Chapter 24

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"Come on, Zero!" Carol waved at him and the others with her PDI in hand.

Clearly visible on her PDI was Sora, who was following the festivities via a private livestream from Zero.

"Don't run so far ahead!" Scolded Zero.

"Let her." Chuckled Aki.

"I'll be the one to look for her afterwards...", sighed Zero.

"We'll help you look then." Zane patted him on the shoulder.

"Maybe a leash would be an idea...", Zero imagined how he could just pull Carol back. But he dismissed the thought again.

The festival was in full swing. It was only ten o'clock, but the streets were already crowded. Throughout New Comound and the surrounding towns, booths had opened, and people were celebrating. Security had been significantly increased, but this was hardly noticeable in the crowds of revelers. There were a few main sites where the celebration was held; the government district, which held a parade; the military base, which made it an open house of sorts; and the largest celebration at the Guardian, which was organized by the Architect Church.

"Wow!" Carol stared at the white spire in the distance as they slowly approached the cordoned off area around the Guardian.

The Guardian, was an ancient but high-tech building that stood near New Comound. It was, like most architectural and engineering wonders on Nykara, attributed to the so-called Architect, around which a church had formed. The building itself was comparable to a skyscraper, but at over 4.000 meters it towered over most other buildings on Nykara. It was completely white with some areas where one could see the presumed inner workings of the building. Various energies seemed to pulse through the building, giving the impression that the building had been recently constructed. The Guardian itself was not just the tower, however. Beneath it stretched another facility that seemed to fit seamlessly into its surroundings. A small city had formed around the Guardian itself, composed of research, religious, and even military buildings. There, too, was a happy hustle and bustle: Elves, humans, Mytics and other races ran about in the crowd, while thousands of luminous Spirits, both small and large, floated through the air, shrouding everything in their light.

After a few minutes, Zane and his friends approached the first wall surrounding the facility, which also served as a checkpoint for access. People knelt in front of the wall and began to pray, touching the metallic ground and some even began to cry. It was a sacred place for Architect Church members.

"Where are Zero and Carol?" Zane asked when everyone was in the fairgrounds.

"They were behind me." Said Asagi, turning around to the entrance. Hundreds of people were coming into the square through the several entrance controls. But Carol and Zero were nowhere to be spotted.

"They'll be here, let's wait a bit." Said Nathan.

Zane looked around, everyone was boisterous and happy. Although some seemed a little too boisterous. In the distance, Zane saw three men, who must have been on the edge already, molesting a girl.

"Where are you going?" Nathan asked as Zane suddenly walked away.

"Be right back." Zane waved it off.

"Don't push it..." Nathan looked in Zane's direction.

"Are you here alone?" Asked one of the three men. He was a rather lanky fellow with sharp eyes.

"Come on kid, we just want to have a drink with you." Said the second of the bunch, a muscularly built man with a prosthetic arm.

But the girl did not move.

"I guess the girl is ignoring us?!" Said the third, who was an even beefier guy than the second. He was about to reach for the girl when Zane's voice rang out behind them.

"Everything okay here?"

The group of men turned to Zane. Wondering what the latter wanted from them.

"Get out of here boy!" Hissed the third, who must have been starting to resent the girl's attitude.

"Are you okay?" Zane looked past the muscleman to the girl.

The black-haired girl looked indifferently in the Guardian's direction, as if she didn't even notice the three guys harassing her. She was wearing an expensive-looking black dress, but it was covered by a black hoodie. Only the skirt of the dress peeked out from under the sweater. She also wore black stockings, and her hands were hidden in the pockets of the sweater.

"Now listen kid." Spoke the lanky one to Zane. "You better get the hell out of here if you don't want trouble." He said in a threatening tone.

"You better get out of here now before you get in trouble." Said Zane to them, putting himself between them and the girl.

"Who do you think you are!" The bullish man lashed out with his fist.

A loud bang could be heard and the next moment he was on the floor.

"What the...?!" Shuddered the lanky man.

Zane had intercepted his arm and knocked him to the ground.

"Get out of here!" Admonished Zane the remaining two, who ran away but not without threatening Zane still in the run.

Immediately security guards came running, attracted by the commotion, and took the bullish man who had been knocked out by Zane's counterattack into custody. They asked what had happened. That's when the girl who Zane had saved intervened.

