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Joy Pursuit: Steel Dragon
Chapter 54: Echoes of the Night /FAREWELL/

Chapter 54: Echoes of the Night /FAREWELL/

Four sea-themed walls surrounded Gira, who sat blankly, staring at an odd futuristic door that stood between him from the aftermath of the chaos in the pool room. He had been granted a fresh pair of clothes, two chairs, and a small table with a crystal tablet with a stylus. But he was far too exhausted to necessarily indulge anything outside of the desire to sleep, eat, or get out. After all, this room wasn’t particularly exciting past the pretty blue colors and the undulating light that danced across the walls like waves.

Pursue happiness

The words echoed in his mind as he played with the chair. Balancing himself on the back legs, playing with the absolute truth of gravity and the back of his head.

Savagrios! He called out in his head as he slouched forward, slumping over the table.

“What is it?” Savagrios asked.

Theoretically right? What if I transformed now—and ditched this crappy little room? Right? Like, how much of me has to be transformed to cause damage to my core? Or how long can I be transformed? Gira asked.

“Well—first off—no. Second, we don’t have enough Kyyr to transform anymore because we wasted it on that stupid fight. Those 17 months of building up energy? Gone! Wasted by that angry, piss-eyed manchild! And even if we could transform, we shouldn’t—not even a little. Our body is on the literal and figurative edge of collapse.” Savagrios explained, his voice seemingly swimming around his head.

Gira rolled his eyes, groaning in annoyance, “UGHHHH! It’s not like I ate anyone! So why did they trap me in this boring room?" Gira said out loud.

“Well, we did try even if we didn’t succeed.” Savagrios added.

“I wasn’t even conscious for that! All I remember is the horrid itch and pain of my skin ripping through my throat…” Gira placed a hand on his throat, gulping as he remembered the coarse scales ripping his insides. He grew a little somber, “I didn’t mean to go all crazy on the people here…”

Savagrios snickered, "In any case, our actions have consequences. Cause and effect.”

“Don’t laugh at me! I know you got a crazy dream world of your own in there!” Gira exclaimed, talking at the ceiling.

“Ah. Well, it’s not as pleasant as you might imagine.”

Gira paused for a moment, remembering the cold, wet, salty sea and, of course, the horrid thing in the black waters that had swallowed him.

Another voice resounded from within, familiar and polite. “Dear me, you mustn’t trust this frightful red fiend. His memory is one of festive lights and the dancing afterglow of one of the concerts of the Dragon God of Tempest—Bastradamus!”

Gira raised a brow. “K?”

“Why yes, dear me. Did you forget I too reside rent-free within your soul? That unfortunately includes this marble-brained idiot and some other colorful individuals.” K said.

Savagrios interrupted, “Eww, the seven-fingered freak has ascended into our throne?!”

Gira leaned forward. “Wait, you were the creepy seven-fingered hand, K?”

“Uh—” K’s voice dragged out, “One, two…five. Heavens, what are you rambling about? I do, in fact, possess only five fingers.” K said offended.

Gira remembered the oily black hand he pulled out along with Savagrios, but he couldn’t quite figure out what it meant, if anything. "Well, it doesn’t matter, I guess.” Gira said with a shrug. IT DOES YOU IDIOT!

Gira then shook his head, “So what’s this about a festival and a bastard-Amus dragon?”

“Well—” K began but his words stretched along blankly, “It seems my memory has failed me again.” K said a little defeated.

“We can explain,” Savagrios interjected. “We don’t remember much ourselves, but from what we can gather from the memory. He’s this massive dragon that crawls around the sky and plays music using storms. Our memory of that night—it seems like nothing more than residual beats of great festivity, but it feels—empty.” Savagrios’s usually cheery tone seemed to sour.

Before Gira could press further the door before him slid open. Leaning through the door, a strange man appeared. He was slouched and his face covered in aesthetic bandages. He had wispy lavender hair and dark rings under his eyes. He had dull gray eyes that seemed apprehensive at the sight of Gira.

Gira, confused, gave him a little wave, but upon seeing his unrestrained hands, the man recoiled, staggering back and hitting his head on the top of the doorway.

"Hmm…bummer,” he said, rubbing his head. “Oh. Righ.” He slinked out of the room, the door still hanging as he tapped an earpiece. “The guy. You haven’t restrained him?”

He paused very slowly, nodding as Gira tilted his head, his hairbits twitching as he studied the man closer.

