Hirano looks over the destroyed talisman. The medium-sized cylinder artifact has a massive hole in the middle as if something exploded. Kawata looks over the footsteps imprinted on the ground. A faint buzz of spiritual energy lingers in the air like a scream stuck in silence.
"It seems like a huge battle happened here," Kawata utters, looming over the imprinted marks. His hair is styled with a 2 block haircut, and his clothes resemble street wear- an oversized, gothic long-sleeve shirt with black cargo pants. A clear departure from the usual more elegant look Kawata wears when in his female form. One of the perks of being able to shift genders at will.
"Its energy is similar to Evanders," Hirano comments, pacing back and forth between the area where the Hero and Kiara fought. "It's strange that I can't sense him. It flickers in and out, making it impossible for me to pinpoint his location."
"Where do you think he is?" Kawata looks over the beautiful forest scenery, the sun blooming like a flower over the snowy mountain tops.
"We'll soon find him eventually. He wasn't always the greatest with navigation," Hirano scoffs to himself, kicking away the talisman off the cliff. "The wardens have really made a mistake this time. Guess they got too preoccupied to worry about bigger issues to think about security."
As the days draw closer and closer, the hidden rune begins to stir violently. Spiritual energy leaks ever so slightly in irregular bursts in the air, catching the attention of multiple Elusives in the area. With each passing day, more and more are drawn to feed off its energy.
On a Friday afternoon, Kiara swings her training katana towards Evander. With a swing, Evander's wooden sword cuts through the air like an extension of his soul. It balances between grace and violence, as Evander breaks through Kiara's fake katana. It falls onto the ground like chipped wood and splinters.
"Really," Kiara remarks in a deadpan tone, gazing at the splintered broken hilt of her blade. Her expression is unamused the crumbling and cracked remnants.
"You have to react like this is a real battle," Evander utters, swinging the wooden blade around in a ready stance. "You have been given cheat codes or whatever you call them yet it doesn't matter if you don't even know how to use it."
"Then teach me," Kiara says, almost a challenge, "Stop dancing around and teach me how to win."
Evander pauses to himself.
"You say you want to fight because you don't want to be a bystander," Evander says, his voice calm but firm, "Yet what does that mean? You don't want people to see you as weak yet how does fighting solve that? Does swinging a sword harder make your worth taken any more seriously?"
"You're being very philosophical for a man who was traumatized by a bunch of movies," Kiara smirks, diverging the question away.
"One. Those were terribly scary and disgusting. Two. You're doing it again," Evander cuts back, his voice dry, the disappointment clear as day. His smirk falters slightly. "You're trying to shift the situation whenever you're not comfortable talking about it."
"You're cutting away when things hit too close, you joke. You dodge," Evander continues, "Is it better to shift the topic than actually confronting it?"
Silence.
"I want to fight so I can show the council that they were a bunch of brainless puppets," Kiara shoots back, trying to prove Evander wrong, she points her splintered blade at him like it carried any weight. "I need to see their faces that they were wrong to treat me like a joke. Someone they can take advantage of and humiliate."
Evander stares intently. He slightly lowers his blade. He rolls his eyes yet a smirk escapes his lips.
"That's a lot more interesting," Evander grins, his body leaning on his wooden blade, "That's more fun…but it's still very bad."
Edward looks out through the kitchen window. He is on the phone as he watches Kiara and Evander spar against each other. His eyes shift from the humming of the refrigerator to the spot where the microwave once existed.
One of the informants Edward paid off on Friday talks quietly on the phone. The other informant is busy developing the photos in an amber-lit darkroom.
"I'm telling you, Edward. It's not possible," the square glasses man bluntly explains, his tone harsh and disinterested. "You are asking us to get pictures yet we have nothing concrete to base on. No leads. No faces. Only...vague descriptions. It's a dead end."
"I'll double the pay," Edward pleads, tightening his grip on the kitchen surface, "I need to get these photos or whatever you can get."
Edward hears an annoyed rough voice echo through the receiver's end.
"Why are we even listening to this guy? He is Edward the crazy after all," the sober man frustratingly downs a bottle of wine.