"Oh, those men were harassing me, and the gentleman here came to rescue me." She explained. "He didn't do anything wrong."

"I see." Reflecting, the guard eyed Zane and the girl, barely looking at the girl, or not seeming to dare to look at her. "In that case, I would like to apologize for our negligence and thank you my boy." The security leader bowed to Zane.

"Don't mention it. My pleasure." Scratching his head before the guards disappeared again.

"Step up security!" Zane could hear the leader say as he turned to the girl. She seemed barely older than him.

"Thanks for the help." She thanked him, her black hair shining in the sunshine.

"You're welcome, is there anything else I can help you with?" Smiled Zane as the girl already started to walk away.

"Thanks, I'm fine and good luck." She turned to him and smiled.

"Zane!" Carol suddenly called after him.

Zane turned to face his friends. Zero and Carol had now arrived as well.

"I'm coming." He waved at them and turned to the girl again, but she had already disappeared. "What did she mean by good luck?"

"Took you a long time." Zane wondered as Zero joined them after a few minutes of delay.

"They're doing a Corrutin exam." Explained Zero. "And apparently mine are a little higher than normal...", he rubbed his mechanical arm.

"Still?" Aki wondered.

"Are you okay Zero?" Worried Asagi.

"It's nothing, don't worry. It was the same with Carol." He pointed at Carol, who was standing next to him, looking around happily.

"Was there any trouble?" Asagi asked.

"No, once they checked my ID further and I told them Carol was with me, they let us go." Zero stood in front of the group. He held Carol by the collar, as she looked around wildly, ready to rush off at a moment's notice.

Even inside the first wall, stands were everywhere, scattering around its perimeter. Inside the ring of booths, this resulted in a large square that reached all the way to the second inner wall. A stage and various other booths and attractions had been set up in the square. Despite the amount of people, there seemed to be no crowding. The square was huge, so big that it could hold the whole military base. Yet it was also only the outermost of the three rings surrounding the Guardian.

"Look Sora!" Carol ran ahead through the various stands while her PDI and took in the surroundings. Sora, meanwhile, sat with Deadra in her room on the upper floor of the bar, watching the stream.

Most were food booths, shooting booths, or raffles. But there were also jewelry booths and even clothes were offered. Booths of the military and other organizations were also not far, but the Architect Church had the largest presence.

"Carol wait!" Zero tried to rein her in.

"Hey, do you want to get something to eat first?" Zane interjected.

"Good idea. After all, we've been on the road for a while." Agreed Aki.

"I agree!" Carol raised her arm in the air. "There's good stuff up ahead." She reported.

"I thought you were out exploring." Zero looked up beside him at Carol, who was back as soon as she could.

"We can do that if you want." Agreed Asagi.

"We'll avoid rush hour that way, too." Reflected Nathan.

"That's right." Nodded Zero. "Is that OK with you Rika?" He turned to her, who nodded nervously.

"Too bad Sora can't be here...", Asagi looked at Carol who was talking with Sora.

"True...", nodded Aki, who was also sitting next to Carol. The three of them were trying to keep Sora company, who could only participate in the festival through the stream. "Maybe another time." Aki said as Zane and Zero returned with the food.

"Do you like it, Rika?" Zero asked her. They had paused near a larger stall.

"It's delicious, thank you." Rika held her bowl of sweet potatoes in her hands.

They had gotten some food, even Sora had grabbed the food Zero had prepared especially for her. While everyone was enjoying it Zero started analyzing the food.

"Interesting, I wonder what spice they used?" He pondered.

"How about you Rika?" Zane asked. "Can you go back home soon?"

"You're leaving again?" Carol looked at Rika sadly.

"No...", Rika held her bowl and shook her head.

"Oh...", said Zane a little embarrassed when Nathan followed up.

"They haven't found your village yet?"

"No." Rika shook her head again.

"Most Mytic villages are hidden or on another realm. It's hard to locate the right one there." Explained Aki.

"I guess that's right...", reflected Zane.

"Don't you know where your village is?" Nathan asked cautiously. Rika's gaze had clouded a bit since the conversation began.

