My name is Indread Banks. I am 25, or so the government claims. I live in a world ruled by darkness, where light is slowly starting to flicker out of existence. I am the last of my kind... Though I doubt I can be considered to be even that. I suppose becoming the way I am through untrained testing doesn't qualify me as such. If any one of my species were somehow alive, I would be shunned, and I am no longer consideres a human.... yet it is only a portion of the reason as to why I feel abandoned. I have lost something important to me to the overwhelming darkness... I have forsaken my very soul to the ravenous night. I've become lost in the shell that is my being. Perhaps I should recall the events leading to this moment to try and understand how this could've happened... Why I have been denied myself. I am Indread Banks, and I have been Betrayed. *********************** Perhaps all of this occurred long ago, the feeding of the darkness, and the stealing of many a soul, along with mine... I also must understand how living in a world where the inhabitants continuously fight amongst themselves gives a big hand to such a fate. You see, on the northern side of our planet lies a tremendously vast city, built on the highest level of technology and machinery. This city and all land surrounding it is ruled by a single government who calls themselves "The Swords.” The usual stereotypes for all living here are greedy, backstabbing liars, all who are consumed with their currency. The government itself is in a state of militarization, meaning a constant draft of both male and female citizens. It would seem that all this hatred would eventually collapse under it's constant cheating of itself, yet The Swords are the most powerful and cooperative force in the world. The only force to oppose The Swords is on the southern side of the planet; A single monarchy ruled by a king named Thaues. The south is an incredible contrast in comparison to the north; Where as the Swords rule over a huge mechanical city, Thaues rules over a number of villages and towns that live in peaceful societies, surrounded by farming areas, forests and vast plains. The citizens of this like are rather oblivious to the war constantly raging between the north and south, and though some are recruited into their armies, they are mostly about their families and their spirituality. Now, there are still many other cities, villages and towns scattered around the hemispheres, but the North and South are the powers. The wars that rage on are usually over land, on occasion money. No matter what side you are on, you fight for the greed of your nation... but, perhaps Thaues is more of a good force over The Swords, for he fights only to support his followers. Perhaps it is here, under Thaues' rule, in the village Naryk, that one boy, Jarod Shayng, was cultivated in a way to have a strong sense of right and wrong; To have strong morals. However he gained his senses, he obtained it early on, and never really let go of them. In Naryk, there is a test that all must take by their 18th year to understand even vaguely their goals and challenges. It takes place in a stony temple that resides in the lush plains of the village that was built to honor the spirit of fate, and in return, fate’s very essence returns every year to help the lost in finding their paths. It was such a time of year again, and Jarod was to take place in this ritual. He lingered in his home; one of the many small, apartment-like buildings that lined the streets in a small part of the village. He lived here alone, uncared for and usually unheard of. He was a bit of a recluse, his nature to despise company and loathe socialization. He represented his family bloodline well; Rather on the short, scrawny side, quiet, and withdrawn. His dark emerald-green eyes scanned the books that lined the walls of his home; the pride of his family for generations. He attempted to relax on his bed, anxiously taking in the contents of his bedroom; one of the three rooms in his home. He knew he was to take part in the test sooner or later, and putting off going wasn't going to put the fact to rest. He had been ready for nearly an hour now; his thick, wild black hair had been somewhat tamed, a dark jacket pulled tight around his wiry upper-frame, a belt attempting to hold up his extremely loose jean-material pants, and casual black shoes tied neatly on his feet, yet he stayed in his room, debating whether he should go or not. Sighing heavily, he pulled himself to a sitting position, gave one last look outside the window of his room, and lurched himself off the bed. Slowly he made his way out of the pathetic excuse of a house he had, leaning against the outside of the entrance door once he had closed and locked it. Outside, his dark, green gaze casually drifted to a tall, stocky male who was attempting to remove what Jarod had assumed to be his little siblings from his waist and take his leave from his house as well. Renz may have been his neighbor, but Jarod had hardly took it upon himself to really get to know him. Once he had succeeded in prying the little kids off of him, he slammed the door shut, looking rather hassled. Jarod chanced a small laugh, cracking a faint smile. Renz looked up after brushing back his short, orange hair, his brown eyes fixing on Jarod. "Well, well. Look who finally came out for some sun. Hey! Nice to finally see yeh after so long!" Renz greeted, offering a hand for a shake. Jarod accepted it only to have his hand crunched in a death-grip. "Yeah... nice to see you too, Renz..." Jarod replied weakly after rubbing his knuckles deftly, his voice deep and hushed like any that had not been used frequently. "You goin' to take those bogus tests, too, eh? Well, at least we won't have to endure them alone, right?" He offered, motioning torwards the temple. "I guess." Jarod replied shrugging. "Well, let's get goin' then..." He said, nodding his head in the same direction and trudging off to the temple. Jarod didn't seem to reply until he pushed himself off the door, following Renz's lead. Jarod presented nothing but an uneasy silence