A Chaotic Morning

Sevi, the star of Raj, peeks over Betor Mountain, accompanied by waking Rajin men and women. All seems well for these people, winter inches closer, and it's another day without war. However, some feel far different about this particular morning, and even those happy individuals are quickly jolted by shock as they step out into the city.

Kyro and Ingen walk together, weapons attached to their persons. Detor leads the two men through Yellen. Kyro stares at the back of Detor's head as they walk in silence. Detor retired from the army during Kyro's first year in the ranks, and became a City Guard, as all retired Rajin soldiers do. The second in command has always been unusually stoic, and Kyro has never seen the man smile.

Still, Detor has never treated Kyro or Ingen with anything but respect. There had been instances when Kyro was working in the city, retrieving sewage, that Detor asked how he was doing, or simply held a conversation with the Collector. Kyro doesn't understand why the man is so different from others, but he appreciates the acquaintance greatly.

Ingen nudges him as they walk, and Kyro looks at the man with furrowed brows. Ingen gestures with a nod to the left, causing Kyro to follow the man's eyes. He sees smoke rising from several places farther into the city. Kyro gazes at the smoke for a moment, confused and even a bit anxious.

The night before, Kyro and Ingen had been awoken from their slumber by explosions and crashes. For a moment, Kyro had wondered if he was on the battlefield again, for that is the only place he has heard such sounds. The sounds had come from Yellen, yet when they went outside to find out what was happening, it was too dark to see anything.

However, when Detor had come to fetch them at sunrise, the two men had seen evidence of what had happened. There was a chunk taken out of the walls of Yellen as if someone had shot through it with an arrow larger than a ship. Coupled with the sight of the smoke that was visible from the Collector Village, Kyro and Ingen had wondered if someone had attacked the city in the night.

If that was the case, it couldn't have been the Utherians. No Rajin man or woman knows the reason, but the Conquerers have always sent word before they invade. When Kyro asked Detor, the man was silent. Although he does not know Detor well, Kyro knows the man well enough to understand the implications of that silence.

"Is it true?" Detor asks, only looking forward as he leads.

"What?" Ingen furrows his brows as he gazes down at the City Guard.

Detor glances back, his silver brows in a constant furrow. He returns his vision to the path ahead, spear held in hand, "Has a Massor truly appeared there?" he asks.

"If we said yes, would you believe us?" Kyro responds with his own question, looking around. The current street they travel on is nearly empty. Strange, he thinks.

"I do not know," Detor says, rough voice uncertain with the words, "I should not have asked. I am not the one who should know."

Kyro hums, "I would likely feel the same... If I had not seen it for myself," he says. Kyro looks at the back of Detor's head, furrowing his brows as he sees a bump in the midst of the man's short black hair. It may just be a scab from sparring, but Kyro does notice that it seems a little too circular.

Ingen scoffs, looking up at the sky, "You'll be forced to believe soon, along with everyone else."

Silence follows those words. Kyro sighs, glancing up at the smoke again. No matter what happens to Raj, he will be leaving soon. Perhaps it is false hope, but Kyro is certain that Cage will be able to save them. He hadn't thought of it before, but Cage's powers are the perfect tool to rid them of the trackers.

When Ingen had first told him, Kyro found himself hesitating to agree with the plan. Despite his, Ingen's, and Yoru's childhood dream, Raj is the only home Kyro has ever known. To add to it, he also felt like he had some kind of debt to pay to the Rajin people. Before that last day on the battlefield, Kyro was revered, even worshipped by some. Everyone had treated him well, for a time.

He only realized his flawed thought process after Ingen reminded him of their current position. Kyro is a slave, hated by people that once loved him. There is nothing for him here, save for Ingen and Yoru, who will both be going on this journey along with him. He can either wait for the doom that he knows is coming to Raj, or leave and find a new purpose in life.

For Kyro, the decision is not a difficult one. If Cage needs him for the journey, then Kyro will be there.

Detor leads the two men through a plaza, and as they round pass the Foreign Visitor Offices, Kyro's eyes widen as he finally sees where the smoke has been coming from. Rajin men and women crowd around the street here, which explains why almost every other street has been empty.

Past the crowd, several piles of rubble line the streets, and City Guards line the perimeter, holding crying mothers and children back from the scene. Other guards run in and out of the homes that still retain some of their structure, carrying out half-dead bodies and taking them to be treated for their wounds.

It makes sense now, why Detor is alone in this escort. The others are occupied with this mess. It's not as if more guards are needed, Kyro thinks, even if he and Ingen decided to kill Detor, they would have their heads blown off soon after. It is still a mystery to Kyro, but somehow, the Epochs always know when to detonate the trackers.

Kyro stares at the scene, lips parted in disbelief. On the next street over, the training building stands, rectangular in shape with round columns supporting the peaked roof. In the middle of the building, a broad line is cut out, stretching from the roof and nearly to the bottom. It's as if a giant came and swiped his hand through the building, leaving the rest of the structure untouched.

"What do you think did it?" Detor asks, eyes drawn to the devastation as he continues to walk.

