legs with them feeling like jelly. He could barely stand. Headaches popped up in his head as sweat poured down his face. ‘Can’t…no…I haven’t seen everything…yet…’

Suddenly the water evaporated and the pounding ceased. It was all silent. Kallias stood wide-eyed as though something came to him, but uttered nothing. He just stood, void of any other expression.

Saki reappeared, dry, next to Kallias. She stared at him and then turned away. As she took her first step, Kallias collapsed unconscious to the ground drenched in his own sweat. A bit of a smile came across her lips. She won. His mental energy was completely exhausted. His fun was over, unsatisfied.

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

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.

Disappeared within the light, Haruo left no sign of life. It made Ligeia think she might have actually killed him. ‘I only said that, didn’t think he’d just stand there.’ She took an unsure step forward. Nothing could be undone. Her attack already finished its cycle. Only smoke remained behind from the exhaust of the beam. Still nothing could be seen through the dense white clouds. “Hey you still alive?” she inquired, with a little bit of concern in her voice.

No answer.

Clouds thinned out quickly. A dark shape exposed through the tops of the veil. Of course there was no answer, she dealt with Haruo. Really how many times has he spoken this entire arc? Haruo stood unchanged and looking unremarkable, as though it was natural, normal, with nothing strange happening. He was like a fixture of the environment.

Caught by surprise, Ligeia took a step back. She hoped he was safe, but she also fired a fairly strong beam at him. Some damage, any damage, even just a redness of his skin would have made sense to her. Nothing though, she did not expect it. ‘No damage at all?! It’s like I didn’t even do anything to him!’ Images of Saki attacking Kallias appeared in her mind. ‘She was strange as well…’

All she knew was that she needed to understand him better. Motioning with her fingers, the metallic pieces broke their pyramid form and returned to her side. “Are you ready to fight?” Silence returned between them. It only made her annoyed, but she kept her temper in check, rather than blasting him. “If you don’t say something I’m going to have to attack again.”

“No,” he answered, as though it explained everything. Haruo gave no further explanation to her.

‘What’s with him?’ She expected more from him, anything, but the simple answer. More things frustrated her. “Eh? Which are you answering?”

“The former.”

Shoulders bending into an upside down “U”, Ligeia could not help a confused look. Staring at him did not get her any answers, but she did not understand him. “You need time to prepare or something? I don’t really like waiting, but I’ve been bored for years anyway, a couple more minutes won’t change things.”

“No.”

A vein popped up on her forehead. Temper was a difficult thing to control when dealing with Haruo, as she started to learn. She tightened up her fist shaking it in anger. “Can’t you say more than two words?!”

“Yes.”

Unfortunately, it only made her anger worse. She stretched herself up to the balls of her feet to lean into her yell. “Stop that!” Silence, as though he obeyed her command. She did not like it either. “I didn’t mean don’t speak! Speak more than a single word!”

“If necessary,” he fired back, with surprising speed. He lacked words, details, but seemed to make up for it in response time. Not that he fixed the situation.

“It is necessary! I need to understand!”

“No reason.”

“Huh? Sure there is a reason! If I don’t understand then the fight can’t start!” Ligeia started to realize how out of character he made her. Crossing her arms and trying her hardest to ignore the red embarrassment threatening her face, Ligeia fought to reset the pace of the conversation. “I want to fight you.”

“I don’t.”

“Why?” Things moved into a direction she could handle. It felt like she found what she needed. ‘Finally getting somewhere. So it’s that he doesn’t want to fight, not that he can’t. But he’s part of the intruders.’ Nothing about him made any sense to her. She hoped he gave her some answers.

“No reason.”

Chapter 183 – Science of the Attack

“That again?” A cycle completed. A pointless cycle of nothing. Nothing still produced something, annoyance. “No reason?! How can you be here and not have a reason! You wouldn’t have come here without a reason! You’re wanting to do something! So tell me what it is damnit!”

Silence once more. Haruo remained quiet, but not for the reasons that Ligeia assumed. It was something more complicated. His mind turned over on itself. A simple reason held his lips sealed. ‘That’s the problem. I don’t have an answer to the question. I don’t know why I came. I don’t know why I followed Yuki here. I don’t have a reason for it. Nothing that is happening here means anything to me. I’m an outsider with no connection to any of this. So why did I come?’

“Answer me already!” snapped Ligeia. She wanted to attack him again just for being a pain. ‘No reason? That’s impossible! No one does anything without a reason. He wants to fight, but what’s holding him back?’ Ligeia thought she figured him out a little. She wanted to end the stalemate. The fight would end if she did not find his trigger. “What is your throat already parched from talking?”

“No.”

“Then tell me already! You invade Atlantis with your friends, so you’ve got a reason to be here. I don’t care how small it is. I’m just interested in a fight, it’s the only reason I came out here. The promise of something different, something new.”

“Sorry.”

“I don’t care about apologies!” The strips of metal hover around her began to move in a new direction. “I don’t care! Just tell me why you came here!”

“I don’t have an answer for you,” responded Haruo, with the longest span of words in their conversation. He saw the changes in the pieces, but did not do anything. He planned on not doing anything at all. The fight was meaningless for him.

Wrinkling in the bit between her eyebrows, Ligeia’s frustration mounted further than before with Haruo. Their fight continued to stall. “After all that, that is what you say! Come on! You can’t possibly not have an answer. You’re just holding back on me! I want my fight!”

He shook his head at her. “I’m serious.” Finished with his conversation, he turned away from Ligeia. He planned to wait as he did before for the fights to end. It did not involve him. “I’ve no reason to fight you. So I’ll take my leave. Sorry.”

Responding to her will, the pieces moved quickly out in front of Haruo. They reformed into a pyramid directed at him. “You’re not leaving!” Her eyes narrowed as she made her intent clear. “You’ve got the body of someone that’s strong. Don’t you want to test that strength to see how it compares?”

Glancing over his shoulder uninterested as ever, Haruo caught sight of Ligeia approaching him. “I don’t care about it. Being strong doesn’t mean one enjoys fighting.”

She felt the honesty of his answer and realized he was always honest. It made him straightforward, annoyingly so. The sound of his voice helped her understand him better. Pieces fell into place for her. “Then how about a battle of answers, Mr. Clueless?”

A bit of curiosity surfaced for Haruo. Such an unexpected replied made him turn around. It caused an ever so slight change in his stone features. “A battle of answers?”

‘I’ve got you now! Finally!’ Ligeia smiled to herself. The situation reversed. She controlled the pace. Her fight would finally come to her. “Yes, listening to you I’ve figured a few things out about you. It would seem you’re looking for answers, so this battle will be for your answers! I’ll tell you why you’ve come here, the reason for being here after our fight!” Stretching out her hand, she placed her offer out for Haruo.

‘She’s figured me out? I’ve been trying to understand it for days and she says she’s already figured it out in a couple of minutes?’ Haruo admitted his own curiosity in Ligeia. He wanted to know more. It made him step closer to her. The answer to his question was important, very important to him. His decision was too rash and out of character for him. None of it made any sense. Haruo took her hand to accept her offer. “I’m interested in your opinion. I’ll grant you your fight in exchange.”

“Good! Now I expect a real fight from you!” she reminded, her lips grinned with excitement. “I don’t want you losing just to end things faster!”

“I’ll give you what you asked for.”

The arrangement sealed with a handshake, both parties parted. They took several steps to place a few meters between them. Everything in the atmosphere around them flipped suddenly. Tension mounted and strengthened in the passing seconds. Their eyes locked on to the other never letting them out of their sight.

In preparation for the fight, Ligeia revealed her field to Haruo. Stretching out for meters was nothing but metal plating. Each plate was sharply cut and polished with no right angles. The connecting edges from one plate to the next did not come out the same as some plates had more edges than others. Regardless of shape or size, electronic lights filled in the cracked between them moving away from the center, Ligeia. Some plating even held lights or other designs inside.

Replacing her white Atlantean military uniform was gray turtleneck with an odd shine to it, giving it a very unnatural appearance when in the folds of the material. Similarly, her form-fitting pants carried the same unearthly reflection. They appeared made from cotton, but it was no cotton, wool or synthetic normally used. Wrapped around her waist in a very useless fashion was a metal belt carried merely as ornamentation rather than function, but considering how tightly the pants clung to her skin a belt was never going to be needed.

Noting accessories, small metal clips seemed attached randomly on the edges of her cloths with no design or order in mind. There were sixteen in count. Rounding it out, a large attachment wrapped around her right arm. A display screen sat on the outer side of her forearm, already displaying numerous bits of information.

Finished with her work, she tightened her eyes focus on Haruo in anticipation. “Now don’t disappoint me. I’m looking forward to this. Show me what you have!”

Haruo kept his usual silence while watching her transform. He watched Yuki fight alongside him against Katsu and his gang. The powers they wielded did not surprise him, but it was the first time he had to confront it. ‘They’re all so different from each other. You can’t have any expectations with them…’ Before he observed the others fight, absorbing the details. However, the conclusion was always the same. They used the same base guidelines, but the potential they had varied greatly based on their personalities and preferences. He had little to go on in the fight.

Turning something unknown and small in his hands, Haruo had to commit himself to the battle. Shining out from his palms, light bled through his fingers. When it reached the climax of intensity he opened his hands and tossed the contents in front of him. The light expanded and grew in size until forms started to appear.

White semi-transparent wolves materialized from the shining light. If not for the ghost like qualities, the wolves would have passed for the real thing. They even had fur blowing in the soft breeze. However, there was one thing that was off about them. All six of the wolves stood at elbow height to Haruo. One of them paced around Haruo coming to a stop at his left allowing him to rest his arm on its back. The pack surrounded him with a fierce look far more threatening than any blank expression Haruo bore. “I’m ready.”

‘Spirit animals?’ She wondered what sort of power Haruo would have. ‘Both things we control, but animals aren’t as versatile as mine…’ Ligeia uncoiled her arm out to extend it fully. Out from her palm, metal strips materialized floating. Fifty or more of the strips appeared. They quickly moved into sets of ten holding no defined structure at the moment. “I’m ready as well! So let’s see what you can do!”

Nodding in agreement, Haruo accepted the start. His wolves began to move and spread out on the hunt. They already started to approach Ligeia in a wide semi-circle. Ravenous looks ready to maul her filled their eyes, contrary to Haruo.

Working in concert, the strips snapped into position forming up a pyramid in three of the sets, while the other two set took no action. An attack was clearly on the way. Ligeia did not even try to hide the fact.

Everything laid in the open for the first strike. The first round began with the intensity already set high. The wolves launched on a trigger for the woman. In the same moment, three wide beams of light burst from the pyramid shapes blinding the field. Haruo and Ligeia battle began.

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

Nodding in agreement, Haruo accepted the start. His wolves began to move and spread out on the hunt. They already started to approach Ligeia in a wide semi-circle. Ravenous looks ready to maul her filled their eyes, contrary to Haruo.

Working in concert, the strips snapped into position forming up a pyramid in three of the sets, while the other two set took no action. An attack was clearly on the way. Ligeia did not even try to hide the fact.

Everything laid in the open for the first strike. The first round began with the intensity already set high. The wolves launched on a trigger for the woman. In the same moment, three wide beams of light burst from the pyramid shapes blinding the field. Haruo and Ligeia’s battle began.

Directed at the closest targets, the beams engulfed each wolf. Light wiped them from sight. It did not detour the remaining three wolves charging forward for Ligeia. She stepped back keeping them all in her sights. Darting her eyes around for control, the remaining two groups of metal strips began to move. Quick jumping into position, they formed a thin transparent wall between her and the animals.

Uninterested in the blockade, two of the wolves joined up attacking one of the walls. Their claws ripped into the barrier producing waves through the material. Cracks formed abruptly as their claws poked through, only moments after colliding. Slashing a few more times along with diving in with their heads destroyed the shield protecting Ligeia.

Surprised her energy shield already collapsed, Ligeia tried to extend her other shield over. Her defense only put a couple of meters between them. ‘I misjudged his strength…’ Glancing at the screen on her forearm, she stepped to the side. Only seconds delayed the wolves, her second shield fell even faster with all three attacking.

Free to strike, all three wolves leapt at Ligeia, already aiming for different parts of her. Less than a meter separated her from them, when another beam suddenly burst forth covering the animals in familiar light. Only a few centimeters spared Ligeia from her own attack. ‘That takes care of his animals!’ Ligeia slid her eyes around to focus on Haruo only to suddenly discover a shadow blocking her light.

The wolf granted her only a moment of time to react, leaving her to fall over with her pinned down by its massive paws. Roaring so close to her face left her bones rattling from the deep savage tone. Her eyes widened in shock, while her mind tried to understand how she missed one. ‘I got them all! How is it?’ She did not have any more time. Its mouth lowered down to take a bite out of her flesh.

A thin beam ran across her face knocking the animal off her. It fell over on its side, unmoving. Ligeia found her breathing heavier than she expected. The image of the wolf over her replayed a few times. She learned her heart sped up to a heavy thumping in her chest. Sweat beaded up on her skin, making her clothes uncomfortable.

It felt strange.

Chapter 184 – Science of the Resolve

Back on her feet, Ligeia stared over at the beast. A hole from her beam pierced its nose and mouth leaving a disgusting, yet clean image for her. However, she found movement in the animal. Its legs began to twitch and its body shifted. ‘What’s going on? Are they immune to damage?’ Ligeia watched it stand back up with the mouth hanging in an unsightly manner. It made her eyes turn away for a moment, but when she looked back the damage was gone. Her eyes shrank a little as she began to doubt her sight. Adding to her doubt, her eyes found the other five wolves standing around her, waiting almost like toying with its prey.

Gritting her teeth together, she understood the position she found herself. ‘Surrounded…back at the start, but…’ Ligeia pulled her bits back in to have them float around her. Sliding her eyes into the distance beyond Haruo, she watched for a moment Vangelis and Yuki’s fight rage on. ‘What am I doing here?’

Everything was routine for Ligeia. Life on the border ran in a cycle. Each day like the day before, nothing changing. ‘The consistency was safe, normal. Yet it was…’ She found comfort. Expectations were the same. She only needed to do enough.

“Hey, Ligeia! We’ve got orders,” called a soldier in black cloths. He motioned to her to get off her cot. A long travel pack already rested on his back.

She slowly glanced at him barely even noticing him. Her mind got used to the emptiness of the squad barracks. The rest of her squad usually ran exercises or activities outside of the room leaving her in peace. Once the wheels in her mind started to turn, she realized it was her squad member and saw the pack. “What are the orders?” Though she asked, she already figured it out. It was always the same, not that the travel pack did not give it away.

“Patrol! It’s our turn. Squad 45 just got back.” He left the room, having felt he delivered the message.

It took her another minute before she felt like rising from her cot. Glancing down, she felt her uniform a little out of order. She casually pulled up the loose strap back up to her right shoulder. “I see, same as always.” Ligeia strode out of the barracks, her squad waiting on her arrival near one of the several gates of the South Gate Headquarters.

Another squad prepared to leave alongside them, though in the opposite direction. A standard patrol of the barrier sent out squads of soldiers at two hour intervals during the entire twenty-four hour period. It allowed for fast response time when an incident occurred.

Their march began shortly at the command of the squad leader. Ligeia followed in the rear of the group maintaining the same pace as the others. After an hour, they passed another squad marching in the direction back to base. All four gates sent out patrols, which when they met in the middle turned around, allowing for some overlap. They frequently would pass squads during the patrol.

Two days passed before the end of their patrol. “Nothing,” she commented to herself. Glancing around at the rest of the squad, everyone looked fatigued. Their patrols did not allow for many breaks and no sleeping. A near constant pace kept for two days. It was normal. Still, it exhausted everyone, as they fell onto their cots without a second thought.

Ligeia, like the rest of her team, fell back into her cot. Her mind felt more tired than her body. It left her staring up at the stone ceiling. ‘Is there any…’ Releasing her field, her metal strip projectors materialized. She stretched up her hand towards the ceiling, the projectors dancing around her arm. It was a necessary exercise to keep her powers in shape. ‘I’ve never used these since assigned out here. The last time I actually did anything with them was in the academy. I’m doing nothing here.’

Mental exercises ended for her after twenty minutes. It thoroughly exhausted the remains of her energy. Everything in her body went limp against the cot. ‘Always the same, every day. Not that I really mind, but is there anything else to do?’

‘Another patrol, another day,’ Ligeia thought, back on another patrol. Nothing changed.

The squad leader tilted his head back at Ligeia. “It’s time, Second Lieutenant.”

“Yes, sir!” Activating her field, she connected with the military communication lines that ran along the entire border. They had to make regular reports to check in and learn if the headquarters discovered any changes in the barrier. Everyone was a little more on edge with the death of the King. The moment she linked with the lines she got an earful of a general broadcast.

“Repeat, South Gate Headquarters to all patrol teams, return to base! Orders from Captain Simonides! New orders will be given upon return! Repeat, South—“

“Squad Leader!” shouted Ligeia, a strange bit of excited jumped into her voice. “We have new orders from Captain Simonides! We are to return to base immediately for new orders!”

“What?!” The news sent everyone in the squad into disarray. It threw off their marching, bringing them to a halt. The Squad Leader took several minutes before getting his squad back in order. They quickly turned around, but the tension, confusion and excitement never disappeared.

However, she found nothing again. The new camp set up bustled with activity, but she had nothing. ‘Put on standby…’ Those were her only orders along with the rest of her team. Wait. Sit. Do nothing. Ligeia felt strange for having thought something different might happen. She settled into her normal routine until the tent flap opened. In stepped a man with a reputation, Vangelis, however she did not know what he wanted. She only watched waiting to see what he did.

Vangelis stood before her, staring down with hollow eyes. “Come with me, it’s an order.”

She accepted his mission, though it still felt like he forced it on her. ‘Why am I out here?’ she thought, staring at Haruo again, rather than Vangelis in the distance. ‘I’m used to the routine, just keep going. I know that I’ll die doing the same thing on the border without end. I’ll die…’ A stiffer stance in her back changed Ligeia’s presence. It made her think a little more. ‘I was excited, for the first time that I can remember since joining the military… I guess it was curiosity.’

Ligeia narrowed her eyes. She lowered her hand down to her mid section. Dozens more of projectors appeared bringing her groups to the count of ten. ‘I guess I am…I really just want to see what it’s like…I’ve never gotten to really use my abilities for anything.’ Five sets formed up around her head shaping into pyramids with a defensive shield protecting her. ‘I can actually do something meaningful here!’

The animals wanted no more delaying. They appeared only held back by the whims of Haruo. Their savage looks told Ligeia everything she needed, worse there seemed a light of intelligence behind their eyes.

Testing out the wolves, Ligeia knew she needed to understand her opponent better, she fired off quick beams. Unlike the last time, the wolves evaded the beams leaving the metal plating scorched. ‘They’re faster than before…’ Another few rounds of beams went off making the wolves dance around the area dodging her attacks. She kept it up as she watched, reading them. ‘It’s like they’re learning…’

Amongst the assault, Ligeia realized she lost sight of one of the wolves. Only five appeared in her vision. ‘Where’s the sixth? It has to be here!’ She heard the low growl of the sixth wolf behind her. Her mind acted faster than her body, moving a shield to block the wolf. Ligeia turned part way to see how her shield managed. ‘Good, the increased power held it back!’ A beep went off from her arm alerting her of a new danger. It spun her head back around. ‘A distraction!’

Unfocused, the beams no longer had the wolves busy. Another came straight for Ligeia. She did not have enough time for the shield, as it was already inside her defenses. Knocked back, it looked like she would fall back into the same position before. However, she suddenly disappeared from underneath the wolf, caught a little surprised by the lack of a prey beneath its claws.

Ligeia stood up opposite of the wolf. Redirecting one of her free sets, a thin beam pierced the wolf through the hindquarters and stomach. Enough force and shock in the attack sent the beast tumbling to the ground. Downing a beast, she gained herself a moment of pause. Soreness poked in her joints. ‘Damn, I’m out of practice and not as young. My body really didn’t like that maneuver…’

Focusing back on the wolf, she watched it stand back up. The hole through its body disappeared quickly, recovering from the injury she gave it. A bit of surprise washed over her along with understanding. ‘So that’s what’s going on! Minor injuries can be quickly healed!’ Unfortunately, she quickly realized how much trouble it left on her. ‘This is going to be even more complicated…’

Fully recovered, the pack launched a new round of attacks on Ligeia. Using her shields and beams in concert, she kept them at bay. However, it did not last for long before they were beyond her control again. Three of the wolves broke from the group and closed inside her defense once more.

Better prepared, she converted a set to fire small beams to push them off course while she extended her shield out. Leaning against the thin strip of the shield arched from the ground into the air, her hand pulled at her body along with her feet. Almost like riding an escalator, she rode the shield safely out of reach of the wolves and turning around. At the end, she stood atop the shield two meters off the ground.

Ligeia quickly redirected her shield projectors to surround the three wolves. Trapping them, three sets constructed a larger pyramid in an elaborate design, clearly strengthening the coming attack. Not hesitating, a wide beam shot down from above. The beasts disappeared from sight with no signs of recovery. ‘I’ve got them this time…’

Turning her gaze over to Haruo, she slid down the shield by her hand to land back on the ground. ‘Three remaining…’ All ten of the sets spread out over the field and broke down into even smaller sets, doubling their numbers. Mini-beams began firing across the field, but unlike before they remain constant. The wolves kept up with the pace, but had trouble adapting in time as the beams moved faster.

Before long, one wolf had its leg cut off from a beam. It limped away only to be sliced up quickly by several more beams. Particles of it vaporized into the air until it disappeared. Left with only two, the remaining pack charged for Ligeia, rather than continuing at her pace.

Utilizing her shield, she directed them away from her, but noticed a cut in her shield. ‘It managed to get through at this power?!’ Ligeia did not have long to act as one wolf charged the small opening to burst through directly at her. Spreading out a shield under her feet, she slid out of range of the wolf, but it countered with the second. She forced herself to change directions sliding on the shield to dodge free from the wolf.

Skipping to another shield to slide out of reach, she chased them with her beams, even while they struck out for her. A deadly dance broke out between them with both parties barely keeping ahead of the other.

It could not last forever. Sliding around on the shield, Ligeia suddenly changed her movement revealing an already firing beam behind her. The opening she gave it destroyed the lead wolf and continued through to obliterate the back half of the wolf. It collapsed twitching on the ground.

Ligeia immediately turned her eyes up to Haruo. Two pyramids flanked her sides firing at him. Their heavily charged beams sped towards him. The distance gave him enough time to side step her attacks. He looked on at her ready to continue, when suddenly a light from behind him eclipsed his body. Haruo disappeared from sight in a massive beam of light.

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

Before long, one wolf had its leg cut off from a beam. It limped away only to be sliced up quickly by several more beams. Particles of it vaporized into the air until it disappeared. Left with only two, the remaining pack charged for Ligeia, rather than continuing at her pace.

Protecting herself with a shield, the wolves scrapped by redirected. Keen sight allowed him to notice that they made a cut in her shield. ‘It’s taking a focused effort now to cut into her shield…the strength of it has definitely increased…’ Pressing on the attack, he sent one of the wolves to break through the shield and knock her off balance.

Unexpected, she spread out a shield like before for her feet. Haruo already started to understand how it worked. Any part of body that touched the special surface could be dragged along in the direction, likely determined by her intentions. It allowed for unnatural and impossible movements. She needed them to keep pace with his wolves.

Sliding around on the shield, she kept her distance from Haruo’s wolves. While they gave chase, she countered with her beams again. Letting the wolves go free, they used their own intuition to dodge and keep pace with the attacks.

However, she hid a beam behind her allowing her to counterattack with the wolves having no reaction time. He lost the first wolf immediately in the blast. The one in the rear he managed to redirect enough to avoid a direct hit. Even still, the wolf lost the back half of it, dropping it to the ground unable to move.

Haruo’s eyes narrowed preparing for what he already expected. Ligeia turned her focus on him immediately, calling upon her devices to construct two flanking pyramids on either side of her. Since he knew what he next action would be, it made it easy to dodge. He watched the power of the beams used on his animals and felt avoiding it a better option rather than defending.

Dodging something he easily saw coming was simple for him. Yet, something felt off about the situation. The look in Ligeia’s eyes told him she was not finished. Unfortunately, he did not have a chance to act as a light engulfed him from behind.

The force behind the light felt familiar to Haruo. He knew it immediately as the beam weapon she used on him before as well as on his wolves. Haruo saw it enough to know it well. Knowing it still did not change the fact that it felt significantly stronger. All of his time taking punches made him used to dealing with pain and damage, but it was something completely different. It was all encompassing. The pressure poured over every part of him.

Everything went white.

Chapter 185 – Science of the Hypothesis

Smoke exploded along with light from the impact. A shockwave snapped outward from the epicenter whipping the wind around the field. Ligeia lifted her hand to her face to allow herself to barely watch. Her little trick worked. A small grin built across her face as the seconds counted on.

The longer time went Haruo’s fate turned into a question. Clouds from the blast still filled the area hiding him. Ligeia waited to know what happened. She contained her mounting enthusiasm, not wanting to become over confident.

While she waited something popped up on her display. Alerted, she looked down to see what was wrong. ‘Something that’s not him?’ A blip on her display found something, but she did not know what it was. Haruo’s body was already marked on the display and she knew its position. All the time she wasted on her confusion should have been spent on dodging. A fact she understood too late.

Leaping from out of her blind spot, one of Haruo’s wolves closed on her given more than enough time. Ligeia tried to bring up her shield for protection, but it was clearly too late. The wolf lunged at her knocking her off her feet and sliding with her for a few meters before leaping off her. It spun around and came to a stop a meter away. Slowly moving back in on its prey, the wolf howled almost like a cry.

Ligeia turned her head back to find the wolf. Pain from the attack lightly washed over her, as the least of her concerns. She watched the wolf slowly approach her. Moving the pieces in to place with her mind, she prepared for a counter. However, it suddenly came to a halt, turning its head away from her. It looked back in the direction of the cloud of smoke covering Haruo. The wolf bounded off to pace around the smoke slowly.

Finally lifting, Haruo stood up out of the thick veil. From appearances, he looked unharmed, something that left Ligeia struggling with her shock. Behind him however, much of his tunic was burned away down to his skin. Redness of sores and blisters covered his back. ‘Hurt more than I thought…’ Despite the pain, Haruo’s express never changed.

He caught sight of the wolf coming along side him. ‘It took him longer to recover. I haven’t really fully tested this power, so I can’t really have too many expectations.’ Haruo glanced over at Ligeia to see her condition. He did not have any control over the wolf, it did not have the full capacity for intelligence unless linked with him. The surprise attack knocked her off balance and confused her, but as he saw it did nothing to her. ‘Must have done something in time to prevent an injury.’

They both held secrets. He turned his gaze behind him wondering about what happened to him earlier. All he remembered was the light and feeling, but not how it happened. ‘I dodged her, but she did something. Did she get one of those devices behind me? I never noticed anything…’

Ligeia pushed herself back to her feet. Her body felt a little shaky from the impact, but she worked through to focus on Haruo. ‘He doesn’t even look affected! Did he notice it?’ Changing her stare to the wolf, move confusion rose. ‘I killed all of them. Did he create a seventh I didn’t see?’ Events of the fight replayed in her mind trying to understand. Nothing came to her. It concerned her finding that he held tricks.

Questions surrounded both. Only one answer came to them.

‘I’m going to have to keep fighting to understand it,’ Haruo decided.

‘I need to keep fighting for it to make sense,’ determined Ligeia.

Moving into position, the solitary wolf started its new approach. A look at its eye showed the desire for revenge.

Shifting the groups around, Ligeia brought her beams back to bear on Haruo and his wolf. She expected him to summon more animals, but did not let it stop her from attacking. Lining up her beams, she tried to strike down the wolf. She hoped to understand what she did not.

Gaining new knowledge to aid his tactics, he manipulated the wolf’s movement with greater finesse then last time. It dodged all of the micro beam attacks with ease. Focus on a single animal gave him the improved controls to keep up with Ligeia’s attacks. She could do nothing to touch the wolf.

While the fighting continued, it gave Haruo moments for pause. The whole scene felt strange to him. ‘I accepted her request for a fight, even though it is against my nature. Why?’ He went along with everything so far in Atlantis not saying anything. It confused him.

‘I don’t owe him anything.’ Memories from the fight with Katsu wormed back inside him. He knew what Yuki did then, but watching his actions, he understood something about him. ‘Even if I did owe him, he would never say it. He’d just say things were equal. He doesn’t care about it. He doesn’t make any sense.’ Haruo came to the heart of the matter. He understood something, but he still did not understand Yuki. Yuki was a mystery to him.

Focus had to return. The fight continued the progress into deeper troubles. Haruo noted that the beams became faster. While he adapted to her movements, she did the same to him. They learned off each other. His eyes drew into the fight trying to keep track of everything the wolf did not see. ‘My advantage is I have a wider field of vision than if I was close up like the wolf. However, she’s been keeping up despite the disadvantage against it.’ His eyes glanced at the device on her arm. ‘Must be that…she keeps looking at it.’

Ligeia slid around on her shield keeping the fight moving. ‘The wolf is more troublesome than before…it’s keeping up with my attacks better…still improving…’ Moving part of her thoughts to a secondary group, it shifted to her desire. ‘I’m going to need to change the pace of the fight. He’ll just exhaust me at this rate.’ She could feel the drip of sweat down her face. Her body already was starting to feel the length of the battle and her mind complained too. ‘I’ve never used so much of my power, so quickly…even with endurance I’m not making it any better… This is the first real fight I’ve had…’

Amidst the attacks from Ligeia, Haruo caught sight of her changing her tactics. He saw the pyramid shape move into position such that when his wolf dodged it would come after him. The wolf already moved out of the way of the beam. Haruo knew he could avoid it, seeing it coming. It flew past him, evading with ease.

However, light shined from behind him coming back at him. Haruo, already moving, turned to see the beam coming at him. ‘Figured she’d try it again.’ The light surrounded him with the same intensity as before with the energy washing over him. Yet, he remained visible, unlike the last time.

Widening her eyes a little, she tried to figure out what Haruo did. It made her lean forward a little with curiosity. ‘What’s he doing?! He saw it coming?’ The closer she looked the more she found. His hand held back the beam and broke it into pieces. Energy poured out around his hand evaporating into the air. ‘I can’t believe it! Just his hand?!’

She quickly replayed the events through her mind. The pieces started to come together. ‘I thought I had him right where I wanted him. I saw that I actually did damage to him the last time. I just needed another hit, but…’ Haruo had turned into the attack as though expecting it. No surprise filled his eyes. She remembered how he moved. ‘He set me up! He intentionally arranged it so that I would do it again! He wanted to see what I did! Damn him, he’s smarter than I thought…’

Brushing off the remaining strength of the energy, Haruo threw out his hand directing the beam away from him. He slid his foot back around to face her. ‘It was too fast for her to have used her pyramid to attack me. Additionally, the angle it came at me was the same…’ Before the light of the beam completely blocked his sight, he remembered seeing one of Ligeia’s devices arranged like her shields. ‘So that’s what it was…reflecting the beam back.’

Emotionless as Haruo was, Ligeia felt an unease from him as though he figured her out. She did not like that he spoiled her secret and only after two uses. ‘Most of the others in training took much longer to figure it out and usually too late. If the secret’s out, then I don’t need to hold back anymore!’ Suddenly, the sets of projectors fell apart and rearranged themselves.

Haruo narrowed his eyes a bit judging the next action. ‘I’m guessing she’ll start reflecting more now since I’ve figured out her secret.’ Accurate to the prediction, a beam shot out from a pyramid hitting a reflector bouncing the beam. However, it did not bounce just once. Another reflection happened changing the course of the beam again. Then, he noticed the beam moving. ‘She’s altering the angle of the beam by moving the reflecting surface. Calculating all of the possibilities is not going to be simple.’

It started with only one beam, but another beam fired off quickly. Soon an array of beam played out over the field. The wolf kept up, but Haruo’s slower movements left him taking hits. Ligeia kept it up until the explosion impacts covered him. However, she did not feel like stopping anymore. She continued her assault on him, while holding the wolf at bay.

After a few moments, something about the attacks on Haruo felt wrong to Ligeia. She ceased the assault. Smoke masked Haruo for the time, but it did not last long. Pockets of light broke through the thick clouds before shaping out a familiar figure in shadow. Suddenly, the clouds burst apart with dozens of shadows jumping out. Underneath, Haruo showed himself, only minorly wounded by Ligeia attacks, not looking the part of one under a long assault. ‘What?! I had to have done more to him than that!’

Examining his body, Haruo saw only a few places in his tunic burned away by the attacks. ‘Worked out better than I thought, though I have some reservations about it. No choice.’

‘What were those shadows?’ Ligeia looked around trying to figure it out. ‘It had to be the reason my attacks did so little to him!’

‘I need move while she’s off balance…’ Haruo took a step forward. The wolf appeared behind him, wrapping its large body around in a semi-circle.

Above in the sky, chirp echoed from a chatter to a chorus. Ligeia looked around trying to figure out where the sounds came from. Suddenly, a shadow flew past her face. It turned her around to follow it, but another shadow flew past. She summoned up her shield for a defense, hearing dull pounding against it. ‘What’s going on? What is he doing?’ Trying to focus, Ligeia managed to calm herself down enough to look at the shield.

Birds. They were birds, pale white birds. ‘More spirit animals…’ The birds had the same transparent appearance of the wolf. She tried to use her beams to knock them away, but their numbers only increased. They swarmed over her shield throwing her into a state of confusion. Ligeia could not get them off her.

However, the birds flew off suddenly. The reason for it came too late to Ligeia. A large shadow cast over her and knocked her to the ground. The wolf pinned her to the metal floor with its mouth closing on her. Ligeia glanced around at her projectors. She tried to fire, but all of her beams were blocked by the birds. ‘I’m trapped! I can’t get it off me! Damn it! He’s got me right where he wants me!’

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

Above in the sky, chirping echoed from a chatter to a chorus. Ligeia looked around trying to figure out where the sounds came from. Suddenly, a shadow flew past her face. It turned her around to follow it, but another shadow flew past. She summoned up her shield for a defense, hearing dull pounding against it. ‘What’s going on? What is he doing?’ Trying to focus, Ligeia managed to calm herself down enough to look at the shield.

Birds. They were birds, pale white birds. ‘More spirit animals…’ The birds had the same transparent appearance of the wolf. She tried to use her beams to knock them away, but their numbers only increased. They swarmed over her shield throwing her into a state of confusion. Ligeia could not get them off her.

However, the birds flew off suddenly. The reason for it came too late to Ligeia. A large shadow cast over her and knocked her to the ground. The wolf pinned her to the metal floor with its mouth closing on her. Ligeia glanced around at her projectors. She tried to fire, but all of her beams were blocked by the birds. ‘I’m trapped! I can’t get it off me! Damn it! He’s got me right where he wants me!’

Ligeia struggled with the wolf to free herself, but it had superior strength. She felt the pressure of it digging into her. ‘I’m not going to be able to get out of this with it… I didn’t want to use it now!’ The wolf clawed at her, knocking her around from the force. She delayed too long already. ‘If I don’t do it…’ Glancing to the side, the birds kept disrupting her beams ability to fire. All other options disappeared. ‘…damn…’

Watching at his usual safe distance, Haruo felt an odd sensation. He already long examined the situation, but it still felt strange. ‘…because I know they can instantly heal non-fatal injuries, I have this freedom…it’s an odd feeling to know I can hurt them without concern to the lasting effects…’ It became one of the reasons he allowed himself to fight. He did not have to worry over severely hurting someone. ‘It’s the reason one of the stayed back, to heal all damage received…still this is…’

As the wolf mauled her, Haruo waited for her forfeit of the fight. He did not plan to allow things to go on just for the sake of asserting dominance. Haruo only wanted her acceptance to end the fight. It became the fastest way to resolve the entire matter. After, he could return to his questions.

‘…unsettling…’

Questions had to wait, a brief light appeared below the wolf and then Ligeia disappeared from his sights. The wolf looked around in confusion. It started to sniff out for her. Haruo looked around the field searching for her. Seconds compressed together becoming almost infinity. ‘Where’d she go? She didn’t disappear…’ His new line of thought moved his eyes. He stared at the field measuring it out. ‘How?’ Haruo turned around figuring it, only to be met with a massive beam to his face and upper body.

“Had to end it quickly,” commented Ligeia, sweat dripping down her face, “Can’t let you see any more of my secrets.” Revealed out of the smoke covering Haruo, Ligeia stood only two meters away from him with her hand raised, the pyramid floating centimeters away from her open palm.

‘Why did I come here?’

Chapter 186 – Science of the Nature

Coughing through the smoke, a noticeable sound of pain came from Haruo’s voice. The fact that it only sounded in pain rather than something more severe made Ligeia take a few steps back. Her teeth ground together annoyed that Haruo still had fight left in him. ‘…tough bastard…’

Allowing the wind to take away the bag that covered his face, Haruo resurfaced. Blood dripped down his face from the top of his forehead around his cheeks and down the bridge of his nose. Barely clinging to his chest, the tunic no longer existed for his shoulders, marked up with scorches as well. The blood hung around his face creating a darker than intended image as his emotionless features multiplied his aura. “Unexpected.”

Glaring back at Haruo, Ligeia did not like the situation. “It’s more unexpected hearing your voice again,” she retorted.

Unaffected by her remarks, Haruo continued, “Did not think you’d approach so close.”

“If I do everything you expect I’m not going to win.”

He could agree on the statement. However, other concerned bothered him. ‘She disappeared from my sight and reappeared behind me. The timing was impossible for anything I’ve seen from her, human or aided.’ Examining Ligeia, he noted she lacked any injuries from the wolf. Her clothes looked completely unaffected by the attacks. ‘It happened a second time, she somehow avoided injury when her defenses fell…’

“Back to silence…” Ligeia pulled in her projectors around her. It gave her time to collect herself for the next phase of her strategy. She saw him doing the same with his pets. The wolf circled in around him acting as the first line, while the swarm of birds hovered around him. A few of the birds rested on his shoulder and head, looking as though he was one with nature. “Birds and wolves, odd mix.”

“Daurian Jackdaw and Ezo Wolf,” Haruo corrected.

“Eh?”

“Their sub-species name.”

“That’s some useless bit of trivia.” Ligeia made some of her projectors disappear. One set by her shoulder formed into a pyramid quickly firing off a beam. ‘Knowing their names doesn’t change anything.’

The bird targeted by Ligeia fluttered away before it hit. ‘Starting up a new round of attacks. I’m forcing her to use more of her techniques. So I should see what she did before again. I need to watch and figure it out.’ Making use of his birds together with the wolf, Haruo resumed his attack on Ligeia. The birds did well to disrupt the coordination of her devices while the wolf focused on cornering her.

Sliding around, Ligeia changed her distance with Haruo quickly to keep away from the wolf. ‘His damn birds keep getting in the way. I can’t get a clean shot on him anymore…’ She kept trying to work around the complication. Unfortunately, it forced to her to start using her secret again.

