《World Revisit》


 Chapter 1: The Unexpected Visit

    We have the ability to enter different worlds, did you know that? We do it quite a lot actually, whether we are aware of it or not. Until so far, we never really controlled it...but what if I can change that?


    Why can''t I remember anything?¡ª


    What the heck is this man talking about? How should I know!? I hardly remember anything...I think. What do I even know in the first place? "I-I don''t know," is what she eventually said.


    "The seven mighty cities all on the brink of destruction, trying to survive every day the disasters caused by the black nature. This path is running to an ending in which extinction is inevitable unless they''ll calm the Dark Nature''s heart before it''s too late."


    ¡ª"


    "Every new event may be an opportunity to solve this mess. Never forget that possibility."

 Chapter 2: The Judgment Test

The judgment test¡ª I''m sort of responsible for this one... I didn''t really think it would ever be needed."No objection," Ravendell responded.


    <div>


    <div>

 Chapter 3: The Necessity of Trust

    some responsibility for the situation, he was now left with the task to further planhis next step. "I''m not sure yet. Please give me some time to consider a proposal you all can agree to," is what he eventually said to them before he slowly retreated to his office.


    "Ayuki....Ayuki...wake up. It''s your birthday today. Come on, wake up already."


    Observers were probably part of them, right? She certainly didn''t like anyone of them, sending a harmless girl to a death sentence, sort of. She just couldn''t erase the horrible Defarin experience from her memories that were haunting her thoughts every now and then.


    Amazing or not, Ayuki''s currently seen as an intruder so she decided to stay cautious of the people around her. Best thing to do now, she thought, is to behave properly enough to lower the chances of another judgment test or the like."O-okay I''ll go now then."


    that great of a person," Ravendell said.


    everyone?"


    Thank you all for coming to this short meeting regarding our unknown intruder. As you all know we don''t have proof of whether or not she''s a threat to the city and to be honest there is nothing we can know about her as of yet. For that, I''d like to issue some rules she''ll have to follow until she''s officially acknowledged of not being a further threat. These rules are my proposal of how we can deal with our intruder so that we also don''t further harm our reputation to the public.


    Rule number one, Yona no-name will be assessed in Fes usage so that we can be aware of all her limitations.Number two, She will assist in any way deem possible to help figure out the investigation of her unknown intrusion. Three, under any circumstances, will she not be permitted to participate insuspicious activities.


    And number four, during her stay she will be monitored by Wester without her knowing in case of suspicious behavior until she''s no a longer considered a threat.

 Chapter 4: A Walk through Varyion

    <div>


    <div>


    That sounded like something a human would say. "Okay. Ellyia...what are you exactly? I mean, are you really a butterfly?"


    <div>


    <div>


    If I''m a dangerous threat then I might have an incredible power after all. "Hmm, Hyo Ravendell also said something about power. Is it the same as magic?"


    <div>


    <div>


    <div>


    They can save information and instantly share them, how convenient! "You keep amazing me Ellyia. Thanks for this E-link thing."


    Let see, what else do I know? The Observers were lower positioned than the Hyonims, Ravendell is one of them. So the Hyonims governs this city, and the Observers support them with it. Then you have the Varyion Order, an organization responsible for protecting the people and maintaining order within the city. It must be a big organization since it sounds like a tough job. Zefrick is definitely part of them. Is Ellyia too?


    <div>


    <div>


    Oh, I didn''t notice that. "The Center Borrow?" Ayuki asked while shoving her hands into the pouch she received from Ravendell.

 Chapter 5: An Introduction to Fes

    Hey, Ayuki. Why do you always sit weird when you''re in deep thought?"


    "Weird? I just feel comfortable sitting like this. It helps me to focus and ignore distracting things...like your hair!"


    "Haha, stop joking about my hair..."


    so pleased to hear this one...


    So this helps me to concentrate?


    something in the Outer City Park at ten o''clock. Since it wasn''t something outside the city this time, she felt at least more safe from trouble. Let''s hope Ravendell knows what he''s doing. Judgment test aside, he deserves at least a little bit of trust.


    <div>


    Ravendell must have arranged this in order to assess my possible Fes abilities, one of my conditions in order to be trusted. "Yes, please. I wanna know more if possible." Sparkles were almost radiating from her eyes.


    interesting hand movements he kept making while he continued his explanation. "Now when it comes down to magic, it can either develop in or outside the body. The use of Fes inside the body can be used for improving existing functionalities such as eyesight or creating new ones such as night vision. The use of Fes outside the body can be used for manipulating existing elements like moving water or by creating elements such as making ice appear. Get the picture so far?"


    <div>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: left">Fes type</td>


    <td>Development</td>


    <td>Fes usage</td>


    <td>Ability example</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Enhancer</td>


    <td>Inside the body</td>


    <td>Adjust an existing skill</td>


    <td>A better eyesight</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Attainer</td>


    <td>Inside the body</td>


    <td>Create a new skill</td>


    <td>Using night vision</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Manipulator</td>


    <td>Outside the body</td>


    <td>Manipulate an existing element</td>


    <td>Move water</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Materializer</td>


    <td>Outside the body</td>


    <td>Create a new element</td>


    <td>Create ice</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    you can use is what we are going to find out."


    <div>


    You asked for it. She started fast and tried pushing him away with her left arm, but he grabbed it and easilyknocked her away, making her fall on the ground. That made her slightly more angry as she tried to kick in his stomach with her knee though it got blocked while she found herself on the ground again.


    This guy is really tough. I need a better strategy.She was now sitting in her thinking position while planning out her next move.


    Ah.My eyes? Am I supposed to see something?¡ª


    Crap, she''s not listening!He immediately stopped using his Fes. The ice vaporized within a second, just before Ayuki went through. She made a roll on the ground and barely managed to stay in a crouched position. Ayuki stood up now. There she was, standing in the circle.

 Chapter 6: The First Dark Nature Attack

    I''ve to make sure to show the right example and not to disappointher.


    What am I really? What am I supposed to do now?


    Was that meant as an offense? "Hye Benston, nice to meet you." She said, not completely sure what to say to him.


    Is it okay to tell him this?


    certain another person.


    That''s a pretty bold decision Ravendell. As a descendant from the Grendan family, Ravendell plays a crucial role in upholding the Fortification, a monthly event with the city in order to maintain and strengthen the Varyion Wall.

 Chapter 7: A Time of Preparation

Wow! That''s very useful."Can I have this?" She asked him almost desperately.


    Damn it. Should I have not mentioned him my proposal plan? The easy road sounded niceractually."Thanks..."

 Chapter 8: The Start of The General Admission

    It didn''t touchRyuzo, I swear! Only me, only me.That were the words he heard from the Cyllius. Not many people know his name, so he was sure it was her voice, but why did she say that?He didn''t have many memories of her so this was something special for him. He actually remembered now that he was even there when she said those words.The mystery of his past, the truth the Order kept hidden from him, the answers Ryuzo wanted to know so badly when he was young. He knows it''s somehow connected to the specific moment that the cyllius managed to capture of his mother. It had revived an old hope he had thrown away a long time ago.


    Make sure to find who I really am.Even she herself doesn''t know much about herself. Would that be a problem for the admission? Dedroy didn''t tell her at least. There were a lot of things he didn''t explain to her about the admission which made it hard to say what to expect from it. Her goal to see how the Order works didn''t change. She needed to know if it''s worth to be part of it.


    I chose to be an hour later than the opening.The admission was anyways going to be available for almost the entire day.


    Wew...almost forgot that part. Nothing is set in stone so no need to keep worrying about it.


    general."


    To be more trustworthy? Because I want to clear my name?It probably wasn''t a good idea to say that to her. "I think the Order Elites is the only hope left for this city. I want to see what I can do to help with that."


    I made a friend, I think?It would be great to have a friend; she was a pleasant and friendly person. Ayuki thought the people that would assign to the Order Elites would only consist of serious and anxious ones. Aisha was a good example that she was wrong about that.


    Well, if I do my best, I''ll have no regrets.


    "Number sixty-one!" She stood up and walked through to the corresponding door.

 Chapter 9: Choose Your Cards

    Are the cards related to my character traits? Heh, so I''m an intuitive person? I believe I think a lot actually and logically when it comes down to it. Is the ''guidance'' he mentioned perhaps my thinking process that helps my instincts to develop? Did I decide to join the Order based on my instincts? Itdoes sound more connected to my Fes ability.


    Proving my beliefs to others, I''m doing it now, aren''t I? I''m trying to prove that I''m innocent or basically harmless by gaining people''s trust. Guess I should be mindful of my conclusions. Severely getting hurt is not part of my to-do list.


    He''s quite on the spot. I''m confused about everything, but I don''t think I''m indecisive at least. Perhaps this Nellus flower intrigued me because it''s almost in bloom. Just like me being insecure, I''m trying to make the right decisions in the hope that I will blossom from it.


    Yeah, it''s a bit scary how precise they are about me."They are surprisingly in line with my character. I didn''t know the cards were going to be that personally."


    Hmm, what to say?"For starters, have you heard about the intruder girl?"


    I have a feeling that saying ''yes'' won''t be a good idea."Hmm, no. My main reason is that I want to survive. In my opinion, the only hope this city has for the future is to go outside and find a solution to stop the Dark nature. The Order Elites are the only ones that do go outside, right?"


    Then what is considered enough?


    The things he said made perfect sense. I need a better resolution than my current one, a personal one. A goal only I can do... There''s must have been another reason why I felt the need to join them.


    Slow down, Klein... I''m not mentally ready yet to answer your question!Ayuki remained quiet for a few seconds longer while taking a deep breath.


