Nothing like a new chapter to give you more fun when writing

POV: 3rd person

When Yuma Kuga had gone out on patrol, he was at least somewhat sure that there might be some leftover portals opening from after the large-scale invasion. What he didn't expect was to find a friend of his from back when he was travelling around to the different planet-nations in the Neighborhood with his father.

It had started out as a portal alarm. Yuma ran as quickly as he could to get to the location of the portal, as he was almost certain that what was coming out would be Aftokrator trion soldiers, most of which were trouble for anyone less than A-rank. And from what he knew, Nasu unit was patrolling that area. And they were B-rank, so the possibility that they would go down fighting a trion soldier from Aftokrator, while not that high, was high enough that he was concerned.

Instead of finding a trion soldier though (technically, it was already dead), he found his old friend Lucca from back when he and his father had travelled to Liberi, the marine nation. In a way, it made sense that Lucca was here now. Liberi was also one of the planet-nations orbiting Earth around this time.

During their days of travelling, the Kuga family had stayed at Lucca's home where he lived with his sister Aria. Aria was a sickly girl. However, she was also very sweet and polite to them, always trying to offer to help them with anything that they needed. When they were there, they found out that she had actually had a massive capacity for trion. While it wasn't as high as the trion capacity of Chika, it was still very high compared to the vast majority of trion organs.

Lucca was also a relatively skilled trigger user, being able to learn to use how to use any trigger given to him in about a day or two.

During his time there, Yuma gathered a few points of information about Lucca and Aria. Firstly, Lucca would do about anything for his sister, whether it be a huge thing or a trivial thing. Secondly, he was also very protective of her, tending to every single injury of hers, whether it be big or small. Aria was very fragile, so that wasn't too surprising. Lastly, Aria loved her older brother to no end. She wanted to be with him everywhere he went, which was difficult given her condition.

These three facts alone shed one light about the current situation. Something happened to Aria, otherwise Lucca wouldn't be here on Earth at this very moment.

Eventually, Yuma and Lucca made it to the entrance to the main Border facility. Lucca looked up at the facility. "Wow. This looks way larger up close."

"Yeah, I know. Come on in, I'll take you to the executives. After all, they're the ones that you need to convince to vouch for you."

POV Change: 1st Person

As we walked in, I couldn't help but look around at the facility. It was really clean. Organization seemed pretty good as well. As we walked, I spotted a guy wearing a blue jacket walking over.

"Oh hey, Yuma. Did something happen?" He asked.

"I met an old friend." Yuma replied. "This guy over here."

He extended his hand. "Nice to meet you. My name is Jin Yuichi. I'm a talented elite."

I took his hand. "Lucca. Nice to meet you too, I guess?"

Jin turned back to Yuma. "So what are you doing now?"

"I need to take this guy to the higher-ups."

"Really now? In that case, I'll go with you. I have some things I need to talk to them about."

We walked along in silence until we finally made it to a door, which I guess was where the executives were. Jin opened it first. One of the guys inside, the one with the glasses, waved his hand.

"Nice to see you on time Jin. Before we start our meeting- oh? Yuma? Who is this person with you?"

Well, I guess this is the time that Yuma tries to convince the members of Border not to kill me.

"This is Lucca. Until very recently he was a Neighbor of the planet-nation Liberi." Yuma said.

Everyone at the table started for a few seconds.

"Really now?" The guy in the center asked. He had a scar on his face, which was kind of intimidating. "And what might this particular Neighbor want with us?"

"For the most part, I want protection." I said. "I'm on the run from Liberi. I timed my escape so that they couldn't send a portal after me. It'll eventually come back into portal distance though, so I need to protection."

"And you expect us to give you this protection for free?" He asked.

"Commander Kido, while it sounds somewhat ridiculous, Lucca here is actually telling the truth. Besides that, he doesn't ask for stuff without doing something in return." Yuma said.

"I see." Kido said. "And what will you do in return for our protection, assuming we give it to you?"