"Not what, but who..." Kyro responds with trailing words, "...Only a Vas or Anima user could have done something like this and disappeared by morning."

"There must have been a battle," Ingen chimes in, "The rest of the city is untouched. This wreckage is collateral damage, I think."

"I agree," Kyro says, "Though they must be either insane or ridiculously powerful to do this here in Yellen. Even Anima and Vas users will have trouble taking on the entire Rajin army alone. Most of them, at least."

Ingen hums, gaze lingering on Kyro. He looks forward, "I've never asked you before, but... How does it feel? To have the power of that nearly rivals an army inside of you, it must be... incredible."

Kyro nods, "It is," he replies, "Most of the time."

---

Cage stares at that platform inside the vault. It's complete now, or at least he thinks so. The white concrete floats above the items he has absorbed so far. Cage thought that something would happen when the construction was finished, yet here he is. Nothing.

Cage sighs in his mind, putting off the detail for now. He looks down at what he has at his disposal. Two Rage Stones, two swords, and five boulders. It's not much, but these items should help him if the worst comes. He'll need to keep a look out for other items that may be useful, no matter what they may be.

With the two swords as evidence, Cage understands that his powers allow him to become an incredible thief. In a different situation, the act of stealing would leave a bad taste in his mouth. However, there are lives on the line, ones that are very important to him. If he must use underhanded methods to save those lives, then he will not hesitate to do so.

"Cage," A voice calls out.

Cage snaps his eyes open, wincing as that star nearly blinds him. He lifts his head, leaning forward on the bench and groaning. His eyes adjust to the light after a moment, and he looks up, brows raising as he sees who called to him.

Alyra sits on the bench across from him, brows furrowed. A white dress fits over her red skin, the material silky and form-fitting, as always. High heel wedges are strapped to her feet and her hair is clasped to each side of her head to keep it from her face, "Did you sleep out here?" she asks.

"Uh..." Cage pauses, wiping a hand over his face, "...Yeah," he says. Right now, he would rather not explain that he has what is essentially an alternate dimension inside of him. Much less that he's spent the last few hours inside of it, staring at boulders and a floating platform.

Alyra nods. She looks Cage up and down, giggling, "I never knew you like to roll around in the dirt. You learn something new every day," she says with an innocent smile on her lips.

Cage wrinkles his forehead at the words, looking down, "Oh..." he mutters. His robe is covered in dirt, grime, and probably many other germs obtained from the streets of Yellen. Cage can never seem to end the day with clean clothes.

He leans forward and dusts off his slippers. As he does this, his long hair falls before him, caked with just as much dirt as everything else. Though Cage notices something strange, the tips of his hair are split and scraggly, as if they've been burned. Oh, he thinks, I guess I didn't completely dodge that death beam.

Alyra suddenly sits beside him on the bench, grabbing his hair and studying the ends. She meets Cage's nervous gaze, one black brow raised, "First, you need a shower. You smell like a fresh pile of Skoan manure," she says, holding Cage's split ends up before him, "Second, I need to cut these off for you. If you're going to keep the long hair, then you have to take care of it."

Cage nods slowly, looking from the hair to Alyra, "I didn't know it was that big of a deal," he responds.

"I can see that," Alyra says bluntly, "Any woman can tell that you have straight hair, yet I've never actually seen it straight. It's always so frizzy that it looks curled." Her words are almost too passionate.

"Then why don't you do whatever it is that makes it not frizzy?" Cage asks, "You seem to care about my hair more than I do."

"Obviously," Alyra resonds, sighing and dropping his hair, "Just go take a shower, please. It's taking everything I have to not gag right now."

"Will do, miss salon," Cage says, rising from the bench.

"Salon?" Alyra asks, standing with him.

Cage hesitates, but then remembers that Alyra is already in on his secret, "It's a place where hair is cut and styled," he says. It feels strange to speak of his past life out in the open like this. However, it does ease his mind knowing that there is someone he doesn't have to tiptoe around.

Cage suddenly realizes something, and looks at Alyra with a confused expression, "Shouldn't you be at the Scribe Office?" he asks.

"Yoru gave me the day off," Alyra responds, a proud smile on her face, "I'm to accompany you, and make sure that you don't overwork yourself."

Cage nods slowly, "Thanks," he says.

"Oh?" Alyra raises her brows in surprise, "Yoru told me that you would protest the idea, but I suppose she was wrong."

"I probably should," Cage responds. He remembers Grish's words, 'Why not have a good time and smile while we're here?'. The man may be a bit insane, but those words of his struck a chord with Cage. He looks at Alyra, a slight smile on his lips, "She's right. I should take a day off."

Alyra nods, face lighting up, "I'm glad you've come to your senses," she says, walking toward the house with her eyes lingering on him, "Come. After your shower, we'll do something about that bush you call hair."

Cage chuckles, following Alyra inside, a sweet-smelling perfume trailing behind her and wafting in his nose. Cage still holds a bit of hesitation on forming a romantic relationship, but that feeling is overpowered by the comfort Alyra's presence brings him. There may be pain later, however, for now he will enjoy the moment.