Again, she shook her head. "We are a very traditional village...", explained Rika. "We have almost no human technology and I never got out of the village either...", she said. She seemed a little uncomfortable.

"Don't worry about it Rika." Zero smiled at her.

"That's right. You just stay with us for the time being!" Aki put her arm around Rika. "We'll take care of you."

"YAY!" Carol rejoiced and Asagi nodded in agreement.

"Maybe I'll find your village by chance on a mission." Zane stuck up his thumb.

"Thanks." Rejoiced Rika.

The group continued to talk joyfully when Carol saw a poster in the distance. Flailing, she pointed at the poster with her mouth full.

"Swallow." Admonished Zero, whereupon she emptied her mouth with a clearly audible swallowing sound.

"There's a concert!" She pointed to the poster.

"Right." Scrolled Nathan through the program booklet.

"There seems to be a singing contest, too." Asagi flipped through the booklet she had gotten from Zero.

"We could enter Asagi or Rika, couldn't we?" Carol immediately thought of.

"What?!" She cringed. "Uhm... please don't...", she waved her hands.

"Why not? You have a beautiful voice." Aki looked at Rika with a grin, leaning her head on her arm.

"You... you heard me?" Blushed Rika.

"Rika can sing?" Carol looked at her with wide eyes.

"It's called siren voice." Explained Aki to her.

"Then we'll have to sign her up!" Carol announced and began scrolling around on her PDI.

"No. Please Carol. Don't!" Rika sheepishly tried to stop Carol from typing.

Donk

"OUCH!" Carol startled. The edge of Zero's hand on her head.

"Don't worry Rika, I'm just kidding." Clarified Zero as Carol held the small bump that had grown on her head.

"Sorry Rika." Carol apologized.

"Siren voice...", reflected Zane. "I've read about that before."

"Sirens appear in the Iliad, they snatch sailors into misfortune with their voices." Nathan summarized.

"How so?" Carol looked in wonder at Rika, who held her hands in front of her, indicating that she knew nothing about it.

"It's a manipulative ability." Explained Aki. "If you master it well, you can control others with it. However, it also depends on the target. If the target is too strong, they can resist it." Clarified Aki with her index finger.

"Wow, Rika, you are really strong!" Carol eyed Rika enthusiastically.

"I just like to sing...", said Rika shyly.

"Sounds dangerous." Nathan looked from Rika to Zane.

"Don't worry." Repeated Aki, who saw Rika getting a little uncomfortable in the corner of her eye. "People with an affinity to magic should be able to tell when something's wrong, and besides, you can hear it." Aki laughed.

"In the Iliad, there were several sirens as well." Added Zero, who also noticed that Rika was getting uneasy.

"True." Nodded Zane with folded arms.

"I guess there'll be a prayer later." Nathan looked at the program schedule.

"Didn't know you were interested in that." Said Aki, who had stuffed her cheeks with food.

"Are you a believer Nathan?" Asked Asagi.

"Not really...", he looked up at the white tower. "I can understand why others are though."

Everyone followed Nathan's gaze, silent agreement following.

"That's pretty impressive, though." Marveled Zane at the Guardian.

"There are tours, but I think they're suspended for the day." Reported Nathan from the prospectus.

"You want a tour?" Zane suddenly heard someone speak behind him. "I might be able to arrange something for you."

Puzzled, Zane looked around at who might be making them such a dubious offer, when his gaze came upon a familiar person.

"Gerard!"

"Hey Zane. Hello everyone." Greeted Gerard to everyone.

"Hey Gerard!" Aki greeted him cheerfully.

⬢

"Thanks Gerard." Said Zane as the latter led them towards the second wall.

"Don't mention it, I was signed up for a tour anyway, so if I bring a few more people doesn't really matter." He explained.

Rika looked around uncertainly as she quietly turned to Asagi and asked her who they were actually following.

"Oh, that's Gerard, he was in a unit with Zane and Aki. He comes to the bar too, but I haven't seen him lately either."

"It's been a while, have you been away from the bar because of the festival?" Inquired Zane as they approached the second wall.

"Exactly, the preparations for the festival were very time consuming." Gerard began to tell. "Security, organization, flow. I was even partly involved in the planning, although I'm only a lowly priest. Here we are."

