With the crowd closing in, Chitose readies herself for a spell, her fingers tightly wrapped around her mage stick. "I Summon the Forces o-"
Astran's touch interrupts Chitose's spell-casting as she grabs her hand. "Wait a minute. We don't want to harm any innocent people. I think it's best if we avoid them."
Chitose tilts her head, trying to make sense of Astran's statement. "But these people are angry and trying to fight us. How else do you suggest we break out of this?!"
"In order to break the illusion, we have to incapacitate or physically touch her."
Chitose scans the crowd, trying to locate their target, but all she sees are faces twisted in anger and hatred. "How do you think we'll get to her surrounded by all these people? I can't even see her."
"As much as I'd like to say I know something. Your answer is just as good as mine."
An irate civilian throws a punch at Seiju, but he dodges it. "Hey, Astran, we better find a way out quickly. Otherwise, we're going to get clobbered to death."
Amid the crowd's commotion, Jax's mind churns with a new idea. "I got an idea!"
Chitose glances at Jax, her curiosity piqued. "What is it?"
Jax's face lights up with a confident grin as he turns to Seiju. "Shoot her."
Seiju's head recoils in shock at Jax's statement. "Dude, if it were that easy, I would have done it already, but I can't see above anyone in this crowd."
"Don't worry, I already thought that through."
Seiju furrows his brow, trying to decipher Jax's intentions. "What is it?"
"We each sit on each other's shoulders, then Seiju climb us until he reaches the top. This will allow him to be clear of civilians and give him a clear shot of that lady."
"I like it, and since I'm the strongest one here, I'll get on the bottom," says Astran.
Astran positions herself, and Chitose climbs onto her shoulder, followed by Jax on Chitose's shoulder. Finally, Seiju climbs up and oversees the crowd from their towering height.
"Seiju, whatever you do, do not look into her eyes! She's a hypnotist. If you look into her eyes, you'll get into a trance," says Astran.
"Got it, I'll just hit her with my eyes closed," Seiju closes his eyes and enters a deepened state of concentration, feeling his heart pounding in his chest. As he does this, the memories of the two-week-long training session with Mei floods Seiju's mind. We now go into the POV of Seiju lying prone on the ground, sweat pouring down his face, as Mei stands before him, untouched by the sun's harsh rays.
Mei lets out a soft chuckle at Seiju's condition. "Come on, Seiju. This can't be all you have right now?"
Seiju wipes the sweat from his face, feeling the heat radiating off the ground and making him irritable. He glances at Mei with an angry expression. "Shut up, yo! Why do you always have to be so annoying?!"
Mei chuckles, unfazed by his irritation. "Relax, here I got an idea," She holds out her hand, waiting for him to take it.
Seiju and Mei arrive at a designated training area equipped with dummies, targets, and other equipment. "Hey, this is the area you never let me practice in. Why are you letting me practice here now?" asks Seiju.
Mei's fingers tighten on Seiju's shoulder, and a broad smile spreads across her face. "One, because you're a warrior, and two, you're a horrible shot with that bow, and you need way more practice, so I'll let you use it."
Seiju rolls his eyes, his annoyance growing as Mei's snide comments continue. "Wow, geez, I didn't know you'd get me here just to insult me."
"Oh, my bad. Anyway, during that battle against the Goblins, did you notice 499's red gleaming eye?"
"Yeah, what about it?"
What that red eye was, was Hypersight. People of the gunner class can gain it if they train their eyesight with JōKai Awareness. Your intuition will guide you if you work on that by learning to hit a shot with your eyes closed and concentrating hard enough. Which will enhance your skill as an Archer," Mei walks off, heading back to their extravagant house. "You'll get it someday, brother. It'll likely come where you will most need it."
"So what should I do now?!"
"Practice shooting with your eyes closed! If you don't hit over 50 targets with your eyes closed by the end of the day, you can't come in!" Mei turns the key in the lock, making a clicking noise.
"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me!"
We return to the present day. "Well, Mei, we'll see if I can do it at this moment," He closes his eyes and focuses on Mei's advice about "intuition," slipping into a deep state of concentration. He envelops himself in JōKai Amplification before shifting to JōKai Awareness. "Focus...Focus...Focus," The intuition Mei mentioned finally hits him, and he feels the clear shot. "There!" Seiju pulls back the string and releases the flaming arrow, hitting the older woman squarely in the head, snapping everyone out of the trance.
