The fires left as the aftermath of the battle still disrupted the Atnteans’ ability to leare. he edge of the radar’s dete, another battle seemed to clude. The ck of accurate information on the individuals fightihe tent in strained silenbsp; Most of the soldiers knew only pieces of the events that transpired over the st forty-eight hours. The unfortunate part that they all knew was that they had yet to win ahe flibsp; Such feelings colored their uainties.

  All of them prayed that the MP users won and finally ehe attabsp; Yet they also feared that the MPs all lost and the move brought them closer to achieving their mysterious goals. Mixed ses made such silence difficult to bear.

  Simonides felt relieved to see one of the fights end, but something about it bothered him. It was the only fight that occurred out of the camp. He had sent out other MPs as back up, but in the mess of the fires, he lost track of them. Only the radar provided him information. Too many questions remained because of it. The ohat ed him the most was the appearance of a third individual, ohat he didn’t send. The unknown person ended up finishing whatever the other person lost.

  ‘Who ehe fight? Did one of the MPs I sent make it? Perhaps it was another from their team?’ Simonides despised not knowing enough. Unfortunately, the situation was too dangerous and spread out for him to watbsp; He also had the obligation to protect his men from the disaster that he invited into their camp.

  All of his pns failed to go smoothly. His predis had too many errors. He khat they would e to rescue their captured rade. The way they fought aimony from those that fought them told him that. It was meant to keep them on the border, but if they split as he feared the pn failed. A trap wasn’t a trap if it failed to capture all of the targets. However, capturing a few was a good enough start.

  His eyes focused over the remaining uermined fight. ‘These battles will exhaust them. A battle of attrition is the worst possible tactic for a ander, but against such powerful enemies, it is the only pn that will actually have success. I will see them stop this night!’

  Chapter 154 – Crag

  “Dammit,” pahene. She wiped away sweat from her forehead. It forced her to watch the puzzle ge shape again. Her successes tio be meaningless. Nothing breached the first yer. “I thought I figured it out, yet now…” Spite no longer seemed to be accurate in describing the puzzle.

  She got used to the ges only retly. It seemed an impossible feat, but she actually ma. All of the direless held signifibsp; She found a way out. Yet she failed.

  However, failure was something she grew aced to in the mind of Yori. What she wasn’t familiar with was the ge that just happened. It no longer ged shape alone, but dimensions. Reality ed to actually bee an impossibility. “How is this even possible? A human being ’t actually be this plex!”

  “And that’s where you’re wrong!” echoed the voice of Yori. The annoying copy returo taunt her again. He hovered upside in disjointed pieces around her, as if his presence wasn’t uling enough.

  Athene wobbled back to her feet. Her body reflected the dition of her mental state in the real world. She barely hung on to the desperate notion that she would get answers. The words of a trickster shouldn’t have meant anything to Athene, but she needed even a small piece of truth buried underh a junkyard of lies. Ay promise from an untrustworthy person was all she had.

  She staggered forward to the entrance, what might have been sidered oo a high-order being. It was the only pce that didn’t look pletely impassable. Athene brushed aside a piece of Yori that floated in front of her. “If you’re here to mock me…I don’t have the time…”

  “Aw, don’t want to spend any time with me?” A few pieces floated ba front of Athene, not quite getting in the way. “But you’re right.” Athene ignored him and moved on. “You don’t have the time. Any time, in fact.”

  Her foot stopped its slow marbsp; She khat she ran out of time. The strain her mihrough to keep her going was easier to feel in each passing moment. Safety left a while ago. “You’re just trying to dey me.”

  “That’s hardly necessary anymore. You won’t survive another round.” A few of the ses of Yori moved around as though extending to the gate before them. “That isn’t like the others you’ve dealt with. A normal human wouldn’t survive it for a sed.” He gri her with those words.

  “I’m not normal! I take anything in there!” Athene began to stagger fain.

  “That’s where you’re bht and wrong. You may possess abilities that aren’t normal, but that body and mind is pletely normal.”

  Once more she stopped. The obvious statement shouldn’t have ged anything for her. She knew better than ahat they were no more special than everyone else. Yet his words made her hesitate. The chasm before her produced an ominous presehat permeated through her skin. Atheurned her head up to Yori. “Why are you warning me?”

  “Because it’s the will of my master. The things you experie time was nothing like the defe offers. Only another like him would be able to survive yer two.”

  “Layer two? Then I…”

  Yori’s head o Athene like it might be gratuting her. “You did st to the sed yer. I’ll admit I didn't think you would survive let alone crack it. But I guess those mental skills of yours are more than talk.”

  Atheo one kh some of the tension in her body disappearing. She actually made it past the first yer of defense. “Then you’ll—“

  “ge my attitude as promised! I have been kinder already, haven’t I? Crawling through the dirt as you have, you don’t loant anymore.”

  “I want answers! I don’t care about attitude or opinions! Answers! Give them to me!”

  Yori’s eyes grew a little iion. “You thought that I meant if you succeeded in passing the first yer I’d tell you what you wao know?” He ughed, causing all of the pieces to shake in the air. “I never made such a promise!”

  “You lying—“

  “I didn’t lie. You just misinterpreted. You get nothing!”

