HAH! I bet you thought I was dead, didn't you? You thought wrong! Yep, this story ain't dying anytime soon, so don't worry if it isn't updated in a small eternity. Although, I will try to upload the next chapter in a much shorter time frame. Ideally, something shorter than three months.
Anyway, I wanted to bring an important detail to notice. I'm not a fan of retcons, and I will refrain from them as best as I can, but there is a minor retcon in this chapter. In Chapter 1, I said the story took place in April, but I moved it up to October. I'll change the first chapter to match the detail shortly after this chapter goes up.
As a final note, I'd like to give my special thanks to Tohka Yatogami for helping me with the weapon names. Her stories are amazing, and I highly recommend you check her out. Without further ado, onto the story!
The morning rays of sunshine creeped up and over the horizon, spilling through an exposed window in Aviar's bedroom. It appeared well-maintained, probably from lack of use, and most of the boxes were unpacked. His bed was not flawless, but still looked like some effort was put into its making. Several articles of unfamiliar clothing were laid across it, neatly folded into an organized grid. Aviar stared down at the bed, letting out a sigh before turning his eyes to the wall. A calendar was hanging off it, turned to the October page with the 15th circled in red marker.
Today's the day… he thought.
Aviar was sitting at the dining room table, facing Seraph and Shadow on the other side. With the circular tree emblem still between his fingers, he slipped it into the comfy home of his pajama pocket. "So, while we wait for a Rogue to pop up, what are we gonna do?" he asked, prompting Seraph to swipe away at her tablet.
"Resume life as normal," she answered with a shrug, as if the answer was obvious. "You and Shadow will go to school, and I'll pull you out whenever duty calls."
"Wait a minute, school?" Aviar repeated, raising an eyebrow at the woman's words. He used to an arm to gesture to the window behind him. "In human territory?"
Seraph merely chuckled at his comment, shaking her head. "Stop worrying so much, that's my job. Anyway, you'll be surprised by how similar human schools are to ours."
"Minus all the medium stuff," Shadow added. "Speaking of, it'd probably be good if we didn't pull any magic tricks in public. Keep the whole 'medium' thing to ourselves, kay?" She finished the sentence by sending a wink in Aviar's direction.
"Speak for yourself..." Aviar grumbled under his breath, rolling his eyes. However, his frown quickly disappeared when Shadow's words reminded him of something. "That being said, what school are we going to?"
"I've already done the courtesy of enrolling you at Trina High School as second-year students—you're welcome, by the way—and you'll be starting in a few days," Seraph answered. The girl sitting next to her worked away a small square of paper, unfolding it several times before handing it to Aviar. "What is this?" he inquired as he retrieved it.
"Uniform policy," Shadow replied.
"Uniforms, huh?" the teenager parroted, quickly scanning over the document. "Guess this really won't be too different from home."
"Yep. We'll be buying them later today, along with the rest of the school supplies you need. However, there's some preparation I must do to the uniforms before you can wear them. Don't worry, we'll get it all taken care of," Seraph explained.
Aviar didn't answer, but quietly acknowledged the woman's words. His eyes turned down to the sheet of paper, and he read over the content more carefully.
Aviar snapped out of his reminiscing, coming back to reality in his bedroom. Reminding himself of the school day to come, he began to dress himself. One by one the teenager equipped each unfamiliar article, first buttoning a white colored shirt, followed by a pair of dress pants. He sported black socks and slipped his feet into a pair of cap toe shoes. He reached for his plain-colored tie and took several attempts to tie it properly. Upon finally getting it right, he looked around for his blazer, only not to find it.
Despite his frantic searching and uprooting of his closet, the suit jacket was nowhere to be found. He groaned in frustration and stepped out his door, calling across the floor and in the general direction of Shadow's bedroom. "Hey, Shadow!" he called. Where in the world is my blazer? I can't find it anywhere."
Shadow didn't answer, but her door opened, and out came a mass of black fabric that landed perfectly on Aviar's head. After grunting and fumbling around, he pulled it off, only to realize that the fabric tossed at him was the blazer he asked for. Inserting one arm into a sleeve, he swung it around to insert his other arm, finding it to be an incredibly comfortable fit. "Thank you!" he shouted.
"No problem! Seraph kept it to sew on the school patch, but I forgot to return it to you. Sorry about that!" her voice responded through the open door.
Heading into the bathroom, Aviar flipped the light switch, illuminating his reflection in the large mirror. Upon seeing himself in the school uniform, he immediately frowned, rotating his torso in several directions to check the different angles. "Ugh, I look ridiculous," he muttered while pulling at his collar that was tightly hugging his neck. Shaking his head, Aviar switched off the light before exiting the bathroom.
Stepping back into the hallway, he watched Shadow emerge from her room, complete in her uniform. She wore a similar blazer and white button-up shirt, but sported a ribbon instead of a tie, and wore a pleated skirt. "Hey, if you ask me, I don't look too bad..." she said as she shut her bedroom door. However, her sentence was interrupted as her eyes fell on Aviar, and a hand covered a gaping mouth as she gasped.
"Aviar!" she cried. "I had no idea you looked so nice in that uniform!"
"What are you talking about?" he responded with a slight laugh, shaking his head at her explosive reaction. "It's a uniform."
"But c'mon! You look so fancy," he insisted. Dashing over to him, she pulled out her cell phone and spun around, readying the frontal camera.
"I swear, you've been taking pictures of everything ever since you got that thing," Aviar commented, shaking his head.
"Smile for the camera!" Shadow declared, flashing a peace sign and winking. Aviar sighed and looked upward at the lens as he forced a grin on his face, appearing more like a nervous smile like anything else.
With their obligatory picture taken, Shadow stowed away the phone and turned away. As she ran down the stairs, she called out out the him. "Let's head to school!"
Having said their goodbyes to Seraph, Aviar and Shadow exited left their residence and began to walk along the neighborhood pathway. The winds kicked up, blowing a chilly breeze through the air before dying down again, ruffling the leaves of nearby trees. Aviar slung his tote bag across his opposite shoulder and shoved his newly-freed hand into a pocket while Shadow kept holding onto hers. They traveled the cramped and narrow streets of their new neighborhood in silence until one of them spoke up. "Feeling nervous?" Shadow asked, nudging her companion.
"Little bit," he replied. His face contorted in discomfort, and he shifted his necktie a bit. "How about you?"
"I'm a bit anxious, too. Not gonna lie," she admitted. Turning her head, she immediately started laughing at the expression that Aviar was making. "What's with the face?"
"This is unlike you…" he said with a raised eyebrow. "Aren't you always excited about these sorts of things?"
"Well, I am!" she declared, her laughter ceasing. "Of course I'm excited. I'm looking forward to meeting all the new people, seeing how things are different, and simply being in a new country. There's always that unknown element, though, and that can get to me sometimes."
She playfully shoved Aviar before continuing. "You're not the only one who experiences those kinds of things."
"Fair enough," he acknowledged, correcting his walking trajectory. Together, they turned a corner when the streetway ended and prepared to exit the neighborhood. However, they were stopped when a cat prowling on the perimeter wall leaped down and stood in their path. It had a black coat and white underbelly, and its bright yellow eyes stared forward at the people in front of it.
"It's a cat!" Shadow exclaimed. It approached her, taking a few hesitant steps toward her. "It's alright, buddy, I'm not gonna hurt you," she encouraged. Accepting her invitation, it weaved in and out of legs, rubbing up against her. Shadow giggled at its action and set down her bag as she knelt to pick it up. "Aww, I think he likes me," she said while stroking and tapping its head, and it purred in response.
Aviar stayed silent and took a step back as he watched his friend play with the newfound cat. He narrowed his eyes at the animal, watching it carefully. "Aviar, I never understood why you didn't like cats," Shadow spoke while turning to him. "How could you hate something so cute and adorable?"