"This is getting ridiculous," The square glasses man mutters to himself, placing the phone on his chest so Edward couldn't hear anything.
He places the phone next to his ear.
"We'll see what we can do," the square glasses informant utters politely before hanging up on the call. Edward gives a long deep sigh, slouching his shoulders as he sees Kiara and Evander play fighting in the backyard.
The air between them had shifted, the earlier tension slowly fading like a dissipating raincloud. Evander lazily swings his wooden blade in one hand while Kiara lunges at him. It is a quick aggressive strike but Evander easily parries around her attack.
"Don't swing so hard," Evander teases, rolling his eyes. There is a hint of mockery dripping in his voice. "This is what they all do- they think they get stronger when they get angry."
Kiara lunges again, her strike a little more calculated, but still too eager to catch Evander off guard. Evander pivots around Kiara, a smirk wide on his face.
"I have gotten interested in your skills," Evander commends. Kiara's eyes widen as she hears the compliment. Swinging with all his might, Evander swings the wooden blade onto Kiara's. The force causes Kiara's weapon to explode into a million chunks of splinters and bark.
2 training blades were destroyed in under ten minutes.
"I've gotten interested in how easily I can catch you off guard," Evander continues, raising his head lazily at the blue sky. It's silent yet peaceful with cotton candy clouds drifting lazily. The silence is interrupted by the occasional rustling of birds annoyingly making their random noises in the trees above.
Kiara grits her teeth, annoyed at the whole situation.
She playfully collapses onto the soft backyard lawn, her legs springing up from boredom. Evander looms over her, his figure casting a deep shadow over her.
"Learn to control your strength," Kiara says, dragging out her words. She tosses aside the second broken sword against the first one Evander broke beforehand on the floor.
"I can't help it. I've been inside this house for too long- forced to watch your disgusting movies," Evander says, his tone oozing with fake enthusiasm.
"What else are we supposed to do? Grandpa doesn't like watching over you because you nuked his microwave," Kiara dramatically raises her hand, her face showing exaggerated exhaustion. "I got school. Real life." Giving a deep sigh, Kiara imitates a finger gun gesture, " I'm afraid that you will get both of us killed if you leave the house. What do you want?"
"I don't watch any of your movies," Evander turns his head in a snappy motion. His gaze locks onto Edward through the kitchen window. Edward promptly acts stupid, trying not to be noticed.
It is just a microwave. What's with humans so obsessed with reheating things, Evander slides his hands into his pockets. His current attire is old clothes Edward lent him. They surprisingly fit well despite Evander looking a couple inches taller than Edward.
"You want to explore the city or something?" Kiara places her hands on her hips, raising an eyebrow. "Want to get out of those old men's clothes and fix your hair?"
"Anything to get out of this house," Evander nods, stretching his neck. "Also, what's wrong with these clothes- they're comfy."
"You look like an old man despite your looks," Kiara says bluntly, her voice rising to a ridiculously high pitch. "I get that you're old but I don't want you to look ancient with your fashion sense."
Evander's clothes are made up of an awkwardly buttoned-up shirt with elbow patches. The collar is popped due to it giving up trying to stay down for decades. High-waisted brown pants that have uneven wrinkles, baggy at his thighs but tight around his ankles.
"It has character," Evander frowns.
"It's the dad fit," Kiara shot back. "I see that same choice of clothes every time I go to the mall with my friends."
"I think it looks good," Evander looks down on his clothes, not entirely comprehending Kiara's complaint.
"Yeah no," Kiara rises from the grass face, "You want to leave here? Follow me. I'll give you a guide on the city."
Picking up the car keys from the kitchen, Kiara playfully twirls it around her finger.
"You're sure you can handle Evander?" Edward tells Kiara from the living room, his gaze locked on the TV. "You only received your license only a month ago. You sure you don't need me to accompany you?"
"It's fine. I'm a master driver," Kiara declares, standing in a laid-back way- acting as if she is going to be in a race. She twirls the car keys with an intensity that makes Edward fearful that the keys are going to launch directly towards the TV.