Haruo kept ahead of Ligeia attempts to directly target him. He had the clear sight on her actions. However, a beam suddenly hit him from an impossible direction. It scored a small mark on his face. ‘Where’d that come from?’ Little time allowed for him to think too long on the problem. His eyes started to notice more changes in the beams. They were no longer coming from predictable directions.

The birds were not enough to keep her beams broken up. She found ways around them, even if only a few. Their count diminished quickly as well, no longer keeping up with the changing pace. ‘She must be using her new secret.’ The only thing keeping her from going all out on him with her trick was the birds. She kept to using only micro beams. They fired faster and worked in greater numbers, a better match for his Jackdaws.

‘Fighting continues… Fighting is pointless…unnecessary…’

Seeing the more aggressive nature of the wolf, Ligeia pulled herself back even further from the animal. She kept up a shield between them, one it struggled to break. It often chose to try to flank her, but she easily moved it around to keep pace. ‘I’ve got him back at my pace. I need keep applying the pressure.’ She saw she could inflict wounds on him. It meant she just needed to increase the strength of her attacks.

All of her attacks focused him on her. She kept him busy and distracted. Glancing above him, she watched the careful positioning and development. ‘It’s just about ready. If I didn’t have to do all of this distraction it’d be finished already. But he’s very observant, I can’t afford mistakes with him.’ It came time. A massive beam charged from a few meters above Haruo. In only a few seconds, it discharged screamed down at him.

Bright light washed everything. Haruo disappeared from her view. All of the animals paused to look back in the direction. While distracted, she took the opportunity to wipe out a large portion of the birds causing them to flee. Ligeia directed her attention to the wolf, which recovered from its confusion. Focusing all of her beams into a complex web, the wolf fell quickly.

‘…it’s not enough of a reason…’

Even while the beam continued, Haruo stepped out from around the beam completely unscathed by the attack. The threat of its proximity did nothing to his features.

Staggered backwards, Ligeia could not believe he evaded her attack. Surprise filled her eyes. “How?! How could you see it coming!?” She disconnected the pieces to shut off the beam.

“I tracked them.” He stretched out a hand for one of the remaining birds to land on his finger. A bright glowing core filled its chest. It jumped up his arm eventually perching on his bare shoulder.

The lack of context aggravated Ligeia. “What are you talking about?”

“Your devices. They have remained a consistent number until recently.”

“You were counting them?!” It seemed impossible to her that he followed all of them. ‘I keep track of them because I have to, but for him to be following it all so closely. He’s even more dangerous!’ However, it still bothered her that he knew how to dodge the attack. “Knowing it’s missing doesn’t tell you where it is.”

“I am connected.” The bird lifted off his arm and suddenly more birds materialized around it growing into a swarm. It restored their numbers fully in moments.

‘…no feeling…’

Another indirect answer, but Ligeia understood the implications. ‘He’s connected with his animals. The birds provide him better sight than the wolves, always facing at me. Damn…’ Watching the birds return to their restored status made Ligeia understand them a little more. It bothered her how difficult they would be to kill.

‘…no passion for fighting…’

The pause in fighting came to an end. Ligeia saw to it. Beam fire resumed in chaotic fashion. The wolf removed from the equation, made life for her easier. She only had to deal with the birds. They only provided a distraction, a disruption to her plans. ‘Why hasn’t he brought out more animals? Is he at his limit with the birds?’

‘…no pride on the line…’

Beams broke through the defense of the birds easily. Haruo hardly expected them to have as much of an effect in the battle with his wolf gone. However, he wanted it that way. It freed up his concentration to watch everything more carefully.

‘…no interest in testing the limits…’

The assault continued with Haruo remaining defensive. Each beam that came in at him did not have enough to stop, but he knew it added up. Eventually, it would be more than his body could take. However, he had to last long enough to figure it out. ‘The way the beams are moving should be impossible…they’re always moving…’ Following everything was not easy for him, but he started to find clarity. Pieces began to fall into place.

‘...just empty…’

His eyes narrowed in on it. It surprised him that he missed it for so long. The clues blended in well enough with the myriad of everything else. He wrote it off too quickly. ‘I understand now. There’s slight differences, but I can see it now. They all make the same shape, but orientation determines their function. The one I was missing was the third function, a matter transportation. Instantly jumping from one of her devices to another. Makes sense now.’

‘…so why…’

Armed with the new knowledge, he instructed the birds to deal with the devices that served to reflect, shield or teleport. It broke down her offense quickly. Directed, he freed up his bids and increased their numbers further. They broke off from the main group diving after Ligeia.

Pulling up her shield, always ready, the birds slammed into the barrier. The first did nothing but fall away. Same the second and third, but the pounding echoed louder. It felt a little unnerving watching the near kamikaze attack. Suddenly a crack developed in the shield. Ligeia tried to strengthen it with another layer, but the birds already had their advantage. Speed increased on their attacks quickly punching a hole through the shield.

Through the gap, the remaining birds swarmed through at Ligeia. Using their claws and beak, the birds covered Ligeia. White glows of light soaked her figure with only a dull hue of her color breaking through under their assault. ‘…damnit…they’ll break through…I’ve had enough of this!’

All of the projectors in the area disappeared. They materialized around her emitting a blue light. It forced its way inward acting as a repulsor against the birds. Moments later, a force from the center threw off all of the birds, sent tumbling away through the air for meters. Ligeia surfaced with marks on her face, thin trails of blood dripping down. Faint flashing on her clothes showed damage on a transparent surface, ripped into by the birds. Underneath, her clothes looked torn in same points.

Spinning around her legs and arms, the projectors connected a blue transparent sheet wrapping around her ankles and wrists. Ligeia suddenly hovered into the air a meter away from the ground. More pieces floated around her in a different pattern than before.

Haruo arched his eyebrow a touch. He did not expect such a drastic alteration of her tactics. The new patterns left him wondering their potential. ‘I’ve got to test it…’ Signaling the birds, they flew at Ligeia, but hit an invisible wall before reaching her. It lined up with the shape of the devices. However, the barrier’s strength was incomparable to the previous. The birds bounced off as though a force pushed them back.

“It’s time this came to an end,” declared Ligeia, sweat poured down her face. Her features hardened, forcing herself to continue. She lifted her hand up slowly as though commanding something.

A shadow stretched up behind Haruo and to the side. He looked around noticing columns rising from the ground. The plating from her field exposed itself. Behind the smooth metal surface, complex machinery worked. Electricity jumped around ends and multi-colored lights danced around the faces.

Turning her outstretched hand over, a holographic sphere formed. She closed her hand over it inserting her fingers into the surface depressing sections of the surface. The holographic turned from blue to red, a signal. “Try to dodge this!”

Electricity jumped out from the three columns closing off all exits, above or flanking. Then electricity refocused back to Haruo. His entire body drank in the volts involuntarily. He had no escape. Pain stretched up his body and through his muscle into his throat. Haruo did not know how long he could last.

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

A shadow stretched up behind Haruo and to the side. He looked around noticing columns rising from the ground. The plating from her field exposed itself. Behind the smooth metal surface, complex machinery worked. Electricity jumped around ends and multi-colored lights danced around the faces.

Turning her outstretched hand over, a holographic sphere formed. She closed her hand over it inserting her fingers into the surface depressing sections of the surface. The holographic turned from blue to red, a signal. “Try to dodge this!”

Electricity jumped out from the three columns closing off all exits, above or flanking. Then electricity refocused back to Haruo. His entire body drank in the volts involuntarily. He had no escape. Pain stretched up his body and through his muscle into his throat. Haruo did not know how long he could last.

Pain was a familiar sensation for Haruo. From orphanage to the streets, he learned to live with pain as his own companion. In a strange way, it felt like something that comforted him. It let him know he was alive. It never lied and always came harshly. Pain was honest. Honesty was precious.

However, pain suddenly became a terrible friend. It wanted to do more than let him know he still lived. It seemed to want to take it away from him. Haruo never knew it to have such feelings. It hurt.

It hurt.

‘…why continue…’

Chapter 187 – Science of the Theory

Ligeia watched at a safe distance. She waited for the moment he surrendered or passed out. ‘I’ll win soon, he can’t escape…’ Her eyes panned over the blocks from the panels of her field. They were something she always had in her field, but never used them in any fight. ‘…this is the first time I’ve ever got to use everything…it feels strange…’

Thoughts turned back to her normal days. Days of routine, one where nothing happened. ‘…was this what I was seeking?’ she wondered, it still felt mysterious. She did not know what to make of her feelings. ‘I thought I just wanted something different to do, but I never expected this…’

Haruo ground his teeth still managing to hold back from the pain. It burned in his throat begging for his mouth to open. His voice wanted to escape, but he refused. He kept holding on with stubborn resolve.

‘…why do I still want to keep going…’

It did not make any sense to him. The fight did not matter to Haruo. Everything in Atlantis dealt with Yuki. He was simply an extra character, yet for some reason he did not want to just give up in the fight. ‘…I still don’t care, but still it just seems…pointless now…to give up…’ Haruo opened up his clinched fist to flatten his palm over the smooth metal. Glancing up at Ligeia, Haruo rose from his knelt position.

Haruo narrowed his eyes to turn his focus on the electricity surrounding him. ‘…I need something…to not give up…’ Taking a step forward, he fought with the electricity’s desire to keep him down. Searing heat erupted through his arms. It tried to burn his entire body. It felt as though his body would not hold out. However, he kept pushing forward clashing with the barrier created in arcing electricity between the pillars.

Shocked by Haruo’s force of will, Ligeia floated back a little. ‘What’s he doing?! He can’t break through it! He’s just making it worse!’ Sweat poured down her face. Her chest pounded, her body giving her signals. ‘I won’t stop now! Not when I’m this close!’ She lifted her hand up, feeling it shaking in protest. Three more plates broke free from the field exposing similar columns to further surround Haruo. “Give up! You can’t win! You’re only prolonging your suffering!”

“No.” Haruo pressed up his hand to the arcing electricity causing it all to jump to him. A sudden surge of electricity drove through his muscles making him spasm and jump. Flickers of pain came out in his face, however it suddenly came to a stop. His hand pushed through, allowing him to step out. ‘Took longer than I thought…’ Remaining activate arcs of electricity jumped around his body for a short time while trying to find a way down to a ground.

Leaning back, Ligeia found her mouth unable to close from her surprise. “Impossible! What did you do?!”

“Escaped.”

Grinding her teeth, frustration popped up for her. His short answers gave her nothing. However, it did not bother her for long. Ligeia hardened her stance and pulled forward. “Fine then, escape this—“

Cut off abruptly, a bright white light blinded the entire area. It expanded out into beyond their fight threatening the other battles. The light forced back Ligeia as though it had a physical presence. Even with her eyes closed, she felt the light pierce through her eyelids to blind her. Amidst the confusion, a series of explosions echoed near Ligeia leaving her uneasy.

Finally, the light cleared away. The first thing she saw once her eyes opened was Haruo. However, his body seemed to have a glow to it, but she quickly realized her mistake. Her eyes pulled up further to discover a creature far more massive than even his wolves. A lion standing a full three meters tall slowly returned to his side.

Behind them and to the sides, pillars of black smoke rose from the ground. Darting her eyes around, Ligeia recognized them as her columns she brought up. All destroyed in mere moments. Letting anger take over for her, wrinkles drew around her eyes. She slammed her hand to the screen on her forearm, triggering a red light.

All of the pulsing between the plates in the field came to a stop suddenly. The ground rumbled. Plates pushed up asynchronously revealing an entire field of columns. Ligeia panted heavily with sweat covering her body. A sharp pain sprung through her head, but she snapped back to ignore it.

Haruo glanced around at the impressive, but obviously dangerous display. He looked up at Ligeia finished judging it. “Stop. Your body can’t—“

“Don’t tell me what to do!” roared Ligeia, unleashing all of her emotions. “I won’t let you stop me! I’m doing this! I’m going to prove right here that I have worth!”

Feeling her words, Haruo withheld any more words. He gave quick signal to the lion, ordering it into action. In blinding speed, it leapt around the metal field destroying all of the columns leaving the entire scene in smoke. When it completed its cycle, it approached at the right side of Haruo. He placed a hand on the soft coat of the lion, shining with a large bright core. Suddenly, electricity jumped from his arm into the lion causing the lion to slightly change to a pale blue while charged with electricity.

Struggling to keep herself together, Ligeia summoned up the projectors around her. However, the lion opened its mouth suddenly releasing a beam charged with electricity straight for Ligeia. The impact on her shield knocked her back as she lost her concentration for a moment. Forcing an explosion, Ligeia fell out of the cloud of smoke down to her field.

Pain struck her back from the impact. It was only a short fall, but she only had her personal shield to dampen the force. ‘Damn…the headaches are getting worse and I lost focus at the worst possible time.’ She lifted her head up, hearing the lion approaching her. Struggling with her arm, Ligeia ordered up her projectors to surround her arm. They quickly constructed a lengthy bracelet like structure around her wrist and over her hand. Faint energy built up in the dark recess of the structure preparing for the lion. ‘I’m not losing!’

Sweat streamed down her face as veins popped along her face. Ligeia gritted her teeth through the pain struggling to hold herself together. She never knew such pain, but she did not care about the limits of her body. The lion continued its approach, nearly on top of her. “I won’t let it end…like this…” Ligeia glanced in worry over at her arm realizing it did not act when she ordered it. It still just charged. Her eyes widened seeing the lion standing over her.

It was over.

Haruo’s lion suddenly vanished before it delivered the final blow. Ligeia blinked in surprise and lifted her upper body up to look at Haruo. To her surprise, Haruo laid collapsed on the ground. An odd chuckle came to Ligeia. She did not believe it. Ligeia forced to herself to stand, staggering over to him. Her head still pounded. Her arm raised towards him. “I win…” Suddenly, a pulse from her body stopped her movement. Ligeia’s eyes grew wide as her field disappeared. All of her projectors particularized. Any life in her body left as her legs fell out from underneath her. She collapsed in the grass a few meters away from Haruo.

Ligeia awoke to a warm sensation surrounding her. She struggled to get her eyes in sight, discovering Iole. “Did you include a translation law?”

“…yes…”

“…good…” Turning herself over on her back, Ligeia started to pant heavily. Everything in her body screamed. She knew what exhaustion felt like, however it went far beyond such a word. Nothing remained for her to give. It felt like her power no longer existed. She was alone. “…I lost…”

“…same…” echoed Haruo. He remained face down, but his head turned to the side to speak.

Ligeia tried to look over at Haruo, but nothing in her body wanted to move. “You’re still conscious. How did you escape?” She wanted to an answer even in her situation.

“Japanese hare.”

“Huh? Can’t you ever give me an answer without me asking a second time?” Her outburst caused her body to move and respond in pain, even with Iole providing healing. She bit down forcing herself to calm her emotions. “Damn you…”

“The hare was outside the field during the attack. It slowly ate through the mechanisms weakening it to allow my escape.”

“Tch,” Ligeia clicked her tongue, “Always got a plan.”

“What is your answer?”

Feeling a little more of body responding to her, Ligeia moved to see Haruo. Her face twisted around into confusion. “Eh? Answer to what?”

Haruo stared at her for a while not providing an answer. It seemed as though he wanted her to remember. After a minute of nothing, he decided to reply. “The beginning. Before the fight.”

“Huh?” Unfortunately, Haruo remained too cryptic for Ligeia. It only made her frustrated again. She hated dealing with him. ‘Beginning? Before the fight? What’s he talking about?’ Searching her memories, she went back to the beginning. Everything was hazy from her exhaustion, taking her longer to recall, but it came to her. Her eyes opened fully. “You can’t be serious! You’re asking me that?!”

“Yes.”

“Urgh…” Ligeia turned her head away from him. ‘I can’t believe he still cares about that!’ Even with her face pointed at Iole, she still felt his eyes boring a hole in the back of her head. He wanted her answer. The pressure made her features narrow and flatten. “I only said that to get you to fight! I didn’t have an answer!”

“I know.”

Suddenly feeling better, Ligeia jumped up and walked over to Haruo. She stood over him fuming. “You knew! And you still fought!” He continued to annoy her even after they were supposed to be finished. Ligeia crossed her arms and turned away from him before she hit him.

Unfazed, Haruo stared up at Ligeia. He still wanted an answer from her. “I want your answer.”

“What?!” At this point, Ligeia’s surprise had nowhere left to increase. Permanently wide-eyed it seemed, Ligeia tilted her head back around to Haruo. His eyes stared at her with a refusal to give up, despite his position. It annoyed her to no end. ‘I don’t know why I’m doing this.’ Ligeia folded up her legs to sit with her legs crossed, next to Haruo. “Tell me again. I’ll give you my answer.”

Another bout of silence filled between them. Haruo read into Ligeia’s expression. Lying on the ground unable to move seemed a poor conversation position, but Haruo did not have a choice. He accepted her offer again. “I have no reason to fight any of you. I only came here because of him. But I don’t know why I agreed. It doesn’t make any sense.”

Hearing him tell her again reminded her how annoying he was at the start. She only wanted a fight, the who did not matter to her. However, what she found in the fight did not make a lot of sense to her. “Seems we both found something we don’t know the answer to. If you can believe it, I’m normally unmotivated and bored. My life was a pattern that I just followed. I was fine with it, I thought, but fighting with you made me feel something I didn’t expect.”

“What was it?” Haruo found himself curious with her story as much as the answer he waited to hear.

Ligeia rubbed a finger against her cheek, becoming a little sheepish. “I’m not sure. I can’t really put it into words right now. I just know it is different from how I felt before. I thought this fight was a chance to do something different, just break my routine, even if only for a moment. I didn’t really think about what I’d find.”

Thinking about herself and talking to him about it gave her another odd sensation. “I’ve never told anyone this. I don’t know why I’m telling you anyway.” She crossed her arms trying to recover from her series of selfishness. It allowed her to refocus and push away from her own problems. “I’m guessing he’s important to you somehow.”

“Maybe, he reminds me of someone I know.”

“Someone important?” She got silence from him, but it seemed to be a sign of agreement. “Then you’re probably here because you felt following him was important for you. I don’t really know the whole story, but it’s probably something along those lines. Or you want to thank him for something. I don’t know. These sorts of things aren’t really my forte.”

“Mine either.”

“You’re a strange one.”

“Probably.” The two stared at each other with no more need for words. An odd sense of acceptance and comradery formed between them. Even without their answers, they found short moment of peace in the chaos around them.

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 the 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…’

Staring at Vangelis with a hardened expression, masking out his thoughts, Yuki kept the tension between the high. Once Vangelis hurt Saki with such casual disregard, the shape of his eyes changed. He only saw Vangelis as someone needed to be stopped rather than a challenge. “I find it unlikely you’re as weak as this, not with the way you act. You’d better do something about that soon or this will be a short fight.”

Laughing a little, Vangelis relished the innocence of Yuki. “You’re just as guilty of holding back. No sense getting so worked up over such small details.” He grinned a little as he taunted Yuki. Bending a little forward towards Yuki, Vangelis acted as though ready to accept anything Yuki had for him. “We’ll get there eventually!”

Moving to completely confront him. A new ripple expanded out from Yuki. ‘I can’t hold back, not after what he did to Saki. I can’t treat this like the others.’ Tall grass grew up around Yuki expanding out into the distance fighting over space with Vangelis’ field. ‘He’s not like the rest I fought. He doesn’t care about honor or justice like the other soldiers talked about, he’s only in it for himself. He just wants to play and nothing holds any significance to him, even a life!’ Yuki tightened up his fists and his gi surfaced along with the usual shimmer. “If you do nothing, I’ll end this very quickly,” promised Yuki. The transparency on his fist lost a little as he built up the particles.

Chapter 188 – Shifting Thoughts

‘Interesting looking ability, must be the one talked about in the reports.’ Vangelis suddenly disappeared and reappeared flanking Yuki. “Let’s see if you can make good on your claim,” taunted Vangelis. He lifted up a hand to motion Yuki at him. “Show me if you’re just all talk like the little miss.” A thin grin pulled across his lips.

Yuki glared at Vangelis with thoughts of Saki in the back of his mind. The ground at his feet exploded suddenly as he burst forward with sudden speed. An outstretched fist aimed for Vangelis’ chest, planning to disable him in a single blow. However, he disappeared on Yuki just a few centimeters before contact. The immediate area did not have Vangelis, as Yuki scanned the area. Another blast came at him. ‘There!’ Yuki charged into the blast forcing it to vanish from his proximity and surface on the other side expecting to find Vangelis, but nothing again.

“It’s looking like you’re no better than the little miss.”

Responding to the voice, Yuki turned around to meet Vangelis. He narrowed his eyes trying to get a read on him. “Nothing you’re doing is successful either. I only have to end this in one punch.” Yuki sprinted forward not planning on letting Vangelis keep talking. It had to end quickly.

Disappearing again, Vangelis came out to the right side of him. His arm crossed over his chest. “But you have to actually touch me with that fist. Something that you’re unable to do.”

Yuki fought with his emotions. The image of Saki tormented him. He ground his teeth together and stretched out his arm sharply towards Vangelis. Thinning out around his arm, the energy gathered at his palm. Displaced by a force, the loose form flung towards Vangelis.

Tapping his foot, a complex magical circle formed on the ground beneath him. Yuki’s energy splashed across a pale green barrier with no effect. At Vangelis’ feet, a brick pattern, as though part of an old fashion road, spread out in all directions. ‘Time to have a little fun with him…’ Snapping a finger for dramatic flair, five magic circles suddenly spread out in a straight line in front of the other. Water burst out from the first circle and transformed into ice as it passed through the second. A force erupted from the magic as it entered the third sending electricity to tear through the ground. Shattered into pieces, the ice turned a bright blue and grew larger passing through the fourth and fifth circles.

Speeding off from the circles, the shards covered all of Yuki’s path. ‘Magic?! This isn’t what he showed off before…’ Narrowing his eyes, he allowed the shards to approach. None of them mattered to him, nothing he did thus far actually present any danger to him. Yuki dug his foot into the earth preparing to charge for Vangelis while the storm came at him. Two steps was all he managed before he heard ice shattered. ‘What?!’ His eyes widened in surprise.

The ice did nothing to him, his personal shield prevented it, but the effect was more than enough. Yuki’s expression quickly thinned as he heard the next volley starting up. ‘How is he suddenly stronger? Nothing’s changed!’ Few moments remained for him to find answers. The attack was already under way. Yuki chose to dodge rather than chance another attack. It went safely past him.

Still smirking like always, Vangelis laughed a bit again. “Already losing that confidence, kid? You’re becoming boring very quickly. You were more interesting before.”

Growling a little under his breath, Yuki charged after Vangelis. He threw his punch with the expectation of him disappearing, his eyes already looking around for his next location. However, his fist impacted something. The sound threw him off causing Yuki not to be ready for the counterattack by Vangelis. A hail of ice ran over his shield followed by a wide sweep of his leg, which looked too lazy to be actually threatening. Yuki easily passed all of it before jumping back away from Vangelis. ‘What’s up with him?! He’s not acting anything like it was just a minute ago!’

Witnessing the confusion on Yuki made cackle a little in amusement. ‘I’ve got him second guessing himself now. This should be fun…’ Motioning with his hand, a circle drew itself underneath Yuki. His confusion distracted him from the act leaving him with no time to act. Spikes of earth leapt from the grass. They easily crumbled, but the look on Yuki’s face was more than enough for him.

Internally, Yuki beat himself up for becoming distracted. ‘How is he able to do that under me?! It shouldn’t be possible!’ He gritted his teeth together. ‘Damn, he’s just playing with me! And I’m letting him!’ No harm came to his body from any of the attacks, but it did not feel that way to him. It already felt like Vangelis had won on some level. Yuki could not stand it. The arrogant look of the man only made him angrier. He could not get the image of Saki out of his mind. They just danced for him in his hand. Yuki tightened his hand.

“Going to do something, kid? Standing and doing nothing wasn’t what you promised me, remember?” It sparked more attention from Yuki. Vangelis found it all too easy, even if it was enjoyable. “Thought you said this was going to be quick?”

Somewhere in the back of Yuki’s mind, he knew. He knew it was just a trap. Bait swung in front of him. However, Yuki did not care. He could not keep watching that face and hearing that voice. ‘He…he…’ Yuki ran forward, an explosion of earth blasted behind his foot. ‘…Saki…’ He rocketed at Vangelis with his fists in the air. ‘He tried to kill Saki!’

Vangelis’ eyes perked up watching Yuki screaming at him. ‘He sped up, interesting…that’s quite versatile…’ He side stepped Yuki’s charge and provided a quick counter, which actually connected, unlike last time. Combined with the force of his speed, it sent Yuki tumbling through the grass.

Slowly coming to a stop several meters away, Yuki flipped up his head to keep Vangelis in his sight, while the rest of him recovered. ‘Damn…he never does what I expect!’ Continuing with the pattern, Yuki’s eyes widened further to find a large colorless cube flying at him. “Huh?!” The speed it flew at him only gave him the time to throw himself to the ground. After it passed over him, he turned his gaze back to watch it. It turned over a few times in the grass, but seemed to almost have no weight to it. The sigh only confused him further.

Yuki quickly turned back to examine Vangelis for an answer, but found another cube flying at him. He had no time to dodge, but figured it was fine. However, it was a mistake as Yuki went flying backwards. Coughing from the wind knocked out of him, Yuki found himself in surprise once more. ‘What’s happening?! Nothing is making any sense!’

The cube only lasted a few moments before his shield destroyed it, but he kept flying backwards. Yuki fired off a blast from his palm to right his position. When he landed, earth blew out from his feet countering his force and allowing him a bit of a cushion as he came to a stop. ‘What’s with him? This is the second time he’s done something completely different!’

Not long remained for Yuki, Vangelis already delivered more attacks at him, a sphere along with a pyramid. None of made any sense to Yuki. All he did was dodge it making sure he did not have the same problem as before. ‘I can’t trust anything he does. I just have dodge everything…’ Yuki focused back on Vangelis after the most recent round of attacks. ‘It’s like I’m being attacked by math, not that it fits with the jungle…’ Once he thought it, Yuki realized that something was wrong with Vangelis’ field. ‘It wasn’t that before!’

Missing it earlier upset Yuki. He clinched his fist together annoyed at himself. ‘How did I miss it before?’ Yuki straightened himself out. The realization sharpened his eyes a little. He saw the next cube flying at him. Bracing his foot behind him, he raised up his hand with the shimmering around growing stronger. The cube came to a stop on his palm and pulverized into the dust.

Vangelis noticed the alternation in Yuki’s behavior. He flung a few more geometric shapes at him to confirm his suspicions. Each one disappeared just as quickly as the last without even a second thought. ‘I guess, he’s actually become serious now…looks like playtime will be over soon…’ A grin of excitement developed for him.

Yuki closed his eyes. ‘He’s been taunting, taking me at his pace. I can’t fight him like this. He’s just been toying with me, almost like he’s making a point to show me.’ He hated himself for having been blinded by his certainty in his power. Even with someone as dangerous at Vangelis, Yuki thought that his superior power would deal with anything. However, he saw how wrong he was. ‘Saki…I’ll do this the right way…the way I know how!’

Pushing the distractions of the past out of his mind, Yuki started to march forward. He kept a full view on Vangelis. ‘Three changes, three different fields. There’s a connection, he’s got a weird law set, but I’ll figure it out.’

“Looks like you ready for the real fight to start,” comment Vangelis. He materialized a few spheres in his palm, no larger than the size of marbles. The three orbs quickly spin around until flung at Yuki. They flew at him appearing as though spinning at high speeds, though their form made it impossible to determine. Before reaching Yuki, they stretched out suddenly becoming discs growing even larger. Their edges dug into the ground eating up the grass and earth coming towards Yuki.

Each of the lines of the attack from the discs made it difficult for Yuki. He considered destroying them, but worried about his chances at such speeds. Yuki opted for dodging them. Another blast came out from the ground under his foot pushing him out of the way. However, while he turned in the air he caught sight of the discs turning around. Time slowed down for him a little as he judged his actions. When his hand touched the grass, another blast came out pushing him off further.

It was not enough.

Yuki dodged backwards as the discs turned around again. He kept forcing himself to jerk around to keep up with the dodging. However, he felt his body starting to get a little warm from all of the exercise. ‘This’ll go on forever like this… I’ve got to stop it.’ Another explosion came from the ground when his hands touched the ground propelling him further than normal. It put greater distance between him and the disc allowing him time to land back on his feet.

Sliding a little, Yuki came to a stop and threw up his hands. Forcing the particles into his hands, he formed up faint swords and threw them at the discs. The swords pinned all three discs to the ground, stuck together by the two swords.

The moment of rest gave Yuki a chance to feel his joints complaining. ‘I used that too much. My arms and legs are already feeling like jelly after all of that…even if I’m getting more used to the timing it doesn’t change the fact that my body wasn’t designed for such extreme moves.’

‘Very interesting…’ The field around Vangelis changed suddenly with the jungle trees disappearing. ‘He uses that power of his to provide bursts of speed from the blasts he creates. Clever, but dangerous…’ He took a step out from the place he remained for so long.

Yuki lowered his gaze a little trying to understand the motives of Vangelis. He could tell that there was something different about him. ‘He hasn’t advanced the entire time against me until now…’ The waiting soon came to an end as Vangelis stopped, still several meters away from him. A sword appeared in his hand. ‘Something new again…’

Swinging the sword, the blade stretched out the distance to meet Yuki. Yuki’s hand came up to stop it, destroy the blade quickly. After the slash, the sword returned to normal size. The broken edge reformed. “Looks like it’s time to make things more interesting.” He grinned as though something happened, but nothing immediately showed itself. Vangelis swung the sword again, the action repeated, but blood sprayed up.

Staggered a little, Yuki took a step back to look at his hand. It was only a swallow wound, but the sword managed to pierce him. Blood dripped around his palm until he sealed it up with his energy. Yuki turned his sights back to Vangelis, tightening his eyes in confusion. ‘What did he just do?’

Vangelis lifted up his hand to reveal one raised finger. The knowing smirk only grew larger on his face. “That was the first folding, I’ve got two more. Only one other person has seen them all. Will you be the second?”

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

Swinging the sword, the blade stretched out the distance to meet Yuki. Yuki’s hand came up to stop it, destroying the blade quickly. After the slash, the sword returned to normal size. The broken edge reformed. “Looks like it’s time to make things more interesting.” He grinned as though something happened, but nothing immediately showed itself. Vangelis swung the sword again, the action repeated, but blood sprayed up.

Staggered a little, Yuki took a step back to look at his hand. It was only a swallow wound, but the sword managed to pierce him. Blood dripped around his palm until he sealed it up with his energy. Yuki turned his sights back to Vangelis, tightening his eyes in confusion. ‘What did he just do?’

Vangelis lifted up his hand to reveal one raised finger. The knowing smirk only grew larger on his face. “That was the first folding, I’ve got two more. Only one other person has seen them all. Will you be the second?”

“Folding?” questioned Yuki. Ayumi crammed a lot of training and knowledge into him during their sessions, but it was one term that he never heard spoken. He did not like the sound that it had coming from Vangelis. Staring down at his hand, the blood layered thinly across his palm, kept in place by the particles surrounding him. ‘The strength of his attack increased significantly after he did that ‘folding’, enough to break my defense.’

Tapping the sword against his shoulder, Vangelis looked a little relaxed by the situation. “Seems like you’re confused.” Vangelis tilted his head to crack his neck a little. ‘I figured with someone of his natural strength would have been noticed attending the academy. Which means he either stayed hidden or was from the outside, but there shouldn’t be anyone this powerful out there, at least not marked. Very interesting kid, I doubt he’s self-taught with the control he has…’ A shift in his eyes turned to the distance battle with Eudokia.

The pieces fell into place for Vangelis quickly. ‘Considering her skill level and talents, it’d make sense she trained him. Though why withhold such information? He’d be considerably more powerful, just what is her game?’

Yuki hated admitting he did not know enough in front of Vangelis. The man was terribly arrogant and it only gave him more ammunition for his taunts. ‘Wish I had pressed Ayumi for more details, there are clearly things I’m unaware of. This man is likely making use of advanced techniques…damn, this is going to be even more difficult than I figured…’ Yuki’s fists tightened up considering the rest of the battle he had in store against Vangelis.

Chapter 189 – Shifting Attacks

Vangelis’ knowing grinned seemed to get deeper on his face. Any deeper and he would start looking like a mischievous cat. “I’ll leave you to figure it out.” The sword in his hand came back down, the blade tip pointed at Yuki. A raise from his eyebrow signaled a small bit of pity for Yuki. “One little bit I’ll pass along to you though. You’ll like this.” His grin went deeper. He drew out the pause to make it even more dramatic. “The average MP can only do one fold,” he added, showing his index finger to Yuki. Even though his face did not change, the words made his face seem like it turned darker with his intent.

Grinding his teeth, Yuki pushed his foot back a little to brace for the next attack. Padding out his particle armor on his hands, he sidestepped to deflect the sword blow away from him. ‘I don’t know if he’s just toying with me or not, but if what he said is true then I’ll need to end things before he decides to do another fold.’ Yuki rushed in with his wrist holding the blade away, causing sparks with the clash. As Yuki came into range of Vangelis, a shield shifted out of a different dimension to block his fist.

The initial impact of his fist cracked the shield. His hand continued to punch through, even with the shield trying to regenerate. Yuki’s eyes narrowed as he forced more of strength into his arm. ‘I’m this close and his weapons aren’t disappearing…he truly has increased the strength of his field…’ He quickly realized that he was not going to succeed with the frontal attack. Yuki leapt back, already noticing a spear shooting in from the side of the shield. The spearhead caught the edge of his gi, but did nothing other than tear fabric. ‘Too close…’

Vangelis retracted his sword’s blade to the standard length. Returning back to the previous dimension, the shield vanished from sight along with the spear. “You’ve got good reflexes, kid!” He took another swing with the sword at Yuki. While still in the swing, an arrow appeared in front of his head. Several more materialized around in a circle before firing at Yuki as well.

Moving to deal with the sword, Yuki could only swipe his free hand through the area to create a wall out of the particles to block the arrows. Using the denser gathering in his hand blocking the blade, his hand closed around the blade to destroy it. Yuki followed through in a smooth motion to snatch up the broken metal and fling it back at Vangelis.

The blade vanished before it got anywhere even close to Vangelis. He smirked a little enjoying Yuki’s efforts. However, amongst the counterattack Yuki disappeared from his sight. ‘A distraction huh? He’s smart on his feet now that he’s cleared out the emotions.’ His arm arched through the air suddenly causing a thick wooden wall to grow out of the ground. The field at his feet now appeared to be a finely polished hard work floor that shined brightly his reflection in its surface.

A thud echoed around the wood. Splintering broke free a moment later. Vangelis glanced around behind him knowing that it was Yuki. ‘This should be a fun moment. The destructive nature of his powers makes things interesting.’

Slightly surprised, Yuki’s eyes widened a touch to find wood blocking him. The fact that it was wood came as more of a surprise to him than the fact that he was blocked. He actually expected to be stopped by Vangelis. Everything that he had done so far in the fight produced no results. If the man was defeated by a simple feint Yuki would have been disappointed, relieved but certainly disappointed. He did not disappoint him.

Wood stopped him. ‘Something new again…what’s with this guy? How does have so many different abilities? Just how complex is his laws?’ Suddenly, a block of the wood stretched out at Yuki grabbing at his arm. It quickly wrapped around his forearm and upper arm in only a second. The motion caught him off guard. “What?!”

Yuki ground his teeth together and thinned his feature as he recovered himself. Peeling away from his legs, the energy around his arm brightened between the wood increasing in density and opacity. It tore through the wood turning it a soft shade of red. Once he ate away enough of the wood, Yuki escaped away to a safe distance.

Shaking his arm a little to get the feeling off, Yuki stared back at the wall. ‘Wood this time…he keeps changing, why isn’t he using one theme? Everyone I’ve fought always had a theme, but this guy doesn’t seem to have a theme at all!’

A loud bang ripped through the area leaving torn wood in chunks. Across the wood and grass, a dull ping rang out. “Thought I told you to stay awake, kid!” remarked Vangelis, leaning against the wall as though casually talking to a neighbor over a fence.

Snapped out of the distraction, Yuki narrowed his focus to the source of the attack. A thin smoking trail came out of the hole in the wood. Hidden behind the black hole, a faint shine of a circular object surfaced. ‘I thought wood was his new power.’

Vangelis leaned his head down resting on his hand, appearing bored. However, out of the wall came another series of loud shots ripping through the wood. The speed left Yuki with no chance to do anything. Crashing against his barrier, nothing happened. Vangelis grinned despite the lack of effectiveness.

‘Huh? His last attacks were more effective. They pierced my defense, but this is weaker…is it because they’re too small?’ Yuki did not know what it was, but did not seem to do anything to him. So he started march forward. Channeling the particles to gather in his hand, he hardened the shape into a sphere. ‘I need an offense…’ Yuki fired it off once finished before Vangelis got another round off.

The ball destroyed the wall and kept going. Vangelis managed to evade a direct hit, but something still took a hit. He lifted up his arm to examine a pistol with the entire barrel cleanly cut through up to the trigger. The arch cut through his gun left his trigger finger exposed, nearly caught in the attack. “Hmm…” Lazily, he turned his eye back to Yuki as he approached. “What was rather close, kid.”

Yuki did not like the look in his eyes, but still continued forward. He started up his next attack. ‘I got through, so even with him stronger I still have the superior power! Just need to keep pressing—‘ A force from behind interrupted Yuki’s thoughts. It grabbed him by the leg and threw him to the ground. “What the—“ Before Yuki could even look around at what happened, it was dragged into the air. The stinging in his face barely had a chance to pass before pressure wrapped around his leg.

“You might want to keep your eyes open too, kid,” Vangelis replied, still from his position leaning against the remains of the wood wall. He turned the broken gun back on Yuki, no longer using subterfuge to hide it. The barrel of the weapon materialized, quickly recovering its form. “This might sting a little.” Vangelis smirked as he fired the gun. Four bullets came out of the gun so quickly they ran only centimeters behind the next, despite him only having fired once.

Each bullet slammed into Yuki’s trapped chest. The wood wrapped around him insured a direct hit. The bullets did nothing to scratch him, but the impacts left his chest stinging as promised. They felt like being hit with a sledgehammer. His bones groaned making Yuki wonder if it cracked a rib or two. ‘…damn…’

“You might want to dodge the next one, kid! If you can…” The gun suddenly morphed into a significantly larger weapon, resembling that of a shotgun merged with an assault rifle. A barrel more like a sniper rifle extended from it, appearing even more deadly, if not bizarre.

Gritting his teeth, Yuki stared down the barrel. ‘He’s got me trapped. If I transfer the strength, the wood will crush my unprotected body, but if I do nothing…’ His mind went over the scenario repeatedly in the precious seconds he had before Vangelis attacked him.

