2 Days Later

— Isdia, Aldredath 16, 8054 —

(Sunday, December 11, AD 2129)

“Ngh… mornin’…”

“Morning?” Kaoné echoed, an amused grin upon her face as she watched Austin and Spike descend a set of stairs in front of her. “My, someone sure seems tired.”

“Really,” Austin drawled in response, “what makes you say that.”

“Well, the fact that it isn’t even morning anymore, for starters.”

“Awww…” A tired groan escaped Austin’s lips as he looked up at the skylights in the ceiling, and the early afternoon sun that hung above them. With eyes squinted due both to bright light and exhaustion, Austin slowly swept his gaze across his surroundings. He and Spike were now standing in the lobby of a hotel, having just left their room; marble walls encased the lobby, contributing to a grand, historic feel that the heavy and intricate wooden furniture throughout the room reinforced. A handful of well-manicured indoor plants adorned the corners of the room and parts of the walls, while off to the side of the lobby was a stout wooden table with a glass top, around which a handful of wooden stools were installed. Twy, Sky, Phoenix, and Conrad were already sitting upon them, with Conrad resting his head on the top of the table while the three women engaged in lethargic conversation. Pierce and Kestrel stood off to the side, Pierce leaning on the wall behind Conrad and Kestrel standing beside Phoenix as they both idly looked around the room.

“Guess we’re the last ones up…” Spike muttered as he took stock of the situation.

“Yep,” Kaoné replied, without an ounce of the morning tiredness that all of the Earthians — even Pierce — were displaying. “I can see you all don’t travel much.”

“Never had to worry about this much jetlag before,” Austin grumbled.

“Well, Anika is nine hours ahead of Compound Tresnon. I can certainly see how that would mess with your internal clocks.”

“Yeah…” Spike slowly nodded, only to have his attention drawn to the side as Sky began waving him over.

“Finally! Y’all are awake!” Sky exclaimed impatiently, watching as Austin, Spike, and Kaoné all approached the table. “Geez, just how long did you need to sleep?!”

“You slept in, too,” Twy pointed out.

“We all slept in,” Phoenix said, her voice filled with the tired croaking of someone who had just awoken. “Shit, even Pierce is tired.”

“Ugh…” Pierce scowled and scratched his head. “Wish I could argue… but it’s not like it’s my fault. We left Treséd yesterday morning, flew for only three hours, and then landed in the middle of the night!”

“And then we immediately booked into this hotel…” Phoenix muttered, leaning forward to rest her chin on the tabletop. “By the time I was able to go to sleep, dawn was already on its way in…”

“Ah ha ha. Well, I did warn you,” Kaoné said, her amused grin settling into a mere smile as she planted her hands on her hips and looked at each of the Earthians. “Riverana — and specifically its capital city, Anika — is almost halfway around the globe from Compound Tresnon. The time difference is undeniably vast.”

“I get that we’re here for business and stuff,” Sky replied, “and that the ‘business’ is apparently so important that we didn’t even wait for Luke or Mark to get back… but I can’t wait to see the city! I’ve never even been to Riverana before!”

“Ah… right. We did arrive at night, so I suppose you all haven’t yet had a chance to see the city and the falls proper,” Kaoné mused.

“Falls?” Twy echoed. “As in waterfalls?”

Kaoné chuckled to herself before gesturing for the group to follow her up a set of stairs across the lobby. “Let’s go have some lunch in the outdoor dining area. You’ll see what I’m talking about there.”

“Lunch…” Austin muttered, and then sighed in resignation. He glanced back at the table — just long enough to see Pierce shake Conrad awake, and Sky bounce past to join Spike — before turning around himself and sluggishly trudging across the lobby and up the stairs.

“Tired, much?”

“Oh, shut up,” Austin retorted, his tone flat. He then passed Twy an annoyed glance as she fell into step beside him. “Like you’re any better. I see those bags under your eyes.”

“What…?” Twy frowned and immediately began rubbing her eyes. “I didn’t see anything in the mirror when I woke up…”

“Ha.” An amused smirk spread across Austin’s face. “Who’s the tired one, now?”

“Oh, shut up—“

“Woooooowww! SIS! Come look at this!!”

“Sounds like Sky saw somethin’ cool,” Austin deadpanned.

“Well, I suppose that is Nimalia… for… you…” Twy began, but trailed off as she and Austin stepped through an open doorway and onto a large balcony with solid wooden flooring. On both sides of the balcony were small fountains, running water down the sides of the building and through a shining white trough that ran around the balcony’s exterior. A number of sturdy tables filled the balcony itself, all surrounded by similarly sturdy — yet light enough to easily move — wooden chairs. Despite the numerous tables, Kaoné and the Earthians were the only ones present, allowing them to bask in the serene sound of flowing water from the nearby water features while they took in the full view of the city of Anika — and the massive river and beautiful set of waterfalls around which it was built.

