It was past dawn. The sun had already risen from the horizon and will gaze at the snow-topped plains of Migny the rest of the day. Having recently had a refresh through deep rest, D-7 had successfully gone through a renewal from yesterday’s conundrum.
“Is it morning already?” Enna lazily said, who had recently woken up, sitting at the dinner table as Gen handed to her a cup of tea.
“Shiiit…” She exclaimed, downing her cup. A tea is supposed to be sensed by the taste buds, but she was there, just rabidly drinking it like it was some other beverage. Needless to say, she choked from the heat, spilling it all over the table.
“Oi! Enna! Take it easy!” Gen yelled but restrained himself from going far and gently cleaned up her mess.
“Mmh. I’m…” Enna leaned down as Gen was crouching, rag in hand.
“You’re drowsy. Have you had enough rest?” She just nodded. Gen knew that putting her back to rest would be unnecessary, so her affirmed, turning back to his cleaning. Fein was on the other end of the table, staring at her. She had a completely innocent face, a far cry from the trauma she received yesterday. Fein only wondered if she remembered what had happened at that time.
After having had enough of his mind talking, he asked her.
“Enna, you really don’t remember… everything that happened to you yesterday?”
Enna stared at him, and replied with a seemingly honest shrug.
“Nothing… My mind is too hazy. And if I dig through too much, it hurts like hell…” She complained.
“I see…” Fein said. “Say, your memories were cut off at the hospital, but you saw the boy, right?” She nodded.
“Did he give off an odd feeling?”
Enna visibly pondered for some time. Then she realized.
“Yes, captain. Some kind of aura. Yet, when I got too close… Argh!” She squinted, possibly having a headache.
“Enna!” Gen shouted.
“I’m fine… Don’t mind it. Naturally, I’m tired.”
“Fein, let’s give her some rest—”
“Wait!” She held her back. She found it in herself to not delay her curiosity further.
“I want to see the boy.”
“Please don’t. You’re just starting to recover! Who knows what that brat will do—”
“Agreed. I’ll accompany you.” Fein interrupted him.
“Come, Enna.” She guided her to the med bay.
“OI! Fein, give her some rest first!” Gen said. He was annoyed, but the tone of his voice spoke of concern.
“Don’t worry. We are all here.”
“But—”
“Gen, don’t let your tiredness be in vain.” Fein assured him as he closed the door to the med bay. As the door swiveled, Gen sat in their dining room, alone.
“Really, interrupting me like that.” He chuckled, and tapped his hand against his brown, combed hair. Taking a quick peek outside, he saw Gris, Wiz, and Sora, sitting on propped-up crates. Judging from the sounds of their voices, they’re probably occupied.
There she was. At the same scene: The survivor, sleeping in the bed, and her beside him. In her perspective, she remembered until only at that part, the rest was all hazy to her. However, …
“Yes. This is that aura.”
“Hatred?”
“No. Flame.”
Although the captain could not feel it, she can. It seeped through her skin, into her nerves, and to her mind. Illusory flames dancing slyly that seemed to tag along her. Unlike her past incident, however, she felt nothing of it. A variation of Enna’s ability, Altering Feedback, allows her to suppress her personal emotions at will, at this case, her forgotten fear of the boy’s consciousness was pushed aside.
Fixing up her shoulder-length hair, she fazed away those unseen flames into nothingness, being protected by her ability. Something resonated with her as much as she can remember. Something that she was yet again became curious of. For herself, Enna needed to just get inside his head to uncover it. His secret, the tragedy of Mido, and most importantly, his identity. It will just be a tap to the head, and with her ability, what could go wrong? She thought so herself, firmly.
She did not remember. There was no déjà vu, recollection, or any hint of danger. Her ability tampered it all. She had been scarred once, but now, it’s all null in her mind.
She did not remember, if she taps into his mind yet again, her mental hold will be incinerated. Yet she was unaware of that fact, because she did not remember.
She slowly approached the boy, and was about to touch his head, when Fein grabbed her arm in the nick of time.
“Huh? Captain?” She gasped at the sudden action.
“Enna… You will only see him. You said it yourself.” He spoke, constrained in thought and voice.
“Physical contact is prohibited, not until we get back to command.”
Enna paused, looked at the boy, and back to Fein.