The feline's yellow eyes stared forward at Aviar, meeting his own weary gaze. "I'm not sure, cats just always…" his voice trailed off he remained eye-contact with the creature, gazing into its deep, unblinking eyes. It made his stomach turn, and something deep inside telling him that something was… wrong. Aviar swore that something was working behind those eyes, and it was gleefully taunting him.
"...creeped me out," he finished, shuddering as he moved his sight away from the cat. Shadow sighed and placed the feline back on the ground. She patted its head one last time, and it hopped up to the perimeter wall again, lying down as it watched the two new students. "Anyway, let's get going," the girl said, picking up her school bag. "Trina High is just down the road a ways."
The two fell silent again, walking amongst the ambient sounds of the fall morning. Sounds of the wind, their own footsteps against concrete, and the rumbling of distant train systems substituted their lack of conversation. Eventually, they encountered other teenagers wearing school uniforms heading in the same direction as them. Having made most of their journey in silence, Aviar decided to speak up. "Mind if we go over the procedure, again?"
"Fine by me," Shadow responded, turning her head toward him. "I was noticing how quiet you were being."
"My apologies. A lot on my mind," he replied, scratching the back of his head. "Anyway, here's how the team is divided up. Seraph will be at base, acting as the overseer. I'll be the one actually contacting the Rogues. In other words, talking to them."
"And I'll be on the field acting as backup," Shadow added, pointing a finger at herself. "If things go sour, or all hell breaks loose, I'll bail you out of there." She added a smile on top of the final statement.
"Right. Our cue is the Rogue activity alarm. When it sounds, and the school begins to evacuate, you'll take me to the Rogue's location. Then, it'll be my job to speak to them and start the reformation process. We'll all have earpieces, so we can talk to each other during the mission."
Aviar rubbed his head with a hand, running over his mental checklist a couple more times. "Did I forget anything?" he asked his friend.
"Well, you didn't exactly explain how you intend to reform the Rogue once you met them," Shadow suggested, sending a smirk his way.
He rose an eyebrow at her teasing look. "Because I'm not entirely sure. Honestly, I have no idea what I'm supposed to say or do." He turned his gaze to the girl beside him and continued his line of thought. "You would think that Yggdrasil would have some sort of training for me to go through. Why are they having me go at this with no experience?"
Shadow chuckled at the question directed at her, shaking her head. "Aviar, it may seem like it, but I don't know everything," she laughed. "If I had to guess, it's because this was a pretty new order on their part, and there hasn't been time to make a proper training course. Ever thought it was weird that us three are the only ones trying to reform Rogues? I bet Seraph was the only one assigned to this job."
Aviar slid both of his hands into his pockets, silently agreeing with his partner's proposition. He let out a sigh, almost in surrender. "How would you suggest I go about doing this?" he asked, his eyes turned away and voice lower in volume. "Talking to the Rogues, I mean."
"Hmm…" Shadow mused, pursing her lips as she thought. "For starters, you could make them like you."
"Like me?"
"Yeah!" she exclaimed, her face brightening. "Be nice and friendly to them. Show that you're a good person, and you're not trying to hurt them. If they trust you, then you can get them like people and the world as a whole and convince them to not blow it up. From there, we can induct them into society rather easily."
"I see…" Aviar acknowledged, rubbing his chin with his fingers.
Shadow laughed, shaking her head. "Don't overthink it, bud. They're people too, remember? They have their own personalities and quirks, and each one will be different. Just… imagine you're trying to make a new friend. If you're so worried about going with no experience, you could always practice on our future classmates."
Aviar turned his head toward her, raising an eyebrow at her suggestion. "Pretend that they're highly-dangerous beings in need of a savior?"
"That's not what I meant," Shadow frowned. "I was saying you should freshen up your social skills."
He only laughed in response, patting his friend on the back. "Oh, I'm aware. I was just messing with you."
Shadow stuttered as she tried to respond, but nothing ended up coming out of her mouth. With no other option, she looked away as Aviar wore his own smirk, triumphant over his victory. "Yeah, you got me," she pouted, speaking in a much lower tone.
The other teenager chuckled at her reaction, feeling pride as he had successfully turned the tide. "Hey, I know how to joke, too," he grinned. "You look really cute when you do that, by the way."
She just grunted and turned her face away completely, extending Aviar's giggling even further. His laughter died down, and both stopped walking, having come across a large open gate built into the wall along the sidewalk. If the massive building beyond it, and all the teenagers in uniforms walking to it weren't enough, a metal plaque reading "Trina High School" was plastered on the wall beside the gate.
"Looks like we're here," Aviar announced.
Together, the two new students found themselves in an empty hallway, standing before an opaque sliding door. Above the door, a sign labeled '2-1' jutted out into the open air, indicating that the room was the first second-year homeroom. "Here it is. Classroom 2-1," Shadow said. She turned to Aviar. "Remember, the teacher said that we'll introduce ourselves after homeroom has started. Not sure what to do? Just follow my lead," she smirked, poking him in the chest.
"If you say so," was his reply, accompanied by an eye roll. Shadow reached and slid open the door, stepping inside the room. Aviar followed her. His first impression of the room was that it was… clean. Very clean, actually. Everything was neat and orderly, the desks organized and perfect rows and spotless. The room had a blank color palette, sticking mainly to white and sometimes light grey. Many other students resided in the room, sporting the school uniform and conversing with one another.
He swallowed. It had only been a few seconds, and he already felt out of place or excluded somehow. Memories of his home sprang back, fondly recalling the smaller room, homey feel, and more vibrant color scheme. Everyone already knew each other, and it was just like a social gathering with a more informal and friendly tone. This, on the other hand, felt professional. Perhaps a bit too professional.
Shaking his head clear of his thoughts, Aviar scanned the rows of desks to find an empty seat for himself, settling for one at the very back and next to the window. Walking over to it, he lifted his tote bag off his shoulder and set it by the seat, sitting down afterward. Once he was settled, his gaze shifted over to Shadow across the room. As expected, she approached a group of girls and began talking with them, introducing herself. Before Aviar could watch them any further, someone walked up to him.
A boy with spiky teased-up hair sat backwards in the desk ahead of Aviar, facing him. "Yo," he greeted, sounding a little flamboyant. "Name's Omar. Don't think I've seen you around before. Transfer student, perhaps?"
The sudden appearance of the new boy snapped Aviar out of his staring. "I am, actually," he responded, his voice not sharing any of the resident student's enthusiasm. He turned his head to the person who spoke to him. "I moved about a week ago, and today's my first day of school here. My name is Aviar."
"Nice to meetcha, Aviar. Sweet name, by the way," Omar stated, holding out his hand.
"Hehe, thanks," the other student replied with a small chuckle, accepting the handshake.
"No problem, my man. Although, transfer students are supposed to be introduced after homeroom has started. You came in a bit early."
A drop of sweat rolled down Aviar's head, fearing he may have overstepped a social taboo. "Uh… is that a bad thing?"
"Nah, don't worry about it," Omar assured, patting the new student's shoulder and wearing a grin. "Might throw the teacher for a loop, but you'll be alright, trust me."
"Okay, good…" Aviar muttered, his heartbeat slowing down at the averted crisis. Standing from his desk, Omar swiftly moved behind Aviar. He draped his arm across Aviar's neck in a sudden motion, causing him to tense up at the sudden contact. Holding him in a friendly headlock, much to the recipient's discomfort, Omar spoke. "Tell me, buddy, what's your love life like?"
"That came out of nowhere," Aviar retorted, going wide-eyed at the question. He slightly shifted his head to look at his classmate. "Does 'nonexistent' count as an answer?"