From the elevation of the hotel, a truly massive river could be seen flowing into the city from the east, and then splitting up around a handful of rock formations and large marble structures. Indeed, the city of Anika was built around, in, and over the river, with several of its bright white stone buildings finding their foundations in the riverbed below, while wide bridge-streets stretched like webs over the water’s surface. The buildings didn’t reach high into the sky in the same manner as Ilia on Sikalia, or Alus on Ainminthalus; most of them seemed to top out at seven or eight stories. But that relatively short height did little to diminish the impact of their gleaming white marble construction with gently sloping contours, adorned with the greenery of vines, shrubbery, and small trees — trees that added in dashes of red, yellow, and orange, as they heralded the autumnal season of Riverana. Water features were also prevalent around all of the buildings in the city, eventually guiding Austin’s eyes back to the river below, and to the series of incredible waterfalls that it fed into.

Five waterfalls, each nearly half a kilometer in width by Austin’s guess, made up the majority of the falls that he could discern. The falls themselves had carved a crescent into the towering cliff on which Anika was built, arcing eastward along a north-south axis; the hotel was built on the south side of the crescent, allowing Austin to clearly see the falls on the north side, as well as the massive cliff face that surrounded them. Where the falls dropped into, however, remained completely out of sight — what little Austin could see of the world below the tops of the waterfalls suggested that it must have been several hundred meters down, if not an entire kilometer. A wide river could be seen winding into the distance, and an autumnal forest flanked the river on both sides, suggesting that the world below was covered in lush forest — but the actual bottom of the falls was blocked from view.

Magnificent height and size were far from the only striking aspects of the falls, however. Built right on the edge of the falls, in the middle of the center-most waterfall, was a large marble palace, consisting of grand arches and open terraces that almost seemed Roman in appearance, if not for the occasional silver metal reinforcement that added a sleek modern contour — accented by vines and gently sloping water features. The palace parted the waterfall and extended partway over the edge, making the building appear as though it might topple over the falls if given a slight push; yet its grand construction seemed remarkably stable, nonetheless. It was far from the only building on the waterfall’s edge, as well — many smaller marble structures adorned the massive waterfalls: buildings, statues, terraces, and plazas alike created small parts in the falls, or were built on the slim dry islands between the falls, or were even placed into the cliff edge below the top of the waterfall, visible to the outside world only through the ever-falling curtain of water in front of them.

Trees, shrubs, vines, and other greenery dotted the city of Anika, much like all other Nimalian cities — but unlike the others, Anika was clearly dominated by water and marble, both of which seemed to stretch out to the eastern horizon as far as Austin could see. The occasional hill or large tree would break up the cityscape, and the edges of a forest could be seen in the distance, but little else could match the sheer magnificence of the river, the waterfalls, and the city that was built upon and around them.

“…It really is amazing, isn’t it?”

Austin briefly glanced back at Kaoné, and then to his side, where the rest of the Earthians were staring, slack-jawed, at the view. It was only at that moment that he realized they had all gone silent in response to the massive falls and city before them.

Eventually, Pierce cut through the silence with an amazed whistle. “Damn. This is hella cool.”

“That’s one thing I’ll agree with you on,” Phoenix remarked.

“I guess waking up might’ve been worth it, for this…” Conrad muttered.

“I’m glad you all can enjoy these sights,” Kaoné said, stepping up to join the Earthians as they leaned on the balcony railing. Just below them, trees sporting the colors of fall lined a well-kept street, that itself ran between a number of gently curving marble buildings. “…I don’t get to come to Riverana often,” the Dean continued after a second of admiring the sights herself, “but when I do, I always make sure to stay here. The view of the falls from here is one of the best, without breaking the bank.”

“Heh. Even you have to worry about money, huh?” Austin questioned.

“Can’t you just make money?” Sky pointed out. “Like, literally. You can control matter!”

“Fabricating money out of thin air is a poor idea, for many reasons,” Kaoné countered. “It wouldn’t do to abuse my Chaotic ability like that.”

“Speaking of Chaotic abilities…” Twy said, while still staring out over the falls, “…a city on the edge of waterfalls, like this… I bet it needs Chaotics to keep it safe, right?”