“Tch. Fine, captain…”
She turned around and back to the dining room. Fein could hear Gen’s concerned rants and questions to her. After losing his breath at the cause of holding it in too long, he let himself collapse on the rim of the bed, heaving a sigh of relief.
“Thank goodness… You still have your ability, Enna.” His intuition was correct: One of their speculations was that the survivor had a “plundering” ability. But in this observation of his, the possibility that he can make out of was that this boy, if he was truly a Vassal, can only ‘mimic’ abilities, to an extent. If that were to be the fact, that is…
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“Now, Gris, I just want a pair of glasses, that’s all I need! I want you to help me find a nice pair…”
“I thought you are the best eyes of D-7? Why use it then?”
“You see, when you use them, it enhances your sight, yes? Well in my case, the effects will double…”
“*sigh* alright, alright, but after I take a look at some of the local gems first. I’ll help you then.”
Gris and Sora walked on the snowy streets of Migny. Houses lining up, towering markets and buildings dominate the skyline, imposing alleyways and corners filled with peddlers, local merchants and the like. Surprisingly for them, it was a bustling day, as the sun’s rays shone at the city’s buildings.
Enna, who was now in good health, was briefed of the recent events that unfolded. It may all be too hard for her to cope up, but she’s an Apprehension Group Officer: Vassals like her cannot be fazed by sudden jolts of information so easily. And now, the captain decided it would be time to leave. A call was made to procure any personal needed items, or even a last visit of the city, before noon, their time of departure.
They found themselves in a residential part of the city. Most were houses clustered into streetways, but one can find shops in here, which both Gris and Sora actually preferred greatly, as opposed to the cramped, busy streets between buildings. Finding a gem shop nearby, both of them eagerly went inside. Especially Gris.
“What would you like, sirs?” The patroness greeted them. As expected in cases like these, the adult must address the patron, but right now, Gris was too occupied in browsing the glistening gems on the displays.
“Uhh, we’ll just be browsing, miss. Just… don’t mind us, *chuckle*.” Sora nervously said. The patroness just smiled and went back to her counter.
Time passed by…
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
…
Needless to say, the duo’s visit were primarily composed of Gris extravagantly reacting “Oh!”s and “Hmm…”s at the gem shop, causing confusion among the attendees and customers observing him. As for Sora? He was constantly on a tight spot, sticking out like a stiffly beside the muscular man.
The door chimes rang as the two finished their procurement.
“Hmm, these are high quality! Can’t wait to try these out…” Gris stared at the wooden box in his hand, eyes gleaming with content. Inside were four precious gems: Sapphire, Jade, Amber, and a dark gem that had those colors you see when oil is struck by light. All were lined inside the box, supported by a cushion.
Sora sighed. “Ah, old man, I get you, but why pay for a display!? You have so many back at the Beaver, and that one costed almost half the gems!”
Gris just shushed him, and both continued to walk. “You see, boy, gems need to be made special. Even Though you just had bought them, you mustn’t taint them. Treat them like life: Give them a home, feed them, and give their existence purpose. Answer it’s question: why they are there, in the palm of your hands?”
“Sheesh. Talk about priceless.” Sora said beneath his breath. He could learn a thing or two from his old man, if it weren’t for his gem-obsession.
“Now, you see, you’ll need to repay my presence, right? The glass—” Before he could finish his sentence, Sora was suddenly rocked by a violent force to his side. Was he pushed? All he could make out was that he is now on the ground. Looking at Gris, he saw red liquid making a line from his upper arm to his fingertips, staining his white sleeve.
Blood.
Getting up as quickly as he could, Sora rushed to Gris, who was now kneeling.
“Gris! Hold fast! Let me—”
“Sora! Chase that guy!” He shouted. Without a blink, Sora leapt to the roofs and parkoured across the high ground.
“Fuck… it hurts…”
He strained the bleeding with a cloth, and asked the people for help, who are now slowly surrounding the scene.
“Everyone! Call the local police!”
Meanwhile, Sora gave chase. He could not make out who exactly ambushed them, but he knows its this guy: hooded, carrying a wooden box, and most of all, running away from him.
He seemed to phase in and out as he passed through the shade of the houses.
‘So convenient…’ Sora thought. A supposed to be normal walk in a section of Migny turned into a chase act. Needless to say, it dragged on. Busy streets, empty walkways, and in any path touched by the sun’s light. After a while, they rounded up to a part of the high-rise buildings.