"Of course it doesn't! There's gotta be someone you have your eyes on," Omar replied, extending a hand towards a group of girls on the other side of the classroom. "If I had to guess… would it be the copperhead over there? I think I saw you walk in with her just a second ago."
"What? No." Aviar denied from underneath his classmate's arm. "She's a childhood friend at most. Besides, what made you think I even knew her, anyway?"
"Oh, she's a friend? Well, I was kinda correct," Omar laughed, still keeping Aviar latched in the crook of his elbow. "Either way, I say you should keep her around. As they say, you can't make old friends."
Aviar's expression fell into a pout, frustrated that his classmate seemingly missed the point of his remark. He turned his eyes back toward Shadow, hoping that she would see him and bail him out. Much to Aviar's delight, his friend did turn her head toward him, and he put on the strongest 'help me' look he could muster. However, Shadow immediately went wide-eyed and clasped her hand to her mouth to suppress her laughter upon seeing him. Aviar's hopeful look immediately died.
To further rub salt in the wound, she pulled out her cell phone and snapped of photo of him trapped in Omar's grasp, still barely functioning from the contained amusement. Aviar groaned and made a mental remark to leave Shadow stranded in a similar situation in the future.
"Yep. Definitely a keeper," Omar declared, chuckling at Shadow's antics. Aviar groaned in response, freeing himself from the overly-friendly teenager's grasp. "Yeah, tell me about it," he said with an eye roll.
"Hello, Aviar."
A new voice broke them from their exchange, and both their heads turned to the side. It belonged to girl was standing by the desk next to Aviar's. She had vibrant blonde hair that was pulled into a long ponytail that rested on her front. Green eyes rested beneath her bangs, and her mouth was curved into a small, inviting smile. Her attire wasn't much to speak of, considering that it mimicked every other female in the room.
"Hi, there…" he replied with some uncertainty. "How do you know my name, exactly?"
"It's on your bag, silly," the girl giggled. When Aviar shifted to look at the bag resting by his desk, sure enough, a tag was sewed on with his full name printed. How about that, he thought. He turned his gaze back to the blonde, who set her bag down at the desk next to him. Her voice reigned familiar to his ears, but he couldn't place a finger on it. Aviar knew this was the first time they had met, but he couldn't shrug off of the fact that he heard her voice somewhere before.
"Oh!" she exclaimed, spinning around to face the two classmates. "I just remembered. I want to speak to you, Aviar." She tilted her head and pressed a finger to her still smiling lips. "Privately."
Aviar turned his head to look at Omar, as if to ask for an explanation. The resident student returned a similar, if not more wide-eyed expression, signalling his own confusion. "Uh... okay," a bewildered Aviar replied, rising from his seat while Omar stayed. The girl twirled around and walked to the back door of the classroom while Aviar followed. Opening the door, she stepped through, and so did her follower.
As soon as both were in the empty school hallway, Aviar spoke up. "So, what was it you wanted to—gah!"
He received a swift blow in the chest, sending him into the wall. Before he could react, the girl pinned a forearm against his collar and held the point of small knife at his throat. A cold sweat dropped at the sight of the blade, and his teeth grit in a pained grin. "Okay, okay, I surrender!" he declared, pulling away as far as the wall would let him. His eyes met her slated green ones, any presence of the cheery schoolgirl persona gone. Instead, a cold and hardened glare replaced it, and he felt completely overpowered.
"Why were you there on the tenth?" she demanded.
"The... tenth?" Aviar echoed, raising an eyebrow at the question.
She grunted, narrowing her eyes a bit further. "When Cataclysm was spotted. You were there at the scene. Why?"
"Ooohhh…" Aviar uttered, feeling like a wall in his mind was finally broken. He imagined her hair untied and sprouting out the back of a helmet. The battle he witnessed was brought to the forefront of his memory, recalling the clashing between the flaming sword and laser blade. "You're Firefly 1. That's why your voice sounded familiar."
Her eyes shifted a bit, but her glare intensified as she pressed the knife closer. "Answer me," she ordered.
"Alright! Alright!" Aviar yielded as he retreated from the knife even more. "I was caught outside when the alarm went off," he explained. "I was running home and that… spacequake happened in front of me. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, I swear."
The girl's eyes narrowed as she continued to scowl at Aviar, as if she was studying every inch of his face. After a few moments, she released him from her hold and stepped back, sheathing the knife in her shirt sleeve. Aviar kept his eyes locked on her as he caressed his neck. "If you know what's good for you, you'll stay quiet about this," she told him, frown still present on her face.
"Quiet about what exactly?" Aviar wondered, drawing his head away.
"Everything you saw that day, along with what happened here. If any of this gets out, I will know it's you, understand? I shouldn't need to warn you of the consequences," she explained, her eyes continuing to bore into his.
Slowly, Aviar's hands creeped upward, as if to proverbially wave the white flag. "Not a word, I promise," he yielded. Upon those words, the girl's hardened demeanor vanished in an instant, replaced with a soft expression and smiling mouth at the drop of a hat. "Anyway, thank you so much for being willing to talk with me," she said while performing a small bow.
Aviar only remained silent at her words, raising an eyebrow at the complete shift of appearance and speech. His eyes stayed glued to her as she advanced past him, opening and walking through the door to the classroom. Once she disappeared out of view, he let out the breath he kept in his chest. What… just happened? he thought, entirely unsure how to process the series of events that took place.
Drawing in another breath, he rubbed his forehead as he re-entered the classroom, still puzzled. As he walked back to his desk, he noticed that Omar remained at the same spot when he left. Only twitching uncontrollably.
"Dude!" he exclaimed in the lowest whisper he could manage as Aviar sat down. "What happened? What did she do? How did she do it? You gotta give me all the details, man!" he questioned rapid-fire as he inched his face closer and closer.
"Calm down, will you?" Aviar retorted, sinking further and further into his chair. "Why do you care so much?"
"Tell me, man. I need to know!" Omar continued, shoving his face even closer.
"Uh…" the other student trailed off as his eyes turned to the blonde sitting in the desk next to him. She was watching the hilarious exchange between the two classmates, still wearing that same upbeat smile. Even if her expression didn't show it, her eyes held a deadly gaze, reminding Aviar of their previous conversation.
Sweat rolled down his head at the sight, and he turned back to Omar. "Doesn't that kinda ruin the point of a private conversation? We didn't kiss, if that's what you're wondering."
Aviar's eyes shifted back to the girl, and her gaze softened a little as if to say Good job. Omar finally backed off him and sat down in his chair. "Fine, fine," he replied, giving a small shrug and following up with a grin. "I'll let you off the hook this time."
Aviar breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that Omar wouldn't press the topic any further. His eyes shifted toward the blonde sitting next to him. For once, she wasn't glaring or looking at him. Rather, she was unpacking various school items from her bag, and he was glad that she finally relaxed off him. Reaching a hand over to Omar, Aviar tapped him with a finger to grab his attention. "Who is that girl, anyway?"
The classmate lost the sparkle in his eyes, and his head tilted. "You… don't know her?" Omar said while raising an eyebrow.
"Am I supposed to?" Aviar responded. The livelier student looked over at the girl sitting next to Aviar, who was facing forward and no longer paying attention to them. He leaned in toward his classmate and moved a hand to shield his words. "You're probably the only person who doesn't know her. That girl is Cyrene Orion, one of the most popular girls in the school. She's consistently at the top of her class, a complete pro at sports, and gorgeous to boot. I also heard that she's amazing at singing, dancing, cooking, and variety of other things. Practically a minor celebrity."
Okay… not at all what I was expecting Aviar thought. His acquaintance turned to face him head-on. "What I'm interested in is why she decided to talk to you of all people. She is wayout of your league."
"Thanks for the compliment," Aviar replied flatly.
