The sky was so beautiful Alice couldn't take her eyes off it. Why did she always feel so drawn to it? She didn't want to look at any of those old buildings. The Lower District was the place where her and Een's lives had started anew. They were just children back then, but the Agency had given them a chance. The chance to retaliate, to take back the dignity those creatures had stripped them of. They didn't know anything. No matter how much she tried, Alice couldn't shake that feeling off. They had no idea what was going to happen once they got to the Reserve. Even if they managed to eliminate that all-powerful leader, she found it hard to believe that the Aberrations would just vanish all of a sudden. For two thousand years... Had no one else tried to defeat that thing? That was impossible. After all, they weren't special in any way. No, that wasn't really true. Kar, Lyra, Kei... those three were special. Gull, however, seemed especially interested in the Captain and Commander Frederick. The Superior wasn't even trying to hide that. Well, those two were the strongest slodiers. Her conversation with Kar sprang to mind. Would they really be able to live normal lives once everything was over?
"What? How? When? Why? Maybe even who?" Alice muttered, closing her eyes. "We're all completely clueless."
They were nearing the Reserve. Compared to their expedition to the Upper District, they'd advanced much faster. It'd only taken the group around two and a half days to get there. Their formation allowed for excellent defense and offense, meaning that they had been able to move without having to watch their step. Aside from the two Aberrations Fen and Kirru had defeated two days before, they'd only encountered a few Garglings. Even so, three trainees had already gotten hurt fighting the beasts.
Een was feeling more and more uneasy with each step he took. Frederick still hadn't completely recovered, and the only ones who looked eager to fight were Alice and Kei. Een clicked his tongue. They needed to use Gull's power at least one more time. Despite being so close, they had to know exactly where to strike. Charging in recklessly could easily lead to their doom. Instinctively, he brought his hand to the uniform's inner pocket, squeezing the papers he held there. All those plans could very well be useless, depending on how powerful their enemy was. Frederick's attitude was concerning as well. Een had asked the Captain and Shono about it before leaving Base Tau. No matter how much he'd reflected on it, their replies didn't add up. Commander Frederick Sel, the one who'd ruthlessly killed Shono's team. All by himself. He despised both Aberrations and those he deemed as weaklings to a fault. Who knew how many others he'd killed? Needless to say, Frederick didn't value human life. Yet, when he'd informed them about Base Miu's destruction, they'd all felt sorry for him. All that talk about not wanting to lose anyone else... Een wasn't buying it. If it meant killing the Ringleader, that guy wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice his teammates, perhaps even himself. Trusting him was out of the question.
Een seemed incredibly nervous. But Karabell remained silent. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and attempted to cast away his worries. He'd done more than enough thinking for one day. They were almost there. Putting together the information he'd obtained from Dante and what he'd seen in Gull's memories, the only logical conclusion he could come up with was that Superiors could not be destroyed. Their regenerative powers were on a whole other level compared to those of a lesser Aberration. Stopping the acid from destroying their insides was impossible. But there was one way in which they could survive. Even if it was dead, as long as a small part of the creature continued to exist, the Superior could rebuild itself, almost from scratch. But it lost any memories of its previous life in the process. The ability to create mass... So Superiors could ignore the principle of mass conservation to a certain degree. Although it took an incredible amount of time. He hadn't forgotten Gull's words. The creature was one hundred and nine years old, give or take. If his assumption was correct, then it meant that Gull was way probably way older. However, how or if the creatures could reconstruct themselves wasn't important. What was important was figuring out if their leader had the same kind of powers. But since the Aberrations were so frightened by it, that was probably the case.
"Een, I'm ready," Karabell said as he inched over to him. "Although I'm this team's captain, I haven't really acted the part those past few days. There were a lot of things I needed to take into account. I've gone over those plans you came up with so many times I find it strange not to think about them now. I'll protect you all, I won't go back on my word. As for Frederick, I wouldn't worry too much about him. I doubt he'll try anything that might compromise the operation. Though I hate to admit it, I have to agree with him. This 2000 year-old stalemate has to come to and end. It's finally time to act."
"Now you're talking! Let's show them what the strongest soldiers are capable of, Captain!" Een exclaimed, stretching his back.
"Captain Ress, we have an emergency!" a short boy holding a shield interrupted their discussion. "We're about to run into a huge group of Aberrations. Kirru said it didn't know how many there are, but it had this scary look in its eyes. We still have enough time to change course..."
"Tell everyone in Squad A to be ready to fight. If there're that many Aberrations there, then we're getting close to our target. If something goes wrong, saving yourselves will take priority. Squad Ress or even Squad B will pitch in to help. And one more thing... Thank you for helping us," Karabell replied in a flash as a smile flickered across his face.
The boy returned his smile proudly. If the creatures were awaiting them, then it could only mean they'd been found out. No, that wasn't necessarily the case. Regardless, they were close to the Reserve. He could already see the boulders they'd placed along the way to act as makeshift signposts. Once they got rid of those unwanted guests, they could resume their search.
After another two or three minutes, the Aberrations came into view. Fen's eye twitched, and he started whistling.
"Hey, Kirru. Don't you think we're outnumbered?" The teacher's voice shook as he spoke.
"We're definitely outnumbered. Not to mention that the stench is killing me. Well, I figured something like this could happen. Are you guys ready?" The Superior looked at Squad A's Aberrations.
Fen sighed, scratching the back of his head. He'd expected the creatures' leader to be well-guarded, but that was overdoing it. He really wanted to go home and forget about all that nonsense. The man steeled his resolve as he readied his war hammer. Running away wasn't an option.
"Let's just get this over with."