Vangelis grinned watching the panicked look in Yuki’s eyes. He gave him a couple seconds longer to let the feeling drench him entirely before firing the strange weapon. Firing the gun caused a giant cloud of smoke to blast the area while the massive bullet spun through the front of the cloud trailing streams of white.

The theatrics left him waiting on the smoke to clear for his results. ‘I wonder what sort of results I got…’ While the smoke started to fade, he retracted his weapon. The wood disappeared along with the field. A cement field replaced it, an unbroken sheet of cement continuing on to the ends of his field. With the wood gone, a thud against the cement crawled out from the smoke.

Yuki surfaced from the smoke appearing surprisingly unharmed by the attack. Vangelis narrowed his eyes reading the scene for an answer. When he understood, it made him laugh a little. “So you moved it only from the places the wood did not cover to give yourself more protection.” He watched the transparency slowly expand back over his body.

‘That was close, I wasn’t sure if it was possible…’ Yuki trailed off his thoughts when he noticed the situation. The wood was gone and a new field was present. He understood well enough what it meant. ‘He’s got a different power now. What is it this time?’

Yuki waited on the next action from Vangelis. He started learning how he could not react thoughtlessly against him. Every time he tried before it failed. He always failed to reach him. The man seemed to have a trick in his bag for everything. Yuki had to wait to see what came next. It was his only chance. ‘He’s got to have a limit to how many different laws he’s using. I just need to wait until I’ve seen them all. I can’t just do full offense against him like I thought, I’m going to end up failing again.’

Tension built up between the two as Yuki waited in a delayed action. Vangelis seemed to pick up on Yuki’s hesitation and let the tension play out. Like with everything else, he enjoyed playing with Yuki in any way possible. Everything dragged out for his entertainment. He knew he would win. It was a question of how far he would have to go before the end. ‘He’s making things very fun, finally…I think it’s about time to throw off the balance he thinks he’s found…’ Vangelis grinned at the thoughts playing through his mind.

The grinning devil only made Yuki’s body more rigid with tension. He could see the man had things planned, but could only guess as to what they were. ‘I wish he’d stop drawing this out. I know he’s just playing with me and I can’t do anything about it. I need to understand his power to beat him. All this switching he’s doing is making it clear that he doesn’t want me to figure him out. It’s all part of his strategy, to keep me off balance and moving at his pace.’ Tightening his fists, Yuki felt a change in the winds as an omen of things to come. ‘I’ll have to keep playing his game until I’ve got him figured out and hope I survive until then…’

Resuming the fight, Vangelis casually flicked his finger at Yuki with the tip of his finger discharging a wide green blast. It completely engulfed Yuki with no time to react. However, moments later Yuki burst through the light trailing off dust from his gi. Vangelis immediately disappeared and reappeared nearby him giving him enough time to notice before firing off another green blast of energy.

Yuki managed to have enough to transfer his defenses forward to deal with the force of the attack. It merely blew over him, but it still pushed him back. The previous attack left his body sore and stinging, unable to dampen almost any of it. ‘He’s back to the energy blasts and the disappearing thing again! It’s significantly more powerful because of his folding technique, but I’ve dealt with this before. I know how he moves and what to expect. I’ll show him how useless it is against me and force him to change to something else, perhaps another I’ve seen and counter easier!’ Yuki got a little excited to know he started to feel comfortable with the fight. He could finally fight Vangelis.

Lifting two fingers at Yuki, a ball of green light grew at the tip of his fingers. ‘He’s doing something different this time. I figured wide blasts weren’t the only attack he had, but I can handle this as well.’ Yuki dug in as he prepared for the attack. He kept his eyes focused to respond to the type of attack Vangelis planned to use next.

A narrow beam of bright green light came at Yuki. It looked concentrated unlike the previous shots at him. Yuki’s mind instinctively redirected all of his defense towards the left side of his body, while he tried to get himself out of the way. Yuki turned his head only a little in the time he had to watch his left arm disappear from sight as the force of the blast turned him and made him stumble backwards. He could feel his arm heating up from the blast with things become even more uncertain.

Vangelis gave a wicked smirk to Yuki as he pulled out a pistol from behind his back. He quickly took aim at Yuki.

Wide eyed with shock, Yuki did not know how to react. The blast slowly ended with his arm still intact, but when he heard the gunshot, his defenses were not ready. ‘Both?! He tricked me again!’ A large amount of blood sprayed up into the air as Yuki fell backwards. Pain screamed through his body and reached his lips. He could not hold it back.

Suddenly, all of his bruises, bumps and minor injuries felt like crippling ailments. Yuki struggled with his wrecked body to look over at the injury. His eyes shrank to the size of pins when he saw his arm completely missing. Blood continued to pour out into the grass. Shock kept him from being able to scream anymore. ‘I still don’t understand…’ thought Yuki, as light faded from his eyes.

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

A narrow beam of bright green light came at Yuki. It looked concentrated unlike the previous shots at him. Yuki’s mind instinctively redirected all of his defense towards the left side of his body, while he tried to get himself out of the way. Yuki turned his head only a little in the time he had to watch his left arm disappear from sight as the force of the blast turned him and made him stumble backwards. He could feel his arm heating up from the blast with things become even more uncertain.

Vangelis gave a wicked smirk to Yuki as he pulled out a pistol from behind his back. He quickly took aim at Yuki.

Wide eyed with shock, Yuki did not know how to react. The blast slowly ended with his arm still intact, but when he heard the gunshot, his defenses were not ready. ‘Both?! He tricked me again!’ A large amount of blood sprayed up into the air as Yuki fell backwards. Pain screamed through his body and reached his lips. He could not hold it back.

Suddenly, all of his bruises, bumps and minor injuries felt like crippling ailments. Yuki struggled with his wrecked body to look over at the injury. His eyes shrank to the size of pins when he saw his arm completely missing. Blood continued to pour out into the grass. Shock kept him from being able to scream anymore. ‘I still don’t understand…’ thought Yuki, as light faded from his eyes.

Everything went white on Yuki. The number of times he faced death almost made it feel like he was returning home. It still scared him, but it scared him even more such feelings of familiarity coming from it. ‘I’m having so much trouble with him. He’s not even the same as Demosthenes. That man did not need tricks when he got serious, I could tell the difference in our powers, but this man. I’m having trouble with him…’

It was doubt. Uncertainty surrounded him. He was back at not knowing anything. ‘I thought I understood, but it’s so very clear I still don’t understand anything…I don’t understand anything at all…’

Thoughts went back to the villagers. ‘I was impulsive. I didn’t consider them.’ A myriad of dark questions swarmed his mind. Yuki wondered about the path he chose. ‘Is this what they want? What they need? Am I doing the right thing?’ The thoughts only made things worse for him. He sank deeper. ‘Can I even do anything? I don’t understand anything…’

‘It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand anything!’ shouted Seiji, within Yuki’s mind. He held out a clinched fist as proof of his declaration.

Yuki’s face went flat staring at Seiji’s appearance. ‘What are you doing here? In my mind?’

Taken back a little, Seiji’s floating body moved away from Yuki. ‘What are you talking about?! This is the moment where I use our friendship to recharge your burning desire to fight and turn the tables on that bastard! I’m supposed to do this! You already did it for Saki!’

Not immediately responding to Seiji, Yuki straightened up to confront Seiji. ‘I’m fine that I don’t need a motivational speech.’

‘If you said these were normal! These are important moments to have!’

‘They’re also too cliché. They’re like a deus ex machina, and I’m the main character here! I don’t need such overused devices!’ Yuki turned away from Seiji, starting to walk away and back towards the fight. ‘l show you a main character that can stand back up on their own!’

Seiji looked a little dejected from the whole scene. ‘But this was supposed to be my chance to help you out.’

‘Besides, I wasn’t in despair. I hadn’t given up. The fight just made me realize something things I’ve been ignoring.’

‘Sounds like you’re being tsundere.’

‘You shouldn’t know that word, Seiji. And don’t use your trump card of being smarter than you appear, that is completely outside of your character type.’

‘I am a figment of your imagination.’

Yuki had nothing more to say to Seiji. He closed off that part of his mind. Returning to reality, the pain sobered Yuki up quickly. Color returned to his eyes as did energy back to his body. “Damn, Seiji…ruining my moment. I’ll have to punch him the next time I see him.” Yuki pulled himself back up. He already quickly had the wound on his arm sealed up by the energy surrounding him. He stared out with more determination to figure out Vangelis’ powers. “Thanks you I have more to spare. I can do something like this now.” Closing up his hand, the ambient energy in the air took form to become a simple sword.

Chapter 190 – Shifting Desires

Grinning like a jackal, Vangelis became even more excited about the fight. ‘I was curious to see how he would react to it. I had planned on just healing his arm after I saw his reaction, but this is even better than I hoped for. This is just simply too much fun.’ A few stray thoughts clouded his mind, but they quickly passed. ‘It’s been too long.’

Blood soaked into the tall grass that surrounded Yuki. It gave him a reminder of the situation he was in currently. ‘I’ve lost a fair bit of a blood. I’m not too light headed right now, but my body doesn’t feel right. I’m going to have to be careful about anything else that happens.’ Alerted, another blast came at Yuki, reminding him he still had to fight. Making use of the sword, he swung the blade upward through the air at the blast. It divided into two, safely dispersing to his sides.

It felt a little more assured of his position. He countered the attack successfully. ‘I have to keep watching his powers. I’ve got to memorize each one so I know what to expect. He’s got the upper hand until I know what to expect from him. When that happens, I’ll be able to change the pace of this fight!’

Testing out Yuki knew defense, Vangelis fired off several more blasts. ‘So he really has made use of the spare energy. That sword is strong enough now to alter my attacks. Just means I get to try something else.’ The ground turned into red felt stretching out. Drawing out magic circles in front of his hand, ice shards blasted out at Yuki.

Yuki’s eyes widened a touch, taking everything into his mind. The sword transformed into an aspis type of shield. Opacity in the swirling mass grew as more particles drew up from his arm to harden it. Ice shattered on the surface, doing nothing to Yuki. ‘Magic now. I remember this, and he’s using felt with it.’

He knew it was a chance to counterattack. Yuki remembered the different spells he used in the fight. ‘This is my chance to get a real hit in against him! I’ve got to make it count!’ Rising up the shield a little, Yuki focused more of his barrier into the surface of the aspis. It glowed a little brighter before releasing several orbs of compressed energy.

Already expecting something, Vangelis placed a barrier spell up to take the hits. However, one of the shots strayed from their course and crashed into the dirt. It coughed up a cloud around the entire area. ‘Interesting, he’s making a smokescreen for himself. What’s he got in store?’ Vangelis slid around his eyes to keep watch for the smoke to clear, while listening closely.

Expecting a flanking attack, Vangelis did not think that Yuki would come from the front. It took him a little off guard hearing the clashing of something hitting his barrier. All he saw through all of the smoke was light. It cleared out soon. Vangelis saw the edge of Yuki’s sword. However, he did not expect to see the entire barrier suddenly collapse on him. The shattered bubble rained down chunks of transparent magic slowly fading away.

His defense down, the next attack came as little surprise, but Vangelis still had trouble dodging it. He staggered back as the blade came in for him. Lowering his hand, a cube flew up forcing Yuki to pull back. Everything played out with only centimeters to spare.

The two leapt away from the other settling on a small distance apart. Yuki’s sword only managed to catch a touch of Vangelis’ clothes. The man still wore his military uniform, almost like declaring the fact that he did not need to change for the fight.

‘So close, but I actually managed to get a successful attack off!’ Yuki praised himself. He found his constant struggling to keep up with the pace of Vangelis trying for him. It made him wonder if he would ever find an opening. ‘He’s not perfect. I just have to be smarter than him.’

Examining his uniform’s cut, Vangelis admitted to the moment of surprise. “Very interesting, kid. It’s been a while since someone’s actually made it that close.”

“You’re not going to get all angry and power up because I ruined your pristine clothes are you?” Yuki grinned a little at Vangelis.

“I see you’ve got your playfulness back, kid.” His mind played through the previous moments in the fight. He tried to search for an answer, but none of it made any sense to him. ‘The kid managed to do something that I didn’t actually foresee. This really is getting interesting.’ Vangelis grinned back at Yuki. “How much more will you show me?!” Opening his hands, a cube filled up his entire palm enclosed only loosely by his fingers.

Gripping his sword tightly, Yuki dug into the grass to charge for Vangelis. ‘Those shapes again, with a Greek architecture field,’ he mentally noted, continuing to store all of the information in their fight.

Vangelis tossed the first cube at Yuki, following it up with a second that materialized. The other hand held on to the cube. It gave Yuki his signal to charge forward. Slashing through the cubes, Yuki continued through for Vangelis. However, the cubes did not vanish. They grew larger in size and started to spin appearing like cones.

The changes did not go ignored by Yuki. He immediately changed the shape of his sword to transform into four small knives that fit nicely in his palms. Yuki threw out his hand in the direction of one of the flanking half cubes. The knives soared out towards the object, but one of the knives diverted its direction suddenly ending straight for another section of cube. All of the knives sought out their own target entering a momentary dance as they dodged and turned about. However, the knives eventually sunk into the surface of each half cube.

Yuki closed his hand and acted like his pulled on something invisible. The knives moved back to Yuki dragging the cubes along with them. Once they came closer to him, he started to spin the group around before launching them back at Vangelis. Taking away the cube, Vangelis still had to contend with the four knives flying through the air.

The other cube in Vangelis’ hand flew out along with several more geometric shapes. They collided with the Yuki’s knives and danced around once more. He kept up the pace with the changes that Yuki made to the knives. ‘The kid’s come up with something new. He keeps going.’ Vangelis smirked a little. Then the shapes all suddenly disappeared.

A forest sprouted up around Vangelis. The knives, which started to change direction, became wrapped by a whip. It had four separate lashes, each tying down one of the knives. While he had the knives restrained, a spear appeared in his off-hand. The spear extended out at Yuki.

Dodging quickly, Yuki sidestepped the attack. He dispersed the knives and returned the sword back to his hand. A smooth motion from the sword removed the spearhead. It disappeared before hitting the ground. ‘He’s taking advantage of my injured side.’ Yuki jumped forward while dodging the reformed spear. A moment later, Vangelis brought down a sword, replacing the spear.

Yuki parried the sword, adjusting to his balance. His missing arm threw off his weight a little. He found himself compensating for the difference. ‘This feels weird still. I keep thinking that it is still there.’ Yuki’s hand tightened around his sword, sharpening the blade to cut through the sword. Riding in the rest of the distance, Yuki closed with Vangelis coming up against a scutum shield. His sword slammed into the tall shield’s metal surface sparking light particles of energy.

Arrows appeared in the air above the clashing forces. Yuki’s eyes darted around checking his surroundings. Pulling from his back, transparent daggers flew up to hover over his head. While Yuki pressed against the shield, the daggers attacked the arrows keeping them at bay.

‘He’s getting more complex with his tactics,’ noted Vangelis. The shield transferred out just as two spears jutted out for Yuki. A blast of dirt coughed up a small cloud at his feet, shooting Yuki into the air. Vangelis glanced up a little curious. He grinned enjoying the show.

Yuki changed his sword into a chain. The chain stretched up to one of the daggers, wrapping around it. It anchored Yuki for the moment as he swung around and released the dagger. He redirected all of the daggers back down, while also changing back to an aspis. ‘I’ll break an opening up!’ The aspis clashed into the shield Vangelis pulled out from another dimension. His daggers came up against other shields that suddenly materialized on flanking sides of Vangelis.

Leaving behind the shield, Yuki jumped off his still formed aspir and climbed over the scutum. Another blast came off his feet to propel him over Vangelis. His hand reached out for one of the daggers growing it into a sword. Yuki rotated around slashing down from his upside-down position at Vangelis’ exposed back. A sword blocked him before he got too deep, but he saw a faint trace of blood.

Vangelis finished turning around as Yuki landed back on the ground. The sting on his back turned his usual smirk into a flat line. “You’ve managed to cut me, kid. I’m impressed.” All of the shields disappeared, but were replaced by more than a dozen swords floating in front of him.

Yuki’s features narrowed, the situation suddenly becoming graver. “I thought you were the type to get angry over a wound.” He wiped away sweat from his forehead, the physical exertion starting to get to him.

“I’m not, however I am the type to up the ante when I’ve found someone worth my attention.” Another dozen swords materialized followed by another dozen. The air started to become cluttered with them. “I’ve been soft on you so far, kid!”

“I’m crush,” Yuki droned. He already saw the significance of what Vangelis showed. It had been a while since he saw someone control so many independent objects and it did not even look like the man broke a sweat.

“It’s time to dance!” Vangelis motioned with his hand to signal the charge. All of the swords went flying at Yuki, each with different speed and trajectories. It was clear even the effort he showed was merely child’s play still.

Yuki jumped back to give himself a little more distance. He summoned up his dagger to try to divert a few of the swords, while he began to dodge the first bout. Unfortunately, the weight of the swords prevented them his minor daggers from altering their vector. He leapt into air once more, but directed a heavy blast against the grass at his feet. It blew up chunks of earth at the swords, while he tumbled away.

Quickly latching out to a floating dagger, Yuki managed to alter his course and cushion his drop before confronted by another barrage of weaponry. ‘Damn, there’s so many of them. And I haven’t gotten used to the balance either…I’m going to have to change that. I’m running out of time!’ Suddenly, Vangelis appeared at Yuki’s side, the swords disappeared, but only replaced with a wide blast from his hand.

Yuki blocked with his arm, using the aspis to absorb the damage. However, Yuki saw another several rounds of blasts sent off from Vangelis’ fingers. ‘Can’t do anything with so many…’ Yuki blasted off to throw himself out of the blast range, when the explosions went off from all of the attacks. He tumbled over the ground as earth chunks rained down around him.

Vangelis appeared in front of him with a hand pointed down at him. The glow already started to signal a point blank attack. “How will you get out of this one, kid?” The grin on Vangelis’ face grew wide again. “Impress me, again!”

Gritting his teeth together, Yuki screamed out in pain. He glared up at Vangelis, lifting himself up. The light from the blast grew even brighter so close to Yuki. “As you wish!” yelled Yuki. His other arm came up slamming up against Vangelis’ hand. All of the light and energy streamed out from between their fingers as the two clashed.

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

Yuki blocked with his arm, using the aspis to absorb the damage. However, Yuki saw another several rounds of blasts sent off from Vangelis’ fingers. ‘Can’t do anything with so many…’ Yuki blasted off to throw himself out of the blast range, when the explosions went off from all of the attacks. He tumbled over the ground as earth chunks rained down around him.

Vangelis appeared in front of him with a hand pointed down at him. The glow already started to signal a point blank attack. “How will you get out of this one, kid?” The grin on Vangelis’ face grew wide again. “Impress me, again!”

Gritting his teeth together, Yuki screamed out in pain. He glared up at Vangelis, lifting himself up. The light from the blast grew even brighter so close to Yuki. “As you wish!” yelled Yuki. His other arm came up slamming up against Vangelis’ hand. All of the light and energy streamed out from between their fingers as the two clashed.

The pent up energy could not last long in such an unstable state. Light shot out from their hands brighter than before until it blinded both of them. An explosion followed the loss of sight sending the two tumbling away from the epicenter.

Vangelis flew and skidded backwards over his field with him narrowly missing direct impacts with the trees in his forest. They only changed how he tumbled and jumped around like a flat rock skipping the surface of the water. Once he came to a dragged out stop, his body was covered in bruises, torn cloths and scrapes from his flight. It left everything in his body sore.

Still not up, he glanced at his hand. It still felt the cold presence of Yuki’s hand. His face twisted a little sorting through the facts. His hand looked deep red from the blast and a little mangled from the contest. In the last moments, he had redirected and dampened the focus so it did not cause as much damage to his hand, but it happened so fast. ‘I never would have expected him to do that…he’s more resourceful than I would have thought. He’s learning quickly.’

His body still could move and that was enough for him. Vangelis stood up and began knocking the dirt off his uniform. He glanced in the distance where Yuki fell, noting the kid standing back up. “You’ve ruined my uniform. I’m going to have to get a new one, kid.” Walking forward back into battle, the Atlantean continued to pat down his uniform getting the last bits off him. The rest remained stuck, stained into the fabric.

Yuki emerged from all of the dust and dirt coughed up by the explosion. Unlike Vangelis, his shield gave him the protection from the out of control flying he did. It still left him a little sore and roughed up. His body protested to him about the abuse, but he ignored it. Yuki only grinned, feeling like finally managed to surprise Vangelis in the fight. “If I had known you cared so much about your appearance I would have been a bit more gentler.”

Laughing, the field around Vangelis changed again. “Good, keep that going! Show me everything, kid!” Mushrooms sprouted up of various sizes to replace the forest.

‘Show me everything, kid!’

Chapter 191 – Shifting Patterns

Materializing in his hand, Vangelis grabbed a hold of the grenade. It had a very modern appearance to it, a smooth almost spherical shape. The pin did not seem to be present, same for the lever meant for holding the timer from starting. He held on to the grenade longer than one should, had it been normal. It was clear it had no intention of exploding until he wanted it.

Vangelis smirked suddenly, a signal for his empty hand to sweep over the area in front. In front, behind, flanking and even in the air, a massive armory of modern age weaponry appeared around Vangelis. The grenade almost seemed inferior, like it was merely a joke stacked up against all of the heavy weapons. “No time to be gentler, kid!”

“I see,” grimaced Yuki, already forming up his aspis for protection. He worked to expand the size to give him more coverage.

‘Is that all you’ve got, kid?’

Gunfire released a storm of smoke layering a hazy film over Vangelis. The loud cracks from the weapons made it feel as though the ground was shaking. Yuki felt the impacts against his shield, but worried about the battery of attacks. ‘He’s already tricked me before with his guns. I have to be on the watch on his movements, but through all of this I can’t…’

Yuki gritted his teeth as his arm started to go numb from the constant barrage. He sacrificed all of his rear energy to build himself more defense in the front. ‘I’m certain these bullets he’s using are different. They aren’t like before where they were too weak to do anything. They were just a ploy by him to keep me going at his pace.’ Pieces of Vangelis methods continued to stitch together for Yuki.

‘What’s this? Trying something different, kid?’

While under fire, a long metal blade stretched out, partially masked by the cover fire. It managed to sneak in to Yuki’s space. His white hand reached out grabbing the blade before it did any damage. “I thought you might try something like that again,” commented Yuki. He crushed the blade under the pressure of his hand, twisting the metal. A low mechanical whirring came out from his hand.

No response came from Vangelis, nor even a flinch for the foiled attempt. However, Yuki was already deep in thought over the latest attack. ‘This is the second time. I thought he could only use one type of power at a time. But he’s using two different types. Is he…’ Yuki narrowed his eyes trying to read deeper into Vangelis impregnable wall of smirking poker faces.

‘Pretty smart, kid.’

A little chuckle came from him, never disappointed. ‘I’ve played at this pace long enough. Let’s see his reaction to this.’ Everything surrounding Vangelis disappeared. The mushrooms vanished from sight, replaced by red felt.

The moment Yuki saw the felt, his eyes widened a little. ‘This is it! He used magic when he had that field!’ Yuki swept away the aspis back to the normal size. In his white off hand, he gripped on his swords. Another few daggers surfaced above him. Yuki charged in ready to counter the man’s magic.

‘It was a good fight, kid.’

It was not magic.

Shock filled Yuki’s face. ‘Tricked again…’ He fell backwards into the grass. Blood dripped from a new wound in his shoulder. A colorless cone imbedded itself in Yuki’s body, punched through his shield. The pain hurt less than the embarrassment of falling for another trap. ‘Damnit!’

Yuki reached up with his good arm and ripped the cone out of his shoulder. Blood trickled in a stream through the air as he removed it. Biting down, Yuki sealed it up quickly with his power. ‘I fell for it, damn bastard had more tricks!’ Just seeing the smirking expression on Vangelis’ face made Yuki annoyed. ‘I thought I understood how he worked.’

‘She’s dead huh, kid? Good work!’

It was more information. It was the only way Yuki could think of it positively. He rotated his arm a little to test out his body. The range of movement was reduced significantly. ‘Things are only getting worse. I can feel my body wanting to stop.’ Yuki cursed his weak body. ‘If I was younger I would have been able to keep going even after all of this. I’ve been out for a year, I haven’t recovered everything I lost since then…’

Additional thoughts had to wait for Yuki. Since he stood, the next attack came at him. Everything was still sluggish from the last attack and he nothing prepared. ‘Damn it all to hell!’ A blast from his feet knocked him out of the attack, as something more akin to a wave than geometric shapes passed him. The increased count in Vangelis’ attack made them even more deadly and difficult to counter. ‘He’s back to the shapes.’

‘You know, you’ve got the talent to be part of the Omega Division, kid. Interested?’

Yuki became troubled by what he learned. He kept dodging, trying to stay ahead of Vangelis, but felt himself slowing down more and more. Too many close scraps came to him. He could not keep patching himself with his barrier. Something had to change. ‘I can’t believe I missed it before. None of the fields matched up before, but I so angry about what he did to Saki I didn’t even notice. Damn, I can’t use his field to predict his actions.’ Yuki really started to hate the fight. He still did not understand him, even with everything he learned. ‘There is no consistency in his usage, no order. It’s all random…’

Random. Always random.

He knew he needed to figure out something. The fight turned back against him. ‘All I have is the knowledge of how his powers he’s shown work. My power isn’t well suited to countering him and he’s powerful enough I can’t overwhelm him…’

‘What? Why? Don’t you realize that with your skills you’ll easily rise in ranks in no time, kid?’

A sphere flew directly at Yuki’s face amongst all the ones he dodged or cut away. It suddenly came to a stop just barely away from him. White fingers revealed around the edges. “Guess, I’ll just have to be a little more direct,” Yuki decided, his hand crushed the sphere easily. “Time to damn the body!” Yuki grinned a little, as two swords appeared clutched in his hands.

Vangelis found the change in Yuki interesting. Yuki charged at him cutting up the pieces launched at him. Even the heavy storm of objects, he kept ahead. ‘He’s managing to keep from getting hit with so many and even remain accurate…’ The sight intrigued him further. He kept the barrage up to give him something to analyze. Whenever Yuki got a little close, he pushed back or stepped away to keep their distance.

‘Huh? There isn’t anyone like that out here. It’s pretty calm, kid.’

The success Yuki had against his attacks had Vangelis a little concerned. Nothing stood out to him on what suddenly was so special. He had not been as strong before with his counters. ‘He’s got something different going on. This is fun, kid. Making me think, you really are…’

His heart pounded in his chest like a jackhammer on his ribs. All he could do was ignore it. If he did not keep up the pace, everything would be a waste. ‘It seems to be working. I can actually do it, I wasn’t sure if I could use it in such a fashion. If I can do this…’ Yuki sliced through several shapes with the blades not just cutting, but dissolving them.

‘No, I haven’t heard about someone like that, kid. Why do you ask?’

Shapes disappeared along with the felt. The field became a pane of glass, brightly reflecting the sun back at them. Yuki paused for a moment, already knowing his fondness to making a strong counter during a switch. ‘What is this time? I have to maintain this pace.’ Realizing he needed to keep moving, Yuki started towards Vangelis even before he knew what the next power was going to be.

Arching his eyebrow at Yuki, Vangelis looked amused by the bold action. “You’re brave, kid.” Magic circles quickly formed in front of his hand. Sparks of lightning bounced from his fingertips and turned red with flames before launched at Yuki. However, they never made it to him, veering off course only a short distance away from Vangelis.

‘Got transferred again, kid?’

Surprise found its way to Vangelis once more. He saw Yuki coming in close with his swords. A barrier circle drew out on the ground. It erected a safe zone for him to recover. Yet, the sword shattered it with only a single blow. Yuki forced Vangelis to dance around to keep out of range of the attacks. ‘The magic isn’t functioning properly. Something’s different…’ He tried to use his magic again, but found it failed. ‘What?’

Blood trickled into the air. A clean slice managed to reach Vangelis. The diagonal wound ran from his chest to his waist. It completely ruined the upper part of Vangelis’ uniform. The front and back of the uniform fell down around the waist only held in by the simple binding at the waist. Vangelis’ toned body revealed a lean figure, but well developed from personal training. His blood dripped down around the forms of his muscles.

‘You’re not going to find anyone like that, kid.’

Vangelis quickly jumped and skipped away from Yuki’s reach. The sting of pain nudged his smirk back to a flat line. His ran his hand over the wound to check on it. Looking at the blood on his hand, Vangelis gave a toothy grin to Yuki. “You’re really are becoming very interesting, kid! I think you might actually be it.” Vangelis suddenly started to laugh, one that sounded more maniacal than any of his previous laughs.

The atmosphere took on a noticeable change with Vangelis’ sudden round of laughter. Yuki felt it clearly and elected to hold back. “It? What are you talking about?” He was not sure if wanted the answer, as he watched Vangelis keep on laughing out of control. ‘I’ve got a bad feeling about this…’

‘Someone like that doesn’t exist, kid. If you want to find someone like that look at Omega, not the remote regions.’

“You were wrong!” Vangelis shouted to the skies. “There is someone! And I’ve found them!” The laughing came to an abrupt stop. Vangelis turned his face back down to Yuki. His eyes had gone wide with his pupils shrinking. It appeared like stress lines started to form around his eyes with as wide as they went. The playful look Vangelis wielded for the entire fight disappeared. A more savage almost hungry express replaced it.

Vangelis no longer looked to test or play around with Yuki. There was only wish in his eyes and Yuki recognized it. It made his body turn cold in an instant. ‘This isn’t the same guy as before!’

The hungry smile on Vangelis grew until it looked to split his jaw from his head. “You better survive this, kid! Don’t disappoint my expectations now!” He lifted up a finger, his index finger. The smile looked to exceed the limits of his face. A second finger rose up.

Suddenly, rocks ripped up through the ground everywhere. Grass was torn asunder as Yuki’s field was over taken. His eyes were down looking at how close to his feet the field came when he realized he should have been watching Vangelis. The man was nearly upon him. Yuki could only get his aspis up in time while he blocked with both arms.

Heavy amounts of blood sprayed up into the air. Yuki’s aspis was cleanly cut through along with his forearm. The wound stretched up taking a chunk out of his upper arm and leaving a deep wound in his formerly healthy shoulder and chest. Yuki felt his legs’ strength going out. His body would hold him up anymore. Shock was the only thing on his face, as his own blood painted his cheeks.

Yuki fell.

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

The hungry smile on Vangelis grew until it looked to split his jaw from his head. “You better survive this, kid! Don’t disappoint my expectations now!” He lifted up a finger, his index finger. The smile looked to exceed the limits of his face. A second finger rose up.

Suddenly, rocks ripped up through the ground everywhere. Grass was torn asunder as Yuki’s field was over taken. His eyes were down looking at how close to his feet the field came when he realized he should have been watching Vangelis. The man was nearly upon him. Yuki could only get his aspis up in time while he blocked with both arms.

Heavy amounts of blood sprayed up into the air. Yuki’s aspis was cleanly cut through along with his forearm. The wound stretched up taking a chunk out of his upper arm and leaving a deep wound in his formerly healthy shoulder and chest. Yuki felt his legs’ strength going out. His body would hold him up anymore. Shock was the only thing on his face, as his own blood painted his cheeks.

Yuki fell.

He never felt when his knees hit the earth. Never felt the grass quickly coming up to his face. Nothing.

It was not the same familiar feeling as before. It was not a second visit.

Yuki woke up in a void, naked. He floated off the ground. Gasping, he looked around and immediately understood. “Really, two in one fight? I’m really getting tired of almost getting killed here. Try something else, maybe something…unique.”

“For someone dying, you sure do complain a lot,” responded a voice.

“Well at least it isn’t Seiji,” snapped Yuki, as he saw himself appear in front of him. “Can this get anymore cliché?”

Shrugging a little, the mirror Yuki looked dismissive of him. “This is your mind remember. I’d say this is chalked up to your reading selection.”

“I guess you have a point.” He begrudgingly gave himself the point, not that he liked it. Quick to change the direction of the conversation, Yuki clapped his hands together. “Alright, let’s get down to business. I’d prefer not to drag this out too long. I’ve got a fight to get back to.”

“I think you’re sort of defeating the purpose of this scene.”

“Good, I’m leaving then!” And he did (seriously, that was it).

Chapter 192 – Shifting Lines

As Yuki started returning to life, he kept hearing a familiar voice. The voice spoke to him, but he could not understand it. Everything was blurred. Pain rushed through his head. The surge left him screaming for a moment. His white hand clamped down on the stump left of his forearm. Blood pooled out staining the smooth white finish. “Damn it hurts, sort of…wish I was dead…”

“Yuki Hayashi.” Vangelis stood over top of him. The sword he used to cut Yuki pointed down at him ready for another attack. Yuki’s blood clung to the edges of the sword’s blade. “I can grant you that wish. But stand up and fight me first! Don’t prove them right now!”

‘Prove them right? What’s he blabbering about?’ Yuki felt pressed for time by more than just Vangelis’ lethal presence. Blood kept pouring out of his arm as much as his arm tried to cut off the circulation. Lightheadedness returned as real threat for Yuki. The longer he went without his power the sooner he had no chance to survive. However, the overwhelming power that Vangelis brought made Yuki question what he could do. ‘He so much stronger now, his field can easily overrun mine. I can’t match that sort of strength. All I’ve got is reserves to spare…’ His eyes widened in realization.

A ripple ran along the ground from Yuki’s feet. Taller grass shot back out in all directions, but Vangelis’ field still cut deeply into it. Yuki stood up, his appearance turning a little hazy. Distortions and ripples erupted through the air blasting off Yuki. A wind seemed to be coming off Yuki. The wind ran still and then retracted inward to Yuki.

Yuki’s body shimmered brightly. The light bleeding off him grew in stronger intensity than before. Disruptions in the air remained and slowly looked as though under water. Part of the energy gathered around his missing hand and forearm, it gathered increasing in density until it nearly became completely opaque. It formed a new hand and forearm. Yuki tested out the new hand along with his white hand, it felt a little odd missing both of them, but he had substitutes.

Turning his eyes back to Vangelis, a man who looked almost starved having to wait on Yuki; Yuki found his new resolve for the fight. ‘I can’t lose when I haven’t done anything!’ Everything felt different for Yuki suddenly. Seeing it all around him, it felt him a little surprised. “Seems I forgot something important,” grinned Yuki, “I didn’t mean be holding out on you all this time.”

Vangelis took another swing at Yuki to test his boast. As the sword arched down for Yuki, the blade quickly vaporized from merely the particles swimming through the soupy air. The weapon never had a chance. He grinned with delight. “Don’t leave me disappointed, kid!” The sword meant nothing. Vangelis stretched out his arms with the field erupting into the air flipping everything to molten lava. Through the air in the motions drawn out by his hands a multitude of magic circles formed.

The energy in the air swirled around as though a wind turned it all about. It took on a life of its own responding to Vangelis’ next attack. Ice shards, lightning bolts, fireballs, waves of water, chunk of earth, everything flung through the air at Yuki. A storm of magic surged up against the dancing winds of energy. Explosions went off continuously knocking out powerful winds tearing at their cloths.

Yuki and Vangelis started run in parallel paths. Magic exchanged with blasts of energy. Shockwaves rang out clouded up by smoke only to be blown out by the next series of attacks. The air ignited with sparks of the clashing forces. Smoke quickly filled in the area between them. Colors from the explosions within painted the highlights of the clouds reflecting the intensity inside.

Swiping his hand through the air, Yuki direct a large swathe of his energy to wipe away the veil. He saw the next round quickly coming. A snap of a finger sent a mass of the energy into Vangelis’ space. Parts of it disappeared approaching into the proximity of his strength, but reached in. The light of the magic suddenly ceased, canceling out the casting. ‘Good! If I increase the density I can still do it, even with his field strength increased!’ Twirling a finger, daggers and swords suddenly formed up in the air from the energy. They dove in at Vangelis.

A barrier quickly formed up around Vangelis. Tips of the weapon sank into the barrier digging in only for it to be shattered a moment later. A flash of light and circles all happened in the second that the weapons struck. Micro explosions went off everywhere around Vangelis masking him out of sight, but Yuki did not stop. He kept up his assault with even more projectiles.

More explosions went off accompanied by thin lights. Then suddenly a massive light blew up from the center of the smoke. The force of the wave tore through the cloud punching a hole that wrapped around it as everything quickly cleared out. Yuki eyes widened at the size and intensity. Instinctively, he pulled in a defense as shockwaves of explosions chained through the dense air. The destructive wave gouged out earth and grass in chunks flinging bits in all directions.

When the cloud over the battlefield began to clear Yuki and Vangelis both remained standing. Vangelis looked worse out of the exchange with numerous minor cuts over his body. Yuki did not make it completely unscathed, but already heavily bloodied it was difficult to tell new versus old.

Vangelis wiped away thin trails blood from his brow and jaw. “Impressive, kid! You can keep up with me even at this level.” It troubled Vangelis how well Yuki counted his actions. ‘He hasn’t wasted his time in the fight. He’s learned how my powers work and has found suitable countermeasures. It’s a clever move using your little masses of stuff to disrupt my magic circles canceling them out. I might actually have to go all the way with him.’

“Well I can’t disappoint you now, can I?” Yuki panted heavily trying hard to ignore how much is body screamed at him. He knew how little time he had remaining. ‘Damn, I thought this would give me more of an advantage, but I don’t know how much long I can last at this rate.’ Across the fields, Vangelis took a step towards Yuki. Reflexively, an array of weapons materialized in the air around Yuki prepared.

A cube formed in Vangelis’ hand. He bounced it loosely in his hand. Behind his eyes, a dark intent provided portents to the coming storm. “Congratulations, kid! You’ve become the second!” Suddenly, much of air around Yuki cleared up. In the moment before the attack, everything was calm, almost deadly calm. The scene was at peace. Then the cube launched and everything in its path shattered. Earth exploded in the wake of the cube shot out at Yuki.

Gears, hydraulics and shattered metal pieces flew up in the air as the cube went straight through the replacement arm. The shield deflected the cube away from a direct hit, but it still traveled through Yuki. Blood sprayed up from the re-opened wound on his arm. The torn up remains of the hand dropped lifeless to the ground.

The force of the attack knocked Yuki back. “Damn!” he shouted, already spotting the next round coming at him. He struggled to pull back everything he for a defense. Several of the blocks still blew through, clipping him. While he slid over the grass, more projectiles came at him with his defenses breaking down.

Glancing around him, the mist coalesced into a semi-visible form wrapping around Yuki’s torso and dragged him out of the line of attacks. He modeled it to right himself up, keeping a safe distance away from the ground. A few appendages grew out giving it room to move Yuki quickly around the field to stay ahead of the attacks. ‘I can’t stay on the defensive, my body’s being ripped apart and I’m having trouble focusing.’ Yuki squinted trying to keep his attention on Vangelis.

