Abeiron took a step babsp; He forced the Captain’s words to repy in his mind just to be sure he heard correctly. Shock bled into his eyes, uo hold bay longer. “The Captain of the Guard, sir?!” His hand developed an untrolble shake.

  Still questioning himself, Simourned his head away from the ander. His gaze fixated on the horizon in the dire of the Capital. “Yes, those are the orders we have.” He tightened his hands into fists thinking about what he just did. It left a bitter taste in his throat. ‘I just disobeyed a direct order from the General. Only the future knows what’ll bee of the path I’ve chosen.’ He couldn’t turn away.

  “…but…it’s Eudokia Ismene…” Abeiron found himself caught between his words. He knew her like the Captain when she was statio the South Gate, but she was unlike any other MP he had ever seen. “How is it even possible, sir? It doesn’t make any sense! She loves Atntis, she wouldn’t start a rebellion.”

  “Perhaps it is a sign of the ging times. The world’s bee unclear and nothing is straightforward anymore.” Simourned away from his view and tilted his head back at Abeiron. A harsh expression cut through his fabsp; Resolve built up, unwilling to submit to the currents.

  The aook a step forward suddenly getting a feeling that his Captain was about to plunge himself into darkness. “Sir, what you’re saying…”

  “Abeiron, there’s shadows everywhere. I barely even see my own hands anymore.”

  “Captain?”

  Simonides broke his standoff with his uainty. He marched away from Abeiron with purpose in his step. “I’m going to find some answers. The orders stand. They are from the Capital. Get every able body man and woman ready to move out!”

  Chapter 174 – Gathering Storm

  The answers Simonides sought brought him to the medical tent, once more. He came to them after the st fight, but he watched their oppos in a. Most of the information he needed he already saw. However, he was forced to stay away from the fighting and direct his men around in the chaos. He had no ce to learn anything about them. Worse, all those that fought them were so fatigued from the fights he couldn’t speak to them.

  He had to wait, again.

  Simonides was done waiting.

  Heber stood in front of Simonides. The young man already knew what Simonides wanted, but refused him access. “I ’t let you see them yet, sir! As their doctor, they heir rest. The mental fatigue for most of them was far beyond any safe limits. They are not ready, they’re too exhausted.”

  A narrow look carved into Simonides’ eyes. He refused to back down. “Heber, as I recall you’re not a real doctor, only a nurse. You ’t give me any orders.”

  Grinding his teeth a little, Simonides had hit the sensitive point in Heber. Heber tried to hold his ground against the Captain, but had nothio stand upon. He fell ba the only thing he had left. “Doctor Sis gave these orders.”

  “I’ve not heard this from the doctor. you find him for me, so that I may speak with him?”

  Heber started to move in the dire, but motioo the Captain. “If you follow me, sir. I take you to him.”

  “I’ll stay here. It would cause more trouble in a pce already so busy.”

  Thinning his features, Heber was left in a terrible position and could only rush off to find the doctor before the situation grew worse.

  Once Heber left sight of Simonides range, he pushed through the cloth divide between the ses. He found all of the MPs he sent out and those he put on patrol in the room. Bakkhos stared up at him from a rexed position o with a bit of a smirk on his lips.

  “Still clever, while you’re being cruel, I see,” ented Bakkhos. The middle-aged man lifted himself up a little from the cot to meet Simonides.

  Simonides pulled over a stool and sat dowo Bakkhos. The harsh expression remained on his fabsp; “I didn’t e for idle chatter.”

  The smirk disappeared from Bakkhos. It made him appear almost tired. “I see the look in your eyes. Things are different and you want some answers from what we learned during hts with the kids.”

  “What do you know?”

  “Straight to the point.” An arm came up from uhe sheet to rest on his knee. He leaned in a little, preparing for his tale. “We’ve all seen it, even you, Captain. Something’s nht with them. They don’t behave to our expectations. They do things that should be impossible.”

  Past fights he watched pyed through Simonides’ mind. He assumed it was something he didn’t uand about their powers. Yet his gut told him he missed something. ‘He’s figured it out. What makes them different.’ The answer seemed within reach finally. Simonides leaned in, almost desperate. “What is it about them that is so different? Are they that much more powerful of MPs?”

  Bakkhos shook his head. “It’s easy to think that, but no, that's not even anywhere close to the truth. The reality is that they are reality, strange as it sounds.” His fusing words made Simonides' expression sharpen. “I mean they aren’t one of us. There’s a reason they speak a different nguage and it’s not because they’re exiles. They aren’t even Atnteans or Meso Prosecho users. They are fners, Japanese sihat’s what nguage they speak.”

  Some of the pieces fell into pce for Simonides, but it only introduew questions. It made his mind spin in circles. A horrible realization came to him through all of the fusion. “How that be possible? If they aren’t MPs then they should just be normal humans.”

  A sigh came from Bakkhos. He pced a hand where Chiharu struck him. “I would normally agree, but these are the facts, even if we ’t expin them. It’s why hts aren’t like normal fights between two MP users.”

  Coughing from the er, Photine forced herself up with her body still suffering from physical stress on top of the mental stress they all felt. “I think I give a partial ao it.”

  Bakkhos perked up, curious to Photine’s interruption. “Oh? You learn something from them?”

  “What did they tell you?” ordered Simonides, already turned around in his stool to meet Photine.

  Photine dropped back down i uo keep herself from getting lightheaded. “I thought she was just lying to me, but what I saw was just too impossible to be expined in any other way. They aren’t normal humans anymore. The one I spoke to called herself Masa. The way she spoke made it seem like a happened retly to ge them.”

