A fragmented mind began to open its eyes within a beautiful darkness that stretched beyond any horizon. As the mind’s eyes opened, it looked around and took in the vast emptiness that surrounded it. Fear, sorrow, pain and more clouded the mind’s thoughts as it looked around, searching for meaning it looked down and could see its body, torn and bleeding black blood with a gaping hole in its stomach.
“Where am I?” the torn mind asked the endless abyss, hearing the echoes of its own voice. The echoes then began to fade into a deep rolling growl as the air began to hum.
“Korseis,” a deep growling voice answered, filling the mind with its draconic voice.
“H-How do you know my name?” Korseis asked, looking around through the darkness to find the source of the voice.
“Have you truly already forgotten me?” the voice asked. Korseis watched as dark flames gracefully danced through the darkness; the deep reds and dark blacks of the flames hinting of their origin.
“Arylos,” Korseis said aloud, recognizing the ancient Titan.
“I thought you were dead; you have been silent all these years,” the formless Titan said with sorrow in his voice.
“Years? What do you mean?” Korseis asked as confusion was evident in his voice. “Just how long were you in control?”
“Oh Korseis, we have much to catch up on,” Arylos answered, his sorrow replaced with shame.
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Iris leaned against the wall of one of the still standing buildings, heaving her chest to catch her breath. She looked up at the sky as ash fell from the sky like a musty snow and the cold winter air carried the heat battle. A part of her felt useless as she watched Arylos, the man she loves, fight a giant mechanical dragon. She let out a sigh as she wondered what her possible tomorrow would be after this.
She groaned as she pushed away from the wall, trying to get the image of the fighting out of her head. She continued down the road, her eyes scouring the burning and collapsed buildings for any signs of life. Yet she could only find smoldering corpses between buildings or laying in the street. As she searched, a part of her grew tired of this game of being on rescue duty that always resulted in death. The Eikons still owed her, but she knew just from how quickly this Eikon took control that it was out of her league. She came to a stop as she looked through some intact buildings, grinding her teeth and clenching her fists as she tried to mask her anger, failing to do so.
Even with the divine power in her veins, she felt useless and powerless to do anything with it.
Iris growled as she pulled her arm back and slammed it into the wall of the building as the sound of thunder filled the air and lightning shot from her arm. As her hand collided with the wall, the stone and plaster cracked under her fist like paper as the wall collapsed inward, leaving Iris staring at the crumbling wall as her hand shook violently in anger and lightning licked her forearm. She took deep breaths to try and calm herself as she peered into the dusty building with her searing blue eyes.
Quickly, she locked eyes three girls tucked away in the corner, holding each other as they watched Iris intently with fear in their eyes. Iris watched the girls and felt a part of her stir as she realized she was a lot older than them. She relaxed herself as the blue glow faded from her eyes as she slowly approached the girls.
“Come on, I’m getting you out of here,” Iris whispered softly as she reached out her hand. One of the younger girls saw her outstretched hand and shook her head, whimpering as she clung to the eldest of the three, pulling on the eldest’s long brown hair like it was a blanket. “I’m not a monster; I’m only trying to help,” Iris insisted while trying to soothe her voice and mask the irritation.
Yet the girls did not make a move from their corner, continuing to watch Iris like she was the creature outside destroying the city. Iris let out a sigh and lowered her hand yet kept her eyes on the three girls. “Do you really think I would hurt you?” Iris asked softly as she inched just a little closer yet the girls gasped and backed away, keeping their eyes on the hybrid.
So this is how he feels, Iris told herself with a defeated sigh. She took a step back and crossed her legs as she sat down. “If I was going to hurt you, I would have done so by now,” Iris said with a groan as she watched the girls closely. “I just want to help and get you all out of here. Do you really want to stay here in case that thing finds you?”
The girls quieted themselves as they wondered about the creature outside. The eldest of them looked at Iris, examining her like one would read a book. “Who are you?” she asked accusingly.
Iris let out a sigh accompanied by a nervous chuckle. “Someone just like yourselves; a lost little girl surrounded by monsters with nowhere to go. I want to help, but I wonder if it will ever be enough.”
“What does that mean?” the eldest asked with a tone much darker than before.
Iris cracked a smile as she looked around the house, showing the girls she was willing to look away and turn her back to them. “Where are your parents?” she asked softly while gesturing around the house that would have fit a family better than a group of lost siblings.
The girls remained quiet save for one of the younger ones who spoke, ignoring the elder girl’s warning. “They said they would find help. They went that way,” the girl gestured while pointing towards the west.
“Not anymore,” Iris said in a soft mourning tone. “I came from there; no one made it out.”
The girls’ faces of fear slowly changed to confusion followed by sadness. Iris felt her heart ache for them; she knew exactly what they were feeling and what was running through their minds. The divine humor could not be lost on her; realizing that she was in the same position as when Nageki was first attacked.