They stood in front of the second wall, a passageway in front of them, heavily guarded. Several groups of people seemed to be lining up like them for a tour.

"Wait a minute I'll sign you in." Gerard ran ahead.

Zane looked around. Now he could see a glimpse of the wall, the first had been closed off except for access to the inside. But now from close up it was all the more impressive. The white wall rose several meters into the air. It had a slight curve and symbols, and strange patterns were scattered all over the wall. It seemed to be in one piece, nowhere could Zane see a seam or even a scratch. As before at the entrance, there were some who touched the walls and floor with reverence as they quoted some prayers or the like.

"OK guys, you're allowed in." Gerard came back again.

The visitors were all on a bus that took them from the second wall to the Guardian. The road, reminiscent of a bridge, led across the square that was between the second and third innermost rings. Huge line structures littered the metallic white square as they approached the innermost wall. In the distance, Zane saw small flying objects that seemed to move across the complex.

"Wow!" Carol looked up into the sky.

The gigantic white tower rose into the sky, piercing through the clouds. In some places, Zane could make out symbols delicately carved into the metal that must have had a story to tell. Some of the signs and other lines scattered across the Guardian seemed to glow. Spirits were all around the Guardian. They were not normal Spirits, they were Architect Spirits, as they were called, those found only near the Architect's structures. Unlike the normal ones, they glowed mostly white, and some seemed to have parts that resembled the Architect's structures. Many flew through the air, while others could not. Many had a semi-astral shape and were reminiscent of plants or beetles, while still others were more reminiscent of golems. It was as if the Guardian had its very own flora and fauna.

"Welcome to the tour." Began a priest to greet the group, Gerard and another priest behind him. They wore snow-white robes on which the symbols of the Architect could be seen. Despite the religious simplicity they gave off at first glance, the cowls had a high level of technology built into them. In some places, metallic parts were attached to the cowl. "I'm glad you have such interest in a tour." He bowed slightly. Gerard and the second priest followed. The foremost priest wore a sash over his cowl, emphasizing his higher status within the Architect Church.

"Before we begin, I have a request to make of you." The priest continued. "The Guardian is a high-tech, ancient structure and a sacred place to my brothers and me and many others. Therefore, I would like to ask you to show this place the respect it deserves and, if possible, not to touch anything. Furthermore, there are some constructs active in the Guardian, they are not dangerous, but please keep your distance to avoid possible incidents and do not hinder them in their work."

"Constructs?" Carol looked at Zero.

"Robots." Zero whispered, his head bent toward her.

"Finally, I would like to ask you to stay in the group and follow our instructions. Thank you." Bowed the priest again.

Immediately, Asagi and Zero stood closer to Carol, who looked at them both in confusion.

"Until the other group returns, I will tell you about the Guardian." The priest began his tour. He stayed close to the entrance, as a complete tour of the outer part of the Guardian was not feasible in such a short time, as the footprint of the tower alone was nearly 1000 square meters. Instead, the priest explained basic information and showed holographic displays coming from the church's own projectors.

A few minutes later, another group came out of the Guardian, whereupon the priest gathered the tour participants around him.

After all the participants of the tour were together, the priest led them to the entrance. There he stopped for a moment in reverence, Gerard and the second priest close behind him, and bowed before leading the group inside.

Luminous lines and symbols decorated the entrance door, which split with a slight hiss and disappeared into the ceiling with a fluid movement upward.

Accompanied by a gaggle of Spirits, they entered a long white corridor that led several meters into the depths.

"They never usually do that...", Gerard looked around in confusion, as they had gathered around the group earlier as well.

Most were flying Spirits who were moving fast. The running mostly larger ones did their best to keep up while the others flew ahead as if to lead the group through the Guardian itself.

"The Guardian is divided into several levels but most of it consists of this open space." Explained the priest as he led them through the door at the end of the hallway.

A massive room, several hundred feet high, opened up before them. As it seemed to narrow upward, it ended at the floor on the level on which they stood. Only a hole in the center of the room seemed to lead further down. A column of light shone down into the hole from above, in which a white sphere floated a few feet above the ground.

"We call it the Guardian's Heart." Narrated the priest about the orb. "Feel free to take a look around." Nodded the priest before he seemed to recite a prayer in front of the orb and turned to Gerard and the other priest.