  Athene’s eyes widened in surprise. All of the work she struggled for ruined her body. Even though she knew she shouldn’t believe him. The truth rahrough painfully regardless. She wasted her time to gain nothing.

  He won, again.

  She colpsed to the ground. Her breathing ran out of trol to the point of hyperventiting. Everythi heavy.

  Yori materialized whole o her. He reached out to her shaking body. “Well I guess I leave you with one small piece.” His hand touched her babsp; The reaade his eyebrow rise. “Pass out huh? How unlucky!” Shortly after, Athene’s body faded away from the spabsp; He looked up in no specific dire of signifibsp; “I wonder how long it’ll be before he realizes that she’s here? Things could get very iing soon.”

  Deep ihe camp, a calmer battle tinued with almost no one realizing it. After the initial disruption by Yumi, very little happened. Winds died down and soldiers escaped. The area emptied out. They were given the space to exge attacks, even though they did nothing.

  Yumi and the teenage boy stared off over the distance, but did nothing to close. She didn’t know why the boy made no atta her. The reason for her owation y in her uainty of her powers. Her barrier cracked for no reason. It weakened and she didn’t know why.

  Her initial thought was that it was an attack from the boy, but she felt nothing from him like with the others. ‘I don’t see anything from him, even a Field isn’t present. Could it be something with me? Is my doubt hurting my power?’ Yumi needed answers, but khat the boy stood in her way of finding her brother.

  Answers had to wait.

  ‘He doesn’t look like he’s got any defenses. Why?’ Her hand lifted up, activating the wind that spun around her. Broken or cracked, she still had most of her barrier w. ‘I just o be decisive and finish things quickly before he does anything.’ She khem to be just as fragile as everyone else. A quick attack would solve the problems.

  Wind kicked aieces of debris and tightened loose cloth. Folded and hardened, a green arc molded in the air with the motion of Yumi’s hand. It sped towards the boy. He made no motions to dodge or even aowledge it. She expected something from him, even if it was only a slight rea. It was as though it did to him.

  Worse, her attack disappeared. It faded away into particles before it hit the boy. Nothing happeo him. The attack made ion or impabsp; “Huh?” Yumi pulled hand back to look at it. She knew her powers were still new and something she still worked to uand, but it worked for her. Everything she did in the camp worked. ‘What’s wrong? Is this the boy’s doing?’

  Another cra her barrier diverted her attention. The whole se shattered into pieces disappearing. She tried to materialize it, but nothing happened. It refused her. Yumi widened her eyes in shod fusion. ‘What’s happening to my power?!’

  The boy took a step forward, only a siep. It was enough to alert Yumi. His approach made sweat drip down her face. ‘I’m just a normal girl…I need my power!’ Yumi tightened her hands into fists. ‘Even if my power is failing and malfuning I still use some of it! I just have to focus!’

  Yumi tossed another arc at the boy with more energy ied into it. However, it veered off and smmed into the ground. Earth pulverized from the impact clouding the area surrounding the boy. She gritted her teeth and threw another with the same effebsp; It didn’t follow her trol. ‘I just o adjust…’

  Atempt brought it to his feet, but still nothing. Yumi kept trying with her aim progressively getting worse. Her barrier evaporated around her just as quickly. Only oion remained proteg her, but not a whole hemisphere.

  ‘It’s falling apart… Nothing’s w… Why!?’

  “If yoing to do something,” replied the boy, “I might suggest you do it now.” He started aep t his approach closer. A slight raise in his eyes revealed itself whe eyes with Yumi. “I guess you ’t though with the status quo maintained.”

  Yumi’s head tilted up towards him. He spoke again for only the sed time. However, what he said mattered more to her than him speaking. She felt the implications. “It’s your doing! Isn’t it!”

  “I’m not sure what you’re talking about. I haven’t done anything to you.”

  She shook her head at him. Her mind started to think again about the situation. None of it made any sense, but the factor of the boy fit in without question. “You did something. It wasn’t until you appeared that I started having troubles with my abilities.” Yumi extended her arm out to point at the boy, acg him. “You’re the cause, not me.”

  “Oh?” he asked, putting a tilt to his head. He took awo steps towards Yumi. “But you haven’t done anythi.”

  The words made Yumi stagger a little. She khat he had to be lying to her. Yet the look in his eyes spoke as though they were the truth. It made no seo her. “You’re the ohat’s dohi. I’ve been attag you.”

  “I see, so that’s what you thought you were doing.” The expression on the boy’s face became darker and hardened with an unusual amount of age and maturity. He crept even closer to her. “You’ve dohing.”

  Yumi didn’t uand the boy. Her powers started to fade. The only thing she could do rove it to him. She charged for him, f the wind to spin up around her. Green sbs of her barrier materialized around her. All came to answer her call. She wouldn’t let him make aep. “I’ll end this now!” Yumi closed the distah the boy. Her hand came out pnning to knock him out in a siroke and move on.

  Her hand passed through the boy. He faded from her sight. Everything turned bck for a sed before the camp returht.

  The boy stood o her with his fingers pressed to her forehead. “Still nothing. All of it is nothing.” His fingers pressed through her head seeping inside her mind. A bloody, deathly scream escaped Yumi’s lips as her eyes turned pletely white. “However, soon you’ll wish for only nothing. The nightmare begins…”