He was wrong.
He was so wrong.
Hiroto immediately took a step back, intimidated by the amount of people in the hallway beyond, there were probably 400 people squashed here into a huge football field. Hiroto shivered in horror, some people were on crystal platforms above the ground. Kanna was speaking to him? Her words went over his head as he panted. The others who were waiting as well walked besides him into the room and Hiroto’s hair glowed orange in sheer panic. Too much, too many eyes, so many people-
“HIROTO!”
Hiroto looked at the source of the scream and Kanna was urging him to the back, “come with me!” she wagged her hands.
The man trembled and followed her, anything to get away from this sea of people. She gestured him into a dark corner of the hallway and Hiroto immediately calmed down, noticing the horrid tremor in his hand. Deep breaths. He looked around, the hallway wasn’t too different from the channels at all. The crystals, the combined metal and lead roof all were the same. Except it was better lit, there were more glowing crystals stationed evenly around the room and lifting platforms were made to accommodate people. The doors slammed shut, crystals forming over the gaps to make sure no one else came in.
On the highest platform stood a familiar woman. Her red coat covered the shielded black bodysuit underneath, with bulletproof scales over her chest. Hiroto couldn’t make out any more details, except her black hair, crystal armour and a beautiful traditional mask over her face. Handpainted in Juvian traditional paints, they weren’t too saturated, meaning the stains and patterns were from beetroot juice. It must be representing or accentuating her features underneath. Something didn’t sit right with Hiroto… this must be-
“AY OER PRINAYVIL AYNY OLI-ICHAYRINGHARING SHAYLO NOL LOGHAYRIN.”
“THE OLIGARCHY SHALL NOT PREVAIL ANY LONGER.” Raya outstretched her arms, The followers hooted and screamed out with her, “and we do not know GODS that suppress their true people. You all have come here to show you have had enough of the oppression, or to find the truth of the oppressed and we have had enough,
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For centuries the Juvian nomads and farmers have been shunned” Raya’s voice deepened and her palms glowed red, crystals floating off her hands as they condensed and broke off making faint tinkling noises even from this distance. People gasped in wonder as the gems on the roof melted and strings of beads strewn into bundles formed before they could hit the ground. The roof was covered in them. Unequal lengths, shimmering as they hung, “We gather starved here while the nobles and heroes rot with golden spoons! We slobber on their scraps, and they waste away on feasts. They think we are silent, that we are helpless, that our hearts are made of glass!” She chuckled as the crowd laughed away their pain with her, others like Hiroto listened quietly, Kanna just sulked with her back sliding down the cold metal of the wall, “We gather for justice, WE GATHER TO FIGHT FOR OUR DEAD CHILDREN!”
Synchronised cheering erupted from the crowd, “we are gathered to celebrate the treaties with the herediyaladan village, and their son who comes in honour of his deceased father.” The people turned to look at a confident, aged man dressed in batik and old jewellery, heirlooms. “The beads you see shine above you, are the unofficial counts of the deaths due to the soldier camps and weapons outside your villages. We will not rest, TILL THEY HAVE NOT BEEN PROVIDED JUSTICE. WE WILL BRING THIS QUEEN DOWN, I RAYA HINODE, YOUR PROTECTOR, YOUR KAKYUMIN, WILL NOT ABANDON YOU TILL I DIE ON THE BATTLEFIELD. ARE YOU WITH ME!?”
The people who came with Hiroto and many others shot their red items into the air to show their support as blinding screams filled the hallways. Hiroto looked at Kanna, “is this all she brought us here for?”
“Of course not!” She blinked, “She’ll be giving another round of speeches to the villagers involving the soldier camps, these introductions are only to acquaint the newbies and an elite or an old member always guides them since this location is usually from the nobles of Goquas, like you.” Like it was obvious. He felt a pair of eyes on him, he shot his head towards Raya, and their eyes met.
He huffed, curling in on himself, trying to look smaller and less obvious, pulling his hood over himself. He could hear people talking loudly, another round of speeches huh? He could do that.
“Takahashi.”
He looked up to a much much closer Raya… Hiroto’s barcode sent information to him regarding her falsified physical appearance. Her mask was still there so why should she even need to?
“Let us talk.” Raya said with a comparatively softer voice, one look at Kanna had the woman bowing and twirling away, “I keep my promises.” She said, giving him a hologram projection in the form of a code he could download into his barcode to project and view himself. He stared at it for a minute, and then looked at Raya with a skeptical frown.
This file better not be corrupted.