Alphonse blinked through the city, with his Silent-Steps activated at the same time he could teleport short distances without making no noise. Teleporting was a strange sensation, one that he wasn’t yet used to. He was used to feeling the intense wind and pressure from moving at high-speeds, now it was replaced with a heavy feeling as it compressed his internal organs. Like all the force was replaced from the outside to within.

But regardless, it was an addicting sensation. Standing in one spot and without blinking, he was in another location. I really want the evolved skill, interplanetary teleportation… How fucking cool does that sound?

Within only a few minutes, he made it to the military compound area, where he offloaded the wailing sheep. He stood above them, on top of a tall building. Crouching down, he began listening to the whispered words of the soldiers down below.

“The world has gone to shit.”

“No kidding, people running about with superpowers. You are about that serial killer on the loose?”

“Shit, yeah. I heard he uses poison to destroy your skin.”

“Still, compared to that young man we saw before… The way he tore through those damn wolves with a single slash of that cleaver. Sending that blade of… energy or whatever.”

“I heard rumours about a large group of supers creating a camp over in Kreson.”

“Huh? I heard Kreson was overrun and destroyed? We were stationed there ‘till the higher ups called it off.”

“Yeah, it was called off because the supers killed all the soldiers that tried to help them establish their base camp.”

“Damn, some people just shouldn’t have power. That’s why only a few control nukes. If everyone had them, we’d all be dead.”

Over in Kreson… Tehya should know where that is. Alright, let’s get that pizza and return.

Leaving without a trace, he travelled back into the streets. After killing a few stray monsters here and there, he returned to the house with a fresh pizza in hand. He looked up at the budding sky. The sun was just making its appearance. The entire sky was a hazy orange, and the sun was already brimming with life as he felt the warm rays. It looked like Alphonse’s flame when it was in the palm of his hand. Excitable… and deadly.

Alphonse teleported through the door. Tehya was already up. She was stretching her sore muscles with a groan. Craning her neck to the side, her eyes lay on Alphonse.

“Ahh!” Her shoulders recoiled. Losing her balance, she stumbled to the floor. “Damn, can’t you knock first or… something?”

“Ah, my bad.” Alphonse chuckled. “I brought pizza, though.”

“It’s a takeaway one as well!” Tahya’s anger washed away as she rushed forward and grabbed hold of the steaming cardboard box. The fresh smell of dough and cheese wafted over her sense of smell. “Ah, it smells so good. Did you make it in a shop?”

“Yeah, took a few tries, but got there in the end.” Alphonse sat down, grabbing a piece of pizza and slung it into his mouth. He wasn’t starving, having eaten on the way here. However, it was a habit to have something to eat whenever he got the chance. After all, he was never sure when his last meal would be.

“Actually, I have some other news.” Alphonse mumbled with his mouth half-full, before swallowing it down all at once.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Good?” Tehya’s mouth ripped into a piece as her eyes lit up.

“I heard some soldiers talking about a camp filled with system users. Well, I think it’s just a rumour, but we had better check it. It’s over in a city called Kreson. You know it?” Alphonse said.

“Yeah, it’s about forty miles from here. You’ll see the road signs when we’re out of here.”

Alphonse nodded. “Alright, gather your things. We’ll head over.”

“Actually… I need to go home and pick up a few things.” Tehya bit her lips.

“Oh, that reminds me. How are mother and father?” Alphonse glanced at Tehya’s reaction. “Er… Sorry, do we not have them?”

“No… They left when we were younger.” Tehya put a smile on her face. “C’mon then, it’s a long way to Kreson. We better get a move on.”

***

The streets were littered with corpses. The sun had already decomposed the flesh as the stench moved through the air like a haze. Tehya gagged and quickly pulled her jumper over her mouth and nose.

“It doesn’t affect you?” Tehya mumbled behind her clothing.

“I’m used to it.” Alphonse shrugged. He had smelt worse… far worse. Ate it too but, he wouldn't say that. Better to keep it in his thoughts.

“Sorry… You shouldn’t have had to go through all of that. I wish I was there to help you.” Tehya dropped her head.

“What are you saying sorry for?” Alphonse smirked. “I admit, at first it was tough. I even enjoyed it and adapted to it.. The fighting… the exploring and adventures. Making friends. Going to different planets. I couldn’t imagine having a normal life like the people here.”

“Like me?” Tehya smiled.

“Well, not exactly… You know what I mean.” Alphonse said.

“I’m only joking.” Tehya stuck her tongue out. “You have friends?”

“Hard to believe?” Alphonse laughed. “A few, yeah. I’ll introduce them to you if we group up again.”

“I would like that.” Tehya nodded, her eyes gazing upon Alphonse.

“We’re here.” Tehya smiled.

They stopped in front of an apartment block. It was six stories high. The building was worn; the bricks were exposed underneath the building's pebble-dash. Alphonse attempted to sift through his memories, but nothing held any semblance of familiarity.

“This was our home?” Alphonse asked.

“No, I was given this when our parents left.” Tehya took out a key and unlocked the door.

Alphonse nodded as he followed Tehya. Using Ground perception, he could see people behind their doors. They were looking through the small-round peephole in their doors. Tehya’s room was on the top-floor. Entering, It was an open plan, the tiny kitchen joining to the living room. It was simply furnished. She used a basic-office chair as a replacement for a couch. The TV was much too small to be considered a living-room television.

“It’s not much, but it’s better than nothing.”

Alphonse nodded. “Beats living in a cave.”

“Yeah. I’d rather not.” Tehya laughed and disappeared into her bedroom.

Alphonse wandered into the living room. On a small coffee table next to her office-chair, lay a framed picture. Picking it up. His eyes widened as he looked at a young boy. Although he was older now, he could tell that it was him. Tehya was just a little child and together, they had their bodies wrapped by a pretty lady.

His fingers drifted over the photo, his heart lurched.

“That’s us.” Tehya smiled, her hands fidgeting.

“Where’s father?” Alphonse said. He noticed the picture was ripped. Presumably it was ripped to remove him from the scene.

“He was a nasty man. It was only mum that looked after us.” Tehya walked over, a bright, longing smile crept up onto her lips.

“I see…” Alphonse mumbled. He wasn’t stupid. An image formed in his mind. A conclusion. He didn’t want to say anything though, in case it was untrue, or it would bring back terrible memories. He gazed at Tehya’s smile… He was awoken from his thoughts as someone harshly knocked the door. It was desperate and hard.

Must be strong for them to knock that hard… The entire door is shaking. Alphonse thought. Using Ground Perception, he could see the nasty visage of a young man's face. He obviously wasn’t here to welcome Tehya home.