Kaoné smiled and nodded. “That’s a smart observation, Twy. You’re right, the city of Anika has historically used both Hydro- and Geotechnics to maintain the integrity of the buildings near the waterways, as well as to prevent the waterfalls from eroding the cliff. Fun fact: the Anika Falls have receded by less than a meter over the past thousand years.”

“Whoa! That actually is a fun fact!” Sky exclaimed.

Twy nodded. “It really is impressive.”

“I agree,” Kaoné replied. “The city’s added a variety of energy shielding, anti-gravity generators, and other technologies over the years to help fight erosion, but at the end of the day, the city’s maintenance depends on Chaotics.”

“Bet that backfired on them when the Chaos Quake hit,” Pierce pointed out.

“Yes, well… luckily, the structures of Anika are sturdy enough that they can go a year or two without maintenance, in a worst case scenario. But the new reality of the Chaos Quakes does make things troublesome…” Kaoné sighed. “I hear that the local government is already moving to decommission most of the Fall’s Edge.”

“Well that sucks,” Spike responded with a frown. “It all looks so cool…”

“Yeah, but you know what wouldn’t be cool? Another Quake hitting, and the whole city eroding itself to pieces because Chaotics can’t stop nature,” Austin countered.

“Yes.” Kaoné nodded in affirmation. “Since we don’t know for sure what causes Chaos Quakes, we can only assume that they’re going to keep happening, and for random periods of time. The next one could last for a day, or it could last for ten years — we have no way of knowing. And as long as we assume that to be true, then cities like Anika aren’t as safe as we thought, anymore. That’s the sad reality…”

“Damn…” Sky crossed her arms and scowled in disappointment. “That really isn’t cool…”

“But it hasn’t happened yet,” Pierce pointed out. “All those structures? They might be gone next year, or the year after, but they’re still here right now.” A self-satisfied smirk crossed his face as he finished, “so we had better make the most of this trip while we can!”

“I’m glad you’re eager to see the city, and I did make time for us all to do so,” Kaoné stated, turning away from the balcony railing and approaching a nearby empty table. “But the sight-seeing will have to wait. For now, we have an important meeting.”

“A meeting…?” Austin echoed cluelessly as he and the rest of the Earthians reluctantly followed Kaoné’s lead, and took seats at the table. “…Wait, do you mean—?”

Interrupting Austin’s question were the loud thuds of approaching footfalls. Just as the group turned to look back at the balcony entrance, four soldiers marched through, dressed in impeccable white longcoats with green trimming. Sewn onto their shoulders and upper chests were a variety of silver and golden insignia; their exact meaning was lost on the Earthians, but the fact that these soldiers were well-trained and highly capable came across through their demeanor alone. Without wasting a beat, the four soldiers fanned out across the balcony, taking up positions at each of the four corners and standing at stiff attention, as if keeping watch over the exterior world.

“Soldiers…?” Twy questioned warily.

“Huh…” Conrad mused, glancing between the two soldiers on the north side of the balcony. “…I think I recognize that uniform…”

“Ah, do you now?”

The group turned back to look at the balcony entrance, where there now stood two more individuals. On the left and standing slightly in front was a thin man of average height, with a light complexion and sharp cheekbones. Short, graying hair covered his head, and on his face was a goaetee of similar coloring that tapered down into a point just above his collar bones. When coupled with the faint, yet still evident age lines on his face, he appeared to be around fifty or sixty years old. Everything about his face gave off the impression of a wizened elder, but the man’s clothing seemed comparatively odd; he wore what appeared to be a three-layer shirt, with a single-shoulder sleeveless brown shirt on top of a short-sleeved white shirt, on top of long blue sleeves. His pants were blue down to the knees, at which point they became a rocky gray, ending just above a pair of dark brown boots.

The other man behind him was taller, with a similar complexion and short black hair. His bare face made him appear significantly younger than the man in front of him, and his clothes seemed more put-together, consisting of a thick green jacket that wrapped part-way around his chest and extended down past his belt, a leather-like sash, black slacks, black boots, and a green sort of half-cloak that attached to his belt rather than his shoulders and extended down to his boots.

“Ah, Kievkenalis!” Kaoné greeted warmly, watching the two men approach while two more soldiers appeared at the balcony entrance to guard it.

“Hey, Kaoné,” the younger man replied with a casual wave and a smile. “It’s been a while!”

“Only a month and a half, or so,” Kaoné refuted, though she returned Kievkenalis’s smile nonetheless. She then turned toward the older man and bowed her head in greeting. “And Archoné Culana. It’s good to see you again.”