    Let''s see...he asked about my Fes ability."Yes, that''s correct. For the last eight days, I''ve been trying to train and explore the capabilities of my inherited Fes ability. Me and my trainer, Hyu Dedroy, have started calling it predictive enhancement based on a couple of results throughout our training. Sometimes, just sometimes I can accurately guess what a person is going to do just by looking. I would for example, easily be able to dodge an attack, knowing which direction it will go, but there were also moments I tried avoiding an attack that wasn''t there. I was convinced an attack would come, but it didn''t. Oh, and it''s not really a vision that I can see, just a feeling."


    I expected something more difficult or dangerous perhaps.


    "I won''t. Thank you, Hyu Klein. I''ve learned a lot more about myself now."


    opened the door behind him that lead to the next room. It seemed to be anenormous training field. Ayuki recognized a few people. They were participants from the waiting room.


    That was quick. He didn''t explain everything yet. Until what time is it finished? How do I participate in a challenge? Wait, Dedroy did warn me not rely on questions while doing nothing. I need to find things out by myself.


    Three hours left, three challenges to go.

 Chapter 10: A Game of Challenges

    Do they use a point system to assess us for this round? Twenty-five points sounded like a lot, considering Shorthair''s failure of attacks. Did Shorthair display something good, is twenty-five points low or do they assess us on something else than just the results?


    A simple rule, isn''t?


    The first challenge in my life even.


    I''ve experienced one E-link experience so far.The one from Ellyia. Even now, the memories I''ve received at that time are still very vivid. It truly feels like those memories are my own, well technically, they are now, but I''m not the one who created those memories. Was it the memories of Ellyia I received? Come to think of it; it did feel like I was flying through the city in those memories, rather than walking.


    It''s quite disturbing. Why would someone drag a dead person to different places?


    "One of the investigators was wearing a necklace. Can you provide me more information about that?"


    That was inthe case file I guess. Let''s see. "Three, six, nine, five...seven...one?"


    Well, what do you know, I have something I''m good at after all.


    So she watched my participation?"Thanks, Aisha. I guess I''m good at memorizing thing, hehe. How''re you doing so far?"


    They sure looked quite close.


    I never thought I would participate in this admission...but let''s not complain any longer. You have decided to change Ryuzo! See the truth with your own eyes and don''t let anything stray you away from your goal this time.


    Why is it wrong to hate them? I decided to join them despite my hate for them, doesn''t that actually show how strong my determination is? If they can''t even realize that, then screw it, it''s not my problem. I''m going to join the Order Elites, whether they want me or not.


    The second round was at least better than the first. Something that doesn''t rely on reasoning or Fes abilities, just your real talents. That concentration challenge was luckily a breeze. A hundred points must be a perfect score, right? See? I can do this just fine, no problem. What shall I do next?


    Hmm, now that I think about it, whatever happens, I can hurt him without anyone being against it. Okay, I''m sold.


    The plan nowis to focus on his fighting pattern, especially that finishing move.Either I have to strike him just before he uses it or try to withstand it and go on full attack mode afterward. Well, here goes nothing.

 Chapter 11: The End of the Second Round

    That bastard, looking down on me. Wait till I wipe that smirk off your face. Ryuzo didn''t really believe that will happen, but it wasn''t hope that he was looking for, he needed a good strategy.


    First things first, let''s see how fast he responds and guards against my attacks.I also need to see the range my own attacks and how my own strikes even feel; it''s my first time holding a sword after all.


    thrust his sword forwardas much as he could. Ponytail raised his sword now, but their swords didn''t collide; he wasn''t close enough in range. Stepping even nearer, he thrust again. This time, their swords clashed. Ponytail deflected it. Ryuzo lost his balance already. The longsword came to his direction in a quick swing, bang.Ryuzo used his shield just in time. Bang-bang, a tremendous amount of force made his shield shake violently. Ryuzo quickly retreated backwards to safety.


    Damn it. My heart is already racing like crazy. Usingathrust attack against that Ponytail is dangerous. He simply brushed it away and broke my stance too. What are my other options?


    Damn it...damn you all. If this was a real fight, would you still cheer like this? Is all you care about seeing someone fail? I would be dead by now if we used real weapons.


    This thing I''m holding doesn''t feel like a weapon at all, it''s super light, and it doesn''t even cut. Wait¡ªthat''s it, isn''t?


    Previously, Ponytail did explain the goal of this challenge; stay in the ring and score as many points as you can. He mentioned nothing else. In that case, there might not be any important rules regarding point deductions, except perhaps for stepping outside the ring.


    stared at the smiling Ponytail, stood still while deeply exhaling air. Without warning, he dashed forward and jumped directly towards the surprised coordinator. Ponytail quickly raised his longsword sideways, hitting Ryuzo in the stomach. Stab. Ryuzo''s tip of his sword was now touching Ponytail''s chest.


    If we''re using real weapons, we would both be seriously wounded, but this is just wood. We can''t get killed here, so all I got to do is ignore his attacks, since they don''t do any fatal damage, and just aim for the points.


    This was a good experience, too bad I couldn''t hit his face though.


    I thought the questions were going to be focused on the illusions, damn it! Ugh...he did mention to focus on every visual activity, not the illusions. Now I realize what he meant when he said how my focus decides how useful my memory will be. I can''t have memories from things I haven''t paid my attention to.


    I guess not everyone is the same. Perhaps the people who talk negatively about me are the ones that don''t do anything about it. The people here are different at least. Being here is already proof that they care about the city, care for its wellbeing. The Order is doing their best too; I can see that. Despite the grim situation outside the city, they all still smile here, they still make jokes and fool around a little.I feel that I can trust the people here more now.Then again they don''t know anything about me yet. My intrusion is still a secret from the public. Even the Order doesn''t seem to know about it. I''m not planning to share it though. How would people treat me, once it is made public? Well, I guess it''s up to me prove my innocence before that happens.

 Chapter 12: May the Future Be Bright

    I guess she said something to me. "What is it?" He asked.


    Ravendell looked Faye in the eyes. She was right about that part. The Observers have an important role in this city, always have been since the day they existed. They usually work harder and increase their reports when they don''t like the certain decision I''ve made. It''s an indirect way to punish me, but they do their work well nonetheless. The trust between us has weakened lately. I could have helped Ayuki later, but if I did that, things would have been different. "To simply put it, I want to gain Ayuki''s trust quickly¡ªshow her that I''m serious about helping her. Now, how did she responded to that?"


    ...Really? Really...? "Faye...what day is it tomorrow?"


    You got that right."Some secretary you are, not even doing your job well," Ravendell said in a slightly sarcastic tone.


    I didn''t know this place existed within the city. It was well hidden behind the headquarters.


    <div>


    <table width="679">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>This is an obstacle course with no Fes limitations and consists of a couple of missions. The goal is to reach the final destination. It''s not required to reach the finish line, but we do like to inform you that any participant can manage it. It might not be easy, but it all depends on how you execute it. You are however strictly forbidden to hurt another person intentionally. Anyone caught breaking this rule will be disqualified from the General Admission and will have to take another one for a valid working permit in theVaryionOrder.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    I can use the Barrier TAG for two full minutes now. Crossing that bridge will take me at least ten minutes. How should any normal person do this then?


    Bastard. Don''t go looking down on me. "You just make sure you don''t run out of Fes."


    . Hearing it from someone else felt pleasant, makes you feel special or at least appreciated. For many days Ayuki felt like she was more a nuisance to everybody, a burden, but not today. Today was different. They are truly nice people to have around. Let''s hope I won''t disappoint them. "Thanks," Ayuki said. "I look forward working with the both of you."


    I guess supporting someone with Fes is a lot easier than casting it yourself with support. Aisha and I are still looking okay.


    Is it going to be that hard?

 Chapter 13: Chaos in the Forest

    <div>


    Even acceleration?! How''s that''s possible? Ah, wait, if she let the spear fall down vertically from a high altitude, gravity will do the rest. She sounds pretty dangerous.


    Let''s not think too negative here. The coordinators have supported us so far.


    <div>


    I don''t mind extra people in the team, as long as they don''t behave like a bunch of assholes. Giving Aisha and Eran a thumbs up, Ayuki walked to the information panel and touched the TAG attached to it to receive the next information.


    <div>


    <table style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="text-align: center">Cross the next bridge ahead.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Great. Well, at least we know that there''s another bridge somewhere ahead...


    What with this crappy mission? Cross the next bridge ahead...I''ve found the bridge already, it''s freaking broken! I''ve been running to get there for apparently no reason. There goes the big lead I had from the rope bridges.


    Hey, isn''t that¡ªa portal? Itwas floating high in the air. Not even the trees could reach that height. He has seen portals before. People of the Order would sometimes use them, but those portals were always positioned on the ground by gates with TAG''s attached to it. Why would there be a portal in the air? No way anyone could reach that. Even more strange was the size of it, it didn''t look like a person would be able to go through it. Looking around at the sky, Ryuzo spotted a couple more portals floating there. These seemed rather big enough, but their positioning was even odder. Two portals stood vertical aligned to each other, and another portal kept moving around in circles.


    I guess I have to look for more portals. It''s quite misty now; something must be happening soon. Ryuzo kept walking until he heard a loud noise.


    What a crazy idea. Who thought of this mission? So I need to find a way to go up there...if I dare that is...it seriously looks high.


    This forest isn''t a human-madeone; it''s a natural one. There are more animals living here, more plants too, and it even has a lake. It''s actually the first lake I have seen. Why is the Order keeping this area to themselves? Just for training purposes? At that point, Ryuzo heard multiple voices coming to his direction. So far, he didn''t like to have any attention at all, never did him much good. He had a few options now: ignore them and keep walking, hide from them to avoid contact, or confront them and share information. For the sake of clearing this mission quickly, he decided to at least go for the first option: ignore them.