Sora perched in a roof, scanning for the culprit. His heightened sight allows him to track his culprit, but he had normal clothes, using only the hood as a marker, and was now saturated within a bustling part of the neighborhood.
“Shit. Lost ‘em.” Sora cursed, eyes still trailed on the spot where he last saw the robber. However, he realized…
“*Laugh* What am I forgetting? I am a Vassal…” Readying himself, he used his ability.
“Grantor, extinguish thy fog, and see what I desire!”
“With thine eyes, none shall escape.”
Theian Precipice.
Theian Precipice is Sora’s Vassal ability. A passive effect being increased sight that can be adjusted at will, and the power to tag and observe anyone within a huge radius, given that that someone’s characteristics is understood by Sora. He does not have those luxuries, unfortunately, but there are other factors.
He concentrated, perching on a roof like an eagle tracking the land.
‘The way he walks: slight limp on left leg, forcing the right arm to take counterbalance. Pacing is rushed, Heartbeat: Undeniably high. Dark green clothing, hooded. Slight twitching of head to the left… Motive: simple robbery… Ah, I’ll stop this monologue!’
He followed his intuition… and found the guy.
“Found you.” He said. The man hid in an alleyway, visibly panicking. Sora swiftly intercepted him, amidst all the people. Though his sight was absolute, the other senses competed. His hearing, deafened by the noise of howlers and bystanders. His smell clouded by the odor of grime, oil and rotten produce. His ability waned, but he found the robber’s position.
And he has nowhere to go.
‘This is it.’ Sora found himself at the alleyway, just a left turn and the culprit will be there. This part of the area was unnaturally dark, however. Like it was never shown light. He swiftly turned around the alleyway…
Yet no one was there. There is no other passageway left though. Busting a dumpster, he only made the situation worse by spilling its contents.
“Shit. Where did he go? Gris—”
Before he could talk to his communicator, he was punched by an unknown force, and with his slightly-built stature, Sora fell to the ground, mere meters from the dumpster. He felt a grip on his collar, was lifted up, and before he knew it, he was now on the opposite side of the alleyway entrance, with a gashing pain flowing through his right side.
‘What the… Is that… a Vassal?’ Sora thought.
Because of the Organization’s focus on military mobilization, almost all Vassals were either voluntarily enlisted or forcefully conscripted. These delinquents, however, are not supported by such programs. Thus, they resorted to illegal activity, such as this robbery, all the while using whatever their abilities might offer them to hide and live within a city such as Migny. Even their walls cannot protect them against a simple city crime.
“Damn it. I cannot see him… Not even thermal…” Sora tried to use his intuition, but he could only, if slightly, predict the attacks dealt against him. This Vassal’s ability seals him out of many perceptive abilities, including Sora’s.
“Come out!” He taunted. Unsurprisingly, silence only answered. What followed however was…
‘A knife!’
Sora narrowly dodged the thrust to his head, only grazing his cheek. Exhausted, he knelt down, seemingly all alone with a bleed to his left cheek. But, to say the truth, that knife might have incapacitated him, if not for his quick reaction.
“Those gems. Take it then, if it’s worth a damn life to you.”
The box, likely clutched by the invisible culprit, audibly cluttered a bit. On his train of thought, Sora would just buy another one for Gris and let all of this go. They would say goodbye to this city anyway. But this man hurt both of them bad. And he’s not about to let this go without a fight.
Suddenly, Sora heard a voice. Both from his comms and from the entrance in front of him.
“Boy! What happened?” Coming around the corner, it was Gris, clutching his arm.
“Look out, old man!” Sora yelled at him, but it was too late. A force, likely from a horizontal kick, bluntly punctured Gris’ wounded hand, bleeding it even further. He didn’t faze from the impact, but from the pain of his wound. He hurriedly ran to Sora to cover his flank.
“Urgh… Shit…” He groaned.
“What do we do now? Should we call cap?”
“Don’t be silly.” Gris chuckled, but his wound answered, injecting more pain. “We can solve this by ourselves.” Gris was surprisingly confident. Pulling out a gem from his belt compartment, he threw it high in the air, between the two walls that sandwiched them in this state.
“Don’t look, Sora!” He yelled.
“Oh shit!” Sora exclaimed.
Chromatic Seal: Flashbang.