The strange man was wearing a uniform of some kind, but it wasn’t like any of the other Ranger outfits he’d seen. It was covered in these black bandages that had a gradient of hues that shifted from black to this almost fluorescent purple. His uniform was also black for the rangers, but it was barely armored at all.

The strange man seemed to finish nodding along with whoever was speaking over the earpiece before abruptly clicking the device.

With an extremely long and dragged-out sigh, he slithered back into the room. Across from Gira, there was another chair where he had been resting his feet. Gira watched as the man grabbed the chair and dramatically dragged it away from the table while staring off into a random corner of the room. He then sighed again before introducing himself.

“I am Ranger Willis-O Mort. And. I have some questions for you.” Willis said, dragging out his words as he continued looking away from Gira.

“Oh, well nice t—”

“What’s your name, birthdate, age, and species?” Willis interrupted.

“Ah, umm. My name is Gira; I don’t know my birthdate; I think I’m 17? Oh, and I’m a Coarseblood!” Gira answered.

Willis tapped around on the crystal tablet he had. “What is your relationship to the Fifteen Houses of Calamity, more specifically Je’Vaal Kephreshar or Alvlad Astralar? Familial, a member, amicable, neutral, hostile, or a target.”

“The what and who?” Gira asked.

Willis moved along, “ Do you have any relations or ties with the Verrai or any of the Named Daemons? Familial, a member, amicable, neutral, hostile, or a target.”

“What?”

Willis moved along, “ Do you have any relations or ties with the Sagrada Acronica or the Cult of Wymourne? Familial, a member, amicable, neutral, hostile, or a target.”

“Huh? I don—”

Willis moved along, “Do you have any relations or ties with the ENN.KORR, more specifically the Endymion or the Dragon God of Resurrection? Familial, a member, amicable, neutral, hostile, or a target.”

“No?” Gira answered again.

Willis moved along.

This process devolved into what felt like an endless barrage of questions about Gira’s connections to countless entities and groups scattered across the universe, all of which landed on his ears in utter confusion.

By the time Willis had finished asking his questions. He finally turned to face Gira. Clicking the device on his ear, “Any changes throughout questioning?” he asked someone over the earpiece. Nodding slowly before he gave out an exaggerated sigh, deflating in his seat. Then wordlessly he left.

Gira, confused, was left alone, staring at the door.

Did you guys recognize any of those names? He asked in his mind.

Savagrios was the first to answer, “Some rang bells here and there but to be honest can’t say we remember specifics.”

K made a reassuring noise, “Mhm, dear me, some of those named irked me indeed, but I cannot recall anything about them.”

Hmm, I wonder why they’re asking me all these samey dumb questions? Also, what’s the deal with the weird guy they got asking me stuff?

“Perhaps its a psychological ploy!” Why not let us take the reigns on round two?” Savagrios asked.

You wanna take control?

“Just long enough to get us out of this place. I’ll explain everything. You can trust me!” Savagrios announced proudly.

K made a disapproving noise, “I dare say, dear me, that may not be the wisest idea.”

“Ignore this nerd! Let us take over briefly.” Savagrios pressed.

Uhh, well. Sure?

With that, Gira suddenly felt Kyyr surge through him and with that, his gray-black eyes turned a piercing crimson red. He also seemed to grow taller, his features sharpening slightly as a smirk spread across his face. Savagrios stood stretching his body as he looked around the room, sniffing the air like some hound.

He walked over to the door; there was some kind of lock requiring a biometric scan of his finger. He leaned in against the wall, just enough to see the glare of the light against the display. On the screen, the glossy remnant of finger prints etched on the glass display made him smile. Savagrios put his hand up against the display, comparing his finger print to the one on the display. His crimson eyes flashed briefly as he warped the skin on his finger to match the display, making sure to get every little imperfection down. After a brief warping of his skin, he tapped the display and placed his warped finger against the display. It flashed green, letting the door slide open for him.

“Hehe…” Savagrios chuckled as he stood and walked over to the doorway before freezing in place with an awkward smile. “Ah.”

Standing in the doorway was none other than Morray. Who gave Savagrios a haunting look and a smile?

Savagrios, wide-eyed, stood there like a deer in the headlights, standing in silent exchange until the door shut close on their own.

You see, unlike Gira, Savagrios had been conscious throughout the entirety of the ordeal in the pool rooms. He had experienced every punch, shot, cut, and dissection that they had suffered. Pain was a natural aspect of being a Coarseblood, but after being forced to not only eat himself but reconstruct his head multiple times, Savagrios had been slightly traumatized.

