I’ve talked to the postal office but it seems even they do not know what happened. They confirmed the mail was delivered to my house, yet I do not see it anywhere.

-From Professor Shokolov’s Journal, 43rd Entry

AxEl thought he was about lose consciousness. His mother hugged him tight, standing on her tiptoes and choking the air out of his lungs.

“M-mom, that’s fine,” he managed to breathe out, and his mother seemed saddened by it. The morning was dark and they were upon the curb once again. He’d wanted to leave early despite his mother’s protests, so they’d had to rise early in the morning to do so. That didn’t seem to affect AxEl’s mother’s grip strength though.

“You can suffocate me next time,” he joked, though his mother’s face only turned more worried.

“Don’t say something so awful!” she berated him and let go. FenEl crossed her arms and AxEl felt guilty. Damn, she’s good at doing that, he thought. Some students passed in uniform on the other side of the street, and AxEl saw them snickering a bit in his direction. He glared at them and they sped up their steps up and around the corner. Then he turned to his mother again.

“Sorry, I won’t…” he muttered, and FenEl seemed to accept the apology.

“I hope wherever you’re all going, please take care of him,” she said to Anagen, who nodded.

“I’ll do my best as his Archivist, ma’am,” she replied.

“And you should eat more, Nook. You’re looking paler by the day,” FenEl said, grabbing him by the shoulders. He gave a tired chuckle to her and put the arms off of her.

“I’ll try, Ms. El. We can’t all have your vitality,” he said. The sound of a horn came from down the road and the group turned to see the car come into view. It turned at the junction, large and blue with blaring yellow lights, before coming to a stop near them. It was twice the size of any normal vehicle, looking more like something that would be used in rough terrain than for transport between cities. A few seconds passed and the doors opened, revealing the driver within. He was a pudgy old man with a hot drink in his hand. He yawned and covered his mouth with his other hand as he waited for them to enter.

“Morning, boss. We’re ready when you are,” he said, taking a sip from the drink in his hand.

“Hmph. A driver of your own, huh?” FenEl asked. Nook and Anagen moved past them, placing the baggage into the trunk of the car.

“I told you we’d never have to worry about money again. I meant it,” he said, smiling sincerely at her. She looked ruefully at the car, however.

“Were you working every day to get this?” she asked, simply.

“Not much more than anyone else in this world,” AxEl replied. He ran a hand over the side of the car and its durable windows, admiring the sheen and strength of it.

“You promise?” FenEl asked, catching him off guard. She didn’t seem to admire it the same way as he did for some reason.

“I do, mom.”

“And you gave yourself time to just… relax. You do that, right?” FenEl asked. The aches on AxEl’s body flared up in response. He’d spent the past few years waiting for this moment. He’d had times of relaxation, times when he thought he should relax and enjoy the earnings he has, but it always came back to the Company.

How long had he been chasing after them? Since his teens, since those visions he’d received in that basement.

“I do, mom. And I will,” he replied, embracing her in his arms. But when? A voice asked him in the recesses of his mind. When HoonUl is gone, he answered himself. AxEl slipped into the car and fell into a quiet mood.

He stared out the windows the entire time, watching the sun rise and the glow of Barkburn leave. AxEl saw the mountains sink into the horizon and then he released a breath he didn’t know he had been holding. AxEl looked at Anagen, who had spread some papers on the cushions and placed the journal on top of them. She was copying over certain phrases and re-reading them over and over.

When she saw AxEl looking, she explained.

“The Professor knew about the Moss. Now I’m trying to figure out if there’s something else that could help us. But I don’t think the Professor hid anything. He doesn’t seem like the riddle keeping type,” she explained.

“You’re just passing time, then,” AxEl said dryly.

“Let me have my hobbies,” she replied, smiling.

AxEl leaned his head back on the seat, feeling the leather head rest behind him. Nook had pulled up his legs and wrapped his arms around them as he closed his eyes. For a moment, AxEl thought about messing with him, but he decided against it. He needs the rest.

“You are going to Heravina, right?” AxEl asked the driver up front. A Styrofoam cup was in the cup holder and he had seemed to be in a trance before AxEl talked to him.

“Yeah? That is where we’re supposed to go, right?” the driver asked.