  “It was one of us, she said,” spoke up Stamatia, her fatigue kept her voice soft. “She said she was Japanese. Fumiko Terauchi was her name. She said one of us was to bme for what happeo them.”

  “One of us?” repeated Simonides. The new pieces of informatio his mind running everywhere to put things together. It was the ahat expined everything, but it was an impossible answer. Until they arrived, there were two facts about humanity, those without the Meso Prosecho power and those with it. ‘This throws everything we know away. It pletely ges everything! It ges how we fight them! This is it! This is what I needed, what Athene was trying to tell me!’ Simoood up thinking he was done.

  “There’s more you o know,” called Bakkhos. “The way to defeat them.”

  Simonides froze on his words. It was more than he hoped. “If you know how to defeat them, why didn’t you win?”

  “Because there is a dition to defeating them.”

  “A dition?”

  “We are the only ohat defeat them, because of our power.” Bakkhos began to jester with his hands to get his point across. “In a normal fight between two MPs, it es down to superior power and tration. The stronger Field beats the weaker Field. However, they don’t use Fields to create their powers. Their powers are real. This means that we void their powers, but the dition is that we must know what all of their powers are. If we miss evehen it may be enough for them to win, but with all of their powers ed they’ll be normal again.”

  He uood Bakkhos clearly. It exceeded his expectations. ‘I end this! I bring ao this while they’re still in my territory. The Omega Division won’t o be involved.’ Simonides looked around at all of his men. A pn already began to form in his mind. “I’m going to need all of your help. I o know everything you know about each of them.”

  Afternoon quickly passed into evening for Team Yumi. The shifts came to an end and the rest was all they could spare. They all gathered ba the camp to push out. A lot of ground remained for them to cover to meet back up with Yuki. However, when Chiharu went to pick up Nerine, she moved on her own. It pulled them all back.

  Seiji pushed through them realizing that she was waking up. He k down at her side watg her slowly e back around. Once her eyes opened, he leaned in a little ed. “Are you alright? Does it still hurt?”

  Neri eyes with Seiji feeling a little lost in them and not hearing his words. However, she gnced over to see others behind him. She tried to draushing with her arms, but realized they were gone. ‘My arms! I don’t have my arms! I-I—’ Panic settled into Nerine causio fall over in the grass with no support.

  He quickly grabbed her, but she fought his hold. “I’m trying to help you! Stop squirming about!” The strength in his body overcame Nerine’s frantic flopping. However, it didn’t stop her from screaming. “The hell? Now you’re screaming!”

  Uo watch the se longer, Fumiko stepped in to put her hand on Seiji’s shoulder. He snapped back, almost tossing her away. She kept her ground with him and worked to calm herself. Once her breathing a beating slowed, she felt ready to speak. “She ’t uand you, Seiji. Remember, we speak different nguages.”

  “Eh?” Seiji looked back at Nerirying to uand what Fumiko talked about. He saw the frightened look in her fabsp; “Oh, how the hell do we talk to her?”

  “She’s going to have to do it. Her power allow us to talk. Once she calms down, she’ll probably figure it out.”

  It took longer for the hint to pass through Seiji. He saw Neriruggling in his hands. Seiji pushed her back up against the tree to help her. O looked like she wasn’t going to fall over, he backed away. His hand rubbed through his hair fused. “Don’t uand what your problem is. You weren’t scared before.”

  “Really, Seiji. The things you chose to be ignorant about.”

  Nerine panted heavily. She heard her heart pounding in her chest. All of the images of the night came back to her. She remembered how she lost her arms. The fight and Seiji proteg her flooded her mind. It eased her a little. He was o her. ‘He’s not dead. I’m gd…but…’ She looked around at her surroundings feeling fused. It became immediately apparent she was no longer in the camp.

  After examining the enviro, her eyes came back to the ones in front of her. She heard them speaking, but didn’t uand what they said. ‘They look like they know him. Are these his rades? What happeo me? Why am I with them?’ A bit of panic returned for Nerine as she felt uain in her new situation. She o uand why they took her.

  A thin ripple came from her body expanding through the foliage of the forest. Nothing ged physically, but it was enough. Her mind still felt light from all the stress she put on herself in her fight. Nerine swallowed slowly. “Why am I here?” She gnced over at Seiji.

  Seiji almost jumped with excitement. The glow in his eyes was clear to everyone. “Nerine! We chat again! But seriously, what the hell with screaming in my ear!” He leaned in as he spoke with no mind for boundaries or the se.

  She felt a little odd for being scolded for screaming, but it did make her feel a little embarrassed. “I’m sorry,” she replied meekly, with a little red ing across her nose. Her eyes suddenly focused on the sight of Seiji’s bandaged arm. The se from the fight returo her. She wao stretch her hand out, but nothing was there to move. “Does it hurt?”

  “Huh?” Seiji’s face ged a little in fusion, but he looked down at where her eyes fixed on him. He lifted his arm to show her. A quick flex of his muscles proved it still funed. “Not all! It’s a little weird, but it works. So I’m not pining.” Seiji gave a carefree smile back at her.

  Seiji’s smile ied Nerine. She found herself returning it. It no longer felt so bad. “I’m gd.”

  Fumiko cleared her throat to get their attention. She smiled at the two of them, but not in the same way. “As enjoyable as it is watg two lovers chat, there’re some more important matters we o discuss.”

  Both of them turned a deep shade of red. They spoke together in protest. “We are not!”

  Their denial ended up causing Yumi and Fumiko to giggle a little between them. However, Fumiko returo a serious expression quickly. She leaned forward on one foot. “Teasing aside, we have some questions for you before roceed.”