Savagrios walked over to one of the corners of the room and pressed his head against the painted waves on the walls, shuddering.

"Gira, we’re feeling a little queasy…” he muttered.

Meanwhile, within his own mind, Gira found himself in a dark but oddly cozy expanse. It was a void of sorts, save for a fireplace that weakly lit some furniture. Sitting on a red couch covered in pillows was K a smile on his face as he greeted Gira.

“Hello, dear me, welcome to our throne room.” he said, patting the seat next to his.

Gira looked around the void carefully, making his way over and sitting next to his other self.

“What is this throne room?” Gira asked.

“It is where we Gira’s convene on the occasion, though we rarely do meet at all.” K explained.

“Hmmm, so… how do you guys see me do stuff?”

“It requires a touch of focus but all you’ve got to do is find a nice spot and rest your weary eyes. Let the darkness guide you to the light of our life.” K explained as he hugged a pillow before resting his head on the couch.

Gira followed along, grabbing a pillow of his own as he lay on his side. Flashes of light sparked before he seemed to catch dull light beyond.

“Where are you?” Gira asked in the space.

Savagrios perked up, pulling away from the corner, “Gira, we’ve come to realize the foul man is here with us; we must avoid him at all costs!”

“Which man?” Gira asked.

“The one with crimson-gold eyes, the man who cleaved and slashed us into little bits…” Savagrios said, gripping his chest.

Gira thought for a moment, “Ohhh, the weird guy who spun me around until I passed out?”

Gira watched Savagrios’s POV shake up and down as he nodded.

“That stupidly massive troglo—” Savagrios stopped midsentence, his body shuddering as he turned around to see Morray standing next to Willis. “OH! HELLO THERE GENTLEMEN!” Savagrios awkwardly said as he subconsciously moved parallel to Morray. His body pressing against the wall.

Willis raised an eyebrow as he tapped at his crystal tablet. Apparently ignoring Savagrios’s greetings.

Morray, on the other hand, smiled as he studied Gira’s new appearance. “Are you a Vileblood?” he asked nonchalantly.

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Savagrios held his guard as he nodded in response as he answered, “We—I am. Why do you ask?”

"Well, in the records we have of you, there’s only faint traces of Vileblood ancestry, yet your eyes are such a rich crimson red.” Morray said as he slowly walked closer to Savagrios.

“OH! W-we can explain! J-just don’t—you know, blow our head off—again…” his voice trailed off.

Morray’s eyes grew a little cold. “So you were conscious during the attack?”

“AH! Well, we were, but the main us. I mean me.” Savagrios awkwardly explained.

“Who are you talking about?” Morray pressed.

“The other us. Black eyes? A shameless moron?” Savagrios pleaded as the shadow of Morray overtook him.

Gira within was mouth-agape. “That red idiot called me a ‘shameless moron’? Ha? He’s literally me! We’re all me?!”

K didn’t say anything, letting the strange interaction continue.

Beyond the throne, one of Savagrios’s eyes turned gray-black, and from the same mouth, Gira spoke.

“You crimson traitor! How am I a shameless moron?” Gira argued with himself.

Savagrios took over, “We mean, is it not true?”

Gira was taken aback. “Only because I don’t remember stuff doesn’t mean I’m a moron! Plus, you’re the idiot who got manhandled like a stress ball when the golden-eyed guy was in control!”

“We were dying! HE promised us life, and so we live!” Savagrios waved his hands as the two argued from the same body. Causing both Morray and Willis to grow extremely uncomfortable.

“Yes, but he could’ve killed someone!? Then we would’ve been hunted and mounted on a wall…” Gira said, imagining his head mounted on a sea-themed wall.

Savagrios’s side of the face seemed pensative: “Maybe you’re right. It’s a good thing the ranger’s had this He-Beast working for them…” the words slowly rolled out of their mouth as both eyes looked up at the crimson glare of Morray, an annoyed smile on his face.

“Welp, good luck.” Savagrios said, letting Gira take the metaphorical wheel as Gira shrank in size and lost some of the sharper features.

“Umm, well you see—I have some issues.” Gira said playfully, “So you know, don’t hurt me. P-please?”

Morray stepped away, turning to Willis, “Can I take him now? My squad has all the resources for taking care of the boy.”

Willis sighed dramatically again. “We can’t let it free-roam anymore; I mean, it almost ate a junior ranger last night, not to mention all the members with not so mysterious internal hemorrhaging.”

“That won’t be an issue. I’m taking him back with me to the Ordovis Coast.” Morray said.

