My eyes fluttered, letting in light for only a fleeting second. I felt a salty breeze on my cheek, a cool crisp air brushing past me like a woman's delicate touch. I felt weightless, translucent, dead. Though my eyes struggled to open, bright sunlight still bombarded my iris'. I tried again to peer out, slowly adjusting to the bright rays cascading over me. The faint hint of salt grazed my tongue, further parching my already dry mouth.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Colorful orbs spotted my vision until I'd blinked enough to make them flee. The voice belonged to Ordell, a ghost from my past made flesh once again. There he was next to me, sitting leisurely with his face toward the sun. I'd always imagined what seeing a proper ocean horizon might look like. But, even as I stared out over an endless expanse of rolling waves, I couldn't believe the marvel I was witnessing.

"Where am I?"

My words were jumbled but clear enough. My tongue was slower than the rest of my muscles to awaken. Ordell pined over the horizon. I was no longer retrained, though I felt a heavy lull of melancholy weighing down my body.

"You're free, Sylas. Like you always talked about."

Free. Like I always talked about.

"How are you–"

"Alive?" he interrupted.

I nodded.

"I was saved by faith, Sylas."

Faith? What a copout answer that was. When I asked, I expected to hear more details, not some bullshit on how he found god.

"You seem dissatisfied,"

"Well, it's not that I'm dissatisfied," I continued, "I guess faith just doesn't seem like a good answer to how you weren't crushed or burned alive."

Ordell chuckled, something I'd only ever seen him do sparingly.

"We have much to discuss, old friend. I hope our talks will help you understand how faith spared me."

Ordell returned a silent gaze to the horizon. We were atop a wall very similar to Concordia, though the environment felt different here. Despite being on the ocean, the sea breeze never swept through Concordia, as it became overpowered by the heavy smog of industry. I waited, pondering over what had happened. How did I get here in the first place? I remembered looking for Calico and Raust, then blacking out. More importantly, there was the mystery of Ordell. I watched him die in the fire, yet someone just like him was now speaking with me.

"Do you have more questions?" he inquired.

"I already asked. Haven't got a good answer," I retorted.

"Sylas, you seem skeptical."

I turned my nose away from him, "I've dealt with enough Cambions never to trust things the way things seem."

"You and Charlotte had a relationship."

My hairs raised as a chill ran up from my toes. I kept my head turned away from him, if only to avoid exposing my expression. Charlotte and I had a relationship. That was a fact I didn't even think the real Ordell knew.

"How did you—"

"I am Ordell."

"Even you didn't know that."

"I knew more than you think, friend."

I crossed my arms and looked down at myself. Someone had changed me out of my uniform, leaving me in a pair of grey slacks and a fitted white t-shirt. My feet were out, and my bare heels rested against the smooth stone wall. The waves far below me crashed into the side of the wall rhythmically, churning like the belly of a great beast. I was high up, at least 200 meters, and the fall was straight into the expanse of blue.

PHWEEEEERGH. PHWEEEERGH.

Loud groans flowed in on the breeze, causing the wall to shake slightly. I watched something splash in the ocean, far away from where the waves crested into the wall.

"What the hell are those?"

"Hoo hoo hoo," Ordell laughed, "I forgot how little they teach you in Concordia! That is a pod of whales!"

"Whales? What's a whale?"

"They're a fascinating conundrum. A whale is like large fish, but they're mammals like humans and cambions."

"That makes no sense. Why would mammals live in the water when they need air to live?"

"Well, I'm sure that question has been posed for centuries. However, it seems to be ocean-bound has left them as some of the only wild mammals left on this planet."

"They didn't become Pray?"

"You tell me."

The whales emerged from the waves, flailing wildly before crashing back down into the water with a thunderous splash. They were huge! The largest animals I'd ever seen, easily the size of a city bus or even two! They were beautiful and terrifying.

"I didn't know such a beast existed," I breathed.