“Yes, it is,” AxEl answered. Anagen looked up from her work and sighed.

“I don’t know why you keep insisting on going there yourself,” she asked.

“I’ve been there for the last two, why wouldn’t I want to be there for the last trade we take down?” AxEl asked.

“Because it would put us all in the limelight? You do realize competition can be good for us if it splits the attention of the Questors?” Anagen fired back.

“Doesn’t matter. Nobody’s going to be able to control the Company’s areas.”

“There was a mole in our midst and we barely realized it before OkIx and Nook took care of it for us, AxEl,” Anagen replied.

“One small misstep. We’ll be more careful from now on,” AxEl said, waving his hand and looking out the window once more. He glanced at Nook, but his body had gone confusingly still. AxEl thought about asking, but decided against it. Anagen was about to speak again, but he locked eyes with her and shook his head. He directed her to Nook with his eyes and she nodded back. The both of them stopped that line of conversation there. It’s for the better anyway.

“Can you bring some resources into Heravina? Discretely, so that HoonUl doesn’t notice our people moving into his territory?” AxEl asked.

“Why? He wouldn’t escalate to all out warfare,” Anagen said.

“Don’t be so sure. He might do anything to preserve his position. And since Heravina is the hotspot for Airwaves, we’re going to need all the backup we can get,” AxEl explained.

“But… do we have to do this so early?” Anagen asked. AxEl noticed that she didn’t seem to worry about the logistical issues of the move, but more about something else. She tapped her finger a bit too fast, refused to meet his eyes and had her brows raised slightly. She’s afraid of taking them on?

“I won’t let anything happen to you, Ana. Neither you nor Nook.”

Anagen finally looked at him and she didn’t say anything for a long moment. “You’re being honest?” Anagen asked.

“I promise,” he replied and Anagen let out a breath of relief.

****

The sound of the tires rolling across the road had become such a commonplace for AxEl and the others that it didn’t bother them in the least. It wasn’t until they ran over several consecutive small bumps that AxEl decided to peer out of the window and see what was outside.

Outside, he saw a distant cluster of buildings over an escarpment. Some of the buildings reached far into the sky, looking like mirrors set into the earth. AxEl looked forward and saw a massive arch extending far into the sky on the side of the road they were currently on. It connected to the road in several places, but had large enough spaces between the connections that he could see the side of the city.

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Over the edge of the road he was on, he saw a giant waterfall extending from the top of the escarpment and falling multiple levels into a lake that extended in their direction. There were buildings at the bottom of the massive waterfall along with ports and some small boats that AxEl could make out.

But if it’s flowing in our direction, what are we on? He thought, raising up his legs so he could see over the side of the road.

“Are you guys seeing this?” AxEl pointed out, barely focusing on his own words. Light glittered off of the surface of the river like a diamond, transfixing his eyes. Anagen gave it a glance and kept her eyes on it for a moment as she took the sight in.

“Sometime you Lupans surprise me with how beautiful you can make things,” she said, the book falling in her hand being held haphazardly. Even Nook joined in, his mouth wide open at the sight.

“This is it, then? This is Heravina?” AxEl asked. He’d only seen the city in pictures, so he was dumbstruck at how much more beautiful it was in real life. Anagen sighed as she answered his question.

“Yes, AxEl. This is the city of Heravina Falls. Base of the Company, the largest trade in HuedoLupan and one of the wonders of the world.”

The arch ended soon after and the road turned in the direction of the city. AxEl looked behind at the arch, and saw that the road they had been on was a bridge instead. The area under the road was empty, letting him peer at the sheer size of the pool. The bridge was a small connection between what looked to be two cliffs, one of which held the city on top of it.

The road into Heravina was wide, being able to support several lanes of cars. All varieties of vehicles passed AxEl as they drove in and out of the city, and he was amazed by the designs of them all.

And I thought Lupan had shown me the best we had to offer, he thought to himself as they entered. They rode past stalls, restaurants and all kinds of street performances that made the streets feel a million times more alive than any other city AxEl had seen. Even with the cold weather and snow that the rest of the country faced, Heravina looked to be stuck in summer.

By the time they reached the hotel that Anagen had booked for them, AxEl was itching to get out. When the burst of chill hit him from outside, however, some of that motivation was sapped.

