Four weeks had passed since Caligo had left their world and returned to his own. It was sad to see him go, especially since he had become a close friend to Akai and the others. But nobody could stop him from leaving; it was his choice.
Akai wished she could see him again. She had enjoyed their time together and felt very comfortable around him. She didn't know when or where they'd meet again, but she was hopeful.
The station was getting crowded with more survivors, many of whom were children and the elderly. Only a few were deemed useful. The students from Akai's school were doing most of the work, and they were working hard. Akai was praised by the elders for being the best leader. The scouts continued their missions, often leaving Akai behind. Either Drake or Rayden was sent out with them to help, ensuring their survival and safe return. At least one of them had to stay to guard the station.
Even after Caligo had left, the barrier remained intact due to the mana stones he had placed inside the station and the keys he had entrusted to Akai for safekeeping.
One morning at nine, Akai saw Kairos walking down the stairs and rushed over to him.
"Hey," she called. "What are you wearing? That's mine!"
"Yeah, this suits me best," he replied. "Besides, it was the only decent shirt in this whole mansion."
"You can't just wear whatever you find," Akai said, pulling at his shirt. "It was very expensive, and it's too big for you. I saved up for it."
"For the fifteenth time, I am not a kid!" Kairos shouted. How many times did he have to say it? "I'm a hundred and seventeen years old!"
"Prove it then. You look ten," Akai said. "Even if you're older than me, you still can't take someone else's belongings without permission." She pinched his left ear.
"How can you be so rude? Is this how you fight?" he complained, wincing in pain. "If that's how you want to play, I'll do the same." Kairos took hold of her right hand. "Suit yourself," he smirked mischievously.
In an instant, they were teleported, and when Akai looked down, there was no ground beneath them. She panicked in horror. They were floating in the sky, and she struggled to breathe. She was terrified of heights, and this child had brought her to the top of the world.
"I told you not to speak rudely to me," Kairos said. "This is what happens when you cross the line."
"You—" Akai couldn't finish her sentence, overwhelmed by the view. Kairos had transformed into a grown young man, fully built and handsome. "He wasn't lying," she thought, "but I'm in trouble now."
"What's wrong? Something stuck in your mouth?" he asked, clearly enjoying her reaction. "Let's have some fun, shall we?" He let go of her hand.
"No!" Akai screamed as she started falling. Her body screamed in terror, but she couldn't make a sound. She cursed Kairos and herself for getting into this situation. Why couldn't she just be herself for once?
As she neared the ground, she braced herself for the worst. But instead of hitting the ground, she felt herself being caught. When she opened her eyes, she saw Rayden holding her in his arms.
"Woah, where did you come from?" Akai exclaimed in surprise.
"I was in the area," Rayden wrote. "I felt you were in danger."
"Thanks for saving me, Ray," she said, relieved. "That son of a bitch gave me a hard time."
"Should I take care of him?" Rayden asked, his grip showing his anger.
Akai could sense the anger in his grip, a first for him. "No, leave him," she said, jumping out of his arms and landing on the ground. "By the way, why are the scouts out here in the mountains?"
"They said they needed to check out that." Rayden pointed at the tall telephone tower. "I don't know what it is, though."
Kairos descended to check on her. "Are you ignoring me?" he asked, returning to his child form. "It's going to be bad if you do."
"I'm not ignoring you," Akai said, glancing around for her friends. "I'm just worried about them. This is a risky operation."
"What operation?" Kairos asked, irritated.
"Operation to fix the cell tower," she replied.
Below the hill, Chi and Lake, the strongest members of the group, were hauling heavy wire to the top of the tower, while Layman followed behind with other tools. Even the adults were afraid to take on this dangerous work. How could high school students manage it without proper caution?
Ashlyn, who had been sent along with the scouts for guidance, watched in awe. Fixing the tower manually was something she never imagined they would have to do.
They had been working on this for the past two weeks, and progress was slow. There were many mistakes, and several parts of the tower needed replacement. When they first arrived, the place had been a mess, seemingly attacked by monsters. This was the only tower close to their location, so they had to make do with it.
"We're finished with the cabinet, Ashlyn," Kiara called, approaching her. "Now, we just need to complete the top of the tower."
"Yes, that's all we have left," Ashlyn sighed. "If it doesn't work tomorrow, then the next day, or the day after, but it will work."
"Sounds awfully familiar," Kiara said.
Chi and Lake reached the top of the tower and began connecting the cable to the transceiver. Despite numerous mistakes and scolding from Ashlyn while Akai watched from the sidelines, they managed to get the new parts in place.
"Hey, Layman," Chi called, noticing the boy was distracted. "What's wrong? Did you see a ghost?"
"Ghosts are nothing compared to what we've faced," Lake agreed. "We've faced death itself by now."
"Right," Chi said, still uncertain. "Anyway, Layman, why are you so distracted?"
"I think something is coming," Layman said seriously. "And very fast."
"What?" Chi and Lake exclaimed, looking in the direction Layman pointed. Something was indeed approaching, but they had no means to block it. Was it some kind of monstrous bird or flying creature?
