Terrripped her fad body. “Where’s my brother?!” Yumi clutched onto Yuki’s tunic digging her fingers into the fabribsp; The happihat existed in her heart a moment before pletely vanished. All that filled her eyes was sad, cold tears.

  Yuki lifted his hands towards Yumi, but stopped. Any words that he thought to try to fort her rang hollow to him. The only thing he could do was let her cry and be o her. He looked up at Saki, not saying a word. Their eyes ected and that was all they needed.

  She o him and disappeared. Around him, Chiharu and Haruo kept their distan silence, while Fumiko remained departed restio Seiji. The only missing one from the group was Ayumi. No one knew anything about her whereabouts. In the quiet still, the disappearance of Yori made them wonder if they took Ayumi as well.

  Any feeling of victory they had spilled out with the new mood. A heavy weight seemed to fall upon everyone. They had ne to move. Fatigue and soreness filled in where certainty and resolve used to be.

  Saki returned after several minutes looking a little short oh. She leaned over with her hands propped off her knees. “I’m sorry…”

  New despair sank into Yumi. “…Yori…”

  Chapter 123 – Captured Souls

  Late m became early afternoon as time resumed a faster pace of travel. The fields had workers from the nearby vilges tending to crops. Awkward smoke rose in the distance from Skoupa, a faint reminder of the chaotiight. Further away border vilges took note of the gray clouds and already sent messeo learn of their neighbors. Rumors only began to spread out to the vilge in a slow web.

  No longer possible to hide, the amassing encampment of the South Gate soldiers soured the mood of the region. Their focus remained on gathering. Only a few soldiers wandered into the vilge looking for supplies or visiting family members. Nothing happened yet, but all of the vilgers remained uneasy about their presence.

  In the camp, people shouted and ran around. The men from the advaeam with the Captaiurned. Stretchers carried all of the regur soldiers over to the medical tent. While none had life threatening ditions, Simonides ordered an examination of everyone.

  The only MP still with the mental energy to transport everyone back, Heber, leapt down out of the driver seat. He sed through the long covered ftbed of soldiers. The vehicle floated off the ground with no wheels, it made for a safer trip. He performed treatments on everyone, but he still had their safety in mind on the ride back.

  Two men carried the stretcher for Antipas past Heber. He gazed down at Antipas sleeping off his fatigue. When he arrived to retrieve Antipas from the battlefield, he found his dition strange. It bothered him on the ride back, but he never brought it up to the Captain. He saw the deep calg thoughts that entrapped the Captain for the erip.

  Ohe st of the soldiers departed, the Captain finally came out of the back of the vehicle, helping in the moving of his men. Heber dropped his Field and approached him. “Captain…may I speak?”

  Simonides shifted his eyes up at Heber before tilting his head. “What is it?”

  “There’s something about these rebels that doesn’t feel right.”

  “Hmm…” He kept his face stern trying to hide his own s and thoughts. Heber spent a little too much time around him. He became aced to deteg minor details from him. A habit he cimed helped him when tending to the wounded or suffering.

  “Sir, Antipas had no injuries even though he fought with the rebels. His dition means that he lost, but why doesn’t have any injuries?” He saw the Captain still refraining from speaking. “Eusebios came back the same way even though he reported being gravely wounded by his oppo.”

  “As observant as always, Heber.” He started walking away in the dire of his personal tent.

  “But you already know all of this, don’t you, Captain? And it’s troubling you!”

  Simonides paused, keeping his back to the man. “Don’t fet our positions.” He lifted his leg to resume his pace, but didn’t make it fully before the st pause. “Though tired, I would imagihe examinations will be aided by your presence.”

  The departure of Simonides left Heber alone iern edge of the camp. He khat frustration at the denial did him little good. While a little cold, he could be of use with the men. They all had been soundly defeated. He could only imagiheir morale and fatigue. Heber turned and walked off in the dire of the medical tents.

  Brushing the tent fps aside, Simoormed into the sparsely filled tent. The terse versation with Heber had him a little edgy. He had a lot on his mind, as Heber koo well. All of the tactics he had spun around. The battle gained him a greater uanding of their enemy, but his gut had an uneasihat he couldn’t shake. He didn’t know how it reted to the numerous questions and s that he still had.