Well, this is where I have to prove my worth, I guess.

"I have a good deal of information I can give you about the political structure of Liberi. While they're not the only planet-nation out there, they're still decently strong so it helps for you to know what their capabilities are. I'm also proficient enough with a trigger to assist you if you need me to. I also have a black trigger with me and I'm willing to use its powers to help you."

At the table, everyone's eyes went wide. "You're offering the power of a black trigger to Border?" One of the men at the table asked.

I nodded. "That is correct."

The only one who didn't seem that fazed was Kido. "Say I was to force you to relinquish your black trigger in order to agree to accept you into Border. What would you do?"

I shook my head. "I'm sorry, but even if you were able to take my black trigger from me, it would do you no good. My sister is extremely picky when it comes to who uses her. That's why I said I'm only offering you its power. Not the trigger itself."

Behind me, Yuma started. "So that's why you ran away."

"What, why did he run away?" Another one at the table asked. He was kinda stout. And he had a pointy head.

"They wanted to take this away from me." I said, showing them the fingerless glove on my left hand. "This is my sister."

At first glance, it looked like a regular fingerless glove. However, it was coupled with an extra layer of padding where the components of the trigger were placed.

"So that's your trigger." Kido said. "I see. Given your situation, I believe we can extend Border's protection to you as well. However, I have one request before you do so."

"What is it?" I asked.

"Put simply, I want you to enlist as a member of Border. You can choose a faction to join later on. You will have to learn how to use a trigger from Border though."

I nodded. "I can accept those conditions."

"Then we have an agreement."

As I walked out, Yuma stopped me.

"What is it Yuma?"

"How did Aria die?" He asked, his tone flat.

I grimaced. My sister is still somewhat of a sore topic for me.

"I'm sorry, maybe I shouldn't have asked?" Yuma said.

"No, it's alright Yuma. You're my friend. You deserve to know." I said.

Flashback

"Lucca, are you still there?" Aria asked.

"Yeah, I'm still here for you, Aria."

"It's so dark… I guess this is it though."

"Yeah, I guess. I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise to you, Aria." I said, sadness filling my face.

A few years after the Kuga family visited us, Aria's illness spiked in severity, leaving her completely bedridden. I couldn't do anything about it, neither could the doctors. She was going to die, no matter what happened. I had come to terms with that fact a few days before she was expected to die. Aria on the other hand though, had different plans.

"Lucca?"

"Yeah?"

"Remember what I made you promise?"

"You mean taking you with me wherever I go?"

"I think… there's a way for you to do that still."

"How?" I was confused. How would she pull it off?

Aria forced herself to hold her hands out, positioning it just above her heart.

"Give me your hand."

I placed my hand between her hands, still uncertain as to what was happening.

The next time she spoke was her last time. "It's not the exact same as actually walking with you, but if I do this, then you won't ever break your promise. Alright?"

I understood. This would be the last time we could talk face to face. "Alright. It's a promise. No matter what, you'll be with me wherever I go."

Aria smiled before closing her eyes. I watched as all of Aria's trion found its way onto my hand, before shaping itself into a fingerless glove. When it was finished, the only trace of Aria that remained was the glove on my hand.

I looked at my hand. The fingerless glove felt like an extension of me. A quick flex of my hand confirmed my initial suspicion. The glove was actually an extension of me. It was bonded with me. There was no way to take it off. Maybe by cutting off my arm, but I wasn't going to let that happen.

As chance would have it, a few weeks later the Liberi military tried to steal Aria away from me. I didn't give them the chance.

Flashback End

"After I got away, I tried to figure out where I could go. I went to your old home in Calvaria, but they said you left for Meeden. So I ended up here eventually after sneaking through Liberi and Aftokrator. I got here through one of the portals while they were attacking, although I got squished by a rabbit while I was falling down. That's why I was at the wreckage.

"I see. So she bonded herself as a trigger to your hand?" Yuma asked.