"I hope that's not the keys to the Porsche. That's a gift from a friend," Edward utters, mixing practicality with concern, "I'm not paying any damages if you decide to drift with it. You can use the Civic."
"You don't even use the Porsche anyway," Kiara says with exaggerated disappointment, "Who is this friend that just gives you a Porsche for free?"
"Uh. He gets paid well by his monastery or Klaster in German," Edward presses gently on the remote control, changing the channels as they flicker on the screen. "Personally I'm not into that kind of stuff."
Evander looks over Edward's sleek black Porsche, its sculpted curves reflecting the faint glow of the garage light. It is the type to draw attention from everyone without being turned on. Its presence fills the garage with its sense of sophistication.
"Get away from that car Evander," Kiara utters, her expression saddened and disappointed, "We're not using that. We can't use the Porsche."
"What's a Porsche?" Evander honestly questions.
Oh yeah. I haven't been taught what a car is, Kiara remembers still twirling the car keys, Must have slipped my mind–there's too much to teach him about modern life. Schoolwork is rough sometimes.
"You're going to enjoy my skills," Kiara gives a dramatic thumbs up, "It's going to be the best form of transportation you'll ever have in centuries."
This was not the greatest form of transportation for Evander in centuries.
The rune stone stirs violently in the air. Small sparks of purple lightning shot out in different directions. The air begins to distort slightly as it begins to slowly levitate in the air. The day is today.
Kiara's driving skills made it feel like she was making every second a split-second decision. The tires screech and weave in and out of lanes as she takes sharp turns. She carefully watches for surroundings like a hawk. Evander holds onto one of the car grab handles as he sees Kiara make sudden jarring brakes. His anxiety is off the roof as he tries to maintain his composure.
"The world…is different," Evander utters, his voice anxious as he grips harder on the grab handle. "I'm in a metal death box with you…I rather prefer wagons than being inside in whatever this is."
"It's called a Civic," Kiara explains, momentarily leaving her eyes off the road. She nearly swerves off her lane before stabilizing the wheel. Evander breathes heavily, his gaze not even looking at the road. "This death box is a car, Evander. It's basically the wagon but better," Kiara smiles, turning on the radio.
There's an earthy smell mixed with plastic and vinyl. The air freshener gives the car a sweet floaty fragrance. Kiara rocks back and forth as she holds onto the wheel with both hands. Evander's body is stiff, his posture rigid almost bracing for impact.
"Calm down," Kiara says in an exaggerated high-pitched voice, "I'm not like my friend's sister. One time when she was backing out of a parking lot, she accidently bumped into either a pregnant woman or a mother and her carriage."
"Why…why are you telling me this?" Evander barely looks at the road ahead, more focused on the dashboard.
"Maybe to lighten things up," Kiara utters to herself.
"That does not lighten things up," Evander's hands were sweaty, his mind racing with world-ending thoughts. Every time Kiara swerves makes him think of the worst-case scenario.
"So have you ever been a part of any major battles?" Kiara inquires, her curiosity peaking. Her fingers fidget around the steering wheel as her gaze flickers between the road and Evander. "You know those epic battles in ancient history."
Evander smirks to himself.
"You know the Battle of Cannae? Where Hannibal Barca encircled those Roman soldiers and won by killing around 70k Romans," Evander reminisces, hearing the chants and noises of that fateful event. "Guess who gave Hannibal that idea?"
Kiara turns her focus fully on Evander, gripping the steering wheel with both hands. "That was you?" she says, her eyes flickering towards him for a second, "You gave Hannibal that idea?"
"I taught him how to draw them in," Evander says with an almost casual tone, "It was just another day of the Punic war."
"Personally I'm not the biggest fan of history," Kiara accidentally lets go of the steering wheel for a second as the car instantly starts swerving into the other lane. The other cars honk warning Kiara to get back in her lane. Evander grasps tighter on the grip handle.
Kiara chuckles to herself.
"That battle however was pretty awesome," Kiara continues, her shoulders rising up and down. "To encircle so many soldiers without them knowing is a master strategy. It got my brain activated for a moment when I first read that."
