Jorge took it upon himself to remove his suit from the room Hojun rented for him. He asked one of the busboys to unlock it before it was shut for the last time. No more daily food for him either. Together with Borja, he came back to his humble tent. Jorge wanted to help. Even if it pained him, the confrontation yesterday made him feel uneasy. But what could he do, a person who couldn’t use sahar, a person with no influence, a person with…

“Oi! Can you hear me?”

“...”

“I-gaesaekki ya! Get out here!”

Someone ripped the tent wide open, where Jorge was dozing at. The sunlight attacked his eyes as he struggled to force them open. Tiredly he rose, letting Borja off his lap. His stomach stung from the lingering hunger from yesterday. Then he saw that man, Mister Gyeong, in front of him.

“What you want?” Jorge rubbed his eyes open. The panic over the man’s face was clear.

“Hojun is missing. Ever since yesterday she hasn’t reported to us at all!”

The sudden change in tone caught Jorge by surprise. A part of him thought they knew each other better than this. Maybe so, because of the way he spoke with genuine worry.

"Missing?" Jorge's back went straight. "How come?"

Mister Gyeong's face twisted into a frown. It seemed like there wasn't any answer to give. All he did was shake his head.

"You Bangkaño were responsible because she was with you the entire time. You are obligated to help us find her." The other guard pointed at him.

"If you guys are her guards then you should've monitored her." He shrugged his head, while the younger guard stepped back. "But never mind that. I'll search for Hojun even without you guys forcing me."

As Jorge prepared to walk out, Mister Gyeong raised his arm. "You shall be traveling with us, Bangkaño."

“Huh?”

“You already know Buhanggilog like the back of your hand. We’re going to use you. Grab him, Seung-Hyeok.”

The Sillasaram took Jorge by the arms and dragged him along with them. Jorge tried to weave himself. “There’s no way I know everything. I’ve lived in the same barangay my whole life! Oi!”

They lead him throughout the city. Searching every street, and alleyway. They left him behind occasionally. Jorge kept running, following Mister Gyeong and the other guard. They stopped at every corner.

"Bangkaño, I hope you found a clue already..." Mister Gyeong stopped, panting. Jorge looked up at him.

"If we keep going in circles then we ain't getting nowhere." He glanced around for anyone nearby. "How about asking someone?"

Mister Gyeong took a look around as well. "That is fine. Well, how about those three over there?"

He indicated at the three people waiting to cross the street. If anything, they were far from locals. An Azu, another Azu with white hair, and a woman with silver-blond hair? Jorge shrugged, looking at their faces.

"Have the Bangkaño ask them." Seung-Hyeok looked away.

Mister Gyeong lifted his arm. "Silence. I will talk to them."

And with that Mister Gyeong approached the trio. Just then, the first two started to walk across the street.

"Excuse me. Are you familiar with the whereabouts of a Sillasaram woman wearing a trench coat?"

The third girl paused. Her low-braided black hair swung around her as she turned around. "A Sillasaram? Yeah, I think I've seen one at the station in Metro Liusung, where I heard gunshots."

"Gunshots?! Where?" Jorge moved himself beside Mister Gyeong.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

"Metro Liusung, near Dunong University."

"Tvuj, are you coming or not?" The silver-blond haired woman called out to her from across the street. The Azu girl turned back and smiled.

"I'm a bit curious about something, I'll meet you back in the hotel!" 'Tvuj' waved back and yelled. "Anyways, I can lead you there and tell you what happened. Under one condition."

Jorge, Mister Gyeong, and Seung-Hyeok stepped back. Jorge knew that information wasn't free, but he grasped his wallet tightly in his pocket. Was Galag really an easy language to learn, Jorge thought. It seemed as if every foreigner could speak Galag. Who was this girl?

She placed a hand on her hip. "Help me find a boy by the name of Suruj Zundui."

"Wait, that's the guy Hojun and I met yesterday." Jorge connected the dots together, pointing at her. Seung-Hyeok had him by the shirt.

"You were with another Buhang with the princess? How dare you-"

"You've met him?" Tvuj's face lit up, while separating Jorge and Seung-Hyeok at the same time. "That makes it ten times easier. Follow me."

