“I liked him,” Marie complained.

Reina sighed. She was just too innocent. “He was a. . . .,” she hesitated. She couldn't outright badmouth him, the chances of Marie catching that habit was too great. ". . .an interesting guy. I just don't think you should talk to him. Besides, I'm sure somebody like him is very busy."

"Busy doing what?" Marie inquired.

Why was she asking so many questions about him? Usually, she rarely stayed on one topic for this long before bouncing on to the next! Could it be. . .did she have a crush on him?! Reina coughed. No, that was way too improbable. A slight nudge reminded her of Marie's question and she backtracked to recall it.

"Things like going to balls and dinners?" Reina questioned. She didn't have any idea other than watching old drama shows, and she doubted those showed the full picture. To somebody like her and Marie, he lived in an entirely different world. Luckily, her curt responses seemed to stop Marie until she proclaimed-

“I think he likes you.”

Reina stopped in her tracks and spun toward Marie. She skipped ahead, blissfully unaware of the reaction she had caused with those simple words.

“He does not like me!” Reina threw her arms up in the air but they quickly got caught in her cloak. Cursing, she pried them out with much difficulty.

Marie giggled. “You’re so funny!”

Reina grumbled. If she had wanted to, she would have gotten a normal shirt instead, but the cloak was the last thing she had from Xia. She grasped it tightly, bundling it up. This cloak was the only thing on her back when she'd been forced out and thrown onto the streets of San Fransisco. She'd spent hours watching Xia use so much of her Moonlight Arts to weave this. It contained a lot of memories, both good and bad. Reina brought the fabric closer to her face and inhaled; instantly, the rose-tinted fragment calmed her down. Besides, it was very helpful. Thanks to Xia's rare Moonlight Arts, the cloak had the added benefit of having its insides be a portal to an empty dimension. Luckily, no living thing could be sent there, but a part of a limb could enter to withdraw weapons somebody may or may not have stored there.

Soon, Reina spotted the tilted point of the orphanage sliding into view, rising up from beyond the horizon. Marie squealed and sprinted ahead, while Reina continued her steady pace; nothing good would come from rushing.

“Marie! Reina! Hurry up, it’s almost time for dinner!” Avery, one of the volunteer workers at the orphanage waved from the doorway of the orphanage. The building was large, easily the largest in this block. It was very old-fashioned and had huge arches, with statues at the top. There was a large courtyard in the middle as well, along with a huge gate the government had recently installed to lessen the dangers.

Reina lazily lifted a hand in greeting while Marie reached the orphanage. “Avery! Avery!” She leaped into her embrace and the two of them snuggled together.

Reina sighed. “Sometimes, I feel like you care for her more.”

Marie didn’t respond, too busy playing with Avery’s nose and giggling to herself. Reina groaned and went inside. She began clomping up the stairs, purposefully making noise to see if they would notice.

Avery heard the sound and looked up. “Reina? Aren’t you going to eat?”

“Nah, not hungry. Just want to take a nap.” Reina replied. It sounded like they hadn't learned about her adventure in the urban center yet; by tomorrow morning, the Artist attack would be old news. As long as Sis didn't turn on the TV today, she would be in the clear. Coincidentally, if Sis did find out about the incident, being in her room made it easier to jump out the window and escape.

Avery nodded. “All right then! Now, who's a good girl, huh?” Avery cooed at Marie.

Reina walked past the girls and boys running down the stairs and entered her room. It was big, because the older you were, the larger the room. Something about needing more space and privacy; she was certain the real reason was to keep the curfew for the respective ages in check. At the age of 14, she was one of the oldest left in the orphanage; everybody else had either left or been adopted.

Her room was plain though, with only a simple bed and desk. There was a small wardrobe pushed to the side (she didn’t care much for clothes; her cloak was enough), and a larger bookcase overflowing with books. There wasn't anything else she really wanted, and saving her money was best; if the orphanage ever hit hard times and the government decided to stop funding them, she would need to step up. Reina flopped onto the bed. Sure, compared to other rooms in the orphanages, it was exceedingly simple, but this was home and she liked it. There was no way she was going to waste money on useless things.

Reina lay on the bed for a few minutes, staring up at the ceiling. Her mind was in complete disarray, trying to comprehend everything that'd happened today; after 2 years of regular life and peace, she'd fought an Artist and garnered the attention of a hero's son. And it had been so. . . .invigorating. Addicting. The adrenaline in battle, the chance of death, the struggle to survive and the overwhelming pride she felt when she lived. It almost made her want to continue fighting but. . .she wasn't alone. She had Marie, Sis, and Avery. She couldn't put them through pain if she ended up dying.

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Reina groaned and got up from the comforting sheets, and placed her cloak on the desk. She took off her pants and shirt and changed into pajamas. Afterward, she then took back the cloak and fastened it over her neck. Reina needed to cool down; she wasn't going to go back to fighting, and that was final. No being wishy-washy about it.