"Yo!" Akai called from afar, surprising them. She was flying, holding onto Rayden's arm. Seeing her fly was more shocking than the unknown creature. "What's up? Working hard, I see?" she asked, excited.
"You're flying on a sword?" Chi exclaimed. "Where did you get that?"
"Ray said it would be faster to fly than to walk," Akai explained. "But I was scared, so he brought out a sword to act as my footing."
"It seems you people have never flown before," Kairos said arrogantly, floating close to Lake.
"When did you get here?" Lake asked, surprised.
"A second ago."
"Oh, Layman," Akai called. "You're here too?"
"Yeah, I'm here to carry the tools."
"Good for you."
"What are you doing here anyway?" Chi asked. "I told you to stay at the station, didn't I?"
"He did," Akai said, pointing at Kairos. "It's his fault. He brought me here using magic."
"Just go back to the station already," Chi said.
"Okay," Akai replied. "Ray, could you get me down?"
Rayden nodded. Just as they were about to descend, a giant bird crashed into the barrier Rayden had created.
"You three should go first," Kairos said to Chi, Lake, and Layman. "Warn the others to take shelter inside." Before they could react, they were back on the ground.
"Why didn't you send me?" Akai asked.
"You have him as your guard," Kairos said. "There's an entire flock coming this way, so get ready."
"What?"
The flock appeared—thousands of them, heading straight for them.
"We should go higher," Akai said, gulping her fear. "Otherwise, they'll destroy the tower." She tightened her grip on Rayden's arm. "Go higher."
Rayden wrapped his arm around Akai's shoulders tightly to prevent her from falling while flying higher. Kairos followed behind them. The birds were indeed targeting them specifically, just as Kairos had said.
"Why am I here?" Akai wondered. "Why can't I go to the shelter with the others? Kairos even sent Chi and Lake away. Now I'll be a burden to Rayden and distract him from the fight."
The birds were enormous, with sharp talons and beaks, and two pairs of wings that created powerful gusts of wind. They surrounded Akai, Rayden, and Kairos in a circle. Akai tightened her grip on Rayden's cloak.
"How did this many get through the gate?" Akai asked. "It's just too much."
"They follow their leader," Kairos replied.
"We can't even fill their bellies, so why are they coming after us?" Akai questioned again.
"They're not here for food," Kairos said. "They're here to kill a potential threat."
"You both are the only threats here, and I'm just a grass," Akai said, near tears. "There's no reason to focus on us."
"Don't worry, Akai," Rayden said, holding her close. "We'll protect you."
The birds were huge, with sharp talons and beaks. They had two pairs of wings, which created strong gales of wind. They surrounded the three of them in circles. Akai tightened her grip on Rayden's cloak.
"How did this much pass through the gate?" Akai asked. "This is just too much."
"They follow their leader," replied Kairos.
"We can't even fill their bellies, so why come after us?" Akai questioned again.
"They are not here for food," said Kairos. "They are here to kill a potential threat."
"You both are the only threats here and I'm just a grass," said Akai, seemingly crying about it. "There is no reason to kill me."
"You are the potential threat here," Rayden wrote.
Akai's mouth dropped open. That statement really broke her last sliver of hope. Why her of all people? Why a tiny grass instead of giant trees? They don't know what strength is, these brainless birds, Akai thought.
"They can't touch you. So why bother whining?" said Kairos, scratching his head. "Your bodyguard will protect you."
"You think I'm stupid?"
"Stupid enough to cry, that is."
"Well, at least I'm not here to show off."
"I'm not here to show off."
"Then?"
"I'm here to collect my snacks," Kairos argued back.
"I had forgotten that you're a dirt-eating demon."
"What did you just say?" Kairos screamed at her. She crossed the line this time.
Rayden stayed quiet the entire time. But the birds lunged at them one by one. Rayden took out his weapon, a giant axe. Akai recognized it as a halberd with an emerald green blade and black metal base. It was so strong that even she could feel its destructive powers.
A few of the birds flew away, but not far enough. They hesitated to attack. Why in the world would they miss the bloodlust from him? His halberd's handle became smaller. Rayden swept the near edge of the green blade, creating high-frequency sound waves.
"Sound waves?" Akai questioned in surprise.
"We call it 'vibrations.' They will burst," said Kairos, floating next to Akai.
"Why am I next to you?"
"I brought you here so he could fight without worrying."
She watched as the birds screamed frantically, exploding like bombs. The body parts fell to the ground, leaving behind floating crystal balls covered in blood. They were disgustingly beautiful.
"That's what I'm looking for," Kairos smiled. With a snap of his fingers, they were inside the bag.
"What are they?" Akai asked.
"Snacks."
"Eww," she felt disgusted at the thought of him eating those bloody crystals. The birds were gone now, all dead. Rayden was coming back towards them both. A gigantic demonic bird appeared right behind Rayden.
"Ray!" Akai's body moved to help, causing her to lose her footing on the sword. "Ray, behind you!" she pointed at the demon bird. Rayden didn't care about the bird and went to save his young lady first.
Kairos got startled at her actions, which had caught him off guard. "Damn bird," he cursed while looking down at Akai and Rayden, who were falling from the heights. He was worried about Akai. What if she got hurt? Even if Rayden was there on time to catch her.