They all looked around the room. Glowing lines on the floor seemed to lead to various places, with energy pulsing through them over and over again. Small drone-like machines were flying through the air everywhere, ranging from barely larger than a hand to nearly a meter in diameter. All this while Carol played with some of the Spirits dancing around her. On the sides were ramps leading to the upper levels, which were also connected to the large room by open walls. On the walls, which were composed of triangles, lit up displays and symbols that Zane didn't understand, all written in the Architect's language. The architect's letters were a mixture of tapered lines that seemed to be loosely composed, but every now and then there seemed to be more complex symbols that probably represented whole words.

"Shall we continue?" The priest pointed to the ramp behind him.

The group walked up the ramp, despite the slippery surface no one seemed to slip. It was as if some kind of force field was guiding their legs. Most of the tour consisted of walking through the Guardian, as most of the building seemed to consist of hallways. Every now and then, they would come to a larger space within the Guardian that stretched around a circular floor plate in the center. Otherwise, there were hardly any individual rooms, and if there were, they were empty. The priest mentioned that they suspected that the first colonists of Nykara either stole the contents or the residents took them when they left when the First Outbreak was over.

After a while, they came to another door. They hadn't seen the Guardian's Heart for a while, so they must have been above it. Carol had already complained a little. The constant walking seemed to be getting to her, or it was the fact that Zero didn't let her out of his sight for a moment, with the Spirits trying enough to distract Carol and keep her happy.

The Spirits accompanied the group throughout the Guardian, the priests were a bit uneasy, but there seemed to be no danger coming from the Spirits. They played and escorted the group but were especially taken with Carol, who showed Sora the Spirits through the stream.

"The next room is one of the most impressive, unfortunately it is also the end of the tour as most of the Guardian is inaccessible or locked to visitors." Explained the priest.

"Locked? What do you mean?" Zane inquired.

"There are parts that are sealed." Explained Gerard.

"Only just under 20% of the Guardian are accessible," the second priest explained as another massive door opened.

The following large room opened up before them, again the room was built around a circle in the floor, in the center of which was a small round pedestal with a few rings floating around it a few feet above the ground. Immediately the Spirits poured into the room as if to lead the group in. Between the rings and the pedestal was a holographic image of all of Nykara. It was highly detailed, even the six major moons and the minor moons were visible. The two asteroid belts that were around Nykara were also visible. At the same time, a spot on Nykara lit up. The position they were currently at, the Guardian. The walls were open, and they could see out onto the city. Only four pillars seemed to support the entire weight. Above it all was a kind of hemisphere set into the ceiling. Two guards were posted at each of the four pillars, wearing the emblem of the Architect Church. Their white armor was more reminiscent of futuristic knight's armor than of priests.

"Step closer." Said the priest and carefully stood in front of the platform around which the Spirits had begun to dance. After everyone had gathered around him, the priest bowed again before extending his hand towards the hologram. Immediately, the hologram began to lower before the priest touched it on the Guardian. Immediately the image zoomed in on the Guardian and Nykara disappeared, a model of the building appearing in the air instead.

"Is that where the festival is?" Nathan asked, looking at the holographic booths around the Guardian that had set up a few feet behind them. The hologram filled the whole room, people could walk through it while the priest operated it with a holographic sphere following him.

"This is like a live feed." Said one in the group.

"Praise be to the Architect for keeping his protective hand above us." Said what must have been a strict believer in the group.

"That's right, this hologram shows a kind of live feed of all of Nykara." Explained the second priest as the first priest tapped the holographic sphere again. A high-resolution hologram of New Comound appeared instead of the Guardian in the room, hugging the floor tightly like a miniature city.

"Feel free to look around and don't worry, you can't fall off the tower, a barrier prevents that." Said Gerard.

"Wow." Zane looked into the distance. New Comound was several kilometers away from the Guardian, as they had set up an exclusion zone around it. But here, for the first time, one could see the extent of the city. New Comound had become a multilayered city over the years. Layered cities were cities that themselves stood on top of a massive building complex, creating several hundred levels below the actual city. The building complex was in fact a city in its own right, unified into a massive contiguous block on which another city was then built. Multilayered cities went one step further. They consisted of several of these layered cities, on which further cities were built. It was even possible to create cavities in the lower levels through which entire ships could fly. Layered cities also made it possible to banish most industry from the cityscape to the lower, less frequented levels.