    Focus-man, is that supposed to be me?


    I was rather shocked myself. To think that all the other contestants couldn''t make it. How did they all make it here then?


    Is it going to happen again? Screw this. Ryuzo started to walk away. He didn''t want to rise his negative mood.This guy is pissing me off too. I''m not even allowed to punch him...


    Is it just me, or is it looking at us?


    Did the butterfly do that? Ryuzo never saw the butterfly before, but he was certain it was somehow related to that portal.


    It took him less than a minute to do this. Even he can do something useful with the Fes. What does that make me? Never mind...don''t think of useless stuff.


    At least these two aren''t stupid, compared to that thirty-three guy.

 Chapter 14: A Bunch of Emotions

    The fact that we''re all participating in this round would probably mean that all of us aren''t aiming for the average job. I would say seventy percent of the people in round two went ahead to the fourth round. There must be around twenty people left now for this round. Aisha and Eran are aiming for the Order Elites just like me; I wonder if some of the rest are as well.


    Vanessa...not sure what to think of her yet.   I noticed that she bites her long hair from time to time.  I have a feeling she tends to overthink things or just doesn''t usually observe the situation calmly. She seems to be an honest person though.


    Irid is the youngest of the team. The way she talks, move around, and always holds that staff as if her life depends on it; it''s cute. It may be because she''s small, but either way, cute is cute.


    . After coming back, he looked at the rest. "Eran went inside the portal that didn''t move, right? Which should we aim for?"


    Bayne is a dependable person. He doesn''t have the smartest vibe around him, but he''s strong and brave. He might be clumsy though. He''s the only one of our team who failed the first mission based on the mud on his legs. The Fes he used before was for protection. He can harden his whole body or parts of it. I wonder if he could stop a steel sword with his bare hands.


    Glen is the oldest of this group, bald but still in a very good shape. He seems to enjoy being helpful to other people, always smiling whatever he does. He''s always calm too.


    We just formed this team, but it''s already looking good. We told our names to each other, though I don''t expect them to remember it. Fortunately for me, that won''t be a problem. The one thing I''m good at so far is memorizing things. I haven''t forgotten much so far, I think. I can still recall everyone''s Fes abilities that we decided to share with each other in the beginning.


    <div>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Name</td>


    <td>Fes ability</td>


    <td>Type</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Aisha</td>


    <td>Agility boost</td>


    <td>Enhancer</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Eran</td>


    <td>Movement reducement</td>


    <td>Manipulator</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Vanessa</td>


    <td>Sound reducement</td>


    <td>Manipulator</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Irid</td>


    <td>Healing regeneration boost</td>


    <td>Enhancer</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Bayne</td>


    <td>Body strengthening</td>


    <td>Attainer</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Glen</td>


    <td>Smoke creator</td>


    <td>Materializer</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    I told everyone about my possible Fes ability; the so-called premonition or predictive enhancement. Everyone seemed curious about it, so we decided to do the following: whenever we encounter an abnormal situation, I activate my ability and warn them if I sense something. I did activate it when this portal in front us appeared, but I didn''t sense anything special. Nothing did happen, so I guess it worked?


    I should probably use it as much as I can. Since we''re in a forest, where there''s more Fes, it should increase the regeneration of our Fes usage. This place is actually the best environment to train your ability. Hmm, okay, let me use it now.


    Hmm? I''m feeling a lot happier than usual now. Is this related to my ability? When Ayuki switched her gaze to the rest, she did notice that her feelings slightly changed from person to person. She would feel more anxious looking at Vanessa, stronger motivated when seeing Irid, some confidence radiating from Bayne, and a soothing calmness from Glen.


    What does this mean? Are these my own feelings or am I experiencing theirs? I never noticed this before. Was it always like this? These feelings might perhaps be related to their future decisions.


    This isn''t a coincidence, right? There should be something I can do with this, something future related. Let''s see¡ªif I had to guess which person would volunteer to go next through the portal¡ªI would say it''s going to be Glen. She reached her Fes limit and watched him from the side. He looked determined to go, Ayuki could already imagine him opening up his mouth and say: "I''m ready to go".


    Looks like he is clumsy.  "Wow. That was unexpected. Which portal did he fall in?"


    Well, there goes our signaling plan.Ayuki sighed and grabbed the edge of the portal. "Let''s just go in quickly, before we miss our chance. I''m just going to aim for the simple one. Hopefully, everyone is together." Aisha and the rest agreed to the quick proposal.


    Don''t think, don''t think, don''t think. The distance to the portal below wasn''t, fortunately, that big. As she let go of her position, she closed her eyes and awaited her fate. She felt the gravity pulling her down¡ªuntil it completely changed¡ªand she couldn''t tell anymore what was happening. The moment she regained her senses, she was lying on something soft.


    What just happened? Am I safe? She looked a bit around; this was still the forest area, but nobody else was there. "Damn, I shouldn''t have closed my eyes. Now I don''t know in which portal I¡ª" In front of her on the ground was a big pile of hooks; all the same size. What are these hooks for?


    I guess I should just go then. The moment she picked up one hook, a noise of someone approaching came from her right. "Oh." It was hoody walking her direction. "Hey, what''s going on?"


    What''s his problem? He''s always so pissed off and annoyed. It was a kind of awkward, but she still walked behind him since he was most likely going in the right direction.


    Do what you want?"What''s your problem? Why do you have to keep acting so unsociable? Don''t you see that this mission is meant to be cooperative?" He didn''t respond to her and just kept walking forward.


    Calm down...calm down... I had trouble getting along with people too so I can relate to him just a bit. I hated it to be treated differently, people talking behind my back all the time, being judged by other people without them trying to know you. It felt a bit like suffocating. There was nobody who could understand me, myself included. The only option I had was not to be a nuisance to others. Things started to change though based on the different encounters I had with people.


    That outburst was unexpected... Isn''t the Order making sure that won''t happen? Everyone here is doing their best. "Aren''t we all preparing ourselves to prevent that from happening? To save this city from destruction?"


    fun to do. If that''s what you call saving this city, then I don''t care about it."


    He''s starting to really piss me off again. "Why do you want to join the Order then!? Why go for it if you don''t even care about saving this city?"


    Damn, I don''t know what to say to him. Will my ability help me to understand him? She decided to activate her ability and looked at him from the back. There was this huge feeling of sorrow perhaps? It wasn''t necessarily a hateful thing that Ayuki felt, it was pain. It made her think of a moment that recently helped herself.


    Here goes nothing. "Well, that intruder is me... I have no memories of my past, no family that I know of, no relationship with this city at all. I''m basically a nobody. I initially wanted to join the Order Elites so that I could gain the trust from the Observers and the Order too; they don''t like me you see. Some of them think I''m a huge threat to the city and stuff. So far, it didn''t occur to me that I had no real personal reason to be here. Why? Because I don''t know much about me. But lately, just lately, I''m starting to understand the purpose of this General Assessment. It''s not about proving yourself to others. It''s about finding who you are as a person, finding out what really thrives you to go forward. For me, it''s learning more about myself."


    Did I talk too much? Did he even listen to what I said? He''s been quite for a while now...

 Chapter 15: Marching on the Bridge

    That''s an interesting way to describe it. "Yes, that thing. One of my cards was a cute mouse. As a mouse, I apparently make instinctive decisions."


    Passive life? "Hmm, but coming here is rather an active choice. You must really want to protect something after all."


    <div>


    Definitely not.


    Was Melderoy part of the Farenhall kingdom? What is the  Crymsin disease? How many people survived it? Why do you think the Order would hide information about it? She wanted to ask those questions but refrained herself from doing so. It didn''t feel right to dig more out of his past life. He already suffered a lot. "We both are aiming for the Order Elites; that makes us comrades, right? What¡ª"


    What? Ayuki didn''t pay much attention to the front, but now she saw it too. They were close to a lake similar to the one with the broken bridge. It was still a bit foggy, but you could tell that a few boats were rowing ahead.


    So that''s how this man here got wet. Ayuki looked around her. "So what now?"


    Great, they found each other. That means the only one who got separated was me. But still¡ªthat means we ended up not that far from each other¡ªI wonder why?


    Cooperation... two different portals before... "The hook! I found this hook when I fell into that other portal. Think we can use it?"


    <div>


    <div>


    Try attaching it to the broken bridge? No, the rope seems way to short for that...


    Well, that was obvious, everyone could tell. Ayuki grinned. "Any regrets of having cooperated now?"

 Chapter 16: End of the General Admission

    "Congratulations on making it here!" That''s the first thing they heard after crossing the other side of the destroyed bridge.


    Faye was standing there with a grin on her face. "You''re the first ones to have used the hook and rope to your advantage. I''ve witnessed everything, and I''m quite impressed. You have shown some great teamwork today."


    While she was talking, she was also managing the other portals for the remaining contestants that were still getting soaked by her.


    "No matter what the circumstances are, the difference between working together or alone is significant. I hope you''ve experienced firsthand the merit of having the support of more people, instead of just you. The fact that you all¡ªas a group¡ªmade it here as one of the earliest ones proves the value of that."


    Working together sure paid off. I would have never discovered my ability to feel other''s emotions if I were alone. That hook was pure luck though, many people that work together might still end up doing this round for a long time.


    "The Order supports teamwork to the fullest, "Faye said. "The reason that Varyion still exist is all thanks to the full support of all the citizens here. We are the living proof of how teamwork safes the people. Please don''t forget that as you continue your career options in the future."


    As her speech continued, she eventually took notice of the current time. "Oh, it''s getting late now. Without further delay, you can now move on to the last round. This portal will bring you there." With a circular movement with her left arm, a larger portal emerged in front of them. "No random location this time," Faye said smilingly.