In a flash, Rayden got to her. Akai kept her eyes closed and bit her bottom lip to avoid screaming. He had never seen someone like this. However, now was not the time to think about that. She was in danger, he thought. Rayden pulled Akai closer to him and embraced her, covering her head with one hand and wrapping his other arm around her waist.
They were still falling, and before they reached the ground, multiple layers of green magic diagrams emerged from the ground. Rayden and Akai began to decelerate in midair and stopped a few feet above the ground. Rayden walked down on invisible stairs, carrying Akai in his arms.
"Akai!" Kiara called, feeling worried, and the others followed behind her. Akai opened her eyes and came down from Ray's arms, but she was in complete shock and couldn't speak.
Kairos watched the whole scene, his fury evident. "You spoiled the mood, piece of shit," he raised his right hand and slowly expanded his fingers at the demon. The demon bird expanded like a balloon; it couldn't move or do anything. The bird could only scream until it exploded like the others.
The exploded body parts fell right above the little group, especially on Akai. That was the trigger that brought her back to reality.
"Kairos," she shouted and cursed at the little demon boy, "you son of a bitch, get down here!"
"I just saved her life and she curses me like that," Kairos said, feeling irritated. "Hell, I'm not coming back today." After saying that, he disappeared into thin air.
Kairos did not come back for a few days after that incident.
The scouts had to clean up the mess made in the fight. It took a bit longer than expected. After cleaning up the place, they fixed the rest of the cell tower. The tower functioned properly, thanks to Ashlyn's unimaginable knowledge of electronics.
Sending an SOS signal was very troublesome. The control room was filled with all kinds of buttons; only Ashlyn could figure out what to press. Akai just stood on the sidelines and watched the whole process because she couldn't understand the 'button language,' as she called it.
Two weeks later, in the control room of the station, a message was sent from the capital: "Hello, this is from the capital. Where are you? Tell us your location so that we can send help ASAP! The entire world is in total turmoil."
"That was the message," said Ashlyn, holding a recorder. "After that, I arrived and told our condition and that we need rescuing as soon as possible."
"What about the others? Like the residents of this town?" asked Chi.
"That is the most interesting part, you see," said Ashlyn. "Hear this out." She unpaused the recorder.
"The residents of your town were all in the capital's shelter, although twenty percent were missing. Therefore, we thought to send help later after the UNSECO gave us help, but now that it is confirmed that there are people alive in town, we will arrange for help immediately. Although, it might take two to three months."
"That's it," the recording ended. Ashlyn continued, "The people who disappeared are all safe and sound in the capital, and help will come in two or three months."
"Thank goodness," Akai lay back on the sofa. It was a great relief to hear that her parents and the others were safe and sound. She didn't have to worry about them anymore. They just had to wait for the rescuing.
"That means we have hope," said Sky. "Our lives won't go back to how it was one month ago, but at least we will have a great experience."
"Yeah," Lake agreed.
Everyone blocking the doorway of the meeting room was overjoyed. They would go back to their families sooner than they thought. They praised Akai for her vigilant work and caring for everyone present in the station.
"Oh, wait," Akai perked up. "Did you ask about the internet and mobile service?" she asked Ashlyn.
"Of course I did. I mean, you wrote down all the questions and gave them to me a few days ago," Ashlyn showed a paper full of questions that had to be asked on the first call. "I could never ask all this by myself."
"No kidding. I was wondering how you became good at questioning, Ashlyn," said Lily, folding her arms across her chest. "Turns out it was all Akai."
"Wow, Akai, you are so diplomatic," said Sky. "Since when?" he laughed.
"Since before you were even born," Akai replied harshly to his silly comment. All who were sitting around the table felt really uncomfortable after hearing her reply. She hated jokes like that; they felt like insults.
"Akai," Lily called her in a low voice. "You should inform the good news to the others in the station." She paused for a few seconds, then continued, "They need to know the situation."
"Right," Akai nodded. Indeed, only Lily could handle her heated temper. Akai raised her chin. "Announce the good news. Within three months, we'll all be rescued from this hell."
From that day on, all they focused on was surviving and bringing in more survivors from the outside. Kairos came back after the announcement was made. He had also brought more of those crystal balls from the monsters' bodies.
"Try them," he offered Akai. "They are good."
"Hell no," she objected. "They are disgusting and hard as hell."
"I cleaned them well," he persuaded her to at least taste them. "See, girl, don't you eat the meat of an animal after cleaning it? This is just like that."
"Well, we cook them first."
"You can't cook this thing, though," said the little demon. "It's soft. Here," he shoved the crystal ball into her mouth.
Akai chewed slowly and steadily, and gradually increased. She was actually chewing the hard crystal. It was good—chewy and yet a little hard, just like carrots, she thought.
"It's good," he said, smiling. "Here, have more." He handed her the entire bag. Akai dug in.
Akai wasn't allowed to go to most of the scouting operations, because every time she'd gone out she'd bring in some new friends. Who by the way weren't complete human or from there world. She was stuck with them.
Similar incident took place one month later.