“How many times have I told you? You can simply call me ‘Pallan’,” the elder remarked, stepping foward to stand at the head of the long table while Kievkenalis walked around it to take a seat next to Kaoné. “Stuffy titles like ‘Archoné Culana’ do more to hamper communication than to help it, I find,” Pallan continued, “so, please. Pallan is more than enough.”

“…Hmph.” Austin snorted dismissively, his arms crossed as he glared at the older Nimalian. “…So we meet again.”

“That is why I’ve been called here, as I understand it,” Pallan replied. “I’m sure you all have a great many questions for me.”

“That’s just a little bit of an understatement…” Twy commented.

“I’m sure it is. But, before we begin…” Pallan looked behind himself at the two soldiers standing guard at the balcony entrance. “I’m dismissing the Archonia Guard. Return to the outpost.”

“What…?” The two soldiers glanced at each other in unease before turning back to Pallan. “Sir, we can’t—!”

“Oh please, I’ll be perfectly fine,” Pallan insisted. “There are no assassins after an unimportant figurehead such as myself. And even if there are…” He turned to look toward Kaoné and Kievkenalis. “We have in our company Nimalia’s two most powerful Chaotics!”

“I wouldn’t really say that…” Kaoné refuted sheepishly.

“Yeah, Chaostechnic abilities can only do so much,” Kievkenalis declared.

“That doesn’t change the fact that you are an experienced Materiatechnic and a powerful Chaos Conduit,” Pallan said. “I know well what you two are capable of. The ability to control and fabricate matter within a kilometer of you, or the ability to freeze time itself… these are no small feats, Densalin, Yumach. Modest as you two are, I have the utmost confidence that no Chaotic could best either of you without resorting to underhanded tricks. And even then, they may still lose.” He then turned back to the soldiers. “I’ve made my decision. The Guard is not necessary for the moment.”

“…Understood, sir.” The soldier saluted stiffly and then barked out an order to the other soldiers on the balcony. With rapid, yet well-trained swiftness, the six soldiers retreated from the balcony, closing the entrance behind them to leave behind only Pallan, Kaoné, Kievkenalis, and the eight Earthians.

“…Oof…” Once the doors had closed, Kievkenalis released a pent-up sigh and relaxed his posture, allowing himself to slump back in his chair. “They’re finally gone…”

“You don’t like them…?” Phoenix questioned warily. “Uh, why?”

“Their uniforms looked familiar,” Conrad stated, and glanced over at Kievkenalis. “Are those guys the SFC?”

“Oh ho!” Pallan exclaimed, an amused smile growing on his face. “I didn’t expect any of you to be able to recognize them on a glance.”

“Yeah, what the hell?” Pierce shot Conrad an annoyed look. “How’d you recognize them?”

Conrad quickly exchanged a glance with Kestrel before shrugging. “Just a lucky guess…”

“You might’ve seen them around Compound Tresnon,” Kievkenalis commented. “They’ve been up to something in Treséd, lately.”

“In Treséd?” Spike echoed warily. “Is this somethin’ we should be worried about?”

“And who are they?” Sky questioned. “What does ‘SFC’ even stand for?!”

“Allow me to explain,” Pallan stated, waiting a moment for everyone to turn toward him before continuing, “SFC stands for the Stealth & Force Corps. They are a private military contractor that is currently serving as Riverana’s official military.”

“Another fucking PMC?” Phoenix questioned incredulously.

“How the hell are they a private military if they’re also your national military?” Pierce pointed out. “That doesn’t make any damned sense.”

“It is a… ‘quirk’ of Riveranian government, shall we say,” Pallan explained. “Long ago, the Riveranian government was known for tyrannical overreach, driven by its extensive army. After a brief civil war, the standing army was disbanded, and the government was reformed such that it had to rely on private entities for security and military action. It was thought that this would prevent the government from taking unilateral military action on its own.”

“Sounds like it would cause more problems than it would solve,” Phoenix retorted.

“There are certainly some Riveranians who think that way, and it is impossible to deny that setting up the government in such a manner has promoted the creation of PMCs within Riverana.” Pallan sighed wistfully. “Until relatively recently, Riverana benefited from the protection of the RPF — the Riverana Protection Force. I can state with confidence that the RPF were an honorable sort.”

“You say that like somethin’ happened to ‘em…” Austin replied.

“When the Nimalian Systems Defense was created 20 years ago,” Kievkenalis spoke up, “it absorbed the interstellar arms of the existing Nimalian militaries. That included the RPF. The RPF failed to adapt to losing so much of itself, though, and has been in decline ever since.”

“So when it came time for the government to charter a new official military, they chose the SFC over the RPF,” Pallan said. “…A shame, but it is a fact that we must live with.”