"Hey, don't feel bad. We all are," Omar declared with a chuckle, patting his classmate's shoulder.
Immediately after saying that, a bell rang through the classroom, signalling that homeroom was about to start. Everyone returned to their seat, and Omar faced forward in his chair. Aviar glanced over and stole a gaze or two at Cyrene sitting next to him. There is more to this girl than she's letting on. Nobody knows about her status in the military, nor about what she does. I bet half the things people say about her aren't even true. Do these people not understand what's going on with these Rogues? he thought. He saw her left eye shift to look at him, and then back forward.
And thus, the weirdness continues.
The black hand of the classroom clock struck the twelve marker, and the ticking gave way to the electronic bell tong that reverberated through the classroom, signalling the lunch period. Aviar's head sprung up from the hand it rested on, the sound restoring his wakefulness. Not too long after, Omar rose to his feet and spun around, leaning on the transfer student's desk with a toothy grin. "Yo, Aviar!" he called out. "You wanna have lunch together? I'd love to talk to ya some more."
"Yeah, sure thing," Aviar replied with significantly less zeal, recalling the quick run-down he had been given on lunch etiquette. He reached over into the tote bag still resting by his desk, feeling around for the convenience box. However, his face paled when the smooth plastic cover of the box wasn't found. "You alright, dude?" Omar spoke up, noticing Aviar's lack of motion.
"Yeah…" he muttered, although the tone of his voice didn't sound convincing. "I... just realized I forgot my lunch."
"Ah, no worries," Omar declared, grinning a little bit. "I don't know how things work back in your old home, but this school has a little something called a cafeteria. We can stop by and pick something up for you."
Aviar's eyes lit up at the news but darkened soon after. "I don't have any money, either. Not in Halo's currency, anyway."
"In that case, I'll be the one paying for lunch. Omar Kingston, at your service."
Twirling his arms around, Omar performed an exaggerated bow towards Aviar. "No 'thank-you' required."
Aviar snickered at the other teenager's performance, but ultimately held a hand up in protest. "Thank you, but you really don't have to. It's not a big deal."
"It's nothing, bro. Don't worry about it," he countered, rising from his bow and adopting a causal pose. "Besides, I think lunch is a pretty big deal. Man's gotta eat, y'know?"
Running a hand through his brown hair, Aviar let out a sigh. "I just don't want you spending your money on me. In all honesty, I'd rather be buying you lunch if I could."
"Ohhh…" Omar breathed, yet another smile stretching across his face. "You're one of those good karma types, aren't ya? Y'know, always helping others, refusing favors when they're offered, that kind of stuff?"
Aviar rose an eyebrow at the statement, not sure how to react at the analysis of his character. "Yeah... I guess that's right," he responded.
"Remind me to hang around you more," Omar chuckled. "See if any of that good luck can rub off on me."
Stretching his arms above his head, he reset some of his spiky hair before continuing. "Anyway, buckle up and come with me, and we'll get you some lunch. I know you want to be selfless and whatnot, but I promise it's okay to accept a favor just this once. Besides, nothing you say will convince me otherwise, so you might as well accept your fate."
The brown-haired teenager sighed in defeat. "Okay, okay, I surrender," he relented while holding his hands up.
"Good," Omar said with a smile, no doubt feeling triumphant. "While we're at it, I can get you acquainted with everybody. Sit with some cute girls along the way."
"I should've saw that coming…" Aviar muttered while rolling his eyes.
Even though the idea of meeting the other students sounded fun, accepting the offer still didn't sit well with him. It felt like a metal pipe had been shoved into his internal gears, and it was grinding horribly, completely unlike how things were supposed to be. However, he decided to put up with it, and let his acquaintance take over. Thinking about it, he figured going hungry didn't sound very appealing.
[WARNING! THERE HAS BEEN ROGUE ACTIVITY DETECTED IN THE NEARBY VICINITY! PLEASE EVACUATE THE AREA IMMEDIATELY! I REPEAT!]
"That alarm!" Aviar exclaimed.
"Another one? We just had one last week," Omar muttered, more to himself than to his companion.
"What do we do now?" the transfer student inquired, and Omar turned his head toward him.
"If the alarm's this close, then that means the school needs to be evacuated. This place is gonna be a war zone pretty soon, and we don't want to be caught in the middle of it. C'mon, let's go."
Aviar looked out among the class, and the other students rose from their seats and lined up to the doors, akin to a fire drill. As the teacher was ushering commands, he looked over to his right, and saw Cyrene standing up from her desk and exiting through the back door. He thought about calling out after her, but ultimately remained silent.
Omar advanced toward the line of students while Aviar rose from his desk. However, Shadow jogged over to Aviar before he could walk anywhere. Upon seeing her, he suddenly remembered their morning conversation, and what exactly the blaring alarm entailed. "That's our cue, buddy. You ready to rock and roll?" she asked, hardly able to contain her excitement inside her smiling mouth.
"Right. Forgot," Aviar stated. He reached a hand over to Omar, turning his attention toward him. "Uh… something just came up, and I really have to go."
The teen didn't have any time to protest before Aviar turned on his heels and sped in the opposite direction. "Stay safe, will ya?!" was all he managed to get out before both he and Shadow made it out the rear door.
Aviar and Shadow ran down the hallway, dodging the lines of students as they began to flood out of the opened classroom doors. Reaching a hand to his neck, Aviar unbuttoned his collar and loosened his tie. "What do we do now!?" Aviar shouted over the ambient chatter and local alarms.
"We save the Rogue, duh!" Shadow responded, resulting in a scoff from Aviar.
"No kidding! However, you never bothered to explain what we'd do once the alarm sounded!"
Weaving around a corner and dodging around evacuating students, Shadow slowed down and stopped by a door. She twisted the handle and pulled it open, gesturing to the dark room inside. "Get in," she said in a lower tone, and Aviar obliged, not bothering to read the sign indicating what the room was.
Shadow stepped inside and let the door close behind her, briefly concealing the room in darkness before hitting the light switch. The room was bathed in light, revealing its multitude of cleaning supplies on the various shelves, along with the mop buckets and brooms present. It was just large enough to suit the two and allowed for limited movement.
Reaching into her jacket pocket, Shadow pulled out a pair of small devices. Taking one, she fitted it into her right ear, and held the other out to Aviar. "What's this?" he asked while taking it out of Shadow's hand.
"Earpieces," she answered, smiling. "It's how we'll talk to each other and Seraph on the field."
After examining the small green earbud between his fingers, he carefully positioned the device into his left ear, and it fit comfortably. "Will the Rogues notice this thing in my ear?"
"Eh… it's a bit hard to notice, but it's possible. Here, this may help…"
Shadow took a step forward and reached a hand to the side of Aviar's head, pulling some of his dark brown hair over his ear, partially concealing the device. "There we go! Can hardly notice it," she declared while stepping back. "Alright, activation is quite simple. Just tap it to toggle it on or off."
While Aviar reached to his ear to do that, Shadow toggled it on and slightly covered her mouth. "Testing, testing, can you hear me?" her voice came through in Aviar's left ear in surprisingly high quality.
"Loud and clear!" Seraph's voice came through, signaling its working condition. "So, how was your first day at the school? I want to hear all about the stuff that happened today,"
"Don't we have other things to be worrying about?" Aviar interjected.
"Hey, I like to know how my kids are doing," Seraph responded, chuckling a little bit afterward. "It's a big day for you two, after all."
Aviar sighed and rolled his eyes while Shadow giggled. Raising a hand to his ear, he spoke. "Where are you, anyway?"
"I'm at home, as a matter of fact," Seraph answered. "Got a cool little workstation setup here. I'll have to show you after the mission's over. Anyway, do you remember the standard protocol?"
"Approach them, get their trust…" Shadow answered, purposefully trailing off at the end.