Ordell held his face to keep from laughing at me. "They are quite a marvel. Did you know they're so loud they can kill a person?"

Stolen story; please report.

"What? Are you serious?" I questioned.

Ordell nodded, "Indeed. Which is why viewing them from afar is preferred."

I watched again as the grey giants rose into the air then crashed back down. They drifted farther and farther away from the wall, eventually disappearing behind the curve of the horizon.

"Do you know where they go?" I asked.

"Wherever they want, I suppose. Such is the luxury of freedom, and they may be the only thing in this world truly free."

I stood up, letting my toes dangle off the edge of the wall.

"Tell me about your faith, Ordell."

He seemed surprised but genuine enough. He rose with me, and we walked along the wall together while we talked. To my left, there was an endless expanse of blue. There was a sprawling wealth of grasslands, forests, and cities in the distance to my right.

"That day, when Article C came down, I didn't know what to do. I thought I'd lost you and Charlotte, my only family. But many eyes were watching the downfall happen. Dead Circus found you, and Flush found me. They brought me into their temple and healed me. I was scarred and burned beyond belief, but they restored me."

"That's miraculous. But, Flush, who are they? I've never heard of them."

"Well, they aren't from Concordia. They're the rulers of Baltigo."

Baltigo? Where Calico was from? I stopped, and Ordell turned with concern. Was I in Baltigo? That would mean I was over 1000 miles away from Concordia. My fingers began to jitter as I tapped my foot on the concrete. Calico and Raust, the last time I'd seen them, they were hurt. Now, I was across the world with no way of knowing if they were okay.

I bit my lip, "Ordell. How long has it been?"

"Pardon?"

I looked up to him, letting him read the anxiety draped across me. "How long has it been since you brought me here?"

Ordell's smile faded, "does that matter—"

"Answer me," I demanded.

He glared at me, his face straight and to the point. "You were in bad shape when we found you. It's been two months."

I tensed up, only able to keep my eyes drilled into my feet—two whole months without a word from me. My team probably thought I was dead. Maybe they were looking for me? But, based on my last known whereabouts, believing me to be alive was a stretch. Regardless of that, I needed to get back to Concordia as soon as possible.

"I need to go back."

Ordell ruffled his brows and frowned, "you've only just recovered this week. You were unresponsive for over a month. You can't just go–"

"Ordell. I said what I said. Either you take me back, or I go myself."

"You're an idiot, Sylas. It'd take you two weeks to walk there, and that's assuming starvation or the Pray don't kill you," he protested.

"You brought me here, didn't you?"

"I did, but—"

"Then take me back," I demanded.

I stepped toward Ordell. I'd grown taller than Ordell, and as the sun shifted, I cast a looming shadow over him. I stared down at him, waiting for the next excuse to fall out of his mouth. Something hadn't been adding up from the beginning. Ordell had gone through so much trouble to bring me here, but what for?

"I can't. I'm not the one who brought you here, just the one that found you," Ordell admitted.

"Why? Why were you pretending to be a prisoner? How did you fake your death in the factory? What was it all for?" I yelled.

Ordell stayed quiet, staring down at the ocean. I took a few steps back from him, trying to settle my anger. Ordell had lost his composure, and with that, something changed. I turned out toward the ocean again. The sun's beams reflected off the surface like a mirror, and all my fascinating whales were gone. Without another word, I took a step forward and went over the edge.

"Sylas! What are you doing!" Ordell screamed.

I felt gravity push me down, but I didn't fall. My foot stepped firmly in the sky, with seemingly nothing beneath me. The world around me began to dissipate as the ocean dissolved and the wall crumbled. The winds howled before fading entirely, and the sun's warm glow became cold and dark.

"Damn it! What did you do, Sylas!"

Ordell fumed behind me, now revealed in actual reality. His single eye glowed bright orange; he hid his other eye with black bandages. Behind his shoulder, an orange drama mask shone, one side happy, one side sad. We stood within a warehouse, likely far away from the actual ocean.

