Kenris was searching.
Searching more than said it. His whole life, he'd spent searching. Searching for hope. Searching for truth. Searching for meaning.
And he hadn't found it.
He swung his sword aimlessly. Wind Knight of Aktus. Where had that gotten him? Wandering streets. In the rain. At night. Wishing for a better life. Wishing... for purpose. Wishing for meaning.
And so his life droned on. Until that night.
Kenris was, as usual, dressed in the armour of a Wind Knight. The light body gear, the soft-soled boots, and of course the specialised helmet and sword that gave the Wind Knights their true power. His hair, almost shoulder-length, was a pale green colour; a trademark, again, of the Wind Knights. A side effect of some of what they'd done to him to make him what he was.
The rain battered down on him as he walked the streets of Aktus. His armour did little to shield him from its constant bombardment, and the overall effect was that of a largely aggravated knight. Still, that didn't stop him from doing his duty.
In a nearby building, there was a flash - almost as bright as a lightning bolt - accompanied by a large crashing sound. Kenris looked up, heard a scream of pain from inside. Concentrating, he determined that the sounds were on the second floor. No obstacle.
Swirling his blade, he let the wind carry him. In a practised manner, he guided the winds gently, and the gust swirled around him and pushed him directly up to a second-storey window. Swinging his sword, he turned the window into an entrance, and landed neatly inside.
He began to hunt. It didn't take him long to find the room the sounds had come from. But much to his confusion, it was almost empty.
The room's sole occupant was a young woman. Her dark hair flowed over the shoulders of her torn shirt. Cowering in one corner of the room, she made the occasional frightened whimper. As he entered the room, she looked up.
"You... you're a knight?"
"Indeed." said Kenris. "What happened here?" His survey of the room took in broken furniture, damaged books, shattered glass.
She was almost at tears. "I did." she said finally. "I... happened."
He looked her over again. "What do you mean?"
"I don't understand it. Something happened to me." She looked, he decided, truly terrified. "For a moment, I was... someone or something else. I was out of control... please, help..."
He was unsure - she was someone else? "How can I help?"
"Protect me. Let me stay with you. Promise me you'll stop me if it happens again."
He looked her over yet again. He didn't understand what had happened to her. But he did understand that she was traumatised. And he couldn't leave her here... "Fine. Come with me."
Wordlessly, the two of them made their way out of the building and onto the street. "Where are we going?" she asked, eventually.
"Nowhere, really." he said. "I'm patrolling. Basically, I want you to just come with me. All I do is wander the streets, really."
"Oh. Okay." she said. "Oh, uh... what's your name, anyway?"
"Kenris." he replied. "Kenris Javentine. Wind Knight, second grade."
"Ah. I'm Reya." stated the other, her tone now almost emotionless. "Reya Nexus."
Again silent, the pair of them continued to wander the streets of Aktus. Kenris continued to ponder on this girl. In a way, he was grateful for her as a distraction from his usual, painful introspection. But she confused him. She claimed that she had become someone or something else; what could she mean?
But even his questions were interrupted. A pair of men, dressed in official-looking clothing, stepped in front of them. "Excuse us, please." said one of them. "This is the Nexus girl? She'll be coming with us."
Searching more than said it. His whole life, he'd spent searching. Searching for hope. Searching for truth. Searching for meaning.
And he hadn't found it.
He swung his sword aimlessly. Wind Knight of Aktus. Where had that gotten him? Wandering streets. In the rain. At night. Wishing for a better life. Wishing... for purpose. Wishing for meaning.
And so his life droned on. Until that night.
Kenris was, as usual, dressed in the armour of a Wind Knight. The light body gear, the soft-soled boots, and of course the specialised helmet and sword that gave the Wind Knights their true power. His hair, almost shoulder-length, was a pale green colour; a trademark, again, of the Wind Knights. A side effect of some of what they'd done to him to make him what he was.
The rain battered down on him as he walked the streets of Aktus. His armour did little to shield him from its constant bombardment, and the overall effect was that of a largely aggravated knight. Still, that didn't stop him from doing his duty.
In a nearby building, there was a flash - almost as bright as a lightning bolt - accompanied by a large crashing sound. Kenris looked up, heard a scream of pain from inside. Concentrating, he determined that the sounds were on the second floor. No obstacle.
Swirling his blade, he let the wind carry him. In a practised manner, he guided the winds gently, and the gust swirled around him and pushed him directly up to a second-storey window. Swinging his sword, he turned the window into an entrance, and landed neatly inside.
He began to hunt. It didn't take him long to find the room the sounds had come from. But much to his confusion, it was almost empty.
The room's sole occupant was a young woman. Her dark hair flowed over the shoulders of her torn shirt. Cowering in one corner of the room, she made the occasional frightened whimper. As he entered the room, she looked up.
"You... you're a knight?"
"Indeed." said Kenris. "What happened here?" His survey of the room took in broken furniture, damaged books, shattered glass.
She was almost at tears. "I did." she said finally. "I... happened."
He looked her over again. "What do you mean?"
"I don't understand it. Something happened to me." She looked, he decided, truly terrified. "For a moment, I was... someone or something else. I was out of control... please, help..."
He was unsure - she was someone else? "How can I help?"
"Protect me. Let me stay with you. Promise me you'll stop me if it happens again."
He looked her over yet again. He didn't understand what had happened to her. But he did understand that she was traumatised. And he couldn't leave her here... "Fine. Come with me."
Wordlessly, the two of them made their way out of the building and onto the street. "Where are we going?" she asked, eventually.
"Nowhere, really." he said. "I'm patrolling. Basically, I want you to just come with me. All I do is wander the streets, really."
"Oh. Okay." she said. "Oh, uh... what's your name, anyway?"
"Kenris." he replied. "Kenris Javentine. Wind Knight, second grade."
"Ah. I'm Reya." stated the other, her tone now almost emotionless. "Reya Nexus."
Again silent, the pair of them continued to wander the streets of Aktus. Kenris continued to ponder on this girl. In a way, he was grateful for her as a distraction from his usual, painful introspection. But she confused him. She claimed that she had become someone or something else; what could she mean?
But even his questions were interrupted. A pair of men, dressed in official-looking clothing, stepped in front of them. "Excuse us, please." said one of them. "This is the Nexus girl? She'll be coming with us."