  He dropped himself in his chair with a wooden desk set near. His questions made him start from the beginning to reset everything in his mind. ‘One day ago they intruded through the barrier. No clear sign that it had any effe them.’ The ck of effect by the barrier only meant that they received help. ‘The rebel MPs grahem access.’ An important question came with the thought of rebel MPs. ‘Were they trained by the military or ohat evaded our scouting?’ Citizens that dispyed the Meso Prosecho required military servibsp; A subject ofteered at the core of rebels.

  New information from the battle revealed light to something that previously eluded him. ‘The teen girl that disappears…her powers are the reason the search party was taken out. An invisible enemy is dangerous. I’ll o have them create a specialized Field to deal with her. She’ll be more important to stop thahers.’ Her powers used on his men still left him a little fused, but knowing that bit of information would ge the enter.

  ‘The rough teen that relied on strength has been figured out. He showed only high offensive and defensive powers, but they be broken. He’s too slow to be able to do anything.’

  Photine’s battle left him feeling uain. She lost the battle, but it seemed to be having too many peaks. ‘Several times it looked like she was losing only to turn it around and suddenly bee stronger. Is it her method of fighting to draw in the enemy or inexperienbsp; Either case, she has some powerful abilities. While Photine was a good match, I’m going to o find someoh something else…’ He thought through the list of MPs under his and. A few names came to mind.

  The remaining fight he saw as the most straightforward. The ave him some uneasiness a his gut with a feeling that he couldn’t calm. However, Antipas’s battle went as he had seen past battles between MP users go. ‘The teen was uo use his powers because he had no Field up, while the others immediately had their Fields. That means inexperience, yet what I saw makes him possibly the most dangerous one of the group. He’s defeated Eusebios and Antipas. Eusebios received personal training from the General.

  ‘I watched him take doas’ barriers through sheer Field influenbsp; If I use that as a measure of his Field strength only the Omega Division has the persorong enough to surpass him.’ Simonides pted the dilemma further. ‘If I ’t beat him through power, then I’ll have be smarter. Antipas is the right dire…’

  One new unknown came out of the fight. The bck clothed figure that rescued the headstrong teen only briefly dispyed their powers. Simonides didn’t have much ce to gain mubsp; He khe enter that he o draw the be out again to learn more. ‘They were skilled enough to handle Miltiades, though it was only after a prolonged fight. The appearing out of surfaces is a strange power to use. But they’re strong for their size to be able to carry the brute.’

  Three of the intruders remained a plete mystery to him. None of them took part in the fighting. The number of MP users actually had him a little surprised. He didn’t expect to find so many rebels free. ‘The rest are probably normal humans, but they must serve another purpose or they would not be here. That purpose I will find out…’

  Simoood up taking note of the time that passed. ‘…lost track of time…’ He walked out of his tent. His eyes had to adjust a little catg the afternoon sun. The camp remained busy with his men still putting the site together for the te arriving soldiers. He still had to wait for the remaining troops from the furthest reaches of his border before he could unch his full strength. Numbers didn’t always make the difference, but the strength the rebels called for everything he had to put them down fully.

  Across the grounds, the medical tents looked calm once more. The Captain made his way to the tents. He checked on all of his men as they left the transport and they deserved another visit. They all followed his orders and came back alive. He couldn’t ask any more of them, especially against such a foe.

  The first teered held Abeiron’s team. He sat down on the box o one of the beds. Simonides learhat Abeiron already made his stops to his men earlier. While none of them had severe injuries, they did all receive a strong trauma to knock them out. The doctors insisted on some rest before resuming duties.

  His presen the tent seemed to raise the spirits of the men. Speaking with eadividually, he saw how their defeat left them all feeling useless. They told him that the ander said they all served their orders and should be proud, but Simonides knew such feelings didn’t ge easily. When he left, their eyes held a stronger fme than before.

  His stop ran very simirly as he made the rounds to all of the regur soldiers that participated in his information gathering. He re-enforced to them all that their work helped him. Even the work that they did eheir ter victory.

  Simonides’ final stop came to the ones holding the MPs. He khem to be the most exhausted mentally and physically from the fighting. However, they also fought the hardest against the enemy so they had some questions that only they could answer. His arrival ient alerted the three of them. “Be at ease,” he ordered with his hand motioning them to remain still.