Should she train some more? The fight with the crab told her that she had been falling behind. Then again, she had used her katana. Not a weapon she particularly liked. She reached inside and pulled out a sword. However, this sword was vastly different from the katana she had used against the crab monster.

It was much thicker and had a simple hilt and pommel. The blade went up and on the backside, there was a large empty crescent-shaped part gone, leaving it with a unique design. The edge of the sword tilted left and up, making the crescent side taller by a tiny margin. The entire thing was golden, with three large markings on both sides. However, the edges of the straight side and the tip were a pure white color, making it clear which side you were supposed to use in battle.

It was a magnificent piece of work, as all of her swords were, and this one was the one she preferred to use the most. They all had different weapons they were masters at, and this was hers. Besides, this particular one was an all-type, meaning she could use it for different scenarios.

She rested the sword in an old and worn-out stand, leaving it on top of her wardrobe so she could see it in the darkroom. For some reason, it always helped her fall asleep when she could see her precious swords. Not to mention she never had to worry about anybody trying to steal it, because she had set up a good enough example of the first kid who was foolish enough to try. He swore to this day his backbone ached.

Reina stared yearningly at the sword, but in the end, entered her sheets again. No, she couldn't risk falling into the high of battle anymore. Closing her eyes, Reina attempted to sleep-and that was her mistake.

The city was on fire. Reina looked around frantically-where was she? What was she doing here? She was supposed to be asleep in bed! Reina reached into her cloak-her cloak was gone. Her eyes sprung open and she patted herself down. No, this couldn't be possible! Where was it?!

And what was she wearing? It appeared to be a skin-tight suit with pieces of armor padding attached to her knees, chest, and shoulders, but it looked like it'd gone through hell; tears in the suit showed her skin, which was darkened by grime, and the metal parts of her gear was heavily dented.

Reina studied her surroundings, trying to calm down her breathing; maybe if she figured out where she was, she could begin to understand what was happening. Alas, it only made it worse. The city she was in was completely devastated; every single building in eyesight was razed to the ground, huge bonfires torched the ground, and skyscrapers were on their side. Reina spotted a nearby river and hurried over; when she neared it, she screamed and stumbled back.

The river was red-tainted by blood. Chest heaving up and down, Reina stared into the horizon and all the color drained from her face.

She'd been wrong; learning where she was didn't help at all. It only made things worse. Because she knew where she was. The wall that encircled the city was clue enough, and the gaping hole only confirmed her theories.

This was Neverstien. The Everlasting Utopia. The greatest bastion of humanity. The symbol of the future.

And it was destroyed. Ravaged. Completely obliterated.

Reina clutched her head; what could do this? The Precept Prime, surely she'd have done something to prevent this? She'd rather die than let Neverstien be wiped out, did that mean she was dead? What did that mean for Reina? What about the Academy? The teachers, Xia, Arcturus-

The world around Reina blurred. She could spot images spinning past her and tried to focus on them, but it was no use; nausea overwhelmed her and she was forced to close her eyes. When she opened them again, she'd wished that she had kept them closed.

The Academy, her second home, was standing in front of her. But nobody could say it was standing, rather, it had collapsed in on itself. Reina lifted a hand, choked cries spilling from her throat. This wasn't possible. . .why. . . .why had this happened? Reina took a few shaky steps and stumbled on something. When she looked down, the vacant eyes of Xia stared back.

"NO! NOOOOOOOOO!" Reina howled. She bent down, clapping her hand over her ears and closing her eyes. "This isn't happening, this isn't happening, this isn't happening. . ." She could feel the world bending again and she welcomed it; anything, anywhere, as long as it wasn't here. As long as she could get away from Xia's dead body.

Screams hit her ear and the shock of it made Reina open her eyes instinctively. This time, she was in a setting where people were alive. That didn't mean things were any better though. Hundreds of bodies were stacked on the streets, people pushed and shoved each other out of the way as they ran for safety. The sight of the Empire State Building told her this was New York City, seconds before a meteorite slammed into the skyscraper, knocking it to the ground.

The huge BOOM that came, as a result, knocked Reina to the ground and her head tilted up. She had a perfect view of the sky, which resembled an apocalyptic hellscape; the atmosphere was red, the sun was blocked by smog, and streaks of fire roared across the sky. With a dull dis-attachment, Reina realized all of them were meteorites; thousands of them, all aimed for the city.

"The end is here," somebody murmured. Reina spotted the battered body of a hero propped up against a broken wall. "The End of Days. . .has come."

An unbearable noise descended on her. Reina glanced up to see one of the meteorites heading her way. She stuck out her hands, prepared to launch streams of fire in defense, but nothing came out. Eyes wide, heart-pounding, Reina, along with everybody else still alive, could only watch as the meteorite landed and everything became white and-

Reina sprung up in cold sweat, panting and clutching her chest. She closed her eye, desperately trying to recall what she'd dreamt of. Already, everything was fading, but she remembered two things with astounding clarity.

1. The world was going to end soon.

And 2. It was going to begin in Neverstien.