The sky slowly devolved from its awakened blue into a soft orange, though still remained the many bright shades it had adopted with the staying of the now orange eye. Aaron hadn’t seen such a sight, it was expected, he’d been told of it. Though it had been told, the knowledge couldn’t have replaced the experience, only now he realised that.

He pondered what Gabriel had told him, but it would be inconsiderate not to talk to Kira, there were simply so many gaps that perceivably only she could fill. He didn’t understand what surrounded him, nor did he understand what he felt from this place.

It was evident that the higher the number, the younger someone was, yet even with such a simple generalisation it seemed to be a rule that was broken frequently. Well it would be disingenuous to believe frequency with only two examples.

Both Gabriel and En seemed older or perhaps it was the effect of their wisdom. En in particular was physically aged, from some affect or other sources, but that was simply an assumption on his part. Gabriel seemed to be wiser than most, and she is well informed of the world around her evidently.

Each step he took around the tent only accelerated his thoughts, justifying his intentions to dig further with each and every one. The pity only grew with each step closer to the tent's feeble exit. Would it be wrong to leave? He encroached further, another choice, illuminated by the red and orange hues which graced the sky.

So he took it, his arms forcing the ten’ts exit aside and he stepped forth out into the light again. This time, the murmuring and cries of others was replaced by the endless crackling and explosive expulsion which came from the centre fire.

The smoke had almost instantly sullied his tongue, forcing a terrible taste within his mouth, and invaded his lungs with great efficiency. It had raised a physical recoil from his face and almost caused him to cough unexpectedly, but he managed to stop himself with a forceful swallow.

Before, as he was distracted by all the other people, he hadn’t taken into account the size of this base. In total there were several large tent structures, all were rudimentary in their construction, obviously he didn’t expect some permanent residence in this place.

Each one were patch works of fabric, cloth, and synthetic material which resulted in many of them being uniform in colour and texture. All were kept down by multiple improvised tools of various materials, some metallic, others wooden, but these were the stakes which kept these structures in place.

He assumed that from the tent he’d just exited, that the tents were all supported in multiple areas by long apparatus which provided stability and height to the tents. There was no sign of ranking, nor any sign of differentiation of who was in each tent.

All he had to do was listen, just a little closer, one tent held the quiet whispers of high pitch voices which could barely travel outside of the walls of fabric. This one was closest to the fire, and was just barely the largest of the seven tents. In other words, he had found where they keep the gaggle of children, so he’d be right to avoid that one.

Rotating to the left, another was more illuminated than the rest, which could simply mean that whoever is inside has more lights than usual. It was situated furthest away from the fire, and was the most isolated of the structures. Though strangely enough this illumination was isolated, to the left side of the tent, which was intriguing to say the least.

To the next tent to the left he had managed to notice that someone was meekly sitting next to its entrance, legs crossed and unnervingly silent. The fact that he completely failed to notice them until further inspection added a spine tingling sensation, though luckily they paid him no mind.

For a moment he considered approaching this person, but as the person’s head turned toward him, it suddenly elicited a terrible feeling. This encouraged Aaron to leave this individual alone for the time being, and forced his head to turn to the next tent.

Opposite to the right of the third tent he had gazed at for a moment, was of course another one. This one had nothing special about it in particular, though due to its complete lack of lighting, it looked best to leave that one be.

It was then he decided that the next one over was the most likely one to house Kira, as it was simply the most ‘normal’ one out of the collection, while being the closest out of the remaining three he hadn’t bothered to observe, as this was due to the fact they were fairly far out. If Kira was not within this first tent, then he’d simply carry on either way.

He trotted around the centre fire, before taking a straight path to the entrance of the tent. His hand instinctively approached the flowing entrance of the tent, but was stopped by a sudden weight which pressed against his chest. His palm and fingers froze in place, his arm shaking in the conflict of mind and body.

A sudden breath, which was forced from his body as quickly as it arrived, but then the weight began to slowly subside from his chest, as his mind broke through the sudden assault against his body. With his body acclimating to the intensity of the wave, his arm waved the entrance of the tent aside.

His eye met the same colour, except the once stoic confidence which had greeted him originally now showed signs of wearing, the eyes half covered by the lids, under them a shadowy skin. It was a startling sight to him, and it ceased the movement of his body once again.

Those eyes were focused on the table she was sitting at, though now they focused on his sudden entrance. For an unsettling time no words were spoken, it almost seemed like no breath was taken either. Kira then broke the stalemate as she breathed in a heavy amount of air, as if she had been dreading his eventual arrival.

“Oh, it’s you.” Kira rudely groaned. Her hand was resting on her left cheek, supporting her head to stay up from the base of the table, which stifled her speech.

Kira’s hair was now tied into a simple ponytail, and she was wearing clothing which befitted the upward weather of the hills, punctuated by a fairly thick coat. Her face was still decorated with the scar which defined one side of her face, however now she had a small cut which struck through her right eyebrow.

