The sky over Vivaria was dark with thick, rolling clouds, the stormy gray sky reflecting the apprehension in the city below. The towering skyscrapers pierced the heavens, their sharp edges casting intimidating shadows over the golden streets. No matter how many times she passed through, Kiehra couldn't help but marvel at the sparkling city, humming with the energy of modern technology. Today however, its spectacular gleam was muted by the ominous atmosphere.
The streets bustled with activity as wealthily dressed civilians hurried along the wide streets and narrow alleys. Their steps were brisk and dignified, heads held high as they went about their day-to-day tasks, oblivious to the ongoing hunt taking place in the city's shadows. Kiehra, walking in the middle of the squad, felt uneasy, a feeling she had grown all too familiar with.
Beside her walked Flak, who couldn't seem to stop glancing at her. His jittery movements were a constant reminder of the tension between them both, though Kiehra wasn't entirely sure why. Part of her wondered if he knew about her actions, but she dismissed it. He was passed out that day...wasn't he? Every time their eyes met, he quickly looked away, as if her face was the scariest thing in the entire world. The discomfort he felt rolled off him in waves, to the point his nervousness was almost contagious.
Then there was Fabian—silent and enigmatic as the day she met him. His lanky frame moved with an impressive fluidity, like a shadow slipping through the streets. He hardly spoke the entire way here, and even now, his silent eyes studied the surroundings with a sharp intensity that made her squirm. His abnormally long scarf trailed behind him like a tail, and in his hand, he gripped an oversized feather pen, a strange weapon he seemed to prefer over the spectral energy weapons the Sentry handed them out to all of them for the mission.
Tagging along with them were a handful of LV5s and a LV6 following close behind, their eyes vigilant, hands ready to draw their weapons at a moment's notice. Everyone was on high alert, and Kiehra could hear her heart echo in her ears. Their task sounded simple enough: eliminate a rogue human and spirit duo that had been wreaking havoc in the outer sectors of Vivaria. The mission was easy in theory, but Kiehra still felt like she was being crushed by an immeasurable weight.
Her mind kept drifting back to Vela. She hadn't seen him since the physical exams, but she could feel his eyes on her constantly. She'd done a good enough job of keeping everything under wraps so far, yet she couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen sooner rather than later. What if Vela already knew?
The question gnawed at her, but she shook the fear out of her head. She had a mission to focus on.
"You've got this girl," Three spoke up, chipper as ever. "You said you controlled it in your last mission right? All you gotta do is keep a tight lid on it again. Easy as one-two-three."
Kiehra huffed in response, sighing at his childish humor. Flak, walking beside her, shot another nervous glance her way. All four of his eyes were wide, his lip constantly quivering. He looked ready to break off in a run at the slightest sign of trouble. Kiehra couldn't say she blamed him—the way the lieutenants had been badgering him after the spirit capture would be enough to break anyone's nerves. She hoped the boy hadn't seen anything he couldn't fully grasp.
"Anything wrong, Flak?" she asked quietly, trying to sound as warm as possible.
Flak's entire body shook violently at the sound of her voice. "N-no. I'm just…just keeping my eyes peeled for any trouble…" His lie was painfully obvious, but she let it go.
Fabian's voice cut through the heavy silence before she could press further. "Focus." He didn't even bother looking back when he spoke, his fist clenched as if anticipating an attack at any moment.
Kiehra kept her mouth shut, holding back a sigh. She wasn't sure what disturbed her more—Flak's palpable anxiety or Fabian's mysterious indifference.
They continued down Vivaria's snaking alleys, the sounds of the city buzzing in the background. The search had already dragged on longer than anticipated, and Kiehra could feel the other group members grow frustrated. Every minute that went by without any sign of their target only heightened their irritation. One of the LV5s muttered under her breath, "I'm not detecting anything. Are we sure we're in the right place?"
"Rhys wouldn't send us all on a false mission," Fabian replied, his tone low and aggressive. "We'll find them."
Kiehra bit her lower lip. Her instincts could tell that something was wrong, but she couldn't put a finger on the reason why. They'd been searching for hours, and still no sign of the rogue or their spirit. Could they have fled the city already? Maybe they—
"They're pretty close," Three commented, pulling her out of her musings. "Time for an impromptu lesson. If you stretch those senses of yours just a bit, you'll sense 'em too. Gotta stop second-guessing at some point."
Kiehra hesitated. Her heightened senses were as unreliable as she was powerful. Sometimes they flared up without warning, allowing her to unintentionally eavesdrop on conversations going on blocks away. Other times, she'd be able to sense the most minute movements from miles outside of Old Oasis. Her senses weren't nearly as destructive as her strength, but she preferred to let them be dormant, lest she land herself in trouble.
But the group was growing more restless by the second, and the last thing they needed on their record was a failed mission. Kiehra took a deep breath, closed her eyes and concentrated. She immediately felt the intricate ebb and flow of energy around her, as well as hearing the intricate internal body processes of everyone around her—from their heartbeats to their eyes swiveling in their sockets. At first, all she could feel was the chaotic mixture of life and raw energy, but then she felt it: a faint ripple of everything quite different from everything else's. It was dark, malevolent, and lurking just a few buildings away.