while the two made their way to the temple, not really knowing how to communicate. After a while too short for Jarod's liking, they were both pulling themselves up the flight of stone stairs that led to the entrance. Once inside, it was as if the sunlight from outside didn't dare enter fate's temple, for it was nearly pitch-dark, with the exception of the clear, blue-florescent mushrooms that lined the walls and floor of the seemingly endless halls of the ancient building. Jarod shuddered involuntarily as he wondered where they would end up if the way to the main hall in which the tests took place weren't marked with lanterns filled with the blue spores from the mushrooms. They soon reached their destination, greeted by an icy cold blast of air which seemed to be made by an unseen presence. About five others stood in a single file horizontal line in front of an altar that supported a statue that stood in the middle of the room. The statue gave off an eerie aura as Jarod joined Renz and the others in line, the cloaked figure of a skeletal creature not exactly comforting to begin with. From a door directly behind the statue came out two robed figures; the caretakers of the shrine. They stood on both sides of the altar and bowed to the seven in the line as they took their places. The seven all executed a simultaneous, untrained bow in return, giving nervous glances to each other. "...The tests will begin shortly." One of the caretakers announced, though it was hard to tell which one had said it. "All you will be required to do is stand still. Fate will do the rest." Jarod took on an unsure feeling about the tests, but obeyed, none the less. Suddenly, from beneath the cloak of the statue there seemed to be a small, blueish glow where the eyes should be. Jarod at first thought it to be just his eyes acting up, but after a few moments, the gasps from two girls made it clear that they were indeed glowing a blue similar to that of the mushrooms. The presence that greeted them now seemed to flow through the room, like a gale that flew over the seas. Jarod felt it weave its way down the line, starting with the person at the beginning of the line, pausing, as if communicating with someone, then continuing down the line with each person. Jarod was the last in the line of people, so naturally he was last to be passed by the spirit. Once he felt the icy cold presence surround him, it slowed its flow, as if amused. The blue eyes on the statue seemed to suddenly focus on him, the glow burning into his retinas. They seemed to shift in color.... from their icy blue, to a watery turquoise, to a powerful green.... Yet it couldn't be. Jarod shut his eyes tightly and shook his head, once again locking his gaze on the statue. Yet, there the green still burned; in fact pulsed. Once again he was confused. What was going on? A faceless laugh then burst into his head, nearly overpowering his grasp on reality. He staggered a bit, the sound pounding in his head. He then was rushed again with an overwhelming voice in his mind, words pounding into his very being. He tried desperately to endure the pain as it seared through his entire body, wave after wave consuming him as the words beat on. From Renz's point of view, all he could see was Jarod's hands curl up into fists and hold tight to the hair on his temples, his countenance flushed of emotion, pale skin drenched in sweat. His eyes turned glossy, and his teeth grit together tightly. Jarod fell to his knees, as if compelled by some other worldly force, and the ground rushed up to meet him not long after, like a puppet who's strings had been severed. ***************** Jarod gripped his head in a vain attempt to ease the dull yet mind-numbing beating in his head. He sat in the cool shadow of the temple on its steps, still a little dazed from passing out. He had been taken out of the temple while the others were told what the spirit of fate had communicated to the caretakers. Jarod faintly regarded Renz as he heavily trudged down the stone steps. He stopped once he was standing next to Jarod. "Man, I can't believe what they told me. 'Said I was going to help turn the tides in the war, or somethin' like that... Like I care about politics. The whole world can be set on fire, and I wouldn't even notice." Renz said in a rather irked tone, Jarod turning his head to look at him from a side glance. "Thought you didn't believe in these tests." He replied, Renz looking a bit startled. "Well, yeah, but... 'Didn't think they were going to tell me something like that." He replied, looking a bit offended. "What about you, man? What happened back there? You... blacked out?" Renz queried, finally pointing out the obvious. "Yeah... I know." Jarod replied, forcing himself to his feet and fighting off the dizzy sickness the sudden movement gave to him. "Well... did anyone tell you what your so called 'fate' is going to be?" Renz continued, following him with an energy Jarod could never posses. "All I know is that someone was... in my head..." Even now the words still pounded in his mind, giving him a sick feeling. "I'm to be recruited in Thaues' army. The path thereafter will test my strengths... or something." Jarod said, grasping the ruthless dictations. Renz stopped dead. "...Wait... you? In... Thaues' army?!" Jarod cringed inwardly as Renz burst into hysterics. "Glad you're amused." Jarod remarked, looking back to Renz. "Haah... look, man. No offence, but... you're not exactly what I would call 'soldier material,' you know? I mean, your one of the shortest, scrawniest guys in our village, and there's no way you're hard-headed enough to fight face-to-face with anyone." Renz replied in defense. Jarod merely turned back to the small, secluded village that he resided in. "Well, I might as well. I don't have anything planned, and becoming a recruit may help me out. Moreover... it's what my father wanted of it." Jarod said, pausing for a moment as he thought of his deceased father and mother. They had been killed in a raid The Swords had executed about eight years ago. Jarod had only survived by the smallest bit of chance, only to