"Where do we live Zero?" Carol asked, trying to make out her house in the distance as the Spirits flew around her.

"I think here, right?" Asagi pointed to the hologram on the ground.

"Oh cool!" Bending down to the hologram, Carol held her PDI up to it. "Look Sora, there you are!"

"You like it?" Zero asked Rika, who was looking out a window at the sea in the distance while Aki, Asagi and Carol were busy with the hologram.

"Mhm." She nodded. "Thanks for letting me come along."

"No problem. Thank Zane for the idea." Zero looked into the distance. "Do you miss home?"

"A little...", said Rika shyly.

"Don't worry." Zero smiled at her. "I'm sure it won't be for long."

"Mhm...", Rika replied a little hesitantly.

"If I may have your attention again." The priest turned to them again after some time.

The group gathered in the center of the room, the priest had placed himself in front of the construct in the center, which stood on a pedestal.

"We are here directly above the Heart of the Guardian at an altitude of almost 500 meters." The priest began to tell.

Zane listened to the priest with interest as his eyes fell on Zero and Carol. Zero listened to the priest, but Carol seemed peculiar. Her gaze was suddenly fixed on the sphere in the center of the ceiling.

"Unfortunately, most of the Guardian's functions are unknown, only the holographic map seems to work." He pointed at the map floating around the room. "But we are sure...", he began.

Suddenly, the podium behind the priest began to light up and a column of light from the upper hemisphere fell onto the podium. Hundreds of holograms seemed to merge into this column of light as something appeared in its center.

"What's going on here? This has never happened before!" Gerard panicked a bit.

"A gift from the Architect?" Shuddered the priest.

The whole room was enveloped in the white-blue light as Carol suddenly strode toward the dais.

"Carol!" Zero tried to stop her and was about to run after her when the priest stopped him.

"Wait!"

Carol just kept striding toward the pedestal, through the hologram, which began to dissolve away from her. Instead, new holograms appeared in the air. Symbols of the Architect floated around the room and the Spirits gathered around Carol again, flying around the pedestal as if to guide Carol there.

"What's happening?" Zero complained.

"Is she some kind of...", the priest whispered to himself.

"Carol!" Asagi worried.

Everyone looked intently at Carol as she arrived on the pedestal and held out her hand. Slowly, the object that was in the column of light began to lower until it stopped just above Carol's hands.

"She has received a gift from the Architect." Whispered the second priest. All the priests, including the guards at the pillars, had knelt on the ground. Immediately, some of the visitors had followed their example and knelt as well. Aki held Asagi, who was worried, while Zane and the others looked incomprehensibly at the podium.

Carol turned around, a strange sphere floating in her hands. The light behind her went out as if the Guardian was shutting down, before she collapsed in the next moment. Immediately, Zero leapt off with incredible speed, catching Carol before her body could touch the ground.

"He is fast!" Shuddered Gerad, who had barely been able to follow.

"Are you all right?" Zane asked, and everyone ran to him and Carol.

Carol looked at Zero and smiled, it wasn't her usual carefree smile.

"Carol are you okay?" Zero was concerned.

Carol didn't answer and still held the orb in her hands and handed it to Zero. Zero looked at the sphere. It was a kind of holographic blue crystal ball inside of which something seemed to glow. There were thousands of small symbols engraved on the surface. Zero touched the sphere with his free mechanical arm to take it from Carol, when suddenly light shot out of the sphere. Immediately, Zane and the others stopped as instructed by the priests. Glowing bandages shot out of the sphere, which then disintegrated. The shiny metallic bandages flew through the air in the light of the sphere before abruptly changing course and heading for Zero's arm.

"What the...", Zero cringed but before he could do anything, the bandages had wrapped around his forearm and began to rearrange themselves. In the next moment, the light disappeared and Zero had a strange bracelet on his left arm.

"Zero, are you okay?" Asked Aki, who came running with the others, the priests in tow.

"I'm OK." He looked to his friends before turning back to Carol. "Everyth...", Zero hesitated.