    "Well, that''s reassuring to hear," Eran said. "I like to have my clothes dry for the time being."


    "Ah, we did it, everyone! Perhaps an idea for a team victory shout?" Aisha asked.


    They all agreed¡ªperhaps except Ryuzo¡ªand decided to shout, "We did it! Yeah," before they all walked through the portal that brought them back near the hallway where they started this round. There was no row of people to be seen now, so they could enter through the door to the fourth round if they wanted it. They decided, however, to chat a little bit with each other since they''ll probably separate after this.


    Glen volunteered for the Order Patrol, guarding and patrolling the city without much risk to lose your life was what he wanted. Wet man and wet woman¡ªcalled Gust and Clair¡ªboth didn''t apply for a specific function and were instead aiming for the recommendation based on their results. Bayne, Vanessa, and Irid were apparently also aiming for the Order Elites. Irid was however still too young to join, so she still has to wait two years before she''s eligible to do so. Ayuki already knew the things about Eran and Aisha, but they were, on the other hand, surprisingly quiet in the conversations for some reason. Ryuzo remained silent too, but at least he stayed and didn''t go ahead of the rest as he might have done.


    Everyone eventually said their goodbyes and wished each other good luck for the results, although they most likely passed the admission. The General Admission acceptance rate is, according to the rumors, known to be relatively high. Only if you had some disabilities would they seriously consider to decline an application.


    They were all eventually received by a coordinator, once they entered through the door, and parted their ways into a separate room. The coordinator assigned to Ayuki was a man with short black hair, glasses on, and called himself Seth.


    "I''m informed about your intrusive situation, so I''ll try to keep things short and clear for you," Seth said. "This round is purely meant to assess your Fes ability and performance; since I''ve heard that you''re new to yours, we''ll be focusing on how it works and how you can utilize it. Clear?"


    "Yes," she replied. He talks a bit too fast...


    "Well then¡ªcan you tell me about your experience with your Fes so far?"


    Ayuki told him everything that she could think of; the possibility of predicting a person''s action and the emotions she felt when looking at someone with her Fes ability activated.


    "That''s certainly interesting," Seth said. "I''m glad you''ve noticed the emotions. Hmm... okay, how about this"¡ªhis expression changed into a poker face¡ª"What am I feeling now?"


    Oh, I see. Ayuki activated her Fes and gazed into his emotionless face. There was a sad atmosphere around him. She almost felt the tears welling in her eyes but didn''t understand why. "You''re mostly sad. You have a certain regret that resides deep within you. However, there''s also something strong that is subduing that sadness; a feeling of hope I guess."You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    "Impressive. You''re accurately correct. Okay, next one." Another poker face as he remained silent, entirely focused on bringing up his next emotion.


    There was a positive aura around him this time. "You''re proud of something, something important to you. I can''t tell what it is though."


    "Try again." He threw a TAG into her hands. The sign engraved on the wood piece was different than the Barrier or Call TAG.


    With a tight grip on the TAG, Ayuki activated it and felt a stronger sensation bursting within herself. The use of her Fes felt lighter or perhaps smoother; it felt like her senses had sharpened too. Looking at Seth now, his aura felt more accessible. "You''re proud of a certain person, a baby perhaps. I feel that it''s related to you."


    "Very good. Now, there is something else that also piqued my interest. I heard you have a good memory. Can you vividly remember my face when I felt sad?"


    "Uh, yes." The same poker face as you have now...


    "Great. While holding that TAG, can you still feel something based on just your visual memory of that moment?"


    Use my ability on a visual memory instead of what I see now; I never even considered that idea. Let''s see... he held his hands together and his elbows rested on the table.


    That sadness feeling instantly returned. "Ah, you lost someone dear to you. There''s a certain promise you couldn''t fulfill?"


    He briefly closed his eyes and stared downwards. "Correct." He made eye contact again. "Highly impressive. You can combine your Fes ability with your good memory. That''s bound to be useful."


    "Wauw, that''s good to know. What kind of TAG is this?" Ayuki asked.


    "A Fes supplier. It is highly used on occasions when one is running out of Fes or temporarily needs to improve his or her ability. Since you have a rather low Fes output, this TAG will help you to have a better control of your ability."


    They continued with a couple of more tests to explore her Fes limitations. Without the supplier TAG, she was still able to use her Fes for two minutes. With the TAG it was five minutes; using it significantly improved her ability and the results as well. Getting to know the emotion of a person had a big impact on guessing that person''s actions. The predictions were mostly accurate when the feelings were powerful. A mindset with a clear goal was easier to predict than one without a goal.


    The fourth round ended quicker than Ayuki expected. It was surprisingly simple compared to the tedious round before. In the end, she was shown the door and ended up back at the training ground area from the second round. Many people were still standing there, having a conversation with each other.


    The Call TAG from Dedroy started to ring. It makes beeping sounds and it even vibrates too. Ayuki answered the call and listened to his message, "Hey Ayuki, how did it go? Mind notifying your favorite trainer about your admission?"


    "Hah-hah, yeah, you''re my only trainer. Uhm... it went well. The results will be given in a day or two. By the way, I discovered a bunch of things. I''m sure you would like to hear it."


    After hearing Ayuki''s experience and sharing some small talk, Dedroy notified her about the following day.


    <hr>


    The Fortification¡ªa monthly happening to strengthen the Varyion Wall¡ªmost likely by Ravendell himself; this was about to happen soon in the Centurion Square, the center point of the city.


    Ayuki just arrived there, thirty minutes before it started. It already looked crowded. The Centuriom Square was divided in two, all the people of the Order were in front, and the citizens had to stand in the back. In the center stood a small tower, protected by many guards that surrounded it. Just then, the people started cheering loudly; the enthusiasm filled the whole area. Was something happening now?


    "The Order Elites! They''re here!" That''s what Ayuki mostly heard from the lively crowd. In the distance, she saw a group of people approaching the front side of the square. They seemed to be wearing similar equipment and gears.


    After eavesdropping a conversation, Ayuki learned that these people were the Order Elites squads that returned from their missions outside the city. They came back here just to attend the Fortification. With their arrival, the place became flooded with people in no time.


    As scheduled, a person appeared on the balcony of that small tower. "Hyo Ravendell!" People screamed as he gently waved at them. He didn''t utter any word, but with that much support, his appearance did feel very kinglike.


    He''s an interesting man. No longer a king, but people still treat him like one. So far, I only know his kind and humble side when I spoke to him. He didn''t act like a king at least


    All the people started to either hold each other''s hands or put their hands on each other''s shoulders. The whole city seemed to be in complete oneness, unified together with one goal in mind. Ayuki did the same as the rest. Ravendell showed both his hands as everyone, except for Ayuki, counted down starting from ten.


    "ZERO," were the last screamed words before it became completely silent. The glowing white Fes enveloped around everyone as multiple waves of light radiated and traveled itself in the air into the direction of the barrier, the Varyion Walls. The view of the outside world vanished as the transparent walls became utterly bright. This lasted for about ten minutes before the Fes started to fade away. There was one last cheer that followed afterward before the crowd slowly began to diminish.


    So this the Fortification? I''ve never seen the atmosphere this positive before. The walls must be the most significant victory this city has achieved. The fact that they have to strengthen the walls every month is a bit worrisome though. It proves that it can break, that it won''t last forever.


    I''m grateful to have witnessed the Fortification, but my resolution remains unchanged. A better solution is needed, but I have to start with myself first. I need to train myself to be independent, to know my limits, to learn who I am. Only then can I be ready to help others, to go outside the walls.


    I have to say; yesterday was quite a discovery. It seems like this Fes ability of mine can be most useful in the search for my answer. There''s a new idea I have in mind now. If it works, it might, in fact, provide answers that everyone is looking for.

 Chapter 17: The Order Elites SA

    "Be sure to add the sensors to your prototypes for next week. I want to see some interactive stuff."


    No, not really. "Hehe, you know me, I''m a bit addicted, I''ll try to play less."


    <div>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    General Admission (GA) REPORT


    Assesment


    Challenges conducted


    <div>


    Fes ability


    Recommended department


    Requested department


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Order Investigation, that was unexpected to see. Rin Mayn was the coordinator of the memory challenge. She must have put in a good word for me; even a ticket was in the letter containing detailed information regarding the Order Investigation. If I wanted, I could already start next week, working under Rin''s supervision. Too bad I already made my mind for the Order Elites, I''m sorry Rin.


    <div>


    He''s quite scary. Wait, he called himself Hyo¡ªthat means he''s the other Hyonim besides Ravendell. If there are three of them, I wonder who the other one is.


    I don''t know why, but there''s this huge pressure all of a sudden. My body feels heavier than normal, is it because of him? His hands are currently behind his back, he might be using his Fes on us.


    If he didn''t, I would have asked myself.


    I still have no clue where this is going.


    To think that such an amazing person existed, she sounds even better than a hero now. Now that I think about it, I saw some books that mentioned ''Speaker'' in their titles, but I didn''t think it was something that important. I''ll have to do some more reading after this. Yeon Althain...


    I can''t ignore it now.


    Risking your lives for something that is still uncertain. Is it worth the trouble? I can''t say for sure, but I have to admire their bravery. Perhaps we need this kind of resolution; to risk your life for even the smallest glimmer of hope. Was Yeon also like this? If she really is a Speaker, and if Speakers are really the key to salvation, then this sounds like a mission worth doing.

 Chapter 18: A New Temporary Squad

    <div>


    <div>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Classification:</td>


    <td>Type of species:</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Tarmin</td>


    <td>Plant type</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Dormin</td>


    <td>Animal type</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Furmin</td>


    <td>Insect type</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Tyrmin</td>


    <td>Weather type</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    The only creatures I''ve seen so far is the Cyllius, a dark moving mist that is part of the tyrmin classification, and the Defarin, a giant sand-spewing lizard, the dormin type. Whenever I remember the human sounds comingfrom the cyllius, a few thoughts crossed my mind. What if it has a concience? What if it attacks humans for a reason? What if we could influence their behavior?