be the one who felt the pain from the loss after. He shook his head. "Oh... right. Sorry..." Renz replied, his loud tones dying down a bit. "It’s not your fault. Anyway... I'm going to go to the recruit center." He finished, walking with a hastened pace torwards the village. "So... you're sure about this? I mean, you're going to take the advice from that old statue?" Renz asked, considering what the caretakers had told him. "Yeah... I am. Aren't you going, too?" He queried, also recalling Renz's foretold fate. "Ah... I guess... Besides, you'd probably need some backup, right? So, I'll come along." He announced, also making his way torwards the center. It would be easy to be recruited; Thaues didn't have the biggest armies, and Naryk was always a target, being the biggest village in the south. It was just... Renz had been absolutely correct in pointing out Jarod's not being soldier material, yet the spirit had told him exactly what to do. Perhaps it was mistaken, and even thinking of enlisting in the army was ludicrous. Yet.... it seemed so sure... What had he to lose? As the two finally neared the gate to the docks that resided miles away, they veered torwards a tower that loomed over the left side of the gate. There, two soldiers stood guard at the entrance, and Jarod picked up small pieces of their conversations. "...Yeah, a full on attack, right here on the shore! We only have about an hour to prepare! I'm not sure if we can take the beating that's ahead of us..." They stopped once Jarod and Renz were in view. "...’You two here because the tests appointed you, huh?" One of them asked with hostility in his voice. "Uh... yeah. That about sums it up." Renz replied nonchalantly. "Fine. You're in, just like that, or so says the General. You two aren't even to be tested. Isn't that just peachy-keen? Unlike the rest of us who actually have to work to join the ranks... Well guess what? You two can experience war head on whether you want to or not! Go right to the head of the docks. The General's about to preach about the oncoming Swords ships that are flying over here to send down a few of their recruits to try and whittle down our defenses... Or, you can go home right now, if you're not up for the challenge." One of the guards offered cruelly, his comrade wearing a smug grin. "Fine. I don't care. Just give me the standard issue, and I'll shut up and go." Jarod replied stiffly, not bothered by the Guard's rough challenge. "Fine. Get inside and get suited up. There you'll find your 'standard issue.'" He replied hotly, motioning to the door. Renz stifled a protest, and followed Jarod through the door. After they had suited up in uniform and armor, the two picked their guns from a wall that already had many missing. Clearly the guards weren't kidding; A battle was afoot. Jarod seemed to make nothing of it, yet Renz had a nervous twitch to his hand as they exited the tower and walked down to the docks. A dark, gloomy cloud hung heavily overhead, matching Jarod's melancholy mood as he and Renz filed in the strict lines that about fifty other recruits stood in at attention. A few rash glances were sent torwards Renz and Jarod as they all awaited the General. Renz looked to Jarod, looking somewhat worried. “Isn’t this harassment? I mean, we don’t HAVE to be here. We haven’t even undergone training for this stuff!” He whispered, lifting his gun. “I’ve heard about initiations. Armies are always fighting something, considering how hostile The Swords are, and the new recruits are usually thrown right in. If we don’t accept it, it’ll be classified as disobeying a leading officer, considering we’re lower ranks, and will be pitched straight on out of here.” He replied stiffly, staring ahead. “You think we’ll live?” Renz then asked, looking forth as well. Jarod merely shrugged as the General came into view. He was tall, burly, and walked stiffly as he marched torwards the head of the lines. "Gentlemen... This is an emergency draft. At fifteen hundred, our scanners picked up a lone Swords ship flying directly in our direction. What their intentions are, we aren't sure, but we need to protect our village. Men, I need you to stop that ship! A lead team will have to get directly under the main hull and shoot out their front landing gear. After taking them out that should provoke their recruits enough to lure them out. We'll me ready for them, and we'll take out as many men on board! I understand that this is very sudden, but nothing can be done about it. We will protect Naryk at all costs." He explained clearly and enthusiastically, appointing teams after he had finished. Jarod and Renz were on separate teams, but were appointed to do the same thing; Fight any soldiers that came out of the ship. Once all the men had a mission to do, they were issued a place on the shoreline, just off the beach, and back torwards the docks. Jarod gripped his weapon tightly as he began to see something far off in the distance. "Positions, men!" The General commanded, the recruits in return darting to their assigned places. Sure enough, a massive, low-flying ship was in view, colored a dark green and sized medium as far as Swords ships went. Jarod felt his pulse in his head and the hairs raise on his neck as he saw the ship loom closer and closer with every passing moment. The ten men that waited at the shoreline to take out the gear fidgeted, the fifteen men at the docks gripped their weapons tightly, and the twenty-five men along with Jarod and Renz stood stone still as the massive ship hovered over the raging ocean below it. Jarod exhaled, his brow set low, and kept his eyes focused on the ship that loomed over the beach. "NOW!" The General commanded to the ten at the front, in turn firing their weapons off at the only slightly visible panel that marked the landing gear. Their hits were successful, and they quickly fell back to the docks as the smoke billowed out from the gear. The fifteen behind the mid-landers rushed forth as men began to pour out of the ship, guns blazing. Jarod raced forward as well, a rage burning within him that was both unfamiliar and malevolent to