“Aren’t you the Archoné, though?” Sky countered. “Isn’t that, like, a King, or something? If you didn’t like it, why didn’t you stop it?”

“Oh ho ho… if only it were that easy,” Pallan remarked. “The hereditary ruling title of ‘Archoné’ is little more than a figurehead in Riverana. The true governmental body is the Liépen, the elected legislature. I have minimal control over the policies of this nation.”

“For the better, I’d say,” Phoenix declared. “Hereditary titles have no place in modern society.”

“Agreed. Hereditary anything is pretty bullshit,” Pierce affirmed.

“Pierce! Phoenix!” Kaoné interjected sharply, her tone admonishing as she glanced between the two with a frown. “You can’t say that in front of our host!”

“Bah, I hardly mind,” Pallan commented. “Their opinion is one that’s shared by much of this galaxy. Besides, there is only one matter that I wish to devote my life to… and that would be the same matter that Dean Densalin has arranged for us to discuss today.”

“The prophecies…” Austin muttered.

“That’s right…” Kaoné passed Austin a wary glance before clearing her throat and turning back to Pallan. “As I’m sure you’ve heard, the Keys have been through a lot, recently — but they still don’t know much about what’s expected of them. Even I don’t know much of anything, and I’m supposed to be teaching them.”

“You really didn’t tell us much,” Spike pointed out, his gaze focused on Pallan as well. “There’s gotta be more.”

“Well of course there is,” Pallan replied candidly. “Did you really expect there not to be?”

“Wha—?!” Twy exclaimed incredulously, exchanging a brief glance with Austin before remarking, “why didn’t you tell us sooner, then? Instead of just leaving us to try and figure out what we’re supposed to be doing on our own?”

“Answers mean little if you don’t have the foundation with which to understand them,” Pallan responded. “You needed to learn more about yourselves, your abilities, and the world around you before you could understand the full breadth of your responsibilities — even now, you haven’t yet reached that position.”

“Are you seriously holding out on us because you think we aren’t ‘good enough’?” Pierce questioned irately. “What the hell, old man?”

“Don’t tell me we came here for nothing…” Conrad muttered.

“If I had nothing to say, then I would not have come,” Pallan countered. “You still lack the awareness to be fully informed of the Oraculm’s contents… but you have at least reached a point where I can be more open, without endangering your progress.”

“We’re dealing with a so-called ‘prophecy’ here, right?” Austin pointed out. “If you really believe this damn prophecy, then what’s the harm in just telling us everything?”

The Archoné shook his head slowly, as if admonishing an ignorant child. “The Oraculmic Prophecies are far from concrete,” he explained, his expression serious. “Hasty or misguided actions can jeopardize their fulfillment. And when the fate of the entire galaxy is at stake, I am not willing to take any risks.”

“That sounds like even more reason to tell us everything,” Phoenix countered.

“When people hear the full and direct contents of a prophecy, they most often act to pre-empt it, to use the information that they’ve gained to arrive at the conclusion at a faster pace. But in the thousands of years that the Oraculm has been in the possession of Riverana… rarely has that ever had a positive outcome. Most people are not prepared to catch a glimpse of the future; they do not understand the implications of all that they see, or that a foretold outcome can depend on a thousand, if not a million discrete and independent decisions before that point.”

“…I guess you’re talking about a version of the butterfly effect?” Twy mused. “If we know the end, but not how to get there, then we might accidentally do something ‘wrong’ along the way… which will result in a different end?”

Pallan nodded. “That is the basic idea, yes. I’m glad at least one of you understands.”

“I guess this all at least means that ‘fate’ isn’t really a thing…” Phoenix muttered.

“Not in the way that most would think of it, no, but at the same time, the concept of ‘fate’ can apply to more events and individuals than you might think,” Pallan refuted. “Regardless, I believe I’ve done enough lecturing for now. Before I indulge your wish for more information, however, I would like to personally verify what you all understand about your positions.”

“I ‘understand’ that we were forced to be here,” Austin quickly replied, his expression narrowing into a glare as he focused on the Archoné.

“Austin…” Twy softly placed her hand on his shoulder. “That’s not…”

“No, I won’t deny it,” Pallan declared, making steady eye-contact with Austin as he did. “Indeed, I have forced the hands of all of you Keys. When the fate of the galaxy is in question, how could I not?”

“I mean, as much as I like the idea of being galactic heroes, that’s still a pretty dick move,” Pierce replied. “If you really wanted us to figure out all of this shit on our own, then why force us to do anything?”