"It wasn't that great. Hannibal eventually lost and I switched sides to the Romans," Evander shrugs his shoulders, not understanding the significance of the event. "This switching of sides allowed me to escape the wardens for many more centuries."
"So were you an emperor of Rome?" Kiara questions.
"Eh. Too unstable for me." Evander bluntly says, crossing his arms. "There were some favorites of mine but most were pretty awful or just weird people. You're all the same"
"What do you think about humans now?" Kiara's eyes flickered, and her curiosity peaked. "Spending time and the fun banters we have. You must have lots of fun."
"Watching a bunch combined like a chain was not fun," Evander stares through the window, his expression unreadable. "Still out of most of the Ascendants. I was most interested in what everyone chased for. You all kept fighting and chasing over things you couldn't hold on to. Just on motivation alone."
Kiara shifts in her seat, unsure how to respond at first. The light-hearted tone of their earlier banter had disappeared like a remote control.
"You mean like…all things humans fight for," She asks slowly.
"Something like that. It's really...futile really," Evander's lips curl slightly, amused by Kiara's simplicity. "It's all the same- justice, love, peace." He eerily turns his head towards Kiara awaiting her answer.
Kiara just hums to herself trying to ignore Evander as she focuses on the road.
"You didn't think I forgot about your situation," Evander utters, his annoyance dripping clearly. " ' I don't want to let others see me as weak' Who? Those brainless puppets you called? Are you really going to throw your life away just for that?"
"It's just very hard for me. I feel like I have no choice but to be a warden," Kiara cuts back. "I never had the time to focus on my aspirations like that. What if my motivation fails me?"
"How can it fail you?" Evander coldly brushes aside. "It reflects what you desire most. You just don't know how to say it. It's the spark that makes you succeed. You have it–you just have to use words."
"Words are boring. I prefer action like the cartoony violence in my favorite action movies," Kiara says with an explosion of words.
"Action sounds fun. Much better than the monstrosity of those body-horror films," Evander acknowledges, shifting back in his seat.
"Grandpa told me to punish you for nuking his–" Kiara says before being cut off by Evander.
"What's with that man and that microwave? I don't even fully know what it even does," Evander angrily says, slamming his hand on the dashboard with frustration.
"You're supposed to press a button and heat your food," Kiara says, incredulity lacing her voice. "I know you're thousands of years old and just been here for a week but come on."
"It wasn't supposed to explode. He didn't tell me not to put the spoon into that machine." Evander raises his brow, his usual air of indifference still intact. "He was busy interrogating me and I wasn't comfortable asking him for help."
"You're still a stranger you know." Kiara reminds Evander. "He's still not comfortable with you. It takes time also you looked like a homeless man when I brought you in so maybe that's part of it."
"Uh. It was so much better if it was back in the Roman Empire where I just got to kill enemies as much as I want," Evander reminisces, shrugging nonchalantly. "Now I'm being babysitted and not being able to kill."
"Uh. Something called laws and human rights. You got Elusives man," Kiara reminds him, her voice sharp. "I might take you to the Crimson PineGlade this weekend to see if there are any straggling Elusives. Maybe some pest extermination."
Evander leans back, a small smirk playing at the corner of his lips. "I could use anything at this point, even those abominations. I've gotten too rusty, and need to brush up on my skills."
As Kiara maintains the car in her lane, the tension in the air starts to rise. Outside the world is unchanged- at least for now. An unseen force builds itself in the outskirts of the city. The master looms over the city, walking carefully over the ledge of a tall building. His outline is hazy against the harsh sunlight. He stares off into the distance where the Hero placed the rune for the distortion zone. His black overcoat sways violently in the unseen breeze.
The Distortion zone rises like a creeping fog that distorts everything within its reach. A subtle rift in the air that is almost invisible to the eye. A thick oppressive energy crackles slightly in the static air. The sounds created were warped and echoing unnaturally.
The full form of the dome reveals itself. It devours the surrounding landscape, leaving behind nothing but a warped reflection of the surroundings that once was. It had become a soul, dominating presence. Twisted. Hollow.