him. From what he could remember, all was just a blur. Those suited in navy were allies, and those in green were nothing but something to shoot. Amazing how something as peaceful as a beach can become a cold, unforgiving battle field where many were slain. Jarod snapped back to his normal thinking once he spotted Renz, also looking a little rushed and mad. Back to back with each other and taking out as many as they could stand, Jarod heard Renz utter a groan. He looked over his shoulder. “You allright?” He asked after gutting a man who had come too close to the machetti that was bound to the tip of his gun. Renz nodded, and they whirled away from each other, once agian living to see the blood of their enemies fall to the sandy terra. Jarod hardly believed it once The Swords started retreating into their ship, and was one of the first to board it and continue to kill any who opposed him. He was the only one to find his way into the Control Room and confront the captain. He walked in as stealthily as a shadow, and aimed the laser pointer of his gun dead center in the back of the white-jacketed figure who stood at the ship's controls. "...Surrender..." he announced darkly to the tall, slender figure. They slowly raised their hands, nearly freezing as they heard his voice, and turned. Jarod was rather surprised as he looked on the Captain. In Naryk, only men were recruited into armies. The captain that led the ship on, however, was female. He wondered for a split second how different The Swords' armies were from theirs. She scowled cruelly in reply to his presence, throwing her wild, dark brown hair over her shoulderas if she cared not if he was there or not. She uttered something in her native tongue, her tone containing so much venom that Jarod couldn't help but falter a bit. It took him an anxious few moments to realize she was trying to call for backup from a button on the controls. "FREEZE!" He demanded gruffly, letting his massive gun hang off of his neck from the shoulder strap it was attached to, and rushing forth to hold her hands behind her back. Female or not, she was still a threat. He heard Renz's heavy footsteps sound from behind him as he navigated through the vessel to find his comrade. "...Then that's all of 'em." He said huffily, also a little surprised at seeing a woman."Let's take the Captain to the General, and--" Renz stopped, the General coming up behind him. "So, this is the entrusted pilot, Eh? Good work, Jarod." The General nodded, Jarod returning it in the same manner. "Bring her to the main hull of the ship. My men have a fitting punishment for her..." Jarod nodded once again while the General and Renz both made their way to the main deck. Jarod tried maneuvering the girl forward, but she refused to budge. Loosening his grip on her wrists, he positioned the gun in the middle of her back once again. She seemed to understand and walked forth, but then, with her wrists free, She pulled a dagger out from her coat and, in a motion so quick and fluid that Jarod had no time to react, cut into Jarod's left brow. "AARRGH!" Jarod exclaimed, his gun sliding off his neck and clattering to the floor. The cold sting of the blade lingered even after it had left his skin, numbing the trickling sensation the warm, thick blood gave to his pale face as it ran down from his wound. Renz, hearing the commotion, ran back, and, seeing the knife, disarmed the woman. "Let her go, Renz." Jarod demanded in a low tone as he slowly turned his bloody face to scowl at her in a way Renz didn't think humanly possible. He complied, releasing her. Jarod's green eyes seemed to burn into the girl, even though his brow was drawn a bit too low to see them fully. She uttered something in her dry, flat language, the hairs on Jarod's neck rising as his rage built. Her eyes, a dark color of maroon, returned his rage with the same kind of burn, but slowly lost confidence in themselves as she slowly realized how enraged he was. Panting heavily, she rushed him, Jarod meeting her with ready fists. He struggled, but he fought her to a wall, holding her throat. His teeth grit, he felt a wild, mad rage stir within him as her maroon eyes scowled at him. She had begun to struggle for air when Renz pulled Jarod off her, pushing him against a wall this time. "The HELL is wrong with you, man? Calm down." Renz demanded, Jarod's breathing slowly returning to a normal pace. Renz let him go, and escorted the woman out. Jarod stood still for a moment, unsure what had happened. What had driven him to just....? He shook his head to try to clear his mind of any confusions. He smoothed his hair back and picked his gun up from the floor where it had fallen. He staggered down the stairs to the room where the General, the woman, Renz and a few men stood at attention. The General shot Jarod a wry look as he noted the blood running down his face. Jarod's hand shot up, rubbing some of it off. Shaking his head, the General announced, "I don't understand why they would only send one ship to launch an attack. With such a small amount of people, too... still, it doesn't mean this still isn't a victory. Well done, men. Take her down to the room we discovered earlier." He commanded a few men who took the woman down a flight of stairs. "Jarod, I would like to apologize for you having been thrusted into battle. However, considering your preformance today, I think that recommending you to the Defense Cooperation for more training is neccissary. Our numbers are dwindling there, and they could teach you much more there than we could." The General addressed Jarod with a slight sense of confidence. "Your work out here was more than what I could've expected from any soldier, let alone a new recruit. You have what it takes to be a student there. What do you say?" He finished, offering a hand to shake. "Yes sir. I would be proud to." Jarod replied, taking the handshake. "Very well. We should be shipping you out there along with a few others sometime within next week, so be prepared." The General replied before moving his men out to clean up the shore. Jarod was excused to get his things together