“Oh ho ho…” Pallan chuckled to himself. “That you know enough to ask that question is a sign of your progress — but the fact that you don’t know the answer shows how far you still have to go. It is true, from a certain perspective, that forcing you to train on Nimalia may seem to run counter to everything I’ve just told you. However, very few things in this galaxy are so black and white — and few have been trained to handle the Oraculm’s prophecies better than those of the Culana lineage. Ultimately, the end that I am working for is the survival of the billions upon billions of lives within this galaxy. If that means keeping people in the dark about the exact contents of the prophecies, then I will. If it means robbing eight young adults of their freedom…” His gaze hardened, but never once did he break eye contact with the Earthians. “…Then I will. Without hesitation.”

“Archoné… isn’t that just a little harsh…?” Kaoné questioned warily.

“It isn’t harsh at all,” Pallan countered. “In the face of ensuring the survival of a trillion lives, the freedom of eight is nothing.”

A stunned silence fell over the group, as Pallan stared resolutely ahead, while everyone else failed to find the words for any kind of response. Even Kaoné and Kievkenalis were at a loss for words, their attentions shifting awkwardly between Pallan and the Keys sitting at the table.

Eventually, it was Pierce who broke the silence. “…You really are no different from SERRCom, huh, old man?” he remarked bitterly. “You think you can just swing in here and tell us all what to do, huh?”

“As I said, we are dealing with the fate of the entire galaxy,” Pallan replied. “Your role is to prevent that. Would you really abandon that duty, and leave a trillion people to die?”

“That’s—!” Pierce drew back, an annoyed scowl forming on his face. “But that… hold on, we aren’t—!”

“Why should we even trust you that that’s what the stakes are?” Twy questioned. “You’ve yet to do anything to make us trust your word. Not even SERRCom trusts you. Not even the Nimalians trust you!”

“Honestly, you might even be worse than SERRCom,” Phoenix declared irately. “At least they were honest about why they conscripted us. You’re just trying to guilt us into submission!”

“I speak nothing but facts,” Pallan countered. “Tell me, young Keys. You were in Relédiaka three weeks ago. What, exactly, did you see? What did you experience?”

“…You mean that Bleeder attack?” Conrad questioned. “…That was Bleeders, right?”

“The saboteurs that we captured claimed that they were Bleeders, yes,” Kaoné answered.

“Probably ain’t what Pallan’s talkin’ about, though…” Spike muttered. “You mean the metallic infection, don’t you?”

Pallan nodded sagely. “That’s right, Ayas Materia.”

“…Huh?” Spike stared cluelessly at the Archoné. “Ayas… what?”

“You’ll have answers in due time. My current point, of course, is to direct your attention to the metallic infection outbreak that you all suffered through.”

“It was contained,” Kaoné quickly pointed out. “Rebehka and her team did a full sweep of the area after we left. There weren’t any nanites outside of containment.”

“Yes, but the fact that an outbreak happened is concerning enough,” Pallan challenged. “Deans Densalin, Yumach — as members of Hero Machina, the two of you personally experienced the rise of the Nanocreatures and the Nanocreature War 20 years ago. And as Deans of the Schools of Chaos, you must be aware of the growing number of metallic infection reports throughout the galaxy in recent times.”

“I think Rebehka did say something like that, but…” Twy glanced warily between Kaoné and Kievkenalis. “Is it really that bad?”

Kaoné pursed her lips, staring uneasily at Pallan for several moments before releasing a resigned sigh. “…It might be,” she admitted. “And if things are really following the same pattern as 20 years ago, then…”

“…Then we could see that Morcii guy, again,” Sky finished.

“And with him, another war…” Spike muttered.

“Eh, I don’t know.” Kivekenalis cocked his head in thought. “Remember, the Nanocreatures have to claim at least three of the Chaos Ayas in order to bring Morcii back. We heard as much from several sources, including Morcii himself. Right, Kaoné?”

“That’s true,” she replied, “and all but one of the Ayas are currently accounted for and under high security, but still… the fact that the metallic infection is still around, and spreading, is… concerning, to say the least.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Pallan declared. “When Hero Machina defeated Morcii with the aid of the Prior Arcán, it was merely a temporary solution. Arcán told you as much. The only ones who can permanently defeat Morcii and put an end to the Nanocreature menace… are the Keys of the Oraculmic Prophecies. This is a fact.”

“The only ‘facts’ I’m seeing right now is that you’re full of hot air,” Pierce snapped. “I bought into this ‘Key’ shit when you first brought it up over a month ago, but the more you talk, the more it sounds like bullshit. What proof do you even have that we’re the ones you’re looking for?”