    All kind of attempts to communicate with the Dark nature were conducted with no positive results. Mostpeople say that communication with the Dark nature is impossible, that it is an irrational thing to do, but I still have my doubts about that. No one had my ability before, and if trained correctly, it can verify things more accurately than any other research will. In my opinion, a couple of the Dark nature species show signs of human characteristics.The cyllius, for example, shows a certain hatred towards people. It records its victim''s sufferings, painful memories, and even their fears.


    There''s also one called the "rukiola", a plant that uses its vines to capture humans alive, rather than kill them. They say it prefers its prey alive because of the body''s heat. It dislikes cold temperature, like most of us, does. Perhaps it doesn''t want to stay lonely?


    At the GA, the Order quickly judged my ability as an empathy type. There wasn''t enough time to test my ability on other things besides humans. Will it work on animalsor insects for example? I couldn''t feel a thing from my memories of that Defarin attack, most likely because I focused more on running than looking at it.


    <div>


    . "Hey, Ryuzo," she said to him.


    Oh dear, I hope I sound enthusiasticenough. "I''ll be frank, would you be interested in temporarily joining an already existing Elites squad? The experience will greatly benefit our final examination, and you can instantly start with missions outside the city once you pass the program."


    What? Did he read my mind?"How did you¡ª"


    It''s shocking how accurate he is; I''ve never even said this. His hearing sure is impressive though. There wasn''t anyone near when I was talking to Aisha. "Yes. Yeon is known to mostly focus on curing diseases. Don''t you think there''s a good chance she wrote something about it?"


    Was the Order involved in that case? It doesn''tlook like he will explain more about it."Then¡ªwhat kind of mission do you have inmind? How do you plan to find out what happened?"


    The cyllius always move together in groups like birds do in a flock. The curse encounter book mentioned a favorite place where all of them gather; this also just a theory since the location was never found due to their ability to turn invisible. Ryuzo must be planning to locate that area. He doesn''t have a Fes ability and he wants to go alone. He either has a death wish or is hiding something special.


    <div>


    Why?"You seem to be troubled by the past, and as you said, there''s not much information about it. If it''s one of the most dangerous diseases without a cure, then we need to resolve that, right?"


    stranger'' you mean¡ªI don''t know you well enough¡ªthen I can call myself a stranger too.You''re not a stranger to me now; you''re Ryuzo. You want to help your hometown and find out the truth behind that day. That sounds like a job an Order Elite has to do. Besides," Ayuki said, "this is one of Yeon''s philosophies, ''Great risks are necessary to achieve great things.'' We all have ideas and are willing to risk big things for it, but we have to use our heads too. A wrong decision can cost a life after all."


    <div>

 Chapter 19: A New Training Schedule

    Squad seventeen; the name of the squad Ayuki and Ryuzo recently joined. Besides Aisha and Eran, the other three members were still unknown. Two of them were injured, but where was the other person so far?


    For the time being though, any meetup with the new squad wasn''t going to happen anytime soon due to the busy schedule of all the Order recruits. On the first day as recruits so far, it was only physical training in the forest, an obstacle course more intense than the simple one during the GA. Right now, however, the Barrier Tag training was in process.


    All the recruits wore a badge with their name displayed on the front and backside of their clothes. Everyone could call out to their names, and it also made clear who the recruits were.


    Hyu Taile, the appointed instructor for this training, raised up his right hand. "This glove is specifically designed for you to combine it with any Tag," Taile said as he pointed towards the glove he was wearing. "This is part of the official gear an Elite has to wear. Throughout the whole SA program, it will be advised to wear it."


    Ten persons handed out the special glove and the Barrier Tag separately to almost all the recruits¡ªthose who didn''t get one were, for some reason, already wearing it from the beginning.


    Ayuki inspected the glove she just received. It was made out of leather with some extra protection placed on the outside. Odd enough, it was a four-fingered glove, the part of the ring and middle finger was stitched together with a small pocket attached to it.


    Taile waited until all the items were distributed before he continued. "The Barrier Tag is the most important Tag you''ll need for survival in the outside world. If you use it well, you won''t die. We will first train your body to instinctively react to every danger, and train your eyes to see any potential danger coming. Now, if you all, please attach the Barrier Tag in the glove''s pocket."


    Everyone did as instructed, and shortly after, a couple of barriers activated among the recruits. People shouted in anger or surprise because some of them got pushed away by the barrier¡ªsome people even fell. What''s happening?


    "I see some of you already discovered it, Taile said. "The glove makes it easier to activate the Barrier Tag. You won''t need to hold it anymore; the glove will do that for you. Now, if everyone, please spread out and make enough space to practice your barrier for a bit. All you need to do is clench your hand into a fist, and the Tag will activate."


    All the recruits started practicing. Ayuki looked at Ryuzo''s barrier; it was still a surprise to see how large it was in comparison to others. Those who saw it also kept staring at it in awe. It''s a shame he couldn''t discover his ability, but the existence of Tags is a fortunate invention for him.


    To be honest, I didn''t think Ryuzo would accept the offer of joining squad seventeen. I could tell through my ability that he didn''t necessarily dislike people, but he still had a lot of trust issues going on. Does he perhaps trust me enough now? He better be, we''re teammates now. Aisha did tell me that Ryuzo only seems to talk "normally" around me, hence the reason why she requested me to ask him in the first place.


    "Okay. We will proceed to the next step." Taile walked towards a ball rack while he stretched right arm forward. His Fes activated as one of the balls started to float in the air at shoulder level.


    "Ohh," or "Wow," some people said in reaction to the floating ball. From the looks of it, Taile''s ability was something like telekinesis.


    "Using a barrier will keep draining your Fes output, so holding it up for a long duration can cost a lot of Fes. The move I will teach you is called ''quick shield''¡ªa move that is essential to master with a minimal Fes usage. Now, first a demonstration."


    The ball moved in a circular motion before it rapidly flew towards Taile himself. At a close distance from impact, he activated his barrier. The ball bounced back. His barrier vanished before the ball could even drop to the ground.


    "The quick shield is simply a short duration of the barrier used at the right moment. You will save a lot of Fes, which allows you to use the barrier more often. Inside here, our Fes output can run out, but it will regenerate¡ªoutside, you can''t regenerate your Fes. Never spend too much Fes than necessary, it may cost you your life."


    Taile quickly gazed everyone in the eyes. "Alright, now all of you will have to put my demonstration into practice." Before anyone could respond, Taile sent the ball flying to the closest person near him. The man got hit in the face. "What did I just say? Clench your fist, it''s not rocket science! Again!"Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    The man used the Tag now that protected himself from all of Taile''s attacks, but he didn''t deactivate the barrier between each attack. His eyes were even closed.


    "Don''t stay behind your shield like a coward! Next one!"


    The ball moved to a different target. Most people already activated the barrier in fear of Taile''s next attack before the ball even got near them.


    "Don''t use it so early! It''s a waste of energy!" Taile went to each person and picked out a target to attack within a flash. "Vanessa! Look! Look with your eyes; your hands won''t do it for you."


    "Y¡ªyes Hyu!" Vanessa shouted. She kept covering her face with her hands; she probably wasn''t familiar with the Barrier Tag yet. The ball hit her stomach a couple of times. That must have hurt. You could hear the sound of every impact.


    Thanks to Dedroy, I was at least used to the Barrier Tag now¡ªactivating it wasn''t a problem for me.


    "Ayuki! You''re overusing your barrier, make the duration shorter. Again!" The ball kept slamming into Ayuki''s barrier until she managed to do it right, for a couple of times at least. Okay. It''s harder than it looks.


    Next up was Ryuzo. He did a pretty good job not to waste much Fes in the beginning, but still got hit from time to time near the end. "Don''t close your eyes during the attack! Keep your focus together!"


    Eventually, more balls started to join the picture. Taile couldn''t control more than two balls, but he could choose which one to use and switch to a different one whenever he liked. Focusing on one attack was one thing but concentrating on multiple attacks was insane. Sometimes a ball struck you in the back when you dropped your guard after a front attack.


    When the ball hits you, it feels like a massive punch¡ªthe pain distracts you for a second or three. Taile was kind enough not to attack immediately at those moments, giving everyone the time to regain their poise. It wasn''t easy, but it felt important to have such kind of training. The barrier is, after all, the main reason everyone''s still safe here. Taile even showed us some mercy. In the outside world, there will be no place for mercy, so they say at least.


    "This is quite tough," Ryuzo said, gasping for air.


    "It is." Ayuki kneeled on the floor to rest. According to the schedule, we''ll be doing this every day¡ª"


    No reply from Ryuzo, he just lowered his head even further. He''s obviously not looking forward to it.


    At the end of the training, you literally saw people lying on the ground from exhaustion. Most recruits had many difficulties with the Barrier exercise, but there were still a few of them who flawlessly executed the quick shield.


    "Haha, it''s great to see Taile so active again!" a slightly muscled woman said. She had long blond hair in a ponytail, and her badge had the name Elizabeth written. She was also one of the experienced ones. "You can tell he likes to train new people," she said with a smirk.


    "It''s a waste of energy! Again! Again!" Another guy said laughingly, imitating Taile''s attacking movements. He had a scar on his chin and was called Yuu according to his badge. "Oh, I did miss those days."


    "Do you also notice the difference in recruits here?" Ayuki asked Ryuzo. "Like those people for example. They had already the Barrier Tag in possession, and they mastered the quick shield too."