and other preparations. Jarod had unarmed himself at the tower and donned his normal clothes once again. Once he had left, he slowly walked through the village, feeling shaken. It was odd... it was almost as if the citizens had no idea the battle had just occurred. They never really questioned the life outside their village, never cared much for the war. Jarod didn't understand how they could just make the fact that the war was raging on null to their lives. Shaking his head, he pushed the door to his house open. "...The Defense Cooperation, huh?" Jarod thought to himself, cleaning the blood off his brow with a washcloth and tending to the cut. He had heard of the Cooperation; a relatively large foundation in the western cities that was built around it, as if it was it’s quarterstone. It trained it's attendants in styles of defense and attack, in science and spirits. Pictures he had seen depicted a rather dank yet comfortable city that was occupied by many. Mulling it over, he recalled the words that had beat into his head... “...You are to join Thaues’ armies. From there, you will be appointed to a place where you will soon become a true guardian...” He laughed a bit, not thinking he could really be a so-called, ‘guardian’. He shrugged, brushing off the thought. Once again relaxing on his bed, he nodded to himself. "...Yeah. I'm goin' there." ************************************** …In more than one thing, silence is key. This was a major rule as the three shadow-like forms rushed across the salted sands of the southern sea’s beach, flitting from boulder to scattered boulder. The leader of the three Swords agents peered around yet another large rock, the downed ship in sight. He waved to his squad once the coast was more than clear, and they quickly, following each other’s footsteps to perfection, ran head-long to the entrance of the dark shadow against the night. They hugged the side of the entrance, somewhat surprised that it had been left unguarded. They pressed on, entering the green, malevolent light of the inside of the ship. Even having boarded vessels like these countless times, they never had gotten fully used to the feel of them. The leader, somewhat annoyed with his squad’s obvious freshness to their jobs as they followed much too closely, being able to feel each other’s breath on their necks, took the sharpest turns as possible, trying to leave them behind, no matter how deeply in vain the attempt was. Finally, checking the maps that were here and there on the walls of the massive ship, they found the room where their target should be. They were just outside it, now, the brilliance of the sickly, neon-green light that filled it nearly intoxicating to the mind. The leader halted his squadron, precariously tip-toeing in before them. There was no one to be seen… yet, something seemed deeply amiss. His eyes, unseen behind the dark visor he wore that scanned his surroundings, moved quickly, like an endangered animal that was being toyed with before it’s hunter moved in for the final kill. He slowly approached the control panel that lied just before the massive, green-liquid filled test-tube that held the victim just within its orb-like prison. She slept… She had been sleeping for five months, now. Her eyes continued to move just under their lids, as if she was scrying for something within her dreams. He slowly typed in the override codes, a soft siren wailing as the liquid was drained. As he watched the captive captian’s feet touch the floor of the tube, he froze as her eyes shot open, quicker than the firing of a bullet. They stared at him with pure contempt, red not by irritation, but by a power so angered that it seemed no entity on the planet could withhold it. The glass that contained the girl shattered into oblivion by an unseen force, and, as a gag was sounded from the mouth of the leader, his comrades shot in, incredulous as they found their captain on the floor, convulsing as blood thickly drained from his mouth. They raised their weapons to her, hands shaking. With a tilt of her head, they, too, fell to the floor, their blood giving it a new coat of paint. She stepped to another vast control panel, typing in connection codes for a signal. Pressing a button on a microphone she was given by the massive computer, she breathed into it softly, murmuring, “…ID #97554 reporting. Send in emergency rescue ships immediately.” As she listened to the reply of the noise, she growled under her breathing. “…Now.” She added in a dark, malevolent voice, this time the whining of another microphone being knocked over answering to her call, just before a single voice called out, “…All… a-all right! Yes! We’ll… Arrgh! We’ll send the ship! Just don’t… Just stop… please…!!!” A scream of pure anguish filled the line that had responded to her call, and the worried voices of others soon followed it. She nodded, smoothing back her long, wild hair, a satisfied smirk passing over her countenance. ********************** Awake, again. Perhaps this time, it was not in vain. She could feel the rising of something new… of some massive change just on the horizon. She stretched, flinching as her body was seized with pain. She groaned as she doubled-over, not able to keep her strength up. She felt herself slipping once again into darkness… A few more days had passed, and she was finally ready to rise with the moon. She exited the door of her dorm, the cold linoleum of the hallway awaking her with every foot placed. She was heading to the central building of the Defense Cooperation, hoping she could retrieve the work she had lost over the past… months, was it? She could hardly remember the words her ally, Sevrough, had told her a few days ago. “You had been captured by the enemy, don’t you remember? When they sent that invasion of Thaues’ main-land, the effort was ceased, and you were kept alive as a hostage. Who knows what kind of untrained testing they did to you while you were out…” Why had she been allowed to be captured for so long? What kept her allies from rescuing her? Upon asking him this, he had replied, “Not sure. I think they were so surprised