Pallan shook his head in disappointment. “I already proved this once, did I not? Your unique weapons.”

“…The Archoné is right on this one,” Kievkenalis stated. “Well, I don’t know if it means that you’re ‘Keys’, but it is true that it shouldn’t be possible to summon an Ayas Weapon without having access to the respective Ayas. The fact that all of you can do that is unique, if nothing else.”

“The claymore, Arcán. The gauntlets, Matlés. The bow, Mystryth. The staff, Tanivas.” Pallan looked at each of Austin, Spike, Twy, and Sky, and then shifted his attention to Pierce, Conrad, Kestrel, and Phoenix on the other side of the table. “The energy chain weapon, Hastryth. The glaive, Aldrace. The spear, Tsern. And the chakrams, Sendous. Eight of the nine Ayas weapons, each of which can be summoned by one of you.”

“So they have names, now, huh?” Conrad deadpanned.

Pallan passed Conrad a disapproving look. “They do — I’ve told you as much once before. You would do well to remember them. The Ayas weapons are more than mere tools; they are key to your success.”

“I’d laugh at that pun, if this situation weren’t so ridiculous…” Sky muttered.

“…Well, okay, so we can summon those weird weapons,” Pierce admitted. “But that can’t be it. You want us to stop a galactic threat with a medieval armory? Come the fuck on.”

“Uh… the Archoné is right about the power of the weapons, too,” Kievkenalis said with an uneasy smile. “They have a… handful of useful abilities. Not to mention being completely unbreakable, and sharp enough to cut anything… well, the real ones are like that, anyways. I’m not sure if you guys’s versions are the same.”

“Still, at the end of the day, they’re just weapons,” Phoenix pointed out. “Surely we have more to go on than just that?”

“You do,” Pallan replied. “As Keys, you have a variety of additional boons and abilities at your disposal. There are several that you are not yet prepared to handle—“

“You can’t be serious,” Pierce interjected irately.

“—but of the ones you are,” Pallan continued, passing Pierce a brief glance before turning his gaze back to the rest of the table, “I will explain. One thing you all might have realized by now is that you’re immune to all Direct Manipulation.”

“…Direct what-now?” Sky questioned cluelessly.

“Sky… this was one of the first things we learned,” Twy responded in exasperation. “Direct Manipulation is when a Chaotic attempts to directly manipulate the matter of something. In your case, it would be if you tried to heat me up by affecting the atoms and molecules in my body directly, instead of just lobbing fireballs at me.”

“Oh, yeah, I do remember Kaoné sayin’ we were all immune to that…” Spike mused.

“Which certainly isn’t a common thing among Chaotics,” Kievkenalis asserted. “Most Chaotics are only immune to Direct Manipulation from other Chaotics of the same type. In fact, of all Chaotic types, only Chaostechnics should have blanket immunity to Direct Manipulation… and only one of you is a Chaostechnic.”

“That isn’t all that you’re immune to as Keys, either,” Pallan declared. “You’re also immune to Nanocreature corruption.”

“Wow. Sounds too good to be true,” Conrad remarked.

“And far too dangerous to test…” Kaoné mused. “It would be safest to act as though that you actually aren’t immune…”

“Assume what you like; I speak the truth,” Pallan commented. “Another unique ability you all have — with the exception of one of you — is a specific sixth sense, of sorts.” He looked over at Phoenix. “I believe some of you have already realized this ability.”

“Hate to admit it, but he’s right,” Pierce said with a scowl as he passed Phoenix a glance. “You’ve had that weird ‘danger sense’ thing trigger a couple of times over the past month or so.”

“Well, yes, but…” Phoenix frowned warily, pausing to search for words. “…It’s always just a sort of… nagging feeling in the back of my mind. I thought I was just being paranoid, honestly.”

“Well, I can tell you that that sensory ability is one of the key traits of being the Eternity Key,” Pallan stated. “You are able to sense impending danger in your near future.”

“What? Really?”

“Yes. It may only be a vague sensation now, but you can train yourself, and hone the sense. It would be best that you do; being able to sense impending danger is an incredibly useful ability.”

“Hmph. I’ll say,” Pierce muttered.

“…So, can the rest of us do that, too, then?” Sky questioned.

“No,” Pallan refuted. “Only the Eternity Key can sense danger in the near future. You other Keys have different senses. Yours, Ayas Navitas, is the ability to sense the presence of Chaos Energy — or the lack thereof — within a set radius around you.”

“Oh, great! …Why have I never sensed anything, then?”

“Chaos Energy is everywhere,” Conrad pointed out. “You probably just couldn’t tell. Sounds kinda like a useless ability, to me.”