Only the roles were reversed this time.
“Come on now,” Iris said while reaching out once more. “Let’s get out of here. I know a safe and proper place to lay low until this blows over.”
The eldest of the girls looked down at her sisters and let out a sigh that Iris recognized. “Alright girls, let’s go,” she whispered softly while slowly getting onto her feet, pulling the others with her and keeping them close. Iris let out a sigh of relief as she got up.
“What are your names?” Iris asked intently with a smile on her face.
The eldest of the girls cast a concerned glance towards Iris for a moment before answering. “I am Setsuna, this here is Moria,” she said while gesturing towards the second oldest who only nodded dismissively. “And this is Ryoka,” Setsuna continued while gesturing towards the other sister that watched Iris intently with big brown eyes. Iris couldn’t help but be reminded of Aniya when she looked at Ryoka as she internally prayed for the Dairiki’s to find safety.
“I’m Iris,” Iris said with a light bow. Before she could say much more, a boom rolled through the air that shook the dust from the walls. “And that’s our cue!” Iris said while rushing back towards the door, beckoning the three girls to follow. Iris looked out the door and saw Arylos and the dragon still fighting near one of the walls. Iris watched as she could see Moviron and his soldiers hurriedly reload a weapon in an alcove as the creature screamed, rolling around on the roofs of the buildings as it howled in pain.
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“Quick, let’s go!” Iris said went out into the burning street, jumping over the piles of burning corpses yet ensuring the girls followed her. Iris cast another glance at the battle and saw the creature correct itself and stare down the soldiers on the wall with a screaming roar. Iris felt fear grasp her as the creature lurched forward but watched a familiar shadow grab the creature by its head and push it back down into the crumbling roofs as the creature continued to fight back. Iris felt the girls approach and she continued forward with them watching as Moviron’s soldiers took aim at the creature and Arylos.
“No,” Iris whispered just as the weapon fired and she watched it run through Arylos’s torso and into the creature’s skull. She froze in place as she watched Arylos’s limp body fall off the roof as the dragon howled and screamed, clawing at its face. Iris took the girls towards the walls of one of the buildings, Ryoka beginning to cry softly as she saw the creature and the bodies around them.
Iris gritted her teeth and marched forwards, wondering if she could join the fight. Yet before she could even think of sprinting towards the fight, the creature reared its head and a blast of bright flames struck the alcove where Moviron and the soldiers were and the alcove went up in bright flames as bright as the sun, leaving a giant hole in the wall.
“No,” Iris whispered as she slowly shook her head, watching what the creature was doing in utter disbelief. She was snapped to her senses as the dragon howled and with a loud and deafening roar the engines on its back roared to life and the creature took to the air.
“Fuck!” Setsuna called out as the dragon changed direction and headed right towards them.
Iris made a similar curse under her breath before gesturing to the girls to run. “Get your asses moving!” she shouted as the girls took off in a dead sprint. Just as they made their escape, the creature roared loudly as it violently changed direction and began to circle the girls and the weapons on its back began to fire.
Iris ran forward and reached out her hand as lightning erupted from her palm and struck the projectiles as they approached and they exploded long before they approached. The resulting blast made Iris’s ears ring as she tried to remain upright after the blast as black smoke enveloped her. With her senses returning to her, she saw Setsuna and the other girls run into the cloud of smoke, seeking to use it as cover.
In between the ringing beats in her ears, Iris could make out the sound of the creature changing directions.
“Keep going!” Iris hollered to the other girls as the roaring engines and sounds of wingbeats came closer. Iris looked behind her yet she could not see the dragon anymore yet its sound was ever present like a constant plague in her ears. She turned to face forward just as she saw the creature come crashing down to the ground on its feet, lifting itself up as its mouth opened and lit the street with a haunting orange light as what looked like a small sun formed in its mouth.
Iris held her breath as she launched herself forward as a bolt of blue lightning, grabbing Setsuna pulling her into a side alley just as the sea of flames poured down the street, creating a storm of wind that could knock down the rock buildings they collided with. It was not just an ocean of fire that poured over the land like a high tide, it was a tide of wind from the sheer force of the blast.
Eventually, the torrent of wind began to fade as the flames eased into a warm and gentle burn. Iris turned and looked towards the burning street, finding herself in awe of a dragon’s, or really an Eikon’s, strength. She began to realize just why Arylos thinks he’s the only one strong enough to fight them. And yet it made her wonder what Arylos’s upper limits were if an Eikon could do just this already.
Setsuna coughed as the dust settled and looked around just as Moria popped her head up. The two looked around and found that something was missing. “Ryoka?” Setsuna asked as her voice trembled.