that they had been stopped, that they were at a loss whether to rescue you, or unleash a full-on assault. That much tactical force from Thaues’ army? It made us all a little uneasy. Especially having to share the Defense Cooperation here with the likes of them… They’re getting smarter. Good thing that they sent that team in for you when they did, though… you might not have made it. Still… I can’t believe that you…” What? What had she done? He refused to give an answer. He merely left her after that, a glass of hot tea next to her bed. It still remained there after she woke up, but she had no intentions on drinking it. Hunger is what ailed her right now… Heading to the cafeteria, which had to be open at all times, considering that the south and north had different time zones and didn’t eat and sleep at the same time, she sat down at a table alone, enjoying a cup of hot soup. She peered around, and to her amusement, she spotted another who was sitting alone. She was wonderful at remembering faces; there was not one from either the Swords or Thaues’ kingdom that she could not recall. Yet, here was a fresh countenance, hard to see under thick, black bangs. He was thin; too thin for his clothes, even. He kept his black slacks up with a thick leather belt which had been given an extra notch just to fit around his thin waist. His white shirt was messily tucked in, bits of it sticking out from under his long, black leather jacket. He had a pale complexion, like the kind a person gets when they see little sun. By the way he bent over his food, how he let his black hair messily dress his forehead and disguise his dark, emerald-green eyes… She could tell that he had a past just as dark as her own. She was about to approach him… Even say something, but before she knew it, he left. She watched him with her maroon-colored eyes, feeling somewhat oddly as she felt him pass. Soon, she was again joined by Sevrough. He said nothing, but stayed in the booth all the same. She shook her head as she tore her gaze away from the one thing on the stranger’s face that made her stomach churn. A long scar, most likely created by the blade of a knife, which marked his left eye. …She knew very well it was him… but he seemed to give no recognition to her. What was he doing awake? People from the south slept at these hours… “..There’s been reports of the Shaydes coming close to the federation again… nothing to be worried about, but we’re to keep alert nevertheless-“ He stopped, a blaring siren cutting off his sentence. The Shaydes are shadows that gather in bunches to create a tangible being. They pursue after people, reaping them of their very souls. It has been said that anyone who plunges into darkness on their own will, they become one of these creatures, feeding off humans for the souls they so carelessly bear. The siren warned all of the inhabitants in the Cooperation that they had entered the great building, and that they were to prepare to fend them off. Giving each other an uneasy glance, Sevrough spoke to the girl. “…Let’s go, Red.” Both standing simultaneously and heading to their dorms to retrieve their weaponry. They had entered through the front; a brave stride for such inconspicuous creatures. People by the dozens were already fighting them off, both from the south and north. As the onslaught continued on, Red and Sevrough ran head-long into the crowd, Sevrough’s grip tight along his knives, Red’s fingers dancing across the handle of her dual-bladed short sword. She had lost count by now, yet the green eyes on the cumulated darkness still faced her, their numbers seemingly never-ending. As much as she fought, they began to advance upon her, her strength slowly fading out. “Sevrough!” She called out, unsure of how long she could keep her defense up. There was no response. She would simply have to continue her fighting alone… Finally, she was surrounded. Fear pulsed through her mind as she realized she was far from well enough to handle this… She tried, slaying Shayde after Shayde, keeping herself as distanced as she could to avoid losing her soul to their darkness. It was not enough. Soon, she felt the light-headedness one feels when death beckons and darkness closes in. Her mind ran through thousands of thoughts that soon confused her as they became melded together as she could no longer make sense of up and down. She started to fall to the ground, her eyes unfocused and the Shaydes closing in on her, preparing to feast upon her wispy soul… Suddenly, the heaviness of the darkness was lightened, and her breathing started to regulate. She opened her eyes to the light, realizing that the onslaught had been ebbed. Over her stood a single figure; dark against the light, yet she could still recognize him. The one she had fought with on the ship; the one who she had scarred. He looked down to her, eyes intense and bright. ‘Get up quickly!’ He seemed to shout, though she could not determine the sounds his voice made from the countless screams from both Shayde and Human. She did as she was told, scrambling to her feet and grabbing up her short-blade. She was back-to-back with this stranger, now, both wielding a sword, both on edge. She could hear him murmuring something, now, the sound less than what it was, but it was undeterminable, considering she now realized he spoke in a different tongue than she. Red shook her head, once again cutting down the onslaught with her weapon, this time feeling slightly more confident with someone to help. Suddenly, the masses began to slip away into the distance, as if they were once again forming a Shayde… yet they were already solidified. What was going on? The one at her back was paying no attention to the mass of Shaydes that were forming one huge, malevolent creature, towering over everyone. She shouted, “Watch out! It’s headed this way!” To her current ally, though he gave no sign of understanding. In a slight panic, she went quickly to her pockets, retrieving a device that looked somewhat like a radio of some sort… Turning, she thrust the device to his ear, he in turn freezing for a moment as if he had been slapped