“Good…morning, sweet world!” Wu said, his eyes swinging open before he sat up quickly, the rapid movements shaking the bed he’s on as Lera groaned and moaned about the start of a new day. Wu was always an early sleeper, a habit that lingered from his basketball playing days, and Lera was the total opposite, habitually staying up late to play with different Casts.
Therefore, that lead to the slight predicament of the two of them sharing a bed, as Wu often went to bed first before Lera crawled in a whole-sleep cycle later.
Wu turned and looked at his now girlfriend, and he sighed before sneaking back into the sheets, placing a hand over her shoulders. It felt cool to the touch, and he lightly pulled up the blanket before shuffling close. Lera smiled even with her eyes closed as she also shuffled closer, her hands sneaking underneath his shirt before she caressed her abdomen.
Then, her cool fingers started sliding downwards into his shorts as Wu’s eyes opened.
“Ooh~” He made a playful sound when Lera instead squeezed him in the butt cheeks and rolled the other way around, “Oh?”
“Not…now…” Lera murmured and yawned. Wu stared at the cloud of her messy hair before chuckling squeezing her butt back. Then, he sat up slowly and escaped the bedroom.
By now, Lita had already gotten up and started her daily works.
“Good morning!” Lita said, taking apart the pieces of fabric before turning them around and continuing on the other side. The piece she’s working on was suspended over a set of simple structure Casts, “I…haven’t made any breakfast yet.”
“I know.” Wu said, “It’s okay. I will do it.”
For the past little while, Wu and Lera were able to settle into a steady rhythm in life. After the Infinite Academy Saga and all of the political events that had transpired shortly after, they have actually had a few weeks of rest and recuperation while the King and the Atlas Twins continued the reorganization of the Kingdom’s cabinets.
As Wu set down the plates of quick stir-fries on the table, Lera also made it out from their bedroom while still rubbing her eyes. Her hair was puffed up from a night of sleep, and she went over to the sink before rinsing her face with fresh cool water from a water Cast over it.
“Good morning.” Lera said, sitting down at the table even though her head was still in sleep mode. She yawned when Lita walked by while holding a bucket in hand.
“Morning, sleepy head.” Lita joked before walking out the back door, "You should go to bed earlier, like Wu."
Seeing Lita leave the room, Wu hopped across the room before leaning in close to Lera. She smiled, closed her eyes, and tilted her head up as their lips lightly bopped into one another.
That was when suddenly, sets of Wave lines over the dinner table became activated, and a small projection formed over it. Jolyne’s face appeared over it right as Wu and Lera’s heads moved apart.
“Uh-hum. Here I am to interrupt your morning...activities.” Jolyne said, clearing her throat, “We have bought enough time to reorganize the cabinets, but today, the new head minister will be meeting with the PORA’s agents at the streets two blocks south of the Sonne city fountain. Your tasks would be to track the PORA agent beyond the meeting to his hiding place, take him down, and find out how he was communicating with PORA’s regional leader.”
“Understood.” Wu and Lera nodded.
Finally, some action.
The city fountain is located along the main street, starting from the city gates at the bottom of the hill all the way to the grand palace up the hill. As Sonne city ran from East to West, the South-ward direction takes people away from the moving crowds and into the business and residential areas on either side of the main street.
Merging with the crowds with their civilian outfits, Wu and Lera then split up at the fountain while keeping in contact with her special communication Casts made from Ver’s shells. With the addition of some of Lita’s fabrics, they were able to conceal those tiny pieces right behind the ear like some sort of regional decor.
“I have spotted the envoy of the minister.” Wu said, his eyes casually scanning the streets as he sat outside of one of the bakeries with a warm cup of tea in hand.
“No eyes on anyone else.” Lera said, her attention split between her Cast Array and the streets as she held her book of Casts in front of her. The morning crowds moved like flowing water, and with more and more people coming out, it became increasingly hard to track individual people.
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The ministers walked straight past Wu without realizing as he rocked one of his favorite disguise Casts, a blast from the past really. Then, the ministers showed themselves on Lera’s Cast Array after Wu subtly tagged down with a special powder made from ground up Fuel Rocks.
Another one of those side projects that Wu and Lera had enjoyed doing during their little break.