"...and bring 'em home," Aviar finished.
"That's the spirit!" Seraph's voice cried. "Remember, none of us really know what we're doing, so let's strap in and hope for the best."
"Great," Aviar said flatly. "Remind me, how exactly are we supposed to get to this Rogue? I mean... we're currently standing in a broom closet."
Shadow's lips immediately curved into a smirk when Aviar mentioned the lack of transportation, and Seraph chuckled from the other end of the line. "Well, Shadow's been excited about this for quite a while. Show it to him, girl."
She took a step back, and spread her arms about, closing her silvery-blue eyes. Wisps of shadowy smoke swirled around her form, and her shoulder-length hair began to wave. Dark purple energy consolidated at her feet, and billowed upward, combining with the shadow and smoke. Soon, Shadow's entire form was concealed by the whirling mass of energy, but quickly dissipated with an outward burst, revealing her full form.
Instead of the female school uniform, Shadow was adorned in a dark purple and black outfit, a red sash tied around her stomach. Her arms came out of a cowl, wearing black sleeves and fingerless gloves. A stylized skirt extended beyond her waist, black leggings pulled onto her legs and descending into knee-length boots. Finally, a waist-length cloak hung around her shoulders, and a hood was pulled over her head.
Aviar stood completely speechless, his jaw agape at the sight before him. His rapid blinking failed to distort the image before him, so he figured his eyes were functioning properly. Only a scoff came from his mouth as he tried to force sound through it. Shadow placed a hand on her hip, her playful smirk ever present. "I was gonna ask you 'how do I look,' but I think that look on your face already answers my question," she giggled.
"Since when were you able to summon your Coat of Arms?" Aviar groaned, rubbing his forehead in a way that concealed his eyes.
"Only recently," she replied, chuckling a little bit.
"She's been practicing quite a bit," Seraph chimed in. Aviar sighed while shaking his head, eventually lowering the hand in front his face. "Of course she has," he muttered while rolling his eyes. "Anything else you wanna show me? Get it all out of the way?"
"Sure, but you may want to hold on for this one," Shadow answered, her smirk somehow growing even wider without her lips parting. Reaching out with a gloved hand, she hit the light switch, bathing the room in darkness. Without any time for Aviar to react, her body disintegrated into shadow and collected behind him, reforming as she grasped onto him.
"Huah—!" was all that came out of Aviar's mouth before both of them dissolved into smoke and wisped away.
Immediately collapsing on his hands and knees, Aviar heaved breaths in and out of lungs, not bothering to notice the significant change in scenery. Once his breath was caught and heart rate slowed, his head rotated upward. "What the crap was that?"
Shadow, who was standing in front of him, chuckled nervously. "Yeah… I'm sorry. Forgot that you've never shadow morphed before..."
Standing to his shaking knees, Aviar dusted off his pants and blazer, also sending a wary eye towards his friend. "Is that what it's like every time you use that ability?"
"You get used to it," she shrugged. Aviar just grunted in response and spun around to view the surroundings. The two of them were standing on a road, completely void of any people or vehicles, probably thanks to the Rogue Activity alarm. Roofs of houses rose above the walls at either side of the pavement, and looking far enough, one could spot the backside of Trina High School. "This is a residential area…" Aviar breathed.
"Not to worry," Seraph assured through his earpiece. "Everyone here should have evacuated by now. Shadow, remain on standby, and only enter when I give the order."
"Yes, ma'am," she saluted with two fingers, and disappeared into the shadows with a few wisps of smoke, leaving Aviar alone. He sighed and turned forward. "Alright, where am I going?"
"From the looks of things…" Seraph started, trailing off as typing came through the audio feed. "...Cataclysm is nearby. Just head down that road and make the first left you see."
Upon hearing the directions, Aviar started to jog in his forward direction, making steady progress underneath the noon sun. However, as he continually made forward progress, he could feel the continual sinking of his heart. Drops of sweat started to appear on his forehead, despite the cool weather, and the lump in his throat only grew bigger with each step. His thoughts began to go wild, realizing every flaw in their plan, and conceiving of every way this could end horribly.
Eventually, his doubts completely overcame him, and his jog began to slow. Once the block ended and the left turn became visible, Aviar's movement ceased entirely.
"Hey, you stopped moving. What's going on?" Seraph asked through his earpiece.
Aviar sucked in a huge breath through his teeth, and released it in a heavy sigh, his head pivoting downwards and hair concealing his eyes. "Can we really do this?" he asked, his voice barely loud enough to be picked up by the device in his ear. "You said it yourself. None of us know what we're doing. We're going at this with no training, no precedent, and no guarantee of safety. Is this really the right thing to be doing?"
Shadow's low laughter came through the line. "You're so silly, bud. Are you saying you're that willing to give up on that girl?"
Aviar's head perked up at her words, suddenly remembering his previous encounter with said girl. Yes, her literal blazing glory still reigned quite familiar to him, but most of all, he recalled that lost look in her flame-colored irises.
"Yeah, I did say that. In all honesty, we are just flying by the seat of our pants. However, you were the one who also said that no one should have to experience what they go through, and that you wanted to help them. Do you take back what you said then?"
His right hand tightened into a fist at the reminder, and his doubts started clear away from his mind. They were still present, but they were clouded out by a much stronger force: hope. Sliding his eyelids closed, he visualized the girl once more in his head. He imagined her eyes, but not in the afraid, lost state he remembered. In those eyes, he saw a sense of a belonging, like she had finally found a home. The eyes of someone truly happy. That was his only desire.
Reopening his brown eyes, the view of the street greeted him, and he noticed the left turn in the road. However, instead of being repulsed by it, he felt drawn to it. "No. I want to help that girl and give her the home she deserves."
Seraph chuckled at Aviar's sudden flip in mood. "There's the Aviar we know and love. Glad to have you back."
He resumed his forward movement and walked toward the turn in the road at the end of the block, standing more upright and his stride gaining a form of confidence and rigidity.
Seraph leaned backward in her chair, observing one of the computer monitors on her cluttered desk. It displayed a bird's eye view of the city, with several important pieces clearly labeled on the map. A smile grew across her face as she saw a brown dot move upward toward the end of the block, no doubt signifying Aviar. She reached to one of the various keyboards and pressed the 'mute' button to her microphone.
"First contact commencing…" she muttered, watching as the brown dot advanced ever closer to the corner. "In three… two…"
She leaned forward, studying the map even closer. Just as the dot moved pass the corner…
"...one."
As Aviar rounded the block corner, the full view of the new road immediately came into view, and Aviar's eye reflexively widened at the sight. There she was, not too far from the intersection. Even though her back was turned, she was completely recognizable. The girl coated in gleaming armor with unruly flame-colored hair: Cataclysm. The nearby walls lining the road had been destroyed, and a small depression was present in the pavement. A lot of her surroundings were partially aflame, too.
Granted, the destruction was much less severe than the previous encounter, but still in some form uncanny. Aviar took a step forward, landing on a chunk of asphalt that been flung there. The girl spun on her heels, and she faced Aviar. It was just like how he remembered: her brows narrowed, and eyes filled with distaste.
Her hand raised, and a fireball conjured into her open palm. All Aviar could do was gasp before she launched it at his feet, resulting in a blast that threw him onto his back. It wasn't too painful for him, but in that moment, all the courage he gained from Seraph's little pep talk left him.
"Should I head in?" Shadow asked through Seraph's headphones, and she unmuted her microphone for her.
"No, not yet. Aviar's a Medium, he should be able to take a few hits."
Opening the channel to Aviar's side, Seraph spoke up. "Haven't you guys met before?"
Aviar groaned before speaking, still lying on his back. "Yeah… we have," he said through a strained voice.
"Well, see if she remembers you. I think that'd be a good starting point."
