Jiro looked out the windshield to see the scenery. The houses looked rather old for such a big "city" rather it looked like a huge village of medieval times.
"What is this?" Jiro said, confused.
"heh.. looks old huh?" Dyré chuckled. "May not look much but that's just how we keep it, all the houses have electricity and running water, just like any other city"
"I see.." said Jiro. "to avoid suspicion?"
"Hah suspicion? Our whole nation is wanted." said Dyré. "We didn't have the materials for all of it at the time so we only stuck with essentials."
Children were running around town playing, barely any other vehicles were in sight. People stopped by to wave at them.
"They seem excited," Jiro remarked, looking at the people's excitement.
"Well we're the only ones that can drive a vehicle in these parts so it's obvious who we are to them." Dyré explained. "Not everyone in Nadir has dangerous powers, those who have powers can choose to fight or not after they finish at the academy "
"Academy?" Jiro asked as he looked over to the people smiling, waving at them.
"A school of sorts made for kids with the essence of Damia." Dyré explained. "Not everyone can control it so they go through training."
"What's the Essence of Damia?" Jiro asked.
"Basically the energy you feel when your using your ability. You're getting it from the essence of Damia within you." said Dyré. "Damia is an old legend of sorts but you'll learn that at the academy after all if your joining us you might as well"
"You don't seem to know much huh?" Jiro hummed.
"ahah..haa yeah I'm not the school type." Dyré said half embarrassed.
As they rode deeper inside the village, other vehicles appeared from motorcycles to cars.
The truck took a turn into the woods and reached a stone wall with a silhouette of a gate on it.There were guards standing there and upon seeing Dyré in the truck both of the guards nodded to each other and one of them proceeded to tap the wall lightly.The stone inside the silhouette of the gate began to sink into the ground making a real gate through.
"The hell?" Jiro said quietly, shocked at what he had just seen, he was now sitting at the front seat with Dyré while Yuriko stayed at the back.
"Bricks got wires going through them too?" Jiro asked sarcastically, to which Dyré chuckled.
"No no" said Dyré as he began to explain. "We've entered the walls of the Castle."
Jiro looked forward to seeing a giant castle made of stone not too far from them.
"This castle and the wall surrounding it was made by one man only." Dyré explained as he drove the truck up a ramp to that 1st floor of the castle.
"What?" Jiro replied absolutely bewildered by this statement, as he looked towards Dyré in disbelief."but Nadir hasn't even existed that long and would take years to build alone."
"Well-" SPLAT
Jiro turned his head towards the windshield to see a boy with black hair and red eyes, his face planted on the windshield rubbing his tongue along it.
"Dhy-ré heheheheuh" the kid obnoxiously laughed.
"Ah you brat get off the truck." Dyré said, as he honked. He turned off the truck and got up from his seat. "Let's go we're here, open the back Yuriko."
Yuriko opened the back of the truck, standing in front of them was the boy again who was sitting legs crossed on what seemed to be a small white cloud, along with a couple of people dressed in similar clothing to yuriko in all white holding electronic lamps. The boy wore a black suit that extended into two pointy ends and dark red from inside it.
They stepped in immediately with stretchers and took Ray and Wesley.
"Yo Tenki" Dyré called to the boy. "What are you doing here?"
"Well you've brought strangers here, haven't you?" Tenki replied."I'm here to take him to Fyren, Thag old bastard wants to meet them."
"Ah I see." said Dyré
"Sorry but I'm not meeting anyone until Ray is up again," said Jiro abruptly, to which Dyré and Tenki stared blankly surprised. "Where has he been taken."
"They got taken to the ward." said Yuriko who hopped out of the truck with a blue bag. "Follow me."
Jiro and Dyré followed Yuriko, to which Tenki came floating in his cloud now laying down on it.
"Hey listen here I didn't come to ask you, you're supposed to come with me" said Tenki as he came upto Jiro. "You can't just reject it."
"Shut up idiot Tenki" said Yuriko as she slammed her fist on his head.
"Achhaa" Tenki howled as he spinned around in his cloud in pain, to which Dyré laughed aloud.
"He can go when his friend wakes up." said Yuriko smiling towards Jiro, to which he again awkwardly smiles back completely different from his normal calm personality.
"Hmmm what's this Yuriko are you perhaps-" Before he can say anything Yuriko punches Tenki blasting him away.
"Strong.." Jiro remarked. "Who's the cloud kid?"
"Tenki" said Dyré. "His ability is making flying clouds and what not"
"That so?" said Jiro, looking over at Tenki spinning around his cloud.
**
Gyokuza around the same time.