    "Yeah, of course, I noticed it," Ryuzo said. "They are obviously the recruits from the previous SA. So¡ªthey didn''t pass the last exams and joined up with our program."


    Ah, now it makes sense. The SA does have a minimum duration of two months, upon failure it will be extended. Those talented recruits didn''t pass the exams? I wonder how difficult the exams are then...


    <hr>


    "Hyo, what are your feelings about this month''s recruits?"


    Jullian was watching the recruits from a distance. Seeing people train, people that do their best, always seem to calm him down. He almost forgot that a person asked him a question. "Good. Again, we have some interesting recruits. Besides our potential royal miss, we have the son of Zefrick finally participating; his GA report was excellent, much better than his father. We have a rare intruder with an ability that needs more investigation. We can''t jump to any conclusion yet, but her ability might be very promising. There''s a Nofes with an unexpected high Fes output." Jullian pointed at the ones he just spoke about. "Both their past lives are not in our records; it''s a complete mystery. Ah, and before I forget, I''m also looking forward to that young girl, the daughter of Elmin. Their family has always been a great support to the Order."


    "Is that so? I wasn''t aware of the other ones besides Elizabeth and the intruder. I shall need to read their reports then, how promising. So, uhm, are they the reason why this SA looks rather... more difficult?"


    Jullian never paid much attention to the annoying person standing next to him, but it was better not to ignore a question from an Observer. "No. The program is based on what I see as necessary. If our circumstances become more troublesome, then our countermeasures need to compensate it. That is all."


    <hr>


    The following training days remained difficult, but Ayuki didn''t expect things to go this fast. On already the third day, all the recruits assembled in front of the gate of the city walls¡ªthe same gate Ayuki passed through on her first day coming here.


    "Ryuzo, tell me what''s happening," Ayuki said in disbelief. Nothing was mentioned about the reason for being there, not one word.


    Ryuzo kept staring at the gates. "I''m not sure, but it looks like we''re going outside."


    "Wasn''t going outside the goal of being an Elite? This isn''t what I expected from the SA." Ayuki''s heart started to beat faster.


    "I thought so too. Perhaps they just wanted to show us the gates."


    "Open the gates!" The guards yelled, and the gates started to move.


    Other recruits also started to panic now. Nobody saw it coming, but in the next training ¡ªthey''re about to witness their first up-close encounter with the Dark nature.

 Chapter 20: Return of the Defarin

    According to "The Curse Encounter"¡ªit said that the Defarins are blind, they don''t have eyes. They instead have a highly developed sense of vibrations. They can feel all kind of movements made on the ground, and distinguish humans from other beings.


    With Ryuzo''s large Fes output, combined with my support, our barrier must be significantly better than the rest.


    I bet they were okay with any idea. Everyone reached the desperate level by now.


    With everyone supporting Ryuzo''s barrier, it should last long enough for us to reach the checkpoint. More importantly, the barrier should be difficult to break for even a defarin, I hope at least.


    Shit! The moral of the group instantly dropped. Is our defense already reaching its limit? Damn it. Is it going to end here?


    He was right about that. With the threat temporarily gone, there was nothing to fear for the moment. Their biggest barrier disappeared, and the tense atmosphere vanished.


    Is it necessary to call specific actions with a name? It feels kind of¡ªsilly.


    How to describe today''s training? Dreadful. Defarin-full. Well, the good news is that a different program was scheduled for tomorrow. The bad news is that it wasn''t clear whether it''ll be better or worse than that of today. Survival training, that''s how it was called. Wasn''t today survival enough?

 Chapter 21: Squad seventeen

    Damn it. This could mean a few things. She can''t empathize with dormins or just defarins, she can only empathize with humans, or her ability isn''t developed enough to be able to relate to anything else besides humans. As of yet, only time and experience will tell.


    He never told me this kind of things, but I can somehow tell now. His body language, his actions, his way of speaking¡ªall these things make me understand him better. I might even be imagining it, but I''m beginning to see his childhood life a bit. His hometown, the plague, and¡ªthe cyllius were involved. He''s been alone for a while after that incident, and he blames the Order for that. Will I know his past more if I stay with him? Is his grudge against the Order just? He''s not the type to tell me, but perhaps I will find out as I keep observing him.


    I still ask him random questions if I want to¡ªDedroy doesn''t mind answering them. He might have been my trainer for a while, but he''s more of a good friend to me.


    I think you call those things crutches?


    I think this is a bit too overwhelming.


    She must be one of the members that, as Aisha mentioned, are under ''rehabilitation''.


    From what I can tell, he won''t. An introduction would feel like something unnecessary to him, a hassle. And if the introduction was important, then he will probably ask me later about it. "I''m sorry to say, but I doubt it. I can inform him though if there''s anything he should know."


    I need to know how good my survival chance will be in this squad. How well do they handle dangerous situations?


    Ryuzo holds an honest grudge against them.

 Chapter 22: A Knife Selection

    I didn''t think about that. "But then... what about Yeon Althain? Didn''t she go MIA on a mission? Wasn''t that at least seventy years ago?"


    So, that means the Order exists even less than seventy years. That explains why the Elites'' progress isn''t that far. The map Aisha showed me before only showed a few discovered places.


    Can you be a Speaker without realizing it? Isn''t that very troubling? How do you recognize one?


    Oh dear, well, I''ll have to get used to these kinds of questions too...


    Is he hiding something? A glimmer of Fes covered Ayuki''s iris before it vanished. "Were you perhaps¡ªlistening to the meeting we just had earlier?"


    He actually came? That means he saw some benefit from the meeting. It''s good that he came, but for some reason, he''s feeling very conflicted now. Did the squad mention something disturbing? I should ask what''s bothering him.


    What''s this familiar sensation I''m feeling? D¨¦j¨¤ vu? Did I experience this before? Still, what a great looking knife! The satisfying weight when you hold it in your hand, the way the light reflects on the blade''s edges¡ªit feels thrilling.


    He''s still a bit vague about his past, but it''s understandable. I won''t ask for it until he feels more comfortable with it. "Okay then. You can still count on my support for that."


    I didn''t think he could be that formal; it''s a bit funny. "Ah, don''t worry about that. My memories will come along just fine, I think. More importantly, I wish to find out more about my ability."


    <div>


    He''s better at it than the other Observers.


    <div>


    Part of what Flynner said is indeed correct. Whether it is true or not, it is essential to consider the worst goals an intruder can have, so that we can prepare for that kind of situations. What can be achieved here in Varyion? What is the most dangerous thing an intruder can do here?The worst thing I can think of so far is¡ªthe deactivation of our walls; to break down the hope that has protected us for centuries. I don''t know why one would want such a thing, but if one would aim for that, I''ll personally exterminate that person no matter the cost.

 Chapter 23: Survival in The Forest

    <div>


    It''s a bit weird saying our names first whenever we use the shared Call Tag, but it does help us to distinguish everyone''s voice¡ªthey do sound different from the Tag than in person.


    <div>


    She already forgot? "380 milligram," Ayuki replied, "but a bit more shouldn''t be a problem."


    <div>


    She''s right about that. It''s tough going from one training to another without a break. More than half the recruits already left... Now, the Order is expecting us to work together in random teams with people we''ve never met before. "Can''t blame the recruits for leaving, that Defarin experience was more than enough to scare them away. And do you know how I freaked out I was when they suddenly injected something in Dwayne''s arm? They said it wasn''t real poison, but¡ª"


    <div>


    life bar was decreasing. A loading bar appeared in front of him when he got injected by that needle. The bar was yellow, and the text implied that it was Dwayne''s life bar¡ªit supposedly represented the time he had left before the poison would spread to his whole body.


    It isn''t poison, right? I sure hope not.


    <div>


    <div>


    <div>


    It was illustrated in the lessons a few hours ago... Does he need to ask this? Well, Austin wasn''t there, so I guess he just wants to make sure we''re not a bunch of clueless rookies.


    <div>


    <table>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Forestzone</td>


    <td>Meaning</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Outer</td>


    <td>The safest place of the forest, not much danger to expect.</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Border</td>


    <td>The line between safety and danger. Move morewithcaution.</td>


    </tr>


    <tr>


    <td>Core</td>


    <td>Most dangerous place of the forest, nests oftarminandfurmincan be expected.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    The Curse Encounters book. Her memory is that impressive. Thinking about Ayuki, Ryuzo still couldn''t understand her character. She said she has no memory of anything up until a month ago, has literally no ties to anyone here, and yet she''s willing to join the Elites and help the city while having a bad reputation with the citizens. She said she wants to understand who she really is, but is that necessary?


    People are hard to get...

 Chapter 24: The Insanity Creature

    Calm down, calm down, my barrier is still on. Ah, I should use my time to observe the situation.


    Are we going to abandon Maiden...? Is that the best decision? Is she still alive? Damn... If I paid more attention to the ground, I could have warned everyone on time. This is my fault. This is all my fault.


    D-did it just spoke?


    It was a fox, a tree, a mountain, they would say. The appearance or treats of the forest guardian always differed from story to story, but there was at least one resemblance¡ªit could communicate with people."


    Ah, I did felt it was something like that. Before Ayuki could respond, Yuu laid his arm around Ryuzo''s neck. "Come on, remember what Austin said? Not getting caught by the enemy is a good achievement by itself. You did a good job staying safe, and so did I, hahaha."

 Chapter 25: Time to Look for Food

    "You''re starting to become a headache if you ask me..."Ayuki thought.


    Nice comment! That''s what I like about Selyn. She''s a quick thinker and not afraid to be direct with her opinion.


    Guess I can''t predict things so well after all...