As the dust cleared, Aviar noticed Cataclysm walking rather quickly to him, and his muscles tensed up as he braced himself for her next action. Once she was close enough, she planted a boot onto his chest, pinning him to the ground. She conjured another fireball and aimed it at his head. "Why are you here, human?" she demanded, glaring at him through slanted eyes. "Are you just like the rest of them? Here to kill me?"
She hasn't changed a bit… Aviar thought as he stared up at the girl, his pupils shrinking as he was face-to-face with her wrath once again. He threw his hand forward, speaking before he was turned into a pile of ash. "Wait! I'm Aviar, remember? We met around here sometime last week."
Cataclysm's eyes opened into a more normal shape, and she blinked silently as she continued to stare at him. Aviar's gritted teeth disappeared as he swallowed, hoping that she recalled the event. A heavy sigh breathed out of his lungs when the fireball extinguished itself, and her hand lowered. However, her foot remained firmly planted into his chest, and she kneeled forward as she examined Aviar more closely.
"Aviar… yeah, I remember you," she declared, her eyes narrowing into slants once again. "You were the weird one who pleaded for your life, saying that you weren't going to kill me."
"That's true," Aviar confirmed with a nod. Well, a nod as far as his weird position would allow for.
"So I thought. However, I don't think I believe you. If you truly aren't after me, then why did you come back?"
Seraph set her coffee mug down on her desk and assumed a normal-sitting position while watching the affair on one of her monitors. Hitting a button on a keyboard, she switched her microphone on. "Not the greatest start, but it could've been worse," she said, crossing her legs. "Cataclysm seems to be weary of you, so try to convince her that you really do mean no harm…"
Aviar heard her directions play into his ear but wasn't in a great place to respond. "...once you do that, we can move on from there," she finished.
"You can do this, bud. I believe in you!" Shadow encouraged.
No pressure, he remarked mentally. As he drew in a breath, his airways were dampened by the girl's boot pressing on his chest, and he tried to get enough to make a statement. "Sure… but can you get off me first...? Please?"
Noticing his strained voice, Cataclysm took her foot off him and stepped back a foot or two. Aviar sprung into a sitting position, taking in deep breaths while holding a hand to his chest. "Haa… thank you," he said in between breaths. Climbing to his feet, Aviar dusted off various parts of his uniform, particularly the spot where the girl's boot had been planted.
She watched in silence as Aviar patted his clothing. After several moments of silence from him, her lips parted as she gritted her teeth, and her eyebrows lowered again. "I've done as you asked, human. Now, answer my question."
"I have a name, feel free to use it," Aviar mumbled under his breath while scratching his ear. "What should I say?"
Swirling her half-full coffee mug, Seraph chuckled at his question. "Just be honest with her. You're there to talk and be friendly, so why say anything different?"
Nodding in response, Aviar turned his eyes back to the Rogue standing before him, response fully formed in his mind. He looked straight into her burning eyes without hesitation. "I came back because I wanted to talk to you."
For a moment, her slanted eyes widened again, and her scowl opened. However, her surprised expression disappeared with a shake of her head, and she raised one of her arms upward. Her fingers flexed into a claw, and a fireball generated in the empty space, causing a sweat to roll down Aviar's head.
"I don't have time for games," she stated, her voice possessing a more distinctive growl. "Your kind has only wanted to hunt me down. So, why would you want to speak to me?"
"Still stay put?" Shadow's voice came through Seraph's headset. Setting her drink down, she leaned forward and reached for her respective button. "Yeah but keep on alert. This may go awry soon."
"I understand," she responded, and her line dropped. Wiping her face and brushing away strands of her loose hair, Seraph focused on Aviar's actions in the monitor. "C'mon… use that stubbornness I know you have…" she mumbled.
Aviar shook his head and redirected his eyesight onto Cataclysm. He drew a breath through his nose, letting it fill his lungs, and released it through his mouth, advice Seraph gave him when he was younger. He felt his fear leave him, and his once-noticeable heartbeat quell. His own eyes narrowed at the girl, and his hands curled into fists.
Like the fleeting touch of inspiration, he conceived of his answer to her question. Sure, he was there on Seraph's orders, but it went much deeper than that. Ultimately, he knew why he was there, and why he even agreed to the job. He felt it when they met on the tenth. He knew it was painful to uncover those buried aspects of him, but if it meant saving this girl, suffering from the same issue, the pain was well worth it.
"I know what you're going through!" he declared. "I know what it's like to be an outcast!"
The fireball conjured in Cataclysm's hand sailed towards Aviar's feet, and it burst into another explosion, blasting a hole in the asphalt and sending Aviar on his back again. Seraph nearly jumped out of her seat as her hand flew to her headset. She leaned in closer to the monitor, wordlessly watching the event as closely as she could.
"Don't talk like you know me, human!" she demanded, preparing another blast in her palm.
Oblivious to the pain, Aviar rose to his feet, knees shaky under his own weight. "But I do know you! You're afraid! You don't know who or what you are, but the world hates you for it. You have no home, and no one to turn to!"
Another fireball sent him on his rear, and Seraph's teeth clenched together in a full pained expression, fully standing up from her rolling chair. "Please, let me get him out," Shadow requested, her voice holding its own tone of desperation.
"Not yet," Seraph said through her teeth, looking at the monitor as close as she could. "Just a little longer."
Cataclysm's face grew even more contorted in her fury, and her voice was elevated to a complete yell. "Shut up!" she cried. "Save your breath! I don't even know what I am, but the humans want me dead regardless! And I haven't done a thing to them! A human like you couldn't possibly understand what that's like!"
"Well, you don't have to stand alone!" Aviar retaliated, having barely recovered from the previous attack. "I'm not like every other human, because I know what that feeling's like. I know what it feels like to be alone! To have no sense of self or purpose! Not even understand what you are or why you're like that! I'm not like other humans because I'll stand with you, even if no one else does! Just let me help you, and I can give you that!"
The final blast sent Aviar barreling into the middle of the intersection, and his jaws locked together as he hissed in pain. He stayed lying on his back, letting the waves of pain dissipate into his muscles before even attempting to move. His eyelids slid open, and he stared at the noon sky above him, taking breaths in and out of his aching chest. The sounds of clinking metal advanced toward him, and he could see the girl approaching in the bottom of his vision.
Right as Aviar could see her clearly, her hand launched toward his neck, her surprisingly strong finger crushing at his throat. His hands reflexively launched toward his arm, gripping at her armored wrist in a futile attempt to pry it off. He felt himself rise from the ground, all the way to his feet and then beyond, floating in the air only by the grip Cataclysm had on him.
"I said shut up!" she screamed, her voice breaking at the volume. "Your kind has made me their enemy and have only tried to kill me! You claim that you'd stand against the world for me because you know me, but that's impossible! A human like you could never understand that feeling! Your sympathy and offers for help are meaningless to me!"
With each passing moment Aviar felt the walls around his throat close in, and it was becoming increasingly harder to force air down the narrow path. However, that fact remained a minute point as his widened eyes stared into the girl's. That wall he remembered was completely gone, and if her voice wasn't apparent enough, emotion was flooding through her eyes. They become glossy as a thin film of water passed over them, pooling at the corners.
"Damn it!" Seraph shouted while pounding a fist into her cluttered desk, not caring if she broke anything on it. Her hand flew to Shadow's line to activate it, accidentally triggering Aviar's in the process. "Abort mission and get him out of there," she ordered.
"Wait—!" Aviar shouted out loud, barely able to get it out of his voice box. Seraph eyes shifted to his microphone switch, noticing that she had flipped it on. Her hands remained glued to where she placed them and went silent for just a few precious moments. Upon pulling a grimace, she gave her next order. "Fine, you have a few seconds. Better make them count."