“They sure didn’t act like it was this cold,” he said, rubbing his hands together as a cold breath escaped his mouth. Anagen had come dressed for the occasion, wearing a light coloured coat that was fluffy at the ends. She grabbed a bag out of the car while AxEl and Nook took care of the other luggage and fell into line behind her.

Anagen had dug through her purse and brought out three cards. AxEl saw the IDs she placed on the desk, with the names on them being completely faked.

OkIn.

Vest Ank.

Lok Enj.

She’d booked three rooms, one for the each of them. They looked to be of a much higher quality this time, with even the reception room being well decorated and kept. Anagen took them up the stairs and towards one of the rooms in the large hallway.

“I would’ve preferred a singular room for all of us, but these ones are much smaller,” Anagen said, turning the key in the door. Sure enough, the insides looked much tinier than the ones AxEl and Nook knew. There wasn’t enough room for a couch, only a bed and a single writing desk that was stuffed in the corner.

Nook and AxEl let out a sigh before they unpacked for the long stay they would have inside the city.

****

A few days adjusting to the area had done some good for the lot of them, as it turned out. Despite being more foreign than Nook and AxEl both, Anagen knew a few of the most famous areas around the city. While they waited to hear back from a potential dealer and some of their own forces, AxEl, Anagen and Nook walked down the street towards a restaurant.

“Seafood’s pretty famous around here. The winter seasons make it more expensive, but I’ve heard of a few spots that we could still try. The food might not be as fresh,” Anagen droned on, clearly more interested in the subject than either Nook or AxEl.

She had a brochure in her hand, meaning Nook had to be the one to keep her out of danger and walking out into the road without supervision.

“You could deal with seeing where you’re going!” Nook chided her, but she just smiled back. That made him fume up even harder and he began waving his hands around wildly.

“You’re doing this on purpose! You’re enjoying this!” he told her, but she simply kept walking. Nook had to struggle to catch up to her. AxEl had his eyes on something else, however.

He’d seen something cross the corner of his vision from atop one of the buildings. Granted, in the dead of night seeing things wasn’t uncommon, but to AxEl’s eyes it had looked like movement of some kind. He then darted his head towards another spot on top of the buildings and a second later, a visible figure jumped across them. AxEl stopped in the middle of the sidewalk to look upwards, hoping to catch more features of the person, but he couldn’t. Anagen had stopped as well, and realization passed through her face.

“You saw someone up there, didn’t you?” she asked. AxEl nodded, but didn’t take his head off of the rooves.

“Don’t pay it any attention. Those were Airwaves users you probably saw,” she said, then turned her head towards her brochure once more. AxEl followed her in hopes of learning more.

“They’ve got nowhere else to practice?” AxEl asked from beside her shoulder. He had to dodge between several people walking the other way, each time apologizing for his huge frame. It was times like these that he envied how Nook managed to snake in between them.

“Look around you. They don’t have a forest to sneak off into and the waterfall is too dangerous to practice under. Ergo, they use the rooves,” Anagen explained. She stopped in front of the restaurant that had a glowing lobster for a sign and stuffed the brochure into her coat.

“But we can talk about that some other time,” she said, then walked inside without another word.

****

AxEl stared straight at the phone as he waited on the sidewalk. The phone wasn’t his and he barely knew the street they were on. The other man had agreed to meet only in the dark of night, so AxEl had been forced to wait out in the freezing cold with just a coat on. His breath came out as a mist and the only things he could see in the distance were illuminated by lights.

Snow had begun falling in Heravina, and the one time they’d visited the waterfall, they saw frost creeping at its edges. AxEl wondered how it was like in some of the more northern countries, like Tano, when even HuedoLupan faced cold like this. He looked out of the alley he was in, but saw nothing. Then AxEl suddenly bolted behind one of the dumpsters and held his breath for a moment.

Sure enough, a car passed him by and AxEl was glad that it hadn’t seen him. When the lights faded away, AxEl stood up slowly and breathed out slowly. A few minutes later, someone else came into the alley and sat down near one of the cans. He wore a light grey hoodie and pants that had a few holes in them, along with gloves and heavy combat boots. The figure hid himself from sight, though his brown eyes pierced into AxEl’s skull. After a few moments passed between them, the disheveled looking man spoke.