"Permanently." I said. "I couldn't even hand over the trigger even if I wanted to. I guess this is my way of keeping Aria's promise."

"Wow. You've had it almost as rough as Yuma here." A voice said from behind me.

I turned to see Jin holding a bag of crackers. "Did you want something, Jin-san?" I asked.

"Nah, not really. I'm just here to answer any question that you might have. By the way, want some rice crackers?" He asked, offering me the bag.

I took one. "When Commander Kido said join a faction, what did he mean?"

"Ah, that. You see, Border is divided into roughly three different factions. There's the Kido branch, which puts focus on expeditions and has a hatred for Neighbors, due to the fact that many of them have lost loved ones to them. There's the Shinoda faction, which puts its priority on the defense of the city and its citizens. And then there's the Tamakoma branch, the smallest of the branches that has one policy. 'Not all Neighbors are bad, so let's try to get along with the ones that friendly.' But I doubt Kido would let you join the Tamakoma faction, as Yuma here has already joined."

"What? Why?" I asked.

"Well, it's mainly because the balance of power between the factions is held by how strong each one is. And as black triggers lend a ton of power to a faction already, I doubt Kido would want more than one black trigger outside of his branch."

"So how are the black triggers divided up so far?"

"Well, Kido branch has one, Tamakoma has one as well, which is Yuma's, and Shinoda has zero. There's another black trigger in the base that technically belongs to the Kido branch, but its main purpose is as defense that anyone but the members of the Tamakoma faction can use."

"Why not Tamakoma?"

"That trigger used to be mine. I gave it away to solve some infighting in Border."

"I'm guessing Kido wants me to join his faction?" I asked.

"Probably. I don't think he would mind if you joined Shinoda faction though."

"Ah, I see. I think I've made a decision as to which one to join."

"You're going to join Shinoda, aren't you?"

"Jin-san, did you use your side effect to figure that out?" Yuma asked.

"Well, somewhat. I figured he would join Shinoda faction due to the fact that they don't have any black triggers per se."

"Something like that. Also the fact that if I'm asking for protection, it's only fair that I help with protection as well."

"Well, I'll go talk to Shinoda about this, and you can meet up with him later. I think you can actually still sign up as a new trainee. Enlistment was a couple of days ago, but it's still not too late to join with everyone else."

"Actually, I think I'll just go with you to talk to Shinoda." I said. "Sorry Yuma, I guess I won't be joining Tamakoma with you."

He shrugged. "You'll be fine with the Shinoda faction. They're all good people."

After we parted ways, Jin and I walked into silence before I decided to ask a question. "So what's your side effect?"

"Ah, you picked up on that from earlier."

I shrugged. "I have a side effect also, so honestly I'm not all that surprised to see other people with side effects."

"I see. My side effect is seeing a little bit into the future. What's yours?"

"Enhanced processing time. Pretty much my brains can make analyses of a situation in less than a few seconds."

"Wow. That's a pretty good side effect. Either way, we're here." He said, opening a door before walking in.

The guy inside was one of the guys from the meeting earlier. The one with the short black hair. I pinned him as the second nicest guy on the table at the time, the first one being the one with the glasses.

"Jin. Do you want something?" He asked.

Jin shook his head. "Not me. This guy, on the other hand, does." He said, patting my back.

Shinoda focused his eyes on me. "You're the Neighbor from earlier. Why are you here?"

I nodded. "When told me about joining factions, I asked Jin about it. After some deliberation, I decided to join yours."

A brief widening of his eyes was the only response he gave. "I see. What made you come to this decision?"

"A couple of decisions. Firstly, I didn't think Kido faction would be a good fit for me. Second, I didn't want to create an internal struggle in Border by joining Tamakoma. And third, you guys prioritize defense of the city. That's something I want to help with. If Meeden is to be my new home, I want to be able to defend it."

He smiled. "I see. In that case, welcome to the Shinoda faction."

Woo that's a wrap.

So how is it?