Mister Gyeong bowed and she returned the gesture. Jorge embarrassingly did the same. He tried to think about why everyone was searching for someone. Suruj asked for Hojun to meet at the university today. And this girl was searching for Suruj. Hojun was searching for her brother, and Jorge wanted to help her out. His brain fried too quickly to even bring it all together.

"What happened in Liusung?" Jorge looked to the sky, where the skyscrapers met his gaze. "Why was there gunfire?"

They stopped in front of the station, as the Azu girl stopped walking. "A gang shot up a person in one of the trams. Here the tram comes now."

Sure enough, the tram came rolling down the tracks. It came to a hissing stop as the doors opened. Inside, his eyes widened to his fellow Kamaos inside the passenger cars. There they looked down at something out of view. Jorge pushed his way forward and boarded. He could feel his breathing unstable as he saw the blood smeared on the window. He didn't want to remember.

"Where is he? That's the guy I told you about..." Tvuj called out from the rear car, Mister Gyeong and the others entered.

As Jorge walked towards the other gang members, they looked at him tragically. The captain, stepped forward.

His voice was deep yet gentle. Jorge felt a lump in his throat.

"Jorge... You don't have to look."

Jorge ignored the captain's words as he stared down at the body of Alejandro. There was a clear headshot. Those memories of his parents flooded back to him again, as he screamed and fell to the ground.

"No... It can't happen again..."

The captain got down on one knee and brought Jorge to his face. "Calm down, remember what Alejandro taught you when you get reminded of your parents again. "

Jorge's eyes were glued to the corpse of his mentor. He squeezed his fist and inhaled, and exhaled when he opened his hand. He repeated it a few times, before he could barely pull himself back together.

"It has to be Bakal." Jorge stood up with the help of the captain, brushing off the dirt on his pants.

"Pérez's gone, now our señor Alejandro. The Kamaong Batikan might fall sooner than later." The short man took off his hat and wiped the sweat off his forehead.

"This is where I saw the Sillasaram." The Azu girl chimed in, looking at the body. "I don't think she's even in the Luzokapital anymore."

Jorge walked towards her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "What's your name?..."

She tilted her head. "Tvuj Hosyi."

"Tvuj Hosyi..." He repeated after her, swallowing the lump in his throat. "Please help us find the Sillasaram named Hojun. And we will help you find Suruj."

Mister Gyeong crossed his arms. "Whatever it takes to find her. Seung-Hyeok, you better behave. We must use any connection."

If only Pérez saw the situation they were in, what would he do? Jorge could do nothing but clench his fists tighter. All the things his mentor taught him, the reason why he became a Kamao… Those weren’t things he could easily trample over.

Tvuj glanced back and forth at the scene. “Deal. Now can someone give me some particles, so I can trace for anything?”

“I shall.”

She extended out her arm as he grasped it. Saharic particles transferred from him to her. A person that couldn’t generate sahar? Satisfied, she kneeled on the ground and chanted.

“Mahou Konseki.”

The particles obeyed and dispersed around. They saw the as the tram guided along with the path, the past events that happened a few hours before; A Sillasaram and a Buhang getting off. Then the PA system announced its departure to the Koridor del Oriyente.

“Let’s get off here.” Tvuj stood back up without a sound, “They got off at Oriyente and took a caravan. Probably the Cortez Line.”

As the rest of them followed her out, the captain stopped Jorge for a moment. In his hands, he held a pair of gauntlets, worn but sleek with steel. Jorge knew who it belonged to.

“These are Alejandro’s gauntlets.” The captain pushed it towards Jorge. “Since Pérez died in a foreign land no one knows where his are. But Alejandro died here. Take them.”

The tram was about to close its doors. Jorge took them rushed out the door. “Thanks, Kapitan.”

“No problem, kid. That lady, go ‘em for us. Avenge the Kamaong Batikan!” He shouted as the doors closed and the machine continued trodding along the rails. Jorge stared at the gauntlets for a moment, seeing the same old bullet holes from that day.