Vangelis suddenly disappeared again, only to appearing flanking Yuki with a massive blast unleashed with no delay. He vanished almost immediately appeared on the other flanking side of Yuki with another beam of light whiting out the area. Appearing once more in a new position, Vangelis wield a spear in his hand. The arm stretched back, tightening up for the moment of visibility.

Trailing dust off the edges of his body, Yuki surfaced from the double attack looking even worse. The left side of his body looked red and his gi started to reform. However, he did not have a chance for much else. The spear was already in the air. It pierced through Yuki’s stomach, off center. He coughed up blood, while his body to was pulled back almost folding in on itself from the force.

Yuki dropped to the ground. The spear disappeared, out of Vangelis’ field range. ‘Bastard! He’s so powerful…I need more…’ He coughed another round of blood, his body kept trying to tell him it was over. He refused. Yuki pushed himself up with his energy only to see Vangelis standing over him again. Gritting his teeth together, Yuki stared down metal. ‘I must win! I can’t die here! Come on body, give me everything you’ve got!’ His desperate plea rang through his body as the weapon came down.

Staggered, Vangelis found his weapon disintegrating. A force knocked him back, it lashed out at him leaving minor lacerations on his arms. He paused judging Yuki’s condition. “So you’re learning how to fold, kid.”

It took him a few seconds, but Yuki found himself standing once more. Everything in his head was going hazy. His eyes had trouble focusing on Vangelis. ‘I feel like I’m going to drop at any moment…’

Vangelis wiped sweat from his forehead. His fingers massaged his temple a little. “Doesn’t look like you’ll last much longer, kid.”

“You don’t look much better, your final fold is taxing your brain,” bluffed Yuki, he could not even tell if the man was grinning or grimacing. However, the lack of a retort made him feel like he hit right. “Don’t tell me, you’re going to do something as cliché as calling for a final all or nothing exchange.”

Laughter answered Yuki first. “This close to death’s door and still full of spirit, kid!” Vangelis’ field went barren. “However, it won’t be very satisfying dragging things out anymore. You’ve only got enough to stand for one more round. Let’s make the most of it, kid!”

If Yuki had the energy to spare to stagger, he would have listening to Vangelis. “You really are,” Yuki said with a little disbelief in his voice. “Fine, this’ll be the final attack!” Mist swirled up from the earth ripping aside the soil. It spun around Yuki and funneled into his arm, the one still mostly intact.

A large sword materialized in Vangelis hand with a blade that extended over even the hilt, a circular area around the hilt remained open for a hold. Magic circles drew around his arm and on the blade, some even floated around it. The magic infused into the metal caused it to start changing shades of blue, red and yellow. Swirling masses of energy funneled around his body channeled into the back of the sword.

Moments slowly drained by as they pushed everything remaining into their attack. Power focused, compressed, folded and forced into the tightest most concentrated point. Disruptions in the air came off the amount of power gathered.

Once their powers met their climax, Yuki and Vangelis drew back their arm and charged towards each other. Their power clashed even before meeting sending off distortions and shockwaves of wind. A massive explosion of light erupted from the moment the two collided. A backwash of colors washed over Yuki and Vangelis completely wiping them from sight. Earth ripped up and the ground rumbled with quakes. The longer that time passed the more the light expanded, reaching for meters upon meters.

Nearly a minute passed before it seemed that things finally started to settle down. It took another minute for the light to fade away enough to make out shapes, only the jagged forms of upturned chunks of earth and rock were visible. Eventually, the area cleared out presenting Yuki’s body lying in the grass with blood dripping around him, his power clearly off. Several meters away, opposite of the epicenter of the blast site between them, Vangelis laid panting heavily with fresh blood covering his arms and chest.

“…damn, kid…you packed…a lot in…”

Yuki coughed suddenly, jerked back to life. “…that was…the plan…”

He tried to laugh, but stopped himself. “…right…” Vangelis turned himself over to get his hands to push himself up away from the ground. A thin sword materialized in his hand giving him a crutch. He pushed off from it to get back to his feet, leaning on it heavily. “…even they…didn’t…push me…this far…” Vangelis staggered over a step, everything wobbly in his body. He kept slowly working towards Yuki.

Looking through one eye, Yuki saw Vangelis approaching him. ‘…damn, he’s still…’ He tried to order his body to move, but everything was numb. If he did not know better he would have thought he was only a head and torso, the way he felt. ‘…can’t move…can’t do…anything…’

“Lie down,” replied Saki, flicking her finger at Vangelis’ forehead.

Vangelis coughed up blood as his body flipped backwards. Blood sprayed from his nose and from a crack in his forehead. He collapsed to the ground unmoving.

Yuki jerked up, but only a centimeter before collapsing again. He immediately looked over at Saki. “…you didn’t…”

“No. He’s just unconscious.” Saki walked slowly over to Yuki. When she reached his side, she stared down at him. Part of her looked a little distant with her eyes not fully connecting to him. “I protected…Yuki.”

He managed a slight smile despite the pain in his body. “…I’m…pretty sure…I did…most of…the work…” In the effort to speak, he lost sight of Saki. His blurry vision darted around from his prone position trying to find her. He expected some retort from her, but she said nothing. Then he heard a thud next to him. “…Saki?”

Yuki forced his head to turn in her direction. He found her body covered in blood and it dripping out into the ground. She panted heavily looking to be in possibly worse shape than him, which he did not think possible. “Saki!”

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

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.”

Fading into the air, Eudokia’s chakram returned to her hand. “I find that unlikely, you’re still just a Second Lieutenant.” She saw his military badge, confirming his rank for her. “It only takes a little bit of effort to get the first promotion. You’re still just as unmemorable as before.” All MP users out of the academy held the rank of Second Lieutenant, their special status granted them a higher rank than the standard soldier.

Rather than getting upset, Chariton only shrugged to her. “I don’t really care about those sorts of things. It’s not like it means much for us. We’re stuck here for life. The only thing of interest is when we get to use our powers.”

“Sounds like something who’s given up would say.”

“Coming from someone from the privileged upper class, it sounds condescending.”

Grinning a little, Eudokia noticed his attitude changing. “Braver with your words now. No longer concerned over the difference in our positions?”

“You don’t have a position, if you’re part of the rebels. You’re just a traitor.”

“Figured as much, the council isn’t saying anything to you down at here.” Reaffirming her stance, Eudokia leveled her sword at Chariton. “Means if you’re all dead none of this will get back to them.” Her eyes sharpened to deadly forms.

Chapter 193 – Twisted Expectations

‘Council? What’s she going on about?’ thought Chariton. He tightened his grip on his broom handle to be ready for whatever she planned. ‘Is there something going on that I’m not aware about? Does Vangelis know?’

Snow mounded up suddenly in Eudokia’s field creating a small hill for Eudokia. She ran up along the rising surface as it continued to grow until she disappeared. Moments later, she appeared arriving at the top. Chariton narrowed his eyes a little bothered by her action. He glanced around the area trying to understand her choice. ‘There!’ Hiding in the shadow of the hill, Eudokia’s chakram flew out towards him.

Twirling the broom around his fingers, it spun around in an almost unnatural manner as it never lost or gained any momentum smoothly running around his hand. When the chakram entered into his field a sudden growth from a mushroom grotesquely stretched out to block itself path. The sharp edge on the chakram was not impeded by the attempt, slicing through with nearly no effort. Once it breached the fungus, Chariton leapt into action bringing the broom into his hand.

He thrust his broom into the ground, causing the earth to crack and pit a little, allowing him to fling himself into the air. Chariton landed atop the broom head, perfectly balanced. Halfway down the broom’s handle the chakram rattled caught in the open center by the broom. “Aren’t these simple tricks beneath you, Eudokia?”

“I forgot how much of a fool you were,” she retorted. However, a chain appeared from the bottom of her sword’s hilt, quickly materializing in the air and around Chariton. It closed around his arms, wrapping down to his legs until reaching the chakram, leaving it hanging. “If they’re so simple, why are you caught now?”

“You’re hardly taking this very seriously,” commented Chariton. He had seen her use her powers used in sparring matches. It gave him a clear idea of what she could do. Materializing a rolling pin in his left hand, he turned his hand slightly pressing it against the chains. The rolling pin snapped the chains around him with minimal effort. Chariton dropped back down to the ground, giving his broom a light kick to free it from the earth. Eudokia’s chakram returned to a familiar position with the broom back in hand. “No sense trying too hard right now with how you are.”

Dropping her chakram, Eudokia jumped down the hill sliding a little through the snow. Tracks lined through the pure white snow as she glided down. The longer she went the longer she seemed to be sliding until it became clear that the hill’s form changed. She kept her momentum coming straight for Chariton. Her sword came up as the distance between them closed.

The broom handle shifted down his hand a little blocking the slash. Eudokia slid around Chariton coming back around at him. Flipping the broom around, he dropped it behind him to parry her next attack. Tiny sparks came off the clash as Eudokia sped on past him. “Putting more into this?”

Suddenly, snow started to fall in Eudokia field as large flakes. “I’m doing what’s needed.” Snowflakes that fell nearest to Eudokia slowed down coming to a stop. They grew in size spinning in place. The terrain of the snow altered again pushing Eudokia around towards Chariton. While she began her new approach, the now hand-sized snowflakes flew at Chariton.

Spinning the broom around his neck, he brought it back around to swipe through the air at the projectiles. A few deflected off the hard wood, while the rest imbedded into the handle. He rotated the broom around his body to build up the force as Eudokia came back. Sparks erupted from the clash of the two weapons.

Chariton pushed on through with a second broom appearing in his off hand. He thrust out at Eudokia, but she rotated around her sword to throw both weapons into his second broom, knocking it off course. She sped on through, leaving a few more snowflakes to fly at him. They easily fell away with a couple of spins of his broom. “You’re certainly making this interesting.” He grinned a little, watching her almost dance around him.

The two clashed again. Exchanging swings, neither managed to crack the other’s defense. Eudokia flung her chakram back out at him. It looked like it would be deflected, but spun around the broom’s handle. The chakram ran up the length of the broom, sparking against the surface as it came towards his exposed arm. Chariton still wore his uniform, rather than switching, a sign of his investment in the fight. Extending the broom out further, he brought the end of the handle into his hand with only a few centimeter remaining.

Switching suddenly, the broom head disappeared from the front and materialized on the back end just behind his hand. It extended up catching the chakram in the loop before it reached his arm. “Not fighting like you normally do to keep me guessing?”

“Perhaps.”

Chariton narrowed his eyes a little judging Eudokia. ‘This goes beyond just having a few different tricks. Her law set is completely different from when she was at the South Gate. What’s going on with her?’ The change left him a little bothered, but it was nothing he could not handle. He still waited for her to get serious.

Returning to her side of the field, Eudokia retrieved the chakram. The previous attacks failed. She stabbed the sword into the ground. Her field rippled and churned up. It quickly turned into sharp points that struck out hardening into ice.

The broom passed between his hands quickly and then rolled up his arm, across his chest and back up his other arm. It left behind a trail in the air with its speed and suddenly transformed into a thick blanket. The length of the blanket stretched to reach the length of his arm span. Chariton took a hold of the corners of the blanket turning it over quickly to wrap itself up. “Let’s go!”

Jumping back, he got a little distance as the ice spikes shot at him. He whipped the wrapped up blanket out at the first spike breaking off the tip. Dancing around the next spikes, he spun around the blanket to cleave two more spikes with one swing. Then he tossed it over his shoulder and under his arm bringing it back forward to shatter the next spike.

Chariton wielded the blanket as if it was a nun chuck, skillfully spinning around his body keeping up the speed and rotation force. Once he finished, the blanket spun around him a couple more times before wrapping around his arm. “You’re going to need something better than that, Eudokia.”

“You’ve become quite talkative.”

“And you’ve become quite feminine.”

Eudokia’s lips thinned to a line. The last comment seemed to have hit a nerve for her. Snow started to cover trees, mushrooms and flowers in Chariton’s field as part of the disruptions along their fields. Boiling up into a new wave, the snow lurched forward increasing in speed. She rode along the top of the mound coming after Chariton.

An offshoot from the wave broke away from the main one that Eudokia rode. It took a mirrored path to her. Along the ground ice spikes launched up at Chariton. Adding on top, the snowflakes began to grow in size once more. An all out assault looked to be the plan.

Chariton unwrapped the blanket from his arm starting his counterattack. He smashed a few of the spikes, but then left it to wrap up around two spikes. He then materialized a broom that pushed into the earth sending him into the air. It allowed him to intercept Eudokia as she came in for the first strike. After the exchange, he landed on the stretched blanket to balance on it.

The snow waves roared up into the air. They spread further becoming loops around him. It allowed Eudokia to maintain a continuous loop jumping between each loop as she need. She slid around turning upside down, as she rode the loop. The new angles changed the direction of the combat. It was no longer a two-dimensional fight. All space became an area for attack.

He flipped backwards off the blanket with the aid of his broom to give him the rotation he wanted. His offhand pulled out a ladle that caught the tip of Eudokia’s sword. Chariton finished his flip landing on the ground spinning around the broom to counter the next series of sword strikes. Dancing around the confined around with Eudokia, he managed to keep up with her strikes from all directions.

Then the rest started its assault. Snowflakes flew it at him between strikes. Chariton dodged the first few by side stepping, but it lined him up for the next round from Eudokia’s sword. The broom turned into a lily pad, acting as a shield completely defusing the attack.

Spikes jumped up at him from all sides. His field dampened their effect. He spun around his broom snapping off the ends while also working in parries to his Eudokia’s attacks. Keeping up his rotation, he deflected a few more of the snowflakes. They spun up almost sounding like metal whirring away.

The two kept up the same pace for nearly a minute with no leads made. It seemed as though neither would come out ahead. Their scene truly appeared like a savage dance. Sparks flew up with each exchange providing momentary flashes of lights over the white snow.

A slip up had to come eventually. Nothing could last in a perfect state forever between them. The first to make a mistake was Chariton. He found himself slightly further out of position than he wanted. It made it difficult for him to recover in time. Eudokia took advantage of it to make a strong strike knocking him further out of position. The spikes came up to ruin any balance he had, while snowflakes looked to finish him off.

Chariton ground his teeth together at the sight. ‘Damn…this part is still like her, ruthless…’ The broom in his hand changed to a fan absorbing the impact of several of the snowflakes, but not all of them. One broke through his defense. He dropped his other broom, supporting him, to allow himself to fall faster. It changed enough of his direction to come away with only a thin cut across his cheek.

After everything concluded, they recovered with Chariton finding his stance quickly. He felt the drip of blood down his cheek from the wound. “I see you’re just as skilled, even if you aren’t the same.”

“You’re only good at defense. You won’t be able to do anything like that.”

Grinning a little, he made his broom disappear. “Now, you know that one of the things we’re taught is to analyze your opponent. The best method is to have a strong defense while you’re letting them do all of the attacking. It has the added benefit of expending their energy faster than your own.”

“Only in the case of opponents of equal strengths.”

He raised his hand up towards his mouth. “True, but I’ve seen enough to get a pretty good read on you.” Pressing his index finger and thumb together, he made a loop over his mouth. Chariton exhaled blowing through the hole creating surprising amount of bubbles. They quickly filled the air around him expanding out further.

Suddenly, all of the bubbles exploded into a mist that covered everything. It was impossible to see anything. They disappeared from the sight of the other. However, quick motions darted through the soup like air.


It ended just as quickly.

The mist disappeared sharply to reveal Eudokia hanging from the loops of snow. Wrapped around her neck, Chariton’s tightly spun blanket tied off like a noose. Chariton stood atop the loop looking down at the struggling Eudokia, her hands fighting against the blanket at her neck. She gasped for air as it tightened further. “This is going to be the end, Eudokia.” He pulled up on the end of the blanket he held. “Unless you get serious.”

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

He raised his hand up towards his mouth. “True, but I’ve seen enough to get a pretty good read on you.” Pressing his index finger and thumb together, he made a loop over his mouth. Chariton exhaled blowing through the hole creating a surprising amount of bubbles. They quickly filled the air around him expanding out further.

Suddenly, all of the bubbles exploded into a mist that covered everything. It was impossible to see anything. They disappeared from the sight of the other. However, quick motions darted through the soup like air.


It ended just as quickly.

The mist disappeared sharply to reveal Eudokia hanging from the loops of snow. Wrapped around her neck, Chariton’s tightly spun blanket tied off like a noose. Chariton stood atop the loop looking down at the struggling Eudokia, her hands fighting against the blanket at her neck. She gasped for air as it tightened further. “This is going to be the end, Eudokia.” He pulled up on the end of the blanket he held. “Unless you get serious.”

Eudokia’s hands pulled at the cloth tightly spun around her neck. Her teeth ground together trying to struggle. Nothing she did broke its hold. The struggling started to calm down. Less movement came from her body with each attempt. Time continued to pass as tensions mounted.

Everything went still.

Eudokia stopped moving.

Chapter 194 – Forced Expectations

Trying to read the scene, Chariton paused in motion to stare down at Eudokia. He had his suspicions. ‘This can’t be the end. What trick is she playing?’ His hand materialized a broom, lightly rotating it around his fingers. It seemed to carry an odd amount of force with it turning up the air as it spun.

A chill entered the air. The temperature rapidly dropped. Frost appeared on the edges of anything it could touch. Chariton saw his breath expand in front of him as white puffs. ‘She’s planning something…’ The spinning broom pulled in the falling snow starting to appear like a white tornado.

Crackling sounds ran up from Eudokia. They grew louder and louder. Tension increased with the questions. It was already clear she did something. It only became a question on when she would act.

Action came quickly, almost completely carried out in only a second. The blanket shattered as though it were ice. Eudokia began to fall. Her snow field shattered in the next moment exploding upwards as Chariton fell down. In the same moment, Eudokia’s direction changed rapidly ascending suddenly with her sword in hand.

His broom ended up being the only reason he survived the surprise attack. Blood arched up from the slash as Eudokia finished. A glimmer of surprise fell in amongst Chariton’s pain.

Once time resumed passing normally, Eudokia landed on the ground a several meters away from Chariton. Their backs faced each other in silence. They just stood for a while not making a move. Eventually, Chariton slammed his broom into the ground to keep himself on his feet. The surprise started to drown out the pain.

Frost covered his broom with droplets of his blood. Already patched up, a large nick used to be buried in the broom handle from Eudokia’s sword. It dampened enough of the force and deflected the angle to live only a shallow wound across his chest. ‘It was executed so quickly. Going for the kill, merciless and confident…that’s the one I remember…’ Chariton rotated around his broom to get a look at Eudokia.

All he found was her back staring at him. However, it appeared tall and broad as though necessary to carry an unimaginable weight. ‘She looks different, yet the same too…very strange…’ The pain in his chest snapped him back to reality. ‘What am I doing standing here like I’m admiring her…’

He straightened himself out, no longer supported by the broom. His eyes winced a little as he covered up from the pain. It looked worse than it felt, not that Chariton believed it. ‘It’s been a while since I’ve felt pain like this…the routine doesn’t normally follow along these paths. These exceptions are the days we all look forward, even if we don’t admit it. The days we actually feel alive and not crushed.’ A tap of his foot knocked the broom back up to his shoulder. The frost quickly disappeared from his broom. Chariton started to look more like his previous self.

Glancing down at his ruined uniform, he picked at the torn edges of the cloth. “Guess I’ll be needing something else now. I had planned to hold off on it until you got serious, but it can’t be helped.” Spinning the broom around, the uniform disappeared. A strangely formal appearing suit, while also dated, replaced his military garb.

Rather than the obviously out of place and at least a century out of style that would normally come up in a first reaction for such an outfit, it was actually the incredibly poor sense of taste. The striped vest was yellow and pink, bright hues. His double-breasted suit was no more subdued with it a mix of red, purple, green, white and cyan. Almost not wanting to be outdone by the style, his pants carried literal swirls constantly moving covering at least ten completely distinctive colors and probably a hundred more that no normal person even knew names for. A fashion disaster understated the criminal appearance he held, and worn as though nothing was wrong.

To make matters even worse (which at this point doesn’t even seem possible), the colors flipped and then changed in the span of a few seconds. They could not even stay in one pattern for more than a few moments. It looked like they were scrambling about trying to figure out what actually worked, but none of them actually worked in concert. Therefore, it always failed to achieve anything.

Staring too long at his clothes made it seem almost as though he moved without moving. A natural waviness altered his stance without even doing anything. It made for an unsettling sight. One did not have to have a love for a fashion to actually feel nauseous from a momentary glance. It actually seemed to induce a feeling of seasickness.

Twitching a little, Eudokia only looked at him briefly. It affected her, the same as it did to everyone else. “I had hoped to end this before you did that,” muttered Eudokia, “It’s a pain dealing with you.”

The man in a fashion crisis twirled the broom about, appearing to have recovered completely from this injury. “You could have if you actually got serious. This is only your own fault.”

“Maybe so,” she admitted. Her sword came up as a signal of her preparedness for the next round. “But I won’t need to for you.”

He grinned back at her. “Oh, are you so sure? If you keep this relaxed attitude about things you might slip up.”

“If you keep talking it only highlights your cowardice.”

“Provoking me now? I’ve kept pace with you. I’d think that earned me a little respect.”

“You have to do more than still be standing against me to earn that.”

Sighing a little bit, Chariton started to spin his broom around with greater intensity. It began to affect all of the foliage in his field. Spores from the mushrooms blew about while floating plants drifted away from him. “Still as rigid. Was getting worried everything about you had changed.”

“Enough with the games.”

“Yeah, I guess it is about that time, huh?” Chariton began to walk forward accepting that their fight continued. He saw how Eudokia tried to focus on him, but glanced away. ‘This is why I wanted to wait until you were serious. But it should draw you out of your stubbornness. I don’t understand what your reasons are, but you can’t win as you are.’ The whirlwind he built up followed him, while he continued to spin the broom around. He looked almost casual about the whole approach.

The waiting and delay ended abruptly as though both signaled the other. They broke into a sprint to charge across the remaining short distance. Eudokia brought her sword up to parry his incoming strike. The broom spun down on her sword with all of the built up momentum. Sparks and an explosive blast of air erupted from the clash in the first second. The next found Eudokia’s sword shatter and the broom carry through.

His blow missed Eudokia as she leapt back, already sensing her loss. However, when the broom head rammed into the earth it cratered everything around it into chunks. Stone and chunks of earth flew up along with a wave of dirt knocking Eudokia off balance. Her body flung through the air until collapsing in her snow.

Hefting the broom out of the cracked earth, smaller chunks fell down, as it broke free. Chariton spun it around letting the dust trail off the ends. He started to stalk his way over to Eudokia. “Shouldn’t understand a broom.” The broom came to an end rest up against his back ready again.

He rubbed his head a little in his approach. A pencil suddenly appeared resting on the back of his ear. His hand retrieved it judging it a little, pressed between his fingers. It was sharpened, but otherwise looked ordinary.

Eudokia coughed a little gathering herself together. The pencil came speeding at her, the eraser end first. Snow stretched up to block the attack. A dull thud sounded off. It had a rather anti-climatic end, until it exploded ripping through her snow and ice. “…damn…” The force sent her flying again, tumbling over her field.

Continuing his march, he resumed spinning his broom. However, he allowed it close to the ground letting it brush over it. Little chunks and pebbles flew across the field, picked up by the broom. It applied enough force to turn them into deadly projectiles.

Still trying to recover, Eudokia managed a loose defense, but the objects were real. The ones that made it through were not subdued by her power. They ripped through her clothes and cut into her skin. Minor lacerations was the least of her problems. Eudokia fought to right herself as Chariton came in for the attack.

She threw out her chakram as an opening strike. The broom knocked it away with ease. It gave her enough of a momentum to get back on her feet when Chariton swung the broom. Her feet stepped away to dodge the initial strike. A sword formed in each of her hands to counter him. Quick exchanges fired off between them. The weight of the broom pushed her back.

Knocked around, Eudokia had to dodge the next series of swings. Converting her weapons into shields to deflect much of the debris tossed up at her. Dragged around by her field, she moved into a better position. However, she found chalk flying at her. It blew apart her path knocking her to the ground.

Eudokia scrambled to get to her feet as Chariton hunted her. She tried to parry him again, but it did not last for long. None of his movements could be followed by her anymore. Everything was distorted. He moved like a blur to her eyes. In a moment of confusion, Chariton broke through her defense. The broom hit her dead center in her chest sending her flying through the air. Unlike previous times, there was no control in the way fell.

She dropped to the ground in a most ungraceful manner. A cloud of snow coughed up around her. Eudokia remained still after.

Narrowing his eyes, he watched for any reaction out of Eudokia. ‘I got a clean hit on her that time. It must have hurt a lot for her. She going to be able to continue the fight?’ He rested the handle on the ground, leaving it to crush the earth a little. ‘She never got serious…what’s her game?’

While Chariton filled his mind with thoughts, slight movements came from Eudokia signaling her consciousness. It went ignored by him until he noticed something changed in the air surrounding her. A fog rolled in to begin to mask her out. It was enough to focus his attention back on Eudokia. ‘Huh? Something new?’

He watched with caution, wondering if she might be actually getting serious. Old experience with her already made him uneasy every time something different happened. Each chance could be the next time she unveils her true self. He would not approach carelessly without understanding her motives.

Eventually, the fog completely wiped her from sight. It continued to stretch out over her entire field. The mystery left him even more uncertain about her actions. ‘I haven’t seen her do this before. Does that mean this is just more of her law set? But what purpose is this? Our strengths are nearly equal, the fog won’t give her any real cover.’ He tried to keep everything in his sight while he considered the situation. The silent moments left him concerned he missed something.

Keeping to his advice of caution, Chariton materialized another broom. He stepped back a little to allow him more room to react to whatever Eudokia tried. “Alright…Eudokia…” The brooms spun around slowly in preparation.

The fog began to lift a little. A shadowed figure appeared deep inside. However, through the fog two tiny lights surfaced attached to the figure. The figure remained small and unmoved. Yet the presence it gave off sent off chills different from the temperatures. It had a darker more savage aura. A voice came out from the darkness rough and shaking, but still unmistakably Eudokia. “You wanted to see something more…don’t start having regrets now!”

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

Eventually, the fog completely wiped her from sight. It continued to stretch out over her entire field. The mystery left him even more uncertain about her actions. ‘I haven’t seen her do this before. Does that mean this is just more of her law set? But what purpose is this? Our strengths are nearly equal, the fog won’t give her any real cover.’ He tried to keep everything in his sight while he considered the situation. The silent moments left him concerned he missed something.

Keeping to his advice of caution, Chariton materialized another broom. He stepped back a little to allow him more room to react to whatever Eudokia tried. “Alright…Eudokia…” The brooms spun around slowly in preparation.

The fog began to lift a little. A shadowed figure appeared deep inside. However, through the fog two tiny lights surfaced attached to the figure. The figure remained small and unmoved. Yet the presence it gave off sent off chills different from the temperatures. It had a darker more savage aura. A voice came out from the darkness rough and shaking, but still unmistakably Eudokia. “You wanted to see something more…don’t start having regrets now!”

An odd surge came up from ground. It sent a chill down Chariton’s back. His hands tensed up, causing the brooms to rotate slower than before. ‘…this…presence…’ A little sweat dripped down the side of his face.

He knew he had an advantage in his disruptive ability, but against Eudokia he still wondered. If she was serious in the fight, it left him with uncertainty. ‘…she’s seen my abilities…’ It left him in a difficult position. ‘…she’s an unknown, while I’m an open book for her…’ Chariton knew he only kept the advantage against her because she did not take him seriously. She held back, as if he was not worthy.

Questions increased. Concerns mounted.

‘What is she hiding behind the fog?’

Chapter 195 – Denied Expectations

The fog compressed to the ground. It pooled around the snow, hanging with no desire to leave. It grew thick with a life of its own tumbling over itself. However, it merely laid down a stage. The stage presented the recovered Eudokia low to the ground on all fours. She looked as feral as she sounded.

Her previous appearance changed dramatically. The kimono and shorts disappeared in favor of something more for fighting. A black one-piece suit covered her entire body. No details or embellishments lined it. It was simple. Over top, deep blue ice covered all of the critical areas. Her hands and feet were completely buried in ice. Eudokia’s face remained visible, but with a different look in her eye. Her face was thin and narrowed with harsh lines of shadows deepening her features. “This is what you wanted…”

“…Eudokia…” A grim look filled Chariton’s face. ‘…this is…’ The appearance of Eudokia gave him back some of his focus. He rotated the brooms around faster knowing that she would be coming after him soon. ‘…she’s still going to have trouble with the disruption…’

Ice formed along the sides of her head. It grew out to cover up her eyes. Only faint lights broke free from the deep blue ice. The ice stretched down to cover her nose, forming a mask.

The fog suddenly swirled about, disturbed by something. Eudokia leaned back looking ready to jump. However, a blast of snow and fog erupted behind her when she moved. She shot out towards Chariton with greater speed than she had before and quite possibly a normal human as well.

Watching her leap forward, Chariton took a step back feeling surprised. He did not have enough time to react how he wanted. His brooms came in to block her. The force and weight of her attack made his feet slide a little as the ground gave before his balance. ‘…such power…all from that jump…’ Chariton pressed back on Eudokia once he re-established his balance. The weight in the brooms forced her back, but she quickly darted around attacking from a flanking position.

He could not get almost any rotation on his brooms before she struck again. The timing between her attacks had decreased leaving him short on reaction. He managed to keep up with her, but the pace changed. ‘She knows that I get greater force from the rotation, she’s keeping me from building any momentum.’ Chariton did what he could to keep up with the changed Eudokia.

In the next clash, he saw multiple sparks jumping up from his broom. He had been so focused on dealing with her, that he missed her weapons. Before the snow buried them, but she bore them on him. ‘Claws…’ The ice covering her hands extended beyond and sharpened into blades. Each finger manipulated an individual blade. The ice worked as an extension of her fingers and even kept the same flexibility, never breaking or cracking.

Chariton kept watching her movements, trying to read her actions. The quick boosts in speed made it difficult. She even made use of the snow field as before to keep combat a three-dimensional fight. ‘Everything is direct and clear, no hesitation or mistakes…she overcame the distortion effects?’ Each move she made had him questioning the situation. ‘That can’t be it…’

Blood came up from a blow he failed to parry. The claw marks did not cut deep, his cloths provided him some protection. However, their powers clashed tightly together. The stronger power would win in their contest.

‘If she’s not affected, then she’s taken the advantage, but how…’ He still needed answers. The answer would be the only way he could take back his lost lead. However, he wondered if he discovered the answer, if he could find a solution. ‘…I won’t know without the answer…’

More cuts appeared on his body, always just shallow enough for to him to keep going, but they continued to build up. His formal attire hid the injuries from sight, sealed up after the attacks. He was losing more and more ground with each minute.

The battle wore on with Eudokia continuing her lead gained through high speed movements. Chariton’s brooms looked battered, nearly falling apart with his attention other things. It took longer for him to recover their condition.

Amongst the fighting, he started tossing in other things from his wide arsenal of normally impractical weapons. Chalk tried to put dents in her tracks, but she stayed ahead of his attempt. A frying pan worked as a shield and even gave him a parry that knocked her off him for a moment. It applied enough force to chip her claws briefly. Rope gave his arms a little more protection as he countered her attacks. Mix between attacks, he used some twine to trip her up for a moment. It gave him the chance for a counterattack, but the ice armor dampened the damage significantly.

When he focused on the fight, he actually managed to keep up, mostly.

His thoughts fought with him over the need to figure her out. ‘At this rate, she’ll win by default. I need something…’ In his spare moments, he looked over Eudokia again. The only thing he came out with was the mask she wore, but he already dismissed it. ‘It can’t be the mask, she’s able to still see me through it. Any disruption the ice creates would only make it harder on her to fight.’ It was his only lead. It still felt like a dead end for him.

Chariton deflected the next blow. Some of the motions started to become easier for him to read, but her speed still made it difficult. The broom changed into a deck of cards. He washed the card, palmed, through the air leaving a trail of cards behind. They blocked the incoming strike leaving him a moment to counter. A small plastic loop, only forty centimeters in diameter, rested atop his index finger. When her claws broke through, he caught one of her hands in the loop. The loop quickly shrank in size to fit her wrist perfectly.

Her arm suddenly dropped down to the ground, knocking snow away. Following up quickly, the broom spun around once before connecting with her midsection. The force sent her flying into the air. Chariton kept a keen eye on her during the entire motion. She recovered in midair and a blast forced her back towards him. ‘Still didn’t make any sort of impact even with that much of an opening. I’m going to have do something more…’ He blocked her return strike, before their dance resumed.

The constant fighting finally started to leave its marks on Chariton. He felt sweat dripping down his face. His body stuck to his cloths as a reminder. Initially, he worried his mental energy would run out first with the slow paced fighting, however he started to fear physical fatigue more than mental. ‘Eudokia might be highly trained, but even she has limits physically, she’s got to be have troubles as well.’ If she had troubles, he could not tell from the way she kept up a relentless attack.

Fatigue or not, Chariton pushed through any complaints his body sent him. He had to keep focus against Eudokia, she already had him up against the wall. It felt like he was throwing everything at her and barely keeping his head above water in the fight.

A slip of his leg left him exposed to a counterattack. Eudokia granted him a fresh wound for the trouble. ‘Damn, I need to figure something out. I’m running out of tricks. She’s taking everything I’m tossing at her and I’m barely slowing her down.’ Chariton flipped his broom around with the head turning into a light bulb. It flashed brightly in Eudokia face to blind her for a moment.

Chariton took the chance to summon both brooms and build up some weight in the rotation before slamming them in from both sides of her waist. He followed up with a ladle to knock her flying backwards. While she flew through the air out of control peanuts shot her turning her in different directions as they hit. Eudokia crashed in the snow shortly after his assault ended, small cracks spread out through her ice, but sealed up quickly.

Clinching his teeth together, he saw how little it affected her. ‘All that and I still only barely cracked the armor?! How much force do I need? I don’t have enough time to build up that much force against her…’ He did not have much more time to think. Eudokia charged back in taking advantage of his frustration clouding his mind. He tried to dodge out of the way, but already saw it was too late.

However, when Eudokia’s attack came it missed by a narrow margin. Chariton stumbled away with some surprise lifting to his face. ‘What was that?’ He kept up the parries against Eudokia, trying not to let his thoughts overpower him. ‘She missed me, but it was an easy hit. She hasn’t missed me for any easy opening.’ The question started to consume more of his focus. He lost track of the fight and caught a deep blow on his upper arm. Pain shot up when he moved his arm, but he could not let it get to him.

Exchanges played out, continuing on until Chariton noticed another strange action from Eudokia. ‘She moved more to the left than necessary…’ The position pushed her clearly in range of his attack, which he naturally took advantage of the situation. She went tumbling away. Once more, he felt puzzled. ‘I find it odd she’d make such a mistake…I’m missing something…’

The battle started to take a new direction. Chariton’s discovery changed his tactics. He read every movement Eudokia made with scrutiny. His victory hinged on him understanding the mistakes she made. It cost him some of the ground he built back, but over the next few rounds, he started to gain an understanding. Enough pieces fell into place for him to make theories to act.

Another mistake slipped in for him. It confirmed his theory. He was right about her. ‘I see…’ It made sense suddenly. All of his questions found answers in an instant. ‘Very clever, she knew my abilities and she must have planned for this before hand, but it has a weakness. It’s why she’s been so aggressive. She knew I’d figure it out eventually.’

Chariton grinned with his discovery. ‘It’s checkmate, Eudokia!’ Taking advantage of what he knew, he created an opening for himself. ‘You’re mask provides you a filter against my clothes, something like seeing things in only black and white. It makes all of the colors and variations lessened so you aren’t affected by them. However, it has the drawback of making colors hard to differentiate from other. So if I just make it like background it’ll seem like part of me disappeared, foreshortened or extended.’ She felt into the trap and he knocked her away. As he took his move, he saw a brief change in Eudokia expression. She knew he figured it out. ‘I have to end things now. She won’t give me another chance.’ Chariton knocked her back with his broom.

A pencil flew at her, the tip pointed at her. She tried to pull up snow to block the explosion, but it already went off. Unlike the last time, blinding light came from it. ‘Now!’ Chariton’s broom had already been spinning around after he launched her. Wielding his second broom as a vault, he leapt into the air still twirling the broom around to increase the weight.

Soaring over top of Eudokia, Chariton took the final spin on his broom. Wind blew out from the sides of the built up momentum. He brought both hands together to swing it down on Eudokia. The force shot her down into the ground, blasting out snow. ‘Damn, I only managed a dent to the armor.’ He threw down a couple of pencils with the erasers pointed down. They blew up close to the ground keeping her pinned down as Chariton fell, the second broom already spun.

The second broom, swung with one hand, slammed into Eudokia’s back cracking the ice armor. It still did not do enough. He had his first broom ready and brought it down again. Chariton kept up the barrage altering without letting Eudokia a chance to recover. Her body pushed through the snow. The force of the broom started to cause cracks to the ground and crater the around, her armor providing her the only protection from the crushing tonnage dropped on her.

Each pound of the broom knocked her in deeper. Her limbs jumped up with each hit. Chariton continued in what seemed like a futile effort. No sign made from Eudokia said he did anything to her. The seconds just crammed through with the brutal beating continuing.

Suddenly, it all changed with the ice armor shattered. The next hit ripped through the suit underneath exposing her back. Blood jumped up over Chariton’s face. Bone broke skin and likely organs ruptured. Eudokia’s field disappeared along with her equipment. Her tunic returned, blood already soaking into the material.

Eudokia made no movement as the next swing came down for her.

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

Wind blew over the worn grass, left behind from the clashing powers. Scattered over the field, laid the bodies from the aftermath. Crimson color painted loosely the plains with a forced silence. Only the blades of grass moved. Stillness had permeated through everything.

Moments became minutes before anything changed. A stirring started off before turning into a low groan. They jerked forward taking in a sudden deep breath. Wide-eyed and covered in sweat, it felt as though they went through a horror-filled nightmare and woke just before their death. Once they realized they were alive, pieces started to fall back into place. “Yuki!” they shouted, as though it was an announcement or declaration.

It was Saki.

She saw her body covered in her own blood. Her body felt a little weak and her mind fuzzy, but no pain. The lack of pain, of any kind, made her quickly grab at her skin and limbs trying to understand. Nothing happened, all of her injuries no longer existed. “How?” Saki’s mind slowly worked through the process until she realized the reason. “Yuki!” She looked around to discover him quickly to her left, lying still. “Yuki!”

Saki dove in expecting him to wake up to her calling, but he made no movement. It drove home the implications quickly. “Don’t heal me, just to let yourself die!” She shook him trying to get anything out of him.

Nothing.

“No damn it, Yuki! NO!” She leaned down trying to listen for a heartbeat. “Come on! I promised you…” Tears started drip down her cheeks. She pled to hear anything, just for a sign.

An echo, maybe not.

Saki’s eyes widened suddenly. She heard it. “Yuki!” she smiled, looking up towards his face. Her hands tightened up with hope. However, she felt something odd in her hand. “Huh?” She opened her hand up to look to see what she held, something she never remembered having.

