Later that night, two shadowy figures met on the outskirts of Geraheim Province, amidst the ruins of the massive coliseum that once served as the centre of Merricent’s national stadium. The first of the two figures was almost completely shrouded in shadow, with little more than his muscular silhouette highlighted by the faint blue glow of his natural energy. As he stood there, propped casually against one of the few pillars still able to maintain his weight, he watched as the other man approached him. This man was slightly shorter and possessed a more compact build, almost swallowed by the loose-fitting jacket that billowed in the night wind. From the back of his head, two ponytails also danced on the air, leaking red streaks of energy just as the rest of his body did.

“Spark.” The man with glowing red energy announced, utilising his companion’s code name in case there were any eavesdroppers.

“Strife.” His companion replied casually, doing the same. “What was so urgent that you needed to drag me out of bed at this godforsaken hour?”

“New players have entered the game.” Strife replied cryptically, drawing an audible scoff from Spark.

“This is somehow noteworthy?” He replied dismissively. “What are they, Xelots?”

“No.” Strife shook his head. “Raen still appears to be in charge of Xelot activity in Merricent and he’s none the wiser – they’re yet to enter the fray.”

“And the Rogues are always a step behind, playing clean up with the haima’sa.” Spark suggested, drawing a nod from the man with red energy.

“If these new players don’t have any faction clout, why are they even an issue?” He pressed, now even more curious as to why this meeting had been called.

“When I saw them, two reeked of haima’sa and they were asking questions that I’d rather not have answered just yet.” Strife replied. “Not until we’ve located and awakened the last of the four.”

“The last?” Spark chuckled. “I still haven’t seen the third since his alleged awakening.”

“The Master General assures us that he’s fine.” Strife retorted, almost dismissively.

“Yeah, so does my Director… but I’ve never trusted these Legends further than I could throw them – and Maika’s a pretty solid guy.” Spark replied. “Have you been able to confirm that independently?”

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“Not as yet, Neo Brighton’s nigh spontaneous DMZ’s have made monitoring his friend unnecessarily difficult – further complicating an already difficult task.” Strife explained.

“Yeah – those eyes of hers do make your particular brand of stealth less reliable I suppose.” Spark conceded.

“Not just hers, but her sister’s as well.” Strife scoffed. “They are unideal subjects of observation.”

“Fair enough.” Spark nodded. “Well keep at it; we’ll need all four of us to deal with Teros.”

“How goes your particular investigation?” Strife now decided to change the subject.

“The Gaea Pocket is extremely secure.” He explained. “With the McLeods at the Academy, getting close enough for intensive studies has been more difficult that predicted.”

“Shouldn’t your subordinate be able to assist with this? Her stealth abilities are reported to rival my own.” Strife suggested.

“Maybe.” Spark shrugged. “But her analytical abilities aren’t worth shit in this scenario, and unlike you her stealth abilities don’t work on other people; so she can’t get me close enough for a better look.” He explained. “I’ve been forced to do my analysis from afar, which makes the entire situation much more difficult.”

“So you’ve found nothing of use?” Strife pressed.

“I didn’t say all of that.” Spark smirked. “I haven’t been able to gather much data on the pocket, but I have been able to study its effects on certain subjects.”

“The haima’sa?” Strife inquired, but Spark just shook his head.

“Close.” He smirked. “Kanrei Angelus.”

“The anomaly?” He inquired, causing Spark no nod slowly.

“As expected, he’s been reacting to the pocket and in turn it’s been reacting to him.” He explained. “His abilities are becoming more potent and more sporadic.”

“More like theirs?” Strife pressed, causing Spark to chuckle at the obvious assertion.

“Indeed.” Spark’s blue aura surged as his amusement grew. “It won’t be long before his energy signature is so much like theirs that they start thinking of him as one of their own… and you know how they’re drawn to their kin.”

“Yes, those foolish Rogues have already made this place a big enough target with their reckless experiments – Kanrei’s own awakening will simply serve to make Merricent a cesspool for haima’sa scum.” Strife scoffed loudly.

“True.” Spark conceded. “But a haima’sa infestation would make it easier for us to access the pocket – a boon in our battle against Teros.”

“Your callous disregard for the casualties that this will cause is… admittedly impressive Spark.” A dark smirk broke across Strife’s face. “You might just make for a leader worth following.”

“Flattery doesn’t become you Strife.” Spark just smirked.

“And modesty doesn’t become you.” He replied dismissively. “I’ll continue to monitor the Cages, and these newcomers – from what I’ve observed, both tasks may soon become one and the same.”

“Good, that should make things easier.” Spark nodded. “I’ll continue to monitor Kanrei and the Gaea Pocket. I’ll keep you informed.”

“Until next time.” Strife finished as he slowly faded from view.

“Yeah, later man.” Was Spark’s reply as he in turn made his way back home.