The city of Gyokuza is well developed and far more advanced then the others. Going underground below the city, Ronald walks through a dark tunnel. The sound of a door closing is heard and Rhyne appears walking towards Ronald. They glance at each other as they pass by. Rhyne halts as he passes Ronald who continues to walk. Ronald also stops and turns his head slightly back to Rhyne noticing his halt.
"Something wrong?" asks Ronald.
"Nope.. nothing." said Rhyne, his fist clenched and a little shaky.
"Hmph.." Ronald sighed and continued to walk off into the darkness. The sound of a door opening and closing is heard again, and Rhyne begins to walk away too.
Ronald walks into a room with pillars on its side and in front was a long table fit for ten people. Sitting on one of the sides was a young lady with long long brown hair which seemed to be brushing itself as one chunk clenched on a hairbrush. Her porcelain skin glowed in the light seeping through a small gap on top of the walls.
"Hersey" said Ronald, as he sat down on the opposite side.
"Oh Ronald? How was your trip to Zenshou" said Hersey, giggling. "Run into any old friends?"
In Ronald's mind a man with silver hair much like his own popped into his head, he looked a little similar to Ronald but had a beaming expression.
"No.." said Ronald.
"Huh then how come you couldn't eliminate Zenshou?" Hersey asked, surprised.
"There were some interesting people there…" said Ronald."I wasted too much time and they blocked both judgments I had, backup had arrived from Nadir as well"
"Interesting people?" said Hersey curious.
"Nothing special, Where's Alexander?" Ronald asked as he got up from his chair.
"Who knows?" said Hersey uninterested. "He just appears whenever he wants to, doesn't he?"
"Hmm," Ronald grunted.
**
Ray opens his eyes to a white ceiling "where am i..", he thought to himself, He heard unclear voices talking. Suddenly all the scenes at Zenshou flashed through his head.
"UWAH!" Ray yelled as he suddenly bounced to his feet on his bed. Both Dyré and Yuriko were startled, Jiro grinned.
"Huh? Where am I?" said Ray, puzzled looking down to see himself wearing a black shirt and white cargo pants. "Who are you guys?"
He said looking towards Dyré and Yuriko.
"I'm Dyré and this is Yuriko." Dyré replied with a smile. "don't worry everything is fine now-"
"AH what happened to Zenshou?!" Ray exclaimed, his hands scratching his well bandaged head.
"The city is fine, calm down" said Jiro, his arms crossed leaning against the wall. He was wearing a dark red sweater along with some new black pants. "After Dyré stopped the attack the ship left along with that guy."
"Oh.. right that was you." said Ray as he sat back down on the bed, his legs crossed. "Hey then where is this? doesn't seem like Zenshou."
He said as he looked around, seeing the white tiles and painted stone walls.
"Nadir" said Jiro plainly.
"What?!" Ray yelled. "HOW LONG WAS I OUT?"
"A bit over twelve hours." said Yuriko, her face seemingly restless. "Since you seem fine we'll leave you two to catch up on things."
"Hey what about that kid?" Ray asked as Yuriko and Dyré were on their way out.
"Hm?" Dyré hummed.
"Oh you mean Wesley.." said Yuriko. She paused for a moment. "He woke up a while ago, seems to be training."
Her expression is anything but happy.
"I see that's good then." said Ray, to which Yuriko and Dyré found smiled before leaving.
Jiro proceeded to catch Ray up on what happened afterwards and what Mr.Amagaki had said.
"Hah that old man always knows what's going on huh.." said Ray smiling weakly. "knowing all this..I don't wanna sit around."
"Yeah I get it… Plus these guys seem to know about that night." said Jiro to which Ray tensed up. "Parser said we could find out."
"That Parser guy.." said Ray as he looked down to the bed pausing for a moment."He was really strong I felt it.. but even he ended up like that.."
"Well there's nothin-" before Jiro could finish Tenki burst through slamming the doors open floating in his cloud.
"Hey! I told you as soon as he wakes up we hav to meet Fyren!" Tenki exclaimed.
"Oh shut it kid, he just woke up." said Jiro, annoyed.
"WAAH!" Ray exclaimed, completely shocked, pointing at Tenki. "It's a floating child!"
"Hey I'll have you know i'm no child," Tenki snapped."Pretty soon I'll be-"
"Turning twelve?" Jiro retorted snickering.
"Twenty." said Tenki, annoyed, to which both Ray and Jiro burst out laughing.
"What is that in dog years?" said Ray rolling on his bed cackling as tears came out his eyes.
"Maybe it's in mont-" before Jiro could get a word out the cloud underneath Tenki stretched out into a hand grabbing both Ray and Jiro and holding them up in the air.
"Shut up you morons," said Tenki, scowling as he put them down on their feet. "Just follow me."
He said as he turned around and floated out the door.
"Aw that's no fun" said Ray as both him and Jiro followed Tenki out the door.
end of chapter