Third Stage

The hot volatile air that blew through warming up the brisk morning cooled out and disappeared to the deeper hills. A chilly breeze replaced its predecessor. Each moment brought a release of tension from the atmosphere. Some still struggled to remain lit, but the momentum already changed direction. The view that he had made that regretfully expected outcome very clear.

Simonides watched all three fights with great interest. While his men had lost, they had carried out the tasks given to them. Additionally, it confirmed something for him that he already suspected. ‘These intruders are naïve…they spared their opponents…’ He had more of his men behind him in preparation if his men’s lives were in danger.

A new concern also came from the battles that he prepared for the intruders. ‘Miltiades managed to draw out another MP user, but there’s something about that black figure’s powers that I can’t explain.’ Simonides didn’t have the vast knowledge of how they used and controlled their powers, but he felt certain that what he saw shouldn’t have been possible.

Antipas fight was the only battle he followed clearly. ‘Both fought as I would expect from MPs. I saw the boy’s Field and the interference zone. But the others…I saw no Fields and not even a region of conflict. Even if they withheld their Field’s appearance, it still creates a field of influence. Yet they had abilities impossible for normal humans. Even the headstrong boy couldn’t have survived all of the hits he took without some protection.’ Too many mysteries still surrounded the intruders for Simonides to feel comfortable with his enemy.

He stood up from the hill no longer needing to watch as closely. The battle was almost at an end and the next objective began. A motion from his hand signaled to his men to prepare for the return. Those that fought would need healing. Simonides rubbed his hand against his chin not liking the feeling that his gut gave him. ‘I need to know more about them before I can take them down. Abeiron, it’s time for you to move.’ He turned back towards the fields casting his gaze to the large gathering of his men surrounding the rest of the intruders. ‘This is a critical time, don’t fail!’

Chapter 122 – Third Stage

Surrounded by nearly a dozen soldiers, the four students all carried varying expressions. Haruo remained disinterested with a flat emotionless face as though it didn’t involve him. Fumiko didn’t even seem to acknowledge a threat to her life. Her eyes held a gray color devoid of life, too absorbed by something else. Yori acted as if he could handle himself, but the shaking in his legs gave away his feint at stoic stature. Only Saki looked ready for every single one of the soldiers and left the proof to back up her boldness.

Saki gritted her teeth in annoyance for more reasons than she wished to count. Her eyes panned around the soldiers, still left a little uneasy by her opening volley. “I can’t believe Chiharu left like that! We’re supposed to be a team! We stay together!” Another look around at her friends counted each of them.

She worried the most about Fumiko, who had been very quiet ever since leaving the village. Saki knew that Fumiko could handle herself, since she survived against the soldiers in the village. However, the state that she seemed to be in Saki didn’t know if Fumiko even understood her current situation. ‘What’s the matter with her?’ The more that Saki looked around at the soldiers the more that she understood. ‘This is still very new to her…I guess I shouldn’t be surprised…’

Caught in the middle of something that tied him down, Yori found his eyes constantly staring away from the soldiers. Each shifted movement from the foreigners made him flinch and reset back. Yet as the seconds calmed between moments, he would continue to gaze away in the distance. ‘…sister…’ He wanted to leave everything behind and race over to her. She may have saved him before, but she was still his sister. He made a promise. ‘I’m supposed to protect you, Yumi…and yet all I can do…’ A cool wind tickled his neck and lightly gripped everyone’s clothes, turning his eyes back.

Yori squeezed his hands seeing his trapped situation. Sweat built up on the insides of his palms and down his back. Even in the chilled air, his body couldn’t draw away the heat. ‘I’m trapped…there’s so many of them! More than last time!’ His mind flashed through the events quickly. The painful reminder only made his body sweat faster. ‘I was only trying to fight one soldier then…and I…’

He tightened his neck and shoulders with tension. The stiffness soaked into his bones spreading until only numbness remained. ‘My legs…won’t move!’ Yori fought with his body. Any attempt he made ended with the same failed results. The paralysis grew stronger, refusing to relinquish any control. ‘Damn it! Why can’t I do anything?!’

Saki finally had enough of the waiting. All of the fighting that they found themselves slowed them down, when she could end it all shortly. Her eyes quickly took in all of the soldiers that surrounded them to make sure of her path. In an instant, Saki disappeared from everyone’s sight and then reappeared back in the same spot with only her hair blowing around sharply.

Surprise rose up on Simonides’ forehead witnessing the display. He looked through his binoculars closely and then above them with his own eyes. It took him a moment to believe what he saw, or didn’t in his case. ‘…nearly a dozen men…taken out in a second…’ Simonides had to zoom in his view a little to check once more. Only Abeiron remained standing, likely not a target.