“But we need you to help aid with the developing station; the Court of Dissipation has already gained more favor in Krreat. At this rate, it’s only a matter of time.” Willis said, sighing again.

“Think of it this way. If we manage to train this kid. Could you imagine the benefit of housing a Coarseblood in our ranks?” Morray said.

“But the people, Morray, what will they think?” Willis said, standing straight, his form somehow taller than Morray.

Morray locked eyes with Willis. “We need more capable Kyyr users. The Unknown have been thinning out but the disappearances keep increasing. We need strong, good blood in our ranks.” Morray said as he got as close as he could to Willis. “Half of the rangers last night ran off as soon as they got a whiff of that boy’s Kyyr. You understand how pathetic that was.”

Willis slouched back down, sighing again. “We’ll need results. Fast,” he said, shoving a finger into Morray’s chest.

“You’ll get them! In one month, he’ll be ready in exactly 28 days!” Morray said, his tone sharp and aggressive as he leaned into Willis.

“Fine. Fine. But don’t half ass this. You know better than anyone else what the abyss is capable of.” Willis remarked, his tone now equally as aggressive as Morrays. His tired face now housing a stern frown.

And with that, Willis excused himself, leaving Morray alone with Gira.

Gira awkwardly looked up at Morray, “So umm—n-nice to meet you?”

Morray smiled before his face suddenly turned cold. “Listen here, kid, it’s going to be a pretty tough month. You’re in for quite the ride.”

“Ride to where?” Gira asked.

Morray’s cool look shifted. “Uhh, no, that was an expression.”

“So we’re not going anywhere? What about that coast place you mentioned?”

“No, I mean we are going somewhere, but when I said ride it was figurative spe—we can talk about this some other time.” Morray said, waving his hands around. “Just gather your things and get ready; we’re leaving right now.”

“Finally!” Gira said, his eyes flickering back to a crimson red.

Hey! Gira cried out within his mind.

Savagrios smirked. “Just let me stretch my legs for a second; I spent most of yesterday getting my ass beat,” he said in his mind. "Plus, I’m real hungry.”

“Huh, do your eyes change around a lot?” Morray asked as he guided Savagrios out of the room.

“OH! Occasionally, it affects our personality a little bit,” he explained awkwardly as he scampered out of the room. Looking around to find themselves in a sea-themed hallway.

“Are you being honest with me? It seems like there’s more to it. I mean, you argued with yourself like a crazy person like 5 minutes ago. You also keep addressing yourself in the plural." Morray pointed out as he guided Savagrios through the ranger station.

“WELL! It’s a little complicated.” Savagrios mumbled.

“I recommend you’re honest with me.” Morray said sternly as he led Gira past weary onlookers.

“Haha,” he chuckled nervously, “alright, so the short answer is there’s literally multiple individuals being hosted by a single soma, slash, soul. We are Savagrios, and we just wanted to stretch our legs before we gave control back to Gira.”

Morray turned his head, giving Savagrios a grossed-out look. “How many guys are you?”

“We’re all the same person. We think.” he paused, “well—we more so suppose.” Savagrios said, scratching the side of his head. “We honestly don’t understand; all we know is that we didn’t mean to hurt anyone. Except for the piss-eyed Gira, he wants to rip your head off.”

“Hmmm, was that one behind the attack last night?” Morray asked.

“Yes, but we’ve dealt with him… kinda.” Savagrios said.

Meanwhile inside his mind, “WAS HE THIS INDISCREET ALL ALONG?” K cried out in disbelief.

“What’s wrong?” Gira asked. “He’s just telling him the truth.”

K shuddered. “It is indeed our truth, but we must exercise caution in whom we confide. I must warn you—our actions last night have undoubtedly stirred ripples of dread and confusion. We cannot afford to let them think we’re some deranged loon!”

Gira shrugged, “Welp, he already told him so.”

“Heavens, dear me, perhaps we are destined for an early grave after all.” K said somberly.

Beyond their little argument, Morray had guided Gira out a back door towards the main parking lot. It was chilly outside, early morning, with a thick cluster of clouds above shrouding the area in a dull-purple gray gloom.

Morray pointed at Lowglider. “Wait here, I have to tell my sister and her bum husband that I’m having you join my squad.”

“OK, but ummm—what about food, mister, ehh?” Savagrios asked.

“Morray Hassle, your new squad captain.” He said while pointing at himself.

“Alright, Mr. Morray,” Savagrios answered.

“Just sit tight and don’t think about running away. You wouldn’t last. Oh! And for food, go dig around the huge black pack inside; there should be some dubious meat sticks in there.”