Chapter 196 – Failed Expectations

“I’m not dead!” exclaimed Yuki, a little surprised himself. “Though I sort of wasn’t so sure this time…” His body felt sore and in pain, but he was awake. He patted himself to check for injuries, but realized that nothing happened. “Right, no arms…” The stumps of his limbs, his right sealed up with almost flesh colored metal, a little too white to be real. Cloth wrapped up the left with it soaked through with blood.

“Yuki!” shouted Saki, just before she fell upon him, hugging him tightly. “You’re…alive…”

“Ow-ow-ow!” Pain spiked up his body from Saki, even her light grip was too much for him. “As I’m reminded, by the pain I feel…”

Saki jumped a little and pulled back once she understood. “Sorry, I just wasn’t sure what these did!” She revealed the container she discovered in her hand earlier. “I just took a chance in hoping that you made them to heal yourself.”

Making sure everything was still in one piece, Yuki took stock of himself for a moment. He glanced over at Saki, noticing the item he created. “Yeah, I hoped you would understand.”

“I can’t believe you, Yuki! How could take such a risk? What if I didn’t notice in time or didn’t wake up?!”

“It was the only option I had,” he answered, his finger scratched the side of his face a little feeling a little sheepish up against Saki’s barrage. He remembered a moment later he did not have a finger or even an arm and felt even more embarrassed. His arm lowered to his side. “Besides, I believed in you, Saki.”

The mood suddenly flipped around into a serious atmosphere. Saki found herself unable to say anything back to him. She shifted her eyes around a little in uncertainty. “Well, of course…”

Yuki laughed lightly until his chest told him to stop. “I’m glad.”

It took a few moments to pass before Saki felt ready to move forward. “Yuki.” She looked down at the container that likely held some medicine. “What was it that was in that pill? No normal pill could do all that for you.”

“Nanomachines.”

“Huh? I don’t think that sounds like medicine.”

“It’s not in the strictness sense of the term I guess,” mused Yuki. He grinned a little and started to catch himself with the lack of hands. He kept more still. “I knew nothing was going fix me up from the modern medicine we have. All that could be done for me was decide which flowers to put on my grave.”

Saki leaned forward almost shouting at him. “Yuki!” she berated, for his casual tone about his latest brush up with death.

“Sorry, but it’s true.” Yuki hung his head a moment to apologize. “I went with something beyond our technology,” he resumed, lifting his head. “Nanomachines. They’re machines too small to see, but perfect size for fitting into the human body.”

A bit of fear and confusion stirred around in Saki’s face. Her eyebrow turned and bunched up together with the wrinkles forming along the bridge of her nose. “So there’s machines inside you? And they fixed you?”

“Yup! I programmed them with biological repair functions to speed up the body’s recovery. Mainly in my case, they quickly closed up all of wounds and open blood vessels to keep me from bleeding to death. It’s going to be a little while before I’m feeling better.”

The powerful little machines Saki held in her hand left her with an amazed expression, after Yuki’s explanation. She tucked them away into her clothes, feeling like they might be important to hold for later. “Will it fix your arms too?” Saki was uncertainty how sensitive of a subject it would be for him, but she needed to know.

Confusion spread across Yuki’s face. “Eh? Of course not! This is science, not magic! It just aids recovery, it doesn’t grow things.”

She was not sure if he was actually angry about the question or the fact that she did not understand the difference. It made her pull away a little. “…sorry…”

“I’ll get Ayumi to fix me up the rest of the way. If she wasn’t here I’d had planned for something different.”

The prompt of Ayumi’s name shifted Saki’s focus. She broke from Yuki to look around at the other battles. “It looks like Haruo is done, but it’s hard to tell. I think…they’re talking…” Her eyes narrowed a bit to squint trying to see him.

“Hmm?” Yuki tilted his head over his shoulder a little in the direction of Haruo’s battlefield. He strained his vision to see anything. “I can’t see anything more than a couple of figures. How can you even tell anything from this distance?”

“Huh? You can’t…” As her voice trailed off, she realized the answer. She looked back at Yuki for a moment. ‘We’re so different now…’ Her body was completely healed, but even before then she looked in worse shape than him. She knew how bad her condition was, yet she knew Yuki was closer to death than her. It made her pause for a moment. The way she looked at Yuki felt strange even though she did not want to do so. ‘He’s so much weaker than me now. I knew it before, but I never really thought about it until now. Can we even walk together anymore?’

“What about Ayumi?” Part of Yuki noticed the change in Saki and redirected her attention to something else.

“Hmm?” Saki perked up a little hearing Yuki say something. He repeated himself for her. “Oh, Ayumi, right. It looked like they were still fighting.” She turned her head back in the other direction to check out Ayumi’s fight. A moment passed for her to adjust her vision. “It looks like it is over…maybe…” The distance was still far and Saki had trouble making out all of the details. “No…someone’s standing over top…of her!”

Yuki sharply turned about only to regret it a second later. He groaned in pain and forced himself to take things slower. “She’s losing?” His eyes tried to see what Saki saw, but it was pointless. “Can you see what’s happening?”

“I think…” Saki stood up and began walking in the direction hoping that things improved. “She’s on the ground and that guy is attacking her. It doesn’t look like she can move.” Suddenly, something bumped into her shoulder. Turning around, Saki found Yuki standing, though not looking so great. She grabbed him quickly before he went any further. “What do you think you’re doing?!”

“I’ve got to go over there!” Yuki’s breath was long and heavy. It was clear standing was difficult for him even after all of the mending. He tried to push forward, but Saki was immoveable. “Saki!”

She stood her ground with him, needing to be stern. “You’re in no shape, Yuki! I’ll go and put an end to the fight!”

“I have to go, Saki!” he yelled, the effort took some of the wind out of him. It left him pausing to recover. “My body might be poor, but my mind is still sharp! The only reason I lost the fight was because my body failed me, not my mind!” There seemed to be a hint of desperation in his words. Even he knew it, but it did not stop him. “I won’t let something happen to you, again!”

“…Yuki…” Flashes of Vangelis went through her mind. She knew what he was talking about. It made her freeze for a moment. “…Yuki…”

“Besides, if I’m there I can heal her immediately.”

The determination in Yuki’s face made it difficult for her to deny him. ‘The longer we argue the worse it gets for Ayumi. We’re only losing time…’ She did not like it. “Fine, we’ll go together.” Saki extended her hand to Yuki, but then realized the pointless of it. Fending off her embarrassment, she turned around to face their destination.

They rushed off quickly as Yuki allowed. He knew he slowed her down, but he needed to go. ‘You’re always saving me. You’re always looking out for me. I’ve yet to do anything for you. Even if it is just once…’ Yuki pushed himself a little harder.

The closer that they got to Ayumi, the more anxious Yuki became. “What’s happening? Is she doing anything?”

“No…” She wanted to lie to him, but it was pointless. They both felt the same unease from the situation. The closer that they got the better view she had of the area. It became clear to her that Ayumi was being pummeled by her opponent with no chance to do anything. ‘She’s lost…’ They felt like strange words to Saki. The person she knew seemed almost invincible. She might have trouble or be challenged, but she always found a way out. It seemed she found the end of the road.

The sight Saki saw made her want to keep from Yuki. She feared the words might be worse than actually seeing it. It could be worse for someone with an imagination. ‘We’re coming, Ayumi…’ However, it did not seem that time would wait for them. Saki finally reached the optimum distance for her a sight to clearly make every detail out. It was worse than she thought. The scene made her stop. “…we won’t make it in time…”

Suddenly, it all changed with the ice armor shattered. The next hit ripped through the suit underneath exposing her back. Blood jumped up over Chariton’s face. Bone broke skin and likely organs ruptured. Eudokia’s field disappeared along with her equipment. Her tunic returned, blood already soaking into the material.

Eudokia made no movement as the next swing came down for her.

‘This’ll end things here! I’ll have executed the traitor!’ The broom came down everything slowing. It seemed like an impossible moment for him. He never thought he would see such a sight. It had to be a dream. However, he had the chance to end things.

The closer the broom came to Eudokia the more seemed real. Each frame of time made things clearer.

It was real.

In the last frame, something smashed into him shattering reality and returning things to a dream. Chariton coughed up a massive amount of blood as he fell back. Everything inside him felt like it had been crushed. ‘What’s happening?!’ His eyes were still so filled with shock that he could not look. He just knew something ruined everything.

Peace shattered, destroyed. The last chance disappeared.

Chariton’s body tumbled and rolled over the ground eventually coming to a stop. Falling in the divergent direction was Yuki, his field disappearing. Blood dripped over his back and head from where he collided with Chariton. Yuki came to a stop finally on his back, looking up at the sky. “Ugh…that hurt more than I thought. I really shouldn’t try to be like Seiji.”

Saki appeared over at Yuki’s side helping him back up. “I can’t believe you!” she yelled, with mixed emotions on her face.

He laughed a little. “You’re the one that agreed to throw me.” A grin grew across his face before coughing up some blood. The sight frightened Saki. She gripped on tighter to him, bringing him over to Ayumi.

“But to hit him with your head is just reckless! I wouldn’t have thrown you if I knew you’d do that!”

“I could cancel his power as I approached, it was the only way.” Yuki looked over at Ayumi, while Saki laid him on the ground. Ripples in the ground stretched out. A soft green glow erupted from all of the blades of grass surrounding them. “Check on the other guy too, please.”

“…Yuki…” Saki reluctantly obeyed. She walked over to see how Chariton condition was after Yuki’s attack and the healing he performed on him.

Alone with Ayumi, Yuki stared at her for a moment in silence. He stretched out his bandaged arm. A phantom hand appeared in his sight to connect the rest of the way to her. “…I protect you for now on…” Yuki smiled, but his eyes appeared a little melancholic as though his words closed a door permanently leaving him with only one choice.

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

Familiarity with the scene was becoming a bit of a little redundant thing for everyone involved. A few minutes passed since the second time Yuki passed out. He shot up himself up from the grass gasping for air, his mind still remembering his last moments clearly. It took him only a second to realize things changed since the last time.

Yuki glanced around at the view seeing Saki and Ayumi on either side of him. He thought he might have seen a bit of a glimpse of a smile from Ayumi, but it was gone so fast he considered his imagination. Saki’s smile was real. “…Saki…” He could not help back smile back at her, none of it seemed to have any awareness to him. It just happened.

Everything seemed right.

It took Yuki another a few moments to discover that he had his limbs back. He found himself roughing up his hair, feeling a little awkward in the scene, then realized that it was real. His hands pulled out in front of him and he got excited all over again. “I have my hands?! They’re real!” They tightened up and responded to every action.

A little amused and a little dry, Saki responded, “You already knew you’d be getting them back.”

“I know, but still I didn’t have them for a little while. It was real!” The awe of having his hands back left him a little distracted. It took Yuki a while to break from the amazement. He flipped his eyes over to Ayumi quickly. “Thanks, Ayumi! How are you feeling?”

“Fine,” she quickly gave. An odd reaction surfaced on her before she turned around and stood up. “We should leave this area quickly.”

Yuki needed another second, but stood up and agreed with her. “Right, we just need to pick up Haruo!”

Watching the two walk away, Saki narrowed her eyes a little. She held a bit of a suspicious look, but nothing she had any certain ground to stand. ‘…what was that?’ Unfortunately, the two did not give her much time to her thoughts. He was already calling out to her. Saki disappeared from her stop with a small ring of dirt from where she used to sit. A moment later, she dropped in next to them, as though always having been there.

Chapter 197 – Walking Away

The short walk over to the remaining, unchecked, battleground found Ligeia and Iole with Haruo. They all appeared in good condition, though Haruo had some sort of bindings around him that looked like rope, but clearly not. When Yuki arrived with Saki and Ayumi, the two Atlanteans went to defensive positions.

Rippling through the ground away from Yuki, he took the lead. “We’ve only come for our friend. You can go get your comrades.” After he finished a long delay fell between them. He knew that he used a language law for them to understand him, but they made no indications of acknowledging them. Yuki stepped forward, but stopped almost immediately. “There’s no need to keep fighting.” Both women had their fields activated prepared for him.

“Yuki—“ Saki tried to speak up, but Ayumi cut her off.

Grabbing Yuki’s shoulder, Ayumi pulled his attention away. “You can finish this immediately without needing to resort to words.”

Narrowing his eyes, Yuki leveled a serious tone at her. “I’m not here to fight and subdue everyone in this country just because a couple people following orders tried to kill me. I’m here to stop those sending them.” His voice carried no wavering. “They don’t even have anything to do with this. I’ll fight when it is needed, but things are over for now. More fighting now is pointless.”

“That’s not how things work here.” Ayumi’s hand tightened around Yuki’s shoulder trying to add to her words. “Strength and power are things that must be displayed, they won’t submit to mere words. You are naïve to think otherwise.”

Distracted by Ayumi, Yuki’s sight was no longer on the two women. They took the chance to make a move on Yuki while his guard was down. However, they never even made it more than half a meter from their start. A force stopped them from moving.

Yuki glanced back at the two of them, a little disappointed. He took a slow pace towards them. “I’m fine with being considered naïve, but I’m not enough of one to forget my defense.” The force holding the two faded into visible light, making it clear Yuki’s power held them. “I’m not so blind to not know how one might think in this situation.” He turned his full attention back to the women. “However, neither of you are a match for me.”

Continuing his slow pace forward, Ligeia field disappeared suddenly, swallowed up by grass. Her cloths and bits disappeared with her uniform returning. Iole’s field shrank to a tiny dot. Yuki turned his eyes to Ligeia first. “You already fought and have exhausted your mental power. You’re still mentally fatigued and unable to maintain your power.” Swapping over to Iole, Yuki continued, “You are nowhere near my level. I’ve already neutralized most your field and I’m not even using a single fold.”

Iole caught herself gasping in surprise at Yuki’s words. Her eyes grew wide understanding the weight of the situation. It took nearly all of the fight out of her eyes.

However, Ligeia did not feel the same. Her powers gone, she still wanted to fight. “You can’t scare me! It’s our duty to stop you! Don’t give up, Iole! Think about the Captain!” She knew it was a soft spot for her. It worked just like she thought, bringing the light to her eyes. “We won’t bend! You’re just a weakened as me after fighting Vangelis! You won’t last!”

Yuki ground his teeth together listening to her. His features hardened suddenly as he stared at the two. They reflected back in his eyes. “You really want to test your theory? I stood against him and still stand now, do you really think you can defeat someone he could not?” His words carried heavier weight to them than even Saki was used to hearing.

The two remained silent once more. It seemed Yuki’s words left them with a decision that they did not want to make.

While they thought, Yuki lowered his attention to Haruo. “You can break free right?”

A moment of silence for Haruo seemed oddly short for him. “Haven’t tried.” He looked around at the bindings that wrapped around his upper arms over his chest. Another set he felt, tied up his wrist behind him. It gave him no room to move, adjusted perfectly to fit him.

“Give it a try. We’re going to be leaving.”

“Right.” Haruo stood up from his formal kneeling position with no effort. A brief struggle played out with the bindings, but Haruo won quickly. The bindings snapped and dropped at his feet. Once freed, he walked over to join Yuki’s group.

Yuki looked back at him, while he shifted to a background scene. “You know you could have done that a while ago and returned on your own.”

“No reason.”

Sighing, Yuki managed a shrug for Haruo before returning to the two women. “Alright, decision time is up.” The expression on Yuki’s face turned serious once more as he stared at them. They carried some unease with his return. “I’ve made your decision for you.” Such words made them flinch a little, not certain what he might have decided for them. The mist around them tightened a little. Unease no longer was enough. Panic settled in to stay.

Yuki walked forward to them, as the mist began to undulate. He continued past the two and motioned with his hand for the others to follow. The mist turned around and then snapped out sending both of them flying away from the group. “Let’s get some distance from this area.” Suddenly, a new ripple went through earth. A circular disc rose from the grass gaining substance and lifting the four into the air. Once it took its final shape, it hovered a half meter off the ground with pale lights running around the wide cone shape beneath the disc. It sped Yuki’s group off in the direction of the capital.

Left behind, Iole and Ligeia made the only choice they could. They went to check on the others from their team. They found Chariton unconscious, but still very alive. To their surprise, he looked fully healed of any injuries he took from his battle with Eudokia. Neither knew what it meant, but tried not to question it for long.

The three trekked over to Vangelis, also unconscious. Iole went over to check on him. “He’s completely healed like Chariton. Why are they doing this?” She moved her hand over to check on his vitals.

It all confused Ligeia. Her battle with Haruo was strange. The end felt weird. She found an odd sensation from it all. “They weren’t like what I expected. What’s Eudokia doing here? What is she planning?”

“Ligeia,” called Iole. Her silence in checking Vangelis went ignored by Ligeia. “Ligeia.”

“What? I can hear you.”

“Vangelis is dead.”

“What?!” She dropped Chariton without a second thought and rushed over. Her doubt in Iole’s findings made her check Vangelis body for signs of life. No pulse ran through his neck or arm. Her hand could feel no beat in his chest. She felt a strange need to deny everything and summoned her field. Her eyes stared intently at the device on her arm, waiting for the readouts.

It failed to deny reality.

Ligeia fell away from Vangelis’ body to sit loosely. “His body’s in perfect condition, but there’s no life. Why?!”

“They must have healed him after his death,” answered Iole, her words came a little empty.

Pulling her head back, she struggled with the confusion. “Why would they heal him if he was dead!? Why did this happen?!”

Several kilometers away from their field of battle, Saki stared off in the distance. Her eyes remained fixed on where they came from. Her mind busy in thought.

“Lie down,” replied Saki, flicking her finger at Vangelis’ forehead.

Vangelis coughed up blood as his body flipped backwards. Blood sprayed from his nose and from a crack in his forehead. He collapsed to the ground unmoving.

A grim shadow came over her face as she tossed the memory away. Saki shook herself free from the path behind and looked forward. Her eyes fell upon Yuki, his expression softer and hopeful. Her lips thinned into a line. It was a while before she rejoined the conversation.

Ayumi debated the fine points of Yuki’s naivety, something Saki knew was a difficult subject to fight without feeling like running into a brick wall. “…which brings me back to my original question. Why did you just leave like that? They’ll just come back.” Ayumi did not seem to mind crashing into the wall.

“They already made their choice before Haruo was freed. They just couldn’t make the choice that they wanted.” Unlike before, Yuki actually explained his actions to Ayumi. It visibly bothered her, but she got what she wanted. “Their duty or honor, whatever to the military, prevented them from making the choice. So I made it so that they could without further losing face. They lost to us and lost sight of us.”

“And you think it’ll be that easy? They’ll keep coming after us.”

“Yes, I know that. Which is why we’re traveling like this.” He pointed down to the vehicle made device they rode. “We’ll get to the capital faster this way and avoid more pointless fight. However, this won’t be the end of it, will it?”

The almost omnipotent stare Yuki dropped on Ayumi made her annoyed. “No.”

Glancing between the two of them, Saki felt like she missed something important. “Did I miss something? What are you talking about?”

“The elite,” spoke Haruo, an odd person to get the answer. He shifted back to the foreground to join them. “Every group, people, species, organization has the ones that are better than the rest. The ones that succeed without effort, the ones born with talent. I doubt the people here are any different.”

Yuki nodded in agreement. “He’s right. As powerful as Vangelis was I know there is someone more powerful standing at the top.” His voice became rough by the end, as thoughts turned to someone that they all knew. “But he’s not the only one. There are plenty of others stronger and more monstrous than Vangelis ahead of us.” He tilted his head around towards the unseen capital.

“Huh? How do you know this? I thought Ayumi has been keeping everything to herself.”

“She has been,” Yuki responded quickly. Directions shifted back to her. “But it’s an obvious conclusion to reach. It’s a standard plot device.”

Saki jumped up to her feet to whack Yuki for his delusions. “Yuki, this is the real world not one of your manga!” Ayumi’s hand came out in front of the two to halt Saki. “Ayumi?”

“I wish I could agree with you, but Yuki’s correct on this matter.”

“Seriously? This is Yuki and his wild ideas again!”

“Hey! Haruo agreed with me and you’re attacking me!”

No denial came from Ayumi. It left Saki to return to her seat. Once things settled down, Ayumi spoke, “The ones you’re talking about are part of the Omega Division.”

“I don’t like the sound of that,” Saki inserted.

“Sounds appropriate. This is the organization with the best?”

“Yes, the Omega Division only deploys with orders from the council, the King or General of the Army. Most of their missions are capturing or subduing other Meso Prosecho.”

“So they’re used to fighting, unlike those we’ve fought.”

“But they’re all soldiers, aren’t they all used to fighting?” questioned Saki.

“You realized, huh?”

“Yes, I’m more observant then you give me credit for. Vangelis was skilled and knew what he was doing, but he’s one of the exceptions, right? A border patrol protecting the edge against normal humans, which already puts people to sleep is hardly much real practice. Atlantis I can’t imagine has many threats, so they just waste their time away.”

“Correct,” Ayumi confirmed. ‘I didn’t expect this much from him. He plays the fool too well...how much is he hiding from me?’ She glanced around quickly, still reading the scene from the others. Haruo remained quiet, but alert and too keen. Saki was the weak point. “If you didn’t give the impression of a fool, people wouldn’t think less of you.”

“I’m less concerned over people’s opinion of me. It just means they can’t see the truth.”

His words made Ayumi narrow her eyes. She was not sure if those words were meant for her or a general statement of his personal philosophy. Regardless, she moved things along. “Was it your observations that taught you about folding?”

The word popped up in Saki’s mind. She recalled him mentioning it. “You used the word before, Yuki. Did you learn something from your fight?”

“Yeah, I learned I need to ask more questions.” He stared at Ayumi, rather than meeting Saki’s gaze.

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“I gave you what you needed to survive. You’re the one not interested in learning anymore.”

“True, it was my fault for being passive about things until now. I didn’t care about your situation or what you wanted with me. I just wanted my life back, so I didn’t bother getting any deeper. That’s my fault. Now that I’m here, I’m regretting that.”

“Regret won’t change things.”

“I know.”

Saki leaned in between the two. She felt the increasing tension. “Hey! What’s folding?” They both looked at her without saying anything. It almost felt like they were communicating to her telepathically. The attention made her face a little red, but she pushed through forcing a stubborn look.

Yuki gave in first and leaned away a little. “From what I saw, it’s a technique to compress their field and increase their power. The way Vangelis talked, it doesn’t sound like most can do more than one of them, but he could do it three times.”

“Is the change that significant?”

“For you no, but for me yes.”

“So you’ve figured it out?” inquired Ayumi.

“Sort of, but I don’t know what sort of measurement you have for the difference between one fold or two.”

“Each fold reduces the radius by half.”

“I see, then I still have a way to go then.”

Ayumi remained still thinking about what he said. ‘If he can actually complete a fold the power he would have…’ Her thoughts carried her away for moment, but Yuki dragged her back to reality.

“While you’re in an answering mood, I want to know something.” The already serious mood managed to turn even more serious. Yuki made it clear he was not going to accept anything, but an agreement from Ayumi.

Understanding Yuki stance, Ayumi nodded to him. “Fine, what is it?”

“I want to know more about you and your people. I can’t be going into this blind anymore.”

“That’s a long story.”

“We have time. You can start with those people back there. They knew you from the South Gate.” Yuki leaned in a little, as did Saki. Both were very interested in hearing about her past. “Tell me about your time with them.”

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

A spring morning like any other, it was calm and soothing. Gentle winds let the trees play. Slightly chilled air forced warmer cloths. It was a normal day in Atlantis. Everything had just begun. The possibilities were endless. That is what she hoped for anyway.

The South Gate Headquarters stood before her, as tall and majestic as always. It had the classical design the military maintained in all aspects of their presence. Behind the traditional appearance held modernisms for the comfort of the soldiers. Everything needed to protect Atlantis from the outside world. It was the wall of Atlantis and its shield and protector. Assignment to the border patrol was a duty nearly all took, unless circumstances allowed them to be exempt.

Border duty was an honor. It was the greatest pride a soldier should have. They were on the frontlines of protecting the citizens from the dangers of the world beyond the barrier. It was a noble cause everyone supported and stood behind. It was something no one could doubt or see fault in taking. The distinguished honor was proof of loyalty, duty and devotion to one’s country and King. Any achievements earned in the line of duty were highly regarded accolades. They were proof of one’s ability.

It was those reasons she stood at the stone path into the South Gate. She needed that proof before she returned. ‘I’ll be back, father. I’ll show them my worth!’ The young Atlantean girl, dressed in a white military uniform, took her first step into the compound.

She had a small smile on her face. Excitement triggered each of her steps. All of the stories she heard about the Gates created a fantastical image in her mind. ‘It’ll be different from the Academy. These are men and women serving their country. All of the prejudice and immaturity won’t be here. Everyone here has to work together to keep Atlantis safe!’ Her past was behind her. She did not have to worry about her appearance or status.

Everything would work out.

Chapter 198 – Delusional Fantasies

“Who are you?” asked a female senior officer.

“Yeah, who are you?” interjected Yuki, cutting off the story. Time jumped back to the present, with everyone gathered closely by Ayumi with heightened curiosity. The normally stone-walled Ayumi, who’s past was more of a mystery than Tamamo-no-Mae, was actually revealing her secrets. Yet, her story was too strange to believe, by Yuki’s judgment.

Appearing a little put off by Yuki’s interruption, Ayumi tried to push through. “I said, I’m the new—“

“Are you really expecting us to believe this?” Yuki looked around at the others to try to gain some support. “Right? Guys?”

Haruo remained silent, not a surprising course. He would be of no help. However, Saki looked uncertainly, possibly skeptical. Yuki leaped on it, regardless of the truth. He placed himself almost uncomfortably close to Saki to force something out of her. “W-Well, it is a little…out of character?”

“See, I’m right!” Yuki turned back to Ayumi, emphasizing his point with his clinched fist. “Who’s going to be believe this sweet little girl is the cold, merciless Ayumi we all know!” He presented an image pulled from her introduction of the little girl, she claimed to use to have been.

Redness surfaced in Ayumi’s cheeks. She ripped the paper from Yuki’s hand and crumpled it up, before chucking it off behind her to disappear far into the distance. “It is embarrassing for me as well, but what I’m telling you is the truth!” Ayumi stretched out from her seated position to confront Yuki directly. Her eyes said she was serious, but her face still blushed deeply.

A moment of silence carried out between the two, staring intently. Yuki lost the fight and back away, looking a little away. “You can’t start going Tsundere on me now! You’re tsuntsun!”

“…Yuki…” bemoaned Saki, before she whacked him in the back of the head.

“Hey! You don’t even know what I’m talking about!”

“It’s not like I hit you because I knew what it means.”

“Right,” nodded Yuki. He slowly turned back to Ayumi planning to resume his debate, but stopped. “Wait…” Yuki looked back at Saki, who did not meet his gaze. His eyes widened in realization.

Clearing her throat, Ayumi interrupted, “Can I continue?” Saki had Yuki distracted enough that Ayumi accepted his silence as a forfeit of his platform.

The eleven-year-old child stood before a towering woman. (Hey!) She clearly saw the senior officer badge attached to her uniform. It was hardly the first time she saw someone of such station, but the woman held fierce look. The look killed everything in the girl in that instant. She hardened her features. She was a soldier. Certain manners and discipline was expected of soldiers. The girl had to obey how the system worked. “I’m the new graduate from the academy. I’ve been assign to the South Gate.”

“Right, I heard about you from the Captain.” The woman looked the girl up and down, what little of her there was to examine. The child still had time to grow and be carefree, yet she was already a soldier. Life of those like her was just the same as those older. They received the same treatment, ignoring anything about maturity. It remained unusual to send a child out to the border, even if they were accepted as a soldier. Such duties waited until they finished growing. “Can’t believe they’re sending us children now.”

The child recognized the stare well enough. She experienced it repeatedly in the Academy. The reason was numerous, but the stare was always the same. “I’ll pull my own weight, ma’am!” Despite her stature and age, she held the same trained look from any soldier.

“You better. The reports claim you were at the top of your class, even among older cadets. Don’t let Academy life make you think you know what you’re doing out here. The demands of the patrol are nothing like what they trained for you. Just because you were good in practice doesn’t mean you’re ready for this. You have to prove your usefulness out here.”

“I will, ma’am!” She saluted the woman, never breaking from her determination.

The senior officer stared down at the girl in silence. Her eyes read for any flicker or motion. She wanted a read on the child. “You act confident, but we’ll see how long that lasts. I don’t know what Command is thinking putting an eleven year old in charge of a squad, even with your marks. I’ll be watching you, Second Lieutenant Eudokia.”

“I understand! I’ll meet your expectations, Lieutenant Commander Athene!”

One of Athene’s assistants appeared from behind the woman. The young man stepped forward to replace his superior. While Athene fell into the shadows, eventually departing, her assistant presented Eudokia with her lodging assignment. “Second Lieutenant Eudokia, you have been assigned to Barracks M. You will find your squad, the South 241^st Squad, in the same barracks.”

Eudokia listened in silence to the man citing her orders. Her eyes read into his expression, while her ears pulled apart the variance in his tone. ‘The same eyes, but there’s fear as the source…and a little jealousy.’ She saw his black uniform only carried a badge marked as Sergeant. He was a regular soldier, forced to start at the bottom and over a decade older than her.

Life was not fair. Fate was not equal.

The barracks were easy to find for Eudokia. In the course of her walk, she passed many soldiers along the way. None of them knew her, but it did not stop them from looking as she passed. They all had the same reaction, bewilderment. ‘Barracks M,’ she noted to herself, when she reached the building. It had the same well-maintained appearance as every other building. It looked like it could stand for another millennia without change.

She pushed open the door, needing to put all of her weight into the effort. The door was designed to be opened by an adult, one with strength, something she lacked. It did not stop her. It creaked with her entrance. Light bled into the floor surrounding her shadow. ‘This is where I’ll find my squad…’ Eudokia stood in the threshold searching out for signs hinting to her squad.

Her appearance stirred the soldiers resting. They all called their attention to her the moment they realized a child was in their barracks. Those still uninterested were tapped or nudged to get their attention.

“Someone let their kid into HQ?”

“Idiot, that’s a MP.”

“Woah, you’re right. She’s got their white uniform.”

“Sure it’s not some guy’s kid dressing up?”

“Like she could fit their uniform.”

“I’ve never seen one so young before.”

“Don’t they usually stay in the capital at that age?”

“What’s she doing out here?”

They were only whispers, but Eudokia heard them well enough. She grew accustomed to such voices. However, she was lost. ‘He purposely didn’t guide me,’ she realized. Her eyes scanned the area trying to sort out any identification, but none of the squads had any markings. ‘Shouldn’t they mark where each squad is?’

Resorting to the only option, Eudokia stopped in front of one of the soldiers. “I’m looking for the 241^st Squad.” She gathered several blank stares and empty looks. It took a little while for a soldier to lift an arm and point in the direction. “Thank you.” Eudokia marched off with a new direction.

“What was that about?”

“Is she getting assigned to the 241^st?”

“They did have their MP transferred back to the capital.”

“If feel bad for them. Getting a helpless child as their MP.”

Ignoring the comments, the five cots assigned for the 241^st Squad revealed themselves. She stopped in front of the middle of the cots. In silence, Eudokia stretched her eyes over the four members of the squad. They lazily lounged in their spaces. None of them seemed very interested in her presence. ‘These are soldiers? They don’t look anything like Atlantean soldiers. They just look…bored…’

It might have been that they could not deploy until they received a MP. So they were forced to do nothing while waiting. It might have been the way they handled their off time. Eudokia did not know the reasons, she would understand in time. “This is the 241^st?” She received no recognition from any of the four soldiers. “I ask—“

One of the men shifted in the cot making it groan under his weight. He slowly made effort to get out of his bed and worked over to the short Eudokia. Even at a slightly above average height, the man in the black uniform towered over her. “Who’s asking, kid?” His tone ignored any respect due between them. In his eyes, he saw only a child, one that bothered him.

Eudokia narrowed her eyes reading the man for a moment before responding. She never flinched despite his efforts to appear intimidating. “I’m Second Lieutenant Eudokia, Lieutenant Sergeant,” Eudokia declared with intent to curb some of his insubordination.

The Lieutenant Sergeant did not take her attempt at throwing around her rank well. A wrinkle appeared around his nose. “I earned my rank, Second Lieutenant. I don’t appreciate our new White ignoring who’s actually in command here.”

Unaffected, Eudokia continued, “I’m glad you appreciate the chain of command. I’ll expect you to obey my commands.”

The man took a step back, a little surprised by the child unwillingness to back down and bold declaration. He caught himself in a fit of laughter, which spread around to the other three soldiers. Nearly a minute passed before they recovered themselves. “You’re funny, kid. Like I said before, you might out rank me, but I’m the one in command. I’m the Squad Leader, you follow my orders.”

“You’ll find that you’re working on outdated information, Lieutenant Sergeant.” Eudokia retrieved her transfer papers along with her new command papers. She presented them out in front, purposely keeping them low. “I’m the new Squad Leader of South 241^st Squad effective today.”

The man leaned down suddenly no longer feeling secure in his position. Her declaration also silenced the other three and even garnered the attention of the rest of the barracks. It had everyone taken back. “Can’t be…” He stared at the papers, almost expecting them to be hand drawn in with finger paints, but they were official. Even the General’s stamp sat at the bottom.

Eudokia stared up at the man. “I expect you to follow my every command, Lieutenant Sergeant.”

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

“You’ll find that you’re working on outdated information, Lieutenant Sergeant.” Eudokia retrieved her transfer papers along with her new command papers. She presented them out in front, purposely keeping them low. “I’m the new Squad Leader of South 241^st Squad effective today.”

The man leaned down suddenly no longer feeling secure in his position. Her declaration also silenced the other three and even garnered the attention of the rest of the barracks. It had everyone taken back. “Can’t be…” He stared at the papers, almost expecting them to be hand drawn in with finger paints, but they were official. Even the General’s stamp sat at the bottom.

Eudokia stared up at the man. “I expect you to follow my every command, Lieutenant Sergeant.”

The three other soldiers all looked around at each little dumbfounded. Eudokia’s declaration was absurd, yet she held proof. They did not know what to do. However, each of them caught a narrowed eye from Eudokia. It gave them an unsettled feeling of command. It felt weird coming from a child, someone half their age.

Child or not, she was their superior in both rank and deed. While MPs out ranked most soldiers, it was a rarely honored respect. Eudokia silently demanded it from them. It compelled them to comply. They moved an awkward walk to the front of the cots coming to attention. “We apologize for our disrespect, sir!”

The Lieutenant Sergeant slowly turned his head towards his men in disbelief. “You’re calling that thing ‘sir’?!” He wanted to forget he even heard their words. It all had to be a dream.

“But sir, she is the new Squad Leader.”

“They are orders from command, Nikon. If you disobey them, you’ll be punished.”

Nikon ground his teeth together listening them squawk. He could not believe that they gave in so easily. It would not end with just him accepting it. There was something wrong, mistaken. She had the wrong orders. “You bastards! I’m your Squad Leader! We’ve been together for a year and this is the respect I’ve earned from you?” His yelling had the entire barracks watching, not that it was not already. The attention made him sweat or possibly the looks of pity from his men.

Looking back down at Eudokia, it only made his blood boil more. Her expression looked nothing like a child. She demanded respect and his compliance. It grated on him. “You’re coming with me to the Captain’s office! We’re getting this mistake resolved now before your charade goes any further!”

Chapter 199 – Isolation

“What do you mean?!” snapped Nikon. He slammed his hands down on the desk once more. “This isn’t something I can discuss with his assistant.” Nikon glared down at the young man, probably no older than him. He dragged the child behind him only to be blocked by the Captain’s assistant.

The whole time Eudokia remained silent, merely watching everything play out. She was the first to notice when Captain Simonides appeared from the hall.

He managed to sneak up on everyone else. Surfacing near the side of the assistant’s desk, he interrupted the yelling, “Things are quite noisy out here.” There was a lighter tone mixed in with his commanding voice.

Nikon immediately went still as he realized the Captain stood nearby him. He came to attention shortly after, knowing his place. “I apologize for my rude behavior, sir!”

Narrowing his eyes, Simonides took in the area before responding. “That is of less concern to me right now. What is the reason for your being here?”

Driving straight to the problem, Nikon hesitated a little. He planned to approach the Captain, but he forced his hand in a way that left him unprepared. It took him a few moments to react. Paper in hand, he handed it over to Simonides.

Simonides glanced over it for moment. “There something wrong?”

“Yes, sir!”

He glanced over at Eudokia briefly and back at the paper. The orders disappeared in his hands. “I see, let’s move this to my office.” He motioned sharply at the two to follow him before he turned around.

Once inside, Nikon explained his complaint to Simonides. “I see,” he responded, after hearing everything. He looked over at Eudokia, who’s head was about the only thing that broke above the desk. Still, she remained silent. “I’ll grant you the unusual nature, but the orders are real.”

“Captain?!”

“Second Lieutenant Eudokia here was granted this request.”

“You can’t be serious! Sir.”

Pulling out a file from behind his desk, he placed his hand on the closed file. “As you know, the top cadet each year from the academy is granted a command of their own with them picking the posting.”

Nikon glared down at Eudokia with some jealousy in his eye. In front of the jealousy though was doubt, stubborn unmovable doubt. “What’s that got to do with her?”

Simonides sighed to himself. He read the scene already and did not want to spell it out. “This year’s top cadet was Eudokia.”

“That’s not possible! Besides being a child, she’s one of them. They aren’t allowed participate.”

“It would seem you’re misinformed, as many are about the academy.” It was a common misconception due to the way things worked. When it did happen it always appeared like a miracle, an impossibility and easily forgotten, likely intentionally. “Whites are allowed to participate. Anyone in the academy can do so, but due to the system in the academy it is very rare for it happen.”

“I’ve never heard of any White achieving it.”

“You know one other, everyone does.”

“Sir?”

“General Demosthenes Alexander was the last one to achieve the honor of top cadet.”

“The General? Of course, it would make sense he would. There is no one greater than him.”

“Besides the King,” Simonides added.

“But she’s just a kid, sir!”

“As you know, the military does not distinguish between age when it comes to them.” He glanced over at Eudokia, who still said nothing while the entire conversation carried. Any normal child would have been unable to stand still or even withstand the barrage of voices. She did not react to anything. “You went through the academy, so you know the training required to pass. She completed it at her age, surpassing everyone else. Remember that, Lieutenant Sergeant Nikon.”

Nikon realized then he had nothing left. The Captain made his decision and he was being told to leave. “Yes, sir!” He came to attention and saluted. Dismissed, Nikon marched out of the room. He had Eudokia following behind him. It took until leaving the building for Nikon to turn back. “Listen here. You may be the Squad Leader, but that doesn’t mean I acknowledge you. I’ll be watching you and the moment you screw up your ass is mine!” After he said his piece, Nikon quickly marched off, likely to fume more about his misfortune.

