Jumkou was nearby, hearing the shouting. She came over, immediately protecting Flynnigan.

  "Nothing." Asheera glared, walking past her.

  "Clearly not."

  Jumkou turned around, rudely grabbing Asheera's arm. In Testharia, touching the Second-Leader or the Great Kamisword without being granted the chance to do so is a grave crime. Asheera continuing to glare at her was only a reminder of the rules here in Testharia.

  "Jumkou, it's fin-" Flynnigan tried to intervene but just like last time with Jumkou and Megami... he was shut down.

  "It's not fine. Why were you yelling at him?"

  "You will let go of my arm immediately." Asheera commanded, not raising her voice.

  Jumkou did not let go, her protective stance remaining. "Answer my question. Do you have a problem against us?"

  Asheera forced her arm off of her grip. "Look at the state of us. The riots, the panic in the military, the rise of pro-Lantisuls threatening to usurp the throne... and you wander around here freely with a carefree mind. Take a good look around, and tell me if this is 'good' for us like Sachiel says."

  "Like you know what's going on."

  "I want an explanation, now."

  "You don't deserve it."

  "I command you."

  "Your authority means nothing to me, Asheera."

  Jumkou and Asheera were just inches apart of each other. Their rising Soul-Aura meant a conflict is about to begin. Both were seething.

  "This... is my home! You two have been gallivanting across the cosmos on some magical mystery tour, and we're left picking up the pieces! Sachiel has abandoned us! He has abandoned Testharia, for you!"

  "We came here to save this planet from a war we're all preparing to win but you jinx us by being a cry-baby little sister!"

  "Cry-baby? Listen you little-"

  Asheera shoved her back.

  This prompted Maduk and Marin to intervene.

  "You do not have the slightest clue as to what we're doing!" Jumkou was held back by Maduk and Asheera was held back by Marin. "We're saving all of your lives and Sachiel is too! He believes in us and that's why he's level-headed! You've seen what Kaioshun has done and CAN do!"

  "He was a terrorist roaming around like CHAOS! What makes you think he'll come back?!"

  "Please use your fucking brain for once in your fucking life! Everything that has been happening behind the scenes is all Kaioshun's doing! Zephite City was destroyed by one of his followers! It's the Dark's doing!"

  "THAT DOESN'T EXCUSE HIS DISAPPEARANCE!"

  "Let- the fuck- GO OF ME!" Jumkou pushed Maduk away, staying where she was. Marin was the stronger one and can control a full-grown woman like Asheera easily, but she didn't want to hurt her. The two girls continued to stare at each other.

  "Flynnigan is the Call of the Gods, Asheera. He is undoubtedly so. When we saw Megami Duvet die right before his feet, his power rose to an unprecedented amount. So much so that the entire reality around us distorted. The same power surge that we've all felt while he was back on Earth, something even Kaioshun told Sachiel about."

  .:. "We've all felt a surge in power. Incidentally, all of it correlates to Flynnigan Shotaro." .:.

  That was what Sachiel told Jumkou about what Kaioshun told him.

  "..." Asheera was silent.

  "You can't be in fucking denial about this, none of us can. Kaioshun will come back and he'll come back stronger. It's only right that Sachiel turns away from his people for a moment until Flynnigan is ready to tap into his innate power."

  Asheera looked away, looking down. For a short number of seconds, she felt guilty, but then she looked back.

  "It still doesn't excuse the fact that thousands have died during his month-long 'preparations'. Our people deserve answers."

  "Then give them answers. You are Second-Leader for a reason." Jumkou pushed Maduk away again. "Instead of picking a fight with a teenager you don't know, go do your job!"

  Asheera looked down. Her jaw tightened.

  She felt Marin let go of her arm, but Asheera didn't move. The silence was infuriating Jumkou. The base's mess hall provided a claustrophobic tension. Soldiers who had been grabbing meals now stood frozen, trays in hand, their gazes at the two women.

  Maduk stepped between them again, not with force, but with presence. His voice, usually a calm baritone, carried an unfamiliar urgency. "This is a Mobilizer facility. Your personal quarrels do not belong here." He looked pointedly at Jumkou, then at Asheera. "Both of you."