Savagrios nodded as he scurried onboard, unfortunately for him. It was comedically dark, and lining the seats were plenty of dark clusters. Some short, some long, but all dark and hard to tell apart. Savagrios turned to ask for help, but he was alone. Outside. In the windy cold. With nothing better to do, Savagrios tried adjusting his pupils to expand, but was met with stinging pain.

Probably not a good idea to mess with such delicate organs… he thought to himself before he began blindly patting around the clumps. He dug around but found nothing, until he tapped something warm, soft, with curves and depth. It moved.

Savagrios pulled his hand away. A creature? He went back to patting around, tracing his hands along before he clutched the thing. A large soft serpent? How odd… He continued gliding his hand up until he found that there were two snakes. He slid his hands higher until he reached an arch of sorts. What kind of creature is this? Perhaps it is the dubious meat sticks? Perhaps eating still-living creatures was the norm here. He continued tracing the figure until he found himself at a thicker section that seemed to shift around when suddenly—

“EEEEEEEEEEK!” A female voice squealed before Savagrios found himself with a leg smashing into his stomach.

“Hngh!” Savagrios was sent flying back and crashing on the other seat opposite to where he had been; he groaned in pain as another blind strike landed on his face. “Khh—”

The source of the kicks then sprung away to the edge of the lowglider, their figure outlined in shadow.

Savagrios raised his hands, “WAIT! WAIT! WE’RE SORRY!” he pleaded. The figure was still in a fighting stance as Savagrios scrambled away on his hands and heels. “WE WERE JUST LOOKING FOR FOOD! M-MR. MORRAY TOLD US TO FIND HIS BAG, BUT IT’S DARK!” he cried out.

The figure in a panic reached down for her crystalcomm, flashing Savagrios with a bright light. “Y-y-you’re the C-C-C-COARSEBLOOD?!” the girl squealed.

“We are! But we just wanted some food!”

“Y-you can’t eat me! I know I fit your preference but I can’t let you!” the girl cried out.

“Our what?” Savagrios asked, perplexed as the tension faded.

“Y-you know Coarsebloods, they like eating innocent maidens?” The girl explained.

“W-we do?”

The girl lowered the light before changing a setting that caused the crystalcomm’s casing to shine with a warm light. Standing before Savagrios was a girl with long, cascading dark hair. Her bangs swept across her face, concealing her left eye, but the exposed one glimmered—a striking crimson pink. It was none other than Ranger Mera.

“Y-yeah! I read it in a b-book…” she said, hiding behind her long hair.

Savagrios paused and thought for a second, but he didn’t have any particular inclinations for what he ate. As long as it was meat, he figured it didn’t much matter who—or what—it came from, especially if he was hungry enough.

“Umm—what kind of book did you learn this from?” he inquired.

Mera blushed, using her long hair to hide her face, “I-it wa-wa-was ahh, a—” she was struggling to find her words.

“Ah—what?” Savagrios asked as he stood up. Looking around for the large pack that Morray had described.

Mera kept making some noises before turning to face away, taking the light with her as she curled into herself. “N-n-n-never mind!” she mumbled.

Savagrios clicked his tongue. “Tsk this girl,” he mumbled before he softened his demeanor and floated over to her. “Excuse me, Miss—but which is Mr. Morray’s bag? You know the one with meat in it?”

Without turning, she pointed into the darkness.

Savagrios fake smile cracked a little. “C-could I please borrow that light of yours? It’s still rather dark out, you know.”

Mera turned around, her eyes puffy from tears that had begun to well.

She’s crying?!

“Umm, su-sure…” she mumbled as she stood up and walked over to a seat, pulling up to reveal some rations. “Ca-captain Morray carries Scaleflesh jerky sticks, but I p-personally wouldn’t recommend it. S-so you instead could have some of these field rations we packed for emergencies.” She said with an awkward smile.

Savagrios’s crimson eyes flashed with joy as he dove into the container of rations and began to wolf down on one of the strange blocks of food. His smile instantly faded with the first bite. “Ugh—hmmm.” he let go of the dry rations.

Gira! Our body is hungry! Take over and eat these totally yummy cracker things. He called out.

Inside their minds, Gira had been trying to look under K’s sleeves. Trying to see if he really didn’t have seven fingers on each hand.

“Come on, K! The fact you’re being so defensive means you totally got seven fingers!” Gira called from one side of the red couch as K stood on the other.

“This is a matter of trust, dear me! I tell you I only wield five digits on my hands!” K answered defensively.