    <div>


    It''s interesting what a little study can do. First I didn''t feel any connection to Chew, but now I do feel more attached to it. Unlike certain people, Chew doesn''t complain about its circumstances nor does it show any signs of aggressive behavior. I can hold Chew in my hand, and it won''t try to attack me or even escape. It really is just a peaceful and cute little beetle. Some people would say that an insect has no feelings or conscience. I thought the same, but now... I''m not so sure about that. At least, I feel I can learn a few things from Chew. I hope that I even might be able to communicate with it someday.


    My ability works on an insect, that much is confirmed. Next question would be whether it works on the Dark nature too. Perhaps not any creature might work, but ever since yesterday, a suitable creature presented itself¡ªthe creature in the Insanity Forest. If it truly spoke, that would make communication even easier. The fact that we can''t communicate with the Dark nature might be the reason why we''re at war against it in the first place. Imagine if we could talk with our greatest enemy. Perhaps, just perhaps, some kind of consensus would be possible. Even if it isn''t possible, the least I want to find out is how to keep humanity safe from the Dark nature. That might be something I could achieve with that ability of mine.

 Chapter 26: The Fear of The Night

    After the borel collection was complete, the next step was to secure some water. The borels sure taste great, but eating it somehow leaves you with a dry throat, which was why they chose the river as the next favored place to go. The water from any river isn''t naturally safe to drink from, but those problems are solved by applying a few drops of minoin¡ªa chemical invented by Yeon Althain that purifies water. If necessary, minoin can also be used to disinfect simple cuts and wounds of the body.


    On their way to the riverside, Ryuzo warned the team of something he heard. Other people were approaching. Ayuki peered as best as she could to see what Ryuzo heard, and sure enough, silhouettes were drawing near. He certainly wasn''t joking about his sensitive hearing, she thought. The person walking in front was a familiar brown-haired man with a scarf around his neck¡ªDwayne. Is he the leader of their group? Ayuki wondered. As far as Ayuki knows, Dwayne is not the most apprehensive person, but he certainly is brave, strong, and talented. There''s also something familiar about him, but Ayuki couldn''t put her finger on it.


    "Howdy," is how Dwayne greeted Ayuki and the rest. "How''s it going?" he asked. He was accompanied by two other people. One of them was a man with an eyepatch called Miles. He was probably the oldest among the recruits and always had a stern look on his face. Ayuki felt he must''ve been through a lot of grief since he never smiled. The person standing next to Miles was the senior Elizabeth. Among the recruits, she''s ranked the highest. She''s a bit muscular but it in a feminine way, like the muscles complement her body well. On top of that, she''s beautiful. They''re quite an impressive group. They might be the best performing recruits among us.


    Yuu waved his hand to them. "Hi there. Not bad, I gotta say. We''ve got our food for the day." He showed his half-eaten borel in his hand. "We''re now off to fetch some water."


    For the sake of interest, Ayuki used her Fes just to feel Dwayne''s current reaction and intentions. The moment Dwayne saw Yuu''s borel, his curiosity increased. It seemed that he never saw a borel before, yet knows something about it. Ayuki deactivated her Fes again so that others wouldn''t notice it.


    "Ah, is that the borel I heard about?" Dwayne asked. "Nice. We were just about to collect some ourselves. How much did you collect?"


    Yuu crossed his arms. "We got plenty." He pointed at the borrel collection Ryuzo was wearing in his backpack. While everyone held one Borel, Ryuzo volunteered to hold the remaining ones. It must''ve been heavy, but he didn''t complain so far.


    "You''ve done something useful this time," Elizabeth said in a joking manner. "Any interest in sharing some with us? We''re aiming for fish and made all the arrangements by the riverside. Maiden and Bayne are on the task now."


    "Fish..." Selyn started to drool a little. She apparently likes fish a lot.


    Ayuki spoke without thinking, "Fish does sound nice."


    Without much words spoken, it was unanimously decided to accompany Dwayne''s team back to the riverside to take some delight in fish and water. Upon arrival, you could see Bayne standing in the river with a sharp handmade spear in his right hand. Without moving an inch, he just stood there as if the time had stopped. Focused on his job, he changed the grip on his spear as it weaved while he lowered himself to his target. With a swift lunge, his spear pierced the water. Bayne retrieved the spear out of the water only to find out that his effort was in vain. The target escaped.


    "Keep practicing! Your form is good!" Elizabeth yelled at Bayne.


    Bayne turned his head towards Elizabeth and responded with a fist pump in the air. He must have taken his job serious since he kept quiet so that he wouldn''t scare the fish away.


    "Hey, looks like he caught a few already." Dwayne pointed to the glass-wearing Maiden standing on a boulder next to the river. She was cooking one skewed fish on a campfire. All the recruits were taught how to make fire without Fes, but Ayuki was almost certain that this team used Fes after all. Dwayne''s ability is fire, and he certainly is the type of guy that uses his ability if he ever gets the chance. Four skewed fishes seemed to be already fried and ready to eat. It looked very appetizing. Just seeing the fried skin, imagining the fresh and tender taste of a well-cooked fish made Ayuki''s stomach growl.


    Before the night would fall, both Yuu''s and Dwayne''s team decided to stay together and enjoy a meal together around the campfire. There was enough wood to keep the fire up, and enough food and drinks to survive the day while having a good time together.


    <div>


    "It''s nice having no instructors around telling us what to do, huh?" Maiden asked. "We''re finally free to choose ourselves. It actually feels like a holiday, doesn''t it?"


    Dwayne burst out in laughter. "It does! We should have more training sessions like this. I love it already!"


    "Dwayne." Yuu poked Dwayne on the shoulder and said, "Can I ask you a question?"


    Dwayne toned down his enthusiasm and simply shrugged. "Sure, hit me."


    "Your last name...is it Gyllen?"


    "Ah, yes." Dwayne frowned. "That''s correct. Why?"


    "I knew it! So, you''re Zeffrick''s son?"


    Dwayne smiled when he heard that question. "I see, that''s why you''re asking it. Yup, that''s me. You know him?"


    Yuu raised his eyebrows and grinned. "Who doesn''t? He''s always there on the night patrol, leading the east-side guards. I''ve seen him in some afternoon cases too. But man, it makes sense then, how you''re so good at fire and stuff!"


    Yuu wasn''t the only surprised one. Ayuki finally saw the resemblance. Dwayne got a similar nose and eyes as Zeffrick. So, Zeffrick''s last name is Gyllen? Didn''t knew he was a fire user. Ayuki thought. It''s been a while since I seen him. He''s the first nice person I''ve met since I live here. I would''ve liked to see him again, but he must''ve been busy. I wonder what he''s been doing lately.


    More questions were thrown at all the people sitting around the campfire. What''s your goal in the Order? What do want to achieve? What are you looking forward to? Personal things were said that might''ve been undeniable stupid, or on the contrary, very inspiring. It was a time for everyone to share each other''s ambitions and dreams, a time to get closer as well.


    "Hey, Ayuki?" Dwayne suddenly asked her. "Do you have other stories for us, like the forest guardians? You seem to know stuff. We wanna hear more interesting things."


    <div>


    Studying in the library gave Ayuki a lot of knowledge of this world¡ªenough to make her wonder whether she knows more things now than the average recruits here. For a long time, in the beginning, it was Ayuki herself that needed to ask a lot of questions. That''s been changing since of late. She held her hand against her mouth before she spoke, "Well, let''s see...have you heard of the invanes?" Ayuki asked and looked at everyone''s faces. Elizabeth was the only one that didn''t seem to be that interested as she kept nipping at some borel pieces.


    Dwayne cocked his head to the side. "Invanes? It does ring a bell."


    <div>


    Eye-patch Miles frowned and asked, "Really? You haven''t? My whole family warned me about them when I was young. Said that they''re dangerous people with an uncontrollable Fes. They''re a threat to the world."


    "Ah, yeah!" Dwayne suddenly shouted. "Now, I remember! The destroyers of the world, they were called, right?"


    Ayuki nodded. "That''s what they''re saying. The stories about the invanes are so old that they go back way before even The Dark Days occurred. What makes someone an invane is a mystery, but people mentioned that invanes had destructive power and caused countless catastrophic incidents, even wars were fought against them. They say that an invane possesses an unlimited amount of Fes and use it for their own desires. Throughout history, they have been either castaway or assassinated by orders. Rumors say, that they''re people who are possessed by evil spirits. Some people even claimed that the Dark nature is all their doing. Whether that is all true or not can''t be proven since there''s never been any witness of an invane''s existence ever since the Dark nature''s appearance. Whether these claims are true or not, it''s up to you to believe them."


    "Wow, so if all of this is true, then killing those invanes is our solution?"


    Dwayne snorted. "Hah, how can you believe this if nobody from our generation ever witnessed one? It''s just folklore that''s exaggerating some frightful people that may or may not be real. It''s just like those useless ghost stories purely made to give people a good scare."


    Ayuki raised her hand to get Dwayne''s attention. "Actually, there''s one possible proof that you might change your mind. One of the wars mentioned in there happened here in this forest."


    Dwayne widened his eyes. "Seriously?"


    "Do you remember the lake during the second round of the SA?"


    "You mean the Red Lake?" Elizabeth started to join in now.


    "Yes," Ayuki confirmed. "The Red Lake. You know the shape of that lake, right? It''s like multiple craters next to each other. It was written that one of the invanes during that war had explosive powers and caused those crater-like-shapes. Many people died there and caused the lake to be filled with blood which is why the lake has been named the Red Lake."


    "Damn...that''s¡ª" Bayne got interrupted by a high-pitched sound that echoed through the forest. It sounded like a bird that sang a powerful and repeating rhythm from a great distance.


    "W-what''s that? Selyn panicked. "Wait, isn''t that the sound of..."


    "Someone died," Ryuzo quickly said. "Well, figuratively I mean."