Eudokia watched him leave, allowing enough time for him to disappear before slipping out of her stance. She sighed heavily and ran off in the opposite direction. It hardly mattered to her where she ended up, just so long as she was alone.

Empty fields just behind headquarter was where she found herself. There were a lot of green fields in Atlantis, most of the land was very similar. However, each area still felt different. Eudokia certainly felt the difference in the South Gate. She fell over eventually tired of moving. Her face landed in the grass with only her arm as a pillow. ‘This is completely different from what I was expecting!’ Her body trembled thinking back.

The scenes replayed through her mind endlessly. She tried to think of any way to have done things differently. None of the results turned out in her success. ‘It was all I could do. I have to appear strong. They’ll just see me as a child…’ Eudokia knew it was going to be difficult, but she had not mentally prepared for the oppressive nature. She thought the academy’s cruelty was terrible, yet the aura she felt from everyone did not have the same feel. It somehow felt worse.

Hours passed until the morning turned to afternoon. Eudokia returned to the barracks. Her presence remained something of a wonder-filled show. A child charged with leading a team of adults. They all waited to see how long the show lasted. They took bets behind her back on when she would back, something that took her months to discover.

Another routine patrol came for the 241^st Squad. Eudokia had her team lined up in the courtyard near their exit. She paced down the four members. “Corporal Hilarion,” she called, in a clear penetrating voice.

“Yes, sir!” the young man replied. He was the tallest of the group. While he listened to every order Eudokia gave, he did enjoy towering over her trying to push her. It never worked, something he did poorly to hide his disappointment.

“Corporal Hestia.”

The only woman in the squad piped up, “Yes, sir!” She saw nothing in common with Eudokia and actually kept more of a distance from her than the rest of the team. It was always difficult to tell what thoughts turned behind her eyes. Eudokia felt the woman judged her with every slight glance in her direction. She had the feeling she was the least approving of her as leader, even more than Nikon, which seemed difficult to believe.

“Corporal Daidalos.”

“Yes, sir!” Daidalos fell in line quicker than the rest with Eudokia’s new command. She felt he was scheming things along with Nikon, but never saw any proof of it. He went along with the flow, but there was something unsettling about him. Eudokia just could never place a finger on what caused her intuition to decide it.

“Lieutenant Sergeant Nikon.”

“By the book again,” he muttered, “Yes, sir!” It was merely by rank that he was Eudokia’s second in command. She would have picked someone else if she could, he was the most verbally disruptive and insubordinate of the group. Yet she preferred it that way, it made it easier to read him than the rest of the group. Eudokia always knew where she stood in the group by his actions. It was an odd measuring stick to have.

Eudokia turned around. Her hand motioned to the gatekeeper to open the massive stone doors. The doors looked impossible to move and hardly practical, yet when activated they moved with fluid grace as though part of nature. They made not a single sound, eerily so, more signs of the construction done by MPs.

Stepping out, she motioned to her team. “Corporal Hestia, you have point.”

“Yes, sir!” Hestia hustled to the front leading the team out. Everything carried out in routine. Nothing out of the ordinary happened. It had been six months since the last intrusion and it was only one scientist. It cleaned up quickly with no support needed. Most of the soldiers could not remember any other intrusion. Only soldiers with more than one tour actually had other stories of intrusions. It was rare for more than a handful of soldiers to have actually been present at an intrusion.

Days continued to pass evenly for Eudokia. Those with early bets lost them as she outlasted most of the pessimistic estimates. She became a bit of a legend among the South Gate as word spread further. More soldiers joined trying to guess what would break her.

Eudokia walked briskly through the courtyard, ignoring all of the glances, half stares and fake ignored looks. She had grown used to it. The feel was truly different from the academy. She almost preferred to have been back at the academy, as no one was mature enough to hide what they felt. It was always in the open and you understood everyone’s place. Her new world was a silent cold war. She always had to remain vigilant.

She came to a stop, not quite to her destination. Her eyes caught sight in time, an irregularly shaped form of stone extruded out from the normally smoothly polished walkway. Eudokia walked around it, but discovered another, followed by more. ‘Another MP is somewhere nearby.’ Carefully, she scanned around the courtyard. There were too many for her to know who caused it. It was not the first time, so she just activated her field and kept walking. ‘They’re just looking for a reaction, anything out of me.’ She always only showed them her soldier’s face. She knew it bothered countless numbers of soldiers that she failed to meet their expectations of how an inexperience immature child should act.

The library finally arrived with only a few more steps. She disappeared into the tall structure that filled up a quarter of the headquarters. Border duty held a lot of down time and long hours of little to do. Inside the library, soldiers had the chance to pass time or break up the normal grind. Eudokia used it as a safe retreat and place to keep learning. Learning was something suggested, but never required for the soldiers. A large percent of the books were related to foreign studies usually history or language.

Eudokia retrieved the next book in the series she read and found a comfortable place to sit. No one was around. She could not feel the distant stares or the whispered the words.

It was silent. The way she preferred.

However, someone had discovered her, hidden away in the towers of books. A little child leaned around one of the massive hard wood shelves to stare at Eudokia. The girl watched intently for several minutes before tempting an approach. She looked down at Eudokia seated up against the shelf. “Hello, I didn’t think I’d find anyone else back here! My name is Dareia!”

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

(Author’s Note: This chapter is a follow up to Chapter 100, which celebrated my 100^th chapter for Shift. As the 200^th chapter I’m celebrating the newest milestone for Shift with another past events story. Like before, this is also part of the story. The current arc will resume in on Chapter 201. Thank you to all those that have read and reviewed Shift. Let’s make the next 100 chapters just as great!)

Nearly ten years ago, life was simpler, but still very complicated. The people recovered from the rebellion, but the mark it left remained easily felt. It was something less talked about and people wished to ignore it more often. Life had stability again. They were comfortable with their situation.

Deep inside the marble and stone construct of the palace, a young voice screamed in pain. It was loud and piercing, threatening the very stone. Such stone was old and proud, unwilling to bend to the childishness coming from the voice, even if it pained it.

“I can’t take this anymore!” snapped the voice, once more. They threw down what they held and jumped up from the marble floor. “It doesn’t make any sense!”

Across the large chamber from them, an aging man stood with a full head of gray hair. He leaned forward and began marching in silence towards them. His features hardened with wrinkles making his expression more severe. Only a meter away, his feet stopped next to the two things they threw. Loosely staring down, he towered over them. “Pick it back up,” he ordered, in a grave tone.

“But it’s too hard!”

“Your lesson is not over until I say it is.” He started to lift his hand in a slow action. “I said, pick it up.”

They whimpered a little under the booming voice. It made him shrink away. “But you said I could stop whenever.”

“Did you really think I would let to just quit?” His presence grew worse, darkening out much of his face. Only his eyes remained visible to them.

Tears formed up in their eyes. They wanted to look away, but could not turn. Something seemed to compel them to stay fixed on his eyes. It was as though being swallowed up by something cold and dark. Emptiness poured out into a deep endless void. “I’m really scared!” they cried, tears pouring down their face.

All the tension popped in a second, along with the shadow covering him. “I’m so sorry, my dear!” He knelt down quickly hugging her. She wrapped her tiny arms around his neck crying into his shoulder. “It’s alright, Eudokia. Daddy will stop.”

“Daddy’s too scary! Your face was really creepy!”

Eudokia’s honest words pierced his heart deeply turning his face blue. “Creepy,” he muttered. Hearing his daughter call him creepy made him want to cry.

Chapter 200 – Rewind 2

Once all of the emotions settled down, the two sat on the floor. He handed over the things she dropped. Eudokia still did not understand them. “Why do we have to do something so hard? I thought you were going to teach me how to use my power, Daddy.”

“These are part of your lessons as well, dear.” He patted her on the head. A warm smile grew across his face. “I taught you all of the basics, but to advance you need to grow a strong foundation.”

“But how does logic games and number puzzles help?”

He pointed down at the puzzle she tried to complete. Numbers suddenly appeared on the paper completing the puzzle in mere moments, that Eudokia struggled with for what seemed like hours. “It’s not about solving the puzzle. It’s about holding the information in your head. That’s why I’m not allowing you to write any notes on the paper. You need to keep it all in your head and always remember it. It is important with our power to be able to always know where everything is and what it is or else it can’t exist.”

Eudokia nodded to him. “I know that already, Daddy. I was meaning why these, the academy doesn’t used Sudoku for training.”

Her father looked a little surprised to hear such a response. “How do you know what the academy uses for these exercises?”

“Demmy showed me! I asked him after the last lesson.”

He sighed at the thought of having been undermined. “I can’t believe him. He’s too conventional at times. It’s true that the academy has different methods for this and they’ve had millennia to refine it, but it’s not always about doing what’s well tested.” The man nodded to himself, it felt a little weak the way he backed up his words.

She tilted her head to her side a little confused by her father’s response. “Huh? Is it because you like Japan?”

The question turned his face red in an instant. “What are you talking about, Eudokia?” Denial clearly colored his expression.

“You don’t?” Her head leaned a little more. “But I saw Daddy playing and looking really excited in his closest.”

Jumping up, he realized he was cornered by his own daughter. She discovered his secret, that he thought he kept well hidden from everyone. “When did you?”

“A while ago,” she answered quickly. Eudokia did not understand why he acted so strangely. “Daddy looked like he was having fun. You always have a sad look on your face, so I thought you liked it. Am I wrong?”

She completely disarmed him, but it was innocent and earnest. He sighed and patted her on her head. “You’re not wrong, dear.” He smiled a little for her. ‘I didn’t realize she noticed. I guess I can’t hide my emotions as well as I thought. I’ll have to try to remember to smile a little more for her sake.’

A heavy knock came to the door. It rang out in a particular manner. Both of them seemed to know immediately who it was, as their expression changed. Eudokia jumped up getting very excited suddenly. She ran over the large stone doors as they slowly opened. “Demmy!” Eudokia shouted enthusiastically.

He looked down at Eudokia, a bit of a wrinkle entered his eyebrow. Unfortunately, he did not have much time to react. She already leapt up and climbed up the tall man. “Lady Eudokia,” he uttered carefully.

Eudokia pouted from her perch on his shoulder. “I told you not to call me that, Demmy! How many times do you have to keep telling you?”

“Until you stop giving me nicknames, Lady Eudokia.”

She crossed her hands in a huff, resistant on his request. “Demmy’s being meanie.”

He sighed to himself. Stepping into the room, he approached the center where Eudokia left her father. “Your Majesty.” He straightened himself up in the presence of his King.

The King’s face narrowed a little, understanding the difference of their stations. “Demosthenes, you had a safe travel?”

“Yes, Majesty.”

“Hey, no serious talk!” Eudokia leaned in, using her arm wrapped out around Demosthenes’ neck for support, to get in between the two. “Demmy just got back, Daddy!” She carried a rough look with puffed cheeks that only a child could pull off.

“I’m sorry, dear. You two can play shortly, but we need to talk for a minute, alright?” He patted her on the head to comfort her. She glared a little at him doubting his words. “I won’t steal your time. I bet he brought you a souvenir back from his trip, right?”

“Did you really, Demmy?” Eudokia’s eyes perked up immediately. She turned her attention over to Demosthenes in anticipation.

The pace of the two was a little difficult for him to keep up with, even though he was used to it. Demosthenes dug out of his pocket a small box wrapped up carefully. He presented it to Eudokia. “It’s popular currently in Japan I’m told.”

She accepted the gift. “Will you play with me after you’re done talking?” Her eyes darted between the box and Demosthenes. An excited glow of curiosity filled her eyes. She desperately wanted to know what was inside, but she had to be sure.

“I will.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.” The warm smile on the young child’s face made Demosthenes grin a little. He lowered her down to the ground, allowing her to run off. Once she was far enough away, he turned back to his King. The old man was already on the other side of him working to the doorway. “Majesty.”

“Eudokia seems to have grown very fond of you recently, Demosthenes,” he commented, as they walked slowly.

Glancing at his King, Demosthenes read the scene, while responding. “I just wish she’d call me my name.”

The King laughed a little hearing Demosthenes complain about his daughter’s whims. “It’s an improvement over her last one, Demon.”

“I guess, your Majesty.” He did have to agree with the man. The last name made Demosthenes feel a little self-conscious. He was not sure if it had a source, as Eudokia never gave him a reason. She only called him by it for the last few months in the same cheerful tone. It made it difficult for him to know if she was afraid of him. Demosthenes was not blind to the impression others had on him, being too serious.

“Still, getting more excited to see you over her own father,” he muttered. There was a hint of him pouting a little, strange for someone ruling a kingdom.

It was not something he was really pleased with, but Eudokia’s nature made it difficult to just ignore her. “It’s only because you’ve gotten strict in your training with her.”

“Because you haven’t been as tough as you need to be her. I never attended the academy, but I know about what happens in there. I can’t do anything about the prejudice, but I can prepare her for the challenges she’ll face. It’s my duty as her father to make sure she’s able to survive. Even if she doesn’t understand the reasons right now.”

Demosthenes nodded in agreement. It was something he tried to mirror in his training with her, but it was difficult somehow. “I know…” He did not understand how the King could manage it. There was something about Eudokia that Demosthenes could not get past. The threshold of the room was finally behind them. He drew the doors closed.

When the clear ring of the seal doors sang out through the hall, the King leaned against the wall. He broke out into a sudden fit of coughing that he did not seem to be able to stop. Mere moments passed, but he looked even older than before. Sweat covered his face.

“Your Majesty!” Demosthenes shouted, as he went to help. It eventually calmed down, but he looked worse from the experience. He helped his King through the hall and to a nearby balcony. The King always preferred the fresh air and sight of Atlantis. It seemed to calm him down. “It’s getting worse, isn’t it?”

He took a deep breath in before replying. “It just seems that way. I keep it all back with my power when I’m with her. So it just built up.” It was painful, but he did feel better at least. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Demosthenes looking at him. He knew the look he gave him. “Don’t look at me like that, old friend. We both knew how things would end. More importantly, your report.”

It was back to business. “Yes, your Majesty. I delivered your gift as you requested.”

“That’s good,” he said, a little grin came across his lips. “The seal will remain in place for another few years. How is he doing?”

“He’s very lively and spirited.”

“I’m glad. It was the right decision to leave him with Tomiko and Isamu. They’ll be able to give him a happy, peaceful life away from all of threats here in Atlantis. I can only imagine what those old men would do if they knew of him. I have many enemies.” He stared off at the towers popping up throughout the dense structures of the capital. The white stone of the city masked the darkness in an aura of majestic wonder too easily seen as purity. He knew how dirty the stone truly was, such things were not suitable environments for growing up. “Speaking of enemies. What are they up to?”

“I put stop to another team. They still seem interested in him, despite their failures. It seems like they have given up for now trying to recapture him, but they are monitoring him.”

A grim expression appeared on his face. “I fear Japan may be no safer than Atlantis for him, but they at least won’t want him dead.” His eyes stared off to the horizon. “Though they only want him because they continue to fail without him.”

Demosthenes agreed with him. He did not have the intimate understanding of the people as the King did, but he had seen enough to know how they would act. “They are patience. I believe they’ll keep trying. There is something driving them.”

“It’s true. They are quite desperate, but they’ve been at this for a very long time. So a few years won’t mean a lot to them.” The King turned away from the balcony to look at Demosthenes. “Promise me, old friend. Watch over him. Protect him until the day comes.”

“Your Majesty!” Demosthenes spoke with some surprise in his voice. The tone of his words made it seem like a final request. “You’ll see him again! You’ll be able to explain everything to him then!”

He dropped a hand on Demosthenes’ shoulder. “It’s fine. I’m dying and I don’t know how long I’ll last. I’ll hold out as long as I can until he becomes an adult and I tell him everything. He at least deserves a happy childhood before learning the truth. However, if I don’t make it. I entrust my will to you. He’ll need to know the truth.”

Demosthenes stared at his King for a while. He heard the words, but felt unable to say anything. It was important to him. Everything they worked for had to succeed. Demosthenes understood the grave situation they stood within. “I promise, your Majesty! He’ll be the one to save Atlantis.”

“Thanks, old friend…” Trailing off, his voice seemed to weaken at the end. His eyes closed almost as if something relieved him of a great pressure. The stress disappeared from his eyes. Silence filled the balcony until it became awkward. Demosthenes stretched out to touch him. “Oh and try to learn to be a little less rigid. No one likes a stick in the mud.”

A flattened and slightly annoyed expression painted Demosthenes’ face. He made him worry for nothing. “I’ll try.”

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

The library finally arrived with only a few more steps. She disappeared into the tall structure that filled up a quarter of the headquarters. Border duty held a lot of down time and long hours of little to do. Inside the library, soldiers had the chance to pass time or break up the normal grind. Eudokia used it as a safe retreat and place to keep learning. Learning was something suggested, but never required for the soldiers. A large percent of the books were related to foreign studies usually history or language.

Eudokia retrieved the next book in the series she read and found a comfortable place to sit. No one was around. She could not feel the distant stares or the whispered the words.

It was silent. The way she preferred.

However, someone had discovered her, hidden away in the towers of books. A little child leaned around one of the massive hard wood shelves to stare at Eudokia. The girl watched intently for several minutes before tempting an approach. She looked down at Eudokia seated up against the shelf. “Hello, I didn’t think I’d find anyone else back here! My name is Dareia!”

The young child-like voice made Eudokia pull her head up from her book. It immediately struck her as odd that someone close to her age would be in the South Gate. She was aware of the nearly unheard nature of her assignment. ‘I don’t know her…’ Eudokia remained silent trying to figure out the child.

An awkward atmosphere built up for the kid. Dareia started to fidget with the loose bits of her dress. “Um…h-hello?” She leaned down a little trying to meet Eudokia, thinking she might have been rude for not exchanging any formality. Her tiny hand stretched out as an offering.

No movement came from Eudokia. She kept her caution. It was an unknown situation and unplanned. ‘What does she want?’ Her mind tried to understand the purpose of greeting her. Something in her mind told her it was a trap. She tried to figure it out.

Silence only made things worse for the child. Her words became more broken. “S-sorry…I go…mistake…” When she realized how horribly spoken her words became it only made her more embarrassed. Her feet stumbled backward knocking her into the bookshelf. Immediately, she turned around grabbing a hold of the books and shelf as though her small frame could do something to it. Once everything seemed stable, she ran off down the aisle.

Eudokia watched her round the corner and disappear from sight. A bit of a confused look crept into the edges of her face. “Hmm…strange…”

Chapter 201 – Childish Games

More than a week passed before Eudokia caught sight of the girl. She was walking out of the barracks. The girl hid behind many other soldiers. She had the look of hesitation, but also security. Dareia seemed think she hid herself well. However, Eudokia found her too easily. It was obvious, since the girl looked at her differently than everyone else. They all pretended not to look or schemed, the girl simply watched. She saw Eudokia, unlike the rest.

Since the girl seemed content on watching, Eudokia did not make any attempt to tip her off. ‘She’s back. At first I thought she might have been a soldier’s child, but twice seems unlikely.’ It only filled her thoughts for a moment. Another person on the Base did not concern her. Eudokia just continued her routine.

For her, the routine started to become common to have Dareia sightings, as she began to call them. She saw her more frequently, only confirming her suspicions about the child. Since Eudokia did not have a motivation to figure out the reason, it turned into a game for her. She almost looked forward to discovering where the girl hid herself the next time.

Eudokia lost track of how many weeks or months passed in their game. It had become common, part of her routine. Which was why Eudokia did not understand it when she did not see the girl one time. There was always a period of time she did not show up, confirming for Eudokia that she was assigned to a team.

‘Gone again,’ commented Eudokia, making it the third day. It was out of the pattern. It should have not been something that interested her. The girl was just another soldier, part of the background. Yet her thoughts frequently went back to Dareia, always wondering. ‘Did she get reassigned? Is she injured?’

Why did her thoughts focus on Dareia so much?

Eudokia did not know the answer, despite asking the question repeatedly.

After the fourth day, Eudokia took initiative. She went around searching the Base for clues. ‘She’s got to be around here somewhere.’ The unusual appearance of the child squad leader in parts of the Headquarters not seen before had people talking. Eudokia ignored them more than usual. Her focus kept her from noticing the attention she drew.

‘Nothing,’ she thought, dropping down in her cot. The rest of her team sat around playing a game of cards, a cot away from her. She spent the entire day searching. It completely disrupted her routine. She got nothing done. Yet she still wondered where the girl went.

Three more days passed with Eudokia searching.

She found nothing.

She gave up trying to find her. Eudokia passed the idea from her mind. It was over. Or so she thought. Her mind decided it was not over. She reached out and grabbed the wrist of whoever passed by her. “Tell me where I can find her.” The words left her lips as a hard command, even though her eyes never even looked at the soldier.

“Huh?” the soldier uttered, “The hell you want?”

“The child.” Eudokia did not have patience to deal with troublesome soldier. “The soldier that’s a child.”

Annoyed, the soldier did not have an interest in being very helpful. “The only child I see is the one in front of me.”

The tone the soldier took with her made her snap. She did not understand why it was such a simple thing that broke her. “I see someone’s a wiseass,” she barked. Eudokia tightened her hand around the man’s wrist and moved faster than he expected. Before the soldier had a chance to react, he was already on his knees with his arm behind him bent up to the point of dislocating. “Do you always use that tone towards a superior officer?”

“Wha-“ Pain and yelps broke through the man’s lips. He tried to break free, but Eudokia’s hold kept him down. “Just because you’re one of those freaks doesn’t mean you’re superior. You only got that rank because of who you are!”

Eudokia pulled on his arm a little more drawing out another yelp. “I guess there’s still some ignorant of things around here.” She dropped her badge in front of him, holding both her rank as well as the color of a squad leader.

The man went silent for a moment. “You could have just used your power—“ Eudokia kicked over, releasing him. She stood over him letting him get a good look at her. His eyes widened looking back at the badge. “A child, squad leader badge. You’re her!”

She sighed as he finally put everything together. The look in his eyes change again, back to the same one everyone else had. Crossing her arms, she stepped forward to press her matter. “Now that I have your attention, tell me about the one. The other child here.”

“Huh?” The look on his face had one of someone caught in the middle of an embarrassing act. It took the man a while for him to come out of his stunned reaction. “A child? Are you talking about Second Lieutenant Dareia?”

The name immediately rang familiar for Eudokia. “That’s the one.”

“You didn’t know her? Everyone’s talking about her for months, the second kid in a year.”

“Everyone?” Eudokia felt a little embarrassed by the fact that she knew nothing of what he talked about. She did not even know when she arrived. “What barracks is she assigned to?”

“Barracks E, I think.” The answer was all she wanted from him. She marched off leaving the man behind. “Hey, what’s this all about?” No response came to him. “The hell!?” Eudokia suddenly stopped, turning the soldier’s expression even stranger. She back pedals quickly to be in front of him in moment.

Eudokia stared down at the man. Her hand came out towards him. “Give it back.” Embarrassment filled up her cheeks a little, her eyes darting away. It took a moment for the soldier to figure it out. Her badge returned to her hand and she disappeared once more.

Barracks E stood in front of her. The entrance called to her, but her body hesitated. ‘What am I doing? Will I really find her in there? Why am I even here?’ Indecision suddenly paralyzed her body.

Minutes passed in front of the entrance with no action. It was not until the door opened forcing Eudokia awake, that she moved. The soldier coming out stared at her questioning her reason for being in front of the barrack. It stiffened her resolve, pushing past the soldier almost out of spite. However, inside she faced a new problem. The barracks was as large as the rest, meaning there were plenty of places she could be, if she was in the barracks at all.

The scene was set for her. She had to move forward. It was at least what she told her legs to keep moving. Everyone in the barracks stared at her. They had a different look in their eyes, one of telling her that she was in the wrong place. She ignored them and kept scanning everywhere. ‘Is she here? I’m not seeing her…’

Eudokia reached the end of the walkway. The other door to the barrack stood in front of her. ‘…not here…’ There was no sign of her. She questioned making another pass, but did not turn around. Her hand went for the door, opening it back out into the grounds. Turning briefly back, she made a final pass on the barracks.

Nothing.

It did not bring her any sort of closure. She was not sure what she was going to find. Everything just happened and quickly. Her mind tried to sort it out. ‘I’m going to the library. I need to clear my head.’ Eudokia determined too much focus went on a strange little girl. It was enough.

The walk to the library tried to clear out her thoughts. A haze hung over everything. She hoped it would go away. Her mind needed something else to do. ‘I don’t know what I’m doing.’

Eudokia never made it to the library. She came to an abrupt stop. It could have been luck or chance. She was not certain at the time. ‘It’s her!’ The girl just laid there resting on the stone covered ground. It was an out of the way area, off the normal route to get to anywhere quickly. It was only a path to take when wanting to wander.

Her goal stood before her, but Eudokia did not know what she wanted out of it. She found her. ‘What do I do?’ She never planned for the next step. So Eudokia stood in silence.

In the silence, time passed for a while. It gave Dareia enough time to wake up from her nap. Once she realized Eudokia stared down at her, in a look that appeared far worse than the emotions behind them, she screamed in surprise. She crawled around the area looking for protection, but out in the open she naturally found none. “S-sorry! Sorry! Sorry!”

“Shut up!” snapped Eudokia. She broke out of her turmoil, hearing the child repeating the same word over and over. It was grating to hear it.

Dareia cowered away. “I’m sorry!”

“I said quit apologizing!”

It silenced the child for a moment. “No you didn’t,” she muttered, quietly. Dareia tried to look up at Eudokia, but turn away. Her body trembled.

The scene felt a little awkward for Eudokia. She looked like a bully, which was never her intention. ‘Dealing with people older, younger or same age was never one of my strengths. I never had a lot of practice, I was too focused on other matters.’ Eudokia felt frustrated with herself. She did not know what to do in such a situation. She had to calm the girl down. Eudokia dropped down to sit and think.

The disengagement made Dareia a little curious. It was enough to shake her of her fear. She cautiously approached Eudokia, pausing every step to see how she reacted. No reaction came from the completely engrossed Eudokia. Dareia was nearly on top of Eudokia before she said anything. “…um…”

Angry again, Eudokia popped her eyes open. “Quiet for a moment! I’m trying to think about my next move!”

The two girls stared at each other. Dareia looked frightened, but paralyzed with wonder. The words out of Eudokia had her a little puzzled. It drew a contrary image of the situation. It was almost bizarre. Dareia burst out in laughter for no clear reason. She could not stop laughing. It became infectious enough to make Eudokia laugh as well.

‘It was the first time I remembered laughing in front of someone other than my father.’

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

Several days passed since Eudokia found Dareia. Their second meeting went better than the first, as they actually carried a conversation. Eudokia was not entirely certain why, but she knew something was different. It was all still very new to her.

Awkwardness might have been the best thing that described Eudokia’s actions. She did not try to find Dareia anymore. The routine returned. The library was the place she stayed.

Her last patrol ended the day before. She rested more than enough from the two-day marathon, though her team still slept. Inside, the library, she laid against the bookshelf with a book masking out much of her face. It was a little oversized in her hands, making her seem even smaller than normal.

On a normal day, she never would have noticed the approach, but her mind was not in the book. It suited best as merely a failed attempt at a distraction. She paused on the page she had been unable to finish for the last ten minutes. Her eyes darted over to the far side of the aisle, the book lowered.

No one was there, yet. A moment later, a head surfaced, as Eudokia expected. Not expecting to be spotted immediately, they ducked away. Eudokia listened to the scurrying feet along the marble floors. Her eyes tracked the movement behind the shelf until they popped out a little closer. She wondered if it was their attempt at stealth. “Hello,” she said, the moment they surfaced.

“Ah!” Dareia yelped, falling over. Her tiny voice carried further through the library than thought possible.

A raised eyebrow was all Eudokia managed. ‘I figured she’d show up again, but she’s still easily frightened.’ Understanding that the reading ended, she closed the book, leaving it to rest on her lap. She waited for Dareia to recover before taking any further action.

Once she realized that Eudokia stared at her, Dareia jumped up to try to compose herself quickly. It ended up creating more problems than resolving. “I’m so sorry!” plead Dareia, after she gave up on her efforts.

“Why?”

“Huh?”

Eudokia leaned forward resting her head on her arm, propped up against her knee. The source of the disruption stood before her. She had to admit her curiosity, especially since it made her routine difficult to continue. “You haven’t done anything requiring you to apologize to me. Maybe the library, but it’s wasted on me.”

The words were clearly stated as a fact, one that any outsider would have understood. However, Dareia was in the middle of the conversation. She did not understand it. It felt like attacked her. “I-I’m sorry!” She cowered a little, putting her arms up against her chest for security.

Another apology bothered Eudokia. “I thought I already told you it was unnecessary.” A minor twitch in her eye responded to Eudokia’s emotions. Dareia started to open her mouth, but Eudokia lifted her hand. The look in her eyes was too easy to read for Eudokia. “Let’s put this path of conversation to the side for now. I’m more interested in why you’re here.”

Chapter 202 – Child of Lies

It took nearly a minute of convincing, on Eudokia’s part, to get Dareia to sit down. She did not want to be directly across from Eudokia in the aisle. It meant being too close to Eudokia. Eudokia did not want to carry a conversation from across the entire library. A compromise came down with her being in the aisle, but at a diagonal distance of five meters apart. Eudokia felt like she actually measured it out, as it took her several adjustments before she stopped. Though, she might have only stopped because Eudokia started glaring.

“Ready to talk?”

Taking in a breath, she froze up for a moment. The piercing stare from Eudokia shattered Dareia forcing her to exhale suddenly. It made her cough, only prolonging the delay. Pouring out the minutes, Dareia saw the looks she received. Part of her straightened out. She granted a meager nod to Eudokia. “Yes,” she responded, several delayed moments later.

“We didn’t really get any said the last time. I want to know why you’ve been following me for months.” Her voice came out very commanding, even with Eudokia trying to tone her tone down. The mixed success came clearly across Dareia’s face. It made Eudokia frustrated a little with herself. ‘I’m so used to ordering them around. It’s difficult to turn off. I’m not used to someone so frail.’

“Wel-Well I-I…” Her words cut off too quickly. She realized how much she stammered. “I don’t know.” Dareia blurted out quickly, as though if she did not something bad would happen.

Eudokia wanted to fall over for hearing such a thing. “You have a reason. I want to know.”

Demands did little against Dareia. It only made her clam up more. The silence triggered the usual reaction out of Eudokia, only making matters worse. “I’m sorry!” She managed a sentence without hesitation, but it was likely because it was too well rehearsed for her to screw it up.

Wanting to get angry, Eudokia started to move, but noticed it did nothing productive. She simply sighed as an alternative. “So exhausting.” The thought of leaving it behind turned into a consideration. ‘I’ve never known someone so trying to communicate with.’

“I’m—“

Raising her hand again, Eudokia cut off Dareia. ‘I need a different approach.’ She tried to think back to what she did last time to make things better. Unfortunately, nothing came to her. The entire situation fell out of her control. ‘I need to make her not feel scared.’ It felt like a more challenging request than leading a bunch of soldiers filled with envy, jealousy and schemes. She did not understand it.

She tried a smile. It was her only option, a last resort. It was pretty clear from the attempt. However, it managed to do something Eudokia failed to do. Dareia sputtered into laughter from the awkward, terrible smile. It made Eudokia’s face turn a little red. “I’m not used to it,” she muttered up as an excuse.

Dareia kept laughing, unable to stop. It took a whack to the head for her to be silenced enough for things to calm down. “I’m sorry, but it was really funny!” The image in her mind made her start to giggle.

The red in her face did not die down, flustering Eudokia further. “I told you I’m not used to this!” She crossed her arms, suddenly feeling a bout of childishness.

Attempts to cough down the laughter failed and only renewed it louder. Unable to do anything about it, Eudokia just let it ride until Dareia hurt herself. ‘I didn’t think it was that funny…’ Eudokia’s lost expression completed the picture.

After everything settled down again, Dareia seemed ready. “I was curious.”

“Curious?” questioned Eudokia. It took her a moment to get her mind back to the original question.

“I remember hearing about you in the academy. I wanted to see you.”

She took the next leap herself in the conversation. “So you got a transfer out here? Just to see me? At your age?” The last bit felt a little miss placed coming from her. Even Eudokia acknowledged it with a reactionary pause.

“But you’re here. So I figured I’d be fine!”

It was a difficult argument to counter. Eudokia sighed, pressing her hand to her face. “You realize that you won’t be able to get another transfer until you’ve finished your tour here.”

“That’s fine!” Dareia replied. Her expressions relaxed more talking with Eudokia.

“I can’t believe you did all of that just to come out here to see me. I’m not worth the effort.”

Dareia shook her head. “No, you’re wrong. You’re proof that we can achieve more than what is just handed to us. We look up to you!”

Eudokia read her features carefully when she spoke. It seemed sincere, but she had trouble believing it. “No one looks up to me. I think you’re mistaking it for jealousy.”

“You are!” The child was up on her feet approaching Eudokia. She had her hands tightly closed. Every bit of her body emphasized her theory. “You have to believe me!”

“I don’t have to believe anything,” Eudokia answered, cutting her off. She ended the conversation at that spot and stood up. Dareia did not follow her on her retreat from the library. The words from Dareia spun around her head. ‘It’s impossible!’

The more impossible situation was Eudokia trying to be freed from Dareia continued to visits. Despite the outcome from the previous conversation, Dareia showed back up at the library the very next day. Unlike the other encounters with the girl, something fired her up to actually start speaking with Eudokia. It made it difficult for her to keep reading.

After the second day, Eudokia looked for a different place with her book in hand. However, Dareia found her surprisingly quickly. It seemed she had a knack for finding Eudokia. Escape looked impossible.

Eudokia’s patrol ended up being the only place she could not follow. It made her feel oddly eager for it, despite the atmosphere she had to deal with from her team. Return visits resumed the game of hide and seek. Their game continued until Eudokia gave up the attempts to seek a private place.

She returned to the library.

“How come you’re in the library so much, Eudokia?” asked Dareia. The familiarity she developed on her own started to come out in her words. Nothing Eudokia did could frighten her away. It actually made Eudokia wonder if the previous girl even existed. They were so different.

Closing her book, Eudokia relented to the question. “Because there are still things I don’t know.” It was a mostly accurate answer to the question. Eudokia did not plan to allow it to go deeper.

“You’re so devoted! That’s really cool!”

“I’m not sure if that’s correct.”

Dareia leaned in a little trying to see something. “What’s the book you’re reading? I’ve been seeing you with it for a while. You must really like it!”

Eudokia glanced over at her, wondering if she was truly ignorant of what she just said. “This.” She lifted the book to allow the cover to be shown.

“A Beginner’s Guide to Japanese?” Her look turned quizzical for a moment. “Japanese? Why are you learning Japanese?”

“Because it’s suggested that all soldiers know a foreign language when on patrol.”

Dareia already knew that. The question went deeper than just the basic answer. “The scientists around the South Gate are European.”

“I already know English, French, Germen and Italian. At least well enough for basic communication.” She pulled the book back in resting her arms to cover it up. “I wanted to learn something different.”

“But you’ll never use it.”

She did not have much of a response to such a statement. It was the truth. “Probably,” she shrugged in agreement.

Their chatter continued for an hour before Dareia finally left. It seemed like she ran out of things to discuss with Eudokia. She was able to go back to reading as she wished. However, it became the new routine for Eudokia. Everyday neither of them had patrols, they would meet in the library and talk. Dareia seemed oddly fascinated in everything Eudokia did. She willingly gave up the information not even thinking about it.

Months passed and Eudokia started to look forward to their meetings. She had something different to do from just learning, absorbing more knowledge. It did not have the same feel as being with the others. She enjoyed it.

Such happiness was never designed to last.

It happened by chance. Everything could have been the same had she not noticed. But she did. Once she did she wondered how she never saw it before. It was obvious.

There was something not right with Dareia.

They walked towards the library. Dareia started to meet her on her way to the library, rather than inside. Eudokia was fine with it. It made the walk easier. She could focus on something other than the stares. Yet she wished that she focused on the stares.

The position she had at her side made it all too easy to see. It was the weak point. Luck happened to be on her side in the moment. Perhaps? She looked over at Dareia, who much shorter than her. It required her to look down, but Eudokia was not then. She caught sight of a leaf blowing past them, over top Dareia. Rather it went around the air above her, hung up for a brief frame before continuing. It had a very unnatural motion, as if it ran into something. ‘What did I just see?!’ It made her eyes go for wide.

Countless theories spun through her mind. Something was very wrong and Eudokia did not know why she never noticed it. Everything was in doubt.

A ripple escaped her feet.

Eudokia lifted her hands to her face, a pair of glasses tucked in her palm. She allowed her pace to slow enough to drop her just out of sight of Dareia. The moment she put the glasses on questions flooded towards her. “Who are you?” It was not the same person she knew.

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

They walked towards the library. Dareia started to meet her on her way to the library, rather than inside. Eudokia was fine with it. It made the walk easier. She could focus on something other than the stares. Yet she wished that she focused on the stares.

The position she had at her side made it all too easy to see. It was the weak point. Luck happened to be on her side in the moment. Perhaps? She looked over at Dareia, who much shorter than her. It required her to look down, but Eudokia was not then. She caught sight of a leaf blowing past them, over top Dareia. Rather it went around the air above her, hung up for a brief frame before continuing. It had a very unnatural motion, as if it ran into something. ‘What did I just see?!’ It made her eyes go for wide.

Countless theories spun through her mind. Something was very wrong and Eudokia did not know why she never noticed it. Everything was in doubt.

A ripple escaped her feet.

Eudokia lifted her hands to her face, a pair of glasses tucked in her palm. She allowed her pace to slow enough to drop her just out of sight of Dareia. The moment she put the glasses on questions flooded towards her. “Who are you?” It was not the same person she knew.

The person before her was completely different from the reality she knew. Through the glasses, Eudokia saw not a child, younger than her, but an adult woman at least twice her age. Where she saw a black haired child, she found a blonde-haired woman. So many questions came to her.

When Eudokia came to a stop, it only took Dareia few steps to realize it. She looked back at Eudokia. The look in her eyes took her enough. A small smile grew across her lips. It had a knowing look to it, almost as if she expected the outcome. “The secret’s out.”

Chapter 203 – Art of the Con

‘The secret’s out? It’s like she doesn’t even care I know she’s been lying to me the entire time!’ Eudokia did not understand it at all. Hard to control emotions boiled up in her body. It made her shake. She thought it might make her explode. She wanted answers, but found herself running away. ‘Why?! Why?!’

Eudokia retreated to the barracks. However, she knew she could not go inside. She turned away, making for the gate. The solitude of the endless fields of grass surrounding the Base was her last refuge. ‘I don’t understand!’ She dropped her head down. ‘Why?!’ The grass blew between her legs, never giving an answer. ‘Why?!’ She fell backwards. ‘Why?!’ The sky said just as much to her.