The ministers executed turns according to the PORA agent’s orders until they stepped foot into an inconspicuous residential building. However, that was all a front as Lera tracked them down through a series of underground tunnels, emerging on the other side towards the Southern side of the city’s walls before they finally stopped.
“Moving in.” Wu and Lera said simultaneously before they sprung to action, beelining for the meeting place.
“You have kept me waiting for too long.” The PORA agent said, his body obscured underneath a cloak as the ministers stepped forward and showed the control Casts for the meat puppets of the King, and the Atlas twins, “What had been happening within the palace?”
“Power struggle, as one would expect during this curious time.” The head minister sighed, “My father…he was poisoned by his dying political rivals, and that left me in charge with this mess.”
“You expected me to believe that?” The agent leaned in closer, the glow of his eyes piercing through the shadows of the hood, “This is a curious time, as I am sure you know. PORA will have control over everything, and that required your absolute cooperation. If I had found any hints of betrayal, you, along with everyone you know, will pay the price with blood.”
“You are still within our kingdom, let me remind you of that fact.” The head minister pressed forward, his eyes filled with fire as he marched half a step up, “Without my help, you are nothing here. PORA couldn’t outright conquer anything, and that’s why they needed agents like you in the dark. Don’t mistake our shared interests for your control over me.”
“Hehehe…very well.” The agent cocked his head back, satisfied, “Very well. It’s good to see that nothing’s changed in the Palace. Like father, like son, indeed.”
“Why are you doing this?” The minister asked, “What is your plan?”
“PORA is preparing for a grand war…” The agent responded, his eyes scanning the environment when his eyes suddenly shot open, “It does not appear that we are alone, minister. Were you tracked?”
“What?”
The agent’s body moved as his calloused hands shoved into the body of the minister, pushing him back. The minister’s guards hurried to his side when the agent leaped onto the nearest building as his cape flapped after him like wings.
“He’s moving!” Wu alerted as Lera tracked his movements through the Cast Array, trying to cut him off. However, Wu’s even faster than that, as his legs spun underneath him when he timed the activation of Wave blasts of his Void Suit, flying off through the streets in pursuit of the agent.
The agent sensed the output from Wu’s suit, and he half-turned his head to look when everything around him became darkened, and he ran headfirst into Lera’s Void Domain Drown. Instantly, his connection to the Wave was cut off, while the additional effects of the Cast took away his sights and sounds.
He cursed, reaching inside for the communication Cast straight to PORA when Wu’s body dashed in, a sharp blade extending from his wrist before he sliced off the agent’s hand cleanly. The hand flopped onto the ground, still twitching with motion when Wu took out the communication Cast with the symbol of a blood-red rose in the corner.
Lera swirled her hands, disabling the Sweeping Darkness and Silence before dragging the agent into the back of an alleyway as he screamed in pain while holding onto his wrist.
“You! You will die for this! Everyone you know will die for this!” The agent cursed, “You know what you have done?!”
“Enlighten us.” Wu squatted down, when the PORA agents kicked up and slammed his boots to his face. However, Wu easily dodged that attack, grabbing his legs and twisting it until it nearly strained the knees of the agents. He cursed out even further as Lera casted a Sweeping Silence around them, preventing any sounds from spreading out, “You were saying something about PORA’s grand plan, weren’t you?”
“You won’t live to see it.” The agent said, accepting his predicament and instead started lashing out as blood streamed down his mouth, “Without me sending out a steady signal through the communication Cast, PORA’s regional leaders will be alerted in days time, and an armada will come here to stomp out your puny little rebellion. You are done. Varous is done. Good luck dealing with the rogue defensive turets too.”
Wu’s eyes shot open, and the agent tilted his head before the light in his eyes started fading away.
“He’s bit his tongue!” Lera said, dispelling the Void Domain as the agent’s body flopped back. However, by the time she started treating him, he was already gone. To keep his body from being destroyed by any contingencies of PORA, Lera quickly enveloped him in Void Domain once more.
Lera glanced back at Wu, who held the communication Cast in his hand, and they nodded to one another.
They needed to head into the palace and alert the King and the Atlas Twins as soon as possible. The peace through their bought time is officially over, and now, as new challenges arise, new missions are to be completed.
But first, they need to figure out how to deal with the communication Cast.