Aviar's eyes turned toward the girl's, and using every muscle in his body, he forced the words out of his mouth. "Then… why… are you… crying?"
He immediately dropped to the ground, hacking and coughing in a terribly unpleasant manner. On his hands and knees, he heaved massive quarts of air into his newly opened passageways. Caressing his neck, he winced at the tenderness of his skin that somehow wasn't bruising. Looking upward, still panting, he saw the girl stumbled backward with widened eyes and agape mouth. Her head darted every which way before she turned around completely, concealing her face and streaming eyes.
Seraph collapsed into her chair, giving off her own heavy breaths as she stared at the ceiling of the room. Putting the back of her hand to her forehead, she noticed the warmth coming off it, and also the quick heartbeat in her chest. "That was stressful…" she breathed, wiping away some of the loose hair that had gotten in her face.
"I told you," Shadow's voice came through Seraph's headset. "Aviar's a natural at this kind of stuff. And to think you doubted your decision? It's like he was meant to be part of Yggdrasil."
The older woman chuckled at her words, resuming a normal sitting position as her heart rate calmed down. "That he is."
"Aviar…" the girl's voice spoke, her voice much lower in volume than it was before, almost like a mumble. Aviar slowly rose to his feet, dusting off the several parts of his outfit that had gotten dirtied by the previous sequence of events. "You said your name was Aviar, right?"
"Yeah, that's it," he confirmed, his voice also calmer than it was beforehand. "Aviar Dinistro."
"You said that you weren't like other humans… and you're the only one I've encountered that hasn't tried to kill me."
She turned around to face him, and her face looked completely different. Her face wasn't contorted in anger or irritation, and her eyebrows weren't slanted like they usually were. Most of all, the hardness in her eyes were completely gone, and Aviar felt like he was truly seeing the girl underneath the mask of fiery anger. "Why is that? What makes you different?"
"Because I'm willing to give you a chance," he answered. "And I'm not the only one, either. Not all humans are bad or want to kill you. I bet there are loads of people who would welcome you with open arms." Aviar doubted the accuracy of that last claim, but then the grinning image of Omar flashed across his mind. He chuckled at the thought.
"But… if what you're saying is true, then why does everyone run? Why does that annoying sound happen? Why do those flying people try to kill me?" she inquired, using a hand to point upward at the final question.
"They run because they're afraid," Aviar answered. "They're afraid that you might hurt them, and that's why they run. I'm sure plenty of people would approach you if they weren't afraid." He held a hand to his chest. "I didn't run, did I?"
The girl remained silent, turning her head to the side. She raised an armored hand to her chin, rubbing it with her exposed forefinger and thumb. Her eyes disappeared as they became lost in thought, no doubt pondering over Aviar's words. He stepped forward, holding out a hand towards her. "I can prove to you that humans are good, and you don't need to make them your enemy. Just come with me, and I can show you."
Cataclysm's hand lowered from her chin, and she directed her vision at Aviar. Her expression still held the pensive aura it had beforehand. "I want to believe you," she stated. "You say you understand me, and that's the only reason someone would even want to meet me. However, you're the only human who has come to talk to me, making me wonder if your claims about humanity are true."
At those words, Aviar could feel his heart slip into his gut, and his pupils narrowed. "I assure you—"
"No, I'm sure you're being truthful..." she interrupted, and Aviar's heartbeat immediately leveled out. "...it just makes me wonder. Then again, you're the only human I've spoken to that hasn't tried to kill me, and there must be a reason behind why you're so dedicated to helping me…"
Turning on her feet again, she crossed her armored arms across her breastplate, creating a clicking sound. Staring down at the asphalt, she tapped her boot against the pavement and hummed through her closed lips. To preserve his chances, Aviar remained silent as she weighed out her options. "Holy crap, that actually worked," he muttered under his breath.
"See? I told you that you had it in the bag," Shadow chirped over the intercom. "You should learn to trust me more, y'know?"
"Really, that was quite the impressive display down there," Seraph chimed, raising her legs to rest on the desk. "Not so bad for the first day on the job, huh?"
"Yeah…" Aviar chuckled underneath his breath. "Thanks for your little motivational speech, by the way."
"No problem!" Seraph responded. "It's what we're here for."
Cataclysm turned to face Aviar once again. This time around, a smile was plastered on her face, the first time since Aviar had seen her. She looked like a little ray of sunshine with that facial expression, and a smile morphed onto his face, too. "Congratulations. You convinced me to go along with your idea. You know about this this world, which serves me well, and I'm also curious to learn more about humans."
Aviar's insides were practically bursting with excitement at the announcement, but he managed to keep his composure under control. However, his smile disappeared once a thought crossed his mind. "Oh, I forgot to ask. What's your name?"
"My… name?" she echoed, her eyes diverting to the side. She went quiet as she pondered the question, and her teeth grit as she pulled a pained expression. "I… don't remember."
A rapid beeping sound blasted out of the speaker's, and Seraph jumped away at the sudden onslaught of noise, knocking several things off her desk. Placing her feet back on the floor and scooting in her chair, she adjusted the overhead map. A few blocks away, a fleet of red dots were closing in the location Aviar and the girl were standing at. "Crap… I forgot!" Seraph muttered and hit the line to both his and Shadow's earpieces.
"Aviar!" she shouted. His heart skipped a beat at the sudden exclamation and his hand flew to his ear. "What's going on?" he inquired.
"The Fireflies! They're en route to your location; they'll be showing up any second!"
"What?!"
Aviar turned his head skyward, and the girl spun around as the sound of jet engines reverberated through the sky. Sure enough, a line of soldiers wearing the familiar black suits were flying in the air. As they approached, the deafening booms of machine gun fire blasted by them, and a wall of dust and broken pavement rushed toward them.
A timely fire barrier rose and blocked any projectiles that would've hit them, and a cloud of dust wrapped around them. "Looks like they found me. You should probably head out of here," the girl stated, turning her head back to Aviar who was crouching behind her. A smile appeared on her face, but it looked more like a wince. "I'd hate it if you got hurt."
"But…" Aviar tried to protest.
"Please. Go," she interrupted, her eyes sinking in their newfound emotion. "I can handle this, but I don't want you to get in the middle of it."
The dust cloud started to settle, revealing the forms of the flying figures. As they shifted to fire their weapons again, the front most one held out their arm. "Hang on, hold your fire!" the male voice cried, and the soldiers complied. Aviar looked up at all the flying figures and gulped at the pairs of eyes staring at him through their visors.
"There's a civilian?!" he yelled. "What is a civilian doing down there?!"
Gesturing to one of the members beside him, he continued. "Five! Get down and escort him out of there. The rest of you stay cold until he's safe—Cyrene, what the hell are you doing!?"
One soldier sped forward, her blonde hair flying behind her as she drew a green laser blade and swung downward at Cataclysm. Holding out her hand, a fire barrier blocked the attack, and the soldier flipped over her and landed in front of the now-standing teenager. "Aviar! I thought I told you to stay out of this!" Cyrene's voice shouted at him.
"Alright, Shadow, it's time to rock and roll," Seraph spoke through her mic. "And I mean it this time. Get Aviar out of there."
"Aye-aye!" she chirped.
"Oh… it's you," Cataclysm spoke, her face hardening and eyes narrowing into slants. Cyrene's head turned back to face her, still holding her green energy blade in a stance. "Can't just leave me alone, can you?"
Cyrene's stance lowered as she grunted. "And I won't. Not until I can rid you from this city forever."
Cataclysm growled at the soldier's words, her gritted teeth showing through her parted lips. She threw her arm to the side, hovering her hand over the ground.
"Tyrfing!"