Minutes turned to hours until the sky filled with stars. Time last all meaning to her. ‘Did I fall asleep?’ Her hand rubbed against her eyes. She found them to be wet, but her cheeks felt weird like something dried on them.

She made her way back to the barracks. It was already past the evening call. Most were already sleeping, apart from those going off for their patrols. When she made it to her squad’s section, she noticed Nikon staring at her.

The look in his eyes was a complicated one for her to judge. She did not know what he wanted, but tried to ignore it. His timing waited until she was almost to her cot. “I reported your absence.”

“That’s fine.” Eudokia slid into her sheets. It was almost a meaningless thing by Nikon. They both knew that her officer rank exempted her from the requirement of being at the calls. It was only good form to be with the team, since she was the squad leader.

Sleep was a difficult thing for Eudokia. Her mind continued to spin questions she could not answer. It kept her from getting anything close to meaningful sleep. When morning came her mind and body were exhausted. It made her thankful she did not have a patrol. She never would have survived the trek.

In the course of her attempts to follow her routine, she saw Dareia. Still walking around as a child, she looked like nothing happened yesterday. It made Eudokia’s heart start beating rapidly. It was so sudden it nearly buckled her legs, tired from the lack of sleep. The shaking in her body was impossible for her to keep in control.

She fled.

Any chance she had disappeared. Dareia had her patrol and did not return for two days. Poor timing fell for Eudokia forcing her to go on patrol shortly after Dareia returned. All Eudokia could do was sit on the mass of emotions with nothing to release them.

It left her with the needed motivation when she came back. Nothing mattered to her at the point she reached. Travel fatigue did not even seem to exist for her, something that boggled her squad’s minds for the entire patrol. They returned naturally winded, but she never missed a beat. Before they realized what happened, she disappeared from their sight with only a, “Dismissed!”

Eudokia teetered between a march and run as she went in search of Dareia. ‘I’ll get my answers today!’ It did not seem to take very much for Eudokia to locate Dareia, almost as if she wanted to be found. She tightened up her hands in preparation. The look on Dareia said she knew what she wanted, but waited for her action. She could never see Dareia the same. It frustrated her. Every expression, feature on her face seemed to hold a completely different meaning then better, despite looking the same. “I want my answers!” she shouted, jumping ahead on her plan and not realizing it.

Dareia giggled a little at Eudokia. “You need to be a little more specific.”

It flustered Eudokia almost immediately when she caught up to her words. “I mean about you!” She almost looked like she was going to throw a tantrum. “Who are you?”

“I’m Dareia and MP just like you.”

“I know that already!” Eudokia panted a little, finding Dareia suddenly difficult to deal with now. “I want to know why you are deceiving everyone! Why did you deceive me?!”

“Everyone is always deceiving. Our powers just make it easier.”

“That’s not the point! I want answers!”

“There’s some true in what I said.” She lifted up her hand pointing her index finger to recall their previous conversation. “I did want to meet you. You have quite the reputation back at the Academy.” Dareia stood up and started to walk around Eudokia. “I was at the capital during your time in the Academy and heard a lot of rumors about you. So I became curious.”

Eudokia’s eyes narrowed, bothered by the changes she saw in Dareia. She could not see the person she knew inside the child. “You came all the way out here just to see me? I find that an excuse poor. You must have a better reason than that!”

Dareia grinned over at Eudokia. She stopped in front of her. The same knowing grinned corrupted her face. “You think so? I tend to be a rather spontaneous woman.”

“Spontaneous?” Eudokia stepped back from Dareia. The close proximity of her made her uneasy. With the façade down, she got a completely different feeling from her. One that seemed almost predatorial, the complete opposite of the child she played. “It was spontaneous to pretend to be a child? That’s rather unbelievable out here.”

“True, under normal circumstances.” She stretched out reaching for Eudokia. “However, you’re here. A child is a rare sight, but a second becomes more accepted.”

“How’d you do it? I know you couldn’t be maintaining your field the entire time. You wouldn’t last.”

“I have a device to project what I need.”

“Now what? I know your secret, what are you planning on doing now?” It was closer to the heart of the matter for Eudokia. Everything collapsed because of what she learned. She did not know how things could continue. It was all gone.

Dareia pulled back and rested back on the step. “I’ve got a tour to complete. I’m not going anywhere.”

“That’s not what I mean and you know it!”

Shrugging a little, she smiled back at Eudokia admitting how right she was. “You’re right.” Dareia moved her hand to appear pensive, though it was hard to know if it was actually real or not. The position remained regardless of the reality for a few moments. She met gazes with Eudokia when she was ready. “You seem in need of my specialty.”

“Specialty?”

“Yup!” Dareia rocked forward and jumped up. She cheerfully jogged around Eudokia. She took Eudokia by the arm and ran off with her into the denser parts of the Base. While they went along the paths, they passed soldiers. Dareia jumped up waving to them. A greeting exchanged with them.

“Good afternoon Second Lieutenant!”

“Relaxing on your day off, Dareia?”

“Yuppers! It’s so nice today! I just had to get out!”

Eudokia stared at the whole exchange in a bit of confusion and bewilderment. The child she knew from before had returned. She was a little more cheerful and outgoing than she recognized, but it was close enough. It made her hopeful. ‘Dareia!’

She turned immediately back to Eudokia, as though knowing the exact right timing. “See?” It was all shattered in an instant.

It snapped Eudokia back out of her disillusions. The annoyed expression returned to her face. She glared at Dareia. “What was the point of that?”

“Proof.” Dareia saw that Eudokia did not follow her answer. She continued walking and greeting those that passed them. Eventually, they reached the end and no one was around. “Even someone like me can get along with the rest of the soldiers on the Base.”

Crossing her arms, Eudokia had her doubts about the whole thing. It seemed fruitless to her. “It’s all just lies.”

“Lies, yes, but you need to learn that you need lies to survive in this world. Without them, people could not co-exist. Innocent white lies or even complex webs, you need to do a little lying if you plan to have people accept you and follow you.”

“You’re wrong! All you’re doing is ignoring yourself in favor of what others want!” Eudokia turned around, almost ready to break out in tears. There truly was nothing inside Dareia of the person she knew. She started to run away.

Dareia stopped her with her words. “Aren’t you already doing that, but failing?” Eudokia tilted her head back at the child, her eyes wide in surprise. Dareia saw through her completely. “You aren’t acting yourself in front of them. You want to be someone that they respect and listen to, but they only see a child desperately pretending.”

Eudokia ground her teeth together. The direct hit hurt more than she thought. She turned away from Dareia again, unable to look at her. Her expression already revealed everything, but she had to do any to protect what remained of her façade. “You don’t know what you’re talking about!”

Grinning a little, Dareia lowered her head. “If you want to learn how to survive in the adult world, I’ll be here. Waiting.” She leaned back against the stone of the outer wall of the headquarters.

Finally, she fled from the area. It felt overdue for Eudokia. She could not stand being around Dareia. There was nothing she could find inside her that was familiar. It was nothing but a lie. The admissions she made only worsened it. ‘Nothing was real. It was just an act by her to close to me! I can’t trust anything she says!’

She returned to the barracks. The library was pointless for her. Her mind was spinning too hard for her to actually focus on anything. She had her answers, but nothing like what she was expecting. All she could do was lie down. It solved nothing, but she did not feel like moving. The fatigue in her body finally caught up to her.

Sleep descended.

The morning arrived for Eudokia. Whispers went around the barracks, enough to stir her out of her sleep. When she rose from the cot, it caught the attention of the others. They all glanced around at each other in silence. The same stares leveled on her. ‘Always the same here. I can rely on that at least.’ She rolled over.

“Letting your rank finally get to your head,” commented Nikon. It did not have enough context for Eudokia to make sense of what he said. She glanced over her shoulder back at him not giving him much of an expression. It only bothered him more. “You think just because you’re special the rules don’t apply to you.” It was just more of the same, but Eudokia still had no idea why he brought it up.

“You ignored call,” Hilarion filled in for Eudokia. He sat on the cot mostly engrossed in a book. The rest of the squad was not present.

Eudokia’s flat expression did not react. “I see.” She lowered back to the cot, planning to ignore everything. Unfortunately, Nikon continued on ranting about Eudokia’s unprofessional nature and disregard for the rules. He managed to have enough to material for thirty minutes before he stopped. It was difficult to know if he ran out of things to say or just was tired of not having a reaction from Eudokia.

The weeks passed with Eudokia settling back into the routine. Her squad continued to give her insubordinate looks, while silently following her. It did not take much to see they just were buying their time. She had achieved nothing to change their opinion of her.

Everything was the same.

She was fine with it. Or so she thought.

Something nagged at her sides quietly and slowly picking at the cracks. It never stopped. At first, she ignored it, not thinking anything of it. However, the longer it continued the worse it got. She could not get it out of her mind. It built up until she could no longer stand it.

Along the outer walls of the headquarters, Eudokia stood a safe distance away from them. She still did not trust them, but they had something she wanted. “Show me how to fit into this world.” Dareia glanced over at Eudokia, grinning the knowing look again.

“I’ll teach you more than just that! I’ll show you how to make it kneel before you!”

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

Something nagged at her sides quietly and slowly picking at the cracks. It never stopped. At first, she ignored it, not thinking anything of it. However, the longer it continued the worse it got. She could not get it out of her mind. It built up until she could no longer stand it.

Along the outer walls of the headquarters, Eudokia stood a safe distance away from them. She still did not trust them, but they had something she wanted. “Show me how to fit into this world.” Dareia glanced over at Eudokia, grinning the knowing look again.

“I’ll teach you more than just that! I’ll show you how to make it kneel before you!”

Eudokia recalled the scene she had with Dareia. The moment she made her decision. She was still not sure what Dareia had to show her or how useful it was. Doubt still existed in her heart about the need for it, but she felt oddly compelled by the words.

The result of her decision had her standing out in the middle of the busiest part of the Base. She only stood in the crowd because it was where Dareia told her to meet her. Nothing happened after their agreement. ‘How long is she going to be?’ Unfortunately, Eudokia waited alone for nearly half an hour.

Her limit reached an end. “She’s not showing.” Eudokia turned away, worming through the masses. It was over.

“Giving up already?”

Eudokia spun around in the direction of the voice. The little girl stood at her heels as though always behind her, but somehow out of sight. It unnerved her a little. “How long?”

“More than you.”

Grinding her teeth, Eudokia discovered her annoyance difficult to manage. “Why?” Short words were all she could muster. ‘She’s wasting my time.’

Dareia moved past Eudokia, taking her own path. “Follow me.” The path led to one of the gates. Beyond the gates, Dareia dropped her façade. Free from watchful eyes, she revealed her true self. The woman Eudokia glimpsed before. “Did you learn anything?” Finally seen unaided, Dareia looked young, in her twenties, but mature. She carried a serious countenance, unlike the one seen as a child.

Chapter 204 – Carving a Hole

“Learn?” Eudokia still had troubles with her emotions. Seeing Dareia for who she really was did nothing to tempter it. It only bothered her more. “What can I learn from someone that only knows how to hide?”

“Anger doesn’t suit you, Eudokia,” remarked Dareia, her eyes narrowing. It was obvious she required a lot more work. “There’s a difference in what you think I do and the reality.”

Skepticism made Eudokia’s face ugly. “What reality?” She only saw a self-diluted woman in front of her. Following her was truly a mistake.

Raising a hand up, Dareia motioned to Eudokia. “Control.” She squeezed her hand in a needlessly dramatic fashion. “What I do is control my environment and those around me. It appears to your naïve eyes as hiding or moving with the motions, but it’s quite a bit different. That’s the reason you sought me out.” Dareia pointed her index finger across at Eudokia, like beckoning her. “Down inside you want it.”

Eudokia took a half step away. There was something off about the scene. The woman’s eyes felt like they pierced through her, seeing deep inside. ‘Was that what was bothering me?’ Such control seemed impossible. There was no way to manipulate people do to what you wanted. Eudokia did not believe it, yet her legs did not allow her to leave.

She remained.

“Did you see anything interesting?” She returned to the original matter.

Turned away, Eudokia had trouble looking at Dareia without feeling her emotions getting out of control. “Nothing.”

“I see.” Dareia activated her façade. She walked past Eudokia, back in the direction of the gate. “We can’t progress until you understand.”

“What?!” Eudokia yelled. It was meaningless. She fought between the different actions she wanted to take. What was the point of it all? Eudokia ran up a short distance, but still far away from Dareia. “So you’re just going to waste my time?”

The child turned her head back towards Eudokia. Her eyes were narrow and serious. “No, you’re wasting mine. Until you figure it out, you’re not ready.” Dareia faced ahead once more and strode off. The silence left Eudokia unable to react. Stopping one last time, she remained staring at the gate in the distance. “Just remember, I picked you because I saw you had the potential. That’s the only hint I’ll give you.”

Annoyed again, Eudokia rubbed her teeth slowly over her lips. “A hint?” she muttered to herself. “This is just a waste. I shouldn’t have bothered giving into my curiosity.” Eudokia waited until Dareia disappeared behind the walls to even begin approaching. She wanted nothing to do with Dareia anymore. It was all merely a game for Dareia to play and she would have none of it.

Days passed with a struggle. Dareia’s words continued to bother Eudokia, as much as she tried to forget them. It made moving forward difficult, even though she forced herself. Eventually, it was two weeks since their meeting. Eudokia routine became one of denial rather than learning.

Stubbornly, Eudokia returned to the busy courtyard Dareia forced her into previously. She sat at a distance watching the scene. People passed through on the way to patrols, duties or spare time. It varied, but she did not find anything important. After an hour, she left. ‘What does she expect me to see? This is pointless.’

Pointless, but she showed up again. It was not about curiosity anymore. It was a matter pride for Eudokia. There was supposedly something to see and she would not allow Dareia the satisfaction. Eudokia continued to make regular visits to the courtyard. While she got strange looks from soldiers, none of it mattered to her. Her mind was focused. The goal was the only thing important.

Eventually, the passage of time meant nothing. It was then that Dareia surfaced again. In her child form, she appeared to Eudokia during one of her monitoring sessions. “Enjoying yourself?” she inquired, taking up a seat next to Eudokia.

It was hard to call it enjoyment. She was just simply stubborn. “No.” Eudokia leaned forward, sighing suddenly. “He’s back again,” she commented. It was probably the worst part of the hour she watched. Dareia next to her only made it feel worse. She threw herself back to lie down, not wanting to see any of it.

Curious, Dareia looked over at Eudokia. “Who is he?”

She preferred not thinking anymore about him. The past days gave her enough to watch. “He shows up every day at this time. It’s annoying to watch him. He never makes any action, just passively stands there thinking of things to do that he’ll never act upon.”

Dareia glanced over at the man. He played out his usual actions like Eudokia noted. “There seems to be a change in him today,” observed Dareia. She watched Eudokia’s reaction.

“That’s only because he thinks he was spotted. However, she’s completely oblivious to him. She only has interest in the guy that just showed up. None of them know of the other, they’re always just passing each other. It’s pointless.”

“The world is like that most times.” A smile came across Dareia’s lips. She looked back at the two lovebirds, never destined to meet. “Most are oblivious, too afraid to make a move to ruin their comfort. It makes them easy to read though.” Dareia stood up, dusting off her dress. “Meet me tomorrow.” She walked off with no further words.

Eudokia lifted her head to stare at Dareia until she fell out of sight between the crowd. Confusion filled her face. “What?” Her eyes grew wider failing to follow what happened.

However confused it made Eudokia, she showed up the next day to find out what Dareia purpose was for calling her out. “So why did you want to see me?” They stood out in the fields beyond the Base again. A quiet place, it was safe.

Returning to her adult form, Dareia had a different look on her face. “You still have quite a ways to go, but you started to figure some of it out. For now, your emotions and pride are making it impossible for you to see clearly, but those will clear up in time.”

Such words immediately put on her on the defense. Eudokia felt like Dareia pierced to her heart again. It was unsettling how easily she saw through everything. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Denial doesn’t work on me. You must have been thinking about it. Why did I want you to do it?”

It was back to the previous matter. Eudokia felt a little cornered by Dareia response, almost as if it was an all or nothing pass or fail test. She did not like the feeling she picked up from her. ‘What sort of answer is she looking for? It was all just meaningless stuff. I just watched people, it wasn’t anything important. I can’t see how any of it is supposed to help me.’ Not having an answer was worse than giving the wrong one. At least, Eudokia felt that way. She needed to find something that would satisfy the woman.

Eudokia racked her brain for answers. Nothing immediately came to her. She just continued a cyclical pattern. There was no answer. No reason for any of it. She hated doing it, but she expected to find an answer. It annoyed her she never figured it out.

“Silence? I guess things end here then. You weren’t—“


She threw up her hand to cut Dareia off. Eudokia’s determination bled into her eyes. “I’ll give you your answer!” Her response made Dareia’s eyebrows raise a little, looking amused, another annoying response. However, Eudokia forced herself into a position she knew nothing of how to escape. ‘What am I supposed to say?!’

Time ran short for her. She had to provide an answer quickly. Her mind blew through everything in search. ‘This whole thing started because she lied to me and then made such a bold claim as to showing me how to survive by lying like she does. But what’s the point? I came out of nagging curiosity, but it is still just lies. What will that gain me? She fits in, but what do I care about that?’ Eudokia blindly tried to reason her way to an answer. It felt pointless, but she pushed forward in the remaining seconds.

‘It’s all about lies. How does she fit in so easily? She’s just pretending, lying. She knows the right lies to use, but how? How does she know the right ones to use?’ The hours wasted on watching people came to her. The reason for her dire need for an answer. ‘I just watched people, I didn’t get anything from it.’ Eudokia mind trailed off on the thought. She looked up at Dareia feeling something dawn on her. ‘Lies and watching.’

Dareia grinned knowingly. “You understand now don’t you?” She leaned down toward Eudokia. The answer found her.

“That’s how you do it, isn’t it?”

“Correct!” applauded Dareia. “The Academy taught you to know how to read a situation, but you can use that skill for more than just situational analysis. Lies can be your control. You know the right things to say and everything falls into your hands. That’s what I’ll show you.”

It still bothered Eudokia. The method of reaching it. “You could have been more direct and saved the time.”

“That’s not how I work. Anything worth having must be earned. If you can’t obtain it, then you weren’t worthy to have it.” Dareia walked away from Eudokia, concluding their meeting. “Besides, I knew you’d figured it out.”

Eudokia turned around quickly watching Dareia leave. The sight bothered her. ‘I was in her control the entire time, wasn’t I? I’ll show you how dangerous that is.’ She became determined to take advantage of everything Dareia offered her. Her mind already worked out plans for her revenge.

“Come back tomorrow. The real work begins then!” Dareia waved casually at Eudokia, never looking back at her. Eudokia’s exam finished that day and her training began.

‘Just another patrol…’ Eudokia commented to herself. She long adjusted to the patrol, but it did not make the solitude any better to manage. Nearly a year passed since she joined the South Gate. Her training with Dareia progressed slowly. All of the embarrassing situations Dareia forced her into were memories she preferred to forget. It left quiet rumors going around the Base, ones she wished she could silence permanently.

However, she could not think about them. The regularly scheduled check in with Headquarters came first. “All halt!” she barked, lifting her arm up to signal to her squad. A ripple expanded out from her feet. Nothing on the surface changed, but she connected with the military communication lines running through the ground. They ran around the perimeter set by the barrier allowing contact back to Command.

Eudokia motioned to Nikon, giving him the all clear. He carried the communication pack, normally reserved for the MP in the squad. However, regulations prevented the squad leader from also being in charge of communications. Nikon lifted the wires out of the pack attaching them to a simple ear device. “This is the 241^st Squad, hourly report—“ Something made Nikon go silent. The longer silence remained the deeper the lines in his features began.

It did not take her training to realize something happened. They had new orders. She waited until it looked like he finished with Headquarters. “What is it?”

“The 94^th Squad has reported an intrusion two hours ago.”

“Two hours ago? Have they made anymore reports?” The wording already made Eudokia suspect the answer, but she needed confirmation.

“Negative. They’ve made no further reports since their notification of pursuing the intruders.”

Such implications made the situation dire. The entire squad understood it very clearly. Eudokia took a step closer to her squad. “What direction were they last reported in?”

“The vicinity of Kapni. Our orders are to investigate the area, locate the 94^th Squad and aid them in the capture of the intruders.”

Eudokia took it all in and looked around at her squad. They had some uncertainty in their eyes. The discovery of intruders was a career making achievement, but even they were generally routine. Capture the intruder, wipe any memories and escort them back to the barrier, those were the steps. They were easily. Trouble free actions. However, this time was different. Something happened to a squad, meaning they were going into a dangerous unknown situation. It was all their first times.

She had to say something. They looked ready to fall apart. Academy prepared them for only so much. Reality was different. “Right! This is what we trained for. The honor of the South Gate is on the line here. We have not lost a soldier in the two centuries since we started patrolling. I’m not about to see that tarnished. You have your doubts about my command, but a squad is like family. And I don’t anything happen to family.” Eudokia’s face turned a little red after her little speech. She faintly thought of Dareia. She hoped it worked.

Silence settled around the squad staring at Eudokia. They seemed to not know how to react after what she said. It surprised everyone that Nikon stepped forward. His eyes looked partially away. “I’m not sure how I feel about being led around by my little sister, but…I have your back, Squad Leader.”

A bit of surprise came across Eudokia’s face. She did not expect such a response from him. It made her smile a little. The rest of the squad fell in alongside Nikon. “We feel the same, Nikon. We’ll follow you, Squad Leader!”

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

Time was short. Action needed to be swift. The danger to the villagers and the squad were high with the amount of uncertainty. They did not know what they were getting into with their mission. All they knew was they could not fail.

The thought of failure repeated through Eudokia’s mind. She thought she prepared herself for the moment. It was what she needed, but she could not help the thoughts. ‘What if they’re dead? What if I get them hurt? Or can’t find the intruders.’ It continued through her mind, making it difficult to focus. Had her team known, they would have hesitated climbing onboard the vehicle she made for them.

Each of them had different ideas of what to expect when they arrived in the area. However, reality defied them all. None of them believed that they would find the village completely normal. Eudokia dropped them off outside the village, about a kilometer out. From their vantage point, nothing was wrong in Kapni. Everyone carried about as though it was a normal afternoon day.

Eudokia looked back at her team. They wanted answers, but she had none to give. She wanted the same answers they did. ‘I expected some sort of change. If the intruders were in the area of Kapni, I figured that they would go to the village. It’s the only place with civilization, it only would be natural.’ Thoughts turned about for Eudokia. However, it did not solve the immediate problem. She needed to give her team orders. “Alright, we don’t know the situation yet. Anything could be happening, Daidalos and Hestia, take the perimeter to the right. Hilarion and Nikon take the left approach. We meet on the other side in thirty minutes.”

They all accepted the orders, but had some concerns about the plan. Nikon voiced his questions, though not in his usual tone. “What will you do? You can’t go alone.”

She tilted her head back towards the village. “I’m going through the village. We’re just dealing with normal humans, so I can go invisible and observe the situation. I don’t want to spook them, if they happen to be inside.” It surprised her a little to see that they actually looked a little uneasy about her going alone. “I’ll be fine, but I need to know if anything is happening outside of the village. Once we have more recon, I can make a plan. For all we know, the intruders aren’t even in the village and Squad 94 is still in pursuit. I need you, so I can make sure this all ends the way we want.”

“We understand!” they answered.

“Thanks,” nodded Eudokia.

Chapter 205 – Crawling in the Dark

Five minutes already passed since they departed. Eudokia made it to the village gates, rather what amounted to a gate. The gate was merely two thick trunks from trees they chopped down. They had one guard posted, looking very lazy. ‘I’m not detecting any sort of deception from him. He simply is bored.’ She moved into the village, staying out of sight with her power.

Everything seemed the same the further in she went. It made her feel uneasy as though she should be seeing something and simply missed the sign. ‘I thought they might be holding them hostage and forcing them to act normal, but I’m not seeing any signs at all.’ Her eyes scanned everything she could. She only had twenty minutes for her investigation. ‘If they aren’t here, where are they?!’

No answers.

Eudokia left Kapni with nothing. She did not like the feeling it gave her. Something told her she missed something, but she did not know what it was. She wanted to go look more, but she had a deadline. ‘Perhaps they found something. I need something to go on or I’m just running around in the dark.’ It gave her a little hope, that they might have something waiting for her.

She was the first to arrive at the designated rendezvous. It made her a little anxious, but Hilarion and Nikon arrived shortly after her. The looks on their faces told her enough, but she still checked. “Anything?”

Nikon shook his head. He looked a little down after the response. “Everything looked clear. We did not even find signs of travel.”

“I see,” Eudokia muttered, staring into the distance from where Nikon came from. The flat plains gave her a good view. It was peaceful as it appeared. ‘Still no answers. This is only going to get worse if Daidalos and Hestia show up with the same thing.’ She wished for better results from them.

A minute passed and the three looked at each other. Concern filled them. It might not have seemed long, but they were all well trained for travel. There should not be a large difference in their times. Eudokia gave it another minute of no sight before taking action. “We’re going. Nikon take the rear guard. I’ll take point.”

“Yes, sir!” Nikon moved with no question in the order. They were on the same page. Squad members were missing, personal grudges meant nothing.

Eudokia trudged forward fighting off the emotions that threatened to destroy her face’s composure. She wanted the forward position selfishly to keep it away from them. ‘How could I let them go alone? But I didn’t know. I had to send them, if I didn’t…’ Her eyelids lowered a little as she forced a hardened expression. ‘I’ll find them. They won’t be allowed to get away with this! You can’t hide from me!’

It only took ten minutes for them to arrive at the site. Their tracking skills hardly had the experience of real work, but they did not need much to recognize when the footprints changed. Nikon stared at the ground trying to recall his training. A short distance away, Hilarion stood guard with the anticipation of an ambush. Eudokia already confirmed for them no one else in the area with her power.

She stared off at the village once more. ‘Where are they hiding? They must be nearby.’ Her teeth grinded together stinging her teeth from the pressure.

“Sir!” called Nikon, “Can you help me?” It took him calling again to actually get her attention.

Eudokia flicked her expression away and focused back on the task. “Right. You find anything?” She walked over to the main area where it looked like Daidalos and Hestia were ambushed. Leaning over, she stared at the vague marks in the grass and dirt.

“I’m not very good at this. I can a general sense, but no idea their numbers.”

A ripple expanded over the area. “Step aside. I’ll reveal the secrets of our intruders.” Unlike her normal field, nothing appeared. The grass remained and it seemed as though nothing happened. Such nothingness did not last. A blue light grew out of the ground covering all of the blades of grass in an outline. From the tips, particles went into the air.

Suddenly, figures materialized quickly in stationary positions. Only two of the figures had real form to them, the ones representing Daidalos and Hestia. The remaining four figures were unknown with only a rough estimate of size, height and weight based off the imprints left behind. It eliminated any sort of need for real tracking skills.

“Four,” remarked Eudokia. She drew a circle in a counterclockwise motion with her finger. The figures started moving as though time rewound. They watched their comrades move away from them. Eudokia brought it to a stop when the unknown intruders stopped moving.

They walked over to the positions the ambushers took. There was no cover to protect them and the ground was very flat. Eudokia bent down staring deeply at the blank shapes. ‘What were you thinking?’ She seemed to expect an answer, but naturally it gave none. More important matters concerned her. Taking a position near to them, she looked over at her two team members. ‘It’s a clear line of sight isn’t it? How’d they miss it?’

Eudokia measured the distance and elevation change. “Nikon!” She motioned out to him to go to where Daidalos stood. Once in position, she laid down in the grass trying to understand the scene better. ‘We can see each other easily…’ The question made her pensive, resting a hand to her face.

However, Nikon did not have the patience for thinking it through calmly. “How the hell did they sneak up on them? Daidalos and Hestia would have seen them!” The lack of a response made him yell even louder. “It doesn’t make any sense!”

A little bothered by the interruption, Eudokia glanced up at Nikon. “I agree. From the positions, they never would have missed them, but the facts are what we have. Meaning…” His interruption left her without the answer. She was working towards it.

“Meaning what?” demanded Nikon.

Standing up, she walked around the area examining the angles. Nothing else was possible. “They could not be seen, somehow.” Eudokia wandered around the area trying to see something.

“But there’s no way they couldn’t have been seen.”

Glancing over at him, she acknowledged him so he could not keep yelling. She went back to pacing around. “Yes, but saying that isn’t getting us to the answer. There was a reason they weren’t seen. My field isn’t making it clear, meaning that whatever they did was with the terrain. The only answer I can see is a disguise, though in this I’m not sure what would actually work. But it’s the only conclusion. I can’t see any other way.” Twirling her finger, she fast-forwarded the scene. “Dwelling on the unknown isn’t going to help us.”

She needed to see how things played out. The ambush moved quickly once the two passed the point. Coordinated and skilled, the intruders easily over powered both. Once unconscious, they were carried off in the direction of the village. The whole thing bothered Eudokia. Her hand tensed up at the sight of them disappearing in the distance. ‘So they are in the village…’ She motioned to the others to fall in. “We’re going back,” she declared, determination dug into her eyes.

There was something she missed. She was certain of it even more after seeing it. ‘They’re in the village. They must be keeping things quiet, but what’s their objective? This isn’t a normal intrusion. Something strange is going on.’ Eudokia did not like the feeling the entire situation gave her. There was a darker side to the questions. She was afraid of where it would lead.

When they arrived back at the village of Kapni, everything still did not change. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Children ran about the playing, while their parents worked. They did not seem to know something was wrong. An eerie sight.

Eudokia searched the border of the village for any signs of unusual activity, but nothing revealed itself. She tilted her head back to Nikon. “I’ll go follow their trail and scout the area. I’ll be back in ten minutes.”

“But…” Nikon reached out for Eudokia. “What about us?”

“Follow the plan and keep an eye out for any other squads. The 103^rd Squad was ahead of them, so they’re likely to be here soon.” He appeared nervous at her orders. It seemed a little strange a child comforting an adult, but they were her team. They were her soldiers. “This’ll all be over soon. I won’t allow this go on any further.”

Running after the trail, Eudokia tracked the intruders using a device she created through her power. ‘Standard procedure would be to perform a search of the entire village, but I can’t risk tipping them off with hostages. I have to move carefully.’ The trail brought her to a fork. The intruders went in two different directions. ‘Which do I follow?’ She modified her device to give her a little more information. She needed to know the weight to judge where they took her men.

‘Left…what’s to the right then?’ Staring at the device, she found older tracks going in the directions. It was difficult to pull apart, but it seemed they went through more than once. ‘I can only investigate one in my time.’ She turned and ran off following the path. ‘My team comes first!’

The end of the tracks came to house. It looked like any other house in the village. The size was larger than the surrounding ones, likely because of a bigger family. Nothing strange seemed to be happening from the outside. However, Eudokia knew it appeared that way before and she missed it. ‘They’re inside or nearby.’

First, she checked the perimeter for any guards. She found none as she expected. They remained hidden, appearing normal. Tracks lead to only the back door. The limited movement around the outside of the house made it easier to track and sort through the older tracks that likely belonged to the family.

Carefully, Eudokia approached the back door trying to listen for anything. She heard two voices speaking, but it was impossible to hear. ‘I can’t make it out. The voices aren’t getting through the door.’ A window was nearby, closed with the curtains drawn. She tried to peer inside, but came up short. ‘If I was older I’d be able to see.’ Her eyes only made it to the windowsill. It hardly offered an ideal view and she was already stretching her feet as much as she could. She pulled herself up a little, but the wood groaned a bit making her hesitate.

She took a second option. Working with her powers, she weakened wood in the wall enough make a hole. Something blocked her from seeing inside, likely furniture, but she could hear the voices. ‘It’s still too hard to make out.’ The voices were still distant.

“…desu ka?”

Eudokia’s eyes widened for a moment. ‘They’re speaking Japanese!’ Once she realized they spoke in a different language, the words suddenly became clearer to her. Unfortunately, her understanding of Japanese was far from perfect. Most of it did not make any sort of sense to her. ‘Wish I remembered a translation law.’

A minute passed with her attempting to translate, but she only made out fragments. ‘They’re speaking too fast for me.’ Eudokia eventually decided that she was not going to get anything further without a proper translation. It was then that she remembered the time. ‘I’m going to be late!’

Running back the way she went, she felt a little excited. She had found them. It was not much, but she could start a plan. She was certain her men were inside. Once she got back to Nikon and Hilarion, they could come up with a plan to rescue them. ‘Just wait a little longer. I’ll be back!’

When Eudokia arrived back, she was a little out of breathe. The excitement altered her pacing, leaving her more out of breathe than she expected. “I found them! We can rescue them now!” Eudokia finally caught her breathe and looked up. Her eyes widened a little. Nikon and Hilarion were nowhere. They were gone.

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

Running back the way she went, she felt a little excited. She had found them. It was not much, but she could start a plan. She was certain her men were inside. Once she got back to Nikon and Hilarion, they could come up with a plan to rescue them. ‘Just wait a little longer. I’ll be back!’

When Eudokia arrived back, she was a little out of breathe. The excitement altered her pacing, leaving her more out of breathe than she expected. “I found them! We can rescue them now!” Eudokia finally caught her breathe and looked up. Her eyes widened a little. Nikon and Hilarion were nowhere. They were gone.

Eudokia dropped to her knees. She gave it consideration, but it actually happened. It made her freeze. They took her entire team. ‘Alone…I’m alone, again.’ A fist pounded against the earth. It was real. She felt odd. They were nothing but trouble. She did not exactly hate them, but she held no love for them either. However, the feeling she had was complicated.

Lifting her head, Eudokia’s face restored the determination that floundered before her reality. ‘I must continue with the plan.’ Eudokia stood up, letting a ripple escape her feet. Light glows of light began to appear moving away from her. They took the shapes of footprints placed down as though an invisible person walked. Glancing at the path created, Eudokia nodded. ‘So they’re going back the same way. They’ll be with the others then.’

She broke out into a light jog making for the village. ‘I’m coming everyone!’

Chapter 206 – Child at Play

Inside Kapni, things continued to play out as a normal afternoon. Nothing appeared as though there were foreign intruders hiding out, holding soldiers hostage. Eudokia used her power to change her appearance to keep the villagers unaware of any sort of danger. She had longer hair and a tunic stylized into a makeshift dress. It was enough to make seem like any other child running around. ‘I need to keep this quiet, with two teams working they’ll know if something happens. I can’t risk it.’

When she arrived at the house, she waited across the dirt road. It looked no different from before. She did not expect things to change. ‘They’re inside.’ A ball appeared from her behind back. It was made from dirty old leather, stitched together poorly. She bounced it on her knee and knocked it around her feet. The entire time, her eyes never left the house.

She watched the house for minutes. Minutes turned to almost an hour. Nothing. No movement came from any of the windows. It really seemed as no one was inside. Eudokia knew otherwise. ‘I hoped to have seen anything to help the plan, but I’ll just have to go with things as they are. I can’t delay any longer.’

The ball rolled back over her foot. She kicked it up bouncing it around her leg. It started to move faster and faster. The momentum built up in the ball, spinning quickly in the air. Eudokia suddenly drew her leg back letting the ball fall. Just before the ball touched the ground, she released her foot sending the ball into the air. It spun off arcing into a wide curve. The angle looked good as it sped towards the house’s window. However, it nicked the railing of the porch, veering it off course.

Eudokia narrowed her eyes annoyed. ‘Though I had it…’ The ball suddenly turned an impossible angle as it bounced off the overhang and went into the window. A loud crash of the ball knocking into something came out of the house. Voice erupted from inside.

Grinning, she lowered her foot down. “It’s showtime!”

She ran across the road getting close to the house. The ball caused a lot of voices to come from the house. She picked up the Japanese mixed among Atlantean. Those speaking Atlantean were clearly panicked, frightened by the other voices. Neither could understand the other.

‘Time to act, I can’t believe I’m actually using what she taught me.’ Drawing in her breath and quickly exhaling, she quickened her breathing as though winded. She rushed up the stairs to knock on the door. It caused more voices and skittering of feet. ‘It’ll be the owners, not the intruders that show themselves.’ Eudokia thought through all of the scenarios and settled on the one that made the most sense.

Only a few moments passed before the footsteps were at the door. The door delayed in opening, likely fear in the owner of getting someone else involved. When it finally opened, a middle-aged woman stood in the threshold trying her best not to look completely terrified, yet failing before Eudokia’s well-trained eyes.

It was clear from the sight of the woman would not start the conversation. Eudokia took the lead. “I’m… so sorry!” She worked being out of breath into the performance. “I was…playing…and…the ball got out…of control.”

The woman still said nothing, her eyes darted back to something unseen. “Speak,” a voice said softly. Eudokia carefully scanned the interior. She made sure to understand Japanese this time around.

Lacking the forward movement, Eudokia forced a little more to try to get the woman to play along. “I’m really sorry…if I broke something!” She worked up some tears. “I didn’t mean it! Honest!” Eudokia leaned in a little like she was searching out for damage.

Finally, the woman acted pushing Eudokia back. “N-NO! No.” She caught the volume of her voice and pulled it in quickly. “I-It’s fine. You didn’t break anything.”

“Oh, really?” Eudokia replied quickly, looking relieved. “I heard a really loud noise, so I was so afraid I broke something.”

“It just bounced on the table pushing it into the wall. Everything’s fine!” The woman went to try to close the door on Eudokia, wanting to spare her from the trouble.

Keeping up her child-like innocence, Eudokia leaned her head in looking around for the ball. “Is my ball around here?” Everything moved as she calculated. ‘This is all very easily predictable. The woman will try to get me to leave, but if I force my way in they’ll be forced to act and grab me.’ She just needed to get inside.

“I-I’ll go…get it for you! Don’t come in!” The woman rushed off to into the hall to fetch the ball. It left the door completely unattended, allowing Eudokia to step inside fully. When the woman came back, she dropped the ball is panic. “N-NO! I told you!” She ran over to Eudokia grabbing her by the shoulders shaking her.

Heavy footsteps moved into the hall. “What the hell’s going on in here?” One of the Japanese intruders finally appeared. “Damn! Get in here!” His arm motioned to someone in the other room. He charged through grabbing the woman roughly.

“Run! Flee now!” shouted the woman, trying to push Eudokia out the door.

Eudokia pretended to be completed paralyzed in fear and confused. She said nothing while reading everything. The man closed the door with one hand securing the house. However, the Atlantean woman struggled with him not wanting Eudokia caught. He sharply backhanded her knocking her to the ground.

A second man ran out to help secure the situation in the hall. The first grabbed Eudokia by the forearm tightly. “Come,” he commanded, in a deep rough voice that needed no translation to understand. The second pulled the woman up and dragged her, still resisting a little, back into the main room.

In the room, she saw all of her men along with six Japanese and two Atlantean civilians. ‘They’re different from what they showed us in training,’ commented Eudokia. The men looked closer to soldiers than researchers did with their mannerisms and equipment. Each of them had at least one gun holstered at their side and a couple even had automatic weapons she never had seen before. ‘There’s something strange about those weapons. They look more advanced than I think is possible.’