  "Second-Leader," Marin's gruff voice cut through the stalemate. She gave Asheera's shoulder a gentle but firm push away from Jumkou. "Ya' hafta rest! The doc said yer' still healin'."

  "Stay out of this." Asheera warned. To them, she turned away and left.

  But not before shooting Flynnigan one last glare, one that said he was a living monument to everything wrong with Testharia.

  Jumkou sighed, looking at Maduk. "Thanks... I lost my cool there."

  "Aye, ya did." Marin agreed, still watching the doorway where Asheera had disappeared.

  "But she had it comin'."

  "..."

  Jumkou felt a bit bad. Maduk and Marin should be on Asheera's side. They are Testharians like any other here so why did they protect Jumkou and Flynnigan, outsiders who have been throwing around a fairy tale like Asheera said?

  Sachiel knows the gravity of what's at hand here and she believed that Maduk and Marin took notice of this.

  "Sachy ain' a bloke to lie bout things, ya' know?" Marin smirked. It's hard to believe that this 40-year-old was... 40. "If he says it's big, it's big."

  "S-Sachy? Are you sure you're... y'know, allowed?" Flynnigan stammered.

  "He saved ma' daughta' and provided us a home to rest 'n! I'm allowed ta haf' nicknames for 'em, ya' spiky-headed git."

  "Heh..."

  At least this crisis was averted for now.

  Flynnigan grabbed the snack from the vending machine after pushing the correct button. His hands were trembling slightly. He walked to their table, avoiding everyone's gaze.

  "Good work out there!" Myrcella shouted from the other side, jumping onto the seat and patting him on the back. "You're kinda scary sometimes. You know that, right?"

  "You are a strange group of people." Flynnigan responded.

  "Says the outsider! Tehe!" Myrcella laughed.

  This 'outsider' thing was getting to him and all for the bad reasons. For Myrcella, it seemed playful. For the rest, it was an accusation.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  "C'mon, fellas! We're headin' back to ta tower!" Marin said, grabbing Myrcella with a single arm. "Yeah, okay! I'm coming!"

  "Let's go, Flynnigan. We'll meet Sachiel there." Jumkou said as she saw Maduk talking with an official at the distance. They were looking out a large window, pointing at Tristate City. Maduk looked back at Jumkou with a worried expression.

  "...What's wrong?"

  "...They've surrounded the tower."

  = = =

  Sachiel was back at the tower. He felt worried. Worried that something bad would happen. He didn't feel like this before. It was his first time, and it was gnawing at him like crabs in a bucket.

  He knew that he had to do something... but what was preventing him from taking care of the unrest? The protest and the riots were the least of his worries, but it grew each passing second.

  Facepalming, he sat on the lobby seat.

  Altair was also in the main room, watching from the 128th floor window, his reflection pale against the city's blue and yellow lights. "What are you doing still inside, Sachiel? Shouldn't you finally calm down the protestors?"

  "My appearance will do nothing."

  Sachiel was quiet, thinking hard. He shut down Altair not that he was wrong, but that he needed to think.

  "This whole strategy of yours is the reason this is happening, you know?"

  "..."

  "It's time to act."

  They heard an explosion from the outside. Sachiel and Altair immediately looked out the window. Some extremists set off a non-lethal explosive device, dispersing a gas meant to provoke chaos and fear. Screams ripped through the streets, the riot control Mobilizers pushing forward, their energy shields glowing against the murky cloud.

  "Heh..." Altair sighed. He wanted to laugh but the gravity of the situation was too immense. He looked at Sachiel's unimpressed face. "This is fucked."

  "Just what the fuck is happening down there!?" The receptionist panted. It looked like she was running away from something.

  Wait, what is the receptionist doing here? In the main lobby of the 128th floor?

  "Asura? Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" Altair walked over, looking to see if she had any injuries.

  "I'm fine but some maniacs... or whatever they are, I don't fucking know! They threw rocks at me and started rioting in the lobby. They're inside, Great Kamisword!"

  Asura turned to the Great Kamisword, who was pondering. She was frantic, her uniform not buttoned correctly. Sachiel finally looked up, the noise finally breaking through his wall of contemplation. A cold, heavy certainty settled in the pit of his stomach.