Pausing to think, Simonides straightened himself out and lifted from his voyeurism of the battlefield. ‘It had to be that girl, another one confirmed… To be able to take out so many, so fast…’ His eyes lowered slightly, pulling in the edge of the field with his unconscious men. Even from the distance of his hill, he knew that they were all still alive. ‘…and left alive, just like before…a very naïve enemy…’

Simonides glanced back over his shoulder at the remains of his advance team. They already had preparations for field healing nearly complete. Their hands would soon be full. However, before he fully turned back the horizon caught his eye and something in his mind. He recalled the South Gate incident that started it all. The state of all of his men in the search party held the same familiarity of what he saw. ‘So she was the one. She was able to handle many of my men then without any of them being able to respond…’

The thoughts of strategies with the Japanese girl in his plans all fell apart. Each tactic that he thought of seemed to be pointless, at least for a normal soldier. Such a thought turned his mind creating new tactics. ‘She will definitely be the most difficult one. An invisible enemy...’

Turning away from the field, the Captain signaled to the remaining MP left in his team. The sole purpose for him was to be the healer for the team. Unfortunately, plans required flexibility. “The recon team is nearly wiped out. I’m going to need you to provide support for their retreat. Leave immediately and ensure the safe return of all of the men.”

“Understood, sir!” he barked. The young man, in his late twenties, activated his Field and disappeared into the air. A silent run and disguised Field left him able to sneak into the battlefield.

Abeiron forced his eyes to narrow to hide his surprise at the scene before him. He hardly believed what he saw and he still didn’t know what happened. His men laid before him unconscious in a far too familiar scene for him. ‘Another MP in their group? This is going to make things more difficult…’ Off in the distance, he already noted that the other battles have concluded. He knew what that meant for him, but with all of his men out, he had to change the plans.

Waiting, Saki gave the remaining man a chance to run away. ‘Had hoped that this would make them think twice about coming after us and leave us alone for the rest of the journey. Guess I’ll have to make a bigger impression…’ Saki disappeared suddenly again.

An explosion of dirt blew into the air along with smoke only centimeters away from Abeiron. The blast was strong enough for him to feel the earth shake through his legs. He took a step back trying to hold his body’s support, while understanding what happened. Another blast sounded off to his left flank and then to his right. All around him smoke flew up masking out the green fields. ‘What’s going on?!’ As much as he tried to keep his stoic and steadfast stance, it crumbled from all of the quaking. He fell back to the grass only propped up by his hands.

Soon the pounding stopped and the smoke began to clear out. Through the thinning gray veil a shadow appeared. The girl from before with a deadly serious expression chiseled into her features. A little smoke seemed to be rising from the back of her hand as well, still held tight in a fist. ‘What she doing?’ Abeiron looked down at her feet where the clouds of dust seemed to be coming from. His eyelid widened a little as he fought his surprise.

‘It can’t be…’ A small trench ran a semi-circle at his feet. All of the grass held a deep chasm cut straight through. ‘…she did that? What sort of Field trick is this?’

Saki didn’t wait any longer in her foreboding stance. She leaned down and gripped the Atlantean by his neck. The lack of a sturdy appearance in their uniform forced her to go for something she knew would hold. Her hand didn’t squeeze, simply held him. She lifted him off his feet and into the air until his head was much higher than her own. “Understand?”

“It’s a bit disappointing…I would have thought you’d finish them all off a long time ago,” remarked a young voice from behind Saki.

Still holding onto the man, she turned her head bothered by the snipping tone. “I would have taken them all out if I had been allowed to go first!” shouted Saki, not even taking note of whom she spoke to anymore. “But because I was left for last I couldn’t do anything! I swear someone is conspiring to make things more difficult!” A heavy breath exhaled from Saki as though she had been holding it all in for some time. She blinked once, finally seeing the person in front of her. “Chiharu? I thought you left.”

“I did.” Chiharu cast the bloody body of Seiji at Saki’s feet without further word.

The sight of an utterly broken Seiji made Saki lose her breath for a moment. She dropped the man that she held no longer thinking about him. “What happened?” Saki looked back at Chiharu demanding an answer.

“He lost.”

“He lost? How?!” Saki jumped over at Chiharu. The short unhelpful answers grated against her skin. Seiji was hurt and Chiharu didn’t even look concerned. “Speak, damn it!”

Chiharu remained with the same flat emotionless features. The height and presence of Saki didn’t make any impact on her. “I’d suggest tending to his injuries rather than yelling at me.”

A quick glance down caught all the blood that covered Seiji. He needed help quickly, but she could do nothing for him. Saki looked around the area trying to find her. “Where’s Ayumi?! Why isn’t she here? She should be with us!”

“She disappeared after the initial attack.”

“What?!” Saki frantically cast her head around the area in desperate search for Ayumi. However, the coughing from Seiji pulled Saki back. She knelt down at his side trying to figure out where to start. ‘There’s so much blood!’ Her hands tried to stop the bleeding from the numerous wounds, but none of it mattered. Saki lifted her head back towards the horizon looking to the distance. “Yuki! We need you!”

