—West District, Dotun City; Lanima Region
"Are we heading to the East District?" Alex said, following Stacia and her team.
"Yes, our headquarters are there," Stacia said, answering his question as she leads the way.
"That's fine, East District is far closer to Northwest District than the West since the center of Dotun City is janky," Alex thought.
"Right, are you headed somewhere, Alex? Since you came from Southwest and headed here after," Stacia asked Alex.
"I'm supposed to go to the Northwest, I want to see if my house is still intact, though I don't have the highest hopes it's still up after seeing the state of Dotun City," Alex said, answering Stacia's question.
"Right, I can't confirm that for myself because you haven't invited me to your house yet," Stacia said.
"Right…" Alex mumbled awkwardly.
After passing through many Reigners and many giant monsters, they arrived at the entrance of the East District of Dotun City.
"Ms. Thiwang, are your team okay?"
One of the guards on East District walls talked to them.
"We're alright, the giant monster we fought in the middle of West District is more powerful than any other giants. Be on your guard, there might be more empowered giant monsters," Stacia answered the guard's question, informing the guards of the East District.
"They might be Reigners from her group," Alex thought.
"Understood, I'll inform the other Reign users, also, may I ask, Ms. Thiwang, who is the man in the hoodie?"
"He's an old friend, he's also a Reign user," Stacia answered the guard's question.
They then entered the East District of Dotun City.
—East District, Dotun City; Lanima Region
"In here, it's more peaceful than any of the District because this place is filled with our Reign users, it's almost our territory if not for the Half Thousand group that surrounds the South area of the East District, they even have their strongest Reign users in there too, stopping us from expanding," Stacia explained to Alex the situation of their group.
"I noticed…" Alex thought.
"I want to know, do you not think the term "Reign user" is hard to say all the time?" Alex asked Stacia.
"I don't think so, do you have a better term for us, Alex?" Stacia answered, asking him again.
"Reigner? Reigners? Why not those?" Alex asked, suggesting her.
"Oh… right, those are easier to say than Reign user, how did we not think of that yet? It's been 3 years now too," Stacia thought, feeling astounded as to why they haven't thought of that yet.
As they walk around the East District, many Reigners are looking at Alex because of the jacket he's wearing.
"They are not fond of my jacket at all! Maybe I should change it. But I rarely change my jacket since I wash them once a month and this came from the store fresh too." Alex thought.
They arrived at the actual headquarters of the Masters of Reigns. The East District of Dotun City is just the place where the Reigners of the group are prevalent. Training their Reigns, sparring with other Reigners, and exterminating some monsters that pop up.
"Ms. Thiwang? We're glad you've returned, safely,"
"Yes, I'm heading to the leader, is he in his office?" Stacia said, asking one of the guards at the entrance.
Entry in the Masters of Reign is free, so long as you're either not from other groups of Reigners, a Scope soldier or officer, or a Scope supporter.
"He is over the outer walls of Dotun City. Ms. Thiwang, if I may ask, who is this man following you?"
"I guess they will ask about him frequently since he's new, highly suspicious, especially with that hoodie, and because he's 6 foot, which is not common in Dotun City, but not too common too since they're all basketball players," Stacia thought.
"He's an old friend, he's with me, if he does anything bad, I'll be responsible for it," Stacia said, answering the guard's question.
The guard is astounded by Stacia's strong words. "Understood, head inside, Ms. Thiwang," he said.
Stacia, her team, and Alex entered the Masters of Reigns headquarters.
"Team, go to the infirmary, get yourselves recovered," Stacia said to her team.
"Yes, Ms. Thiwang,"
They then separate ways, Stacia's team heads to the infirmary while Alex and her head to where the leader of the group currently is.
"I notice everyone calls you Ms. Thiwang, I'm guessing you have a very high position in your group, right?" Alex said, asking her.
"Not to brag, I am but I had to act the part since I'm not the best at it before, I was very lucky to get to this position so I should be able to work hard on it," Stacia said, answering his question.
"Even I was lucky to get the Director position back then, I was young too," Alex thought.
"I'm glad there are people that regard not just your talent, but also your diligence, you deserved it," Alex said, complimenting Stacia.
"Unlike back then. But I'd rather have the present now than continue the past to present, do I thank the Cosmic Surge thing again?" Alex thought, asking himself.
"Thank you," Stacia mumbled as she subtly blushes.
"That blush though," Alex thought, noticing Stacia's blushing.
They went around the headquarters to visit the leader of the group.
"Ayer Oighear, he's a Unique Reigner," Stacia emphasizes the Reigner word for Alex, "like me. He can create anything as Ice-type, he started this Reign group because, unlike other groups who only have motives to control Dotun City, Ayer wants to make Reigns as common as technology, maybe it's best if he tells you his ambitions because I rarely talk to him," she explained to Alex as best as she can.
When they went around the headquarters, they arrived at the walls of Dotun City, just behind the Masters of Reigns' headquarters.
The group is currently fixing the walls of Dotun City.
"Wait, I remember that Dotun City has no walls, why did that slip out of my head when I arrived here?" Alex said, surprised to just realize it.
"Is this really the work of the Reigners or the work of the people outside that don't want to bother fixing the issues of Dotun City?" Alex thought, asking himself as he has doubts.