Kiehra opened her eyes and pretended to detect something on her spectral scanner, pointing towards an abandoned warehouse in the distance. "I think…they're in there."
Fabian stared at her for a moment, nodded and led the group toward the warehouse. The building was tall and showing signs of disrepair, yet somehow managed to retain a certain sleek charm about it. Kiehra could feel the darkness radiating from behind its closed doors—overwhelming and dangerous.
As they approached, the group spread themselves out, positioning themselves at the various entrances. Kiehra found herself standing beside Fabian, her pulse quickening. The air coming from within the building was cold, and the shadows around them twisted unnaturally, writhing about like snakes across the walls. She clenched her jaw, fighting the urge to let her power rise.
"There," Fabian's voice was barely above a whisper, his eyes locked on the center of the warehouse.
A man stood in the middle of the room, draped in shifting shadows. Beside him loomed a spirit, its form a thrashing blanket of infinite darkness. One glowing eye shone from within the void of its body like a beacon of malevolence.
With no hesitation, Fabian jumped into action. His scarf lashed out like a whip, striking out at the human with terrifying speed. The man dodged with inhuman agility, his spirit moving in tandem with him. Shadows burst off the floor, tendrils lashing out at the Initiates like angry serpents.
It was chaos.
The other Initiates moved to engage, their spectral energy weapons glowing in the dim light as they clashed with the dark tendrils. The rogue and his spirit moved elusively, fading into one place and appearing in another, courtesy of their shadow control. The criminal duo weren't easy prey like they thought, using the shadows to coil around various Initiates and drag them into the depths of the warehouse. Kiehra hung back, hearing the sounds of battle echo all around her—clashing weapons, the shouts of the others—but she didn't want to move. She felt frozen.
"Now would be a great time to do something Kiehra dear," Three suggested with a sharp edge, like he was waiting for something. "Best help before someone ends up dead. Vela would definitely kill you then."
But what if I can't control it this time? She thought, her hesitation rooting her to the spot.
The rogue shadow spirit suddenly turned its single, glowing eye toward Kiehra, and her breath seized. For a second, it hesitated, as if it recognized something in her. But then the shadows surged towards her with terrifying speed, and her fears dissipated.
"Time for another impromptu lesson. You remember the second half of your amazing powers?"
Kiehra gulped. "You mean my bottomless well of Spectral Energy?"
"Yessir! I want you to release it."
"What?"
"Just a teensy-weensy bit. Trust me. If you bring the house down, I'll rewind time to the best of my ability."
She clenched her fists, her pulse quickening. She had never used her spectral energy before. She could feel it building from the depths of her soul, growing hotter like the flames of hell.
No. She wasn't ready.
But then Fabian stumbled, the spirit's shadowy tendrils restraining him and pinning him to the ground. Kiehra's blood ran cold. Fabian grit his teeth, his scarf thrashing uselessly against the shadows that bound him. It wasn't only him that was struggling—the other Initiates were in similar positions as well. One of the LV5s already had a massive gash in their arm.
"Come on Kiehra," Three urged. "Best do your magic now."
Kiehra didn't need to be told again. She reached out with her power, a faint aura surrounding her as she called on and released just a fraction of her energy, small but powerful enough to send a shockwave tearing through the room, shaking the walls and cracking the objects strewn about. The malicious spirit emitted a loud hiss, the shadows recoiled, retreating from everyone, and the rogue human turned to her, a look of fear etched onto his face.
"Kiehra….?" Flak spoke from his hiding spot near her, low enough that nobody could hear him. He witnessed her use her power again.
With the spirit momentarily weakened, Fabian seized the opportunity. He moved with blinding speed, the sharpened feathers of his pen slicing through the air like a hot knife through butter. Kiehra watched in awe as he fought with scary precision, his movements calculated and deadly. In one swift motion, he threw his scarf out, wrapping it around the rogue's neck and pulling him off the ground.
Kiehra forced herself to stand in place, her spectral power retreating back into the depths of her soul. She had done it again—used just enough of her power to turn the tide of battle without losing control.
Fabian struck the final blow with his oversized feather pen, piercing through the rogue's heart with a sharp stab. The man died instantly, crumpling to the ground in a heap. His spirit, now free of its bond, tried to escape, only to be trapped by the Spectral Harness of Flak, who had been hiding out of sight throughout the entire battle.
The warehouse fell silent.
The Initiates stood still, catching their breath from the fight. Kiehra's heart pounded as the last remnants of her energy subsided.
Three's voice sprung forth, pleased by all he had seen. " See? The building's intact, and nobody's dead—except the rogue of course. Still, I'll call that progress."
She smiled. It was nice having the spirit back to comment on things again. She wanted to respond, but got distracted by Fabian. He stood over the rogue's body for a long time, just staring down at it with his emotionless silver eyes. Without a word, he turned and walked away, with the rest of the squad following suit.
As they made their way back to the Headquarters, Kiehra couldn't shake the hunch that things had—or were going to—change. Flak seemed more distant than ever, and Fabian remained unreadable. The madness of today aside though, the load on her chest was lightened. She had taken a step forward. A small step, but a step regardless towards mastering the power within.
Flak meanwhile had made up his mind: Kiehra was dangerous, and something had to be done.