“Come on in.” She grumpily ordered, her hand which once rested her cheek now falling to the side of the table. “I had a feeling I'd have to deal with you. Eventually.”

Aaron came forth into the room, which had a convenient chair set up on the other side of the table to Kira. Now that he peered across the rest of the room it was essentially a really large meeting room, with a table at its centre and multiple chairs thrown about the place.

The table was made of some old waterlogged oak, and it had remnants of scratches, splinterings and sticky dust upon its surface. It’s legs were rickety, and one its legs was replaced with a metal pole, crudely attached to it via some form of brutal welding.

In the various corners of the room were laid out rectangles of fabric, which could be the same material which he himself had the misfortune of sleeping on, at least it was clear everyone was privy to the same uncomfortable sleep.

The room was only dimly lit, although it’s to be expected as the sun hadn’t completely fallen yet, but it still set quite the sombre mood. Three lights hung above the table, suspended upon the supports of the tent, and emanated an almost dead array of red lights, silent fleeting flames nearly spent of all fuel.

Aaron sat down in the chair, and couldn’t help but feel an increasing discomfort radiating from Kira, clearly she hadn’t wanted this to occur. Though she knew it was coming? Perhaps, an inconvenient time.

“Alright, so… Where do we start then.” She awkwardly questioned. Her hands now clasped at her chest, her posture wavering, her eyes weary.

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It was quite noticeable, now without much distraction, that Kira’s speech was accented and lacked any sophistication. It was simple and straightforward, which was a rarity compared to all the people he’s spoken too so far. From riddlers, to literal children, it was refreshing to have something simpler.

Aaron would only have a second to ponder, as he himself for a moment had to breathe. He looked toward the ceiling of the tent, it was cosy to be completely fair, and infinitely more inviting than the white box. So why was it so much harder to speak?

“Did you leave me to die?” Aaron quietly questioned.

He felt as if there was a stone lodged in his throat as he spoke, his tongue suddenly had its moisture stolen from it within a few words. The heat of the room seemed to increase within the second, and his eye felt as if it began to tremble in his skull.

“Yes.” Kira abruptly answered. Her arms now folded into themselves lower upon the table, and she slowly swallowed. “I left you to the wild ones I couldn’t predict. Which has ruined the plan I had for you.” She soberly elaborated. She would push her chair back, as if attempting to gain distance from the conversation, which proved to be fruitless. “I left you in the hands of a monster, and now his poison has settled.” She croakily concluded.

As the words flew from her throat, she stood from her chair bracing herself against the table as she rose. Aaron would stand as well, suddenly rising from his recently taken seat to force her to face him eye to eyes. His brow shook, a combination of anger, pity, and sorrow had usurped his already stressed demeanour.

“You left me. Picked me from my first grave, and then threw me into a new one. You grabbed my arm, saving me from death. Just to throw me to who you call a ‘monster’, and he was willing to save me?” Aaron shakily ranted.

His arms clawed upon the side of the table, though despite his rage his voice remained restrained and shaky, as if he was holding back some terrible injury. He breathed in heavy, putting his weight against the side of the table, his injury screamed to him with each word he spoke.

“I wanted to help you survive, and I had no more options but that… That thing.” Kira quickly admitted. “All of this bullshit is because of that grey haired fucking vulture.”

Her head began to hang lower from her neck, as if she was proposing a silent apology. With each passing word, an understanding was building within the room. The room felt as if it had been crushing them, creeping upon them with endless weight.

“I’m sorry.” She said, as she fell back into her chair once more. “I didn't want it to end up like this, my plan failed, all I'm doing now is improvising.” She willfully admitted, her head falling into her palms for a moment.

Aaron would not join her back into his seat, now he looked down upon her in some righteous fury he had boiled within himself. Though there was nothing righteous about it truly, to him it was all he needed to grant himself the energy to speak more.

“Thank you.” Aaron vocalised, “Thank you for freeing me, for saving me from death. But I don’t understand this place, or these people. You probably know that, so-”

“I want you to stay.” Kira suddenly interjected, her words crashing through into Aaron’s ears. “I don’t want you to leave, just let me show you this place.”

“I don’t understand. Why do you even care?” Aaron questioned. “You give me over to a ‘monster’, and then you tell me you want me to survive?”

His confusion was obvious at this point, his eye was erratic in its movement as he spoke, attempting to focus on anything but his thoughts. It made no sense, why save him just to drop him? Then allow him back again?

“I got enough reasons. I don’t have the stomach to stand there watching someone die. That would be to go against my desire, A Compassion.” Kira solemnly explained. “I was told who you were, and decided that you could be useful as well. A man capable of discovering, and confirming the absolute truth.”

Aaron decided to sit back down onto the chair, leaving the room in the loudest silence he’d ever encountered. In this silence he thought for only a few moments, before finally deciding his choice of words carefully.