"They were built 2 years ago by the Lanima Region's Leaders because they don't want us to spread even further than the city, we want it now since it protects us from protestors," Stacia said as they head to where Ayer Oighear is.
"It's very tall and thick walls too, what do the protestors do for them to keep these walls? I thought we have powers now?" Alex thought, asking himself.
After a few minutes or so, they arrived at where the leader of Masters of Reigns was. Over the walls.
"Ayer, I've returned," Stacia said, calling him.
"Oh, wow, she sounded so casual just now…" Alex thought.
Ayer turned around to see them. "Thiwang, I'm glad you returned safely, do you have any reason for visiting me here? It is rare for you to visit me whenever you're done with your mission," he said, asking her.
"I want to introduce someone to you, he's an old friend of mine, do you want to introduce yourself? Tell him about your circumstances?" Stacia said, asking Alex.
"I hope this is not a forced recruitment since I want to think this through first," Alex said.
"Since this definitely looks like one," Alex thought.
"Of course, we don't do force, but persistence, this is not like any other groups out there, where they recruit almost anyone just to make a group, they become soldiers of an army, very strict. There is a reason why we're currently the strongest group of Reigners, for 3 years straight too," Ayer explained, bragging about their achievements and difference from other groups.
"Okay, I'm Alexander F. Hugo, though call me Alex since that's easier, I don't know if I should tell you about…" Alex introduced himself but he hesitated.
"His Reign," Stacia continues his sentence.
"My Reign-ish.. since we're since we're definitely not in a private area to properly talk about my Reign," Alex said.
"Oh, is he a Unique Reign user? Is it something very unique for requesting us to talk privately?" Ayer thought as he raises his head slightly up.
"Follow me and let's continue our talk in my office. Everyone! I'll be back in a few minutes," Ayer told the team working on the rebuilding of the walls.
Alex and Stacia followed him to his office inside the headquarters of Masters of Reigns.
Entering his office, Ayer locked the room.
"Now, first thing's first, my name is Ayer Oighear, I don't know if Thiwang told you about me on the way but…" Ayer said, introducing himself.
"I did, Ayer," Stacia said.
"Good, I have Oighear Ice, which I can materialize some things in Ice, I haven't really mastered this yet so…" Ayer said, telling him about his Reign.
"Why are you humble all of a sudden?" Stacia asked him rhetorically.
"Quiet, Thiwang! You being here makes me lose my wits." Ayer shouts as he chuckles.
"This is an interesting duo," Alex thought.
"So, I can make a sword, a shield wall." Ayer made an ice sword and an ice shield wall, "and others more, I won't show them all since it's a lot, so! What is this Reign of yours that we need to be in a private room to talk about it?" He asked Alex.
"His enthusiasm hasn't really faded even after 3 years, I rarely watch him in his recruitment but he hasn't lost his esteem yet," Stacia thought.
"What will happen if I touch that Ice shield wall with my Scope arm?" Alex thought, asking himself.
"So, I have this, Arm blades." Alex showed his right Scope body's Arm blades, "but then I have this." He then controls the earth underneath them using Earth Control on his left body and made a spherical rock.
*rumbles*
"Whoa? Two types of Reign? I've never seen this before," Ayer said, surprised to see Alex use two Reigns.
"I can also do this." Alex then uses his Wind Blow Reign on his right Scope body.
*whoosh*
"Three?!" Ayer was even more surprised.
"I also have a Fire Blast Reign but I don't want to burn your office nor your headquarters," Alex said.
"That's four already," Ayer said, still surprised.
"If he joined us, we'll be able to become even more powerful, do we now have a higher chance to take over the Scope section?" Ayer thought, asking himself as he assesses the situation.
"Wait, can you take off your hoodie? I just noticed your face and your hand," Ayer asked Alex.
"Wait, did I not notice that earlier?!" Stacia thought, shocked that she hasn't noticed it earlier.
Them not noticing Alex's face shows that. Stacia is shy to look at Alex's face, and Ayer is not the type to focus on anyone's facial features too much.
"Right, I don't know if this is a turn-off but…" Alex removed his jacket, leaving his T-shirt, "I almost died 3 years ago, there are scientists that helped me recover, and they gave me this. It somehow has Reigns in it as well," he said, half lying to Ayer and Stacia.
Showing his robot part of his body, though it's just his left face and his right arm since his T-shirt is hiding the others.
"I'll have to keep some of the secrets to myself, for now, like the fact that I can absorb Reign and copy them, I don't know if I should trust this group fully yet," Alex thought cunningly.
"Those scientists that saved you must've known about Reigns beforehand for your right arm to have Reigns, where are they now? Do you know?" Ayer asked Alex.
"They might be able to help us as well if they're willing to help him, a Reign user, they're not like the scientists of this city," Ayer thought.
"They died, their lab exploded after I left because of malfunction, only I survived, unfortunately. They know about the Reign since I was saved 3 years ago, and I was in a coma for 3 years too, recovering," Alex said, answering his question.
"That makes more sense," Stacia thought, piecing together everything that happened to Alex.
Ayer went close to Alex, and held his left shoulder, ready to convince him to join the Masters of Reigns.
"Alex, I don't know how I'll be able to convince you, please join Masters of Reigns, you will be at the forefront of our mission, with us," Ayer said, inviting Alex to join the group.
"We need him in order to change Lanima Region once and for all, someone that can represent us Reigners," Ayer thought.