in the face. It beeped. She pulled it away, swallowing. It WAS considered illegal, but this was an emergency. “Hurry! It’s after us, now!” She shouted, pointing at the massive demon-like Shayde formation that was slowly lumbering to them. He shook his head as if he was suffering from a massive dizziness, then, turned to her in surprise. “Huh… What? You can speak our language…?” He asked, dazed. “Get down!!” She demanded as the creature thrust a tremendous arm down at them. She pushed him aside, ready to take the blow, but soon found herself falling alongside him. She shook her head as she pulled herself off him. “What was that for!?” She demanded, looking over her shoulder to the beast. “…You’re… You’re the girl from the Sword’s ship!!” He declared, eyes fiery. “Yes, wonderful of you to figure that out NOW. Let’s get the hell out of here!!” She replied hurriedly, grasping his arm and pulling him out of the lobby. Men in uniforms encircled the massive apparition, guns aimed at it. It gave one last final haunting screech before the shots were fired; Shots of pure light energy focused in on the weapon’s wielder’s target. Soon every Shayde was gone and nothing but their dying screams were heard in the entire building. Red was against a wall, covering her ears and shaking wildly as she tried to block out their wails of anguish. The stranger stood in front of her, peering over his shoulder to make sure it was once again safe. He removed his hands from the wall behind her, looking down to her after he placed a pair of wire-rimmed glasses on his long nose, face stern. Once she had calmed herself and regained her breathing, she looked up to him, flinching at the fire in his emerald gaze. She offered a weak smile, saying simply, “…Well, I sure do have quite a lot of explaining to do… don’t I?” She asked, he nodding sternly in return. “…Who ARE you? How are you speaking my language so suddenly? How did you escape the cell you were placed in, and why was that attack launched on my homeland?” He demanded sternly, voice low and solemn. She sighed, walking in the direction of the cafeteria. “I’ll explain everything… I just need some coffee…” Jarod sat in front of her, slightly scowling as she entered the booth. She took a deep drink from her mug, looking to it so she wouldn’t have to stare into his eyes. “...My name’s Red, and yes, I do work for the Swords… Though I’m not so sure about that, now. The attack launched on your home was not supposed to happen, really. It was as if… they were trying to lure your people out, and yet… after our fleet attacked, the rest of the army refused to launch another wave. She looked up. “I escaped because a troop was sent to retrieve me. They were a rookie squadron, save their leader, but they managed…” He studied her. “Are they here, too?” He asked eyes stony. “…No. They are dead.” She replied stiffly, taking another sip of her drink. He looked slightly confused. “…How?” “Not sure, really. People are blaming me for it, but I can’t remember a thing...” she trailed off, eyes distant. “…Not to rush things, but how exactly are we understanding each other right now?” He pressed, leaning back into the plush leather of the booth. She looked up, face flushing. She pulled out the gadget she had used, and presented it cautiously; making sure no one was close enough to recognize it. “…This is a mind-alteration mechanism. It’s supposed to be illegal, but… I had to! You had no idea what I was saying, and…” She trailed off, biting her lip. Jarod stared at her incredulously. “…You’re telling me that you altered my brain?!” He asked, keeping his voice low, though he couldn’t hide the sheer panic and anger that danced in his eyes. She cringed at the intensity in his voice, nodding slightly, almost afraid to relay the truth. Jarod back in his chair, looking as if he had just in a bad fight. “Look, it’s not that bad.” She offered, her words halting as he looked to her, his gaze full of hatred. She looked aside. “I don’t see how it isn’t. I DESPISE you Swords. Now I have to speak your language? It’s sickening. Fix my head NOW.” He demanded, shoving the device back into her hands. She looked it over, fingers shaky. “I... um... huh.” She replied, looking confounded. “I was never told how to reverse it.” She announced, looking to him once agian, her face trying to look calm, though she was terrified of him. She remembered how he had nearly killed her... He merely stared at her, every bit of malice in the world focused in his gaze. He then shook his head, standing. “I don’t believe this.” He growled, storming off. She followed, grabbing his arm. “Look, just calm down.” She pleaded, noting that people were staring at them. “Easy for you to say, you still speak your own language!” He replied fevrently, his eyes flaring. “I have a friend! He knows his way around this stuff, he can fix it and--“ She stopped, her eyes wide as she watched Sevrough stagger into the cafeteria, his left shoulder drenched in blood, his hands still gripping onto his knives. “Sevrough!!” She exclaimed, rushing to his side, helping him over to a booth. He sat, head rolling over the back of the seat, his breathing shallow and shaky. “I’ll get someone from the hospital wing.” Jarod announced, leaving. “What happened? Where were you, I tried calling for you, but...!!” Red asked, though he could give no answer. She shook her head, ignoring the people who left in a hurry as if he were something diseased. “I’m not sure... I was fighting for a good while, but then... I blacked out. I never heard you call.” He replied, bearly breathing between each word. She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. Just stop talking, I’m sorry I asked.” She replied, rolling up his sleeve and thrusting a stray napkin into a glass of water, cleaning the blood off his left side, her eyes wild as she worked carefully. When the assistant from the hospital wing finally came with a bed-cart, Sevrough had nearly passed out from the blood loss the massive wound on his shoulder had created. “Only one of you!?” She demanded, her face in a scowl. “There’s a lot of injured people in our