The earth beneath her hand cracked and split, bursting open and unleashing a small pillar of flame. Shooting up to her palm, she gripped onto the edge of the fire, forming it into a ornate handle. She pulled the handle away, and the flames followed, condensing into a semi-solid form as she pointed the christened flaming sword at Cyrene, and the gaping hole in the pavement sealed up.
Cyrene twirled her own blade and rushed forward, their weapons making contact. Just as Aviar noticed a plume of fire burst outward from the two, he felt a pair of hands grasp at his shoulders. Before he could yelp, his vision faded to black as he sank into shadow.
The sun shone in the sky, casting its infinite rays onto the Earth below without any clouds to block to it. Despite the shining sun and still wind, there was a resident chilliness that held in the air, signifying the Autumn weather. In this part of town, not a singular resident was seen walking the streets or driving along the streets. Likely due to the destruction that littered the area, along with the fact that a Rogue had been spotted there, making it even less inviting.
Aviar kicked a loose piece of rubble, holding his hands in the pockets of his jacket. He stood at the intersection he was at the day before, not too far away from Trina High School. Looking around, he noticed the area looked more dilapidated than it did the day before. The walls lining the neighborhood were completely missing, the road was dotted with countless craters and piles of rubble, and the nearby buildings suffered some damage, too.
It's almost surreal, Aviar thought as he examined the destruction. Easy to see why the Fireflies want to kill the Rogues. With scenes like this, who could blame them?
His face contorted as he pulled a grimace, and a hand tightened into a fist. Still doesn't justify their actions. I saw for myself what the Rogues are like. 'Cataclysm…' she's just a scared girl, and people hate her for it. Once I saw who she truly was, that smile, I knew I made the right decision. I know what she's going through, and I want to help her, and give her a home with Yggdrasil.
A growl came through his throat. I wish Seraph hadn't pulled me out of there. I didn't want to abandon her like that, alone with the Fireflies, and especially not with Cyrene. Seraph said she survived the fight, thank goodness, but we don't know where she is, or even if she'll even come back.
Messing with his hair, he closed his eyes and let out a sigh, dismissing the negative thoughts. However, I'm happy that I was able to convince her to give humans a chance. That joy I had when I saw her smile for the first time was… amazing. I really felt happy about. I love it whenever I'm able to see that look on someone.
Upon realizing the bright sides of the scenario, Aviar chuckled out loud. Guess I didn't do too bad on my first run. I really should believe her when she says I did a good job.
"Aviar!" he imagined her calling. That would be nice. Being able to hear her voice again, being able to see her genuinely happy. "Hey! I'm here!" her voice went again. That's what I want. A home for her, and a place with people who care about. I want to hear that, the happiness in her voice.
His thoughts were cleared with a vigorous shaking of his head, laughing to himself. Don't get carried away. You have to actually meet up with her again before all that. Shaking his head, he spun around. "Just gotta wait until then…"
Upon turning around, his entire body jolted as he yelped. His eyes met a new figure, none other than that of Cataclysm, complete with her fiery features and gleaming armor. "Oh, good!" she exclaimed as her face brightened, lowering a hand that held a fireball in its palm. "You didn't seem to hear me, so I thought I'd do something to grab your attention."
A band of sweat rolled down Aviar's head at the announcement, scratching the back of his head. "Good thing you didn't…" he muttered, his vision straying until he focused back on the girl. "Wait a minute, how did you find me?"
"I didn't!" she answered with a small shrug. "We met here, so I just thought that you'd turn up eventually. Looks like I was right."
Hopping down from the heap of rubble she was perched on, the girl landed a few feet away from Aviar, a small grin stretching across her lips. "If I remember correctly, you said that you'd show me the human world?"
"Uh… I said that, but—"
"Well! I'm here to cash in on that invitation," she declared, completely cutting him off.
"Right... now?" he muttered while raising an eyebrow.
"Yep!" she announced, placing her fists on her hips with a wide smile. Aviar could only stutter in response. Yes, her arrival certainly made him happy, and seeing her in such a happy mood was all well and good, her timing wasn't necessarily optimal. Right as he finished fitting the small earpiece into his ear, she seized his arm, causing him to gasp as her sudden grip grabbed his attention.
"Let's get going!" she shouted, turning on her heels and dragging Aviar along behind her. "There's you a lot you have to show me, and I want to see it all!"
"Wait, wait, wait! Hold on!" he cried, somehow wrenching his arm from the girl's abnormally strong grip. "You just showed up. I don't even know what to do or where to take you."
Using his now-freed arm, Aviar beckoned to her figure. "Also, you probably shouldn't waltz into town wearing that. I recommend changing into something else."
Raising a hand to her face, the girl began to scratch her cheek as she hummed at his words, her eyes looking off to the side. "I see…" she muttered and turned to look directly at Aviar. "What should I be wearing, then?"
"Um…" Aviar's mind drew a blank as he attempted to answer her question. His extended finger retracted a bit, but his eyes lit up with an idea as he recalled the lump in his pocket. "Hang on…" he muttered. Pulling out his phone, he searched "women's fashion" and swiped through several images before stopping at one that caught his eye. Shifting his eyes between the image and the girl, he nodded in approval.
"Something like this would be great," he said, flipping his phone screen around for the girl to see. Moving her face closer, she hummed as she examined the image.
"If you say so," she shrugged. Raising her hand into the air, her hair started to wave like a wind current were blowing through it, and flames started to circle around her. Slowly, they wrapped around her completely and she was completely absent from view, until the orange flames dissipated rapidly. Cataclysm stood with an entirely different outfit, wearing a short-sleeve light pink dress with a red-hemmed skirt that extended to her knees. A bright red bow was tied at her neck, and her feet adorned a pair of short brown combat boots. Finally, a rigid black sun hat sat on her head.
Crossing her arms against her chest, she shifted awkwardly and regarded Aviar, clearly not used to the comparatively light clothing. "Well, how do I look?" she asked.
Aviar rose a forefinger and thumb to his chin, stroking it as he pondered the newly-donned outfit. After humming methodically for a bit, he answered "Yeah, that'll work."
"Oh, there was one more thing," the girl spoke up, tapping the side of her head with a finger. Aviar regarded her with a raised eyebrow, almost afraid of what she going to say. "What is it?"
"I was thinking about what you said yesterday. About my name," she responded. Her eyes shifted away before continuing. "No matter how much I try to remember, nothing comes to me. It's like I was born not too long ago, and anything before that is just not there." Aviar grimaced.
Before he could respond, she turned her eyes back toward him and grew a smile across her face. "However, that'll stop being an issue now that you're here. I was thinking that you could help come up with a name for me!"
"Make a name for you?" he parroted while scratching the back of his head. "Sure, okay."
Aviar fell silent as he ran through a selection of possible name ideas, but the girl had more to say. "Actually, I heard some stuff the other day, and I think they might be good names."
His eyebrows rose in response. "Really? Then let's hear 'em."
"Alright…" she muttered while rubbing her hands together. "How about… Disaster?"
Aviar's eyebrows immediately narrowed at the eccentric suggestion. "No, that wouldn't really work." he said.
"Really? Hmm, what else was there?" she asked herself, humming quietly as her eyes stared off into space. "Oh! What about Crater?"
"Uh…" Aviar trailed off as his lips parted in a nervous smile. "...no."
"Explosion!" the girl cried, raising her arms into the air for emphasis.
Does she even know how names work? Probably not, Aviar thought as he cleared his throat. "Here, let me…"
"No, no, there was one more," she interrupted. "How about… Caldera?"
Aviar's face softened at the word, losing his skeptical attitude. He knew it was a normal word she picked up somewhere, but it just seemed to fit her so well. Running it through his head a couple more times, he found it to be an incredibly pleasing name.
"Caldera…" he muttered, regarding the girl with a smile and a nod. "I like the sound of that."