"You lost concentration, and the breeze lost the salty taste you had crafted."

"He's right, Ordell. What a poor showing."

I didn't recognize the voice, and it spoke from somewhere within the darkness. I heard the clack of boot heels echoing around me as Ordell retreated to the back wall, glaring at me with malice.

"Who are you?" I asked the stranger.

"I told you, he's annoyingly gifted," Ordell snarled.

"It would seem so," the man continued, "hence why we wanted him in the first place."

Out of the shadows, a tall man walked out, hands in his pockets. He wore a long duster coat, with a loose and lowcut shirt beneath, tucked into nice black slacks. He had edgy yet comforting eyes that oozed royalty in a purple-blue mix. The sides of his heads were shaved, with the top and back left long and loose. Beneath his right eye, he had long perpendicular stripes tattooed, with a K printed at the vertex. On his hip, he carried a sword sheathed in a dark green scabbard adorned with gold accents.

"It's nice to meet you, Sylas."

He spoke low and slow, with a commanding yet endearing tone. He exuded an overwhelming presence as if everything in the room were beneath him. Despite this aura, he stopped and bowed to me.

"My name is Atlas. I am the king of Baltigo, and I welcome you."

"Th-thanks," I stammered, "what am I doing here exactly?"

"Recovering," Atlas stated.

Atlas was arrogant and expecting. He'd saved me from Article C, and in return, he expected me to be grateful. But, my mother was the same way, and I'd learned that people often use kind deeds as manipulative tools.

"I appreciate your assistance, Atlas. But I'd like to be returned home, to Concordia."

"That's fine."

Ordell's eye shot open, "Atlas, we can't just–"

FWOOO. CRIIIICK.

The air instantly became heavy as Atlas' eyes glowed to life. He glared at Ordell, his face stone cold. The rafters began to crack, and the metal walls began to cry under stress. Ordell was forced down to a knee, then two.

"Sorry, Ordell. I didn't hear you quite correctly. Please repeat yourself."

"I-I-I didn't say anything, sir. Pl-please disregards me," Ordell choked.

The pressure released, and Ordell's body relaxed as Atlas' eyes returned to normal.

"Thank you, Ordell. You may remain quiet while Sylas and I discuss things further."

Ordell nodded, his head still nearly touching the floor. In between Atlas and me was a small table and two chairs. He motioned for me to sit, and I did.

"I just have some things to discuss with you before we send you back to Concordia," Atlas smiled.

What was his arma, some kind of pressure build-up? I hope that shift wasn't from him exuding his presence alone, but I didn't see him manifest a crown. It's possible that his crown is subtle, that I wouldn't have noticed it. Regardless, his malice didn't seem directed toward me, though I was still wary of him.

"Alright, go ahead. I'm an open book for the most part."

Atlas leaned over the table, resting his chin into open palms. "Well, I'd firstly like to explain why exactly we brought you here."

I nodded.

"In addition to being King of Baltigo, I am also the leader of Flush. You could think of us as a religious movement of sorts for the betterment of cambions as a whole. We follow the teachings of Jiin and want to spread his word and prosperity for cambions."

Jiin.

The same person that Rain wanted to talk to me about. Was there some kind of connection? Rain claimed that something was coming. Was Flush that 'something?'

"I've heard of Jiin. He was the destructive reason for the establishment of city-states."

Atlas frowned slightly, "that is a common assumption, unfortunately."

"Was I mislead then?"

"It's true Jiin is the reason. But Jiin merely brought about destruction for humans. All in the pursuit of equality for cambions. So, do not blame him for these reactionary walled cities the humans concocted."

"Destruction is destruction, regardless of the victim," I affirmed.

"I see. This conversation has been informative, Sylas. But perhaps you learn better through example. We'll meet again; think hard about our talk before that day."