  Stubbornly ign the order, Antipas tried to push himself up in an attempt to stand. “…Captain…I…” The soreness caught up to him and made him slip bato his cot.

  “You three worked harder than anyone. You deserve the rest.” Simoepped into the ter of the tent making sure they all uood his order. “I won’t keep you for long.”

  “I’m sorry, sir…I failed…”

  He raised a hand back up to stop Antipas from apologizing any further. “Success isn’t always measured in victories. Your objective was not to beat them, but to gather information. And you all succeeded.” The looks from around the tent were just as clear as what he saw from the others. None of them had known a real challenge or defeat. The border patrol, while important, was highly routine. Capturing aurning the random intruder was all they o practibsp; They expected to win again, even knowing the risks. Told they succeeded and still lost didn’t improve the mood.

  The Captain crossed his arms leaning against the ter pole. “There’s something I need you to answer. It’s important.” His grave tone shem all out of their distant haze. “Having fought with them, what are your assessments of them? What sort of individuals are they?”

  His questiohem all in silence for a moment. They gathered their thoughts and repyed the battles in their minds. Miltiades broke the empty void first. “The one I fought was very strong and not just physically. He seemed to have a determination and resolve to keep going, which might even blind him. It was a heavy feeling, but it also felt…” He looked over at the others before ing back to the Captain. “I don’t know if it is the right word, but if I had to say it…pure, almost i.”

  “I felt simirly, Captain,” replied Photine. She drew herself up from the cot a little. “The girl almost did not seem to fit the battlefield at times. Yet when she became serious, there was something else I saw in her eyes. The innoce disappeared, repced with a strong resolve and will.”

  Miltiades' hand tightened up on the sheets of his cot thinking about the fight. He looked back at his Captain. “But sir, there’s something strange about them. They don’t feel like any other Meso Prosecho I’ve fought before.”

  “He’s right, sir! I se as well. It almost didn’t feel like they were using Meso Prosecho, but that’s impossible! Sir!”

  Simonides narrowed his eyes further. The same gut feeling, the ohat he couldn’t calm. They felt it. “I see…”

  “I was able to speak to mine, sir,” Antipas ented. An uneasy chill came over him still remembering the events. “He said his name was Yuki Hayashi. I don’t know any Atntean with such a name, even if he was nobility with a st name. My impression is a little different from the others. He was definitely a MP user.

  “He seemed fident and almost arrogant at times as though he khat I was no challenge. He puts a lot of faith irength of his powers, but he’s capable. He seemed to be highly intelligent to figure out the Law of my Field from a sitle.” He leaned his head down thinking about the end of the fight. The feeling still lingered. “But he was na?ve. He told me to retreat and that he wouldn’t follow.” The young soldier looked back up at Simonides with fused eyes. “What sort of person is that soft when fighting?”

  Simonides had a name of one of their oppos, more than he hoped. ‘Yuki Hayashi…maybe he isn't as inexperienced as I thought…I’ll have to be careful with him…’ He pushed off the pole and sed around at his men. “Thank you. Our enemy may be determined and believe strongly in their cause…but what we stand for is even stronger! Our resolve is strohan theirs! The peace of Atntis is in our hands and because it is, we 't fail!”

  “Yes, sir!” all three shouted.

  “Now get some rest.” The Captain stepped out of the tent and looked about the camp. Purpose filled his eyes after his talk with his men. However, his search didn’t reveal what he sought. He marched between his men and prepped tents reag the south side of the camp. A rger tent stood before him with two guards fnking the tent fps. Short swords and shields decorated their sides with well-defined muscles ating their uniforms.

  He stared at the two soldiers with a firm expression. “Is the ander inside?”

  “Yes, Captain!” The guards stiffeheir backs even more than they already had when Simonides came within sight.

  “Very well.” Simoepped forward drawing the fp to the side. The tent interihtened a little with the sun bleeding through. Only oher light illumihe chamber and it hung from he top of the ter wooden pole. No furniture or ons lihe spabsp; All that he saw was the back of Abeiron.

  The ailted his head over his shoulder a little, notig the entranbsp; “Captain.”

  Simonides walked around the man and over to his fnk. He looked down at the chair and the figure tied to it. The young teenager’s arms pulled back behind the chair tied both to the chair and together. His taunic held together through the rough treatment. “He say anything?”