“Get out of my spot.”

“This is your spot?” AxEl asked, pointing down at the snow-covered bricks, “Doesn’t seem so comfortable to me,” he added, hoping the phrase would confirm his identity.

“Turn around,” the man said, standing up from his spot. He pulled down the hood he wore and walked towards him. AxEl was loathe to listen, but he did so for the sake of the mission. He placed his hands on the wall and felt the scraggly looking man pat him down. He squeezed his shoulders and patted his pockets.

“A combat knife? What are you carrying this for?” he asked. AxEl turned around and saw the man playing with it in his hands. He flipped it around to the blade and held it out towards AxEl.

“Protection,” he replied. AxEl took it, placing it back in the sheathe he had near his belt.

“You’ve got the things?” AxEl asked.

“Yeah. Getting a large quantity so fast was a bit annoying, but I did it,” he said, flashing a smile filled with yellow teeth that somehow still retained a bit of charm. AxEl unzipped his pockets and brought out a wrapped bundle of fresh bills.

“Are you sure you’re not a cop? These look straight out of the printing press,” he said, thumbing through the cash. He nodded once satisfied, then brought out a package with bubble wrap around it.

“It’s fragile, so be careful with it,” were the only words he gave to AxEl before he pulled back up his hood, stuffed his hands in his pockets and left the alley. AxEl weighed the package in his hand, feeling the weight shift a bit as he did. He also heard some sort of clinking, but stuffed the package all the same in his pockets as he took it back to the hotel.

****

AxEl walked towards the hotel trying to hide the package. It wasn’t the biggest thing, but hiding it was still an annoyance. He had placed under his thick coat and hoped that no one would notice.

AxEl had walked up the stairs to the entrance of the hotel delicately. He hadn’t been looking when the sliding doors to the hotel room opened, so he was shocked when a figure larger than him emerged from inside the building. The first thing that struck him about the gentleman was the bright glowing grey eyes of his. No, no, no, what are you doing here? He thought to himself.

AxEl took a few steps away from the figure and towards the railings, only then noticing the fedora and long coat the man had been wearing. He had skin tight gloves on his hands and held them up in a peaceful gesture.

“I’m sorry if I might have startled you, young man,” he said as he moved past AxEl and down the stairs. AxEl let out a breath in relief, but that might have been too soon for him, as the Questor turned around to face him fully.

“Wait, I think I recognize you actually,” he said, walking back towards him. AxEl didn’t know what cruel twist of fate had deigned for him to meet him again, but he didn’t find it amusing.

“The name is foggy to me, but I just know…” The Questor snapped his fingers in irritation as he spoke with that hoarse voice of his.

“Aha! AxEl was your name, wasn’t it?” he said, pointing towards the young man. AxEl swallowed the lump in his throat before answering.

“Yes… I didn’t think you would recognize me, Mr. Ohlas,” AxEl chuckled weakly.

“Nonsense. I never forget a good prospect for our organization,” he said waving him away.

“I’m surprised to see you so far away from your quaint little town, however,” he added. AxEl shifted his position slightly so he hid the packaging in his coat more easily.

“I work all around the country actually. That’s why I’m here,” he explained, regaining some of that resilience he had spent years building.

The Questor laughed a bit at the answer. “Even without being one of us, you manage to get a job so similar, huh?” he said.

“What are you doing here anyways, Mr. Ohlas. Don’t you have work in other cities? I… hear that Lupan’s been struggling recently with Magic Bullet abuse,” he said, trying to shake off Ohlas. But the Questor just shook his head disappointedly.

“That’s true, but there’s something…” he began to say, but cut himself off. He gave AxEl a strong glare and AxEl locked onto it for as long as he could without flinching.

“I hope you’re staying out of trouble, AxEl. I’ve got to get on another lead, so goodbye for now,” he said, then adjusted his hat and began to stomp down the stairs. AxEl felt his hands freezing on the railing and finally let go, hoping that the Questor had not noticed him clutching it.

But why is he here? Does he know what I’m doing? No, then he would’ve just taken me in, AxEl thought, and despite the snow, he felt sweat under his clothes.