Iris was shaken from her trance as she looked around, trying to find the girl yet all she could find were flames. She pounded her head as she tried to remember, trying to tell herself that it wasn’t real. Yet before she could lose herself, a mechanical screech filled the air as the building they were under cracked as the creature climbed up onto its roof, growling and hissing as machinery in its body hissed like a steam engine.
Iris and Setsuna gasped as they slowly remained under the awning as they crawled through the dust. Moria watched the creature with a horrified awe that reminded Iris much of the first time she met Arylos; unable to take her eyes off of the otherworldly monster. The dragon canvassed the area, searching with its mechanical eyes as it muttered in strange tongues under its mechanical breath, speaking a language that Iris struggled to identify as language.
And then Moria started to cry.
Iris and Setsuna quickly covered Moria’s mouth just as the creature’s hissing stopped and it looked around towards where the girls were hiding. It kept itself silent save for a soft hum in its chest and a clicking in its throat as it tried to pinpoint the sound, scanning the surroundings with its burning purple eyes that shone as bright as lighthouses.
As the girls backed away, the creature abandoned the pursuit, lifting its head and growling as steam released from joints in its body. To Iris’s horror, it reached out and began to climb over to the other roof which would let it see them perfectly. With an unspoken coordination, Iris and Setsuna grabbed Moria by her arms and dragged her inside one of the buildings, watching the creature from the broken window as it smelled the burning air with a deep growl.
Iris grunted as she reached out a hand, preparing to use some of her magic to fight the monster. Yet before she could summon her power, the monster made an inquisitive growl combined with several clicks in its throat before turning and looking right at her with its bright purple eyes. Iris felt her heart stop as she locked eyes with the Eikon just as its growling ceased, leaving a haunting silence in the air. Before Iris could hide, the creature reared its head and roared with a mighty sound that shook the air itself, vibrating the ground with an intense energy that Iris had never felt before. The women covered their ears as the roar was accompanied by a high-pitched scream that clawed at their minds. Moria couldn’t help but whine as the sounds became unbearable to her and Iris could feel a tingling sensation in her skin that she couldn’t place, like insects crawling under her skin.
The dragon then ceased its roar as the engines on its back roared back to life. With a mighty heave, it took to the air once more, leaving the girls in silence as the sound of it flying away faded. The girls remained still for a moment, taking in the silence before scrambling to their feet.
“Ryoka?! Where’s Ryoka?!” Setsuna asked while looking around frantically.
“Setsuna, breathe; you need to breathe,” Iris instructed while raising her arms.
Setsuna cried as she pulled at her hair, barely able to contain the screaming of her heart. “You! You killed her! You left her behind!” she howled as she grabbed Iris by her shirt, Iris trying to protest all the while but could not be heard over the crying girl.
“Why is everyone so loud?” a girl’s familiar soft voice cut the argument short.
Iris, Setsuna, and Moria looked over to the back door of the house and saw Ryoka come forward, her skin stained with soot and she walked with a limp while holding her head. Setsuna broke down in tears as she let Iris go and ran towards Ryoka, holding her in a tight embrace. Moria herself let out a sigh and ran towards her sister and gave her a tight hug.
Iris found herself laughing nervously, letting out a sigh of relief as she watched the sisters cry. She looked out towards the window trying to track the creature that ran off. A part of her had to pull back to resist trying to find Arylos; she knew that while her heart bled for him, she could not let herself lose sight of her goal.
“Are you okay honey?” Setsuna asked Ryoka while choking back tears of joy as she checked Ryoka for wounds.
“There’s so much…noise,” Ryoka said in a soft deadpan voice while rubbing her eyes.
“What noise, sweetie? There’s no noise,” Setsuna asked while cupping Ryoka’s face in her hands.
“The big monster is gone now,” Moria chimed in while giving Ryoka a soft pat on the head.
“Yeah, it’s gone now,” Iris confirmed while watching the sky. As she looked down across the street, she felt she saw something move in the rubble across the way. Iris watched the rubble intently yet she could not see the movement again.
“But there’s so much noise,” Ryoka said plainly while continuing to rub her eyes. “Like someone’s shouting, it’s so loud and noisy.”
Iris felt something nag at the back of her mind; something felt wrong, something felt familiar. Noise. So much noise. Something was wrong and she felt that she should know what it is, yet she couldn’t place it.
“Baby, there’s no noise; no one’s shouting,” Setsuna corrected softly while trying to pull Ryoka’s hands from her eyes.
Iris felt her nerves chill her as some realization she couldn’t understand came to her. She knew something, that something felt wrong about this. It wasn’t until she saw the hand of a body trapped under a collapsed wall slowly disappear under the rubble that she caught on.
So much…noise in my head.
Iris’s blood finally chilled ice cold as she slowly turned around and looked at Ryoka as the girl lowered her hands. Iris wanted to scream as she looked into Ryoka’s brown eyes and found something haunting looking back at her.
A pale blue and purple light glowing from Ryoka’s pupils.