Despite their appearance, they did not look like they were part of any Japanese organization Atlantis was familiar with. Their training prepared them with all the typical military uniforms, scientific organizations and the related markings for each group. None of it matched anything she had ever seen. ‘They aren’t JSDF, PMCs perhaps?’ She did see they all had the same logo, a sword and shield covering up a sun.

“Captain, we were forced to bring the child in,” the first man said.

Eudokia stumbled forward, from the rough treatment. Her knee slammed into the wood floor, dropping her to the ground in pain. ‘They’ll report my capture to the others.’ She started to cry looking terrified of everything unknown happening around her.

An older man with slightly graying hair, which looked a little premature for his age, stared at Eudokia making silent judgments. “Fine, can’t help it. Sergeant, report this to Alpha Team.”

‘Good, I can act soon.’

“This is getting more and more complicated,” groaned a man, forced to guard the hostages. He always had his hand on his weapon, pointed at the group.

“Quiet,” ordered the Captain. “Everything is still going according to plan.”

“But sir, we still haven’t found the last member of this squad. They’re the most dangerous!”

“Which is why we have the insurance we brought.”

“But we don’t even know if it works.”

“Enough! You’re talking too much, focus on your job!”

“Yes, sir!”

The report ended and the radio closed. Everything looked to be slowly returning to their status quo. Eudokia still laid on the ground unable to move. The soldier just kicked her in her ribs to get her into the group. She continued to bawl softly, not wanting to be hit again. ‘It’s time.’ She flicked her eyes up at Nikon, who sat next to her. They did not need any words to understand each other. He understood her.

The ball slowly rolled into the room. Unnoticed by the solders, it began to spin. It built up spin until it became only a spherical blur. When ready, it leapt into the air hitting the man holding the weapon, knocking him out instantly. It bounced off his face already moving to another to take a second out.

At that moment, Nikon stood up freed from his bonds and charged the nearby soldier. The rest of her team sprung into action following his lead. They all struggled with their opponent, but it ended quickly with the intruders subdued. Nikon motioned to the team to tie them up. He went over Eudokia, who helped the Atlantean couple back up to their feet. “Looks like your plan worked. It went completely as you predicted.” Once he helped the husband up, his hand extended out to Eudokia showing him the device she gave him. “This worked perfectly.”

Before she left to track down the trail, she passed off a device to Nikon. It was small enough to hide inside his boot. ‘Hold on to this. It’s possible that they’re scouting the area for us. So they might find you. Put up a good fight, but let yourself be captured.’

Nikon looked a little confused by the orders. ‘Get captured? What is this?’

‘They’re likely holding Daidalos and Hestia in the same place they’d take you. If you’re captured, I’ll follow them back. This device will take care of any sort of bindings they might use, I constructed for that purpose. When I give you the signal, make your move and take down everyone in the room. You’ll need to be quick. Understand?’

‘Yes, sir!’

“I’m glad it all worked out,” Eudokia replied, granting a slight smile to him. ‘Everything is according to plan.’ Her eyes narrowed in response to deeper emotions.

She recalled what Dareia told her. ‘You may be able to do everything yourself, but make them feel needed. Like you need them, that they’re important. If a person feels they’re important, indispensable to the team they’ll follow you. It makes them easy to predict when you control their importance.’

Eudokia shifted herself a little, checking on the woman. She still looked a little nervous. “Everything is fine now. We’re from the South Gate, you’re safe.”

Shaking her head, the wife had something to say that seemed important. Her shaking voice and the relief of the tension made it difficult for her to speak. “N-n-n, there’s—“

“Get down!” shouted Nikon, as he leapt into the air pushing down Eudokia. A loud blast went off drowning out anything more Nikon said. Blood sprayed across Eudokia’s face in shock. The force of whatever hit Nikon knocked both of them to the ground.

The seventh soldier stood over the two of them pointing his gun at them. “Damn, bastard Atlanteans!” He tried to fire his weapon again, planning to finish them both off, but the trigger failed to move. It distracted him enough that he did not see Nikon back up on his feet coming at him until it was too late. They struggled with Nikon panting heavily from his injury.

The two men turned and rolled in place trying to best the other’s strength. Furniture pushed back as they knocked into everything in their way. A vase broke and a small marble statue clattered to the floor. Nikon slipped his leg in tripping the two to bring them both to the ground. It did nothing to change their struggle as the Japanese soldier tried to strangle Nikon with the shoulder strap of his weapon. Nikon fumbled about picking up the statue as his breathing became shallower. Summoning the last of his strength, he slammed the statue into the man’s face.

The impact broke them free. Nikon could breathe again, but the soldier was not down. A second later the man was back up coming for Nikon. He swung the statue again putting the man down. Blood splattered from the second impact. His blood stained the statue. Nikon sighed rolling off and lying on the floor.

Eudokia rushed over to Nikon’s side. “Nikon! Why did you do that!? I could’ve—“

He grinned at her. The pain in his back made him cough suddenly. “You said it before…we’re family…”

“…you’re stupid…” In the hall the soldier came from, ice disappeared, unneeded. A ripple came out from her. “I’ll patch you up!”

“Thanks…” he said weakly, “…it hurts…a lot…”

She remembered one other thing Dareia told her. ‘You know you’ve mastered it when you can make them move exactly the way you want without giving them an order. When you reach that point, you truly control them. They’ll be yours forever.’

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

The seventh soldier stood over the two of them pointing his gun at them. “Damn, bastard Atlanteans!” He tried to fire his weapon again, planning to finish them both off, but the trigger failed to move. It distracted him enough that he did not see Nikon back up on his feet coming at him until it was too late. They struggled with Nikon panting heavily from his injury.

The two men turned and rolled in place trying to best the other’s strength. Furniture pushed back as they knocked into everything in their way. A vase broke and a small marble statue clattered to the floor. Nikon slipped his leg in tripping the two to bring them both to the ground. It did nothing to change their struggle as the Japanese soldier tried to strangle Nikon with the shoulder strap of his weapon. Nikon fumbled about picking up the statue as his breathing became shallower. Summoning the last of his strength, he slammed the statue into the man’s face.

The impact broke them free. Nikon could breathe again, but the soldier was not down. A second later the man was back up coming for Nikon. He swung the statue again putting the man down. Blood splattered from the second impact. His blood stained the statue. Nikon sighed rolling off and lying on the floor.

Eudokia rushed over to Nikon’s side. “Nikon! Why did you do that!? I could’ve—“

He grinned at her. The pain in his back made him cough suddenly. “You said it before…we’re family…”

“…you’re stupid…” In the hall the soldier came from, ice disappeared, unneeded. A ripple came out from her. “I’ll patch you up!”

“Thanks…” he said weakly, “…it hurts…a lot…”

Hestia ran over to truss the missed soldier up. While she worked, she looked over at the wife. “There’s no one else, right?” It came out half in humor and half serious. Regardless, she wanted an answer. The stare from her eyes delivered the intent.

The middle-aged woman quickly shook her head. “N-No, that’s all of them.”

“Good,” commented Eudokia, standing up from her finished work. She walked over to Daidalos, who already started searching through one of the soldier’s equipment. They needed some answers. A lot of the situation disconcerted Eudokia. “Who do they belong to?”

He tilted his head over his shoulder and up to Eudokia, from his knelt position. In his hands, he held several articles. One looked to be identification. “If this is to be believed, they’re members of the Japan Geoscience Union.” He passed the ID up to Eudokia for her to examine.

“The hell they are!” yelled Nikon, standing up already recovered.

Narrowing her eyes, she scanned quickly the plastic card. It looked real, but her suspicions of it were the same as Daidalos. “I find it unlikely they would be this heavily armed, but there are other things that worry me more about our intruders.” She glanced over at the couple. ‘This isn’t the place to be talking about this.’ Motioning with her hand, she gave the signal to her team to move out. A ripple expanded from her feet, all of the tied up bodies began to float.

Chapter 207 – Sneaking Shadows

Outside of the village once more, Eudokia set up a special perimeter with her field. It gave her team privacy to speak and secured them from possible scouting parties. “For now keep whatever we talk about between us.”

“Sir?” they questioned.

Nikon nodded to her. He seemed to have picked up on some of what worried Eudokia. “Right. Best to keep any sort of speculation quiet.” The others uncertainly nodded in agreement, no longer sure what they got themselves caught in.

“Thanks. You might have noticed, but that last one specifically called us Atlanteans.” When she said it, everyone immediately came to attention. They all understood what they meant without her having to say anymore. “That isn’t the only thing of concern. The most immediate is the fact that these people even made it inside the barrier and were able to move freely without being incapacitated by the barrier’s effects.” Eudokia held up one of the heavy weapons, that several of the men held. “Add to that, this weapon is more advanced than existing known technology on the outside world.”

“But how is all of this possible?” Hestia asked. They all had the same question, but no one knew the answer. She already knew it, though it was reactionary question.

Daidalos threw in one of the badges with the symbol they all wore. “They’re all part of the same group by the looks of this. The only thing certain was that this wasn’t an accident. This was planned and deliberate.”

“We already know that, but why would they do this?” added Hilarion. “We may reject anyone coming inside, but we keep to ourselves. We haven’t done anything to provoke this sort of invasion from foreigners.”

Eudokia agreed with everything that they said. She wished she had better answers for them, but they moved in circles at the point they reached. All of the cards laid in front of them already. They still missed important pieces of information. “We can debate this for hours without anymore answers, however we still have a job to finish. Squad 94 is still missing and we haven’t checked on the second path yet. I’m fairly certain we’ll find the rest there.”

The team agreed, even if a bit reluctant simply to drop the matter. Part of the situation had deeper concerns for Eudokia that she did not want her team exploring. She feared what might happened if they went too far, the ideas it would put into their minds. They did not need such fears spinning while the mission remained incomplete.

It played out as Eudokia said. When they arrived at the second house, they found the Alpha Team mentioned along with all five members of Squad 94. She ordered Daidalos and Hestia around to the backdoor for their breach.

Nikon stood next to Eudokia. He glanced down at her. “Won’t they be on alert? They’ve been checking in regularly.”

“I setup a looping device with their radio to respond when prompted. It’s only been thirty minutes, so they should not have figured it out yet.”

His eyelids raised a little hearing her answer. “I’m surprised how much you calculated everything out.”

“Our powers have its advantages when the need comes.” A ripple expanded from her feet. She placed her hand on the wall of the house using her snow to create a hole. Slight distortions in the air appeared going into the hole. “We can talk more about this after we finish.” Eudokia finished the silence countdown in her head. Just before the breach, she heard several distant thuds.

On cue, her squad rushed into the house from both sides. Their timing was perfect. Everyone in the house was unconscious from the gas Eudokia released. It ensured no mistakes or unknown stragglers. They worked quickly to tie everyone up and released Squad 94.

Her gas only had a brief window, as she needed the other squad awake to help deal with all of the intruders. Their numbers were starting to exceed what her squad could handle alone. “Sergeant Polona,” she began, saluting the Squad Leader, “I’m Second Lieutenant Eudokia from the 241^st Squad.”

It took the woman a few moments to understand her surrounds. The situation quickly reversed for her squad. She quickly saluted back. “Thank you, Second Lieutenant. I feel ashamed being captured so easily by them.”

“They were a very skilled and well organized team, nothing to be ashamed of.” Eudokia looked around at all of the Japanese soldiers starting to wake up. Their expression told a lot for her. “However, right now I need your help. We’ve already capture their second team. This is more than we can handle alone.”

She nodded to Eudokia. The woman motioned sharply to her team giving orders. They all understood without the need for words. Everyone moved quickly to get the soldiers walked out of the house. Peace returned to Kapni, largely unaware it was ever broken.

They returned to Hilarion, who stayed behind to watch the rest of the soldiers. However, they were all surprised to find the 103^rd Squad present. Even more surprising was that the number of intruders doubled since they left. Eudokia and Polona walked over to Captain Sergeant Iaret. “Captain Sergeant, Second Lieutenant Eudokia.”

“Sergeant Polona,” Polona introduced.

“Second Lieutenant. Sergeant. I’m Iaret. We arrived five minutes ago. I see you have things well in hand here.”

Eudokia motioned back to the capture Japanese teams her squad found. “We discovered two separate teams hiding out in Kapni, but haven’t discovered their purpose. We located the Sergeant and her squad with one of the teams.”

“You found even more,” Polona noted, seeing the number of people were significantly larger than what Eudokia had reported to her.

The aging man threw a hand out point at the ones they captured. “We discovered them while we were in route to Kapni. It was mere chance. Unlike the ones you found, there looked to be a couple a scientists or researchers among the soldiers we found.”

“This is a pretty large operation for an accident.” All of them remained quiet for a while. Each already had their ideas formed about what the whole thing meant. None of them wanted to speak out their thoughts. “First thing we need to do is report into HQ. No doubt other squads are in route to aid us.” It was something they all agreed upon.

Due to the unusual nature of the intrusion, HQ ordered them back to the South Gate, rather than the normal immediate release. Taking advantage of transport vehicles, they made back to the South Gate in only a couple hours.

The welcome was different from what Eudokia expected. Many of the soldiers were out in the courtyard as they came back. They cheered and called out to the returning squads. Eudokia’s squad received special attention, as it already passed around in rumor that they single-handedly rescued the captured squad and captured fourteen intruders. The results were impressive by any record.

It felt a little odd for her to suddenly see a different look in all of the men and women that previously only kept their distance from her. Some even patted her on her head as she walked by, almost too friendly. ‘I wonder how long this’ll last.’ The cynic in her could not be removed.

Lieutenant Commander Athene already escorted all of the captured Japanese off with a large contingent of soldiers following her. They all had to be processed. In front of them, Captain Simonides stood awaiting the three squads. The soldiers came to attention and saluted. “You’ve all done excellent work. You can feel proud that you’ve kept the border safe and the citizens protected.”

“Thank you, sir!” everyone said.

Simonides tone changed quickly after the congratulations ended. “Sergeant Polona, Captain Sergeant Iaret and Second Lieutenant Eudokia, come to my office immediately.” They all understood the atmosphere and did not question him. The cheerful mood died abruptly. “All squad members you are on standby.” He motioned over to Abeiron. “Abeiron, handle the squads until I’ve finished.”

“Yes, Captain! Squads 94, 103 and 241 follow me!” He turned about and marched off. The crowd watched a little confused at the sight. Most assumed that they would be giving medals immediately for their service, never knowing the reality.

Eudokia closed the door behind her locking the three squad leaders in the room with the Captain. However, it all surprised them to find General Alexander in the room. His presence changed them all immediately. The tense mood Simonides created tempered into a grave one almost instantly.

Captain Simonides took a seat behind his desk, not openly acknowledging Demosthenes. “You’ve all been summoned here based on the earlier reports from your squads. I will assure you all they you will be granted medals and acknowledgements for your achievements this day, but neither you nor any of your squad are allowed to speak about the details of the incident.”

“Sir?” spoke Iaret. He wanted some clarification. The direction implied they were under a gag order.

“Everyone already knows you captured intruders, but that is all they are allowed to know. Officially, they were the normal scientists and researchers always stumbling into the barrier.”

Polona braved the dangerous topic that Iaret avoided. “Unofficially?”

“All information and investigation have been picked up by the Omega Division. The South Gate’s involvement ends here.” Finally, he gave attention the biggest question in the room. “General Alexander is here personally to oversee all matters. While the investigation continues, you or your men maybe requested to participate. You are expected to give your full cooperation to anything that they ask for from you.” A loose glance to Demosthenes passed the reigns of the meeting over.

Maintaining a strict presence, he kept everything dry and matter-of-fact. “Submit all of your reports to me directly. Have them turned in by 20:00. I’ll send for you individually tomorrow. Dismissed.” They exchanged salutes before Polona and Iaret walked out. Eudokia remained behind staring at Demosthenes in silence. He tilted his gaze over to Simonides, changing his expression to a softer one. “Can I trouble you Captain to borrow your office briefly?”

Simonides stood up and saluted the General. “I’ve got a few things to attend to. If you’ll excuse me.” He walked around Eudokia, never once looking at the two. It gave a clear sign he understood more about them than openly spoke.

Demosthenes wore his grandfather expression for Eudokia. “It’s good to see you again, Eudokia. The King’s been worried about you. You haven’t so much as sent a single letter since you’ve taking your posting.”

She was not in the mood for his pleasantries. If it had been any other time, she would have ran up into his arms. “What’s going on here? You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t already know something. Those weren’t normal scientists and they were even normal soldiers we captured.”

A slightly sour frown came across his lips. “No greetings? I don’t remember you being so serious that you didn’t have a little time for me.”

‘He’s dodging the subject.’ Her eyes narrowed annoyed by the blocks he put in front of her. She already felt the implications hiding behind Demosthenes’ features. The mood he set in secret told her to stop. Eudokia dragged something out of her pack. “I found this on Squad 94’s MP.” She tossed it over to him.

He caught the stone bindings. His eyes glanced at them only for a moment, before everything in his face changed. He recognized it, as Eudokia knew he would. The meaning of them troubled Eudokia, which was why she kept them in secret. She could only trust him with the information. The bindings were specialized restraints meant specifically for MPs to neutralize their power. The only time they were used was for the capture of rogue MPs by the Omega Division, no other branch of the military used them.

“Speak to no one about any of this, Eudokia.”

“What’s happening, Demosthenes? This is bigger than some little intrusion.”

“I’m not at liberty to tell you. It is White restricted.”

His manner of response made her eyes widen a little. ‘The King…only he has the permission…what sort of secret are they keeping from me?’

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

“And that concludes my first year at the South Gate Border Patrol,” closed Eudokia. She glanced around at her audience briefly. The reactions varied from the confused, Saki, to the stoic, Haruo, to impossible to read, Yuki. Not taking the temperature of the area, Eudokia pushed on starting to open her mouth.

Yuki immediately raised his arm up. “Stop right there, Ayumi. I know I asked you for this and you’d said it was a long story, but if we keep going we’ll never get back to the plot.” He saw the relief in Saki’s face. It was not so much that it necessary was too much for her to handle, just too much information all at once. There was almost no filter.

He glanced back at someone the other did not see. ‘Be glad we only gave you the abridged version.’

Unseen in the story, Eudokia had gone into enormous amounts of detail covering many of the more mundane aspects of life in the South Gate. It almost felt as though she did the act out of spite for being asked to explain herself. What they received went far beyond an ‘info dump’, it would be better described as an ‘info landfill’.

Ayumi looked around at the others appearing confused for being stopped. Given the information they were given, it is was no longer certain that they could believe the expressions she gave them. Was she truly confused or just wanted them to feel that way? It brought up needlessly complex questions for something that should be simple.

“But you wanted to know about how things worked in Atlantis.”

Nodding to Ayumi, he delayed his words to select them carefully. “And I gave admission to that. But we just need a better understanding, not a comprehensive history.” He felt like he still failed to get the words he wanted. It made his face twitch a little. Despite it, he pushed on to the next subject. “You can summarize for everyone here the other two years.”

Looking a little dejected by the shutdown, Ayumi darted her eyes around at them. “What about everything that happened? Didn’t you want to know?”

“I’m pretty sure for our current situation, a summary will work.” Yuki found himself sweating a little watching the look on Ayumi’s face. Given her history she did reveal, he felt some of what he saw in her face could be real. She was isolated as a child among adults, forced to lie and trick her way just to be able to fit in and be accepted. It might have been the first time anyone actually was interested in her and listened to her past. He felt like he stomped all over it, yet it still was for the best. Perhaps it was the pent up desires to share that made her overzealous. Yuki was certain he never would know the answer. So he compromised. “I imagine in the future there’ll come a time when what happened to you in those two years will be relevant to your character development and you’ll get to reveal it then. So just wait.”

Saki leaned over to Yuki. “Careful, we just fixed the wall. We can’t be breaking it again already.”

“Is there really a point in having it anymore?” he shot back, with a quick glance.

Coughing to clear the air, Saki switched back to the matter at hand, for the security of the wall. “Something I’m still wondering. You haven’t mentioned any of those people back there yet. I thought we were going to hear about your time with them.”

“That’s because I did not meet them until my third year.”

Chapter 208 – Leftover Answers

“Keep things short,” Yuki insisted, with his hand up again. He tilted his head over to Saki. “What are you thinking, you almost got her started again!”

“…sorry…I was curious,” she replied, sheepishly.

Ayumi nodded a little roughly, clearly trying to organize her thoughts into something more concise. “A more accurate answer would be that I only know one of them. The rest joined the South Gate after I finished my tour of duty.”

“So they only knew you by reputation?” Saki looked a little surprised. She knew the sort of standing she had from previous conversations, but it never really clicked with her. It never came to her that Ayumi might have been famous.

“Chariton is the only one that I knew before I left. He arrived shortly before I left. So I barely had much interaction with him.” She paused, appearing in thought. “The others, Vangelis and the rest of his team must have joined the South Gate recently.”

“But they know anyway,” questioned Yuki. “You said before, the reason you kept out of the fighting is because they knew you. The real reason is not because of your time at the South Gate, but the title you held after, Captain of the Royal Guard.”

“Mostly,” she agreed, “The events I told you about made my name and squad well known among everyone in the South Gate. Those in the South Gate know me because of my accomplishments before I received that title, but nearly everyone in the military knows me as Captain of the Royal Guard, the one closest to the King.”

“Because of your notoriety, you’ve want to keep low. However, I can’t let you just disappear whenever. I understand not wanting to tip your hand, but I’m guessing those that are ordering this aren’t so blind. They’ve probably already figured out that you’re involved. It’s probably difficult to fight against your own people, but if we’re going to fix things I need you to be here.”

Ayumi remained silence for a while. She did not reveal much of an expression. The only guess was she thought carefully on her plans and what was at stake. It was clear from the way she moved she had a strategy, one that did not move in line with Yuki’s meddling. She was the expert on Atlantis, but Yuki was the one helping and the one needed. With some reluctance, Ayumi’s expression softened a bit. “Alright, we’ll do things your way.”

“Great! Thanks, Ayumi!” He smiled at her, pleased with a resolution. It gave him hope for a smoother journey.

However, Saki jumped into the conversation with a bit of a tangent. “You’re our age, right Ayumi? You’re not using some trick or anything you learned from that Dareia person to make yourself appear younger.”

A bit of a glare came from Ayumi, but she covered it up quickly. “No, why are you asking? I am about the same age.”

“So you’re saying that you were in military when you were…”

“Nine, when I joined the academy and eleven when I was assigned to the South Gate.”

“And fourteen when you became Captain of the Royal Guard.” She looked around at the others and they did not seemed to find it strange. ‘How can I be the only one?! This doesn’t make any sense!’ Saki wanted to punch something for how much they failed to react. When she heard Ayumi start her story, it was the first thing that bothered her. It did not make any sense. ‘How can they just accept it?! I’m not weird or strange right?’

“Saki?” questioned Yuki. He leaned over to Saki, still caught up in her thoughts. The look in her eyes of too many questions buzzing around made it almost possible to see all of the tiny ants running around flailing their arms trying to made sense of things. It sort of amused Yuki.

However, when she came back she yelled, “NO!” It was straight in Yuki’s face, enough to make his hair blow over and off his head, nearly.

“I’m sorry!” Yuki reacted out of instinct, not really certain for why he apologized. It just seemed to be the right response.

The outburst put everyone a little on edge. Saki quickly caught their suspicion looks and pulled back trying to close back up. “I-I mean…” Her face was a little red. It took a lot of backpedaling and struggling to find her words, but she eventually reached what she wanted. “No!” Or maybe not. It was the looks they gave, they set her off.

“Saki? What’s wrong?”

‘Am I crazy? I can’t be? I’m the only sane one here, right? I mean there’s Yuki that’s delusional, Haruo who never says anything and Ayumi that is too much of a puzzle. I’m normal right?!’

“Um…Saki?” Yuki reached out to place a hand on her shoulder, hoping it would calm her down a little.

Naturally, she jumped, not expecting Yuki. “Huh?” The world she caught herself up in blocked out too many things. “What?!”

“Are you alright?”

“I should be asking you that!” she blurted out, the lack of context only made them look more strangely at her. It made her feel a little self conscious. “I’m the normal one here!”

“Eh?” Yuki raised an eyebrow trying to understand where Saki was going. “Is something wrong?”

“How can you just stand there and accept everything she said without even finding it odd?!” She flung a hand over to Ayumi, pointing at her evidence. “She’s our age! Our age! You know what that means! How can you just accept that someone her age is in the military and at the top as though it is normal! This is the real world!”

Pushing a little way from Saki, he motioned with his hands for her to calm down. “First of all, we’re sitting, not standing while accepting it.” The joke immediately made her glare at him. He felt the death rays coming off her eyes. It took a while for the blue in his face to disappear. “Child assassins and military organizations using underage girls is a popular trope, it’s not that surprising.”

“…Yu…ki…”

While Saki threatened Yuki, Haruo inserted himself into the foreground once more. “Other parts of the world outside of Japan, children are forced to learn to fight. So it should not be too unusual.” It normally would have been something completely ignored in the chaos, but Haruo’s voice was still very foreign to everyone that they all stopped.

“But Atlantis doesn’t seem like it is in the sort of situation that it is needed.”

“Maybe so, but this is the reality of her world.” Haruo moved his head just enough to put Ayumi in his view, so she looked at him. “I hypothesize based on the facts you’ve presented that there are some external factors involved.”

Ayumi remained quiet on Haruo’s direct inquiry. His move made Saki pull away from Yuki, though her hand still casually tightly clung to Yuki’s tunic. “There’s something else.”

“I think you should answer him, Ayumi,” added Yuki. His eyes were clear with the sign of wanting answers. He no longer wished to be in the dark on matters. He wanted to understand Atlantis.

The reluctant look in her eyes foretold her delay. All eyes were on her though, they expected her to give an answer. “This goes a little deeper than I planned to explain. It goes to the core of the problems currently facing Atlantis. It is the source of all of the things that remain hidden behind masks of contentment and status quo.”

Yuki swallowed a little. He could feel the tension. The tension from Saki’s hand squeezing even tighter on his tunic making it difficult to breathe normally. He lowered a hand to her wrist trying to alert her to her actions.

Surprised, Saki glanced down at Yuki. She saw his face and hand and misread it as a comforting look rather than one pleading to be freed. She smiled a little at him, not understanding.

His eyes widened confused by her reaction. He tightened his hand around her wrist, though knowing it would mean very little for someone that could snap his neck by accidently having a muscle spasm from sneezing. “…Saki…”

“Yuki…” She still did not get the message.

“Saki, you’re choking me.”

“What?!” He destroyed the mood. However, it was exactly what he wanted. She realized finally what she did and released him. “Sorry!”

“It’s fine…” He glanced over at Ayumi, catching sight of her looking annoyed at him. Their little misunderstanding ruined the heavy atmosphere she created. “Sorry, continue with your construction of an ominous prologue to your big reveal.”

Her eyes narrowed bothered by his sarcasm. The situation forced her to continue regardless. “It’s the law,” she stated, clearly finally getting it out there.

“A law to have children in the military?” Saki incredulously asked.

“It’s nothing so selective as you’re thinking,” replied Ayumi, before things got out of hand. It was easy to see where things could go in a moral debate. “It is Atlantis law that all people able to use the power we have to be in the military.”

“Everyone?”

“No matter the age. Once they’re discovered, conscription is mandatory.”

“Makes sense,” commented Haruo. Saki stared at him in disbelief for accepting it. “In a society where people with this power can subconsciously rewrite reality, any government would see it as dangerous keeping them in the public. They would need training to control their power or it’d hurt the public.”

“But still...it’s not right!” Saki’s objection to Haruo’s logic came from a surprising place. She was not actually bothered by it from the moral grounds that most would immediately be. Her eyes focused on Ayumi with pity. It was the life Ayumi had to deal with because of such laws. Prejudice came out of the laws and she suffered because of it. ‘Those laws ruined her childhood!’

“Things now are not how they used to be. The law has been around for centuries even millennia, but only in the last hundred years have things changed.” Her words caught their attention. “Before, the way it functioned was that anyone with the power was required to attend the Academy for training, afterward they were free to do anything. But new amendments where created to the laws placing stricter regulations on us. And the formation of the Omega Division.

“These were all recently done. Twenty years ago, unrest among MPs reached a point of open rebellion. Lead by a powerful MP, they threatened all of Atlantis. The Omega Division was formed to combat the threat and put down the rebellion ruthlessly. Using the rebellion as an excuse, the laws were tightened even further to how they are now.”

Ayumi took a pause to see how they took it all. Not even Saki barked a complaint. They just wanted to hear what more she had to say. “The ones behind it are the same men trying to steal the throne for themselves and that want Yuki dead. They’re afraid of us and want to keep us down. They want to keep the power of Atlantis in their hands. The old men of the Atlantean Council. They want someone that they can control as King, a puppet ruler. And at the head of the conspiracy, the former head of the Omega Division, Demosthenes Alexander.”

To be continued…

[Andromeda]

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 gave a carefree smile 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 two 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.”

Nerine drew up a little, as the mood changed back to serious. She was not certain what they wanted from her. It hardly felt like an interrogation, but she barely knew Seiji and none of his comrades. How they would act toward her remained unknown. The only point she felt a little hopeful over was they did nothing to restrain her, arms notwithstanding. “What sort of questions?” she began, with some unease. Her eyes jumped around to the group.

Fumiko admittedly had too many questions to ask than time would allow. ‘I’ll need to keep things brief. We are short on time.’ She tilted her head back at Chiharu and Yumi to see their reactions. “First, I think we should introduce ourselves. I’m Fumiko Terauchi.”

“Nerine.” She kept things brief, trying to read Fumiko’s face. It definitely was not going to be an interrogation.

“You already know me,” inserted Seiji, pointed with his hand at his chest. “Seiji Tsuji.”

‘He’s still the same as before. I feel like he can be trusted, the girl…she’s looking at me closely.’ The examining stare came out clearly to Nerine. She figured Fumiko wanted to understand her as much as she did.

Motioning from the back, Yumi waved her free arm. “I’m Yumi Mizuno and this is my brother, Yori.” She pointed at loosely at Yori’s unconscious body nearby her. A safe distance remained between them and as long as she did not look at him her heart held steady. It allowed her to keep her problems to herself.

‘The one we captured…’ Nerine thought, glancing at Yori. However, it was Yumi’s appearance to her contrary behavior that made Nerine lift her eyes and pause longer than planned. ‘A sword? How is she alive? What exactly is she?’

Silence held all around. Fumiko saw Nerine’s lingering eyes on Yumi and shifted the direction. “That’s Chiharu Chinen, she tends to be a little quiet, but I wouldn’t take it personally.” It was enough to grab Nerine’s focus back. “Now to the heart of the matter. What did you want to do?”

Chapter 209 – Seeking Answers

It surprised Nerine to hear Fumiko ask such a question. It completely defied any sort of expectations that she had for their questions. ‘What?! Why is she asking me?’ She gave no consideration to herself. Her situation assumed her a captive of them, even if it was on oddly friendly terms. ‘Aren’t we enemies?’

Fumiko’s question dragged Chiharu out of the scenery into the group almost surprisingly fast. She appeared next to Fumiko in a flash, struggling with the various emotions running through her face. “What are you thinking? We have one of them, we should be getting intel from her!”

Shaking the ground a little, Seiji stood up heavy taking up the opposite flanking position of Fumiko. He glared at Chiharu. “The hell’s the matter with you! I didn’t bring her with me as some prisoner! They wanted her dead! She’s not with them anymore!”

Not backing down from Seiji’s aggression, Chiharu met him head on. “Despite what you naively seem to believe, she is the enemy. Just because we’ve brought her with us doesn’t change that fact. She has valuable information we can used against anymore attacks. I’m not having your stupid notion of chivalry or friendship ruin our advantage!”

Seiji reached out for Chiharu, grabbing her by her garb. “Damn you, brat! You’re not getting one step near her!”

“I don’t need your permission.” She grabbed Seiji wrist and pulled him away from her. There was a brief struggle between their strengths before she freed herself. Chiharu turned away to look down at Nerine. “This is a war of information or did you forget they captured someone. The only way we’ll win is knowing more about them than they do about us. We’re already disadvantaged by them figuring out how to neutralize our powers.”

The yelling between the two kept Fumiko from being heard. She tried to interrupt, but neither would allow anyone. Yet, Yumi stepped forward placing a hand on Fumiko’s shoulder. Exhaling softly, she took in a deep breath. “Enough,” she ordered, with a clear voice not raised, yet piercing. It surprisingly gained both of their attentions. “Arguing between each other is also not the way to solve this.”

Yumi took her place out in front of both of them, forcing them back. There was something about her presence that commanded them. She knelt down on one knee, balancing carefully the awkwardness of her sword. “While Fumiko is right, Chiharu also has a point as well. Miss Nerine, we don’t intend to keep you against your will, but we do need to understand each other.”

Watching the fight between them, Nerine kept to herself. It gave her more time to judge them. ‘They aren’t as unified as I would have guessed. Seems more like a random group rather than something organized.’ Their disorganized nature made her wonder if it was a bad thing.

‘She still reluctant, understandable,’ commented Yumi, as she stared at Nerine. She tried a smile a little to open things up. “From what we heard from Seiji, you were attacked.” No reply came from Nerine, but she got a slight nod. “Did you break a law by letting Seiji pass?”

Several moments passed while Nerine considered her words. She questioned if she should respond. Yumi seemed calm and easy to approach, but there was still uncertainty. They were supposed to be the enemy. Yet she did not feel threatened. It was a strange sense she got from them. “Not explicitly. We are bound to protect Atlantis from all threats, failure to uphold that would be punishable.”

“Something punishable by death.”

“Bastard didn’t have the right!” snapped Seiji, pounding his fists together. The thought of Cosmas made his blood boil. Yumi glanced over her shoulder at Seiji to put him back in check.

Silent once more, Nerine could speak. “Possibly.” She tried to think back to the event with Cosmas. ‘I don’t know him. I’ve never seen him in the South Gate. I don’t know everyone, but I feel like I would have seen him in passing. Who is he?’ The battle Seiji had with Cosmas remained hazy in her mind. Words and images popped through her only to disappear.

“Omega bastard,” Seiji muttered, still annoyed.

Nerine eyes lit up, hearing the word. “Omega Division! He was from the Omega Division. He declared me a…traitor.” More came back to her. The feelings rushed through her body. She felt the pain over again.

The word got Fumiko and Chiharu’s attention as well as Yumi. They already guessed at its importance. “What is this Omega Division,” Yumi inquired. “Are they a sort of internal affairs?”

“They mostly deal in matters involving MPs.” She saw she got a bit of a strange look from them for her term. “People like me with this power. They answer to a different person than the rest of us and work independently.”

Seiji stepped forward to slide in between everyone. He stared down at Nerine, a serious expression carved into his face. “So was that bastard just following orders or did he decide it on his own?”

An annoyed click came from Chiharu. “What does it matter?”

In an instant, his head flipped around to tower over Chiharu. “It’s important! I can’t forgive him if it decided it on his own!” His fist tightened up, memories of the night flood back to him. The emotions he felt then boiled almost to the point he could not control himself.

“And if he was ordered?” Chiharu seemed to find his reaction a little curious. It was not unusual to see him worked up over one thing or another. She knew she fueled it on a few occasions, but something was different about him.

The sound of a question alone was enough to tense up the muscles in Seiji’s arm. His talisman wrapped arm suddenly started to glow softly, as though responding to his emotions. Wrinkles dug through his forehead and around his eyes. “Then I’ll find the one that ordered it!” he yelled, with no care to the volume of his voice.

“But…” It was Nerine once more, her voice despite softer at the moment drew Seiji’s attention. “…I’m not certain…I did agree to let you pass…so it would be considered a traitorous act by some.”

“I don’t give a damn! You did nothing wrong!”

Yumi stepped up placing a hand on Seiji’s glowing arm. The shaking in his body made her a little uneasy, but she steeled herself. “Seiji, we’re straying from the subject.” Her voice was clear and carried the invisible commanding presence again.

Something in her words managed to calm Seiji’s rage. His body relaxed. “Fine.” He knew she was right. Deeper inside it bothered him, the rage, but he pushed it back for Yumi. “You’ll want to ask her about Yuki and his father. She seemed to know something about that.” Seiji turned around and walked away. The information he tossed out so casual left the group a little speechless. He sat down against a tree, lowering his head with something else bothering him.

Stepping up closer to Nerine, Yumi kneeled down again. She tried to keep a distance so her sword did not get in the way. “You know about Yuki and his father? Do you know what Seiji’s talking about?”

“I’m not sure,” Nerine answered, honestly. She remembered a little about what Seiji might be talking about, but it still did not make any sense to her. A starting point was necessary. “He said that someone you know is the son of the King.”

“According to the information we’re working from,” piped in Chiharu. The tone of her voice made it seem as though she suspected the validity of the information.

Yumi nodded in agreement. “Ayumi told us, as well as Yuki, that he was the heir.”

“Who’s this Ayumi?”

“Her Atlantean name is Eudokia Ismene,” Chiharu replied.

The mention of Eudokia’s name made her eyes grow wide. ‘The Captain of the Royal Guard, Eudokia! Can’t be, how would they know her?’ She wondered for moment if they lied to her. It could all just be a scheme by them, but to what end? ‘They seem fairly ignorant on Atlantis, but they know her name. Could it be possible? But she’d know better than anyone that the King never had an heir!’ If she corrected their misunderstanding, would all the battles be over? Could she bring peace with just a few words? It seemed unlikely, but she had to try. “As I told him, the Queen died before giving birth to an heir. The King ruled alone for nearly all of the 35 years of his reign. This is all public knowledge, everyone in the capital attended the Queen’s funeral.”

Chiharu narrowed her eyes a little, coming across something. “Public knowledge. He probably had a mistress, it’s hardly uncommon for there to be bastard children in royalty. He would have done something to secure his lineage continued.”

“If he did, he would have announced it.” She knew Chiharu had a point, but she did not seem to understand everything about Atlantis. None of them understood. “If he had an heir they would have inherited his power and would have been the next King. The council would not have ordered the Rite of Succession.”

“However, the reality the weakling faces is that someone is after his life. He’s come here to settle the matter.”

She was hearing the same things. It made no sense. “If he really is the heir, then no one would want him dead! Everyone understands the importance of the King that they would not risk the Rite, if there was someone that might have been as powerful as the King. They would be asking him to become King and spare Atlantis the turmoil and fear of not having a King!”

There was something in Nerine’s words that got to the three girls. They sense something deeper in her meaning beyond surface. Pieces to the puzzles were near the surface. The things kept shrouded in darkness by Ayumi came free. They had more they wanted to ask. However, things came to sudden halt.

The forest they took refuge in disappeared suddenly. An ill omen for them all. Worse was the sight that they saw in the distance. The entire mobilized forces of the South Gate marched on them. Their escape routes cut, Simonides was set on a final showdown. He held nothing back for them.

To be continued…