Witness in Pactolus
{ OCTOBER 2159 | 2 WEEKS BEFORE THE JENZAYA EXTINCTION }
It was a mid-fall day in Pactolus District, one of the busiest districts in the entire country. Citizens roamed vastly along the sidewalks, cars skimmed the streets, and everything was in constant motion. In the sky, the golden sun shone brightly, casting shadows through the skyscrapers that towered over everyone. The brilliant sky brimmed blue, creating a vast sentiment of atmosphere among the crowds. Though within these masses was one individual who could control the very sensibility of that somewhat peaceful atmosphere.
Midas walked among these Nexi and Dexus alike, feeling the slight hint of nostalgia provided with his forsaken memories of his past. He used to be one of these very people, walking cluelessly among unknown dangers that lurked in the darkness; blind to it all and blindly abiding by the greater-powered government's rules. But he abided no more. Midas was now one of these very unknown dangers that lurked as a threat, though rather than in darkness he was hidden in plain-sight.
No one would recognize him as the Sin of Greed. No one should.
He roamed his hometown district with intent to possibly revive faint memories of his own from his blankening past. At the same time, he'd sent Veronica and Gian-Luca to their own respective hometown districts—Umbra and Hunsington District—for the same reason. He thought that maybe retrieving some memories from the past could benefit their drive into the future.
The three of them were crucial to the awakening of the Seven Sins, as it were the three of them that'd been restored glimpses of their memories back at A.X.A.
"How did that even happen?" Midas asked himself. Those awakenings they'd had, the revelations of a true world on the surface, and the truth behind their captivity with A.X.A., was all but a mystery to Midas. He couldn't understand how they'd all suddenly withdrawn what was taken away from them by force.
"If A.X.A. memory-wiped us in transit to their facility, why were we able to suddenly retrieve them in given time…?" Another thought provoked Midas. "Was it a coincidence that we'd all retrieved them around the same time? Veronica panicked that one night, which was probably the night her memories were revived... That wasn't too long after I'd received mine, which means we must've all had them revived by a catalyst of some sort."
A catalyst. Midas thought about this. Was it an object, or an individual? He didn't know. Or did he?
"Hmm…" Midas tucked his hands into his pockets. They felt oddly cold, even though the rest of his body was wrapped and warm.
Cold. Cold as ice.
"That's…" Midas found familiarity. "Abel—?"
Boom!
His train of thought was quickly interrupted by a large sound that came from the direction he approached.
"What was that?" People among the crowd were confused. Suddenly, their questions were answered. Smoke could be seen rising in the distance from what seemed to be a demolished building. Appearing from within the debris, individuals with suits as white as snow revealed themselves.
Midas was snapped with shock.
"Who are they…?"
"Did they just destroy that building?"
"What are they wearing?"
"Where are their faces…?"
The people's questions slowly brought them down in fear. They all watched as six of these white-suited individuals began marching towards them. One of them was immensely large and well-built. It had golden accents attached to its white suit.
"A Cherubim…?" Midas recounted in his head.
Another two were tall and burly. Midas also recognized them. "Seraphim…"
But the last three, and the most recognizable of them all; Midas gasped. "Angels…?"
Six infantry units from A.X.A. were suddenly making their way towards the masses. Midas couldn't believe his eyes.
What were Angels from A.X.A. doing on the surface, in his hometown district, revealing themselves to the open world? Midas was dumbfounded, but unlike the others that surrounded him, he was unpanicked. The threats that presented themselves were all too familiar. He could take the matter into his own hands, but he'd be revealing himself as a Sin if he were to expose his ability. To him, playing bystander and witnessing A.X.A.'s move was a more intriguing thought.
"What are you trying to do, A.X.A.?"
The six Angels dashed forward, all wreaking havoc in the path they sought. They were mere white blurs that dashed around, bringing destruction to every structure they touched.
"Help!!!"
"Who are these people!?? Why are they doing this!?"
"Are these the Seven Sins!?"
Midas scoffed upon hearing this. Before he could begin to ridicule the public's fear, something else caught his attention.
"Everyone, calm down and follow me! I'll lead you all to the evacuation site at the south side of this district!"
The crowd turned their heads towards the voice. Standing behind them all was a defined male equipped with a lengthy lance.
"Don't worry! I'll protect you all against any possible dangers along the way!" He began to bolt in the opposite direction.
"Wait… Isn't that Suto Meeres from Squad Zero?" Someone in the crowd said.
"Suto Meeres!?"
"Squad Zero's here!!"
Unraveling from within the masses, three more men came to light each equipped with weapons. The most noticeable one was a burly hulk who carried a large axe. "Wardell, was it…?"
Another smaller one held a hatchet and dagger in both hands. "That's Axel…"
But the one that Midas felt the most presence from was the slimmer male who dual-weld sharp swords. "Their leader… Jasper…"
"Keep them safe Suto!" Jasper had called out to the man who led the anxious crowd.
"Will do sir! I'll get them all to safety as soon as possible, and then I'll be right back to support you guys!" Suto took a glance at the Angels that approached. "Just who are they?"
"We'll find out. They could very well be some of the Seven Sins. But we don't know for sure yet. They seem to be wearing masks to conceal their identities. Come back soon Suto."
He nodded back. "Zika'll keep you guys covered in the meantime. She's on the 47th floor at six o'clock."
"Understood."
"Good luck!" He now began leading the people towards safety.
Slowly being shoved in the direction of the crowd, a grin shone dimly. Midas had witnessed the entire exchange between the members of Squad Zero.
"I need to see this for myself…" Midas moved out of the crowd's direction and into an alley out of danger's way. He sat there, concealed, witnessing the events that would unfold in the next thirty minutes.
The three men left to defend the front unsheathed their weapons, ready to strike at the 'white-bodies' that ambushed them. They weaved and heaved, sliced and dodged, eventually successfully incapacitating their foes. Midas did however, take note that they initially struggled to keep up with the pace of the Angels' speed, which was naturally out of a normal human's domain. But in this moment of studying the enemy, what came next would exceed Midas' expectations by a hundredfold.
Bang!
—PTHOOM!
The last remaining Seraphim was blown open with blood by a sniper that shot from afar.
"Zika…" Midas repeated the name. "I'll take that into consideration…"
As the struggling battle between Squad Zero and the Angels of A.X.A. finally settled, Midas left the scene unnoticed. He smiled as he regathered himself with the rest of the public, continuing to conceal his identity once more. He knew he'd just taken the opportunity to study his possible future opponents, and was therefore at an even larger advantage than before.
"They each have their own specialized weapons… Possibly handcrafted for them by the government. Seems like the Nexus has some surprising technology after all, especially that rifle shot by 'Zika' from the 47th floor… I'll need to ask Venus if catching something like that is possible for him…"
Midas continued to walk with the crowd that now began to cheer around him. He could sense the essence of fear dwindling. Hope was rising.
Midas scoffed.
"Enjoy the feeling while you all can… It won't last for too long."
Midas walked away from the district with his newfound knowledge, ready to share with his comrades that awaited in secrecy.