“What changed then? If I would be so useful to you, why gamble it on people you don’t trust?” Aaron painfully questioned, much of the energy he’d gathered from before had now subsided.

“You suffered an injury I couldn’t have done anything about.” Kira answered, “I had been told by them that they could save you, for an irritating price.”

She leaned forward as she spoke, and would begin to rub one of her eyes with her arm. It seemed something was bothering her, their conversation punctuated by the strange weight of the room, and the air stunk of honesty.

“The price was to tell you nothing of the day we finally broke from the cages, and it’s pretty obvious now that it was to lure you back later.” She elaborated. “I told this to Gabriel, and she probably already told you the minimum, It’s all I can do.”

Aaron began to rub the side of his face which was now inhabited by this strange black rubber. It felt terrible externally and internally, but it was the only reason he was alive. Despite it allowing him to live, the pain it subjected him to was great.

“So that’s why you won’t tell me a thing. So why should I stay here?” Aaron asked, his voice a near whisper as his hand restricted his jaw. “Both you and that child had saved me, and as far as I can see both of you see me the same. A tool to be used, and in exchange what?”

Kira’s posture had become more focused, though she was still clearly tired from some experience. Aaron had little patience left, and little sympathy for any excuse of injury. Considering he was quite damaged from this whole ordeal.

“You’re injured, and you’ve only been here for barely a day and a half. It’s best for you to stay here and recover, best for me to have more time to show you who we are.” Kira strongly answered. “You are no tool either, I care for everyone, my desire proves it. As your desire hungers for endless answers, mine hungers for endless compassion.”

“I've been asleep here for a day?” Aaron interrupted. An interruption which was answered only with a nod from Kira. Aaron remained silent, giving Kira the signal to continue.

“I gave myself a duty to protect and foster others. To just leave any of them, if it has been Max, Jason, Gabriel or you, would not be an option. I couldn’t have forgiven myself if you died.” She hurriedly explained. “I want you to join us, and I promise you will see far more than what that monster will show you.”

The weight of the room grew again, an artificial increase, and now it had caught Aaron’s complete attention. Her desire seemed to increase the emotional response, or perhaps created it from situations around her. Was this intentional? Its convenience made him believe it was.

“My desire also provides endless answers, or at least it’s meant to considering the way you’re talking about it. So what do you desire provide? Is it this weight, this pity?” Aaron presumed. “The boy who saved me, who Max said was helping you, the boy you so confidently claim is a monster. He didn’t attempt to manipulate.”

“Max didn’t understand who he was looking at. Listen I-” Kira began, before a sudden slamming of Aaron’s fist upon the table had ceased her voice. With that she looked at Aaron, in some mixture of sadness and irritation.

“I accept your apology, and thank you for everything. But I will not stay here. I will never get in your way, I promise you, but I won’t help you either.” Aaron concluded, his face holding a stoic demeanour, though his eyes remain watery. “Just let me go see what happened.”

Aaron knew that Kira could easily stop him, he was injured and was incapable of any form of fighting. Though he trusted Kira as a simple individual, he did not trust her to lead him. Kira looked upon Aaron’s eye for a few moments, before another sigh was drawn from her again.

“Aaron. You have every reason not to trust me, but I only want you to survive.” She told him. “But if you want to leave, you can go to that tomb, just come back so I can tell you everything.”

Aaron would nod, and would stand up from his seat with some struggle. It was a conversation that was straining and he was not in the best of shape to be moving around either way, but his determination kept carrying his legs.

“You’ll need actual clothes, just ask Gabriel and she’ll find something for you.” She leisurely disclosed to him, as he began to near the exit. “Also please, just rest for another day, you will probably need it. Besides, if you're gone for too long, I’ll be looking for you.”

Aaron looked back to her for a moment, her words catching him in his steps, he couldn’t tell if what she told him was reassuring or incredibly ominous. Though in the end he was fine with it, he was getting what he wanted.

“Good luck. I’m departing soon myself, to find 002, next time you’ll join me.” She said calmly. “When we meet again it’ll be after I save you again. Hopefully you’ll know as much as me, even better if you know more.”

Aaron would turn, leaving the tent by forcing its entrance aside again, and the further he got from its entrance the lighter it felt he became, whatever radiated from her was becoming weaker with distance. He had already decided that he would leave earlier than expected, not only to avoid having to inform her of his departure, but to also hopefully gain more time to discover what lay in the location which they had escaped from.

Kira herself was trustworthy, but strange, it was as if she had achieved his goal in his departure. After all, she didn’t lie. So Aaron decided he wanted to leave as soon as possible, the combination of her compassion with the words she spoke, it was simply unsettling.

As Kira had said, his endless thirst for answers continued. He despised it greatly, though he had tasted what it granted him, so why shouldn’t he look for more? What was wrong with these people? All of them, including him.