department right now, ma’am. We’re trying the best we can.” The nurse assured as he and Jarod lifted Renz onto the cart, leaving alone. Red stared after him, looking deeply worried. She tightly closed her eyes for an instant, swallowing back tears. Jarod said nothing untill he realized that the cafeteria was now empty. “...Pathetic weaklings... can’t even handle a little blood.” He grumbled, turning away from the girl as she fell to her knees, cringing. He had no choice to turn back to her, the anger in his eyes somewhat faded. “...Look, it’s not your fault, okay? No point in crying over something that you couldn’t have prevented.” He finally announced sternly, helping pick her up as she limply reached a hand to him. “...Why don’t we see this friend of yours about that gadget.” He offered, trying to both get off this subject and remind her about the other incident at hand. She nodded, rubbing her eyes with a gloved hand. “Yeah, let’s go see Wyll. He’ll know what to do.” Jarod’s mouth was close to dropping once the door they had knocked on glided upwards to open, allowing them to walk into what Jarod swore was an electrical hazard to the very existance of the world. Whoever lived in this dorm had made it into a laboratory of some sort. Pushing his glasses up his nose, he followed Red rather closely, not sure what to expect. “Wyll!” She called, a crash heard shortly after that came from somewhere near the back of the dorm. She sighed, shaking her head. “It’s just me and a er... friend.” She finished, poking her head around a doorway. A tramuatized sigh was heard, followed by a few more crashes. “Oooh... I thought it was another inspection... I wasn’t nearly ready for a second scan-through; I’ve got a lot of hazardous things lying about, and if they were to find it, well...” Red shook her head, walking in and picking up some rather odd-looking bits of machinery here and there, trying to pick up slightly. He was short, thin, and fit the typical ‘computer-nerd’ classification better than anyone Jarod had seen. He picked himself up, fixing the thick spectacles on his nose, his light-colored, messy hair pushed out of his face just enough for his vision not to be impared. “What’s going on?” He asked Red, pushing some large, silver tubes out of the way with his feet. Red, saying nothing, handed him the device that had changed Jarod’s language. He looked it over, nodding. “I remember the design for these... Where’d you get it?” He asked, looking up to her. “I found it among the mess of stuff in here. I thought it would be useful.” She replied, putting the things she had picked up away in a few random cabinets. He thought for a second, looking lost in thought. “...Oh, yes... I do remember that, now... that you...” He trailed off, recalling how he had put it together. Red rolled her eyes. “...The point is... Jarod here was the one to test it out.” She pressed, jabbing a thumb to him. Will looked excited. “Really...? Did it work?” Jarod looked irked. “Too well.” He replied, face stern. Wyll swallowed hard. “Oh. I see... Wait, then that means you’re not from the south...?” He asked, looking confused. Jarod nodded. “He’s one of Thaues’.” Red replied, crossing her arms. “He doesn’t look like it. Normally people from the south have dark-colored eyes and skin.” Wyll thought aloud, raising a brow. Jarod shrugged, looking annoyed. “Say what you will, I just want to speak normally agian.” He grumbled, looking away. Will looked suprised. “You haven’t been reverted? He asked, looking back and forth between the two. Red shook her head, sitting herself at one of the many computers. He looked down to the device, face focused. “...It won’t revert... huh. I’ll have to tinker with it for a while to see what’s wrong. You two don’t mind waiting, do you?" Red shook her head, logging into her files on the Cooperation’s system. Jarod sighed, taking a chair next to her. “I’ve lost a lot of work...” She murmured to herself, scrolling through her courses and the sessions she had missed. “Oh well. Nothing I can’t make up.” Jarod watched the screen over his shoulder, looking interested. “...You can take all those courses?” He asked, eyes reading the ones she both did and did not take. Red nodded. “Can’t you?” He shook his head. “We’re limited in our studies... It’s like we’re not supposed to get too smart.” He replied, looking away. Red scowled. “That Thaues... I don’t trust him.” She grumbled, jotting down the sessions she thought useful enough to read up on. His head snapped to look back to her. “I don’t trust the Swords.” He muttered, scowling as well. Red shrugged. “Neither do I, really... after that last attack, it seems to me like they meant for us to die...” She trailed off in reply, pausing for a minute as she really considered the fact that what she had said might be true. Jarod, however, quickly got over it, and resumed his interestin the long list of courses that were availiable. “Physics... Anatomy... I wouldn’t mind taking those up...” He mused, Red rolling her eyes. “You couldn’t pick more boring topics, could you?” She asked offhandedly, looking rather uninterested. “They’re based on movement and the stresses a body can take. It’s a good thing to learn for fighting... Plus, taking a few extra courses on certian other sciences couldn’t hurt...” He trailed off, Red sticking her tounge out. “That’s nice, I suppose, but you couldn’t take them. You’re from the south.” She snapped, closing the files. He thought for a moment, looking determined. “...Hardly anyone knows that... I mean, I just got here. I’m not even fully registered yet... There’s got to be a way.” He turned to Will. “Isn’t there a way to manipulate my profiles in the Cooperation’s system for a while?” He asked, eyes bright. Will turned away from the device, not really comprehending how dangerous the task was. “Easier than most tasks, yeah... But, if I may ask, why?” He replied, Red turning from her computer and shaking her head. Jarod seemed to think deeply for a moment, despite the obvious stares Indread and Wyll gave him. He began to contemplate the possibilities these courses could open to him.