  "How many? Do you know where they are right now!?" Altair asked urgently.

  "... Still in the lobby."

  "Sachiel, come with me right now."

  Sachiel nodded as they both made way to the ground floor via elevator. The silence lingered for a while until it broke by the chime of the elevator passing each floor. Altair kept tapping his foot, glancing at Sachiel who remained unnervingly still, his gaze fixed on the elevator doors, as if he could see the future.

  Altair wanted to say something.

  "..."

  Sachiel wanted to say something.

  "..."

  Both wanted to say something.

  The elevator only made it halfway so either of them could speak up right now, but their pride wouldn't.

  "Sa-"

  "Al-"

  Both of them went quiet... but one continued.

  "...It's time I explain to you what's happening."

  "...I'm all ears."

  "... The riots that are happening right now is the prerequisite Lord Veyron has been waiting for. He will strike us very soon. His armies, the Dark Intrinium will sweep our planet if we are not careful."

  "... Then... Then why didn't you stop the riots the moment it started?"

  "Because the chaos hides Jumkou and Flynnigan from Kaioshun-Rymela. There is a strong chance that the warmonger will return with a stronger violent resolve, and any attempt to quell the unrest might alert him to the boy's presence."

  Altair felt a sense of unease. This sounded less like a strategy and more like a desperate gamble. But it wasn't the 'desperate' part that bothered him. It was the 'gamble'.

  "I'm starting to think that you're not lying."

  "I never lie to my family, Altair."

  "I know..." Altair then grabbed Sachiel by the collar. "... But what good does that do if you are to sacrifice your own world!?"

  "It's a sacrifice that I'm willing to take."

  "You say that so causally!"

  Ever since Altair came back to Tristate City after years of not being with his Royal Family, all chaos ensued and it wasn't even his fault. The fact that this Sachiel was a different Sachiel that he knew years ago was scaring him deep to his core.

  It also made Altair hate him a little bit. The anger that Altair feels toward Sachiel is valid. This is about their own people, being sacrificed to protect a fairy tale boy.

  "I'm not going to let you do this any longer! I don't care if that Flynnigan is in trouble! End it, now." Altair was the one ordering the Great Kamisword now. Family knows no hierarchy. "I'm not going to let you go mad like Greatfather and Fursan did!"

  Before the King could even answer, the elevator made a sudden, violent jolt. The lights flickered violently. The elevator doors opened and it was met with people running, screaming.

  -

  Back in the 128th floor, Asura was waiting impatiently.

  The elevator chimed, revealing Flynnigan, Maduk, Marin, Asheera and Jumkou. Myrcella followed right behind them, climbing onto Marin's broad shoulders for a better view.

  The group noticed Asura. She was still shaking, breathing heavily.

  "What's going on?" Asheera was the first to speak, her hand subconsciously resting near the hilt of a weapon she couldn't currently draw.

  "They broke into the tower..." She said, shakingly.

  "Ugh... It's all getting worse." Jumkou facepalmed, sitting down on the lobby sofa. "What's Sachiel even doing?"

  "He went to the lobby on the ground floor."

  The elevator chimed again, revealing Altair this time. He seemed worried, as he came up alone. Alone.

  "...Where's Sachiel?" Maduk asked.

  "He's... He's trying to control the mob." Altair explained. He paused for a moment before continuing. "They won't pick a fight against the Great Kamisword..."

  Everyone was silent, realizing the situation was even more serious.

  "What are we going to do, Altair!?" Myrcella shouted, hopping down from Marin's shoulders.

  "Myrcella, go to your room and don't open the doors until I say so, okay? We'll come check up on you... Marin." He signaled to Marin to take her.

  "Aye. Come 'ere, ya' troublemaker."

  Myrcella sighed and complied.

  As Marin left with Myrcella, Altair addressed the rest. He looked exhausted. He sat down on the sofa, facepalming. Everyone was on high alert and on a high amount of stress.

  "This isn't looking good. If we hadn't given our resources to these Soul-Core and Dark Intrinium, maybe the Mobilizers could've handled this by now."