Her pain-distorted face was drenched in sweat, literally glowing. "Carol!" Zero startled. What had happened was beside the point.

"What's wrong with her?" Worried Zane, while Asagi looked concernedly at Carol.

"She's shaking!"

"Carol!" Said Asagi worriedly, bending over to Zero to help him.

Suddenly they heard a bang.

"What was that?" Shuddered Nathan, and Aki's ears twitched.

Immediately, Aki ran to the Guardian's windows before another bang, followed by screams, was heard in the next moment.

"What's going on?" Zane rushed to Aki followed by Nathan.

Smoke was rising over the fairground, Zane was far away and couldn't see much, but it seemed like something had exploded and all the people were running away from the center of the explosion. But not just in one spot. Zane could spy at least two explosions. He had a bad feeling as the PDIs of everyone present activated.

- EVACUATION ALERT-

"Are we under attack?" Worried one of the attendees.

"Please remain calm." The second priest tried to prevent the emergence of panic.

"Zane." Aki turned to him and pointed to her PDI.

A deployment order from the Anti-Aku unit was visible on her PDI, and not just on hers, but on Nathan's and Zane's as well. Even Gerard's PDI seemed to have a message from the Tactical Mages and even Zero's PDI seemed to be trying to alert him to something.

"I know." Zane looked worriedly to Zero, who was taking care of Carol. There was panic everywhere, the participants were in turmoil. The guards had come to the priests to get the situation under control. The priest had some kind of holographic earpiece on his ear and seemed to be in contact with someone. Gerard looked at Zane, he had probably received a mission order as well and was waiting for him.

"Zero...", Zane approached him cautiously. Zane hesitated, he could see the concern in Zero's face. But he knew there was nothing he could do. "We have to go."

"It's fine, I'll take care of everything here." Zero nodded. Carol, meanwhile, was lying on his lap, her face flaming red.

"Take good care of Carol." Said Aki, a little worried.

"I will." Replied Zero. Asagi and Rika knelt by him, worrying about Carol, who seemed to be in a lot of pain.

"See you later." Nodded Zane and turned to Gerard.

The next moment, the four of them jumped down the stairs, Gerard in first place.

"Take care of yourselves...", Zero looked towards the stairs.

Interlude

The girl in black had left the festival and seemed to be strolling randomly through the city.

She walked further and further away from the Guardian.

Further and further away from the festival.

Further and further away from the voices

Further and further away from the crowd.

Footsteps could be heard behind her.

She had arrived in the industrial area when she turned into a dark side alley.

The alley was full of garbage cans, electrical boxes, and escape stairs that reached down from the upper floors.

Barely any light reached the ground.

She was probably trying to walk between the two buildings when suddenly a big guy and three others blocked her path.

"Well little girl, are you lost?" The big guy asked her as the footsteps that had been following her also stopped.

The group from the party that had been harassing her stood behind her.

"Good job guys." The lanky leader of the group seemed to know the tall guy and the others.

"Is that the little one?" Asked the tall one.

"That's her." The leader approached the girl in black.

She stood between the two groups that had encircled her and turned to the gangly one walking toward her.

She wasn't screaming for help.

She wasn't shaking.

"You can't ignore me this time." The lanky one approached her. "I was going to be nice to you, but now..." He stopped in front of her and eyed her. His people also came closer. The circle around them was closing. "Let's see what you're hiding under all your clothes." He began to reach out his hand for her cleavage. But suddenly his hand stopped. Astonished, he looked at his hand; it was drenched in sweat. He looked at the girl. "Still that arrogant look!" He clenched his fist. "Aren't you going to scream for help? No one's coming to save you this time."

...

"Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

"Ahhhhhhhhhh!"

"Urghs!"

Several screams were heard before they all fell silent.

Footsteps.

Another person walked through the industrial area.

A drop.

"There you are." He stopped in a dark alley.

In front of him stood the girl in black. Her clothes were intact, her gloves, her sweater, her dress, her shoes, as if no dirt would even dare to contaminate her.

A drop.

The dark alley was scarlet.

Around the girl in black lay the scattered and mangled remains of several men, scattered all the way up the walls of the house. Blood dripped down from the escape stairs, but not a drop of blood had landed around the girl.

She turned her head to him, a friendly smile on it, as if glad to see him.