Life on Hagoa continued as before. Once again Saiyi settled comfortably into her routine, like comfortable clothing. Her training had taken to being more power focussed. More of what she had been doing, but bigger. She had quickly established herself to be one of the fastest flyers the ten, now eleven, had seen. Zago had become a welcome sight in his own strange way. He was always polite and knew how to get the best from Saiyi's training. Her levitation and manifestation had grown also. Some of her training had now moved down to the wasteland surface. She was lifting objects that seemed immovable by any means. The young Goddess often marvelled at her own progress. When she found she was feeling too confident she would simply stare back up at the island, remembering that her friend Shiwa kept it aloft, literally in her sleep. Saiyi had some way to go still. Her manifestation had become advanced enough that she could create a fully furnished house in a handful of minutes. Similar to the island she would often wonder at the central tower to keep herself humble. However, she was no humble about her water creation. Shiwa stood in awe as Saiyi could summon large bodies of water. While they were short lived, Shiwa relished the feeling of rain on her skin. There were only a handful of beings on Cyla that had ever felt true rain, but they imagined that they got it similar enough. Wep's relationship with Saiyi was an open secret by now. It had grown into something more than romance. They had become a true pair. His power when sharing with Saiyi had grown also, but did seem limited by his own lack of an amulet. Regardless he could do more than any mortal could dream. Living on Hagoa to Saiyi was like a dream. Unfortunately we must all wake from our dreams. Often rudely.
Saiyi was sleeping, Wep beside her. While the Chosen did not need to sleep, they treated it much like eating. The body may not need it, but it's good for the soul. Wep woke that night to a noise. It seemed to have come from inside the room. He got up to investigate. The darkness inside the room left large oceans of black among the islands of moonlight. Then a shimmer in against the far wall. Wep squinted but the shape would not resolve itself. He took a step forward. There was a crack like lighting. One of the bedposts behind him shattered as he was knocked back. Saiyi woke to the sound with a start.
"Wep? What's going on?" Another crack. This time it was Saiyi who was hit. She however did not falter. With a quick action she willed the light on. Her left side burned, but she seemed physically uninjured. Across the room stood two people. They were clad in black holding a small weapon of some kind. When the lights went on they ran for the door.
"Wep!" Saiyi yelled. Before the door a slab of solid stone rose up. Saiyi was not letting her assailants escape so easily. One of them immediately backtracked and leapt for the window. Plate glass shattered and the would be assassin fell six hundred meters to their end. The act threw Saiyi for a second. Long enough for the other assassin to use the weapon on the door. The stone wall burst showering the room in shards like glass. The door behind it also did not survive the blast. Saiyi instinctively shielded her face, spotting Wep on the ground as she did so. He was laying on the ground still. She feared the worst. Spurred to action, the young Chosen gave chase to the attacker, who had fled through the door way. Her godly speed giving her a decisive edge. She did not make it far. As she exited her room she nearly ran into Shiwa. Having heard the weapon firing she sped to Saiyi. Now she was standing at the elevator door. One of her hands were wrapped around the neck of the attacker. The other held the weapon, her fingers dug into it as if it were clay. Shiwa was clearly having words with the assailant.
"You have two ways to live. Talk and walk, or let your silence be your crutch for life."
"I don't talk to you bastards."
"And I don't ask twice."
The older Goddess angered by the audacity of the attack flung the man against the wall with such force, Saiyi could hear bones break down the hall. The man lay coughing and crying like a child. Shiwa likewise threw the weapon aside. It snapped in two. Then she ran to Saiyi, concern growing on her face. Saiyi could do little but stare. She thought she would be safe here. Why would they want to attack her? Then as if an alarm went off in her head.
"Wep!" Both woman ran to the room. The shaggy haired man was sitting up against the wall. He was clutching his stomach.
"My love. Shiwa is here, she'll help."
"Sah. I'm ok really. It hurts quite a bit, but it's hardly fatal." He moved his hand from the wound. Without his shirt Saiyi got a good look at where the weapon hit. His stomach was gouged but there was no blood.
"What? How? You're not bleeding?"
Shiwa, behind Saiyi pushed passed. She put her hands near the wound and it closed. Wep stood with some discomfort, but was clearly back in good condition.
"You should be all good now dear." Shiwa said in her soft way.
"Thank you mam. Apologies for the inconvenience."
"Think nothing of it. Your family now, in a way."
Saiyi stood in silence. She had learned much while on the island, but now she felt like that first day again. Everything was strange and made no sense.
Duratai sat in his office. He looked at the time on his display. It was getting very late for his team to report in. He had sent a small squad with an early version of the prototype. The ammunition contained only flakes of the gem ammo. He was reluctant initially, but was reassured the ammunition would work. Judging by the lack of communication, he assumed correctly, that the plan had failed. He had stupidly gotten his hopes up the youngest of the Chosen would be more vulnerable to the ammo. Evidently the plan had gone awry. The two agents sent were well trained and would not divulge their location, even upon pain of death. Sadly agents like those were at a premium. High risk plans were not new to Duratai, but he hated losing. Undoubtedly they would know that these were resistance agents. It mattered little. In a matter of months they would be in a position to strike the damned Chosen in such a way that Cyla itself will shake. He slammed his desk. The Supreme Commander would make sure mistakes like this would not be repeated however. He stood, putting on his mean face. Some heads would have roll tonight.