Katso swam a little further, inside the perfectly peaceful lake. Its color was unexpectedly blue and uniform. The only, faint waves on the water, were coming from the body of the young man, who stopped, turning his body towards the sky. It had an equally blue color that created a familiar and pleasing antithesis with the orange of the dunes around. They stood gigantic around the small body of water, with the air taking some of the sand that resided on their tops.

The sun also had had an orange shade, as it stood on the perfect sky. A snow-white cloud was slowly passing through the lake, bringing some shadows on the young man that was starring it, frowned. A strange ore, a small white rock, engraved with black lines that formed a variety of incomprehensible shapes and sketches, was floating next to his head. This rock was tightly tied with a thin black rope which was hugging Katsuo's neck.

He, being bored of the static scenery, dove on the water and swam fast until he reached the shore.  He exited slowly and wore his clothes. he turned and looked to the lake, silent and serious, maybe for the last time. He then started to ascend on the steep sand dune. The sun was painting mysterious drawings with the shadows of the clouds,  which seemed to hide peace and certainty behind them. Katsuo took hold of a wide rock and leaned so that his look was aligned with the level of the water. The, after he grabbed the rock with two of his fingers, he threw it with great speed. 

Katsuo smiled and turned around, continuing his hike. The rock kept on jumping on the surface, until it went out of the lake.

In front of the young man huge metallic skeletons of machines stood. The place was called the Village of the Graveyard or simply The Graveyard. There where several locations like this one all over the State of Fuzen, especially in the Fuki province. This graveyard was in Shin province instead. 

The carcasses of the huge war machines have ended up here, after countless battles. In this, naturally shaped, sandy hole, they were let to rust and turn to dust. Katsuo started his descend between the pointy debris. For someone who didn't know this area it was definitely dangerous to move between them, but the young man was able to move with considerable speed. He knew this place better than anyone.

After a while he arrived in a very large opening that someone could say it played the role of a plaza due to its closeness with the houses of the Graveyard's residents. This buildings where nothing more that the cabins of the gigantic, half sunk war vehicles. The residents had broken the rusty metal, that made the walls, enlarging the windows that originally existed there and creating doors. In the normal working conditions of these machines, the windows where tens of meters above the ground.

The rudimentary roads, that only where the points that some iron corpse hadn't fell, where relatively empty, even though the small rooms, that could be accessed by multiple doors, where definitely packed with people who either slept or where taking a rest. It was a very special occasion, that day, and everyone had the opportunity to rest, something quite unusual since the people of the Graceyard could be described, by a more remote and objective observer, as slaves. Everyone; men, women, boys and girls who could work, where fulfilling daily the seemingly simple task of cutting through all these iron layers, so they would be able to be sold as scrap metal by the men that guarded the area. They always carried guns and managed so that everything was in order. Nobody was able to oppose them. They had no choice, after all. The Graveyard was in the middle of the Warai desert and every other village was kilometers away. The workers were not able to get the supplies they needed, be them guns or food, in case they fought back.  But that day the workers didn't have to work. They were to rest and welcome the Guard's Leader, Ranar, who was coming to supervise the area.

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Katsuo, put a weatherbeaten cloth aside that hung as a door. He found himself in a small, confined and dark space, that lit from a half molten candle which was flickered in one of the corners. Beside him, a puny old lady was sitting on a wooden box. Once she saw him, she fixed her dirty glasses and smiled at him. He smiled back.

"How was your swim?" she asked.

"It was good Nana."

"Hmm, I'm glad. But now you need to get ready. The sun has started to set. They'll call us, any minute now."

He nodded affirmatively and started to prepare his cloth backpack. He took some food and water supplies and wore his white scarf. A radio device started to vibrate on a frugal wooden table. Nana picked it up and responded with a serious tone. A male voice sounded from the other side.

"Everything ready?" he asked.

"Yes. We follow the plan. Are you guys all set?" she responded, looking Katsuo in the eyes.

"Yes. All spotters are in place and the guns have been distributed to all the members. Be prepared, they will call us very soon. Stick to the plan."

"Good." Nana responded and pushed the button on the side of the radio, stopping the transmission..

A distorted voice, coming from some megaphone, sounded in the silence.

"All the workers are to assemble at the Central Plaza. All the workers now at the Central Plaza!"

Guards were already on the streets entering in every room, as if they evacuated the area. Katsuo and Nana were already out, walking slowly. Around them and towards the same destination a lot of sullen workers were stumbling amidst the shouts of a woman that was trying to explain to the guards that her husband was sick, as she was being pulled out of the room. Her screaming stopped when one of the guards punched her in the face.  

Katsuo looked at her, his eyes on their corners, continuing to walk.

Hundreds of workers had already assembled in the plaza. The megaphones kept calling everyone, as armed guards had surrounded the site. On some roofs, that the metallic skeletons created, snipers where assigned. In the centre of the plaza was a fenced opening, designated to accommodate Leader Ranar's vehicle. On a roof, on the direct opposite side of the opening, two teams of snipers where positioned and behind them was their Captain, standing still behind a table next to some guards that were occupied with the telecommunications and the operation's organizing. On top of the table was a map of the region, with some remarks written on it. The man was particularly high and muscular. His eyes were covered with a pair of dark glasses that hugged his face. His hair were entangled, creating a small black afro and on his face there was only a small goatee. He wore a black military operator uniform.

"Captain Zenox!" shouted one of the guards who was at a rood nearby "I have identified the vehicles."

"They are asking on the radio if everything is set. Can they start?" said another guard that held a radio. 

Zenox smiled. Then he said, with a loud and rough voice:

"Initiate the lock-down. No one is coming in or going out of the plaza."