Saki’s panic-filled voice carried over the fields and found its way to Yuki as a distant weak voice. He didn’t understand the words, but the emotions made it to him. While he ran back to his friends, he saw the situation changing. The forms shifted and new ones appeared. He felt an uneasy pull in his stomach that made him run faster. ‘I’m coming everyone…’

It took him another minute or more to reach their camp. He felt as though it had been a year since he had seen everyone. “Is everyone safe?”

“Hurry, Yuki! Seiji needs help!” Saki presented Seiji’s body with the blood that covered her hands and clothes. A weak cough came up from Seiji spraying some blood into the air.

The sight of Seiji made Yuki freeze for a second. ‘How’d this happen?!’ A moment passed where he thought back to the school and to Kazuhiro. His memory made him panic and rush over to Seiji. “Seiji!?” Yuki looked over at Saki, equally scared as him. “Don’t worry! I’ll heal him immediately!” His eyes closed for a moment before he activated his Field. A glowing hand from Yuki rested on Seiji’s chest spreading out over his body. ‘I won’t lose another friend! Not to them!’

Seiji coughed a little more in response to the healing, but his color looked better. The tears, wounds and broken bones began to mend and close up. His blood remained behind, but his body no longer shook. A long sigh came from Seiji before his eyes opened fully. He looked around from the ground seeing Yuki and Saki staring down at them. “That sweat or tears I see?” he smirked weakly, still feeling lightheaded from the blood loss.

Saki coughed a little through a pale grin. “Sweat, who’d cry for an idiot like you!”

“Yeah…”

Yuki fell back to rest on his folded legs. He looked around taking in all of his friends to see if any of them had injuries. However, two still were missing from the group. “Where’s Ayumi and Yumi?”

“Ayumi hasn’t been seen for a while,” commented Saki.

“The other one is over there,” Chiharu reported, pointing her finger out across the grass.

He saw Yumi’s small figure alone in the distance. Yuki didn’t know if she was hurt or fine, but his eyes looked back down at Seiji. He quickly turned back to Chiharu. “Bring her over here, please. I’ll heal her injuries, if she has any.”

“Tch.” Chiharu crossed her arms immediately disinterested in the conversation. She looked away from the ground. “The girl’s fine. She can walk back on her own.”

Yuki’s hands closed tightly into fists. His head tilted forward, blacking out his eyes as his body shook. Saki reached out for him, but he stood up ignoring her. He marched over behind Chiharu and grabbed her shoulder. “Get her now!” His voice rang so deep and heavy that none of them had ever heard him so serious.

Chiharu threw off his hand with her arm and spun around, throwing up her leg at his head. Her eyes widened a little seeing that he stopped her with his arm. He glared down at her, casting a stern and unyielding presence. He made her feel small and weak, a first for him. A cold sweat built up a little on her neck as she kept staring at him. She lowered her leg and began to walk off. “…fine…” Chiharu disappeared from their sight.

“Yuki?” Saki stood behind him placing her hand on his shoulder. She couldn’t believe that he raised his voice to Chiharu. ‘I haven’t seen him so…’ The silence between them developed into an awkward lull where she knew nothing to say to him, but felt she had to say something. Anything she could find to ease his tension. “Yumi’s fine, she said. She’ll be okay, Yuki.”

“I have to see…for myself…”

“Yuki?”

“Here she is,” rang Chiharu, hiding the slight annoyance sprinkled in her tone.

Yumi laid in the grass with blood dripping from numerous small wounds, but still breathing strongly. She was unconscious, but only seemed to be tired. Yuki tended to all of her cuts. Even after he finished he remained at her side waiting for her to wake up.

A short time passed before Yumi stirred and groaned. Sore muscles snapped through her body making it difficult for her to move, but she opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Yuki staring down at her. She restrained the redness in her face mostly through the dull pain she felt. “Yuki?!” It still didn’t stop her from jerking up in surprise before balling up in tightness. “I’m alive?” He gave her a short nod.

All of the memories of her fight flooded through her mind. The emotions, desperation and fear all recalled to her. It made her body shake. ‘I’m alive! I survived! I…’ Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

“Yumi?!” Yuki leaned in resting a hand on her wrist. “What’s wrong? Are you still hurt somewhere?”

Yumi shook her head slowly, smiling at him. “No, I’m not hurt. Everything’s good.” She saw that Yuki didn’t fully understand her, but she could only keep smiling. The darkness and pain faded away. Her hands wiped away the tears as she recovered. She looked around at everyone gathered around the camp, but she didn’t see one person. “Where’s Yori?”

“Huh?” Yuki looked behind him and over at the others in search of him.

Saki shook her head. “I saw him here before!”

“He can’t just have disappeared!” shouted Seiji.

A pale fear lifted to Saki’s face as she stared back at Yuki. “In all of the confusion, you don’t think he was…”

Terror gripped her face and body. “Where’s my brother?!”