“Oh…”

“As for your counterpart,” Pallan continued, shifting his gaze to Spike, “you, Ayas Materia, can sense Chaos Matter within the same range.”

“There it is again, that term. ‘Ayas Materia’,” Spike replied. “What’s that mean?”

“It is merely your title as a Key.” The Archoné looked at each of Austin, Twy, Sky, and Spike. “The four Ayas Keys: Imperium, Iunctio, Navitas, and Materia…” He then shifted his gaze to look at each of Pierce, Phoenix, Kestrel, and Conrad. “…And the four Universe Keys: Omni, Eternity, Infinity, and Void. These titles indicate the handful of unique abilities you each possess.”

“Sounds hella edgy,” Pierce remarked.

“So I’m ‘Void’, huh? Sounds great,” Conrad deadpanned, and then laid his head down on the table. “Well, if I’m ‘nothing’, I guess you all won’t mind if I just take a nap.”

“Hell of a time for jokes…” Austin muttered.

“In the face of such serious discussions, there is always time for levity, I say,” Pallan replied, a small smile briefly gracing his lips before he returned to a serious expression. “But, I have wasted enough of your time already. Allow me to quickly lay out the sensory abilities of the rest of you. Ayas Imperium.” He turned toward Austin. “You have the unique ability to sense the direction and location of nearby Chaos Ayas. An ability I’m sure you haven’t yet had a chance to exercise.”

“Suppose not…”

Pallan then looked to Twy. “You, Ayas Iunctio. Your sensory ability should tell you the general location of the other Keys in an intermediate range.”

“I suspected as much…” Twy replied.

“And you, Omni Key…” The Archoné glanced toward Pierce. “You should be able to sense any nearby Nanocreatures.”

“Nanocreatures, huh?” Pierce snorted. “Guess that would explain the shitty feeling I had back in Relédiaka…”

“And finally, you, Infinity Key.” Pallan turned toward Kestrel. “Similar to your friend, you can sense impending danger… but where she can sense the timing, you can sense the direction and location.”

“…Mm.” Kestrel grunted and offered a curt nod of acknowledgment.

“That would explain how we were both able to sense EA before he attacked with his mech…” Phoenix mused. “Or how we sensed the Bleeder attack in Relédiaka just before it happened…”

“Guess that means I’m the odd one out, though, huh?” Conrad remarked flatly.

Pallan nodded. “Yes. Your unique ability is… somewhat more overt, and significantly more dangerous than the other Keys. It is more than you can handle at this moment in time.”

“What, does he have the ability to just wipe things out of existence?” Pierce retorted.

“That’s closer to the truth than you might expect.”

“Wait… what? Really?!”

“Sounds like a pain… and a lot of effort,” Conrad muttered.

“And it requires a great deal of discipline,” Pallan insisted. “One day, when you have reached that level… I will reveal the full suite of your abilities.” He then swept his gaze across the entire table. “That goes for all of you, as well.”

“Sounds like a cop out, to me…” Austin said impatiently.

“If only it were,” Pallan responded. “History and fiction both are filled with the tragic tales of individuals who were granted great power long before they were ready. I cannot afford for you all to live out those tragedies yourselves; for the sake of the galaxy, you must all survive and become strong — not die, or grow weak.”

“If only it were really that simple…” Twy lamented.

“Not to sound glib, but in the case of Chaotics, it kind of is,” Kievkenalis remarked. “I’m not sure about all those special abilities the Archoné just mentioned, but training Chaotics is one thing that this galaxy knows how to do really well.” He then grinned as he passed Kaoné a look. “You just need to listen to your teacher, and you’ll be fine!”

“Great. Sure. We’ll do that,” Pierce deadpanned, and then shot an annoyed glance at Pallan. “We done with the lecturing, now? This whole discussion has put a serious damper on the beauty that awaits us out there.”

An amused chuckle escaped Pallan’s throat. “I’m glad to hear you look forward to exploring our proud capital of Riverana,” he commented, “and, indeed, I have now said my piece. However, there is still one thing I want to show you all. Something that should hopefully help you all to realize the level of power that you will eventually be dealing with.”

“That doesn’t sound ominous at all,” Austin retorted.

“Oh ho ho! Trust me, it isn’t,” the Archoné replied, and then, for the first time since beginning his discussion with the Keys, he turned his attention toward the city of gleaming white and blue that could be seen beyond the balcony’s rails. “…Before I leave you all for today, I’d like to show you the precious treasure held under lock and key… at the Yumach Chaotic University of Riverana.”