Shane and Alice ran through the streets as Michael soared up above.
"There are four whole sectors to look for, how can we expect to find her within such a large radius? In fact, why are we even in such a hurry?" Alice rapidly trudged through the streets. "So what if she's a little over the time! We can just wait! What's the rush?"
Shane frowned, speeding up. "You don't know because you just came last year, but Veronica has literally the worst reputation in Invictus. Its not really a secret so I'll just tell you. She's half arxian. Hey wait, didn't you hear this during William's whole spiel?"
"What spiel? I barely pay attention to whatever you soldier dorks talk about, I'm busy with my own machines!" Alice struggled to keep up with Shane. "A year's worth of training is NOT enough, damn!".
Slowing down, Shane looked quizzically at her. "Wait what? You've only started training last year?".
"Yeah, I know, but in my defense I didn't want to become a soldier in the first place. I was forced to come here".
Michael landed just ahead of them, taking a deep breath before soaring back up into the sky. He headed towards a certain direction, prompting Shane and Alice to follow suite. Turning the corner, the three ventured deeper into the second sector.
"If she's half Arxian, then why isn't she dead or outcast?" Alice furrowed her brow. "I'm pretty sure we're fighting a war against them".
Shane let out a nervous laugh. "Yeah, one would think right? Well, its not that simple. Her mother was a powerful, very prominent figure in Invictus. Krysteline Varcossia, a general that fought with Duncan and Adam on the frontlines. As Veronica is the daughter of her, Adam has been giving her some amount of protection".
"Okay, great, but if that's the case then why are we even running to help her?" Alice was left with more questions.
"That's because of William. I'm sure you know that everyone has lost something in this war...be it a loved one or multiple" Shane bit his lip, eyes downcast. "Especially in the battle of Karmus".
Alice slowed down to a halt. "Karmus? That bloody massacre? Oh sh*t, yeah I remember reading about that. Hey, I'm sorry if you lost anyone in that..."
"It's alright, I'm over it" Shane smiled half heartedly. "Its just a shame that a lot of others haven't, and their blaming Veronica for all they've lost just because she's an easy target".
"If you feel so bad about it, why didn't you do anything from the start?"
Shane became silent for a little. "...That's because I blamed her too..."
Picking up the pace again, Alice looked at Shane. "Can't really blame you" she sighed.
"Well, things would be a lot more tame for Veronica if a certain golden boy didn't exist" Shane matched Alice's pace, speeding down the vast sector two. "William's hated Veronica since that day. I can't really fault him for his anger, but its misplaced. I used to join him when he was hounding Veronica, but one day, after things got too far I decided that enough was enough...William didn't think the same though" Shane grimaced as he remembered that memory. "But anyways, lets focus on what we're here for".
"Agreed".
Studying his surroundings, Shane's eyes moved with keen precision. He used to visit the second sector from time to time, visiting the library and meeting wandering merchants. A plus for living in Invictus his whole life was that he practically knew where everything was.
Shane slowed down as he happened across an especially dark and narrow alley. His ears flared, picking up some faint noise. Alice too slowed down, noticing Shane's focus.
.
.
.
The sounds of slapping footsteps ricocheted off the walls. Shane and Alice ran blindly down the narrow path. The alley was dark, dingey, the floor was wet with unknown fluids and it stunk, but even among the discordant melody of scents, a flavorful aroma pierced the pungent aromatics and rebirthed the nasal cavities of Shane's nose. He wiped off some drool as the two closed in on a randomly placed door.
'Jerome's Bakery' Shane read the simple sign up above the door. 'Seems run down...'
There was no time to stop and explore. Although it was just a hunch, Shane knew the type of person Veronica was. It wasn't the first time he saw her training late into the night while the rest slept. It was one of the things that made Shane admire her.
'If only she could loosen up'.
Finally, after a couple of minutes, they made it to a small opening. Shane gasped as he saw the sight of around ten recruits all surrounding Veronica.
It was pandemonium. Veronica grabbed a fellow recruit by the face, using him as a battering ram against the rest. With the newly created space, she dashed forward and whipped her fist against another's chin, causing him to immediately fall. The others didn't just sit and watch, they ran in after her.
Using their tactics learnt, they counter attacked by rushing in together. Valiantly, Veronica ducked and weaved a few blows, but the sheer amount was impossible to dodge by human standards, so they got a couple hits in.
Nose bloody, eyes alight with fierce defiance, Veronica put her fists up. Grunting, she blew the blood out from her nose and bolted forward.
Alice was quick to act, running up with a manic expression. "Hey! What the heck are you guys doing! Stop!" She grabbed the arm of one of Veronica's attackers, getting thrown to the ground.
The person looked back at her, gaze furious. "What the f*ck do you want? Piss off! We're getting rid of the spy!"
The person looked beyond her, at Shane. "Oi Fletcher, come help us teach this filth a lesson"
Shane was frozen. The person talking to him was his long time friend, Pierce Lang.
Pierce stared long and hard at Shane. "Don't you remember what they did?"
Flashes of red and white blinked in his mind, long buried emotions resurfaced. Shane sucked in a deep breath. He put his fists up. "That's enough, Pierce. This isn't right".
Pierce's face darkened. "...William was right, you are a traitor" His hands curled into fists. "So be it".
And just like that, Shane was pretty much branded as an outcast. Brotherhood be damned, if you held empathy towards an Arxian, you were an enemy.
.
.
.
Up above, a boy with curly black hair and piercing indigo eyes watched, his expression a cold gloom. His eyes, however, gleamed with ecstasy.
A few meters away, a gust of wind bloomed. With elegance, Michael landed just a few meters away from him.
"You've really outdone yourself this time" Michael chuckled. "Like, I knew you were a piece of trash, but damn, I guess I was wrong" he took a step towards him. "Your even less than trash, you're dirt".
William slowly turned away from the events below, smiling as he faced Michael. He loomed over him like an eclipse. "I've never liked you, Michael Dreshet. Son of Adam Dreshet the Zephyr, son of Orion the Winds of War, son of the first elemental Elijah Dreshet. Quite a long line of heroes, hmm?" he met Michael's steps with his own. "And now look at what its left...you're a disgrace to Invictus".
Michael's aloof mask cracked, revealing malice in his eyes.
"Oh, did I hit a soft spot?" William smiled devilishly. "Well, not like I care, after all, Invictus is mine, not yours".
The loud groans of pain from below snapped Michael back to reality. He glared at William, eyes glowing. "Sure, whatever, you can take Invictus, I never liked this place to begin with".
A powerful current of wind burst fourth from Michael's palm, threatening to push away everything away. "Well, I guess we had this coming, William. Time to face off".