"Nice shot, Seiju!" says Jax.
Once the formation is broken, the sound of multiple voices becomes ambient noise in the surrounding area. Astran clears her throat to amplify her voice and make it more resonant. "Everything is ok, guys. You were just put in a trance, and we freed you! Now that you're free, you may continue your day-to-day activities!"
"Wow, thanks, you guys! You're the best!" says one creature.
"It's a good thing we have Supernaturals to bail us out of dangerous situations," says another.
Amidst the growing applause, Seiju catches sight of the elderly woman making a break for it. "Guys, she's getting away!"
"Shit, let's get her!" says Astran. The entries chase her through the forest until she finally manages to shake them off. Astran lets out a loud grunt and stomps her foot on the ground. "Dammit! She got away!"
"No, I'm right here, darling," The elderly woman appears in front of them, and they feel a strange sensation as she attempts to lure them into a trance. "Guys, look out! She's trying to put us in an illusion!" The rookies look into the elderly woman's eyes, and suddenly, they freeze in place, realizing it's too late. "That last illusion was child's play compared to the one you're in now, and now that that's happened, I ca-" Mid-speech, the elderly woman stops, her gaze wandering to where the others might be. "Wait, where are the others?"
Suddenly, a fireball from Mei hits the telepath square in the head, causing her to lose consciousness. "Is everyone alright?" asks Mei.
"Yeah, we're fine. Thank you for saving us," says Astran.
"Good," Mei presses her pager. "Guys, I'm sending the coordinates to the other Supernatural. You can come to get her."
"Got it! We're on the way, Ma'am," says the Squadron leader.
The spaceship descends, kicking up dust, and the squadron escorts the telepath onto the ship, her hands bound by shackles. "Is there anything else you require of us, Mei?" the leader asks.
"No, we're good. You all may leave."
The scent of fuel fills the air as the squadron enters the spaceship and leaves Malan's atmosphere. During their departure, Mei recalls the markings etched into the telepath's skin as she chained her up. "IOXIS-90…"
Unbeknownst to Mei, Navar furrows his brow as he hears her voice. "What is IOXIS-90?"
"It's confidential information. I'll tell you all later. Let's get on the ship and get out of here.
"Yes, Ma'am!" everyone says in unison.
After just over an hour of flying, Mei arrives at the activity bay, where she sees people engaged in various forms of entertainment. "Hey guys," Mei becomes the center of attention as everyone's gaze shifts toward her. "Responding to your question earlier, Navar, IOXIS-90 means IOX Industries Subject-90."
Navar thinks back to his fight with Overlord and him noticing IOXIS-X on his shoulder plate. "Yeah, Overlord had one of those marks, too. What does that mean?"
"Dr. IOX is one of the smartest living creatures in this universe; those marks indicate they are special creatures he created. He is known for his research, experiments, theories, and other accomplishments within that field."
"Well, if he's done all those things, then why are you so concerned?" asks Miri.
"While he is undoubtedly intelligent, his reputation is tarnished by the many charges he has received for conducting illegal experiments that violate the laws of multiple empires. Because of this, he's a wanted man for Ozania."
"Wow, so are we going to go after him?" asks Navar.
"No. We don't have any leads on him, as he's avoided Ozanian detection for hundreds of years."
"Interesting…" says Navar.
A moment of silence occurs until a piercing scream from the piloting bay breaks it. Miri sprints into the pilot bay, her breath coming in quick gasps as she locks eyes with Jax. "What are you screaming so loud for?"
Jax points to the black object, shaped like a swirling whirlpool, floating in the vast expanse of space. "We're getting caught in a rift. Everyone grab onto something. We might crash!"
Upon hearing his announcement, everyone grips their seats and prepares for the impact of the space storm's intense gravity. As the spaceship shakes out of control, they are thrown against the walls, their bodies slamming against the hard metal. The spaceship crashes with a loud boom amid a dense forest. "Is everyone alright?" asks Mei.
"Yes," says everyone.
As Mei exits the crashed spaceship, she looks around the forested area in confusion, her eyes tracing the intricate patterns of the trees. "Where in the world are we?"