  "Dark Intrinium?" Jumkou and Flynn snapped their head to what Altair said.

  "Yeah. We made an alliance with Testharia around a month ago. Since then; Soul-Core and the Septo Corp. and other outsiders have been stealing resources from our labs-"

  "Altair!"

  Asheera yelled. Her face turned pale. Altair's words cut deeper than any blade. She remembered her meeting with Lord Veyron, He had promised stability and peace ensured by the standards of Dark Intrinium. He had delivered, for a time.

  "..."

  She facepalmed, trying to prevent an anxiety attack from happening. Last time she spoke about this, she tried to kill herself. But Soraya, with her unwavering support and medical skills, had talked her out of it, and the wound had healed both physically and, slowly, mentally. Yet the old shame resurfaced, cold and suffocating.

  "...Ah..." Altair realized that Asheera was trying to save her skin. He said it all accidentally. "I-"

  "...It doesn't make sense. Why would Mr. Eria give resources to Kytan Veyron!? The guy is a pretty big frickin' deal! Ruthless in that matter!"

  "..." Jumkou was silent. Was she confiding in the one who supported the body starting the Platinum War in the first place? The 15 year all-consuming war with heavy losses? What was Sachiel doing?

  "Can you just be quiet, Flynnigan? You have no right to complain about what outsiders have been doing here when you are one." Altair begun to get angry, still trying to watch what Sachiel was doing outside. Buried under resentment, he had a growing feeling of concern.

  "No, you don't understand. Kytan Veyron... the Platinum War... It's all because of his father." Jumkou explained.

  Asheera was feigning ignorance the entire time. She didn't want to be a part of this but she is.

  "Mr. Eria would never propose to something like this. Someone else definitely did it..." Flynn thought out loud. As he spoke those words, he glanced over at the woman who seemed to be shrinking into the sofa cushions.

  No.

  He knew who it was.

  His eyebrows furrowed. Jumkou saw it and looked at Asheera too.

  "Ms. Eria..." Jumkou called her name, but got no response. As expected.

  "I'm tired." She got up, trying to walk away from the conversation.

  "So all that talk about Sachiel allying with the Soul-Core to exit a coalition... was it you who started the coalition in the first place?" Jumkou finally asked the big question.

  Asheera bit her lip so hard it bled.

  "I trusted you, Asheera." Jumkou said, disappointment hanging heavily in the air, heavier than all the political intrigue. "I trusted all of you!"

  "We didn't know who they were!" Asheera yelled back. "We were oblivious to the outside world before that! If I knew what kind of person he was... I wouldn't... I wouldn't've ever agreed upon an alliance with him!" Asheera's seal broke and started crying. The same way she cried against Altair in their quarrel a few days before her supposed death.

  "I hate myself for doing it... just please,"

  Everyone stood there.

  "Please stop fighting..." She collapsed back onto the sofa; her resolve finally shattered into a thousand pieces. She curled up into a ball.

  "..."

  "..."

  ...

  ...

  ...

  It was growing silent again.

  .:. Why am I doing this? Not too long ago I was just living a peaceful life in my village... Instead- I could be focusing to get stronger so I can get my vengeance for what he did to my grandparents... and everyone in the village. .:.

  Flynnigan balled his fists.

  Altair was watching the unrest through the window, looking at the crowd dispersing. It looks like Sachiel has succeeded in calming them down.

  But Altair still had that lingering look of dissatisfaction on his face. Something was not right about this. Sachiel may have calmed the crowds, but it was like putting a small bandage on a deep, festering wound. The infection was still there.

  "... I'm sorry." Jumkou said after a long period of silence.

  Everyone turned their heads to Jumkou, even Flynnigan and Asheera.

  "It was my fault for things to turn out like this. The truth is... Sachiel found me buried deep in the snow in Snowfall Heights. I had no background, no information about the contemporary world... He took me in, gave me a bed to sleep on, gave me food to eat and lectured me about the past so I can continue with my mission..."

  "...What mission?" Altair was interested now.

  "... My mission to find Flynnigan, the Call of the Gods, to destroy Kaioshun and the Dark and save the galaxy from darkness. I'll tell you all about it."

  "..."