    Although it sounded different than Taile''s demonstration, Ayuki agreed with Ryuzo that this was the sound of a breaking glass pendant. Something happened to a recruit.


    "B-but how? There shouldn''t be any Dark nature inside. M-maybe it''s just an accident." Selyn''s voice trembled a bit as she anxiously watched her surroundings.


    It was the first time for a training to be held at night. Thanks to the campfire, only the river and a couple of trees were lightened up. Apart from that, it was completely dark. Ayuki didn''t imagine she''d feel that vulnerable without any proper light around. Nobody was talking now, they all tried to listen closely to what was going on. Just when the breaking pendant sound began to diminish, a second one appeared.


    "Another one? Damn...this ain''t no accident. Something is attacking the recruits."


    The burning campfire made it hard to hear what was going on. Ayuki doubted whether she heard something else besides the pendant alarm, but it seemed like people were screaming in the background.


    "W-what should we do?" Selyn asked.


    "I dunno," Yuu replied. "Normally, it''s best to escape...but that''s against the rules now. Taile specifically said to stay here the coming days..."


    "So, we can''t do anything then..."


    Bayne rummaged in his backpack. "Damn it. Besides our knives, they haven''t even given us any serious weapon training."


    After the noise died down, everyone remained quiet and stayed on high alert. They decided to distinguish the campfire in order not to attract any enemy. Was this the right choice? The campfire felt like the only hope there was in the darkness... The thought of an attack coming from any direction and any moment kept Ayuki on edge. Every sound being made kept her awake. If we''re outside the city, will every night be like this? Will we never feel safe then? How can someone remain calm when death can lurk in every corner? Nothing was happening now, yet Ayuki felt terrible.


    Dwayne suddenly spoke. "Don''t worry." In an instant, fire flowed around his hand in a circular motion as it vanished away. "If there''s anything close, I''ll use my fire to light up the place and burn the enemy down if needed."


    "Y-You can also count on me," Ryuzo said. "I''ll give a warning if I hear something threatening."


    Breath in, breath out. Phew, okay, I''m fine. Ayuki felt a lot better after hearing Dwayne and Ryuzo''s comforting words. "Thanks, guys. That sounds reassuring."


    That night, a total of three broken pendants were heard. The cause of it, unknown.

 Chapter 27: Shifting of The Lands

    Predicament? It''ll be a disaster! Ravendell thought to himself. The Insanity Forest is the first and only outside forest discovered so far that contains edible fruit and unique plant species that are almost untainted. Not only did its existence provided hope for a recovery of the outside world, it provided a lot of external resources that helped the city sustain and prosper.


    We haven''t even been here for a whole day, how could it have changed so much? Ayuki wondered.


    <div>


    <div>

 Chapter 28: A New Revelation

    For the first time since Ayuki ventured through the city, it was packed. You usually see parts of the walls from the central square, but now it was blocked by masses of people. Since the training got canceled, the recruits were asked to go home to await further details just like the citizens were supposed to do due to the Dark nature alert. That was at least the idea, but from the looks of it, people had other plans.


    "Damn, what''s going on?" Ryuzo asked in disbelief. "To think that nobody is staying inside¡ª"


    People either weren''t scared or had a stronger curiosity to have a look. Is this happening just because it''s a threat level D? Is it that unfamiliar? Ayuki wondered. Whatever the case, seeing what was happening outside wasn''t possible from this position.


    "Shall we go more upwards?" Ayuki proposed. "I want to see at least something exciting this time." So far, from all the Dark nature alerts, Ayuki only witnessed the cyllius. The human cries it kept making, still gives her the creeps whenever she remembers them, but from a visual perspective, all she saw was a moving black mist covering the walls. There was, in fact, another alert with a threat level A that Ayuki heard of, but that one only lasted less than a minute. Nobody ever witnessed its appearance, and the only evidence the guards found were black feathers.


    Ryuzo pointed upwards towards the houses. "Let''s try the roofs then." Other people were also sitting on the roofs, so it must''ve been fine to do such things. They found a small wall to climb on one of the houses and walked from rooftop to rooftop to get a better view of the west side of the city¡ªthe area where the Dark nature supposedly is present.


    Ayuki peered as best as possible towards the west side of the VaryionWalls. "Oh, is that it?" Dark roots covered a small part of the Walls. It didn''t however move, so Ayuki doubted whether it was even part of the Dark nature or not.


    "I see it, yeah. That''s it though?" Ryuzo sounded a bit disappointed as well. "Oh, Hyo Ravendell is there too?"


    "What? Where?" Besides the large roots visible, Ayuki couldn''t see any specific person that resembled Ravendell or the likes.


    "That''s just what I heard. People are gossiping all kind of things. Wait, stay quiet for a bit." Ryuzo slightly tilted his head downwards and placed his right hand behind his ear. "Yeah, Ravendell and Faye are¡ª" Ryuzo stopped speaking. "Oh, they say its a talking tarmin."


    "You mean the attacker? Really? If it talks then... is it perhaps that creature that attacked you guys in the Insanity Forest?"


    Ryuzo stopped his listening and gave Ayuki a dumbfounded look. "Hey, you might be right¡ª But thetarmin wasn''t that big, I believe. Then again... it was capable of quickly transforming into various shapes."


    "Well, we still can''t see much..." Ayuki rested her hands on Ryuzo''s shoulders. "So, I''m counting on your ears, Ryuzo."


    Without any protest, he did as instructed. "Thanks, I guess."


    Going outside through the day creates an unnecessary commotion with the public. It''s been like that ever since the day he became king. Everyone recognizes you and treat you differently. The hierarchy has always been a pain... Ravendell had to come up with a bunch of methods to prevent those troublesome situations from happening, but for today it wasn''t necessary. Now, all eyes focused on the creature that appeared in front of the gates. Together with Faye, they breezed through the crowd from the moment they got noticed. He dispised such behavior, but given the situation, it was convenient.


    There it was, the threat level D creature. One step away from standing eye-to-eye with it, Ravendell examined it. It was smaller than he expected. The size of its main body was around two meters, there were small branches filled with leaves, and it had several roots spread out from below that appeared to be ten meters long. With the appearance of a dark-green octopus-like tree, it should belong among the tarmin class. Ravendell read the reports and was at least convinced of the creature''s identity. It fits the description of the Insanity Forest attacker.


    What struck Ravendell as odd, was the fact, that it didn''t look dangerous. If anything, it was calm, it hardly moved at all, and it was even alone. Everything about it was unusual compared to other Dark nature appearances. Ravendell almost wanted to think that it wasn''t tainted at all, but if that were the case, then the alarms wouldn''t have been triggered in the first place. He made eye contact with a citizen standing on his right and asked him, "Could you tell me what happened so far?"


    Almost gasping, the man answered, "Y-yes Hyo. It screamed multiple times upon arrival. The walls made it hard to hear... but most of us think it called for Yeon."


    Yeon¡ª I can only think of Yeon Althain when I heard that name, but how does it know her?


    "YEEEOOOOONN!"


    Again? Ravendell wondered upon hearing the tarmin''s scream. It does sound like it''s calling out for Yeon.


    What would be the best approach in this situation? It''sa rare opportunity, Ravendell didn''t want to mess up. He steadied his breathing and cleared his throat. "My name is Ravendell Grendan. Can you understand me?" He spoke loud enough for everyone near to hear it without sounding intimidating.


    The creature didn''t budge. Ravendell assumed the silence as a negative response,butagainst all the odds, it eventually replied with a clear, "Yes."


    The people reacted enthusiastically upon hearing the tarmin talk. They always like to be entertained, sometimes even at the cost of danger. This isn''t a show where you should let your guard down. Ravendell knew that, however, he couldn''t help but feel excited about as well. It talks¡ª How is this even possible?


    As excited as Ravendell was, he still had to take this situation seriously. It just asked a sensitive question, one that needs an honest reply. Ravendell tapped his hat down a bit. He didn''t want to tell the truth but decided it was for the best. "I''ve never met Yeon Althain in person, but my grandfather personally knew her. However, I''m afraid she''s... no longer alive."


    Whether the tarmin understood him or not, it stopped talking after hearing about Yeon''s death. "How do you know Yeon?" Ravendell quickly attempted to have a conversation going, maybe to also help the tarmin process the situation, but it remained in silence. Was it a mistake to mention Yeon''s death? Without moving a single inch, it stood still as if wasn''t alive any longer.


    Later on, Hyo Jullian arrived, followed by a few Elites, and some Observers, but they couldn''t get a single reaction out of the tarmin. Even the new Elite Aisha tried to desperately communicate with it, mentioning her research on Yeon''s activity and whereabouts, but to no prevail. With no further progress going on, the crowd lessened and lessened until only members of the Order were left.


    Footsteps approached Ravendell. "You had to act so early didn''t you?" is how Jullian greeted Ravendell.


    Ravendell couldn''t help but force a little smile at him. "I''m afraid so." He stroked the back of his neck. "Any clues on its motives?"


    "It did?" As soon as Ayuki heard this, Ravendell noticed that she looked at the tarmin while using that ability of hers. What will she detect? Ravendell wanted to know. As if she was entranced, Ayuki walked closer to the tarmin until she stood right in front of it. Is she herself or is the tarmin forcing her to do it?


    "Yeon?" The tarmin said. It finally spoke again.


    "You not Yeon. You... similar." It said.


    "Ayuki!" He abruptly blurted out and grabbed Ayuki by her shoulders. "Come with me. We''re going to my office. Ryuzo, you can come along."


    "C-convinced of what?" Ayuki asked with an anxious face. "You''re scaring me a bit."


    Ravendell was a bit tempted to respond to Faye''s remark but chose to remain on the point instead. He tried to say it as calm as possible. "Ayuki, I think you''re a Speaker."