The gem imploded into a blinding light, although surprisingly, the bang and the resulting cacophony were absent. It was silent. But if Sora was not warned about it, he could have been blinded. He expected the light to dissipate by now, but it did not. Slowly opening his eyes, he saw the culprit, wincing from the sudden burst of light. The point at which the gem turned into a flashbang was now like a spotlight, turning its beams of light unto their opponent, outlining and exposing his position to them.
“Oh. Guess I was right.” Gris, with a sense of pride, said. The man was just like Sora saw: Hooded apparel, only with a knife and the stolen box on both hands. He was slightly limp on his left leg, in which a crude, metal bionic structure was placed around it, possibly because of a persisting injury. But inside that shade lies his eyes. Those eyes were filled with shock.
“Fuck! How did you…?!” He exclaimed, as his plans are at a dead end.
“It’s easy to read your ability, dimwit.” Gris sternly said, pointing a gun at him.
The man, realizing he had to clean his hands off this, had no choice. Relentlessly rushing the two, he executed a kick yet again going for Gris’ wounded arm. Sora, who was at the back of the latter, blocked him just in time and retaliated. The man tumbled back, brandishing the knife into view before dissipating yet again.
“Shit! Old man, aren’t you gonna shoot?” Sora looked back at Gris, who is still kneeling. “This is a busy area, but regardless, a gunshot will be easily recognized. Sora, can’t you see him?”
“No.” He gestured. “Not even his heat signature.”
“I’ll tell you, Sora. His ability may have to do with shadows. He blends in perfectly within any shade, and sources of light temporarily disables his ability.” Mustering enough strength, Gris stood up and hurled another gem at the current vicinity.
“However, we won’t play with him too long. Close your eyes.” As Sora braced, the gem’s ability was released. Another flashbang.
“Tch. You won’t get me with the same trick twice!” The robber boldly said, covering his eyes with his arm.” As the light shone bright, he felt a gust of wind trailing unto him.
“Too late.” Sora whispered as he slammed his fist unto the man’s head. The resulting force resonated from the point of contact to his whole right arm. Adding to the fact the man lost composure because of the flashbang, he could not brace his body in time, sending him flying to the side. Though he was wearing gloves, Sora still winced a bit at the pain, but the concussion knocked the man out of order. With a splayed body, He restrained him to the ground.
“Gris! Local police?”
Gris waited a bit. Then they heard loud, grouped footsteps. Not the usual bystanders.
“Cavalry’s here.” He said.
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Handing the suspect over to the local police, the two were given first aid at their station and were released soon after. Because they were recognized as members of an Apprehension Group, Gris and Sora were respected by the police force. An unusual sight indeed, as Vassals were mostly shunned by normal men.
After a mandatory debrief, their robber was actually a wanted Vassal, causing turmoil on the surrounding area through midnight robbery. His ability was well-suited for espionage and discreet jobs during the night, which fit into his thieving lifestyle. The two were granted the bounty, which payed off enough of Gris’ spending.
“Say, old man. Aren’t cities supposed to have individual units such as us? You know, Anti-Vassal Squads?”
“Now that you say it, they are supposed to act on cases like these, but the local polices are just people…”
“Eh, Migny is huge. This area is just a section of an urban jungle. Besides, there might only be a handful of them: this robber’s case is pretty old, now. Likely haven’t been caught in like, what? No less than half a year?”
“Really? Well, thank us then, for being there at the right place.” Gris sighed.
While both of them are indulged in their conversation, an officer approached them. “Sirs, if we may, can we escort you back to your vehicle?” they suggested.
“If you would.” Sora said. Concerning Gris’ injured state, he figured it would be best if they took a ride back to the Beaver to feign exhaustion.
“Understood. We’ll prepare immediately!” The officer took his leave.
“I thought you needed to buy something first?” Gris asked, his wound now properly bandaged. Sora remembered his rambling earlier on and tensed his body.
“Are you kidding? Look at us, looking like shit. Better take the reprimand from cap now than later.” He sighed heavily, resting on his chair. Gris followed.
“True.”
In the end, Gris and Sora’s small ‘adventure’ in Migny took a bizarre turn. Accidentally bumping into a wanted criminal, a confusing and probably embarrassing escort back to their colleagues, and Sora did not complete his odd quota.
As the police car drove into the parking space, both of them saw Enna and Gen outside on their backs, looking away from the car from a balcony. The car horned, and the latter two gasped at the sight, eyes wide in confusion.
“What the hell?!”