But their little game was interrupted with Gira and Savagrios switching spots.

“UH—what? Where am I? Eugh? What’s this dry stuff in my mouth?” Gira remarked as he moved his tongue around his mouth and teeth.

“I-Is it not to your taste?” Mera asked.

“Huh? Not really? Wait, where am I? Who are you?” Gira asked.

“Ummm—y-you’re aboard our squad’s lowly-glider... and I- I’m v-vice captain Mera…” She said holding the crystalcomm tightly against her chest.

“Oh! Well, nice to meet you! My name is Gira. Quick question. Have I said or done anything strange in the last, I don’t know, five minutes?” he asked.

“Umm….y-you…” Mera blushed. “You’ve been naughty,” she said, clutching herself.

“What? How? Wait, what did Savagrios do?” Gira asked, concerned.

“S-savagrios?” She asked, looking at him with maidenly eyes.

“Ugh…” Gira mumbled before he decided to try and explain his situation to Mera.

After listening to his life story, Mera suddenly gathered Kyyr, a crystalline mask forming in her hands. She held it delicately before carefully placing it over her face.

“Oh my?! Y-your soul is a me-mess!” she exclaimed.

“It is?! I mean, duh, but like, how messy?” Gira asked.

Mera took her Kyyr Retina off and handed it to Gira. “T-take a look yourself.”

Gira grabbed the warm, weirdly light curved piece of crystalline Kyyr and— “So how the heck do I put this on?”

“Oh! Umm, just press it against the bridge of your n-nose and pulse Kyyr gently. It should stick,” Mera explained.

“Yuhuh, okay.” Gira said as he put it on, “Hmmm, this feels kinda gross to me for some reason. It’s like someone’s ghost is sitting on my face.”

Mera looked away embarrassed, “J-just look down…”

“Oh right.” Gira looked down at his chest. “OH MAN. That’s gnarly looking! I’m guessing all those floaty bits shouldn’t be there.”

“Mhm.” Mera nodded.

Gira’s soul was well, shattered like the very sky above; it was a mess of soul shards floating around in some vague ghostly outline, which he assumed was his body. He looked up and looked at Mera’s soul, her own being twin-colored and shaped like a pristine crystal heart. He then looked back down at his soul, which also vaguely resembled a heart except for the fact it had sharp, jagged edges; there was no harmony in the colors displayed, and there were parts that honestly looked kind of evil.

“So is this fixable?” Gira asked, doing a circular motion around the mess inside him.

Mera shrugged sheepishly, “I’m not sure…”

“Hmm, well, dang. Guess I’ll ignore this until it becomes a problem.” Gira said with an annoying smile.

Suddenly, the sound of panicked voices echoed from the main entrance of the Ranger station. A group of rangers burst into the parking lot—Morray, Serfet, Romm, and two others, one of whom was carrying a huge pack. The five of them were running in a frenzy.

Morray, between baited breaths, shouted, "MERA, GET THE LOWGLIDER STARTED!”

Mera suddenly perked up her sheepish nature, fading away as she slid past Gira, taking hold of the controls at the back end of the lowglider. Revving the engine fiercely as Morray and his squad got on.

Behind them, Xizu emerged from the building with an enraged look plastered across her face. "MORRAY I SAID NO! GIRA GET OVER HERE NOW!” she roared.

“AH!” Gira squeaked.

“Don’t do it, kid! She’ll kill us both!” Morray pleaded as he pulled the pin on a small device that began to smoke.

Serfet looked in shock at the thing in his brother’s arms. “Are you insane!?”

“Its Xizu, you know!” Morray said, chucking the device straight at their sister.

CLINK…. CLONK…clink?

“OH SHIT!” Morray said as the device was immediately thrown right back at them. “J-JUST DRIVE MERA!”

With that, Mera crushed the controls in her hands as the lowglider burst forward, the device exploding as smoke filled the air. Mera, amidst the chaos, used her Kyyr, forming another Kyyr Retina that she expertly placed on herself as she drove away from the Krreat Ranger Station.

“MORRAY!!! YOU LOUSY….” Xizu’s voice disappeared into the wind as Morray and Serfet coughed in agony as they turned to see their beloved sister still chasing after them.

“Cough…Break the speed limit if you have to!” Morray pleaded.

Gira, who was still wearing his own Kyyr Retina, watched in horror as he could visually see Xizu's rage flare up in the distance. I can never return… he thought to himself as he bid farewell to the epic towers of Krreat. So close yet so incredibly far away.